New school superintendent for Summit County

This article is from the Summit Daily News, March 10, 2011, reported  by Kathryn Corazzelli and Janice Kurbjun.

The search for a superintendent of Summit School District culminated Tuesday night with the selection of Dr. Heidi Pace, currently the deputy superintendent of Academy School District 20 in Colorado Springs.

“She brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership from that district,” said school board president Jon Kreamelmeyer.

The vote followed two site visits conducted for finalists Pace and Kerry Buhler, currently principal at Upper Blue Elementary School in  Breckenridge.

“Both candidates are top-notch, talented administrators with a strong commitment to kids. I want to emphasize that Kerry Buhler is an amazing lady. This was a very difficult decision for all of us,” Kreamelmeyer said.

“This process has brought to light Kerry's amazing accomplishments, dedication and leadership. Kerry Buhler is no longer the best-kept secret in this district,” said board member Margaret Carlson.

Contract negotiations are next, and Pace will start her new position in July.

“I'm very excited,” Pace said. “Summit County is a great match for my background and experiences, and everyone I've met there has been just wonderful. I can't wait.”

A long resume

 

Originally from Chicago, Pace holds a bachelor of arts in history and a master's in elementary education from Colorado College. She earned her Ph.D. in leadership and public policy at the University of Denver.

Pace has worked in the Academy District 20 for 26 years, where she has held a broad range of positions. She started out as a teacher, and has since worked as director of human resources, assistant principal and principal. She said she has held a leadership role in virtually every department in District 20's central office, and has worked on initiatives similar to those the Summit County School District is currently working toward — like the International Baccalaureate program. A few of her recent
responsibilities have included oversight of district math and reading initiatives, the expansion of language immersion programs and development of a principal supervision program and Leadership Academy for principals, management of district and school strategic planning.

Pace said when she had the opportunity to tour Summit County schools, she was impressed not only by the leadership within the schools, but with the students.

“They were polite, they were articulate, they seemed happy to be there, and had genuinely good character,” she said. “It was very impressive to me, and I thought this would be a great team to join.”

Solar Panels get first not from Breckenridge town council

This article is from the Summit Daily News, Marc 10, 2011, reported by Caddie Nath.

Solar arrays at Riverwalk Center a hot topic for community.

BRECKENRIDGE — The Breckenridge Town Council gave initial approval on a proposed set of solar panels to be located at the Riverwalk Center along Park Avenue in a 5-2 decision at Tuesday's work session.

The 18-foot arrays would save Breckenridge thousands of dollars a year on energy costs, but their potential visual impact on the historic town has raised concerns for many.

“We decided to move forward and send it to planning,” Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron said. “The savings are substantial and there's no outlying expense for the town. There is an aesthetic cost to these (solar panels), but beauty's in the eye of the beholder.”

The project — which would include the installation of 10 stand-alone solar arrays along the outside of the Riverwalk Center parking lot as well as several other locations around town — will be reviewed next by the Breckenridge planning commission. Bergeron said the aesthetics of the panels will be addressed during the planning process, and the public will have an opportunity to comment on the arrays before the proposal comes back to the town council for a final decision.

The proposed solar installations at the Riverwalk Center are expected to generate approximately 23 percent of the building's total power annually, saving the town an estimated $6,700 in energy costs in the first year and reducing the building's carbon output by about 83 metric tons annually.

But councilman Mark Burke, who opposed the arrays proposed for the Riverwalk Center, said the green initiative is not worth damaging the carefully preserved historic look of Breckenridge.

“I am a big supporter of solar panels, but I think the place needs to be appropriate,” Burke said. “Councils long before me have created codes to maintain the historic beauty of Breckenridge. Solar panels will never be historical.”

Reactions from the community have been mixed, but many in Breckenridge say they are opposed to the idea of having the arrays in the heart of downtown.

Peyton Rogers, who works for Great Western Lodging in Breckenridge, said she often suggests the Riverwalk Center as a scenic location for weddings and events to her guests. She said the panels would ruin the vistas from the lawn — where her own wedding photos were taken.

“I just think the town should hold off at this point,” Rogers said. “Instead of possibly deterring guests and visitors from going in to use the Riverwalk Center because of the aesthetically unpleasant look of it.”

Colorado Mountain College gets closer to offering 4-year degrees

This article is from Summit Daily News, Marc 11, 2011, reported by Kathryn Corazzelli.

Final decision for approval may come in late March.

Colorado Mountain College is making progress in its quest to offer bachelor's degrees. Late last week, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education gave CMC preliminary authorization to offer two degrees: a bachelor of science in business administration and a bachelor of arts in sustainability studies. The college is awaiting approval from the Higher Learning Commission before the
degrees can be made official.

Dr. Stan Jensen, CMC president, said the idea to offer four-year degrees started about a year-and-a-half ago. Administrators at the college started talking to the community to see what the interest was, and then called on the college board to vote on the idea. In November of last year, the board decided to pursue them. Since then, the college has also gained approval from the Colorado Legislature and former Gov. Bill Ritter.

Jensen said exit reviews were very positive from the Higher Learning Commission, which makes its decision at a March 21 meeting. The commission's verdict is the final step of approval before CMC can start enrolling students in the programs. If approved, the college plans on offering the new degrees next fall.

Jensen said he was prompted to pursue the baccalaureates after interest was expressed by students and the community.

“It came out of community need and interest,” he said. “We're very excited about serving our community with these baccalaureate degrees.”

The two degrees being pursued were chosen through student surveys. Business administration was the highest area of interest, Jensen said.

Sustainability studies was fourth on the list. The two studies that came in at two and three — teacher certification for K-12, and a bachelor's in nursing — involve longer processes of approval before the college can offer them. Jensen said CMC is working internally on the logistics of getting the two programs up-and-running, but haven't yet petitioned the state or Higher Learning
Commission. He said the college — which already offers a two-year RN program — has met with and received a glowing report from the National League for Nursing regarding accreditation for a four-year degree. Administrators also have teams working on the teacher certification program.

“We hope that will be the next one,” Jensen said. “Perhaps a year from this fall.”

Breckenridge Resort Chamber looks to boost Central Reservations bookings

This article is from the Summit Daily News, March 11, 2011, as reported by Caddie Nath.

Town's central booking system struggling, subsidized with town dollars.

As economic indicators begin to point to a recovery for Breckenridge's tourism industry, town and Breckenridge Resort Chamber officials are scrambling to find ways to return the still-struggling Central Reservations to profitability. Central Reservation is a crucial booking agency for Breck's smaller lodging companies.

The reservation system, which generated revenue for the resort chamber up until a few years ago, is a key business driver for smaller lodging companies and is the only booking agency with loyalty to Breckenridge and a well-rounded system to show first-time guests all the town's amenities.

But the recession and the growing popularity of online booking agencies such as Travelocity and Expedia have hit Central Reservations hard, and the system is now heavily subsidized by the Town of Breckenridge with marketing dollars.

“You need to have some viability in Central Reservations to help the small lodging companies because they get lost in the clutter on the Internet,” said Breck Town Councilman Mike Dudick, who sits on the new marketing advisory committee. “We need to, as a group, figure out ways to return (Central Reservations) to profitability so all the money we have for marketing is going out in the market place.”

The town currently allocates $200,000 in marketing funds to help keep Central Reservations going, but the system will likely only need approximately $150,000 this year, according to BRC president John McMahon. McMahon said the goal for the reservations system is not necessarily to turn a profit, but just to break even.