Home

Steamboat Springs — Hayden leaders could move the town toward a new money-generating venture and also resolve an old issue at tonight's Town Board of Trustees meeting.

The Hayden Gardening Club plans to ask the town to close Walnut Street for a weekly farmers market. Town trustees also have scheduled an executive session to discuss a settlement with Oregon-based Robinson Construction about repairs in the Lake Village subdivision.

Gardening club members said the market could be a social gathering place, as well as a source of sales-tax revenue for Hayden and foot traffic for businesses. They'd like to hold it from 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays starting June 19. Walnut Street would be closed to Hospital Hill south of town from 4 to 9 p.m.

"We're looking for a small-town farmers market with fresh produce," market Chairwoman Suzanne Banning said.

They're also inviting vendors from Palisade and Grand Junction to provide a wider variety of foods.

The group hopes to include a couple of hot-food vendors and to allow youth groups to sell sodas as a fundraiser. The market would run through Sept. 18.

The club hopes to add live band performances, Banning said. Booth rental probably will be $10, with part of that going toward a charity of the Gardening Club's choosing.

"Everybody I've talked to is so excited about it," Banning said.

The club is modeling its effort partly after Minturn's farmers market, member Tammie Delaney said.

"My two cents is that I think it would be wonderful for Hayden," she said.

The Town Board is scheduled to decide about the road closure, and Banning said she hopes for full support. If they hit a roadblock with the downtown plan, the club would hold a market at Yampa Valley Feeds.

Also tonight, the Town Board is scheduled to discuss a settlement regarding the Lake Village subdivision. Trustees will talk behind closed doors about a deal with Robinson Construction, Town Manager Russ Martin said.

The subdivision off Routt County Road 53 in southern Hayden has been tangled in liens and legal problems since 2007. The town is trying to reach an agreement to repair infrastructure on the property. Robinson Construction, which isn't affiliated with RN Robinson & Son in Hayden, handled that infrastructure work.

The town called a letter of credit worth $502,000 to pay legal expenses. Hayden officials and lawyers were working to get $1.3 million in bond money from Safeco Insurance. Robinson fought that attempt.

Martin said he was optimistic about a settlement with Robinson. The terms won't be made public until town trustees approve a deal.