Kaya Williams/The Snowmass Sun
A sense of place is fundamental to the artist community at Anderson Ranch Arts Center.
“We are so much about place, we are so much about this space and inviting people in,” said Artistic Director of Painting, Drawing and Printmaking Liz Ferrill, who also oversees the artists-in-program at the campus. “We have been kind of clinging to that from the very beginning.”
So in the months after the pandemic hit last March, the wheels were already turning among ranch staff to figure out how to maintain that energy within the parameters of COVID-19 restrictions and public health guidelines.
Marijuana is displayed in glass canisters in glass cases around High Q in the Snowmass Village Mall. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
The three-county region of Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin encompasses 5,621 square miles, has a combined population of 133,000 residents, and is home to dozens of marijuana shops.
Those stores also combined for more than $66 million of Colorado’s record-breaking $2.2 billion in retail sales of marijuana in 2020, according to Colorado Department Revenue data.
Consumers of retail marijuana in Colorado are hit with a trio of taxes at the point of sale there’s a 2.9% state sales tax, a 15% marijuana retail sales tax (not applicable to medical pot), and a 15% excise tax. Some municipalities such as Snowmass Village, but not Aspen have additional taxes on cannabis. Snowmass voters passed a 5% sales tax on marijuana in November 2018.
Aspen Journalism
Lani Kitching waits for a patient to arrive for a COVID-19 test at the testing kiosk in the cellphone parking lot near Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. (Dan Bayer/Aspen Journalism)
Pitkin County has maintained a high COVID-19 community-testing capacity since Curative tests were discontinued last month, but the number of people trying to find out if they have the virus has come down from an early-January peak.
In a few weeks at the beginning of winter, the county went from having a low testing rate to boasting one of the highest in the state, thanks in part to the widespread use of free tests available without a doctor’s order, deployed through a partnership involving the state of Colorado, local officials and the San Dimas, Calif.-based company that made and processed the PCR tests.
As revenues dropped in Aspen’s retail, lodging and restaurant industries in 2020 because of pandemic-related restrictions and shutdowns, so too did activity at Aspen Valley Hospital.
Patient revenue missed budget by 13.6% in 2020 generating $136.1 million compared to the projected $157.6 million due largely to setbacks that included a six-week suspension of elective surgeries. The hospital also spent more money than it generated last year, with $96.3 million in total operating revenue and $110.2 million in total expenses.
That’s based on AVH financial documents and presentations given last week by hospital CEO David Ressler and Chief Financial Officer Ginette Sebenaler to the hospital’s board of directors at its monthly meeting.
Input sought for proposed changes to Aspen parks
The city of Aspen parks and open space department is seeking public input on proposed renovations to Herron Park and Ute Park.
Both projects are scheduled for upgrades this spring through fall.
The public can learn more and provide input on survey questions, brainstorm playground ideas, and offer narrative opinions at http://www.aspencommunityvoice.com through this month.
The goal of the Herron Park project is to replace existing play structures with new equipment that fits within the aesthetic of the park.
Ute Park has a renovation goal of maintaining a natural aesthetic while addressing disturbed areas for revegetation.