Fading West Development laid down the foundations for the Farm in 2017, a 218-unit housing development in Buena Vista that sought to bring attainable housing prices to the Upper Arkansas Valley with manufactured homes.
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Though originally started in Salida, Gone to the Dogs has gained popularity at its second location in Buena Vista as well. The store has won three awards from Best of BV 2020, including Favorite Animal Trainer, Jenna Geldreich.
Buena Vista closed out the year 2020 with a year-to-year increase of 20.7% in sales tax returns in the month of December.
The sale of Nestlé Water North America to One Rock Capital Partners, LLC, in partnership with Metropoulos & Co., was confirmed Feb. 16 by both companies.
Cause + Medic, the spa and retail supplier of environmentally friendly cleaning products, was voted Best New Business in 2020 and Favorite Massage/Body work.
Coming in first in addition to those two in the Best of BV poll, Cause + Medic’s hydrochloric acid based Clean Republic hand sanitizer was named the town’s favorite as well.
The Chaffee’s Got Heart Committee is proud of local businesses, organizations and individuals that have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. It recently recognized jalaBlu Collective Healing.
In December, Chuck and Lindy Chicowitz sold the whitewater rafting outfitter they started on the Upper Arkansas River in 1983. Noah’s Ark will now have two longtime employees at the helm.
Collegiate Peaks Bank recently announced that its holding company, Glacier Bank, has been ranked third on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Banks for 2021.
Sangre de Cristo Electric Association’s wholesale electricity provider, Tri-State Generation, filed a plan with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission at the end of last year that states the wholesaler would double its solar and wind resources by 2030.
In response to Gov. Jared Polis’s announcement today revealing COVID-19 Dial 2.0, Chaffee County will be moving to the Yellow Level effective at 9 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 6, according to a press release issued Friday afternoon by Chaffee County Public Health.
For 2021, “Discover – the Heart of Colorado” will be published in spring featuring summer activities and events with a fall-winter edition to follow.
The popular Arkansas Valley Publishing Co. magazine will take the place of the Summer Adventure Guide and Upper Arkansas Winter Guide which have been published for something like 40 years, in addition to Discover.
Charles Forster, the former president of Buena Vista’s Collegiate Peaks Bank, was a Salida resident, but his commitment to the town’s businesses and community outreach affected the Buena Vista area as well.
The decision on exemptions for the lease of the Tennessee Pass Line by Colorado Midland & Pacific Railway Company from line owner Union Pacific Corporation will have to wait, pending consideration of arguments presented to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board in opposition to the actions.
The passing of Charles “Charlie” Forster, 72, on Jan. 28 left a void that is being felt not just in the community, but throughout the region.
Salida lost a leader and friend with the death of Charles “Charlie” Forster, 72, following a long battle against a type of lymphoma cancer.
A family friend confirmed late Thursday that Mr. Forster, the former president of Collegiate Peaks Bank died peacefully Thursday at his home in Salida.
New construction in Chaffee County dropped slightly, roughly 20 percent during COVID-stricken 2020, with total building permits filed with the county building department last year numbering less than in 2019, 2018 and 2016.
The Chaffee’s Got Heart Committee is proud of local businesses, organizations and individuals that have gone above and beyond during the pandemic and recently recognized Eddyline Restaurant and Brewery.
Even during a pandemic, new dining opportunities have developed in Buena Vista, with more coming in 2021.
Speculation over what kind of freight a proposed reactivation of the Tennessee Pass line by the Colorado Midland & Pacific Railway Company has sparked much discussion between different interest groups in Chaffee County and beyond.
Sales tax returns for the town of Buena Vista were up 9.81% in October and 18.04% in November 2020, town treasurer Michelle Stoke said in a memo to town trustees.
One aspect of the 2020 market that is not disputed by the statistics is that demand for real estate remained strong, and prices continued to increase over previous years.
At both ends of the county, the percentage of pending, closed and new listings were remarkably similar, as were the increases in the median closed prices.
As the early phases of work to reactivate the Tennessee Pass Line begin, local and regional officials are voicing concerns about the proposal to once again run trains along the long-dormant track.
The Greater Arkansas River Nature Association released the results of its 2020 waste audit at the end of December, which tracks the trash disposal and recycling habits of Chaffee County Residents.
