You are cordially invited to the Silver Club Creative Studios Open House on Friday, May 10, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Join us for hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, and to meet the artists!

Silver Club Building (above Italian Underground)

715 Grand Avenue, Downtown Glenwood Springs

SCHEDULED CLOSURES FOR FINAL SITE IMPROVEMENTS AT DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGE THIS SPRING 

Glenwood Springs, Colo. (April 25, 2013) — The City of Glenwood Springs will be concluding some final construction details on its new downtown parking garage in April and May. Site improvements include curb and gutter, asphalt replacement and masonry finish work as weather permits. In order to complete the work, one block of northbound Cooper Avenue, eastbound Eighth and Ninth Streets and the parking garage will be closed on the following dates:

April 29-May 3          Ninth Street and Cooper Avenue parking garage
April 29-May 3          Northbound Cooper Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets
May 14-May 17         Ninth Street and Cooper Avenue parking garage
May 3-May 22           Eastbound Ninth Street from Grand Avenue to Cooper Avenue
May 14-May 22         Northbound Cooper Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets
May 12-May 22         Eastbound Eighth Street from Grand Avenue to Cooper Avenue

Access will remain available to residents of Cooper Avenue, Ninth and Tenth Streets.

Commuters and downtown employees are encouraged to park in the alternative lots in downtown Glenwood Springs during the final phase of construction. Three lots provide free 12-hour parking at Seventh Street, City Hall and near the recycling center off of School and Tenth Streets.

FCI Constructors, Inc., under contract with the City of Glenwood Springs, will be completing the work. The parking garage initially opened in December, 2012, providing 151 new spaces in the downtown core. The garage represents an infrastructure investment of more than $4 million, and was funded through a partnership of the City of Glenwood Springs, the Downtown Development Authority, and Garfield County.

For more information on the final construction projects and the spring closure schedule, contact Dave Betley, Assistant Public Works Director, at 970-384-6368, dave.betley@cogs.us, or log onto www.cogs.us.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Dave Betley
Assistant Director of Public Works
City of Glenwood Springs
Ph.: (970) 384-6368
dave.betley@cogs.us

Rosa Mendez Silver
Transportation Manager
City of Glenwood Springs
Ph.: (970) 384-6437
rosa.silver@cogs.us

Glenwood Springs, Colo. (May 9, 2012) — The City of Glenwood Springs announces Downtown Parking Perks, a cash equivalent incentive program and promotion to encourage commuters and employees of downtown Glenwood Springs to park in alternative lots, and to commute by bicycle during the downtown construction period. Construction of two major projects has begun at the site between the 800 and 1000 blocks of Cooper Avenue. One project is a public parking structure, funded by the City of Glenwood Springs and the Downtown Development Authority, and the other is a dual-use building for Colorado Mountain College and the Garfield County Libraries/Glenwood Springs Branch Library. The Downtown Parking Perks program will coincide with the construction period, which is expected to fully conclude in early fall 2013. With nearly $13,000 in cash equivalent prizes available in the promotion, organizers expect big involvement. “Parking Perks has been enthusiastically embraced by our member businesses,” says Tom Fleming, director of the Glenwood Springs Downtown Partnership. “The goal is to keep the two-hour parking available for visitors and shoppers to the downtown, and to reinvest back into the businesses that are most impacted by the construction process.”

A total of five $500 prizes, 30 $250 prizes, and about 300 $10 prizes will be awarded throughout the promotion. Downtown Parking Perks engages individuals, businesses and local organizations in its execution. Individuals voluntarily opt in at www.downtownparkingperks.com with their car and bike registration, agreeing to park their vehicle in alternative lots, or stow their bike at one of three dozen identified bike racks. Local businesses within the Downtown Development Authority boundary have agreed to accept Parking Perks tokens as cash from the winners. Businesses then redeem collected tokens at City Hall for reimbursement. The Glenwood Springs Branch Library, Colorado Mountain College central operations and Blake Avenue locations, Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, Glenwood Springs Post Independent and the City of Glenwood Springs are participating as distribution locations where individuals can pick up a free numbered bike tag, similar to a luggage tag, for bicycle registration in the program. ”As a community, we are fortunate to be in the position to make this infrastructure investment in Glenwood Springs. The long-term gain from the projects will benefit downtown vitality for decades to come,” says Leslie Bethel, director of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). In total, the construction projects represent $17 million in investment, and will contribute 115 parking spaces above current capacity in the area. “What we’re seeing is that businesses, employees and local residents are willing to go through the short-term inconvenience of construction for all the benefits of the end result. And the Parking Perks program definitely helps everyone focus on the positive.”

