Clear Creek County, Colorado

*page last updated 08/27/2010*
Stanley Road Bridge Project Starts This Week - 08/23/10
Traffic Advisory - Lane closure & traffic stops in Summit County - 08/20/10
Road Work near Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel - 08/10/10
Guanella Pass Road Fact Sheet - updated 07/27/10
Mount Evans Opens - 05/28/10
National Forest Campground Closures - 05/26/10
Guanella Pass Opens - 05/26/10
Lawson White Water Park - Grand Opening Celebration - 5/22/10
Citizens Survey - 08/05/10
County Provides Free Discount Drug Card - 03/04/10
Census 2010 - Take 10 Turnkey Kit - Sample Mail Out - 03/15/10
Census 2010 - Take 10 Newsletter
Rural Development Has Programs Available to Help You Become a Homeowner
News from Clear Creek County Land Use Group & Mapping Department
I-70 Mountain Corridor Coalition
Colorado Quitline

News From
The Colorado Department
of Transportation

August 20, 2010

TRAFFIC ADVISORY - Lane closure & traffic stops in Summit County

SUMMIT COUNTY - Two projects could impact traffic in Summit County next week.

INTERSTATE 70: On Monday, August 23, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will have a left lane closure in place on westbound Interstate 70, just west of the Silverthorne interchange, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for sand clean-up. Some traffic slowdowns are possible.

U.S. 6: On Thursday, August 26, and Friday, August 27, drivers can expect traffic stops of approximately 10 minutes on U.S. 6, on the west side of Loveland Pass, near the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. On Thursday, three traffic stops will take place between 8 a.m. and noon, and on Friday, one traffic stop will occur at around 10 a.m. The stops will allow A-Basin to haul large pieces of equipment and parts across the highway for a ski lift.

Motorists are reminded to please Slow for the Cone Zone, stay alert and pay attention to and obey all work zone/advisory signs and flaggers.
Contact: Bob Wilson, CDOT Public Relations, (303) 757-9431

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News From
The Colorado Department
of Transportation

August 20, 2010

Stanley Road Bridge Project Starts This Week
First Clear Creek County bridge project funded by FASTER

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY - Work begins on Tuesday, August 24, to replace the Stanley Road Bridge over Clear Creek, just west of Idaho Springs.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) project will remove the current bridge (1958), replacing it with a wider, slightly realigned structure. Other upgrades include paving short segments of Stanley Road and paving and widening the Interstate 70 eastbound off-ramp (Exit 239), new curbs and gutters and water quality drainage work. Parking access also will be improved by widening the shoulders on Stanley Road and upgrading the lot adjacent to the bridge.

Initial traffic impacts over the last couple of weeks, including a closure of Stanley Road, were initiated by Xcel Energy, for utility relocation. When the utility work is completed next week, flaggers will begin alternating eastbound and westbound traffic from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Stops up to 10 minutes can be expected through early September.

On Tuesday, September 7, Stanley Road is scheduled to be closed to through traffic, including bicyclists, allowing the old bridge to be removed. Access to other segments of Stanley Road, between the bridge and Dumont, will remain open. All other traffic can use Interstate 70 as a detour route between Idaho Springs and Dumont (Exit 235).

The project is scheduled for completion in November 2010. SEMA Construction Inc. of Centennial, Colo., is the prime contractor.

FASTER - Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery - is fully funding the $1.5 million project. Financed by vehicle registration fees, FASTER established a Statewide Bridge Enterprise, funding the maintenance and repair of Colorado's most urgent structurally-deficient and functionally-obsolete bridges. Additional information is accessible at: www.coloradodot.info/projects/faster<http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/faster>.

Traffic information about this or other CDOT projects is on the cotrip.org website, by calling 511 or via e-mail. For e-mail updates, visit www.coloradodot.info<http://www.coloradodot.info> and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner. The link takes you to a list of subscription items, including I-70 West, Denver to Glenwood Springs.

Contact: Bob Wilson, CDOT Public Relations, (303) 757-9431

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News From
The Colorado Department
of Transportation

August 10, 2010

MEDIAN PROJECT BEGINS WEST OF TUNNEL

SUMMIT COUNTY - Work is underway to replace the concrete median barrier along Interstate 70 between the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel (EJMT) and Silverthorne. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) project also includes placing rumble strips along the left median and slope stabilization, about one mile west of the EJMT.

Drivers can expect left lane closures on eastbound and/or westbound I-70, west of the EJMT, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays.

Only minor delays are anticipated but CDOT will monitor traffic and adjust and/or remove lane closures if long backups develop. Advisories will be distributed, as necessary, if additional lane closures are required or if delays are longer than anticipated.

Colorado Constructors Inc., of Denver, Colo. is the contractor for the $2 million project. It is scheduled for completion in early November 2010.

Motorists are reminded to please Slow for the Cone Zone, stay alert and pay attention to and obey all work zone/advisory signs and flaggers.

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News From
The Colorado Department
of Transportation

May 26, 2009

MOUNT EVANS HIGHWAY OPENS

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will open the Mount Evans Highway – State Highway 5 – for the season on Friday, May 28, at 6 a.m. It will remain open every day, weather permitting, from Echo Lake to the top of Mount Evans (14,264 feet), through Labor Day weekend.

Information regarding the opening and closing of seasonal highways in Colorado is available at all times on the www.cotrip.org website or by calling 511. Updates also are offered via e-mail. Please visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the cell-phone icon in the upper right-hand corner. The link takes you to a list of items you can subscribe to, including General Travel Information – Seasonal Mountain Pass Closures/Openings.

