The year in review: Reporters’ picks for the top stories of 2024

 

PitCo voters give OK to airport plans

Following a contentious election season and years of debate, Pitkin County voters on Nov. 5 gave a green light to controversial plans for the transformation of the Aspen airport.

County voters overwhelmingly supported a ballot question, 1C, which “reaffirmed” commissioners’ authority over airport decisions. A competing ballot question, 200, sought to allow voters to have the final say over matters pertaining to any changes to the current runway configuration; as 1C passed handily, 200 failed by a wide margin. 

Opponents of the county’s plans fear the transformation will worsen the county’s growth problems and lure larger, noisier and more polluting planes to the area, while supporters argue the opposite is true.

Following the election, county commissioners voted unanimously on a new layout plan for the airport. Under the plan, the runway will be relocated and widened, and there will be greater separation between the runway and the taxiway — all steps necessary to give the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport full status as an Airport Design Group III facility. With that classification, planes with wider wingspans will be allowed to use the local airport.

Commissioners in November also approved of a new, 30-year lease for the fixed-base operator, or FBO. A contract valued at more than $1 billion is being awarded to Atlantic Aviation, the airport’s current FBO. The deal brings a projected total financial contribution of $1.15 billion to the county over the 30-year term, including $136.5 million in capital projects and $879 million in estimated payments of rents, fees and charges.

The controversy over whether to expand the airport brewed for many decades. A community “visioning process” in 2019-20 led to the recommended changes. With those plans, the airport is expected to be eligible for hundreds of millions in federal funds to complete numerous projects, including construction of a new terminal building. 

As the business world turns

In 2024, Aspen and Houston businessman Charif Souki was forced to sell his ranch, an assortment of downtown properties, and his real estate franchise in a high-stakes dispute with a group of lenders.

The sale of the Coldwell Bank Mason Morse franchise to California-based The Select Group in October was the latest Souki-owned asset to change ownership following the February bankruptcy sale of Aspen Valley Ranch for $30.5 million to the lenders.

It marked the end of a run for Souki, family members and investors who bought Coldwell Banker Mason Morse in 2013 through an entity called Ajax Holdings M & M LLC, owning six offices in the Roaring Fork Valley until the sale. Mason Morse launched in 1961 and was named after its founders, Bill Mason and Edward “Wendy” Morse.

In August, developer Mark Hunt acquired the Souki family-owned commercial properties downtown for $62 million. Hunt absorbed four properties combining for 27,655 square feet of commercial space and 4,728 square feet of residential in the deal, according to property records.

The sales were triggered by Souki’s failure to stay current on the terms of aggressive agreements for more than $100 in personal loans he received in 2017 and 2018. Souki pledged Aspen Valley Ranch, the downtown properties and other assets as collateral on the loans.

Meanwhile, Hunt and the entities that he controls own commercial properties downtown including the Gravity Haus location and former Aspen Times offices on East Hyman Avenue, the Red Onion on East Cooper Avenue, and the former Main Street Bakery building, which is nearing its redevelopment completion and will open this year as a Sant Ambroeus cafe. 

 Hunt also is partnering with California-based home-furnishings company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, on multiple projects in town. That includes redeveloping the Crystal Palace Theatre building into a boutique hotel and redeveloping the Bidwell Building into a gallery, showroom, retail and dining space.

The redevelopment of the old dinner-theatre building into an RH Guesthouse will include the removal of the Cigar Owl mural on the structure’s wall facing Monarch Street. 

Removing the mural was not part of the original agreement Hunt made with the city concerning the project, but Hunt’s team argued to historic preservation officials in 2024 that the wall was unsound and the mural did not meet the criteria for historic designation. 

“The Crystal Palace as we all know it is gone,” Hunt told the Aspen Historic Preservation Commission at an October meeting. “It’s gone and it turns out, it was gone long before we made the decision based on what we thought the Crystal Palace was. I don’t want to be viewed that I’m looking to take away or destroying pieces of Aspen’s history. I want to be ultimately known that I’m adding to it.”

The HPC voted 4-3 in approval, and Aspen City Council elected not to review the decision for possible remand to the HPC.

When Trump came to town

Just after 5 p.m. on Aug. 10, a motorcade of 50 or so vehicles from local, regional and state law enforcement, and the U.S. Service Service, was eastbound on Main Street in Aspen en route to a private political fundraiser.

Some people lining the street blew kisses and waved to the motorcade; others hissed at the vehicles, a few offering middle-finger salutes. 

