The Colorado Department of Transportation will stop traffic intermittently on eastbound and westbound Interstate 70 through Dowd Canyon (mile 171-173) on Monday, July 22, for rock scaling operations. Dowd Canyon is between the west end of Vail and the junction of U.S. 6 & 24 (Dowd Junction). 

Mark your calendars for the Town of Vail’s annual Celebrating Community neighborhood picnic series Tuesday, July 23 at Bighorn Park in East Vail and Tuesday, Aug. 13 at Donovan Pavilion in West Vail. Each picnic will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with free food and drink provided by the town on a first-come, first-served basis. The picnics provide community members with an opportunity to offer comments and suggestions about various topics and to meet members of the Vail Town Council and town staff.

The Colorado Department of Transportation will intermittently stop traffic on eastbound and westbound Interstate 70 through Dowd Canyon (mile 171 – 173) next week for rock mitigation operations. Dowd Canyon is between the west end of Vail and the junction of U.S. 6 & 24 (Dowd Junction). 

Vail Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) is requesting a professional consultant to provide a comprehensive Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover document that is fully compliant with the industry best practices. This evaluation and analysis of data will be based on nationally recognized guidelines and criteria, including recognized National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, Insurance Services Office (ISO) schedules, any federal and state mandates relative to emergency services, and generally accepted practices within emergency services.

Holy Cross Energy members within Vail’s service area will see a small increase in their electric bills beginning this month which represents a one percent increase in the utility’s franchise fee to be collected by the Town of Vail.
The franchise fee adjustment, from three percent to four percent, was adopted by the Vail Town Council on May 20, 2019, as a component of the town’s new franchise agreement with the utility. The increase will be used to accelerate the undergrounding of power lines to support recommendations by the town’s public safety officials.

Vail America Days™ organizers are ready to welcome guests and area residents for the extended Fourth of July holiday which includes a full week of activities leading up to Vail’s popular parade and fireworks display on July 4th. Those who gather in Vail and throughout the county are being asked to be mindful that fire restrictions could be enacted at any time for Vail, Eagle County and other surrounding public lands. In addition, all personal fireworks are banned in Vail.

Last week’s spring snow storm caused significant damage to trees throughout Vail. Crews from the Public Works and Fire departments have been working since the May 21 storm to ensure streets are clear and trees that fell in the creek have been removed to prevent flooding. Property owners are encouraged to inspect their trees for damage and work with qualified tree service contractors to remove trees or branches that are a danger to private property or the public.

Vail Fire and Emergency Services will again provide a free curbside chipping service to assist property owners with defensible space on private property. The service will be available beginning Tuesday, May 28 and will extend to Oct. 10.

Beginning the week of May 6, the Town of Vail will establish two distribution points for free sand material and empty bags for residents and merchants who wish to safeguard their property from the possibility of high water. Sand and bags will be available at the parking lot near the I-70 interchange in East Vail and at the North Trail parking lot in West Vail. Residents should bring a shovel and be prepared to fill their own bags while supplies last. Contractors are asked to make their own arrangements for sandbags for commercial construction projects.

Members of the public are invited to join Eagle County Emergency Responders for the 18th annual emergency responder recognition on Friday, May 10. The activities will begin at 9:30 a.m. when participants will gather at Freedom Park in Edwards to line up for a “Ride in Remembrance” event featuring motorcycles, classic cars and emergency response vehicles.

Crews from Vail Fire and Emergency Services continue pile burns on Friday, April 26, as conditions permit. The operations will take place on the Vail golf course.

Vail Fire and Emergency Services has entered into a unique partnership with the University of Bordeaux in Southern France to host an exchange student who is completing an internship in emergency services. The intern, Marion Bardeau, is completing her degree in health, safety and the environment. During the internship, Bardeau will live in the fire station and observe Vail’s methods of firefighting and delivery of other emergency services. In addition, she will be completing a data analysis project related to risk assessment and system performance for the department.

Crews from Vail Fire and Emergency Services will continue a second day of pile burns on Thursday, April 18 as conditions permit. The operations are taking place on the Deer Underpass State Wildlife Area at the west end of the Intermountain neighborhood.

Crews from Vail Fire and Emergency Services have scheduled pile burns for Wednesday, April 17, as conditions permit. The operations will take place on the Deer Underpass State Wildlife Area at the west end of the Intermountain neighborhood.

With the snowmelt season approaching, the Town of Vail is issuing its annual reminder to area property owners to review their current insurance policies and consider adding flood insurance to the coverage. As of April 11, Vail snowpack levels are at 97 percent of normal, while Copper Mountain, which is indicative of the Vail Pass area, is at 136 percent of normal. Gore Creek has seen the beginning of increased stream flows due to warmer temperatures in the past couple of weeks and are about normal for this time of year.