Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com from June 1 – June 7.  

1. I-70 reopens following multi-vehicle crash that prompted overnight closure

In a Facebook post, Summit Fire & EMS stated it transported five people, one in life-threatening condition, to St. Anthony Summit Medical Center following the crash. Drew Smith, a communications manager at CommonSpirit Health, wrote in an email that one male transported from the crash to St. Anthony Summit Medical Center was then flown from there to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. Summit Fire & EMS in an email to Summit Daily News also confirmed that there were no fatalities on-scene.

The crash happened near milepost 209 eastbound around 3:03 p.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from the Colorado State Patrol. 

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The state patrol release stated that a semitrailer traveling westbound on I-70 collided with another, causing both to enter the eastbound lanes and roll over. One of the semis struck additional vehicles, and three people have been transported to a nearby hospital.

Both semis are currently blocking the highway, and there is no estimated time for reopening the road.

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State patrol is investigating the crash and asks witnesses who have not yet spoken with investigators to contact their dispatch at 970-249-4392 and provide their name and contact information.

— Summit Daily News staff

2. Breckenridge HOA files lawsuit against Breckenridge Grand Vacations, Vail Resorts amid planning for new hotel

The termination of an easement is driving a lawsuit filed by a homeowners association located near the base of Peak 8 at Breckenridge Ski Resort against a local developer and a Vail Resorts subsidiary, according to court documents filed May 19. 

In the complaint, One Skill Hill Place Homeowners Association alleges developer Breckenridge Grand Vacations and Vail Resort subsidiary, Vail Summit Resorts Inc., terminated an easement on March 26 the homeowners association allegedly controlled. The suit claims the defendants included a number of “intentionally and materially false statements” in the easement termination documentation.

The plaintiff seeks a preliminary injunction against the defendants, disallowing the defendants from taking any actions concerning the easement. 

“The HOA is worried about its building falling down due to potential construction activities, excavation, installation of structures, and any other activities within the easement area,” attorney representing One Skill Hill Homeowners Association Alex Dorotik said via email. “A preliminary injunction would prevent said activities until the court can make a decision on the easement and termination.”

The lawsuit comes amid planning for the Imperial Hotel & Private Residences, a 400,000-square-foot Breckenridge Grand Vacations project set to be near the One Ski Hill Place building and the base of Peak 8. Documents related to the termination of the easement were submitted to planning officials at the town of Breckenridge as the two parties work on pushing the development proposal through the planning process. 

According to court documents, the easement was created on property formally owned by Vail Summit Resorts Inc. and controlled by an entity called One Ski Hill Place LLC. One Ski Hill Place LLC isn’t associated with the homeowners association and is also a defendant in the lawsuit, sharing legal representation with Vail Summit Resorts Inc. in the matter.

The easement was acquired by One Ski Hill Homeowners Association from One Ski Hill Place LLC in April 2010 for the purposes of constructing, maintaining and repairing underground improvements and facilities connected to shoring walls on Vail Summit Resorts Inc.’s property. 

Court documents show the property the easement is on, once owned by Vail Summit Resorts Inc., is now owned by P8E Grandview LLC, an LLC created by Breckenridge Grand Vacations for the sake of the Imperial Hotel project.

— Kit Geary

3. Colorado State Patrol releases details on I-70 crash that injured 5 on June 4

A Colorado State Patrol news release Thursday afternoon gave more details for the four-vehicle crash that closed both directions of Interstate 70 between Exit 205 at Silverthorne and Exit 216 at Loveland Pass on Wednesday, June 4. 

The release stated a semitractor-trailer driven by a 57-year-old man from Texas lost its brakes while traveling westbound in the right lane. The truck collided with the rear of another semitractor-trailer, causing both to veer off the left side of the road.

The second truck rolled over and came to rest on its passenger side in the I-70 median. The trailer of the first truck struck a Rav-4 that was traveling eastbound, then came to a stop against a Toyota Tacoma, according to the release.

Responders transported three people with injuries to a local hospital initially, then transported two more later on. Four of those transported had minor injuries, but the passenger of the second semitractor-trailer sustained life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Tacoma had no injuries.

Both directions of I-70 reopened around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, and the Texas man received a citation for careless driving causing bodily injury.

Colorado State Patrol continues to investigate the crash and asks witnesses who have not yet spoken with investigators to contact their dispatch at 970-249-4392 and provide their name and contact information.

