Vail America Days™ organizers are ready to welcome guests and area residents for the extended Fourth of July holiday which includes numerous activities leading up to Vail’s popular parade and the conditions-permitting public fireworks display on July 4th. Those who gather in Vail and throughout the county are being asked to be mindful that additional fire restrictions could be enacted at any time for Vail, Eagle County and other surrounding public lands. Stage 1 fire restrictions are currently in place for Eagle County and the White River National Forest, which limits allowable campfires, smoking and other activities that increase the risk for wildfire. In addition, all personal fireworks are banned in Vail as well as BLM and National Forest lands.

Environmental sustainability efforts and housing opportunities have been identified as high priorities for the Vail Town Council to consider in the coming months according to respondents who took part in the Town of Vail community survey which was circulated during the spring. The survey findings were presented to the Town Council on June 19 by the research firm RRC Associates which also included an overview of department and service ratings.

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 is available until Oct. 11 and includes chipping for branches, logs and small trees up to 15 inches in diameter. Slash must be stacked neatly in piles no larger than 5’ x 5’ x 5’ per pile. Property owners are not limited to the number of piles they can have chipped. Slash pick up will occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer.

At approximately 11:30 a.m., on Monday, June 11, multiple agencies responded to the report of a wildland fire above the Gore Creek Trailhead and near the Gore Creek campground in East Vail. No structures were threatened and no evacuations were ordered for Gore Creek campground.

Members of the public are invited to join Eagle County Emergency Responders for the 17th annual emergency responder recognition on Wednesday, May 23. The activities will begin at 9 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.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) lauds passage of tax reform bill allowing the incentivizing of fire sprinkler installations. Have questions? Call Fire Marshal Mike Vaughan 970-479-2252.

Following a recent test of two emergency warning notification systems earlier this month, Vail public safety officials have concluded that a singular notification tool won’t be enough to reach those who may be in imminent danger. Instead, Police Chief Dwight Henninger and Fire Chief Mark Novak are advising citizens to make sure they’re signed up for the Eagle County Alert notification system at ecalert.org as a first step and to anticipate receiving other alerts in the event of an emergency.

The Vail Public Safety Communications Center is asking for the community’s help as it prepares to test two emergency warning notification systems during the first week of May. The Wireless Emergency Alert notification is a federal system that allows local agencies to send alerts to smart phones in the area, even if they haven’t subscribed to the local EC Alert notification system. In addition to testing the Wireless Alert system, public safety officials will be evaluating a backup siren system for emergency notification.

Disruptions in local cellular service for customers of AT&T and Verizon could be experienced between April 30 and May 18 as technicians work to install new equipment within Vail on behalf of Crown Castle, which owns and operates the town’s cellular system.

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 23, Vail snowpack levels are at 65 percent of normal. However, please keep in mind flooding from snowmelt runoff generally can be attributed to quickly rising temperatures; fast sustained rising high temperatures can cause flooding whereas seasonal moderately rising temperatures generally do not.

Hear the 911 call. At approximately 6:38 p.m. Saturday, April 21, the Vail Police department responded to a call placed to the Vail Communications Center that stated a unit in a condominium complex on Garmisch Drive in West Vail had four pressure cooker bombs in it that would be detonated if a ransom was not paid to the caller. The Vail Police Department, Vail Fire Department, Eagle County Paramedic Services, Eagle County Special Operations Unit and Jefferson County Bomb Squad all responded to this call.

There’s still time to take part in the Town of Vail community survey which is used to evaluate municipal service levels and to identify community priorities. Residents, property owners, business owners, employees and others impacted by the town are encouraged to participate. The survey is available in two formats: online at tovsurvey.org/open or in a paper format available at the front desk of the Vail Municipal Building. The survey link is also accessible from the Vail Public Library website at vaillibrary.com for those that want to participate using a library computer.

The Town of Vail is inviting all residents, property owners, business owners and employees to take part in its biennial community survey which is taking place in two formats, web and mail-back. The survey was last conducted in 2016 and is used to evaluate municipal service levels and to identify community priorities.

Vail’s Annual Community Meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 at Donovan Pavilion will be headlined by a celebration recognizing Sheika and Pepi Gramshammer as recipients of the annual Trailblazer Award as well as an overview of the state of the town introduced by Vail Mayor Dave Chapin.

The Town of Vail’s new short-term rental regulations become effective on Thursday, March 1. The regulations were approved in December with a delayed implementation date to allow for property owners and managers to prepare for the changes and to create an administrative tracking and complaint system managed by the town.