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Top 5 stories on SummitDaily.com for the week of Jan. 14

Compiled by Heather Jarvis
hjarvis@summitdaily.com
Liam Oderman, 3, explores the bounce house at the Breckenridge Recreation Center Friday, Jan. 12, in Breckenridge. Renovationsat the center are still ongoing, but many pieces of the $17 million project are now open to the public.
Hugh Carey / hcarey@summitdaily.com |

Editor’s note: Social Call is compiled from comments on stories posted to the Summit Daily’s Facebook page.

“Hut or McMansion? Confused how this is getting approved but not affordable housing.” — Kristen Keravich, on “Hut spot: Construction begins in May on first new hut approved on county land in 22 years”

“I love skiing tucker, but I think this lift will ruin the skiing over there. The best part of skiing tucker is finding fresh lines because it takes work to get there. If anyone can get up there, it’ll get skied out quick. I understand why copper wants to do it, and I don’t object to it from an ecological perspective, I just think it’s going to ruin some of the best runs at copper.” — John Duke, on “To the top of Tucker: Forest Service seeks public comment for Copper Mountain chairlift, infrastructure proposal through Feb. 9”

“Summit county needs ski expansion to support Denver’s rapidly growing population. It honestly needs an entire new ski area, but it will never happen. I understand there are ecological reasons why it should not. Does not change the fact that Denver is growing at a rapid pace and the ski areas are just getting more and more crowded.” — Russell Epstein, on “To the top of Tucker: Forest Service seeks public comment for Copper Mountain chairlift, infrastructure proposal through Feb. 9”

“I’m with the mayor. This is ridiculous. Stop trying to turn Breck into a big city. Part of why it works is the small town feel.” — Shae Loomis, on “Breckenridge Town Council looks to provide better grocery shopping options”

“But sitting in 3 hours of traffic on a weekend is a rite of passage.” — Timmy Smithers, on “Car alternatives growing to get from Denver to ski resorts near Interstate 70 corridor”

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

1. Longtime Vail local Maldwyn George Zang found dead in Gore Creek Tuesday morning

Longtime local Maldwyn “Maldy” George Zang, 59, of Vail, was found dead last week, face up in Gore Creek near Lionshead. At 9:03 a.m. Tuesday, a woman riding up a Lionshead lift called 911, saying she had spotted a man’s body in Gore Creek. The cause of death remains under investigation, but the frigid overnight temperatures played a factor. Zang worked in Vail’s Bart and Yeti’s kitchen for 40 years, and was beloved by the crew, staffers there said.



2. Snowboarder arrested after crash confrontation on Aspen Mountain

A 56-year-old skier said last week that he was about 200 yards up the Little Nell run when he was blindsided by a snowboarder. Several witnesses identified the snowboarder who hit him as Michael McKiernan, but when confronted, McKiernan was adamant that he did not hit the skier. According to police, McKiernan got into altercations with two Aspen Skiing Co. employees who confronted him at base area and was charged with disorderly conduct. A second snowboarder stepped forward Tuesday morning to take blame for the collision, saying he, not his friend, was the one who crashed into the skier.



3. Breckenridge Town Council looks to provide better grocery shopping options

The Breckenridge Town Council is crafting guidelines for a potential study following discussions on whether a new store could thrive on an 127-acre parcel of town-owned land in northern Breckenridge known as the McCain property. ”I find the existing condition of our grocery store to be not even coming close to handling the current state of our town,” said Councilwoman Wendy Wolfe. An expansion at the current City Market was discussed, and not all council members were on board with a new store at the entrance to town.

“I do not think that, in any situation, we build 180,000 square feet on McCain. I am dead set against it to the point I don’t even want to study it. I have no desire to build a strip mall on the edge of this community,” Mayor Eric Mamula said.

4. Breckenridge Recreation Center’s $17M redo creates new mecca for fitness

Tours of the newly remodeled Breckenridge Recreation Center were offered at a Friday morning coffee talk with the mayor. The $17 million in renovations includes a two-story mecca for fitness, complete with a new cardio deck, cycling studio, redefined stretching stations, weight room, functional conditioning room with suspension training and an indoor turf gym. Additionally, the project includes the relocation and expansion of physical-therapy services at the center, updated multi-purpose rooms, four additional bathrooms and three changing rooms, and a new facility-wide stereo system. The children’s area is also currently closed to the public while the rec center creates a brand new 2,800 square-foot wing for children out of its old weight room.

5. CDOT: Winter storm along I-70 mountain corridor will make for treacherous driving this weekend

The Colorado Department of Transportation was asking motorists to avoid driving on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor over weekend because of a winter storm.


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