The Red Ant
Whether it be in Aspen or frankly anywhere else in our land of the free, elected officials and those in power find themselves on a fierce “fairness” rampage. By fairness, I mean equality of outcome; the adjustment of the footrace so that each competitor crosses the finish line together, at exactly the same time, with the same result.
This summer brings further regulation of “street activations” in an effort to be fair to all businesses. There will be tighter restrictions, with “pop-up” retail limited and food trucks forbidden; these have been deemed inappropriate because they’d compete with existing businesses. There were 48 parking spaces usurped by retail and restaurants last summer; less than 5% of our total, including the parking garage. This trial run amid the pandemic was a great success and exactly what the city should be doing to boost business. But while it makes sense to make adjustments to ensure the safety of patrons, dictating usage and prescr
The opening of the new Aspen City Hall has been delayed by at least a month due to COVID-19 issues, along with modest budget increases for the nearly $49 million project.
Aspen City Council heard during a work session Tuesday that the 37,500-square-foot building is scheduled to be fully open around Thanksgiving.
Schedule delays are related to the initial shutdown last March, as well as crew quarantines and limited manpower working within Pitkin County COVID public health order guidelines at 50% capacity, according to Rob Schober, the city’s capital asset project manager.
City staff has contained the financial implications of the delays within the project’s contingency fund and is working to minimize any further impacts moving forward, Schober said.
Image created by Jordan Lugibihl
In August, when the $3.1 million in Berkshire Hathaway bonds that the City of Aspen holds mature, the city will not be repurchasing.
It’s not for lack of performance. The funds have done tolerably well. Rather, the Berkshire Hathaway bonds are tainted by a bad environmental record.
The city wants its $131 million in investments to reflect Aspen’s values. That most prominently means walking away from carbon.
“The City of Aspen is taking the first steps to putting our money where our mouth is,” says Mayor Torre (he goes by one name). “I anticipate a two-year process to fully divest from the investments that don’t reflect our community values. Our intention is to be fiscally responsible as we get policy in place to guide our banking and investments to meet our environmental, social, and governance expectations.”
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Election judges verify signatures on ballots in the basement of City Hall on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
Aspen residents have just over a day left to cast their votes for mayor and two City Council members.
Election Day for the city of Aspen municipal election is Tuesday, and ballots will be accepted until 7 p.m.
There is a drop box located in front of City Hall on Galena Street where ballots can be dropped. Voting in person in City Hall is available on a limited basis and COVID-19 protocols will be followed. In-person voting is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and again from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m on Election Day.