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Eagle County, Edwards officials discuss ‘commons’ complex and bus service

Dealing with the state will complicate efforts to improve pedestrian safety

Since U.S. Highway 6 from Dowd Junction through Edwards is essentially the valley's main street, pedestrian safety is an increasing concern.
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Given that Edwards is one of the county’s largest population centers, there’s generally quite a bit going on.

The Eagle County Board of Commissioners — minus Tom Boyd, who was sick — and board members from the Edwards and Berry Creek metro districts got together Tuesday at the Singletree Community Center to talk about some of that activity.

The discussion included the construction of the “county commons” complex near Battle Mountain High School and a review of the county’s recent purchase of a 4-acre parcel along the Eagle River just west of the Eagle River Village mobile home park and across the river and just downstream from the Lake Creek Village Apartments.



No uses have yet been identified for the vacant parcel, but County Manager Jeff Shroll said there are “a lot of needs” in the area.

Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney said she’d like to see ideas for the parcel start to gel roughly by the end of the first quarter of this year. But, she added, there’s currently no funding to do much of anything at the site.

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Edwards Metro District asks for a seat at Core Transit table

Edwards Metro District Board Member Todd Williams brought up a topic that’s been raised any number of times, this time regarding Core Transit. Williams asked about the Edwards community getting a seat on the transit authority’s board of directors. The community is currently represented by McQueeney — since the area is in unincorporated Eagle County.

Williams noted that Edwards residents make up about 30% of Core Transit’s ridership, and provide 10% or so of the authority’s total funding.

Fellow Edwards Metro District board member Joanna Kerwin added that if the community had a seat on the board, it could help explore “micro-transit” solutions and other transit options for the community.

Core Transit Director Tanya Allen said the community could go to the current board of directors, but the question would ultimately have to be put to district voters.

The ultimate answer, McQueeney said, would be for Edwards to incorporate as a town. The prospect of Edwards incorporating has come up multiple times over the years, Williams noted.

In the meantime, McQueeney said, “I’d happily meet with you all” about transit-related issues and problems.

“Please, somebody reach out and talk to me,” she added. “You don’t need a seat on the board to communicate your needs.”

A pitch for license plate readers

Eagle County Sheriff’s Deputy Jordan Harrison made a pitch for funding between two and four license plate readers in the community.

Harrison said those readers are effective tools in solving property crimes and have been used to great effect already in Gypsum and Minturn. Harrison said he’d install the cameras — each of which cost between $8,000 and $12,000.

The only catch is that the Colorado Department of Transportation won’t allow the cameras on its signs.

Based on Harrison’s presentation, it looks like the county and metro districts will find a way to partner on installing the cameras in strategic spots in the community.

Making Edwards safer for pedestrians

During a discussion about pedestrian safety, both county and Edwards officials noted the difficulty in dealing with the Colorado Department of Transportation, which has the ultimate authority over U.S. Highway 6. Berry Creek Metro District Director Nina Timm noted that the highway serves as the valley’s de facto main street between Dowd Junction and Edwards.

The problem with dealing with the state, particularly regarding traffic studies, is that those studies can result in higher speed limits.

McQueeney suggested bringing in the town of Avon as a partner when asking the state for help with crosswalks and other safety features.

One participant asked about the success the towns of Eagle and Gypsum have had taking over responsibility for Highway 6 in early 2017. Under that plan, the state gave the towns a one-time payment to take over the roughly 8-mile stretch of highway.

Shroll, who was Gypsum’s Town Manager at the time the deal was struck, acknowledged that the towns today can essentially do what they want on the corridor, but noted that the state “will never do (that) again.”


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