The motorcade was thanks to then-candidate Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, who was in town for a fundraiser. Guests in Aspen could pay $100,000 per couple $100,000 for VIP treatment and a photo with the former president, while $500,000 gave couples host-committee status and other benefits.

Hanging out on the sidewalks of Main Street was free of charge, however, and as the day wore on, the crowd grew. Some out of town MAGA supporters hunkered down at Paepcke Park earlier in the morning for a chance to see their man. 

“First off, just to see Trump would be enough, and to show my support,” said one man who drove over from Aurora. “What else is there? He can be a little obnoxious but at the same time, I’m 75 years old. I live on a fixed income. I lived within my means for 25 years. With Biden-omics, I’m broke. Before I had $100 to play with, now I’m completely out of money by the 20th of the month.”

His comments were telling: After Trump defeated Democrat nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris for president in November, pundits trying to figure out why concluded one driving factor was America’s working-class feeling ignored by the Biden administration. 

Trump’s fundraiser was held at the Aspen home of John and Amy Phelan. In November, Trump nominated John Phelan as Navy secretary.

While Trump came to Aspen as a candidate, his running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, was in Aspen during the last week of the month as vice president-elect. Authorities warned of potential traffic delays to yield to the Vance motorcade, which includes protection from the U.S. Secret Service.

A halfpipe season for the ages

There was no stopping Aspen’s Alex Ferreira in the halfpipe in the 2023-24 season, whether the venue was the World Cup, the Dew Tour or his hometown X Games.

For the first time in the sport’s history, Ferreira won every competition he entered into, going a perfect seven-for-seven, claiming the overall FIS Crystal Globe, success on the Dew Tour and his third X Games gold medal — but just his first since 2020.

In the history of skiing halfpipe, no competitor had swept a World Cup season of more than two events.

“There’s no other feeling like this. It’s priceless, pure jubilation, euphoria,” Ferreira said after claiming his seventh gold medal at Dew Tour at Copper Mountain on March 9. “To do this as my job makes me the luckiest guy in the world. It’s the best feeling in the world. I can’t believe it’s seven for seven. It was my goal at the beginning of the season and everyone maybe scoffed a little bit and now it’s here and I actually did it. It’s amazing. It’s a really special day.”

He continued to claim his place atop the halfpipe world in the first half of the 2024-25 season, claiming two silvers then a gold to close out the calendar. He sits in the driver’s seat for another Crystal Globe — and a bid to the 2026 Olympics.

Castle Creek Bridge deemed safe

A Colorado Department of Transportation routine inspection of the Castle Creek Bridge found that it was safe for regular use and did not require weight restrictions, potentially prolonging discussions of how to move forward with the entrance to Aspen debate that flared up again in 2024.

CDOT conducted the inspection in September, delaying traffic for hours as the bridge was reduced to a single lane with alternating traffic. It released the report in early December, weeks after the agency said the report would arrive, and gave the bridge a “fair” rating, meaning no weight restrictions or more frequent construction. 

As the city awaited CDOT’s inspection report, it debated how to move forward with the entrance to Aspen. After several weeks of back and forth, the Aspen City Council decided not to place a question regarding the use of the Marolt and Thomas open spaces for bus lanes on the November ballot. The question would have to go to voters to move forward with the preferred alternative, a highway alignment that was identified in a 1998 record of decision as the best solution for the entrance to Aspen. It would reroute Highway 82 over a portion of the Marolt and Thomas open spaces, bypass the S-Curves and reconnect with Main Street at the intersection of 7th and Main. 

Tensions flared over the past year as council members weighed how to move forward with the entrance to Aspen, and if it should pursue the preferred alternative, or other proposed solutions for replacing the aging Castle Creek Bridge. CDOT told the city this year that if the Castle Creek Bridge failed, it would implement the preferred alternative.

Now, Aspen voters will be asked in March to vote on two citizen-driven ballot questions about the entrance to Aspen: one asks voters to increase the threshold of votes required to amend city open space from a simple majority to 60%, and the other asks voters to allow CDOT to use portions of the Marolt and Thomas open spaces already identified in entrance to Aspen alternatives for new highway alignments.

For now, CDOT says the Castle Creek Bridge is safe.

Alleged store heist goes wrong

It was the stuff of Hollywood: Hooded and masked men using blowtorches, drills and other tools overnight Nov. 11-12 to carve their way through a building’s walls to crack the luxury watchseller’s vault.

Those are the accusations police made in affidavit for the arrests of four South American men who were caught Nov. 12 in Vail after Aspen Police sent out a statewide alert about the suspects and their getaway vehicle.

