Pitkin County commissioners hear multi‑department budget pitches, including McClure Pass trail, Redstone bridge and airport modernization

Pitkin County elected officials spent a full day on Oct. 28 reviewing 2026 budget requests from a wide swath of county departments, with staffers emphasizing a handful of large capital projects that would shape county work over the coming years. The most prominent items presented were Open Space & Trails plans for the Redstone‑to‑McClure Pass trail and trailhead improvements; Road & Bridge’s Redstone Southbridge replacement and multi‑week closure plan; the airport’s runway and modernization program; a large water‑infrastructure ask tied to the Phillips affordable housing project; and a set of staffing requests from the sheriff’s office.

Open Space & Trails director Gary Tenenbaum told the commissioners the department is presenting “all of the requests whether they made it into our proposed budget to the board or not, just out of fairness,” and laid out several planned projects. The largest single trail item is a proposal to complete a single‑track trail from Redstone to the top of McClure Pass that would use the old McClure Pass Road for much of the corridor and include a new, safer trailhead and an underpass beneath Highway 133 to reach the other side. Tenenbaum said the underpass design is about 8 feet wide and is intended for people — not wildlife — and that the trail is already being used by the public in parts.

Road and Bridge engineer Andrew (presenting) described the Redstone Southbridge replacement as a top priority in the department’s five‑year plan. He told commissioners the bridge, built in 1947, “is pretty vulnerable” and has a center pier without mechanical attachment to its foundation, making it susceptible to debris flows. The project team has secured Army Corps, CDOT and local floodplain permits and completed hydraulic modeling; the design will remove the mid‑river pier and raise the water‑passage capacity under the new structure. Construction is planned to begin next spring and the department is targeting reopening the bridge for traffic by Labor Day 2026; engineers warned the work will require a multi‑month full closure through the peak visitor season unless contractors accelerate the schedule via incentives.

Airport Director Diane Jackson told the board the department is budgeting $6.8 million for pavement maintenance in 2026 to address runway and de‑icing pad repairs that otherwise cannot wait for FAA funding. Jackson also outlined the airport modernization program — a multi‑year, multi‑tranche project that the airport estimates will cost roughly $75 million for runway work, enabling projects and an initial terminal phase to be completed in stages. Jackson said the program timeline and financing will be tied to the outcome of a proposed ballot financing measure; if voters approve, the county would issue debt in tranches matched to construction phases.

Fleet staff described a separate request to expand public and fleet fast‑charging infrastructure, including a proposed 400‑kilowatt charger at a Mid‑Valley site. Matt Bergstrasser, fleet manager, said one public DC fast charger already installed at county facilities has produced increasing usage and revenue. He and Public Works Director Brian Pettit also described routine fleet support work and a proposed leasing pilot for seasonal vehicles to reduce idle fleet costs.

Housing staff urged commissioners to fund water and wastewater infrastructure for the Phillips mobile home site, which county housing staff want ready before vertical affordable housing construction can begin. Housing Director Ashley Pearl and the county’s owner’s representative explained that the purple “water” line in their timeline is an 18‑month program; they said the county must start that work in 2026 to keep the housing phases on schedule. The 2026 request would cover the first two‑thirds of project costs for wells, water storage, treatment and a small wastewater facility; additional requests are planned for 2027.

Sheriff’s Office undersheriff Alex Perchetta presented a package of staffing requests that generated the most debate among commissioners. The office asked for several positions, including a full‑time community response officer to handle non‑law‑enforcement calls, a seasonal backcountry community‑response officer (CRO) and multiple patrol deputies. Perchetta said the department hired two seasonal backcountry CROs during the summer and that the program “has been tremendously valuable,” reporting a very high contact rate with visitors in backcountry areas. Commissioners discussed budget tradeoffs, and several asked that the sheriff’s office return for a focused follow‑up so the board can weigh adding positions while protecting the general‑fund baseline for other county services.

Other departments that presented included IT, which described a multi‑phase network refresh already under way and asked staff to hold a phase‑two capital request pending the airport modernization timetable; Solid Waste, which requested equipment‑operator and scale‑house positions tied to a planned landfill expansion; and Public Health, which outlined a request for a three‑year, funder‑paid behavioral health coordinator and discussed environmental‑health staffing ideas.

Commissioners asked staff to return with more detailed cost breakdowns and implementation timelines on the largest items before adoption. The board scheduled a follow‑up wrap‑up session in mid‑November to consider outstanding position requests and capital items that need additional detail.