News

• Telski at The Bitter End With Ilium Housing
• Cat Movie Fisher with Risho Unda
• The Past, Present, and Future at the Telluride Historical Museum

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Telski at The Bitter End With Ilium Housing

A month after Telluride Ski and Golf employees appeared before the San Miguel County Board of Commissioners, the company has been granted a deadline extension to sell six employee housing units in Ilium Valley.

In March, TSG representatives Sherri Reiter and general counsel Stephanie Solomon explained that nine homes had been built as part of a 23-lot development. However, despite a verbal commitment from a former TSG employee — the son of CEO Chad Horning — to sell the homes by February, many remain rented to TSG workers.

At the April 30 county commissioners meeting, County Attorney Maura Fahey read a letter from TSG requesting more time.

“I think the other two, they’re still reaching out to their employees,” Fahey said. “The last time we had discussed this with the board, we had set a May 5 deadline for TSG to complete their internal efforts to have these sold to employees, and at that point they would list the homes for sale on the SMRHA website. Sherri has asked for an additional week for them to do that just because of employees having been away during the spring break off-season period.”

Commissioners noted that three of the six units are under contract, with a fourth in progress. Of the nine homes built, six are designated for sale and three for rent.

The board unanimously agreed to extend the deadline to May 12. After that date, any unsold homes will be listed publicly through the San Miguel Regional Housing Authority and sold under a deed restriction.

County attorney Lane Thomasson clarified the penalties for noncompliance.

“And so that’s when SMRHA would impose the fines,” Thomasson said. “It’s a $20-a-day fine during the violation, up to a maximum of $2,000 — so that’s per lot.”

TSG previously indicated that the remaining 14 empty lots are under a letter of intent for purchase by the Telluride School District, but no new updates were shared.

TSG acquired the Ilium lots in 2017 with the intention of building housing for employee sale. To date, only nine of the lots have been developed.

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The Past, Present, and Future at the Telluride Historical Museum

Telluride’s gem at the top of Fir Street was before Town Council this week.

“Thank you for allowing me to fulfil my legal obligation of giving this report,” joked Kiernan Lannon, executive director at the Telluride Historical Museum. Lannon presented an annual update on the museum at Telluride Town Council this week.

Lannon said 2024 was a mixed, but good year.

“Admissions revenue was at an all-time high. We’ve never been better there. We did have an increase to our rates a few years ago. 2019 is always our high watermark in terms of the raw number of visitors, but we’re creeping back up closer and closer to that number,” he said.

Lannon reported that nearly 7,000 people visited the museum in 2024 — a 3% increase from the previous year.

“We had just under 10,000 total participation between visitation and program participation for the past year. Ten thousand was usually the benchmark we aim for pre-pandemic, so we’re getting back there,” he said.

He added that the museum’s approval rating remains high.

“I won’t go through the whole thing about how we’re fifth behind a whole bunch of hiking trails, but we have an average rating of 4.75 on the common review sites out of 5, so people like us, they really like us,” he said.

That high approval rating is, in part, thanks to the museum’s rotating exhibits. The 2024 exhibit was titled You Are Here: Opportunity, Exploration, and Endurance in the San Juan Mountains.

“The exhibit that revolved around rare and historic maps. It was one of our best reviewed exhibits ever, people loved it. The maps were absolutely incredible, some of which had never been on display before. It was a real Gute spiel to have it. We were borrowing them from a generous local collector,” Lannon said.

The museum also hosted walking tours, fireside chats, a film screening with Ken Burns, and began a heritage night series to highlight crafts like leatherworking, bookbinding and outdoor exploration.

With that said, not everything was rosy. Lannon noted that membership and donations were down last year, and the museum also saw staffing turnover.

But the museum is looking forward with another exhibition coming this summer.

“Building on the success of our last exhibit, we have another real banger coming up. And that will be our exhibit that is revolving around 50 years of KOTO. KOTO is an extremely important piece of the community. Their history is very interesting and the exhibit is also going to be like the history of Telluride over the last 50 years through the lens of Telluride. It’s going to be really cool. Something everyone should want to check out,” Lannon said.

The Telluride Historical Museum is currently closed for the offseason. It will reopen June 1. To become a museum member, go to telluridemuseum.org.

The museum’s summer exhibit highlighting 50 years of KOTO will open in June.

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‘Cat Movie Fisher’ Turns to Travel in Latest Segment

In this week’s Cat Movie Fisher, Telluride High School’s Risho Unda shifts from entertainment to travel. Unda interviews Telluride High School P.E. teacher Chelsea Christ about her recent adventures.

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Telluride Education Foundation Hosts Prom-Themed Fundraiser

Dust off your dancing shoes. The Telluride Education Foundation hosts its spring fundraiser and auction Saturday, May 3, at the Telluride Science and Innovation Center (formerly the Depot).

The theme is “This Ain’t Your Kid’s Prom.” Party attire is encouraged but not required.

The event features food from Latin Creations and the Cheez Cart, drinks from There Bar, and music from DJ Rapper TheD. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event runs until 9:30 p.m.

All proceeds support grants for students, teachers, and the school district’s social and behavioral health department.

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Accessibility Project Begins Along Colorado Avenue

The town of Telluride begins a large-scale accessibility project next week to improve pedestrian safety.

The project includes replacing non-compliant sidewalk ramps, installing heating coils to prevent ice and snow buildup, and replacing 25 lamp posts along Colorado Avenue from Aspen to Alder streets.

Work begins May 5 and will continue through the month. Local businesses remain open and accessible during construction.

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Low Runoff Expected Despite Normal Snowpack

While snowpack in the upper Colorado River basin was near normal this winter, runoff is expected to be significantly below average, according to drought forecasters.

Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports.

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Colorado Approves Black History Curriculum for Public Schools

Colorado lawmakers have approved the creation of a statewide curriculum on Black history.

Senate President James Coleman, a supporter of the bill, reflected on his own education.

“Consider the importance of what this means to a kid like me — the kids that are in our state of Colorado who just want to see themselves,” Coleman said.

The bill establishes an independent committee to write standards for the curriculum. The group will include teachers, civil rights experts, and representatives from cultural institutions.

The curriculum is slated for rollout in 2028, the next scheduled revision of the state’s social studies standards.

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Mountain Workers Turn to Safe Parking as Housing Costs Soar

With housing costs out of reach for many mountain-town workers, dozens in Summit County are turning to their cars — and a unique safe parking program — for shelter.

The Summit Safe Parking Program, run by the nonprofit Unsheltered In Summit, allows local workers to pay $75 per month for a permit to sleep in their vehicles in a Frisco parking lot.

The program offers amenities like a portable toilet and trash service. Participants must show proof of local employment.

Paul Minjares, who once lived in the lot himself, now helps manage the site.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KUNC’s Erin O’Toole spoke with Minjares about how the program works and what life is like in the lot.

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