Vail sets up a blizzard of conference center sessions

Daniel Elton
August 16, 2004

Coming to the mountains
The public will get a chance to help shape planning for a Vail conference center Wednesday through a series of informational meetings Wednesday.

Meeting times, types

• 8:30 a.m.: Hoteliers and retailers-restauranteurs (two concurrent sessions) • 10 a.m.: Adjacent property owners • 1 p.m.: Conference Center Advisory Committee • 3 p.m.: Infrastructure-operations (utility, transit, public safety, etc.) • 5:30 p.m.: Community-at-large All sessions at Vail Library's community room.

Vail Library to host sessions
The five sessions at the Vail library will be tailored to hoteliers and neighbors of the proposed facility, as well as the general public, town officials said. Topics will include discussions on circulation and access, parking, transit, loading and delivery, and architectural design character as well as any other issues identified by attendees, officials said.

The 100,000-square-foot center would cover roughly half the size of the Avon Wall-Mart building and be visible from I-70. Architects Fentress Bradburn said they are looking forward to hearing from as many people as possible.

The Denver-based firm was unanimously selected to design the building by the Conference Center Advisory Committee, a body made up of local business people and residents.

Wednesday's meetings are part of a long process that aims to ensure the construction is done right. The public will get another chance to offer ideas and concerns about the project Sept. 2. Fentress Bradburn, which designed the Denver International Airport Passenger terminal and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, will present their findings Sept. 7.

Only then, on Sept. 21, will the design team present three site plan concepts. Community meetings after that will help determine the site plan.

Following the recommendations of the Convention Center Advisory Committee, the conference center is almost certain to be a two-story facility if built, which would create more parking spaces. It would also have a 25,000-square-foot ballroom and will be able to cater for conferences of 500 to 2,000 people.

Citizens who are unable to attend the public meeting are invited to contact town Community Development Director Russell Forrest at 479-2139 or conference@arcinc.to. For more information on Vail's Conference Center, log on to www.vailgov.com and look under Current Projects/Issues- Conference Center