Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutbocc.res.087.2003A RESOLUTION OF APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF PITKIN COUNTY. COLORADO APPROVING THE ASPEN SKIING COMPANY'S ASPEN MOUNTAIN CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PLA N TI-II~E YEAR PLAN; JUNE 2003 TO JUNE 2006 Resolution # 2003-.~'~ RECITALS I The Aspen Skiing Company is requn'ed to update its AsPen Mountain Construct/on Managemeut Plm~ every three years. This requirement is spelled out in the adopted Aspen Mountain Master ?lan. 2. The Aspen Skiing Compm~y bas submitted the 2003 to 2006 version of the Aspen Mountain Construction Management Plan for the County's review m~d approval. 3. The Aspen Skiing Company submittal complies with the conditions oftbe Aspen Mountain Master Plan conditions of approvaI. 4 The Aspen Skiing Company's Aspen Mountain Consn'ucdon Management Plan covers all of the proposed elements for maimenauce and construction in 2003. NOW. THERE FORE_ BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners. of Pitkin County, Colorado that it hereby authorizes the Chairmma of the Board of Coumy Commissioners to sign the Resolution = 2003-_~ accepting the Aspen Skiing Company Aspen Mountain Construction Management Plan for tl~e period of June 2003 to/~ne 2006 APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS ~ ~ DAY O~__, 2003. Board of County Commissioners of Pitkin Count~, Colwrado ~/1 Ja~tatfield, Ci]a~irma~) A~FTE'~ ,~ .lea rte Jones De ty Clerk ,and Rc ~rder Approved as]lo Conten,t: County Enginee~~' _ ' ?"~,k'. . By: Coun'ly At1 ornev~-'~ By' County'sM'anager Aspen Mountain Construction Management Plan Three Year Plan June 2003 to June 2006 Submitted by: Aspen Skiing Company P.O.Box 1248 Aspen. CO 81612 June 26,2003 Introduction Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) submits for approval to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) the renewal of a Three-Year Construction Management Plan tbr Aspen Mountain. The previous CMP expired November, 2002. The BOCC approved the 1997 Aspen Mountain Master Plan authorizing various mountain maintenance activities and improvement projects with the condition that a CMP be provided to manage the maintenance and construction traffic on roads accessing Aspen Mountain. This three-year CMP provides updated information regarding: I) Mountain Maintenance Crew access requirements, 2) A Development and Construction Schedule for projects anticipated during the 3-year period 3) Specific Access and Traffic Control Management 4) Emergency Response Plan In addition to this 3-year CMP, Pitkin County Community Development annually receives a copy of the Aspen Mountain Summer Construction Plan submission to the USFS. This document summarizes ali summer construction activities. Also, Earthmoving Permit applications are typically submitted annually for specific projects which include construction management plans as well. Lastly, we feel we have worked successfully during the past three years with Pitkin County Community Development and the neighboring residential community to address sensitive mountain access concerns - access which is critical to ASC maintenance and construction crews. In addition, Aspen Skiing Company has made considerable investments for Sarraner Road improvements for its own crews. We feel the entire community also benefits from these improvements made to the County Road. Mountain Maintenance Activities The CM? addresses anticipated normal levels of maintenance on Aspen Mountain. Maintenance activities at the ski area generally have been, and are expected to be, consistent from year to year. Although ASC considers the traffic created by these crews to be incidental and necessary for the proper operation of a ski area} it is included in this plan to provide a comprehensive assessment of construction traffic on Aspen Mountain. ASC employs a variety of summer work crews during summer operational and non- operational periods. Due to the limited seasonal access of terrain and roads, the m~jority of all maintenance traffic created by these crews is generated in the months of June, July, August and September. Summer work crexvs operate on a four-day workweek, Monday through Thursday. Normal maintenance operations are directed fi'om the Aspen Mountain Administration Building. For the past three years, all crews primarily access Aspen Mountain via Shadow Mountain Road, leading from the top of Aspen Street, though the Shadow Mountain Base Area to Summer Road. Brief descriptions of each crew and their anticipated vehicle usage are listed below. In addition to those vehicles listed below, the General Manager. the Summer Trails Manager and the Streamer Project Coordinator each utilize a vehicle to supervise crews and make site visits on the mountain. SUMMER TRAILS CREW The Summer Trails Crew is responsible for the maintenance of all ski trails. This includes dead tree removal, erosion control and brushing. This crew uses Shadow Mountain Road to Summer Road. The crew uses three to four trucks per day. LIFT MAINTENANCE CREW During non-operational periods this crew consists often to twelve people utilizing three to four trucks, four days a week. The crew is responsible general lift maintenance and repairs. During summer gondola operations an additional two person crew is required Friday, Saturday and Sunday using one truck. VEHICLE MAINTANCE CREW This crexv consists of two people, and provides maintenance for various vehicles. The Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF) is located at the summit adjacent to l&2 Leaf. The crew has