For the South American suspects, there hasn’t been a Hollywood ending. They couldn’t crack luxury-watch boutique Avi & Co. ‘s vault and police say they have video, physical and circumstantial evidence, linking them to the crimes. Felony burglary charges are the most severe counts. 

Two remain in Pitkin County Jail on $100,000 cash-only bonds; a third defendant is being held on $25,000; and the fourth defendant is out on $5,000 bond after posting it the third week of December. The defendants are due in Pitkin County District Court for further court proceedings in January. They have not entered pleas and have reserved their rights to a preliminary hearing. 

Musical stalwart Mason passes away

Longtime local musician Bobby Mason passed away Dec. 3 in Eureka, California, at the age of 80. Mason was a beloved local figure and a key player in Aspen’s music scene for nearly 50 years.

“I met Bobby in the early 1980s and he was introduced to me as the ‘musical mayor of Aspen,’ and he was,” said John Oates, a longtime friend and collaborator of Mason’s. “I felt fortunate that he embraced me and we played together many times. Bobby was a true performer and guitarist. He always had a smile on his face and a good word to say about everyone. He will be missed.”

In the early 1970s, Mason was a founding member of the band Starwood. He played in the outfit along with Bob Carpenter, Michael Buono, Haden Gregg, David James Holster, Bernie Mysior and Bryan Savage.

Mason also performed with John Denver, The Eagles, Jimmy Buffet, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kenny Loggins, New Grass Revival, Bo Diddley, JJ Cale, Dan Fogelberg, Kenny Loggins, Jerry Jeff Walker and Bonnie Raitt, to name a few.

Mason lived through several health challenges over the years, dating back to open heart surgery in 2012. He developed lung issues that forced him to leave Aspen in search of lower altitude in 2018, shortly after he was inaugurated into the Aspen Hall of Fame.

On its website, the Aspen HOF wrote, “Bobby has generously given time and talent to numerous nonprofit organizations. Bobby’s twin passions are his deep love for music and people. He has never missed an opportunity to perform a benefit for a sick friend or stranger, celebrate a marriage, or help mourn the passing of a loved one at a funeral. Bobby Mason is a big presence with an equally large voice and heart. His incredible musical talent is matched by his sweet and humble nature…”

Lumberyard development begins

Site prep at the Lumberyard affordable housing development site began in late November, marking a major milestone in the project that was years in the making.

The first phase of the project, which includes abatement and demolition, will prepare the site for vertical development. Phase zero drew scrutiny from the Aspen City Council and members of the community after cost estimates for the phase tripled to $45.12 million, from $14.25 million in 2022. 

Cost increases were due largely to increases in scope and construction inflation. The actual costs approved for demolition contracts were lower than the initial amount, but still increased from 2022.

The city anticipates completion of phase zero by 2026. It shortlisted a group of developers that responded to an RFQ for vertical development, which the city council will approve in early 2025. The chosen developer will be responsible for building up to 304 units in three phases on the Lumberyard site.

It’s the biggest milestone in the project since the city council formally approved the project in September 2023. 

RFTA avoids bus drivers strike

The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority avoided an impending strike after ratifying a new contract with its bus operators union in December.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1774 issued an intent to strike with the state in September, citing an impasse in negotiations with RFTA leadership. The union said after several months of negotiations, RFTA would not agree on wage increases, a housing stipend proposal and more. 

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment approved ATU Local 1774’s motion to strike. Bus operators had planned to go on strike in the new year if an agreement was not reached by Dec. 31, when the current contract was set to expire.

But after drivers grew weary of going on strike, ATU Local 1774 President Ed Cortez met with RFTA leadership to discuss the agreement further. The two parties reached an agreement in early December, that both the union and the RFTA board approved of, avoiding a strike that could have significantly impacted transit operations in the valley.

ATU Local 1774 agreed on nearly across-the-board wage increases of 5-7%. It also agreed to a $1,500 increase to annual bonuses for senior drivers. 

The negotiations began in May. RFTA and ATU Local 1774 negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement every three years.  

Changes in Roaring Fork School District

After a tumultuous tenure of Jesus Rodriguez at the helm of the Roaring Fork School District, Anna Cole entered the 2023-24 school year as the interim superintendent. In March, the title got a little shorter but the responsibilities grew when Cole was named the lone finalist for the full-time job.

Cole signed a three-year contract in May, with the hopes of bringing some stability to the position. She was previously the district’s chief of student and family services, and had been established in the valley for more than a decade.