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USDA FOREST SERVICE
Rocky Mountain Region
740 Simms Street Golden, CO 80401

Know Before You Go! Some Campgrounds are Open Despite Snow and Beetle Epidemic

Denver Colo. May 25, 2010— There are still many great places to camp and explore on the National Forests despite the bark beetle epidemic and recent snowstorms in the high country. The key is to know before you go. To check the status of any campground, visitwww.fs.fed.us/r2/recreation/camping/campgroundlist, or call the local Forest Service office for more information. Reservations for most campgrounds can be made on www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.

Forest Service officials concerned about visitor and employee safety have identified campgrounds and picnic areas that will be closed for the season and some areas may experience temporary closures due to hazards caused by bark-beetle killed trees. Only six campgrounds and two picnic areas of 223 recreation sites, across three National Forests in northern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming will be closed for the season, and 29 will experience temporary closures that may affect openings for the Memorial day weekend this summer due to the bark beetle epidemic The epidemic will likely require further treatments at additional recreation sites.

The closures due to beetle mitigation and delays will occur on the Arapaho and Roosevelt, Medicine Bow and Routt and the White River, National Forests.

“Most of the closures we have for the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forest right now are due to snow, not the mountain pine beetle,” said Kent Foster, recreation branch director for the USFS Bark Beetle Incident Management Organization.

“Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Beetle-killed trees are a hazard because they can fall anytime as the roots start to rot. Know before you go. Check the weather and the status of your favorite spot before leaving home. Be aware of your surroundings and wind conditions in areas where trees have been killed by the mountain pine beetle,” said Cal Wettstein, commander of the Rocky Mountain Region Bark Beetle Incident Management Organization.

Work has already started in some areas. Several options for cutting and removing the trees, including using experienced Forest Service hotshot fire crews and prison fire crews, are part of the Forest Service’s mitigation plans. A number of forest campgrounds have already had beetle-killed hazard trees removed. For instance, Dowdy Lake Picnic ground and Ansel Watrous Campground in the Poudre Canyon area were closed last week, but are expected to be open by Memorial Day.

For general information about the bark beetle epidemic go to www.fs.fed.us/r2/bark-beetle.

See the attached table of sites that may be closed and keep in mind that these can change as conditions change!

Developed Recreation Site Closures - Campground Closures

STATE OF COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 700 Kipling Street, Suite 4000 Lakewood, Colorado 80215-8000 (303) 239-4100 FAX (303) 239-4125
		Bill Owens Governor Don Ament Commissioner Sheldon Jones Deputy Commissioner
December 18, 2005
Clear Creek County Property Owners County of Clear Creek State of Colorado
Dear Property Owners,
Due to recent revisions in the Colorado Noxious Weed Act (C.R.S. 35-5.5), the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has worked with local communities across Colorado to develop and implement statewide management plans for specific noxious weed species that threaten agriculture and the environment. Of particular interest to Clear Creek County residents is a plan to stop the spread of Chinese clematis and reduce its environmental impacts. This clematis is an invasive plant that has spread down Clear Creek all the way to the South Platte River in Adams County. The newly adopted plan requires the eradication of clematis throughout Clear Creek County by 2008. This plan can be found in 8 CCR 1203-19, Rules Pertaining to the Administration and Enforcement of the Colorado Noxious Weed Act, Part 4.7.2. It states: "Except as otherwise specified in this plan, elimination of all populations in Clear Creek County must be completed prior to seed development in 2008." You may view the entire rule at http://www.ag.state.co.us/CSD/Weeds/statutes/weedrules.pdf.
Your county commissioners, in cooperation with area municipalities and other state and federal agencies including the Colorado Department of Transportation and the U.S. Forest Service, have assembled a task force to eradicate clematis on public properties throughout the county and to assist you with any questions/concerns you may have. Every private landowner is required to eradicate Chinese clematis on his/her property. To ensure that recalcitrant landowners do not negatively affect their neighbors, failure to meet this requirement will result in legal and financial penalties. However, recognizing and managing Chinese clematis is fairly simple and I hope that landowners will take the necessary action to ensure that they manage any clematis on their property in a timely and appropriate manner.
Enclosed is a color brochure to help you identify Chinese clematis that is present in Clear Creek County. A simple Chinese clematis fact sheet can be found at http://www.ag.state.co.us/CSD/Weeds/Brochures/Chinese_Clematis.pdf . This sheet includes tips on identification and management. CDA hopes to improve upon the materials currently available for Chinese clematis identification and management in 2006 so please check our website in the future for additional materials.
To eradicate Chinese clematis, only limited techniques are available: chemical and mechanical. Since eradication is the desired management objective, it would be fruitless to employ cultural or biological techniques – furthermore, there are no biological control agents available to control Chinese clematis in the United States. I strongly encourage you to review the methods identified in the fact sheet noted above to determine which may be most useful for you. Listed below are some websites that can provide you with information about Chinese clematis, recommended management techniques, and other sources of assistance.
The task force and I appreciate your contribution to a community-wide effort to control Chinese clematis. The mission of Colorado’s noxious weed management program is to stop of spread of noxious weed species in Colorado and restore degraded lands of exceptional agricultural and environmental value during the 21^st century. With your help, we can protect the environment in Clear Creek County now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Eric Lane, State Weed Coordinator
Helpful websites:	www.cwma.org - Colorado Weed Management Association http://www.ag.state.co.us/CSD/Weeds/Weedhome.html - Colorado Dept. of Ag http://www.co.jefferson.co.us/ext/dpt/comm_res/openspac/weed - Jefferson County http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/gilpin/chineseclematis.shtml - Gilpin County