Steamboat Pilot & Today

Hayden — Relief is on the way to Yampa Valley Regional Airport officials who want someone to enforce parking rules.

The officer will have a badge, but not much bite.

"He'll be there to enforce traffic, but he won't issue parking citations," Airport Manager Jim Parker said.

Parker explained that the town of Hayden, where the airport is located, needs to pass an ordinance before its officers are allowed to write tickets at the airport.

Until that happens, the new traffic officer is expected to help out with more immediate problems. The Routt County Commission and airport officials have been looking for ways to improve traffic control and solve parking problems that plague the airport during ski season.

Airport workers ended up towing many vehicles after new rules required payment for long-term parking and some travelers balked at paying.

For the past 14 years, parking has been free at the Hayden airport. That changed this year, in the wake of continuing operational losses.

Customers now are expected to pay $3 a day for parking.

Another change that officials hope will keep people from illegally parking is 20 new spaces that are reserved for 30-minute parking. Right now, there are only 12 of these 30-minute parking spaces.

That forced many people to leave their cars unattended at the curbside or in the middle of the traffic area.

Airport workers have complained that because there are no officers to get people moving, fights break out.

"If all goes well, we'll have someone out there next Monday," Parker said.

The Hayden Town Board still has to meet to give its approval so that the airport can share Ed Corriveau, who now works part time for Hayden as a code enforcement officer.

The airport would likely hire him to work Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In the meantime, people are becoming more accustomed to the idea of paid parking at the Hayden airport, Parker said.

"We are seeing people pay," he said. "I'm fairly pleased with the collections."

Parker said a lot of second homeowners and local companies are requesting that monthly fees be implemented to make it easier to pay.

"We're trying to come up with identification for the vehicles," Parker said.