Grand County Matters

I think we all know that Grand County has tremendous art, art exhibits & art events. But I bet you didn't know there is a plan underway to create a new space for the Creative Arts! Today I talk with Steve Fitzgerald, Chair of Fraser Public Arts Committee & Executive Director of the Fraser Valley Arts Organization. www.grandcountymatters.com or wherever you get your podcasts!#GrandCountyMatters #JohnSandSaysSanderson Commercial Real EstateThe name Grand County trusts w...

Did you know that Grand County EMS responded to 2,600 calls in 2019, and expect ongoing growth to 3,500-4,000 calls in 4-5 years? And, 56% percent of those calls are for Grand County residents, 22% are for Colorado residents and another 22% are from out of state visitors? Did you know GCEMS also has a specialty team for mountain medical rescue and a special team who works with Grand County SWAT teams? And, did you know GCEMS is a County department but is not funded by the Ge...

Denver Water was founded in 1918 and has built an elaborate collection system to route snowmelt to the Front Range for Denver Water customers. Denver Water began diverting water through the Moffat Tunnel in the 1930s to deliver water to the City of Denver.Jessica Alexander, Environmental Scientist at Denver Water, walks us through a variety of topics including the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement (CRCA) which began a long-term partnership between Denver Water and the West Slope. Gra...

On June 4, 2004, Marvin Heeymeyer unleashed his gigantic, armored, tank-like bulldozer upon the small town of Granby. It was an act of defiant, but misguided, revenge upon those who he perceived had done him wrong in a long series of local property disputes.Patrick Brower, author & businessman, sits down with me and discusses the event that led to the rampage, and the unintended outcomes which are apparent in today's society. Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHIkrg_fy7QKilldoz...

Award-winning author, and Granby resident, Martin J. Smith discusses the little-known history of Trinidad, Colorado, and his new book, Going to Trinidad. Once dubbed the "sex change capital of the world" by the New York Times, Trinidad was known to the worldwide transgender community between 1969 -2010, as the destination for 6,000 patients seeking relief from gender dysphoria. Going to Trinidad explores the medical history of gender confirmation surgery as seen through the eyes of...

The Short Term Rental industry is critical to Grand County's economy. With the growth of DIY rental platforms such as airbnb & VRBO, as well as property aggregators such as Evolve Vacation Rentals and others, in addition to more tradition full service platforms and providers, the Short Term Rental (STR) ecosystem is also critical to Grand County.Alaina and I dive into the facts, attempt to educated, and discuss a variety of the issues related to STR in the area: housing, staff...

President, Upper Colorado River Watershed GroupFounder & Project Manager, Grand Huts AssociationTown of Fraser TrusteeJoin us for a wide-ranging discussion on water to huts to development and learn some interesting details:Grand County has 300 miles of impaired streams & riversWRT Water Rights: No one owns water; they have a right to use the water.The Broome Hut near Berthoud Pass to 17 years to get a permit to construct and has a rooftop freshwater capture system with 1200 gallons of...

Let's talk about water! Kirk and I discuss the challenges with stream health in Grand County. We cover a wide range of topics, including the history of water diversion, the chronology of water projects including the Grand Ditch, the Moffat Tunnel, the Three Lakes Project and the Windy Gap project. The result of these water projects has decrease the water flow on the Fraser River by 60%.We had a little fun with fancy terms - Macroinvertebrates aka bugs, play a HUGE role in stream health ...

Maggie Michalowski, Grand Crew Program Coordinator at Middle Park High School, along with Sam Taylor, a student in the Grand Crew program. Grand Crew is designed to help at-risk students who may be struggling in the traditional education process. The program tailor’s education to individuals with traditional and non-traditional learning experiences.For the past four years; Grand Crew has helped students graduate with a diploma--students who otherwise would have been likely to drop out of...

Cori Sanders shares her story as a 5th generation Grand County family. Having grown up as a resort kid, Cori and her family face the same seasonal employment challenges many Grand County residents face today, dubbed the Seasonal Syndrome.Descended from Swedish homesteaders in the early 1900's, Cori's early ancestors found Grand County to be similar to their native Sweden. Some years later, Cori's great grand-dad was the first mayor of Fraser in the 1940's, and was apparently quite a cha...