Steamboat Pilot & Today

Topping the news this morning, the much-anticipated expansion of the Yampa Valley Regional Airport terminal is scheduled to serve its first departing passengers Thursday. Travelers leaving the Yampa Valley on four airlines will check in at new ticket counters.

Airport officials had hoped the new terminal addition would be ready for the beginning of direct ski season flights on Dec. 5, 2006. However, unanticipated challenges put it behind schedule. That was in spite of long shifts worked by employees of the general contractor, TCD, last fall.

The newly expanded passenger check-in area is actually the second phase of a three-phase project. Phase 2 suffered a setback in late-summer 2005 when federal grants arrived late. That delayed the completion of an expanded aircraft parking ramp, which in turn overlapped with construction of the terminal addition.

In a joint meeting Tuesday night, the Steamboat Springs City Council and the Yampa Valley Housing Authority agreed to continue working together to provide local affordable housing. Reaching that agreement involved most of a nearly three-hour, often passionate discussion about housing goals, how each body can best contribute to achieving those goals, and - most importantly, a consultant said - how to build a relationship between two bodies that officials from both sides said clearly have not communicated enough.

While the two groups did not reach final decisions on any of the agenda items scheduled for Tuesday's meeting - such as clarifying roles of the two groups and establishing funding structures -the City Council and the Housing Authority defined several "areas of agreement" on ideas such as sharing responsibilities for funding and land acquisitions, allowing the council to create housing policy and regulations, enabling the Housing Authority to collect and maintain data of local affordable housing and working together on a "pilot project."

The Steamboat Springs High School course book will undergo some changes before fall.

During Monday's Steamboat Springs School Board meeting, board members approved the elimination of one course offering, the creation of another, and adjustments to three other courses for the 2007-08 school year.

The course that was eliminated, Computer Concepts, isn't needed because the school already offers a similar course, officials said.

Senior Odyssey, which was a graduation requirement before this school year, was adjusted so it will become an optional, semester-long course. Also undergoing an adjustment is Work Study, which now will allow students to receive credit for internships.

Theory of Knowledge will be a social studies elective for juniors and seniors who want to explore cultural anthropological and philosophical issues.

In sports, Steamboat Springs basketball coach Kelly Meek was a little concerned heading into Tuesday night's game against Delta.

When the teams played Feb. 2, the Sailors trailed at halftime. Meek's squad barely emerged from Delta (No. 3 in Western Slope League play with a 7-6 record, 10-8 overall) with a win, coming from behind and overcoming Delta's chaotic offense. The Sailors studied the tape, digested the personnel assignments and came out Tuesday with their game set on "liquefy." The combination of aggressive defense and smooth shooting led Steamboat to its 16th consecutive win, 66-44. The Sailors are 13-0 in the Western Slope League. Their next game is Friday night at home.