one truck and accesses the VMF via Summer Road. Occassionally large VMF deliveries require use of Little Annie Road. SNOWMAKING EOUIPMENT CREW This crew normally operates with fottr to six people. They are involved with the repair and construction of all snowmaking equipment, including line replacement, equipment storage and maintenance. This crew also provides support for various infrastructure repairs and improvements. The crew utilizes one or two trucks a day and base their operation from the Snowmaking Control Building ~vhich is accessed from Summer Road. Development and Construction Schedule This schedule outlines Aspen Skiing Company's major construction projects for Aspen Mountain for the three-year period from June 2003 to June 2006. The improvements ihcluded in this schedule are those approved in the 1997 Aspen Mountain Master Plan and successive Master Plan Amendments. PROJECT A;iax Express (Lia #3) Rebuild Sundeck Remodel 2003 Snowmaking Pipe Replacement S unrmer Road Grading Gondola Cabin Replacement Ski Patrol Building Construction FIS Lift No. 6 Replacement ~C[IEDULE_ June 2003 to November 2003 August 2003 to December June 2003 to September 2005 June 2003 to July 2003 June 2004 to October 2004 April 2005 to December 2005 June 2005 to October 2005 This schedule represents the anticipated development on Aspen Mountain over the next tl~ree years. Unanticipated changes in market and business conditions may require that a revised construction schedule be submitted. In addition to this 3-year CMP, Pitkin County Community Development receives a copy of the Aspen Mountain Summer Construction Plan submission to the USFS. Ear~hmoving Permit applications are also typically submitted annually for specific projects which include construction management plans as well. Project Summary A, jax Express (Lift #3). Rebuild This project includes removing the old loading/unloading terminals and installing new terminals. Tower line machinery will also be replaced. The existing tower tubes and foundations will remain and the new line machinery will be installed on the existing tower tubes. 4 Occasional large truck traffic will be required on Little Annie Road. All other. · construction tral}'ic wilI utilize Summer Road. Helicopter activity will take place tbr 2 days and is addressed in the associated Earthmoving Permit. Sundeck Remodel The BOCC recently approved an Aspen Mountain Master Plan Amendment approving the Sundeck Remodel. The prqject includes enlcosing the restaurant's southwest deck and remodeling the interior dining rooms. Occasional large truck traffic will be required on Little Annie Road. All other constructioa trat~fic will utilize Summer Road. Snowmaking Pipe Replacement Snowmaking pipeline replacement has occurred each summer for the past few years. The existing 25-year-old pipe is extremely corroded and is at risk of failing during the snowmaking season. For prqjecfs on the upper portion of Aspen Mountain, pipe deliveries will arrive via Little Annie Road. This activity will take place annually and will be addressed in related earthmoving permit applications. Gondola Cabin Replacement The work will done at the summit Gondola Terminal and will include replacement of ail gondola cabins. This work is anticipated after the summer Operating season. Interior modifications to the top and bottom gondola terminals will also be required. Cabin delivery to the summit will be via Little Annie Road and 30-40 semi loads will be anticipated over during August and September. Nexv Ski Patrol Building and Freight_ Cabins A 2,000 .square foot ski patrol headquarters building will be built near the existing building. ASC cmmot accurately predict the schedule or workforce projections at this time but will submit a separate construction management plan, developed in conjunction with the General Contractor at the time of Building Permit apptciation. FIS Lift No. 6 Replacement This lift will be replaced and relocated as outlined in the Aspen Mountain Master Plan. The project will essentially be constructed in two phases. The first phase is expected to be in completed in June, consists of demolishing the old towers and lifts and setting the new foundations. An outside crew of six people will be required, with two Aspen Mountain maintenance crew support personnel. 5 Access and Traffic Control Plan Aspen Mountain has tln'ee main access roads (refEr to the attached Aspen Mountain Vicinity Map) into the USFS Ski Area Permit Boundary. Each access road has separate conditions and use limitations that affect its ability to be used for access tbr certaiu construction prqjects. The complexity and size ofa consti~uction project, in conjunction with the nnmber of trips and size of vehicles required to complete a project, are all thctors in a plan that, out of necessity, create vfiriations in the use of each road. Summer Road Summer Road will remain the primary access road tbr most minor construction projects as well as equipment and tS~cilities maintenance on Aspen Mountain. Unless deemed unsafe ASC directs all personnel to access Summer Road via the Shadow Mountain Road (Schuss Gully Road). Access Via Schuss Gully Road is not intended tbr access by the general public. ASC employees do not access Snmmer Road via Original Street through the Aspen Alps which is nor capable of supporting heavy equipment traffic. This route is controlled by a gate located at the base of the mountain adjacent to the Aspen Alps and remains the primary General Public access. Summer Road historically has been and is currently maintained, with prior approval by Pitkin Connty, by ASC. It