Community Center group laps up circus - Dan Rodgerson

Dear Editor,

On behalf of Friends of the Community Center and the LAP (Let's All Pledge) fund-raising campaign, I would like to thank Robert Macgregor for the use of his property at Glenwood Meadows as the venue for Circus Chimera. The circus came to town three weeks ago, and despite the torrential rainstorm, put on four wonderful family-oriented shows and managed to raise $5,000 towards the pool!

I commend Mr. Macgregor for his community-mindedness and for his enthusiastic response to our needs.

Also in line for thanks are Dan Rodgerson, the city's director of parks and recreation, and his crew for all their preliminary set-up work and then on Sunday for mopping up the mud.

And last but not least, a special thank-you to all the businesses and individuals who prepurchased tickets in a show of support that ultimately ensured the success of the event.

If you enjoyed the show and would like to see Circus Chimera back in Glenwood Springs next year, please e-mail them your comments at: chimera@1starnet.com.

Sincerely,

Cheryl A. Peterson

Glenwood Springs

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LAP Pool fund drive now halfway to $3.2 million- Dan Rodgerson

Fund-raising efforts aimed at building a new pool next to the Glenwood Springs Community Center pool are in the swim.

The Let's All Pledge, or LAP, campaign drive is halfway to its ultimate goal of collecting $3.2 million.

The drive was boosted Thursday when organizers learned they would receive $100,000 from the state Department of Local Affairs. They also received a $10,000 donation Thursday in the LAP mailbox.

"We're excited about the funds," Glenwood Springs Parks and Recreation Department director Dan Rodgerson said. "The grant was a long shot since the city has received money from the Department of Local Affairs for City Hall and the Community Center. We're pleased to receive something."

The latest pledge brings the total amount up to $1,703,850.

"(The latest donations) puts us over the halfway point of our fund drive and places us in excellent position for additional grants," LAP chairwoman Terri Miller said.

One concern about the status of the fund-raising is the impending September deadline. But Glenwood Springs Mayor Don Vanderhoof said he would support a request to extend the deadline.

"The fund-raising group has done an excellent job so far, and we have had major successes in the past few months," Vanderhoof said.

More money is expected in the coming weeks from local people and businesses, Miller said.

"We certainly see this project as a win-win situation for the whole community," Miller said.

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Pool complex fund-raising enters community phase - Dan Rodgerson

The Friends of the Community Center committee is reaching out to locals with an appeal to raise an additional $2 million to complete a public aquatic center in Glenwood Springs.

Designs for the $3.2 million pool complex were approved earlier this month by City Council.

A community wide capital fund-raising campaign starts Monday with hopes of raising enough money to break ground on the project in late September.

"As the momentum continues to gain, this project appears to be more of a reality than a wish," said Dan Rodgerson, Glenwood Springs Parks and Recreation director.

"We are excited about how the pool will dramatically enhance our program offerings. It would be incredible to be able to ice skate, rock climb and swim laps all under the same roof," he said.

The 11,000-square-foot public pool facility will be attached to the northeast wall of the gym at the Community Center. It will include a flexible eight-lane 25-meter pool, a leisure and learn-to-swim area, play slides, a Jacuzzi and an outdoor patio.

Included in the cost of the pool construction is funding for an enclosed balcony for cardio equipment overlooking the pool on one side and the current gym on other. The addition of the "cardio balcony" will help the Community Center expand its popular fitness component.

The volunteer, fund-raising citizens committee reports that more than one-third of the estimated funds needed to build the pool facility have been pledged.

Fund-raising began in April 2001 with solicitations to past and present families of the Sopris Barracudas competitive swim club program, followed by a targeted mailing to area businesses.

To date, $1.175 million has been promised for the project from the city, area businesses and numerous families. The fund raisers also are pursuing numerous grants this summer from a variety of private and government entities.

A mailing to 4,800 local residents and 500 businesses will be sent out this week. A pledge form also is included on page 3 in the new Parks and Recreation Leisure Scene booklet for summer.