“I have some of the top brokers, in my opinion, in the county. I’ve got a great group of brokers,” said Full Circle owner Catherine Fisher. “Mona (Bellantonio) has been in this for over 28 years. I’ve got Bruce Ward, 35 years; Mary Kale, 16 years. I believe they’re some of the top brokers.”
Better known as “Charlie” to his coworkers and friends, Forster has been involved in community affairs and civic improvements in Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs from the time he first came to the county in 1985.
Chaffee County Commissioner Greg Felt was recently interviewed by the New York Times for the article “Wall Street Eyes Billions in the Colorado’s Water – Investor interest in the river could redefine century-old rules for who controls one of the most valuable economic resources in the United States.”
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“I have some of the top brokers, in my opinion, in the county. I’ve got a great group of brokers,” said Full Circle owner Catherine Fisher. “Mona (Bellantonio) has been in this for over 28 years. I’ve got Bruce Ward, 35 years; Mary Kale, 16 years. I believe they’re some of the top brokers.”
Better known as “Charlie” to his coworkers and friends, Forster has been involved in community affairs and civic improvements in Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs from the time he first came to the county in 1985.
Chaffee County Commissioner Greg Felt was recently interviewed by the New York Times for the article “Wall Street Eyes Billions in the Colorado’s Water – Investor interest in the river could redefine century-old rules for who controls one of the most valuable economic resources in the United States.”
While many unknowns still linger about the lease of the Tennessee Pass rail line announced on New Years’ Eve, rafting outfitters are concerned about the return of train service on the tracks along the Arkansas River, which have been unused since 1997.
DENVER – The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, announced in a late morning press release that the Paycheck Protection Program will re-open the week of Jan. 11 for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers.
The final day of 2020 brought unexpected news to the Upper Arkansas Valley with the announcement that a rail company was making moves to resume service on the Tennessee Pass Line, renewing the possibility that trains may again travel the rails for the first time in decades.
As the last passenger train headed east departed Salida July 23, 1967, The Mountain Mail reported “a little girl standing nearby started to cry. Another onlooker, a Salidan, said, ‘That’s how we all feel.’”
It’s been almost 25 years since the last trains rolled through Chaffee County, and over 56 years since the last passenger train offered service to and from Salida over Tennessee Pass.
The passage of the bipartisan SB20B-001 allocated $35.15M to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs for grants to certain small businesses across Colorado, struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic. SB20B-001 was sponsored by Sens. Faith Winter and Kevin Priola, and Reps. Leslie Herod and Shane Sandridge.
Stakeholders in a new mixed-use development coming to East Main Street held a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday afternoon for the La Vista development.
Buena Vista businesses are relying on loyal locals, but still seeing business from out-of-towners as well during the winter season so far.
A new mixed-use development at the corner of East Main Street and South Court Street in Buena Vista will be hosting a ground-breaking ceremony at 1 p.m., Friday, Dec. 18.
The Heart of the Rockies Chamber of Commerce warned its subscribers about a scam e-mail titled “INVOICE” that appears to have been sent by the chamber on Dec. 10.
Bailey-Kent Funeral Home owner Shannon Kent was permanently barred from operating funeral home and cremation services by the Department of Regulatory Agencies on Tuesday
LEADVILLE – Bailey-Kent Funeral Home owner Shannon Kent was permanently barred from operating funeral home and cremation services by the Department of Regulatory Agencies on Tuesday.
Jill McQueen, MSN, NP-C, has joined the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center Neurology Clinic. McQueen will work directly with Dr. Yvonne Rollins, M.D., and Dr. Suzanne Lesage, M.D., seeing patients at the HRRMC Outpatient Pavilion in Salida.
The Buena Vista board of trustees voted unanimously, to approve the town’s 2021 budget Tuesday night.
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas Monday as U.S. Highway 24 transformed into Christmas Card Lane with snow capping the Buffalo Peaks.
Here’s what you missed from the Nov. 24 meeting of the Buena Vista board of trustees:
Medicare Open Enrollment season runs until Dec. 7, and changes that exclude independent pharmacies from preferred pharmacy networks means that the Part D drug plan you used in the past may not be the most cost-friendly option if you are a patient at an independent pharmacy.
The Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce is planning to hold its customary Christmas Opening celebration beginning Dec. 5.