On the flip side, it made it somewhat awkward that the district’s board of education, after years of discussion and debate, closed on a $1.2 million home for the purpose of superintendent housing a couple of months prior. Housing for the position had been a point of contention with Rodriguez, and was pointed to as one of the main reasons for his departure. Now, the district had an expensive asset that was not needed — Cole’s family had already established a home and turned down the perk. As of October, the home sat empty, with discussion about opening it up to the district’s general employee housing pool.

Cole and her staff will face difficulties in the year to come and beyond, following a health insurance budgeting snafu that will set the district back nearly $6 million — nearly 6% of its operating budget. New district CFO Christy Chicoine also continues to paint a picture of concern with new unexpected expenses popping up seemingly by the week, and a projection that student enrollment is set to decline for the foreseeable future.

JAS secures $10M donation for HQ

Jazz Aspen Snowmass describes its future headquarters on East Cooper Avenue above the historic Red Onion as “a new beat, in the heart of Aspen.” The multi-purpose arts and community center is slated to open during the second half of 2025.

The project, in the works since 2018, has a name, thanks to a substantial financial pledge. JAS announced in August it reached an agreement with its board chairman, Andy Paul, on a $10 million gift to name its new HQ the Paul JAS Center.

“This is a landmark day at JAS and a long way from our humble roots in Aspen in the early ’90s,” JAS President and CEO Jim Horowitz told the Aspen Daily News. “This gift from Andy Paul takes us to another level in making our dream to build a headquarters for JAS in the heart of Aspen. It’s a game changer for JAS in what we can deliver to this community for generations to come.

The Paul JAS Center will serve as a single home with four purposes: a music club, an education center, a recording studio and an event space. After years of architectural design — including work with multiple engineers, sound consultants and municipal officials — construction began in fall of 2023.

JAS is projecting an opening in 2025, as early as Labor Day but not later than the 2025 holidays. “We are excited for the final sprint to the finish line,” Horowitz said.

First AJH Leaf selected in NHL Draft

On June 29, Fisher Scott made Aspen Junior Hockey history as likely the first graduate of the program to be selected in the NHL Draft. The 19-year-old had traded in the Leafs sweater for Triple-A youth hockey after the 2018-19 season, but had gone through the program through his age 14 season.

Scott was selected in the seventh round of the draft by the Detroit Red Wings — a rival of his hometown Colorado Avalanche. He faces a long road ahead still to the NHL, but has been a stalwart on the first line for Colorado College in his freshman season, with the Tigers currently ranked No. 8 in the country.

“He is a very good skater,” Kris Draper, Detroit’s director of amateur scouting, told the Aspen Daily News via an email statement. “His skating, along with good stick detail, allows him to end plays quickly. He’s a high-character kid which we value. He’s smooth in transition, moving pucks on time. We’d like to see him work on his strength like most young players but we’re very happy to have him in the organization.”

RFV gets a new housing program

The Roaring Fork Valley got its first region-wide housing program this year. 

The West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition launched its Good Deeds pilot program in August. The program helps working locals purchase homes between Aspen and Parachute. 

While towns and counties have their own housing programs, West Mountain is the first to cover the entire Roaring Fork Valley area. West Mountain is a nonprofit organization with a mission “to increase the availability and accessibility of affordable community housing within the Roaring Fork and Middle Colorado River valleys.” The coalition has nine member organizations, including seven local governments.

Good Deeds is West Mountain’s first program since it was founded in 2018. The organization slowed its activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, picking up again in 2023. In that year, the nonprofit hired former city of Aspen employee April Long as its first staff member.

Through the Good Deeds program, West Mountain subsidizes 30% of the purchase price (for home values up to $1.5 million, depending on location) for homebuyers working within Pitkin, Eagle or Garfield counties. The program does not have an income cap. In exchange for purchase assistance, program beneficiaries place deed restrictions on their new homes. The restrictions cap the increases in the homes’ values and restrict future buyers to other working locals.

West Mountain raised $2 million for the program’s kickoff. Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Snowmass Village, Carbondale, and Pitkin County contributed funds.

West Mountain aims to provide regional affordable housing solutions that don’t require building new units. By subsidizing the purchase of existing free-market units, West Mountain argues it can secure affordable housing for much less than it costs to build them from scratch. The average price of constructing a housing unit in the upper Roaring Fork Valley is around $1 million. 

“In our minds, this is the quickest, easiest, least expensive option to attain housing for working locals,” Long said during an Aspen City Council work session in July.

Aspen High sends 2 athletes to DI

Aspen High is sending two of its top athletes off to continue their sporting careers at the collegiate level following their graduations this spring.

Lenna Persson is headed off to South Dakota State for golf and Henry Hurd is off to the Ivy League’s Brown University to continue his playoff career.

