Pitkin County Open Space and Trails will open in its new temporary quarters at the Forest Service Visitor Information Center in Aspen on Tuesday, July 5. The Forest Service will begin welcoming visitors there on July 5, as well.
Both agencies will host a grand opening / open house at the Visitor Information Center on Thursday, July 14 from 4-6 p.m.
The Open Space department’s move comes as all county departments located in the Plaza One building on Main Street in Aspen prepare to relocate for the duration of a reconstruction/expansion project at Plaza One. The project will take an estimated 18 to 24 months.
Starting July 5, Open Space and Trails will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Aspen Ranger District’s Visitor Information Center at 806 W. Hallam St. – on the Highway 82 S-curves at the entrance to Aspen. Staff phone numbers will remain unchanged; the main number to Open Space and Trails is 920-5232.
Open Space and Trails will share the space with Forest Service staffers who will be available to provide information about the White River National Forest throughout the summer and fall.
While the goal is to be settled by July 5, Open Space and Trails may still be in a state of flux that first week, according to Assistant Director Gary Tennenbaum.
“It could take a few days to get everything up and running at full throttle,” he said.
”We are pleased to be expanding our partnership with Open Space and Trails. We share many of the same visitors as they recreate on both National Forest and OST land when they are getting outdoors,” said Karen Schroyer, Aspen-Sopris District Ranger.
“We’ll be able to have personnel at the front counter, serving the public in Aspen, which is great,” she said. “We’ll have our Visitor Information Services there until the end of September.”
Last summer, Aspen-Sopris Visitor Information services were moved to the Aspen Highlands ticket office due to budget and staffing challenges. That location won’t be used this summer. After September, the Aspen-Sopris District Office in Carbondale will serve as the local Visitor Information Center for the Forest Service.
When the Plaza One building closes for construction later this summer, various Pitkin County departments will relocate temporarily to Basalt. Others are staying in Aspen. The Clerk and Recorder’s office/Motor Vehicles has relocated to the basement of the Vectra Bank building, 534 E. Hyman Ave. The Elections Department has taken up residence in Aspen’s Ute City Building, 501 E. Hyman Ave. Departments that are not housed in Plaza One, including Community Development, the Assessor, Treasurer and Sheriff’s Office, will remain at their current locales during construction.
Contact: Gary Tennenbaum (970) 920-5355 gary.tennenbaum@pitkincounty.com
Kate Jerman (970) 945-3271 kejerman@fs.fed.us