Tax-deductible contributions can be spread out across four years.

The City Council also recently proclaimed April 29 to May 13 as LAP-Let's All Pledge weeks.

The citizens committee is working with the city Parks and Recreation Department, which will oversee construction and operation of the facility. The nonprofit Two Rivers Community Foundation will collect, manage and distribute gift funds for the center construction.

For information, contact committee spokeswoman Terri Miller at 947-9835.

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Thanks for the bubble - Dan Rodgerson

Dear Editor,

Open Letter to City of Glenwood Springs,

I'd like to take this time on behalf of myself and tennis players of all ages and abilities to say THANK YOU for the recent purchase of the Snowmass tennis bubble. What a great amenity this is for the people of the city of Glenwood Springs and the surrounding area. I especially want to acknowledge the extra efforts of "bubble boys" Dan Rodgerson and Al Laurette, who now know more than they ever thought they would about tennis bubbles. Thank you, guys.

See you at the bubble.

M. Susan Cashel

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Molly Hatchet's roaring will accompany motorcyclists' roarin' - Dan Rodgerson

After receiving detailed plans for the handling of a July 6 Molly Hatchet concert at Two Rivers Park, Glenwood Springs City Council members gave the show their blessing.

"I think if done properly, it would be a good thing for Glenwood Springs," Councilman Larry Emery said. The other council members agreed.

The concert is scheduled for the evening of July 6 as part of the first-ever Harley-Davidson Roaring Fork Independence Rally. Molly Hatchet, a southern-rock band out of Jacksonville, Fla., is best known for its hit "Flirtin' with Disaster." According the band's official website, the band's name comes from 17th-century Salem, Mass., where, according to legend, a woman named Hatchet Molly would behead her lovers with an ax.

In his presentation to council Thursday night, Patrick Coggins, general manager of Aspen Valley Harley-Davidson and organizer of the rally, alluded to the public banter that's been going on recently in the Letters to the Editor section of the Post Independent. He insisted that most motorcycles - even Harleys - aren't inherently loud, but they all can be modified to be made louder. Coggins also pointed out that there are loud cars and loud trucks on the road.

The plan for the concert includes a request for uniformed Glenwood Springs police. Coggins told council that rally organizers would pay for the extra police patrols.

The motorcycle rally is set to take place July 4-6 and will use the Glenwood Springs Community Center as its hub.

Coggins told council that the idea behind the rally is to take advantage of the presence of around 800 bikers who ride to Aspen each Independence Day and give them a place to gather and spend their money downvalley.

Glenwood Springs Parks and Recreation director Dan Rodgerson said he'd like to set the record straight regarding the community center's role in the rally.

"There's a whole bunch of misconceptions out there that Harley riders are going to take over the Community Center," he said.

Rodgerson assures that rally participants will be in the center's banquet rooms and on the ice rink's surface - where there will be vendors - but that the rest of the facility will be open.

"They'll be focused on that side of the Community Center. Everything else will be open to the public," Rodgerson said. "We have made every effort to minimize impacts on our members and on residents."

The Harley-Davidson rally isn't the only motorcycle event planned. Rodgerson said there will be a Honda Gold Wing rally later this summer.



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Tennis fan lobs $8,000 toward 'bubble' purchase - Dan Rodgerson

A Glenwood Springs tennis devotee and his wife are doing all they can to keep Battlement Mesa from bursting their bubble.

Ron and Kayli Offerle handed workers at the Glenwood Springs Community Center an $8,000 check for the center's purchase of the Snowmass Club tennis bubble.

Ron brought a cashier's check to the center March 26 after reading a story in the Post Independent about the possibility that the city could buy the bubble.

"I have a great interest in tennis and I'm a tennis player," Ron Offerle said. "We're not looking for any notoriety or anything ... It's really not that much money."

He just wants Glenwood Springs to beat Battlement Mesa in scooping up the bargain bubble.