Sales tax returns for the month of September jumped by 19.44% compared to the same month last year, according to Buena Vista town treasurer Michelle Stoke.
The Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce will launch its #ShopBVFirst campaign the week of Thanksgiving, promoting local businesses in an effort to get shoppers to spend their money locally this holiday season.
Applications are open on a first-come, first-served basis for small business grants for local food service industry and small businesses who have experienced losses or expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salida Hospital District Board of Directors heard an update on progess at the Buena Vista Health Center as the project nears completion.
Pinto Barn, Inc., which produces Don’t Go Nuts products, recently announced it will close its Salida facility and cease operations to be effective by Dec. 31.
A groundbreaking ceremony at the Railyard development on Sept. 21 marked the first stage of the project’s vertical construction beginning with six residential structures.
Legacy Bank broke ground Oct. 7 on its planned 3,100 square-foot facility at 430 East Main Street, at the corner of East Main and Court Street, planning for an opening soon after Memorial Day next year.
The year 1986 was a hard time for Buena Vista. The nation’s economy was in a recession, and the Climax mine north of Leadville, the Arkansas Valley’s largest employer and at one time the largest source of steel-hardener molybdenum in the world, had suspended production in 1982 ahead of closing in 1987.
Sales tax returns are in for July, the highest-earning month of the year in Buena Vista, with receipts rising 8.85% over the same month in 2019.
Applications are open for the town of Buena Vista’s local business COVID relief grant program.
When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March this year, quickly leading to numerous cancellations of events and state mandates aimed at slowing the spread of the viral respiratory illness, staff and trustees in the town of Buena Vista were concerned about the effect Stay at Home would have on a tourism economy based on getting outside.
Last week, the Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce board of directors announced that events coordinator Melissa Traynham would be stepping up as the chamber’s executive director.
Sales tax returns for June were up by 8.52% over that month last year, according to the latest report from town treasurer Michelle Stoke.
The Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center’s Buena Vista clinic’s expansion will include a decontamination room for patients with infectious illnesses like COVID-19, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Department of Regulatory Affairs.
Spurred on by interest rates that have dipped below 3 percent – historically low rates – Chaffee County mortgage lenders say they’re seeing business as much as double compared to 2019.
Interstate 70 reopened Monday after 2 weeks of being closed east of Glenwood Springs due to the Grizzly Creek Fire.
Gov. Jared Polis officially extended an executive order requiring bars and restaurants to stop serving alcohol at a certain time Friday, but extended that time from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Melissa Traynham has been promoted from events coordinator at the Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce to the chamber’s executive director, the chamber’s board of directors announced in a press release Monday.
Permits for building, mechanical, electrical or plumbing work issued in the county in the first half of 2020 are down from last year by 16.44 percent, according to a report from a July meeting of the Chaffee County Board of Commissioners.
Last week was pleasantly rewarding for 13 local businesses as the town of Buena Vista Beautification Advisory Board handed out its 2020 Curb Appeal awards.
Bret Picciolo with Charter Spectrum Communications, said that a third party working in the Buena Vista area cut a Charter Spectrum fiber cable shortly before noon Monday, causing the loss of internet and phone service in the Buena Vista area.
The revelation that the internet may be an important economic driver moving into the future is old news by a couple decades, give or take.
“It’s a 2-year phased process, and for us actually its our third go at this one,” said Chip White, the vice-president of CCT. Fiber will reach the town by “going down the county road to going down the Sangre de Cristo Electric easement all the way from Buena Vista to an infrastructure starting point at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort, then we go from that point all the way over their utility poles all the way into St. Elmo.”
Valley-Wide Health Systems is set to open its integrated primary care clinic on U.S. 24 Monday, Aug. 3.
Increase is 11.4% above 2019’s record receipts
"Would you rather work from downtown Denver, or would you rather work from downtown Buena Vista? Or anywhere in the area here?"
For Bill Lockett at Collegiate Peaks Realty in BV, that’s a rhetorical question. But it’s a question that many of his clients have been seriously asking themselves after COVID-19 moved many professionals out of the office and into the world of working remotely.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife commission voted unanimously to raise fees on river outfitter licenses at its meeting last week.
CPW boating safety manager Grant Brown said the fees have never been increased before and have been the same since 1995.
Chaffee County Democrats are hosting a Win-Win fundraiser from 5-8 p.m., Aug. 1.
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