Gypsum reviewing wilderness plan
Eagle correspondent
Vail, CO Colorado
GYPSUM, Colorado – Gypsum Town Manager Jeff Shroll said he’s looking over the revised wilderness proposal that was released earlier in the week.
The town has conducted several work sessions regarding the Hidden Gems proposal and has urged U.S. Rep. Jared Polis to leave Red Table Mountain out of the proposed wilderness plan. Gypsum officials have said the area is critical to the town’s water supply and a wilderness designation could impede its management.
Newspapers reported Monday that Polis had cut some areas out of the plan. The Hidden Gems coalition asked Polis to designate nearly 244,000 acres in Eagle and Summit counties as wilderness. After holding public hearings and having his staff explore specific areas, Polis pared about 74,000 acres out of the Hidden Gems request. The Red Table area is proposed to become a special management area, according to the plan.
At the Gypsum council’s Tuesday meeting, it wasn’t clear what the status was on Red Table Mountain.
“I’m still looking at (the revised proposal),” Shroll told council members. “Our lawyers are going to have a conference call on Monday.”
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Gypsum Daze beer tent sales earned profits of $4,652 each for the Gypsum and Eagle Valley Chambers of Commerce.
Additionally, Gypsum Town Council voted at its Tuesday meeting to donate its profit of $1,857 to the chambers to split.
“They’re doing a good job, and I think we should put this money back into them,” said council member Tim McMichael.
Citing the death of a family caused by a carbon monoxide leak in a Pitkin County home, Gypsum council members passed an ordinance Tuesday as a proactive measure to help avoid such a tragedy.
On Wednesday, relatives of the family were expected to file a lawsuit. Last month, a Pitkin County grand jury indicted a plumber and two building inspectors on criminal charges connected to the deaths.
The Gypsum ordinance pertains to mechanical requirements and inspections.