is normally ploxved by the ASC and is open to the summit starting around late May to early June, and remains open until arotmd the end of October. The County maintains the authority to open and close General Public access to Summer Road. Little Annie Road Little Annie Road is not used as a primary access road for ASC maintenance and construction activities. Little Annie Road is a Public road that passes through Rural and Remote Zoning. All traffic control planS reflect the sensitive natm-e of this backcountry road. ASC continues to demonstrate, within each specific plan, a reasonable and practical effort to control and mitigate the impacts of construction traffic on Little Annie Road. Access to the summit of Aspen Mountain via Little Annie Road will follow the road to Little Annie Basin, and then use a cut-offroad to the upper portion of Midnite Mine Road to the summit. Any reference to Little Annie Road in this document refers to this route. No construction traffic will use the upper portion of Little Annie Road that follows Richmond Ridge to the summit of Aspen Mountain. Development will continue to be scheduled to avoid Little Annie Road use until natural snowmelt has occurred. Larger projects that require an utmost utilization of the limited building season are allowed exceptions when approved as part ora construction management plan. An existing gate located at Little Annie Basin controls access. 6 Midnight Mine Road Midnight Mine Road is a County Road. The lower portion of this road is considered to be the tertiary access road. Due to ~teep grades and hairpins curves, the lower portion of this road is not considered safe for larger trucks. The road is acceptable tbr and will be used by smaller construction vehicles. Limited use of this road will help keep this road clear as an alternate route if the lower portion of Little Annie Road or Summer Road becomes inaccessible. Silver Queen Gondola ASC will continue to provide access via the Silver Queen Gondola fbr employees and contractors where practical. ASC bas installed 4 freigbt carries on the gondola to haul small eqnipment and supplies to the Aspen Mountain summit. This activity in intended to incrementally reduces construction vehicle traffic on the access roads. TraftSc Control The Traffic Control Plan in this section is intended to be a guideline ~br all construction projects on Aspen Mountain. The primary concerns of the guidelines are safety of construction personnel and the general public as well as traffic mitigation on Little Annie Road. If a pro~ject has special conditions or specific requirements a separate Construction Management and Traffic Control Plan (CMTCP) shall be submitted for approval. The fbllowing guidelines have been implemented for the past 3 years and continue to be key elements of this plan: 1. Larger projects shall require that a separate CMTCP be provided by the general contractor and submitted by ASC to the Pitkin County Community Development and the County Engineer. Larger projects shall develop a plan that distributes and routes, within reasonable and practical efforts, construction traffic through all roads. 3. The ASC shall provide transportation support for construction personnel via the Gondola Or vehicle shuttles when deemed appropriate for specific projects. 4. The limits for working hours of any project shall be Monday to Satin-day 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., except fbr interior work. Requests for extehded working hours will require the approval of the Community Development Department. 5. Speed limits on all mountain roads shall be posted and strictly enforced. The posted speed limits are as follows: Summer Road: 10 mph Little Annie Road Little Aunie Road 15 mph (outside of the Rural and Remote Zone) 10 mph (inside of the Rural and Remote Zone) Midnight Mine Road 15 mph Larger projects shall require that the contractor establish vehicle size guidelines all mountain roads. Deliveries and vehicles not able to negotiate m~y of the access roads shall stage loads at designated Staging areas located either at Buttermilk Mountain or at the Shadow Mountain Base Area. Any planned road closures due to construction traffic shall be approved by the Coanty Engineer Advance temporary traffic control signage shall be provided by the contractor and shall fbllow local and state sa~ety standards. All traffic control plans shall be submitted to the County Engineer fbr review and approval The ASC will provide ban'iers, fencing and/or flag personnel at hazardons areas and at restricted areas to control recreational travel. Transportation and Parking Due to limited parking near the base of Aspen Mountain, ASC supports the use of alternative transportation for its employees and contractors. ASC will assist any contractor in providing information to its employees regarding HOV parking incentives and mass transit. The Ruby Park Transit Center is located within a block from of the base of Aspen Mountain providing excellent transit service for the entire Roaring Fork Valley. The Rio Grande Parking structure also provides close access to the base of the site as well as HOV incentive parldng. ASC has limited parking at the base of Aspen Mountain. The company controls two parking lots at the Shadow Motmtain Lift base facilities. There are a total of pprox~mately ~0 parking spaces ~n both lots. Of these, there are approximately 20 spaces available for daytime use by construction personnel. Additional parking can be accommodated during summer Operational and non-operational periods directly above · the base facilities. Under certain conditions