Community Update
January 27, 2023
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Greetings!
It's never too early to start thinking about the Routt County Fair! Come celebrate at the 2023 Routt County Fair held August 17-20 on the same tract of land where it all began in 1914. Devoted to the western way of life, the Routt County Fair maintains the glory, commitment, and integrity of the Yampa Valley spirit. The Routt County Fair offers fun-filled, family-oriented activities and events enjoyable for all audiences.
Consider partnering with one of Yampa Valley's oldest events! As a sponsor of the Routt County Fair, your generosity goes toward honoring traditions and creating opportunities for families and youth to enjoy and participate in our community's heritage. Routt County Fair pride runs deep in the Yampa Valley as proven in our Home Arts Department (Exhibition Hall) where we consistently exceed 1,200 entries. That's more than Moffat, Eagle, Jackson, and Rio Blanco counties COMBINED!
Not only will your sponsorship create positive community relations and brand awareness in a non-traditional way, but your sponsorship benefit package could also help you reward hard-working employees and loyal customers. Whatever your business advertising goals, we have a variety of ways for you to be involved.
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Universal Preschool Colorado Application Open: Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado allows families to choose the right setting for their child. Families of children in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten, and qualifying 3-year-olds, can apply now for UPK Colorado for the 2023-24 school year. It is not a first-come, first-served program. All applications submitted by February 14 will be matched together, with additional matching rounds to follow. You can begin your application at any time and return to it as many times as you like before submitting. If you have already submitted your application and need to make changes, reach out to our local contact at pnebel@co.routt.co.us.
Routt County Climate Action Plan Website is Live: We are excited to announce the Routt County Climate Action Plan (CAP) Collaborative website is up and running at www.routtclimateaction.com. The website is a valuable resource for learning more about the Collaborative, current climate threats and challenges facing Routt County, and how you can get involved and stay informed. Meet the talented and diverse team of Board and Working Group members addressing climate action across Energy, Transportation, Land Use, Waste and Economy sectors. Stay abreast of their work through posted agendas and meeting minutes. Read our Routt County Climate Action Plan and view the analysis of our Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory that is guiding climate action planning. This is your climate action plan and we welcome your involvement.
Yampa Valley Recycles Depot now open on Mondays: Yampa Valley Sustainability Council's Yampa Valley Recycles Depot has moved locations and expanded operating hours. The new winterized recycling center is located at 2851 Riverside Plaza, #250A. Operating hours now included Mondays from 10-4 in addition to the usual Wednesdays and Fridays from 10-4. During this time, YVSC is also accepting Christmas lights for recycling free of charge thanks to sponsorship provided by Aspen Tree Service. So, stop by to recycle your electronics, batteries, lightbulbs, mattresses, and more. To learn more about what can be recycled visit yvsc.org/yampa-valley-recycles-depot/.
Friendly reminder “Don’t Crowd the Plow.” Give our plows at least 150’ of space so they can do their job to keep the roads free of snow. Plow drivers can't see you in their rearview mirrors if you are following too close. Giving the plow space will also result in fewer bits of scoria hitting driver’s cars and windshields.
On the days that crews are not plowing newly fallen snow, they are pushing back snow banks to make room for more snow, cutting snow pack off of the roads, cleaning up intersections to increase visibility, and performing maintenance on their equipment. More information about winter road maintenance can be found online at www.co.routt.co.us/878/Winter-Maintenance.Please contact the Road & Bridge Department at 970-870-5552 if you have questions.
SNAP Emergency Allotments Ending: All Coloradans who receive SNAP benefits will see a reduction in their monthly benefit amount after February of 2023. The temporary additional benefit amounts (emergency allotments) that were approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic are ending due to the result of recent congressional action. Find details online at cdhs.colorado.gov/snap-ea-ending.
Check your address for Broadband availability: The FCC’s new National Broadband Map shows internet availability data nationwide and, for the first time, accepts input from consumers like you! An accurate map means more money for #Colorado to improve #broadband. Go to BroadbandMap.gov, and search for your home or small business. If the reported service or speed is not available for purchase, submit a challenge to correct the map. Help Improve the map! More information at FCC.gov/BroadbandData/consumers.
Are you signed up for Routt County Alerts? Get alerted about emergencies and other important community news by signing up for Routt County Alerts. This system enables us to provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods. Sign up now at RouttCountyAlerts.com.
