Summit County Services

Libraries

Summit County has three libraries.

It’s true. Many mountain folks would rather crack open a book than flip through hundreds of channels.

To serve bibliophiles, Summit County has three libraries. The main one boasts of cozy chairs facing an expansive mountain view. All have internet access, and Silverthorne even has a table to create magnetic poetry. The also lend DVDs, but if you’re looking for music CDs, you’ll have to try the Vail Valley or Front Range libraries.

To get a library card, you must have lived in Summit County for at least 30 days and present proof — a driver’s license, rent receipt, lease or utility bill with your name on it will do the trick.

Call or Visit:

Main Branch Library located near Frisco at 0037 County Road 1005

Telephone: (970) 668-5555

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday

South Branch Library in Breckenridge at 504 Airport Road

Telephone: (970) 453-6098

Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday

North Branch Library in Silverthorne at 651 Center Circle

Telephone: (970) 468-5887

Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday

Department of Motor Vehicles

Licenses plates are pricey.

A new car may cost you more than you bargained for.

If you’re from one of those states where license plate fees are around $50, you’re in for a big surprise — like, about 10 times the surprise.

Colorado’s license plate fees depend on the year, list price and weight of the vehicle. A standard four-cylinder Subaru Outback will cost you a little more than $500 to register the first year, according to the Motor Vehicle department.

After that, it will decrease. By the time your wheels are 6 or 7 years old, you’ll see a significant drop in fees. By the time the vehicle is 9 or 10 years old, the fee drops to about $25 to $35. “Other states have lower (license plate) fees, but they tax other things that people own. Some states have higher property taxes or sales tax,” said Sue Spriggs, office manager in titles and registrations.

The good news is that a percentage of the fees are tax deductible.

The DMV is also where one goes to get their driver license.

To find the DMV office go to the county commons to get your driver’s license and plates; it’s in the same building as the main library. Telephone: (970) 668-5015

Dogs, Cats and Pets

Most High Country pets need leashes and licensing.

Owning dogs and living in Summit County are often thought of as synonymous, but letting dogs run around without a leash is against the law in most local towns. Unincorporated areas of Summit County allow dogs to be off leashes as long as they’re under voice and visual control and within 10 feet of their owners. Silverthorne, Frisco, Breckenridge and Dillon require dogs to be on leashes outside of your house or fenced-in property (and in case you didn’t notice, we don’t have many fences around here). Same with Arapahoe Basin, Willowcreek Open Space and all of the recreational pathways: You need a leash. The Forest Service requires dogs to be on leashes at all times while in the national woods. If your dog is caught by the Forest Service or the Division of Wildlife, it can cost you $500.

If you’re looking for a place for Fido to run free, Breckenridge has an area in the Blue River at the Blue River Plaza where dogs can play off of leashes. They also can be off of leashes on the “dog side” of Carter Park.

All dogs staying for more than 14 consecutive days in Summit County must be registered. Proof of rabies vaccination is required before a dog can be registered and animal control recommends but doesn’t require, that dogs get a shot for bordetella, commonly known as kennel cough. You can register a spayed or neutered dog for one year for $15 or $40 for three years. Call animal control at (970) 668-3230 for more information.

If you want to join what seems like the rest of Summit County and own a dog — or buck the trend and get a cat or even a rabbit — check out the animal shelter at the County Commons near Frisco. The number is (970) 668-3230.

But, we must give you fair warning: Owning a pet can make it more difficult to find a place to rent, so think twice before bringing home a four–legged friend. If you’re a renter and really need company, think goldfish.



Kennels & daycare

DNR Kennels (970) 453-6708

The Dog Den (970) 262-9076

The Dog House (970) 453-5301

Post Offices

In most of Summit County, postal workers don’t deliver in rain, sleet or snow. In fact, they don’t even deliver in sunshine.

Very few places in the county receive postal service. Many years ago, the postal service developed routes within Summit Cove, Keystone and places north of Silverthorne. If you live in these areas, you can check with your local post office to see if you’re on the route. If so, you’re one of the select few who can apply for home delivery. The rest of us have to venture out in the rain, sleet, snow and sunshine to pick up and send our mail at the post office.

But there is a silver lining: Every American is entitled to free delivery, said Dillon postal worker Rick Sprague. And that means free post office boxes for all who aren’t in the mail-delivery system.

All you have to do is bring your lease or a piece of mail, such as a bill, that shows your name and physical address to prove, indeed, you are one of the unlucky people who need a P.O. Box. And you’ll need two forms of identification— one with your best, or worse, mug on it.

The good part about having a box is you don’t have to worry about mail piling up outside your house when you go on one of those well-deserved vacations after a hard season’s worth of work. Plus, the post office is much like a social club — you’ll run into your neighbors and friends.

