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Scott Franz

Stories by Scott

Steamboat Springs School District kicks off budget season with community forum

On a night when the budget proposals of seven district programs and buildings were presented to the public, funding for the elementary schools spurred the most feedback.

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Giving circle bolsters area nonprofit groups with grants

A growing nonprofit dedicated to preventing suicides in Northwest Colorado will expand its reach thanks to the continuing generosity of a passionate giving circle.

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Steamboat Springs School District's budget season starts Monday with community forum

Board President Brian Kelly said the school district will have to “take a hard look” at a small number of school programs and classes that have declining enrollment and decide whether they should continue to be funded.

Steamboat Springs City Council gives final OK to major condo project

A major condo project slated for Whistler Road and Skyview Terrace earned final approval from the Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday night, but some of the development's neighbors aren't happy with the decision.

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Lodging tax finalists make closing arguments

Although the lodging tax committee didn't eliminate any projects during the three-hour meeting, some of its members did start advocating for certain projects and two frontrunners emerged.

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Stormwater task force starts meeting in Steamboat Springs

A task force composed of 17 engineers, property managers, hydrologists and city officials has embarked on its mission to help the city chart a course for millions of dollars' worth of potential improvements to its stormwater system.

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City of Steamboat Springs working to determine potential cost of Amendment 64 implementation

Public Safety Director Joel Rae said the potential costs stemming from the passage of Amendment 64 include law enforcement monitoring of marijuana operations as well as the time and effort of the city's clerk and its attorney during the application process.

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Steamboat Springs School Board pondering a mill levy override in response to major school finance bill

While the school district's financial outlook under Sen. Mike Johnston's bill has improved since it was introduced last month, the district anticipates the legislation could make future bids for mill levy overrides much more difficult.

The Lowell Whiteman School's leader retires early

The school's Board of Trustees announced late last week that Head of School Chris Taylor has retired earlier than expected.

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Hayden preacher Doug Zirkle back to work after successful kidney transplant

To give Hayden pastor Doug Zirkle the new kidney he needed to survive, Mike Markle had to overcome challenge after challenge.

Steamboat City Council to tackle timeline for recreational marijuana ordinance

City officials have said residents here will have an important voice in the upcoming discussions over how to regulate recreational marijuana in the city that overwhelmingly approved its legalization.

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Fund Board's grant-vetting process a source of tension for Steamboat Springs School District

The first joint meeting in years of the Steamboat Springs School District and the Steamboat Springs Education Fund Board appears to have done little to mend some tension between the two entities.

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Steamboat lodging tax committee moves closer to final recommendation

The committee winnowed the field of viable proposals down to four and agreed that 15 percent of the revenue stream that nets $600,000 to $800,000 annually should be funneled into a reserve fund, with half of that going to Haymaker Golf Course for future capital needs.

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Steamboat Springs School District now offering gluten-free breads

The effort to offer more menu items for students with food allergies has turned into a fun endeavor for the cooks at the school district.

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Postal Service to move all Sundance mailboxes downtown

The U.S. Postal Service next month will move all 2,584 mailboxes from its substation in the Sundance at Fish Creek shopping center to the Postal Service's main downtown station.

Warmer temperatures return to forecast in Steamboat Springs

After several days of abundant snow and unseasonably cold temperatures in the Yampa Valley, a quick warm-up is back in the forecast.

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To make races more competitive, local school boards look into redistricting

The Steamboat Springs School Board is mulling a change that could make future board races here more competitive than they've been in recent elections.

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Amendments improve Steamboat Springs School District's outlook on major school finance overhaul

Although the new amendments have the potential to help Steamboat and a small group of other districts avoid eventual funding cuts, district officials here still have a number of concerns about Sen. Mike Johnston's legislation.

Steamboat Springs City Council approves new contract for City Manager Deb Hinsvark

Hinsvark's contract was approved after some discussion about how her job performance will be evaluated this year.

Steamboat Springs School Board discusses future technology and capital needs

Tim Miles on Monday night kicked off his presentation on the future technology needs of the Steamboat Springs School District by handing out something he said shows just how quickly the options for educators are changing.

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Affordable housing developer eyes Iron Horse Inn as potential site for new project

Weeks after the city of Steamboat Springs determined its Iron Horse Inn isn't destined to become a police station, the half-vacant hotel complex now is being eyed for something else.

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Improvement projects slated for Steamboat Springs Airport

The reconstruction of an old taxiway will allow the airport to meet all of the FAA's design standards for general aviation airports and also is a prelude to bigger, more substantial improvement projects planned for Bob Adams Field.

Steamboat Springs City Council to vote on city manager contract, new pot ordinance

The Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday night will tackle a heavy agenda highlighted by a proposed contract to promote Interim City Manager Deb Hinsvark to City Manager.

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Steamboat Springs School Board seeks community feedback on budget

The survey asks district employees, students and community members to prioritize a list of 17 school programs, qualities and electives that range from full-day kindergarten to smaller class sizes.

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Future Steamboat Springs School District enrollment gains could create need for more classrooms

Soda Creek Elementary School never was supposed to get this big. When the doors of the new school opened in 2008, the Steamboat Springs School District expected it would hold no more than 450 kids for the foreseeable future. Today, it is home to 544.

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Heritage Christian School to significantly reduce tuition rates next school year

The school board at Heritage Christian School is hoping its decision to drop tuition rates significantly next school year will attract a wave of new students to the private campus just west of Steamboat Springs.

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Refinancing of Steamboat Springs School District bonds expected to save taxpayers money

Along with a recent audit that revealed the district is in good financial health, the savings are a welcome piece of financial news for a school system expected to face another tough budget season.

