Summit County residents express frustration with disconnect between the Front Range and mountain communities

Finding uses for beetle-kill trees and keeping Russell George in place as the head of the Colorado Department of Transportation were top priorities for Summit County and area residents who attended Saturday's meeting with Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper's transition team.

To foster economic development, residents also suggested Hickenlooper use his first weeks in office to take action promoting and retaining business in Colorado and focus on opportunities to begin building a well-educated workforce, particularly in bio technology.

“I've always thought that having a solid education infrastructure in Colorado really can be a major economic driver for the state,” District 16 Sen. Dan Gibbs said during the meeting.

Many people expressed frustration with the disconnect between the Front Range and mountain communities on issues of water, transportation and economic interests. The susceptibility of the Colorado constitution to changes and amendment and the absence of a dedicated transportation system from Denver International Airport to Vail were also named as important challenges to Colorado's economic development.   – More -