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3/14/24 A planned meeting tonight to discuss traffic, parking, and other congestion issues at the Great Sand Dunes National Park (GSDNP) was cancelled due to inclement weather. The meeting was scheduled to take place at the Baca National Wildlife Refuge. There are no immediate plans to reschedule the meeting, although public comment is still welcomed online.  The rumors of a proposed northern route to the Sand Dunes through the Baca Grande using Liberty Road are false, according to GSDNP Supervisor Andrea Compton. The rumors appear to have started in a Grimes Report e-newsletter penned by Sara Grimes and sent to the...

By Anya Kaats Baca Grande residents received news about Amazon’s sales tax fix. That same fix created new woes for the Town of Crestone.  On March 1, Amazon removed the erroneous 3.5% sales tax that was being charged for deliveries in the Baca Grande. An intervention by Brandon A. Davis, Local Government Liaison at the Colorado Department of Revenue (CDOR), helped lead to the correction. However, in the process of trying to correct their mistake, Amazon also incorrectly removed the 3.5% sales tax charged for deliveries made within the town of Crestone. The correct sales tax rate for purchases delivered to addresses in...

The Town of Center will be updating its codes in an effort to address community housing needs. The town will host a Town Hall meeting next week to address citizen comments and questions. Keith Brockhurst, the town’s economic development coordinator, issued this summary of the code changes:  The meeting will be at Center Town Hall, 294 S. Worth St.  What’s the purpose of making these updates? The primary objective is to update our codes to help us address our community’s housing needs and foster sustainable development for our community by: Supporting the development of additional housing units for local residents. Simplifying our codes to...

By Anya Kaats. This story was updated to correct Armando Mendez's name. We apologize for that error. Matt Lit, managing editor. Crestone and Baca Grande residents packed town hall Monday, offering more than an hour of impassioned commentary in support of having events in town, passing a special events noise ordinance and working together as a community to address other recurring topics. In a special meeting Jan. 29, Crestone town trustees had suggested the possibility of removing events such as July Fourth, Crestone Energy Fair and Crestone Music Festival from within town limits. “Times have changed. Our town and the number of...

SPECIAL REPORT by Anya Kaats. The town will again take up the issue of events and noise at its upcoming regular meeting this Monday, Feb. 12. The topic arose at a “special” meeting the town held Jan. 29. There was little notice of the meeting made to the public, though the town did post the agenda at the post office and town office.  During that meeting some town trustees took issue with noise created during events, including July Fourth and others at the town park and elsewhere in town. Included in the complaints were noise from amplified music and even applause from...

Wednesday February 7th, 2024 By Matt Lit, managing editor. A house fire in the Grants had crews from multiple departments responding to the early morning blaze. A page went out to Baca Fire at 4:55 a.m. for a structure fire in the Grants, near Camino Del Rey and Wagon Wheel.  A wood-sided 2-story house had visible flames in the roof/eaves and along the east side of the building when first responders arrived, according to reports from a Baca Fire representative.  Baca Fire was first on scene and quickly called in mutual aid from all resources in the Northern Saguache Fire District. The responding...

Feb. 1, 2024 By Matt Lit, managing editor. Early Monday afternoon a resident notified The Crestone Eagle that the Town of Crestone was holding a “special” meeting to discuss and act on financial matters. The meeting — while legally notified with a notice at the post office — barely meets the requirements of the Colorado Open Meetings law. The Crestone Eagle is on an email list to be notified of meetings. Our reporter, Anya Kaats, is also on this list. Neither of us received notification 24 hours in advance as required by the law. The Open Meetings Law is a fickle thing....

Motorists can expect brief delays and one-lane alternating traffic Southwest Colorado— Colorado Department of Transportation opened US Highway 160 between Pagosa Springs and South Fork shortly before 12 p.m. (noon) on Monday, January 29. Motorists will encounter one-lane alternating traffic while crews continue to clear rock fall debris. A rock fall caused US 160 Wolf Creek Pass to be impassable for approximately 2.5 hours on Monday morning.  Know Before You GoTravelers are urged to “know before you go.” Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:Road conditions and travel...