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Discussion about future spending of half-cent sales tax for education draws a big crowd

The discussion about the future uses of Steamboat Springs' half-cent sales tax for education attracted a large audience to the Steamboat Springs Community Center.

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School finance bill projected to have varying impacts on school districts in Northwest Colorado

All of the public school districts in Northwest Colorado stand to gain financially from State Sen. Mike Johnston's push to change how schools in the state are funded. But without help from local taxpayers, Steamboat Springs' gains will be temporary.

As vetting of Steamboat lodging tax proposals nears end, public vote becomes more likely

At a City Council meeting last week, City Attorney Tony Lettunich confirmed an election would be required to commit the revenue stream to a project for an extended number of years or to finance any project through bonds.

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Warm days ahead in forecast for Steamboat Springs

The National Weather Service is calling for a warming trend to really kick in Wednesday with a projected high temperature of 51 degrees. The forecast calls for the high temperature here Friday to reach 53 degrees.

Off-duty Routt County Sheriff's Office deputy arrested on suspicion of DUI following Milner crash

Undersherriff Ray Birch said Deputy Jesse Lee McAvoy was driving west on U.S. Highway 40 at about 4:20 a.m. when his personal vehicle hit a patch of ice and crashed into a snowbank near mile marker 121.

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Becoming Outdoor Town USA

Major rebranding effort in Ogden, Utah, quickly brought line of new outdoor manufacturers to town

Through the large windows of what used to be part of the deserted American Can factory, rock climbers scale a massive wall until 10 p.m. In another part of the 15,000-square-foot facility, athletes pump iron while more people behind them try to cross a slackline. Upstairs, a private yoga lesson is going strong.

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City grants helping local business get running

Logan Banning didn’t waste any time planting the $5,000 in seed money he received last year from the city of Steamboat Springs.

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Location Natural: Steamboat joins growing group of cities looking to grow their stake in the outdoor manufacturing industry

Deep inside the convention center for the Outdoor Retailer's winter trade show in Salt Lake City this year, a new, high-stakes spectacle took place. And most spectators never saw it. Economic developers from Steamboat Springs and a small contingent of other outdoor-oriented cities across the nation methodically waded through the booths not looking to buy skis, socks, goo or jackets. They were looking to someday bring entire companies, and their high-paying jobs, back home.

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Steamboat Springs School Board to discuss class sizes at Monday meeting with Education Fund Board

Community members looking for a chance to weigh in on how revenue from Steamboat Springs' half-cent sales tax for education should be spent can plan to stop by the community center Monday night.

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Steamboat Springs city manager search ends with promotion of Deb Hinsvark

Steamboat Springs City Council members who were supportive of Deb Hinsvark's promotion said she brings a strong worth ethic and sense of stability to a position that has seen heavy turnover in recent years.

Steamboat Springs man injured after being hit by truck on U.S. Highway 40

A 55-year-old Steamboat Springs man was seriously injured early Monday morning after he was struck by a Dodge pickup on U.S. Highway 40.

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Without additional state funding, Steamboat's full-day kindergarten program likely to stay tuition based

Without any new state funding, the Steamboat Springs School District's full-day kindergarten program is likely to continue to have a cost to parents here for the foreseeable future.

Steamboat Springs School Board to discuss full-day kindergarten funding at Monday meeting

The board's discussion comes after a local parent told the School Board earlier this year it should work to find a way to fund a program that currently is tuition based.

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Local state parks offer fun cures for cabin fever

Cabin Fever Day at Stagecoach State Park served as a reminder that there are plenty of things to do in Routt County's state parks in these final weeks of winter aside from the popular sport of ice-fishing.

Steamboat Springs City Council to weigh contract extension for Interim City Manager Deb Hinsvark

The Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday night could sign off on a major building project and officially extend Deb Hinsvark's tenure as the city's top employee.

The Record for Saturday, March 2, 2013

1:23 a.m. Steamboat Springs Police Department officers were called to a report of a man causing a disturbance at a convenience store on Anglers Drive. A clerk at the gas station called police after the man started yelling because the store didn't have any buns left for his hot dog. The man was told to leave.

Steamboat Springs School District central office phones, Internet back online

The phone and Internet service is back online at the Steamboat Springs School District's central office after an outage earlier in the day.

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Sunshine Kids celebrate breakthroughs in Steamboat Springs

Tuesday was a day of breakthroughs for Montana Dalman and more than 20 other kids from across the country who traveled to Steamboat Springs to take part in the Sunshine Kids Winter Games.

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In Steamboat Springs, full-day kindergarten funding an ongoing challenge for both parents and educators

Paul Sachs told the leaders of the Steamboat Springs School District last month their inability to fund a full day of kindergarten forces some young students here to ask their parents a tough question: Why are some of my friends always going home halfway through the school day?

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Moots' trail maintenance bike a big hit at trade show

A bike designed here to carry an 18-inch chainsaw, a rogue hoe and a six-pack of beer piqued the interest of several spectators and the judges at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Denver.

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More snowfall expected in Steamboat Springs before warmer temperatures arrive

Forecasters are calling for a few more days of snow showers this week in the Yampa Valley before a change in the weather.

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Oak Creek revives annual winter festival

Winterfest in Oak Creek likely is to be the only time Irene Hoff can throw an egg at her mayor without getting into any trouble. After a six-year hiatus, Winterfest returned to the South Routt County town Sunday.

Snowmobiler injured in crash on Rabbit Ears Pass

A Routt County Search and Rescue team is tending to an injured 33-year-old snowmobiler who reportedly drove his sled off of a cliff on Rabbit Ears Pass.