Editor’s note: Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com for the past week.

1. Walkable Main will not return to Breckenridge

Breckenridge will not bring back Walkable Main, the pedestrian-only Main Street concept that sprung up last summer. The Breckenridge Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday, April 27, to not reinstate the walkway.

Community Development Director Mark Truckey explained in a memo to council that there have been numerous inquiries on whether the town would bring back Walkable Main. The town recently surveyed residents and businesses, asking for feedback about the concept. Results favored reintroducing the pedestrian walkway with 86% of residents and 83% of businesses that responded supporting the return of Walkable Main.

Mayor Eric Mamula countered the results of the survey by stating that there were a lot of conditions listed along with people’s support of the concept. Council members also brought up several concerns associated with the walkway, including traffic, safety and economic equity.

— Taylor Sienkiewicz

2. Summit school board votes to hire search firm to find interim superintendent

The Summit School District Board of Education and several members of the public commented Monday night on the board’s split decision on whether to renew Superintendent Marion Smith Jr.’s contract.

At Monday’s meeting, the board voted 4-2 to work with a search firm to hire an interim superintendent for the 2021-22 school year. Board members Chris Alleman, Tracey Carisch, Kate Hudnut and Gloria Quintero voted in favor of the motion while Consuelo Redhorse and Isabel Rodriguez voted against. At an April 15 school board meeting, Alleman, Carisch and Hudnut voted not to enter negotiations with Smith to extend his contract following the conclusion of his one-year term at the end of June. Quintero, Rodriguez and Redhorse voted in support of keeping the superintendent.

Despite her deciding vote Monday, Quintero said she stands by her April 15 vote to keep Smith.

“Thank you, because you really have inspired me to be present in every inequitable place I am,” Quintero said about Smith.

— Antonio Olivero

3. Breckenridge ditches mandatory mask zone downtown

Breckenridge’s mandatory mask zone is officially a thing of the past. The Breckenridge Town Council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance on Tuesday, April 27, that loosens mask requirements in town.

The newly approved mask ordinance in Breckenridge requires people to comply with any local, state or federal mask orders. The new ordinance repeals a 2020 ordinance that created a mandatory mask zone in Breckenridge, which required everyone in the core of town to wear a mask at all times — inside or outside.

“As we appear to be transitioning to lesser face-covering requirements, it is important to have an ordinance that spells out compliance with whatever the current orders are at the time,” Town Manager Rick Holman explained in his memo to council.

Holman said the new ordinance means the town will follow Summit County’s mask rules. Summit County’s current public health order requires people to wear masks whenever they are in indoor areas open to the public or outdoors when people will be within 6 feet of one another for more than 15 minutes. Exceptions include that masks don’t need to be worn by children younger than 2, people with certain medical conditions or while people are eating or drinking.

— Taylor Sienkiewicz

4. Summit School District supports changing administration contracts to at-will employment

At its March 25 meeting, the Summit School District Board of Education unanimously approved on first reading the addition of an at-will clause to district administrator contracts.

Prior to the decision, the board, superintendent and school administrators engaged in a thorough conversation about the change, which aligns with Colorado employment law.

The clause stipulates an administrator is an at-will employee of the district unless the administrator falls within the statutory definition of a teacher under state law. The change to at-will employment contracts for administrators would mean either party to a contract — the district or the employee — could terminate the contract at any time without cause or notice.

At the meeting, district Superintendent Marion Smith Jr. said he made the recommendation to the board in order for the district to align with state law.

— Antonio Olivero

5. Summit County could move to level blue, or even green, next week

Summit County COVID-19 numbers are trending downward, and with vaccination and incident rates continuing to improve, the county could see another loosening of restrictions as early as next week.

Summit County Public Health Director Amy Wineland provided officials with an update on the county’s coronavirus situation during a meeting with the Board of Health on Thursday, April 29, sharing some positive news on the area’s progress.

The county’s seven-day cumulative incidence rate dropped to 96.8 new cases per 100,000 residents this week, which brings the metric into level green on the county’s dial. Summit County is currently in level yellow. In order to go to level blue, the county must fully vaccinate 60% of the population and have a seven-day cumulative incidence rate of 250 or fewer cases per 100,000 residents. To move to level green, the county would need to either fully vaccinate 70% of residents or meet a seven-day cumulative incidence rate threshold of 100 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents for seven days.

— Sawyer D’Argonne