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Grant money only one reason to take notice of Blue River (the town, not the river)

A cozy, little town with 917 residents, Blue River can get overlooked in Summit County, where it shares a name with one of the area’s most prominent waterways.

Yes, Blue River is both a river and a town. The town is next to the Goose Pasture Tarn and is dissected by its namesake river before it flows downstream to Breckenridge, into Lake Dillon, past Silverthorne and ultimately into the Colorado River near Kremmling.

The town is a small community carved into the forested valley and mountainsides about 5 miles south of Breckenridge, the hub of the county’s commercial activity and the county seat. Agreeing the town doesn’t always get the most attention, town administrator and clerk Michelle Eddy said she wants people know that Blue River is here, its residents are active in the community and there are a number of upcoming events and opportunities, including a new round of grant funding that just came open for applications.



“I’ve noticed a lot more people are recognizing that we are becoming more active in the community,” Eddy said, adding that Blue River might be small in size but has a lot to offer.

One of those offerings is grant money for local groups and nonprofits whose work directly benefits Blue River residents. For the second year running, Blue River is accepting applications for grants supported through its community fund.



Applications go through the town’s Citizens Advisory Committee, and three groups received $7,000 combined last year, including the Family & Intercultural Resource Center, the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center and Friends of the Dillon Ranger District.

Applications will be accepted through June 14. Group presentations are slated for July, and the Blue River Board of Trustees — the town’s governing body — is expected to decide on the committee’s funding recommendations later in the fall and announce the award winners in December. Altogether, Blue River has roughly up to $10,000 the town can award through its grants.

Beyond the grants, Blue River has also kicked up a series of regular educational presentations. The series goes off about once or twice a month, and the next presentation will be at 6 p.m. on June 6 at Blue River Town Hall.

After the last presentation zeroed in on fire mitigation, Eddy said that this forum will focus on the Goose Pasture Tarn, along with information about the work of the Blue River Watershed Group and tips for living with wildlife.

The town also awarded three new scholarships this year to local high school students, each worth $500, and will be taking part in the Countywide Cleanup Day on May 18 by asking people to meet up at 9 a.m. at Blue River Town Hall before heading out to clean up the town.

For the Countywide Cleanup Day, hundreds of locals turn out every year to help get the county looking good for summer by picking up litter along roadsides, in parks, on trails and in neighborhoods.

For Blue River’s part, the town will have trash bins set up for residents who want to do some spring cleaning while asking for volunteers to meet at town hall and help clean up areas around Highway 9, Blue River Town Park and the tarn.

Other check-in locations for the cleanup day are the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge, Frisco Historic Park, Dillon Town Hall and Rainbow Park in Silverthorne. During check-in, volunteers will receive trash bags, gloves, area assignments, coffee and morning treats.

“Community engagement is big for us,” Eddy said of Blue River’s efforts to stay active in the county. “We’re letting people know that we have things going on, and we do have a very active community that is growing.”

For more about Blue River’s grants program, go to Bit.ly/2JmM4yn. For more about the town, Colorado.gov/TownOfBlueRiver.


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