Steamboat Pilot & Today

The Routt County Planning Commission delayed its decision on a conditional-use permit request for a summer ski ramp at the 16-acre Bald Eagle Ski Lake half a mile south of Steamboat Springs.

Ed MacArthur has asked the county for a conditional-use permit that would allow the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club to train at the lake's water ramp during the summer. Planning commissioners said more information was needed and rescheduled the hearing for their Aug. 7 meeting.

The Planning Commission had six main concerns with the project, staff planner Chris Brookshire said.

"They tabled it because they really felt they wanted more information," Brookshire said.

One concern had to do with bald eagles that nest near the lake. Representatives from the Colorado Division of Wildlife were concerned that activity on the lake would disturb the pair of eagles that has nested in the area since 1999, Brookshire said. The DOW recommended that the birds' exposure to people be minimal from Nov. 15 to July 31 to prevent the adult eagles from abandoning their fledglings.

Another concern related to hours and scheduling of jumping, and Brookshire said members of the Planning Commission asked for clarification on the issue.

Officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation said that a bridge that serves as access to the lake does not meet standards and presents a safety issue.

The planning commissioners requested extra maps to confirm whether the site is in a flood plain and also asked for clarification on what would happen with the gravel piles that are left over from the 1998 excavation of the site. There are three piles -- the tallest of which is 45 feet high -- that could pose a safety issue.

Planning commissioners' final concern about the proposal, Brookshire said, was that it could be difficult to keep people from pulling off of U.S. Highway 40 and watching the jumpers, which would be dangerous.

Overall, Brookshire said the project could have positive effects on the community, but that planning commissioners wanted to be sure it is done correctly.

"I think the Planning Commission recognizes that this is an awesome project for the Winter Sports Club," Brookshire said. "It's just the way the whole thing came about.

"(The commission is) ultimately responsible for these types of things and they want to make sure they're doing the right thing if they end up approving it on (Aug. 7)."