— Kyle McCabe

4. Summit County’s ski season sales tax collections are in. Here’s how the area made out.

On June 5, Colorado Ski Country announced the state’s ski areas hosted 13.8 million skier visits for the 2024-25 ski season. It was the third-busiest season for the state at-large, but how did Summit County fare?

None of Summit County’s ski resorts release the number of visits they receive in a season. Sales tax is one of the only and strongest indicators demonstrating how a given season went.

December through March hold some of the largest tax collections for Summit County Government and the municipalities, with December and March being the top months for many. For the most part, the area saw drops in sales tax collections, and only one local government saw an increase in collections made December through March compared to the same period in the previous season.

Breckenridge was down around 3.8% for net taxable sales for December to March. December was down around 2.5% in net taxable sales compared to last year, January was down around 5.5%, February was down 1.67% and March was down 5.11% compared to last season. 

“Considering everything that’s going on with the economy, I feel like we’re in a pretty good spot,” revenue manager Pam Ness said. 

In terms of total net taxable sales for short-term lodging, Breckenridge was down 4.6% for December through March compared to last year.

Ness said the Breckenridge Tourism Office has been reporting lower average daily rates from short-term lodging options like short-term rentals and hotels, adding that this is likely impacting the dip in short-term lodging collections.

Silverthorne’s ski season tax collections were down by similar amounts. The town was down 3.6% for December to March in sales tax collections compared to that period last year. 

Finance director Laura Kennedy said Silverthorne sales tax collections were down 1.2% in December compared to last year, down 8% in January, down 4.8% in February and down 1.4% in March. 

The town amended its budget in April to reflect the unanticipated drops in sales tax revenue. Kennedy said Silverthorne has been riding a high over the last several years, with sales tax collections being the healthiest the town’s ever seen. She said the town tackled projects year ahead of when they were planned because of it, but that changed this year. 

She said quantifying the year-to-date difference for lodging tax is tough because in June 2024, the town’s lodging tax rate raised to 8% from 6% after voters approved the hike in a November election. She said December through March year to date would have been down 5% if the lodging tax stayed at 6%. 

Dillon’s sales tax collection took the biggest dip out of the municipalities, as sales tax collections for December to March were down 6% compared to last ski season. Finance director Mary Kay Perrotti said a 9% decline in year-to-date sales tax collections for January to March will translate to a $1.1 million budget deficit.

“We think it’s just the greater macroeconomic environment,” Perrotti said. “We’re hoping that we can rebound that decline over the summer, but that remains to be seen.”

— Kit Geary

5. Another of Colorado’s wolves has died, marking the sixth death this year

Another of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves has died in the northwest corner of the state. 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed on Monday, June 2, that it received a mortality alert for the male wolf, 2507, on Saturday, May 31. The agency did not provide any additional information on the location or cause of death of the wolf, which was relocated from British Columbia in January. 

Colorado’s wolf population was estimated at 30 animals following the release of 15 wolves from British Columbia in January. This marks the sixth death this year and the ninth since the reintroduction effort began in December 2023.

Gray wolves are currently federally listed under the Endangered Species Act in Colorado. As such, when a wolf dies in the state, the necropsy and investigation into the death are performed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For previous wolf mortalities in Colorado, initial results from necropies have taken anywhere from one to four months to be released by the federal agency. 

Federal investigations are still ongoing into the April 20 death of a wolf in Rocky Mountain National Park and the May 15 death of a wolf in northwest Colorado.

The May 31 mortality comes two days after Parks and Wildlife killed a Copper Creek Pack yearling after the animals were connected to multiple livestock attacks in Pitkin County over Memorial Day weekend. 

In a statement, Travis Duncan, public information officer for Parks and Wildlife, reported that wolf survival in Colorado was still within “normal margins” for a gray wolf population in the Rocky Mountains. 

“It is important to note that wolf survival is often lower for dispersing, non-territorial wolves (of which the Colorado population is mostly made up of) than for territorial wolves,” Duncan stated. “Any reintroduction effort includes eventual mortality levels and these were incorporated into the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan.”

Per Colorado’s wolf plan, if the survival of reintroduced wolves dips below 70% in a six-month period, a “translocation protocol review” would be initiated. In January, there were an estimated 30 wolves in Colorado, and with six dying in the last six months, the survival rate is around  80% for this period. 

In its statement confirming the most recent wolf mortality, Parks and Wildlife said it expects the state’s wolf population to “continue to grow, leading toward a self-sustaining population,” as it monitors four potential dens and plans for another year of translocation efforts. 

“It is likely there are an unknown number of new pups that were born this year,” the agency stated.

— Ali Longwell