Persson, a three-time regional champion and one of three winners of the Colorado Golf Association’s Grace Burke award (given to female high school golfers that exhibit character, leadership and personal integrity), Persson — also a gifted moguls skier — will lead Aspen on the links one more time this spring before fulfilling a dream she’s had since she was a small child.

“When I was younger playing golf tournaments and doing ski competitions, I knew that I just wanted to play Division I golf,” Persson said. “I knew from probably seventh grade, maybe even earlier, that that’s what I wanted to work toward to do in college.”

She’s one of the first AHS girls to head DI in golfing in a long time, maybe as far back as Kristin Walla, who graduated in 2005.

Division I commits are almost as likely on the gridiron at Aspen High, especially in recent years. But Hurd bucked that trend with his commitment to Brown in June.

Hurd, who along with Basalt’s William Daniel finished as finalists for The Denver Post’s Gold Helmet award in mid-December, stands out on a football field with his tall and strong build at the tight end position. He also stands out in the classroom and community, and has been a driving force in the Skiers’ rebuilding program that finished with a winning record for the first time since 2018 and saw likely record turnout.

He’ll pursue a top-tier education while joining a Bears offense that likes to pass — giving him ample opportunity on and off the field.

Both Persson and Hurd want to set examples that you can move to the next level without going to a bigger school if you put in the work.

“I just wanted to prove it can be done,” Hurd said. “You don’t need to play at all these big schools, you just need to work hard.”

Futurebirds find a flock in Aspen

The Athens, Georgia-based band Futurebirds played two gigs in the Aspen area in 2024, one at Belly Up in February and another at the Basalt Summer Concert Series in July.

2024 was a big year for Futurebirds as their album “Easy Company” was released by Dualtone Records, the label behind The Lumineers, Shakey Graves, Mt. Joy and Amos Lee. “Easy Company” is the band’s eighth studio album, following on the heels of “Hampton’s Lullaby,” (2010), “Via Flamina” (2012), “Baba Yaga” (2013), “Hotel Parties” (2015), “Portico” (2017), “Teamwork” (2019) and “Bloomin’” (2022). 

Futurebirds have a rich musical palette at their disposal — think Bob Ross on a microdose — that includes two electric guitars (Carter King and Thomas Johnson), one acoustic guitar (Daniel Womack), pedal steel guitar (Kiffy Myers), keyboards (Spencer Thomas), bass (Brannen Miles) and drums (Tom Myers). The four-part harmonies of King, Johnson, Thomas and Womack constitute their own instrument and the final weapon in Futurebirds’ arsenal is their catchy melodic hooks and memorable lyrics. The songwriting duties are shared equally between Womack, King and Johnson.

Rolling Stone Magazine wrote a feature on Futurebirds this summer and the band played at Red Rocks with Nathaniel Raitliff in August. 

Futurebirds will be back in Aspen this winter for a show at Belly Up on Jan. 29. Aspen is beginning to feel like home for the band with many in the valley pledging allegiance to the “bird fam.”

Holy Cross approaches 90% renewable

The Roaring Fork Valley’s electricity will be almost completely green after next year. 

Glenwood Springs-based Holy Cross Energy announced in April that it was on track to achieve 90% renewable energy by the end of 2025, bringing the cooperative closer to its goal of distributing 100% renewable power by 2030. 

Holy Cross, a nonprofit cooperative, serves about 45,000 customers throughout the Roaring Fork, Colorado River and Eagle River valleys. The entire towns of Snowmass Village and Basalt, as well as large portions of Aspen and Carbondale, fall within Holy Cross’s service area. 

Almost all of the Roaring Fork Valley will run on clean energy once Holy Cross achieves its goal. The municipal utilities in Aspen and Glenwood Springs already run on completely renewable power.

Holy Cross has drastically increased the portion of renewable sources in its energy portfolio during the last seven years, Holy Cross’s power supply was 39% renewable in 2017.

Scientists around the world agree that humans must transition to emissions-free power sources to slow the progress of climate change. 

According to Holy Cross, renewable power is also cheap. The cooperative expects about $40 million in savings for its customers over the next 10 years because of new renewable energy supplies. The savings are in comparison to Holy Cross’s existing power supply portfolio in April.

CEO Bryan Hannegan said in an April interview that Holy Cross had replaced wholesale power contracts with renewable power projects built specifically for Holy Cross and its members. Hannegan said federal renewable energy tax credits, updates in regional power transmission infrastructure and technological advancements all made renewable power more affordable and more accessible for Holy Cross in recent years. 

“We saw the business opportunity — the opportunity to keep rates low for our members,” Hannegan said.