Meridian Jewelers co-owners Robin and Kenny Smith drop envelopes at restaurants for the matching program in Aspen on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
Lorena Rojas transcribes information from Rick Wark as he purchases two $200 gift certificates to restaurants in Aspen on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. “I want to support the community,” said Wark. “This is my small way of doing it.” (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
“I don’t even know where to start and end,” said Craig Cordts-Pearce, who co-owns the Wild Fig, Steakhouse No. 316, The Monarch and CP Burger with his wife, Samantha. “I am absolutely flabbergasted there’s no words to even explain this.”
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times file photo
The city of Aspen is forgiving over $73,000 in rent for two tenants in the municipally owned Wheeler Opera House due to construction impacts.
Aspen City Council on Tuesday during a work session agreed to the requests of the proprietors of Aspen Public House and Valley Fine Art for rent abatement for at least 10 months.
In July, council agreed to rent relief for both tenants for the remainder of 2020 due to the anticipated impacts of the masonry project on the Wheeler Opera House. The project, which has the entire downtown building encapsulated with scaffolding, was set to finish in the spring.
David Krause / The Aspen Times
When the Pitkin County Board of Health voted to go all in on Red level COVID-19 restrictions last week, restaurants shouldered the brunt of the changes. Effective Sunday, indoor dining was out of the question; last call was bumped up to 8 p.m.
Under the previous “Orange-plus-plus” restrictions, indoor dining was limited to 25% capacity with a 9:30 p.m. last call within Orange level guidelines while most other sectors of business were already subject to Red level restrictions.
The new restrictions applied to all restaurants in Pitkin County. But not all eateries have the same ability to accommodate the rules: some venues fared better than others when Sunday rolled around, their fate contingent in part on the circumstances of their location.
Aspen restaurant employees hold signs outside of Bear Den Aspen imploring community members to help keep restaurants open through the next COVID-19 restrictions on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
Attorneys for a newly formed group of Aspen restaurants raced Thursday to file court papers seeking injunctive relief from a Pitkin County Board of Health order that takes effect Sunday banning indoor dining.
The complaint asks for a court order to suspend or repeal the Red-level order passed by the health board Monday. The organization also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order intended to keep the existing Orange-plus-plus health restrictions in place until judicial review of the county’s Red order is completed.
Pitkin County moving back to Red Level, businesses react
Pitkin County to enforce additional COVID-19 restrictions.
and last updated 2021-01-13 21:40:22-05
ASPEN, Colo. â Meat and Cheese, a restaurant in Aspen, isn t serving the numbers itâs accustomed to this time of year.
âItâs unfortunate,â Meat and Cheese restaurant manager Sam Hayes said.
On Monday, the Pitkin County Board of Health decided to move back to Level Red on the state s COVID-19 dial this weekend, which closes all indoor dining. The change only adds to the restaurant s pandemic problems.
âYou know, Iâm really tired today, to be quite honest, Hayes said. Just because of the amount of energy that weâve all put in. Itâs a lot for sure.