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Building Department Updates |
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New Blower Door Testing Policy Introduced: New Blower Door Testing Policy has been introduced for Multi-Family projects, and Dwellings that are 1500 Square Feet or smaller in total size. The new Policy removes the requirement to calculate cubic volume of air in the dwelling, and instead focuses on Dwelling Unit Enclosure Area in square feet, to set a maximum allowed CFM’s to be recorded during the test at a pressure of of 0.2 inch w.g. (50 Pa). This new approach for blower door testing exists in the 2021 ICC Energy Code, the Routt County Building Department by and through this updated Department Policy has made this available immediately for our owners and contractors to utilize when performing blower door tests. This Policy will support passing the test when you have a smaller footprint that carries less cubic volume of air then most typical dwellings constructed, so this Policy will be most commonly be used on all Secondary Dwellings, Caretaker Dwellings, and smaller apartment or condo units being constructed in our Multi-Family or Mixed Use Commercial building sector. The new Policy takes Dwelling Unit Enclosure Area into consideration, this is a defined term which includes the following square footages being calculated. First you add up the square footage of the Floor Area at the bottom of your dwelling, then you add up the square footage of the ceiling area at the top of your dwelling. Next you add up all square footage of all walls that enclose your dwelling unit, walls that enclose your dwelling unit may be interior or exterior walls. In some cases this could be a wall that separates the dwelling from the corridor, or wall that separates a dwelling from another dwelling unit adjacent to the one being tested, or an exterior wall. When calculating the wall square footage you are allowed to increase the wall height by including the height and dimension of the Rim Area of the floor joist system, as an example say you have 11 7/8” TGI Floor joist, you would add 1 foot to the wall height measurement and then multiply total height by length of the wall to get total square footage of wall area. Once all calculations have been made for floor area, ceiling area, and wall area you will need to add these numbers together to achieve a Total Dwelling Unit Enclosure Area in square feet, you take the total number and multiply it by 0.30 which then provides you the maximum allowable CFM’s that can be recorded during your Blower Door Test for this specific dwelling unit. A quick example project, say we have a 20’ foot x 40’ garage with a secondary dwelling above the garage that is a 800 square foot secondary dwelling unit, and this dwelling unit has 11 7/8” TGI floor joists, and the entire building is one large rectangle and wall height from floor to underside of ceiling is 8’. You first calculate floor area and roof area which in this case are the same, you multiply 40’ x 20’ = 800 Square Feet, then multiply this by 2 for both floor and ceiling area to get to 1600 Square Feet total. Next we have a total wall height of 9’ when we add 8’ plus 1’ for rim area, so we take 9’ x 20’ = 180 x 2 = 360 Square feet, then 9’ x 40’ = 360’ x 2 = 720 SQ Ft. Last we add 720’ + 360’ + 1600’ = 2680 total square feet of dwelling unit enclosed area. We multiply 2680 x 0.30 = 804 maximum allowable CFM’s to be recorded during the blower door test, the 0.30 multiplier is highlighted below in the code section that this Policy has introduced.
Blower Door Testing Exception Approved per the 2021 IECC Section R402.4.1.2 Exception: When testing individual dwelling units, an air leakage rate not exceeding 0.30 cubic feet per minute per square foot [0.008 m3/(s × m2)] of the dwelling unit enclosure area, tested in accordance with ANSI/RESNET/ICC 380, ASTM E779 or ASTM E1827 and reported at a pressure of 0.2 inch w.g. (50 Pa), shall be permitted in all climate zones for: 1. Attached single and multiple-family building dwelling units. 2. Buildings or dwelling units that are 1,500 square feet (139.4 m2) or smaller.
Mechanical ventilation shall be provided in accordance with Section M1505 of the International Residential Code or Section 403.3.2 of the International Mechanical Code, as applicable, or with other approved means of ventilation.
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Environmental Health Updates |
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Did you know that January is National Radon Action Month? High levels of radon have been found in all 50 states and in all parts of Colorado. In Colorado, about half of homes have radon levels higher than the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended action level.
Why is this important? According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is estimated that radon in indoor air is linked to about 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year and is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the nation.
What can I do about it? The only way to know the radon level in your home is to test. There are low-cost test kits available to test radon levels within your home as well as Certified Radon Measurement and Mitigation Contractors in the state of Colorado. There are solutions for high radon levels in your home if you find levels higher than the recommended action level of 4 pCi/L. To learn more about when to retest please click here.
Please click here to visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s website for more information on radon testing, reducing radon in your home, and for a link to order discounted radon test kits to be shipped to your home.
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CDPHE Vaccine Bus Returns to Routt County: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Vaccine Bus returns to Routt County at the Walmart parking lot. Vaccines are free, and no ID or insurance needed. If you are getting a follow-up dose, please bring your CDC vaccine card. Registration recommended, but not required:
Flu Vaccines Offered at Routt County Public Health: Seasonal influenza (flu) is still circulating throughout the state and the country. It is not too late to get your flu vaccine. Routt County Public Health continues to offer flu vaccines to the public each Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00-3:00 pm by appointment only. Please click here to schedule an appointment. You may also call us at (970) 870-5341 to schedule an appointment over the phone. Please click here to visit our website for more information.
COVID Tests Available: Routt County Public Health has free at-home COVID tests available for pick-up in the public health office. Please call us at (970) 870-5341 or email us at publichealthinfo@co.routt.co.us for more information. Limit is five per household.
