SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Efficient lighting helps preserve formations in Glenwood Caverns"

(See related posts, links within posts and public comments on the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park expansions  here)

Bob Ward:
"GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — At Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, the decision to install energy-efficient lighting was a home run both environmentally and economically.

Owner Steve Beckley had known for years that the incandescent lights in the caves actually put out more heat than light, and that Kings Row, one of the most dazzling formations on the popular cave tour, was beginning to dry out as a result.

The key to all of the caverns' strange and beautiful rock features — not to mention the 54 unique species that live in the caverns — is water, which percolates and drips through fissures in the stone.

Under normal circumstances, the temperature inside the caverns is a cool 52 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. If the drying were allowed to continue, Beckley explained, “You get a dusty, dry cave instead of a wet, living cave.”.........

.......Today, work is under way to expand the tour options in the park's namesake caverns, which Beckley can illuminate at a lower cost and with less risk to the cave's ecology.

“We began with 7,800 linear feet of passageway, and now we have about 16,000,” he smiled. “This cave has been open since 1999, and I want to make sure your grandkids can still come. Our job is the stewardship of this cave.”......" (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Job of relocating coaster to Glenwood filled with twists, turns"

(See related story and local public commentary here)

A 'well done' shout out goes to the area's avatars in commentary who not only were strong enough to raise their voices in protest of the 'free pass' style that Garfield County Commissioners gave to Steve Beckley and Glenwood Adventure Park's latest expansion; they have been courageous enough to go direct to source and express concerns about safety.

From their comments, most then opted to give Beckley another chance.  See what he would do. 

Buy a deeply discounted roller coaster, haul it in and install it  without engaging all the channels of government entities that have authority over that kind of endeavor?  Or be the Steve Beckley they all know and respect and do things the right way.

Looks like Steve stepped up. 

Leaving, after another estimated million dollars out of pocket,  the need to meet his obligations to answer the concerns over wildlife, vibration related to rock slides over the canyon highway and noise impact with a roller coaster that pumps out an "80-second, 1,600-foot-long trip with speeds up to 34 mph".  

Dennis Webb:
"....Glenwood Caverns started out with cave tours in 1999......

.....But its biggest addition is the former Windstorm coaster, which it is renaming the Cliffhanger because of its location. Perched near the top of Iron Mountain and on the edge of Glenwood Canyon, it will offer breathtaking views of the canyon and the Roaring Fork and Colorado river valleys as riders experience thrilling drop-offs and tight curves during an 80-second, 1,600-foot-long trip with speeds up to 34 mph. At 7,160 feet high, it’s the highest-elevation adult roller coaster in the world, Heard said.

Getting the coaster to the mountains first involved shipping the coaster cars to Florida to be tested, and their wheels and bearings replaced. The disassembled track likewise has undergone testing, refurbishing and sandblasting and will be repainted......

.....Now the parts and pieces are being shipped to Glenwood Springs in what is expected to take about a dozen trips by semi trucks.....

...Although the coaster came with operating and maintenance manuals, that wasn’t the case when it came to assembly instructions. And that’s where Litts comes in.....

“The ability to find someone like that is huge,” she said.....

.....Heard said the coaster purchase and installation probably will cost about $1 million when all is said and done.

“We’ll probably spend $50,000 just in bolts, in hardware,” she said.

Old bolts and fasteners—about 2,000 of them—must be replaced with new ones in order to properly meet specifications for torque, or tightness.....

....Glenwood Caverns had a concrete base installed for the coaster, but included drains into underlying gravel. That way, the concrete won’t keep precipitation from feeding into the extensive caverns system beneath Iron Mountain and continuing to contribute to the underground ecosystem and growth of other-worldly formations...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Hardly an emergency"

From the City of Aspen on a number of issues, Garfield County BOCC and the City of Glenwood Springs on the Glenwood Adventure Park expansion and related tourism marketing; there are a number of valley-wide residents who feel similar to Mike Maple.
  
Mike Maple, Aspen:
"While I might not agree with some of the city's policies and decisions, I expect the city to comply with the letter and spirit of the law. Time and again, that seems to be too high a standard..."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "G forces to increase at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park this summer"

And therein lies the rub (see related stories and public commentary here):

John Stroud:
"The new attractions are part of Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park's five-year expansion plan, which was approved last week by the Garfield County commissioners."

Other items  in Stroud's piece today that sound like they're going to stir the pot of public commentary:

"...The new coaster is modest by steel roller coaster standards. The Cliffhanger tops out at about 54 feet, compared to the tallest roller coaster in the world, the Kingda Ka, at 456 feet, located at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey...."

"....A portion of the coaster will be visible from parts of Glenwood Springs extending above the piñon-juniper tree line, according to the master plan that was presented to the county last week. However, the steel framework is to be painted a dark color and should blend in with the hillside, according to the plan....."

"...“The good thing about this is it will double our capacity, from 1,100 rides per hour to 2,600 rides per hour,” he said. “That will significantly help with the line waits.”...."
(Read the article?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."