But are you ready for the worst part of being a P.O. boxer? OK. Rampant confusion. That’s right. The rest of the world can’t even fathom us mountain residents who live without mail delivery. So, credit card companies will demand you give a physical address to them. If they’re competent, they’ll flag — in bright yellow arrows or something — that your card must go to your P.O. Box, not your physical address. If they’re incompetent, get ready for a series of calls, inquiring what happened to your credit card. Same goes with some other shipments.

The bottom line is to be as clear as you can, and follow up if you haven’t received a requested item in a reasonable amount of time. When people send you a package, find out if they’re sending it by regular mail or FedEx or UPS. For FedEx or UPS shipments, they’ll need a physical address.

Breckenridge Post Office

305 South Ridge St.

Breckenridge Co 80424

Dillon Post Office

500 Lake Dillon Drive

Dillon, Co 80435

Frisco Post Office

35 West Main St.

Frisco Co 80443

Silverthorne Post Office

390 Brian Avenue

Silverthorne, Co 80498

Recycling: Keeping Summit Green

Summit County is blessed with many things — abundant snow, gorgeous views, and a lot of ways to help keep the community green.

When the county took over the recycling operation from Summit Recycling Center Jan. 1, 2006, it constructed an 11,000 square-foot building by the landfill. A mill levy taxpayers passed in 2003 funded a few local capital improvements, one of which included the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). The $1.8 million facility, which began operating in August, 2006, houses a huge two-ram baler. The machine creates standard-size bales from recycled materials, which the county can sell directly to mills.

The MRF accepts all kinds of commingled materials, from glass to plastic and tin. The county hopes trash haulers will increase their curb–side recycling, which will benefit everyone involved.

It also has started a pilot project for composting. It’s storing a large pile of wood chips it plans to add to a “recipe” of the carbon (wood), nitrogen (food scraps) and other elements to create the compost pile. In addition, it’s collecting old appliances and hoping to generate a building materials reuse center with appliances, two-by-fours and so on, in hopes of people making use of them.

The MRF is the first big step in working toward the county’s zero-waste goal, which commissioners passed a resolution supporting in August, 2005.

Want help going green?

The High Country Conservation Center, a local nonprofit organization, serves as the community’s clearinghouse for information on resource conservation, including recycling, composting, home energy efficiency, green building, renewable energy and more.

“The main goal is to provide practical solutions to waste reduction and resource conservation that are specific to the mountains,” said Carly Wier, executive director of High Country Conservation Center. “We want to make recycling strong and successful in the county because it’s one of the most practical things anyone can do to protect the environment.”

Recycling Drop-off centers:

Breckenridge: County Road 450 (a quarter-mile from the 7-11)

Frisco: County Commons, near the animal shelter

Dillon: Town Hall parking lot Silverthorne: On Brian Avenue, between 3rd and 4th streets.

Materials that can be left at the drop-off centers vary so look at the detailed sorting guide at www.highcountryconservation.org or call (970) 668-5703.

Seniors

Groups and programs focus on senior citizens.

It’s easy to stay young in Summit County, especially when you meet 70-year-olds who ski more vertical in a week than some younger folks get in a month. So if you need some inspiration, check out Summit County Seniors.

The group welcomes permanent residents and seasonal visitors 55 and older. And guess what? The annual dues are a whooping $5. The active members enjoy every outdoor activity imaginable.

They’re also involved in plenty of volunteer activities. The Senior Center organizes trips to concerts, theater performances, sporting events, historic locations and other attractions. Year-round activities include bridge, mah-jongg, fitness classes, discussion groups and book clubs. And the Summit County Community and Senior Center (at the County Commons, near Frisco) hosts luncheons on Tuesday and Thursday, dinner on Monday and a monthly potluck.

Contacts:

Loosey Goosey: Jen or Frank Schrage at (970) 262-5770 or Linda Ginsberg at (970) 668-9913.

Copper Mountain Over the Hill Gang: www.copperohg.com or Patricia Supanich at (970) 968-3059. Over the Hill Gang international: www.othgi.com or (719) 389-0022.

Summit County Senior Center: www.co.summit.co.us/Seniors/home.htm or (970) 668-2940.

Loosey Goosey, a local membership that is “loosely” affiliated with Over the Hill Gang international, is a club for active singles and couples age 50 and older. “We all like to have a good time, we like to be fit and we like the outdoors,” said member Jen Schrage. “We come from all walks of life, from all over the United States.” Annual membership is $5.

The gang skis three times a week among Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin, and it welcomes visitors to join the fun. It hosts wine and cheese socials every Thursday at the Summit County Community and Senior Center and also meets for biking during the summer.

Copper Mountain Over the Hill Gang began in 1977 when three older ski instructors banded together to support each other’s skiing at a time when their friends and family were leaving the sport because of age. They believed skiing was a lifelong sport, and Copper’s 600 members live by that, skiing four times a week. The key word at Copper is “camaraderie,” said program coordinator Jennifer Walker. Week-long memberships are available to visitors.