The historic miner’s cabin at 1020 E Cooper Ave. in Aspen is involved in two lawsuits pertaining to an affordable housing proposal. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times file photo)
A worker-housing project proposed for an east Aspen neighborhood now has legal hurdles to clear in addition to governmental ones.
An Aspen condominium association and a nonprofit organization filed separate complaints late Friday against the city of Aspen over City Council’s 3-2 decision April 19 to remand an application for a five-unit housing complex back to the Historic Preservation Commission, which originally denied the proposal.
Using attorneys from different Aspen law firms, the plaintiffs Cooper Avenue Victorian Condominium Association Inc. and the group Save Aspen introduced the complaints in Pitkin County District Court. Both lawsuits were filed under Colorado’s Rule 106, which allows citizens to appeal to the courts a governmental body’s decision on land use and development application
Suzette Lowe
As a result of the Jackson County Board of Education’s decision at the May 6 meeting, class size for grades kindergarten-3 will be reduced to no more than 17 students.
Superintendent Blaine Hess and Assistant Superintendent Jay Carnell explained this change was made possible by funding source changes.
“We are able to use Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund (ESSERF) for this,” said Hess. “This stimulus money will go to good use in adding additional positions and keeping others.”
The premise behind lowering class size according to Hess is “to recapture learning loss.”
“No matter how good our summer school is, we won’t be able to get these kids totally caught up,” he said. “This will offer a more proactive, long-lasting solution.”
The majority of Aspen City Council on Monday shot down any notion that the municipal government ought to join the movement to promote psychedelic-assisted therapies as suggested by Councilman Skippy Mesirow.
Specifically, psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient found in mushrooms, remains a schedule 1 drug by the federal government, and Aspen has no place in attempting to remove that classification, council members agreed during a work session
.
“I don’t want to be on the bleeding edge on this one,” said Councilwoman Rachel Richards, adding it’s for agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the Colorado Public Health and Environment and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to sort out. “I think there could be some beneficial uses for people and I would support allowing such treatments within our community when there have been federal protocols developed and it is a monitored practice in the appropriate safe settings.”
The majority of Aspen City Council on Monday shot down any notion that the municipal government ought to join the movement to promote psychedelic-assisted therapies as suggested by Councilman Skippy Mesirow.
Specifically, psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient found in mushrooms, remains a schedule 1 drug by the federal government, and Aspen has no place in attempting to remove that classification, council members agreed during a work session
.
“I don’t want to be on the bleeding edge on this one,” said Councilwoman Rachel Richards, adding it’s for agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the Colorado Public Health and Environment and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to sort out. “I think there could be some beneficial uses for people and I would support allowing such treatments within our community when there have been federal protocols developed and it is a monitored practice in the appropriate safe settings.”
A pair of ducks dive for food in the Jenny Adair Wetlands on N. Mill St. in Aspen on Tuesday, March 4, 2021. The constructed wetlands are a part of the city’s stormwater initiative to reduce pollutants in the Roaring Fork River. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
Aspen City Council decided on Tuesday to take a conservative approach to shoring up the deficit in the clean river program, which has $12 million worth of projects on tap that go toward maintaining the health of the Roaring Fork, city infrastructure and public safety.
Instead of pursuing a new revenue source like increasing the existing property tax that funds the clean river program, establishing another city utility, or borrowing against future revenues, council members said during their work session