Town of Vail municipal offices, with the exception of the police front counter, will be closed Thursday, Nov. 22 in observance of Thanksgiving. This holiday closure includes the parking pass sales office. The police front counter will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Regular hours for all other offices will resume Friday, Nov. 23. The Vail Public Library will be closed beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21 and will remain closed all day Thursday. Transit services will operate uninterrupted. Call 911 for police, fire or medical emergencies. 

Patty McKenny, Vail’s town clerk since 2014, has been promoted to serve as assistant town manager effective immediately. The selection was announced by town manager Greg Clifton following a screening of more than 100 applicants, including six finalists.

Most Town of Vail Municipal offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 3 in observance of Labor Day. The Vail Public Library also will be closed. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 4. Transit services will operate uninterrupted during the holiday. Also, the police front counter in the Municipal Building will remain open on Monday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Call 911 for police, fire or medical emergencies.

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.

Vail Town Manager Greg Clifton has announced the hiring of Matt Gennett as Community Development director. His first day on the job will be Aug. 29. Gennett has 19 years of municipal planning and management experience within the region. He has been the planning manager for the Town of Silverthorne since 2013 and has worked in a variety of other local planning roles, including previous employment with the Town of Vail from 2002 to 2006, where he was promoted to senior planner. His experience also includes owning a land use consulting business and serving in various planning positions with the Town of Avon and Eagle County Government.

The Vail Police Department is accepting applications for a Police Academy sponsorship. The program includes tuition-free enrollment at the Colorado Law Enforcement Training Academy at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs and an hourly wage of $27.36 while attending the academy. The training includes 612 hours of course work. Upon successful completion of the academy, followed by certification, the sponsorship provides for an employment offer with Vail Police once an opening for a police officer becomes available.

The Town of Vail has announced the promotion of Jeff Darnall to assume the position of fleet manager in the Public Works and Transportation Department following an extensive interview and selection process. Darnall has been employed by the town since 2002 and has most recently served as fleet supervisor. He replaces Todd Scholl who recently retired from the town after 37 years.

The Town of Vail has initiated a national search to hire a Community Development Director. Online applications are available at vailgov.com/jobs with the first round of candidate screenings to occur in mid-June. The position was vacated in March when former director George Ruther, who had held the position since 2007, transitioned to the newly-created position of Housing Director for the town.

George Ruther, currently the town’s community development director, has been selected to serve as director of Vail’s newly-created housing department. Ruther was selected from among six semi-finalists and will begin his new role immediately.

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 is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a comprehensive classification and compensation study and analysis.

The Town of Vail has initiated a national search to hire a Housing Director for its newly-created Housing Department following an organizational restructuring approved during adoption of the 2018 budget. Online applications are available at vailgov.com/jobs with the first round of candidate screenings to occur on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Officer Rusty Jacobs will be retiring from the Vail Police Department on Jan. 1 after a 27-year career with the department. He’ll be available to reminisce with community members from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31 at the police station, located at 75 S. Frontage Road.

The Town of Vail brought its commitment to housing to the forefront during the year, making more progress than in any other period in Vail’s 50-plus year history. With a newly-established goal to acquire 1,000 new deed restrictions by the year 2027, the town began making good on its goal by breaking ground on 32 homes at Chamonix Vail and committing $4.225 million to buy deed restrictions for 65 new apartments to be constructed by Sonnenalp Properties through the new Vail InDEED program initiated by the Vail Local Housing Authority.

The Town of Vail has announced the selection of Mia Vlaar to serve as its new economic development director. Vlaar brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position having served in a number of corporate, government and non-profit marketing and management roles since moving to the valley in 1988. She’ll join the town’s executive team effective January 1, 2018.