The court has smiled on efforts to turn back the proposed Village at Wolf Creek. On June 6, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David West issued a recommendation to extend the Preliminary Injunction that has held the proposed “Village” at Wolf Creek at a standstill since last fall. The earlier injunction was set to expire this Friday, on June 15, a turn of events that would have allowed developers to begin work at the site adjacent to the Wolf Creek Ski Area.

Clear Channel Communications co-founder and former Minnesota Vikings owner, Billy Joe “Red” McCombs, and his development partner, Bob Honts, have proposed the “village” for the base of the existing Wolf Creek Ski Area. Their plans include 2,172 new housing units and 222,100 square feet of commercial space on 287.5 acres at the base of the family-owned ski area. This “Vail-sized city” has drawn strong opposition from citizens and advocacy groups, among them the Durango-based Colorado Wild.

Colorado Wild and the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council have taken their opposition a step further and filed a lawsuit challenging the Forest Service’s decision to authorize construction of two access roads across public lands for the purpose of building the proposed 10,000 person development. The suit charges that the agency failed to analyze the impacts of the proposed development. In issuing his June 6 recommendation, West urged Senior U.S. District Court Judge John Kane to continue the injunction until a final decision can be reached on the lawsuit. That decision could occur sometime in late 2007. West’s recommendations also identify a number of potential flaws with the Forest Service’s access decision that warrant careful consideration by the Court before allowing any ground-disturbing activities to proceed.

“We are grateful that the Court has taken the time to review our concerns and consider what is at stake,” said Ryan Demmy Bidwell, executive director of Colorado Wild. “The judge’s recommendations are thoughtful and thorough. Even after years of work on this issue, the closer one looks at the Forest Service’s EIS and the circumstances surrounding its development, the more alarming this whole matter becomes.”

At the heart of the case is whether Tetra Tech, the group that prepared the environmental analysis for the Forest Service, was prejudiced in favor of the development. The group was barred from most communications with Honts and McCombs. However, during litigation, thousands of pages of communications have emerged that show Tetra Tech Director Mark Blauer and Honts in regular communications about how to get the Forest Service to “see the light.” Blauer and Honts even discussed the developer getting tickets to NFL football games for members of the Tetra Tech staff.

In spite of West’s recommendation, Judge Kane must still issue an order on June 15 following a 10-day objection period. Colorado Wild is optimistic.

“Obviously, this is a huge victory for the public,” Bidwell said. “We are hopeful that Judge Kane will adopt Magistrate Judge West’s recommendations and ensure that no construction occurs on the village until a final decision is reached in this case.”

New library ready to break ground

Durango’s new library breaks ground next week, and site development will entail a temporary reroute of the Animas River Trail. Construction begins June 18 with removal of the existing 15-foot tall boulder wall along the Animas River Trail. In order to accomplish the construction while keeping the public safe, the Animas River Trail will temporarily be rerouted between 18th and 22nd streets.

Trail users will be rerouted by detour signs from the shared-use path to the public street and sidewalk system surrounding the library site. The trail is expected to be closed for approximately three months. During the detour, pedestrians and bicyclists are urged to be aware of vehicular traffic on the public street including construction traffic associated with the library.

Construction on the new Durango Public Library includes a 42,900-square-foot, two-story building, parking lots, access drives and the rerouting of the Animas River Trail. The original boulder wall was constructed as part of a Mercy Hospital expansion in 1993. Following the wall removal, the site will be excavated to provide a gentle landscaped slope from the trail elevation up to the new building.  The landscaped slope area will include small, landscaped walls, seatwalls for a reading area, the relocated Animas River Trail, and a trail spur from the river trail up to the new building.

RAAM passes through Durango

One of the most grueling athletic events in the world is passing through Durango this week. The fabled Race Across America (RAAM), a 3,000-mile, cross-country cycling race, started arriving on Tuesday, with riders expected throughout the week.

The 2007 race started in San Diego on June 10 and finishes in Atlantic City on the week of June 18. In all, successful RAAM competitors will climb more than 109,000 feet, cross 14 states and pedal 3,047 miles. Sleep-deprived and struggling racers are now in the Four Corners region after crossing California’s Coast Range and making their way through the Mojave and Painted deserts. Riders eventually find their way to U.S. Hwy. 160 and drop from Hesperus into Durango.

The solo male riders were the first to pass through Durango last Tuesday en route to “RAAM’s classic trio of mammoth passes,” Wolf Creek, La Veta and Cuchara. Jure Robic, past RAAM winner, led the pack and pulled into Durango early June 12, an hour and 10 minutes ahead of Wolfgang Fasching. Gerhard Gulewicz trailed by an hour and seven minutes behind Fasching.

Team racers will arrive right on the solo riders’ heels and are expected to be blowing through Durango on June 14 and 15. One of the teams is eyeing more than the finish line. Team Donate Life represents a national nonprofit organization that promotes the lifesaving benefits of organ donation. Each member of TDL is racing in honor of someone who is waiting for a lifesaving transplant. One cyclist, Dee Larsen, is racing in honor of Colorado resident and recent liver transplant recipient, Clifford Fletcher. Fletcher had been on the wait list for a new liver since Oct.18, 2005 and received a new liver on May 11, 2007.

“Riding in honor of Clifford has really brought home for me the real purpose of our team, which is to encourage as many Americans as possible to sign up on their state’s organ and tissue registry,” said Larsen.

RAAM was created in 1982 and is currently the longest-running ultra-distance bicycle endurance competition in the world. The team racers are expected to complete the grueling course in six to eight days. For more information on RAAM or to follow the racers’ progress, log onto: www.raceacrossamerica.org.

Durango airport awarded $7.5 million

Durango air travel got a boost this week. Federal funding to the tune of $7.5 million has been awarded for the Durango-La Plata County Airport to construct a new taxiway thanks in part to the work of U.S. Rep. John Salazar. The funds come from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program, and Salazar sits on the Aviation Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee which has oversight and authority over the FAA and the Airport Improvement Program.

“I was extremely pleased to see these Airport Improvement Project funds awarded to La Plata County,” he said. “These funds are vital to maintaining safety and efficiency at the Durango-La Plata County Airport. I will continue the effort to provide an adequate amount of funding for the Airport Improvement Program and keep fighting the president’s proposed cuts to this vital program.”

Meanwhile, the La Plata County Airport has launched a new marketing campaign, “Fly Durango,” designed to direct travelers to the www.flydurango.com “landing page,” which provides visitors links to the airlines servicing the airport as well as real-time flight status.

– compiled by Will Sands