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Treasurer's Office Updates |
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Property Tax Notices have been Mailed: Routt County Treasurer & Public Trustee Lane Iacovetto said that property tax notices have been printed and mailed. Be sure to watch your mail for the delivery of your 2022 payable in 2023 property tax notice in the next two weeks.
About 30,000 traditional full-page tax notices that include payment coupons and a return envelope have been mailed, including 25,410 real property, 3,737 severed mineral rights, 371 personal property, 476 mobile homes, and 175 state-assessed tax notices. In addition, 848 tax statement notice reminders will be sent to individuals via email who have signed up for electronic notices. Iacovetto said payment of these taxes will produce more than $87 million for taxing authorities throughout Routt County.
As you review your property tax notice, know that while you pay your taxes to the Treasurer’s Office, the Treasurer distributes the funds to the various taxing authorities associated with an individual property. Where you live in the county determines which taxing authorities serve you. If you’d like to review your notice before receiving it in the mail, you may do so here: http://www.co.routt.co.us/tax.
Taxpayers have the option of paying the full amount of taxes in a single payment due April 30, 2023, or in two equal installments. The first installment must be paid no later than February 28, 2023 and the second installment must be paid no later than June 15. Taxpayers using the half payment option are reminded to file their second-half payment coupon in a convenient place for June remittance, as a second-half notice will not be mailed.
Property taxes can be paid online by credit card, debit card, or electronic check. Electronic checks are free of charge, convenient, and secure. The convenience fees charged for credit and debit cards are explained online at: http://www.co.routt.co.us/tax.
Payments can be mailed to Routt County Treasurer, 522 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 22, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487. If you prefer, you can use our 24-hour secure drop box located adjacent to the ballot drop off box located in the alleyway behind the historic downtown Courthouse at 522 Lincoln Avenue in Steamboat Springs, CO OR in the Green Tax Payment drop box located outside the Treasurer’s Office door, Suite 22 in the historic downtown Courthouse, clearly marked "TAX PAYMENTS." To pay in person, our office is located on the second floor between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. To ensure proper credit, please reference your account number on your check, make check payable to Routt County Treasurer for the exact amount due. Checks must be U.S. funds and drawn on a U.S. Bank.
Taxpayers who have business personal property taxes due are reminded to call if they would like to set up a payment plan at 970-870-5555.
If you have not received your tax statement by February 6 or if you have any other questions or concerns, please call the Routt County Treasurer & Public Trustee’s Office at (970) 870-5555, email us at treasurer@co.routt.co.us , or use our chat feature through our website at http://www.co.routt.co.us/tax.
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Full Time Job Openings:
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Environmental Health Specialist - $34.13 - $45.02/hr – Full Time & Full Benefits
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Board of County Commissioners – Office Assistant - $21.40 - $28.95/hr – Full Time & Full Benefits
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Detention Kitchen/Laundry Services Coordinator - $26.02 - $35.20/hr – Full Time & Full Benefits
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YVRA – Operations-Safety-Security Officer - $29.30 - $38.66/hr – Full Time & Full Benefits
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Public Safety Dispatcher I - 26.36 - $34.78/hr - Full Time & Full Benefits
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Detention Deputy - $34.78 - $47.05/hr – Full Time & Full Benefits
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Patrol Deputy - $37.39 - $50.59/hr – Full Time & Full Benefits
Part-Time Job Openings:
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Extension Office – Office Technician - $26.80 - $35.36/hr – Some Benefits
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Human Services - Case Aide - $21.40 – $28.95/hr – Some Benefits
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Human Services - Program Specialist – Fatherhood Program - $21.40 – $28.95/hr – Some Benefits
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YVRA – Janitorial Service Worker (24hr/week) - $21.40 - $28.95/hr – Sick Time & Worker’s Compensation
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YVRA – Passenger Services Representative - $21.40 – $28.95/hr – Sick Time & Worker’s Compensation
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YVRA – Operations-Safety-Security Officer - $29.30 - $38.66/hr – Sick Time & Worker’s Compensation
Seasonal/Temporary Job Openings:
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Seasonal YVRA Security Guard - $21.40 – $28.95/hr – Sick Time & Worker’s Compensation
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Temporary YVRA Building & Grounds Maintenance Tech - $26.61 - $35.10/hr – Sick Time & Worker’s Compensation
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Temporary YVRA Equipment Operations Technician - $26.51 - $34.97/hr – Sick Time & Worker’s Compensation
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Green Comet - Comet C/2022 E3
The Comet C/2022 E3 (ZFT) could put on an amazing show for skywatchers January and February 2023, when it could become visible to the unaided eye in the night sky.
Discovered in March 2022 by the Zwicky Transient Facility, the comet is making its first close pass by Earth in 50,000 years and has not been seen since the time of the Neanderthals. Since its discovery, stargazers and astrophotographers have captured amazing images of the gorgeous green comet.
Local viewing opportunity:
What: Comet viewing
When: 7-9 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28
Where: Colorado Mountain College Ball Observatory
Cost: Free
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Routt County | info@co.routt.co.us | www.co.routt.co.us |
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