ASC can provide a limited number of parking spaces at The Little Nell Hotel. Out of necessity, trade mhd service vehicles shall park at construction sites. The contractor shall take measures to limit parking at construction sites to a minimum. For larger projects, a site parking and staging plan shall be submitted. A staging area with limited parking is also available at the snowmaking c6ntrol building. Trade veliicles, service vehicles and certain heavy equipment traveling through the City shall take routes to the site that travel outside the core downtown area. ASC shall provide, if required for larger projects, transportation to the site for construc~tion personnel using alternate transportation or those traveling in non-essential vehicles. The Gondola xvill be made available for construction personnel working on or near the summit of Aspen Mountain. ASC will ensure no staging or access to the Gondola takes place through the Aspen Alps Park located between The Little Nell Hotel and the Aspen Alps. Road Maintenance and Dust Control ASC will maintain all access roads described in the Access and Traffic Control Plan. Maintenance shall include keeping the road clear of construction debris and natural objects. The ASC shall also provide dust control for construction traffic. Any ananticipated improvements to the access roads will be reviewed and approved by the County Engineering De artment T P . he fbllowing shall be used as a guideline tbr construction projects using the access roads on Aspen Mountain. A ¢omplete Fugitive Dust Control Plan is also submitted with each Earthmoving Permit application. l. Dust control tbr Summer Road shall be mitigated by water as needed fi'om the gate at the Aspen Alps to tbe snowmaking control building. 2. Dust control for Little Annie Road shall be mitigated by water as needed to Little Annie Basin gate. 3. Snowmelt on Little Almie Road shall be permitted to occur naturally unless a specific request to plow is submitted and approved by the County. 4. Any debris tracked offthe mountain onto City streets by vehicles accessing the site will be cleaned by ASC or its contractors. 5. Grading of roads shall be provided only to maintain historical drainage and grades of existing roads. 6. If, due to weather or road conditions, the use water for dust mitigation becomes ineffective, or if the increased trips required to mitigate dust with water becomes disputable, ASC requests that magnesium chloride be allowed as a dust control agent for the above referenced areas. County approval is required prior to magnesium chloride application. 9 /d Emergency Response Pian ASC currently has two emergency plans that are approved by the Pitkin county Slnerift§ Office. These plans have been developed to work with the Pitkin County Disaster Plan. The Mountain Disaster Plan (Revised March 25, 1998) and Aspen Mountain Gondola Evacuation Plan (1998)provide the fi'amework for any large-scale medical emergency. In addition, the annual Aspen Mountain Safety Plan will be distributed to all employees and contractors. During snmmer operations tile ASC provides Summer Ranger Medical support. Fully equipped and trained personnel m'e available to respond to medical emergencies. ASC will maintain this support during winter and summer operations tbr all major constructkm prqjects. - _Fire Protection The Aspen Mountain Bnrning and Fire Suppression Plan is included in the annual Aspen Mountain Summer Construction Plan. An Aspen Mountain Fire Response plan has also been snbmitted with Pitkin County. x ASC will ensure contractor and sub- contractor takes appropriate measures to prevent fires. Any welding or cutting in the field must be conducted in an area that is free of dried grass or brush and that appropriate fire fighting tools m'e on the site and readily available. (Fire extinguishers, Indian pumps, shovels and pulaskis). A Fire Truck is located at the top of Aspen Mountain at the Vehicle Maintenance Facility. I13a fire breaks out the contractor must notify ASC personnel immediately either by radio on designated channels or at 920-0723 and the Aspen Momntain Fire response plan will be initiated. Road closttres - In the event ora road closure either by natural events or accident the Area Manager shall be notified immediately. Aspen Mountain Personnel contact telephone nmnbers shall be posted at thej0b site. The Area Manager shall be responsible for assessing the incident for further action and provide the overall direction and communication. The following telephone numbers shall be posted at all construction sites: ASC ADMINISTRATION Steve Sewell Mom~tain Manager Joyce Hardy Administrative Asst. ASC PATROL DISPATCH ASC SUMMER RANGERS Jim Cerise 920-0732 920-0751 925-8567 920-0723 10 // ASPEI~/PITKIN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS Pitkin County Public Works Pitkin County Engineer Emergency 920-5310 920-5390 920-5206 911 The Mountain Manager or Summer Ranger on duty shall use the following guidelines tbr communication of road closures. 1. The Area Manager shall be responsible tbr notifying the Sheriffs Office of any road closures that require outside assistance or that cause more than one half-hour delay. 2. SC shall work with the contractor to notit}f construction personnel of any road closures. 3. Signs shall be posted as soon as possible indicating any closures. 4. The construction hot liue shall be updated by the Area Manager and provide information on location of closures, alternate routes and schedule tbr opening routes. 5 Pitkin Coumy Public Works Department shall be notified of any signiticant road ~losures.