New Pioneers of the Yampa Valley

On November 10th at Olympian Hall in Steamboat Springs, the Community Alliance of the Yampa Valley will honor those who are actively blazing new trails into our collective future. Our emphasis will be on those individuals and groups whose lives and work actively embody a deliberate awareness and concern for the well-being of our cultural, economic, and ecological communities.

Our Work

• Renewables
• Growth
• Workforce Housing
• Responsible Oil and Gas Development
• 2006 Accomplishments
• Other Resources

What You Can Do

Call the Alliance's interim organizer Rich Levy (970-846-8488) if you are interested in:

• Writing letters to the editor
• Making phone calls
• Helping in the office
• Building shelves
• Serving on a commmittee
• Organizing events
• Helping with the newsletter

Renewables

Home ReSource continues to be our main focus. In the Yampa Valley the construction industry is one of the largest segments of the local economy. Every year, hundreds of tons of otherwise useful construction materials are simply sent to the landfill because there is no mechanism to recycle or redistribute them. Both building contractors and homeowners benefit from a system that handles these surplus, remodeled or discarded materials.

Founded in 2004, Home ReSource is a non-profit, architectural salvage enterprise that is creating new options for the handling of these materials. The Community Alliance is supporting Home ReSource by:

• raising over $10,000 for the construction of a roof to protect all of the materials waiting for resale. (We're still trying to raise more!)
• sponsoring volunteer days this coming summer to sort and organize donated materials. Please contact Rich at 970-846-8488 if you'd like to help!

Past and Continuing Projects

• Coordinating with Steamboat Springs Green Team which is promoting energy efficiency within the city's operations.
• Sponsoring a high school student's project to build a hybrid truck which allowed individuals to make tax-deductible contributions to this exciting project.
• Helping Yampa Valley Electric to sell out all of its available shares of wind power -- enough for 100 people to buy one share per month for a year!
• Improving the viability of renewable energy in the Yampa Valley .

LEED Certification

Several upcoming institutional building projects in Steamboat have varying degrees of commitment to LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). To find out more about their current status or to get involved, contact the Community Alliance or go straight to the source:

Steamboat Community Center Wendy DuBord (Deputy City Manager) 970-871-8219

Steamboat Recreation Center Wendy DuBord (Deputy City Manager) 970-871-8219 or Chris Wilson (Dir. of Parks & Recreation) 970-879-4300

Soda Creek Elementary and Strawberry Park Elementary Remodel: Denielly Skov (parent leader) 970-871-1646, Todd Ficken (School Dist Rep)

Bud Werner Memorial Library Expansion: Chris Painter (Director) 970-879-0240 x304

Yampa Valley Electric Assoc.

YVEA has done some good things to support renewable energy in our community - but there is more that it could do. Get involved by:

• Voting in the YVEA elections. (Check back here later for candidate information.)
• Attend YVEA board meetings on the 3rd Friday each month. (Call Larry Covillo for more details.)
• Attend the YVEA annual meeting on June 16 in Hayden.

Growth

Thank you to everyone who signed petitions last year to oppose Walgreens at Steamboat Crossings North. The Community Alliance gathered about 1,000 names in opposition to the development. That show of public concern combined with Steamboat Springs' Big Box ordinance were big reasons why Walgreens pulled out of the development and the developers came back with a better proposal with a smaller anchor store. 

The Community Alliance has a long history of working on growth issues. In recent years we also have worked on making sure the Community Area Plan Update addressed growth, while continuing to monitor current growth issues like "big box" development. Next steps will include public education forums, designing a PowerPoint presentation on local growth issues, and forming coalitions with groups in the community who are impacted by growth management decisions. To get involved, call Jack White at (970) 879-1358.

The Community Alliance is currently supporting a number of individuals and groups working on the following projects: 

• Meeting with the new owners of the Ski Area (Intrawast) and developers of a 700 acre property that is slated to be annexed into the city (Steamboat 700) to establish relationships and learn about each others goals.  This is a proactive step to see if we can work in collaboration rather than as adversaries.
• Establishing a maximum house size in Routt County.
• Participating in “Partners in Preservation,”  a coalition of individuals interested in preserving community character through Historic Preservation tools.
• Participating in Vision 2030, an update of a community vision statement.  This update will focus primarily on defining the elements of the “heart and soul” of our community.  Our sense of community is one of our biggest assests - it is why visitors and residents alike pick Steamboat over other ski areas.

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Workforce Housing

Our goal is to develop reliable mechanisms that will generate an ongoing supply of workforce housing in Steamboat Springs and the surrounding community.  We have already been successful in establishing an Inclusionary Zoning ordinance (which requires 15% of new development to be permanently affordable, deed-restricted housing), and a Jobs to Housing commercial linkage ordinance is under review.  The City has also written and adopted a Community Housing Implementation Plan.

As these affordable housing ordinances and issues move forward we continue to advocate for the creation of homes for our working residents. To get involved call Jack White at (970) 846-5814.

"Hope Cook: Inform the Public" (4/25/07 Steamboat Pilot & Today)

"Our View: Housing Policy Needs Work" (4/22/07 Steamboat Pilot & Today)

"No Easy Solution" (4/18/07 Steamboat Pilot & Today)

"Bringing the Steamboat dream in reach" (2/19/06 Steamboat Pilot & Today)

"Steamboat moves on affordable housing" (Jan/Feb 2006 WCC Clarion) A new ordinance will require deed-restricted affordable housing in new developments.

"Bye 'Boat, Hello Hayden" (1/29/06 Steamboat Pilot & Today) Feature on Yampa Valley Housing Authority's Hands on Housing program.

"Towns pay price when affordable housing scarce" (July/August 2005 WCC Clarion) First in a series of articles on the problem of affordable housing in Colorado's resort communities.

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Responsible Oil and Gas Development

The energy demands of our country are growing and Colorado is one area of increased oil and gas development, this new development has had a myriad of environmental impacts on our communities. In a partnership with Western Colorado Congress’ work on this issue, our Committee has focused on:

• supporting legislation at the state level that will strengthen the rights of surface owners,
• maintaining rules that regulate runoff from well pads,
• supporting local surface owners, and
• providing trainings to landowners on their rights in the case of Oil and Gas Development.

For more information, contact John Whittum at (970) 879-2534.

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2006 Accomplishments

In 2006, the Community Alliance’s major accomplishments included:

• Passing a landmark Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance within the city limits (15% of development required to be affordable housing);
• Supporting City Council's consideration of a Linkage Ordinance requiring development to mitigate housing needs for the new jobs they create;
• Supporting the improvement of the City's Big Box ordinance;
• Enacting an landowner notification system to alert property owners when underlying mineral rights are being put up for lease by the Bureau of Land Management;
• Participating in the City's Green Team;
• Raising $15,000 for Home ReSource's merchandise structure;
• Sponsoring a high school student's project to build a hybrid truck which allowed individuals to make tax-deductible contributions to this exciting project.
• Promoting the adoption of Green Building techniques; and
• Launching our signature event, New Pioneers of the Yampa Valley, which we now plan to hold annually.

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Other Resources

• Check out the Steamboat Springs City Council's upcoming agenda and the City's calendar of upcoming events.
• Home ReSource is a non-profit building materials recycling and architectural salvage enterprise in Steamboat Springs that is creating new options for homeowners, contractors, businesses, public entities to donate surplus, used or recyclable building materials.

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