New Year's Eve in Vail will include bus service enhancements and the presence of police and fire personnel to ensure that a safe and fun atmosphere is provided for residents and guests. For the seventh consecutive year, the town will be rescinding an overnight curfew and eliminating late-night checkpoints in Vail Village due to the long-term success of its public safety campaign. Police Chief Dwight Henninger says additional foot patrols in the pedestrian areas will be used to maintain a family-friendly environment during the holiday.

Partnerships and collaboration in the areas of housing, environmental sustainability, parking, economy and public safety were key contributors in helping to elevate the town’s priority initiatives during 2018. For example, in partnership with the Vail Local Housing Authority, the town continued to make an impact on its housing goals with the acquisition of 106 new deed restrictions totaling $6.5 million of public and private investments through the Vail InDEED program. This included the purchase of 23 deed-restrictions at the newly-constructed 6 West Apartments in Edwards, which represents the town’s first of its kind regional housing collaboration. Also noteworthy during the year was announcement of Vail’s official certification as the first sustainable mountain resort destination in the U.S. and the first community certified in the world under the Mountain Ideal Standard. The certifications are the result of a multi-year partnership between the Town of Vail, Walking Mountains Science Center, Sustainable Travel International, Vail Resorts, U.S. Forest Service and others, while marking the culmination of 56 years of leadership by the Vail community in progressive environmental conservation policies and programs. To address the need for additional public parking, a three-way partnership between the town, Eagle County Schools and Vail Resorts contributed to the opening of a new, four-level parking structure at Red Sandstone Elementary School in which the spaces will be utilized for both school and public use. A first-ever retreat between the Vail Town Council and executives from Vail Resorts identified areas where the two entities will be working together to enhance the guest experience and elevate Vail’s competitiveness. Events such as the Burton U.S. Snowboarding Championships, Colorado Classic, Bravo! Vail Music Festival as well as a Global Friendship exchange trip to Japan, served to showcase Vail to international audiences. Also of note was the involvement of Vail Fire in facilitating creation of the Mountain Area Mutual Aid Plan which assisted in the coordination of wildfire suppression efforts during the Lake Christine, Bocco, Buffalo, Two Elk and Golf Course fires throughout the region, and will serve to provide critical resources in the event of a wildfire in or near Vail. Other milestones included completion of the update to the Open Lands Plan, ongoing improvement in Gore Creek’s water quality, sponsorship of a wildlife forum which brought renewed focus on the health of the area’s wildlife, plus a kickoff to the Civic Area planning process that will help identify a future plan for the town’s public facilities in the heart of Vail.

The Town of Vail is introducing the first stages of a master planning process that will rely heavily on community engagement to determine how best to incorporate community needs and goals in preparing for future improvements to town-owned properties in the heart of Vail. To learn more about the Civic Area Master Plan process, the town is hosting a community open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11 in the Grand View on the third level of the Lionshead Welcome Center.

Public comment opportunities will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 4 as the Vail Town Council prepares to adopt the 2019 municipal budget. The $73.3 million expenditure plan is available on the town’s website at www.vailgov.com. Second reading of Ordinance No. 21 is listed as item 8.3 on Tuesday’s meeting agenda which begins at 6 p.m. in the Vail Town Council Chambers. 

Lessons learned as well as future opportunities for professional cycling in Vail will be discussed by the Town Council during its regular evening meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 20. The discussion will include an overview of feedback received to date following the town’s sponsorship of two stages of the 2018 Colorado Classic held Aug. 16-17. The agenda item is listed as 4.1 on the meeting agenda which includes opportunities for public comment.

Crews from the U.S. Forest Service have scheduled pile burns for the week of Oct. 29 as conditions permit. Pile burning may occur throughout the week. The operations will take place on the hillside above Stevens Park as well as near the water tank on Snowberry Court in Intermountain. The piles were built as part of the ongoing Vail Intermountain Fuels Reduction Project.

Vail Fire and Emergency Services is inviting community members to stop by the West Vail Fire Station, 2399 N. Frontage Road, for an open house from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. The family-friendly event will include activities for guests of all ages including station tours, equipment displays and a kids’ obstacle course in recognition of National Fire Prevention Week.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The WEA portion of the test commences at 12:18 p.m. MDT, and the EAS portion follows at 12:20 p.m. MDT. The test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed.

The Vail Fire Department is inviting community members to participate in an online survey to help in the development of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Vail’s protection plan will include an assessment of strategies that will be used to prioritize future wildfire mitigation efforts. Residential and commercial property owners as well as other community members are encouraged to participate in the survey. Responses are due by Friday, Oct. 19 with participants eligible to win a $50 amazon gift card.

The Vail Fire Department is inviting community members to attend an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 at the West Vail Fire Station to help with the planning process as the department develops a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Vail’s protection plan will include an assessment of strategies that will be used to prioritize future wildfire mitigation efforts. Residential and commercial property owners as well as other community members are encouraged to attend the gathering.

Eagle County and the White River National Forest are returning to Stage 1 Fire restrictions as of noon Friday, Sept. 21. Stage 1 restrictions do not have any impact within the Town of Vail as the town already prohibits open burning and campfires. The use of portable outdoor fireplaces and grills is permissible.

Only a few weeks remain for free chipping services provided by Vail Fire and Emergency Services before coming to an end for the season. The chipping is available through Thursday, Oct. 11 to assist with defensible space on private property.

Comments and suggestions from the 2018 Town of Vail neighborhood picnics have been compiled. The comments have been sorted into the categories of neighborhoods, Vail Village/Lionshead, transportation, general and compliments. The picnics were held on July 28 at Bighorn Park and on Aug. 7 at Donovan Park and are used as a community outreach measure to connect with residents and guests.

Due to the more favorable weather conditions throughout the area, Vail and Eagle County will move out of fire restrictions effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday Sept. 7.  Fire managers base decisions about fire restrictions on specific vegetation conditions that are related to how intensely the vegetation will burn if ignited.

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.