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.

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.

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.

As Vail prepares to welcome the Colorado Classic professional men and women’s cycling competitors for the Stage 1 circuit race on Thursday, Aug. 16 and the Stage 2 time trial on Friday Aug. 17, use these tips to enjoy the fun.

The Town of Vail has arranged for noted author and futurist Rutt Bridges to lead a presentation and discussion on autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies during the Tuesday, Aug. 7 Vail Town Council meeting. Members of the community as well as representatives from agencies and organizations from throughout the region are welcome to attend. The presentation is listed as agenda item 5.1 and will take place from approximately 6:15 until 7:15 p.m. in the Vail Town Council Chambers, 75 S. Frontage Road. The session will include opportunities for questions and comments from the public.

The Town of Vail will host its remaining neighborhood picnic of the summer on Tuesday, Aug. 7 at Donovan Pavilion. The picnic will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with free food and drink provided by the town as well as a children’s activity area sponsored by the Vail Recreation District.

The logistics required to host stages 1 and 2 of the Colorado Classic which will welcome thousands of cycling fans to Vail on Thursday, Aug. 16 and Friday, Aug. 17 have been finalized by the town’s police, fire and transportation departments. This includes route information, neighborhood road closures, overflow parking areas and transit re-routes between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on both days. Maps detailing the impacts are available at coloradoclassicvail.com.

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.

Visitors to Vail and throughout Eagle County are being asked to be mindful that elevated fire restrictions have been enacted as of June 30 and additional fire restrictions could be imposed for the area at any time. The Stage 2 fire restrictions ban any open fire, including campfires, smoking and other activities that increase the risk for wildfire. In addition all personal fireworks are banned in Vail as well as on BLM and National Forest lands.

Mark your calendars for the Town of Vail’s annual Celebrating Community neighborhood picnic series Wednesday, July 18 at Bighorn Park in East Vail and Tuesday, Aug. 7 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. Returning this year will be a children’s activity area sponsored by the Vail Recreation District, so bring the kids.

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 other festivities. The conditions-permitting public fireworks display on July 4th has been cancelled. Those who gather in Vail and throughout the county are being asked to be mindful that Stage 2 fire restrictions have been ordered for Eagle County and surrounding public lands. Stage 2 bans open fires. In addition, all personal fireworks are banned in Vail as well as on BLM and National Forest lands.