The Snowmass Club plans to replace the 8-year-old, $120,000 bubble with a permanent structure. So it has offered to sell the inflatable, two-court enclosure for $8,000. The year-round tennis court cover comes with heating and fan equipment, and is expected to last another 10 years.

Offerle figured the donation would give the Glenwood Springs Parks and Recreation Department the upper hand.

"I thought they could move faster and beat out Battlement Mesa," Offerle said. "I think we need more tennis. I grew up in Grand Junction and I hope that someday our tennis program can rival theirs."

"It's certainly not a done deal, but his donation makes the decision easier," Parks and Recreation director Dan Rodgerson said.

Rodgerson still needs to take the proposal to the city Planning and Zoning Commission, figure out the extra construction costs a bubble would require, calculate upgrade or repair costs for the bubble's fans, heaters and electrical components and figure utility costs.

And while $8,000 will buy the bubble, Rodgerson said it will cost $4,500 to move it from Snowmass Village to Glenwood Springs.

Rodgerson hasn't yet cashed Offerle's check. He wants to be sure the bubble is approved first. But time is critical, he said.

"They need to take it down in two weeks," he said.

The item is on City Council's agenda for Thursday night. Rodgerson is recommending the city use its own money to buy the bubble and, if it can be used, then accept Offerle's donation.

Tennis enthusiast and high school coach Kim Schlagel, 23, said the bubble would be a great amenity for the community.

"It would be really nice to be able to play tennis year-round," she said. "I think there's a lot of support for it."

Schlagel moved to Glenwood Springs from Florida, where tennis is played outdoors year-round. An affordable facility that fosters indoor tennis would be good for adults and kids alike, she said.

"I just want to help the city to offer different activities for kids," she said. "The Community Center - it's part of the community, so it's encouraging community tennis."

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Council to immerse itself in details of Community Center pool design - Dan Rodgerson

Glenwood Springs city leaders will dive into the design plans and funding needs for the proposed Community Center pool Thursday.

Parks and Recreation director Dan Rodgerson will present a proposed design to the Glenwood Springs City Council. The project is sought by Friends of the Community Center.

In January, a pool design committee formed and struck a compromise to include a competitive swimming area and a leisure area with a play spot, a one-meter diving board, a sloped entry, fountains and water slides.

"I believe that the new design provides for a larger leisure component ... while at the same time meeting competitive needs and lowering the subsidy rate," Rodgerson wrote in a memo to city manager Mike Copp. "The current design is still conceptual and will require some fine-tuning by the design committee."

The pool committee and Community Center architects Ohlson Lavoie of Denver agreed that the city's subsidy could be lowered by having a well-rounded pool that could be used by competitive swimmers and by people who just want to cool off and play in the water.

If the city uses the agreed-upon design, the pool subsidy would be an estimated $80,000 per year.

In all, the 11,000-square-foot pool is expected to cost around $3.2 million, with $2.1 million for the building and $1.1 million for the pool. Of that money, Friends of the Community Center, a group raising money for the pool, has raised about $1.167 million, a total that includes $750,000 from the city, $100,000 from Alpine Bank and $317,000 from other area businesses and families.

The matter is up for discussion only and no decisions are expected.

Also on the City Council agenda:

A conceptual review will be given Thursday to modify a previously approved 14,750-square-foot, three-story building at 7th and Grand.

The location presently is occupied by two long-standing businesses, Ski and Sport Swap and Charm School Boutique. Once the current building is torn down, Ski and Sport Swap will go out of business and Charm School Boutique will move to the former location of Threads, at 819 Grand Ave.

The applicant for the project, architect Doug Harr, will show council the plans to build a three-story building that will contain two floors of storage and retail uses and the top floor for residential use.

The purchase of a bubble from the Snowmass Club for city tennis courts will be considered. (See related story, page 1.)

Council will consider a request by Glenwood Springs police chief Terry Wilson to use VALE funding to purchase a crime prevention device.

Council will consider raising some law enforcement agency fees on services, animal impoundments and vehicle tows.

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