The Downtown Parking Perks website has a parking map showing the alternative parking lots and identified bike racks. It also has a list of participating businesses, forms for voluntary registration, and official rules. By opting in, winners agree that their name and photo may be publicized on the website and in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. In addition to voluntary registration for the $250 and $500 prizes, an Instant Gratification component is a part of the program. City staff and Downtown Partnership volunteers will be on hand at the alternative parking lots and around bike racks on random mornings and late afternoons throughout the construction time frame, to instantly award $10 tokens to people who are following the recommendations. A Parking Perks window cling identifies participating businesses. There are 15 locations currently accepting Parking Perks tokens, and dozens more expected to come on board as the program gains momentum. Businesses in the program include: the Book Train, Cakes & Cuffs, The Candlestick Maker, Fine Things, Flower Mart, Glenwood Adventure Company, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company, High Country Gems & Minerals, Hotel Denver, Juicy Lucy’s Steakhouse, Main Street Gallery/The Framer Art Gallery, The Pullman, Summit Canyon Mountaineering, Sunlight Ski & Bike Shop and Treadz Apparel. Businesses within the Downtown Development Authority footprint represented in the restaurant, retail, tourism, select service and lodging segments are eligible to participate. Downtown Parking Perks was approved by the Glenwood Springs City Council, and the program is being funded by the City of Glenwood Springs. The Downtown Parking Perks team that conceived and is executing the program includes Jeff Hecksel, city manager; Leslie Bethel, DDA; Tom Fleming, Glenwood Springs Downtown Partnership; Rosa Silver, transportation manager with the City of Glenwood Springs; and marketing consultant Kate Collins of Write Brain West, Inc.

-end-

Media Contacts:
Kate Collins

Write Brain West, Inc.

970-274-0899

kate@writebrainwest.com
or
Rosa Mendez Silver

City of Glenwood Springs

Transportation Manager

970-384-6437

rosa.silver@cogs.us

Downtown Parking Perks
We are pleased to introduce Downtown Parking Perks, a cash equivalent incentive program and promotion to encourage commuters and employees of downtown Glenwood Springs to park in alternative lots and use alternative transportation during the downtown construction period, which will begin soon and fully conclude in late summer or early fall 2013.

Construction will take place between the 800 and 900 blocks of Cooper Avenue, with two projects. One is a public parking structure, funded by the City of Glenwood Springs and the Downtown Development Authority, and the other is a dual-use building for Colorado Mountain College and the Garfield County Libraries|Glenwood Springs Branch Library. Please see more details and regular updates on the construction projects at www.cogs.us/parkingalternatives.

As a downtown business owner or operator within the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) boundary, we invite you to participate in this incentive program to bring additional traffic and promotion to your business, at no cost to you.

Downtown Parking Perks has the following goals:

• Encourage parking outside the downtown core for commuters and employees, so that two-hour parking is readily available for visitors, shoppers and diners to the downtown.
• Support cycling and walking as alternatives to driving into downtown Glenwood Springs.
• Promote shopping, dining and visits to the downtown during construction, and to re-invest the Downtown Parking Perks winnings back into this segment of the Glenwood Springs business community.
• Engage positive community participation, awareness and enthusiasm for the major improvements that will result from the construction projects, and the larger vision for long-term downtown vitality.

Downtown Parking Perks citizens and commuters will participate by doing the following:

• Register personal contact information, bicycle, and/or automobile license plateat www.downtownparkingperks.com.
• Once registered, participants are eligible for random selection of cash equivalent prizes, in the form of tokens (example pictured below), for redemption at participating downtown businesses.
• Registrants park car or bike in identified alternative parking lots and bicycle racks around town (see map below).
• Registered cars and bikes that are parked in suggested alternative lots and racks will berandomly selected for prizes, in the form of redeemable tokens. Winners will be contacted from their online registration information. Prizes are $250 and $500 cash equivalent awards to be redeemed at participating downtown businesses.
• “Instant Gratification” tokens, in the amount of $10, will be awarded at random to cyclists and motorists in the identified alternative lots and racks, and will be awarded with or without online registration, right on site.

For your business to participate in Downtown Parking Perks, we  request the  following:

• Your agreementto accept the logoed Downtown Parking Perks wooden tokens (see image example below) as cash from customers, for purchases in your business.
• Your willingness to redeem the tokens you have accepted from customers for reimbursement at the City of Glenwood Springs finance department, during regular business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at 101 West 8th Street, Glenwood Springs.
• Your business will be listed on the Downtown Parking Perks and the Downtown Partnership websites as a participant.
• Value-added offers, with “matches” on a portion of the Downtown Parking Perks tokens  are encouraged—though not required—from participating businesses. Your special or value-added offer will be promoted by the City, the Downtown Partnership and the Chamber.
• A Downtown Parking Perks window cling will be provided for you to display in your business. We can provide you with a logo for your website, to promote the program and to send your website visitors to Downtown Parking Perks to register.
• This full-scale incentive promotion will be publicized in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent and online. Winners’ photographs and names will be published regularly, encouraging community-wide awareness and participation.

Thank you in advance for your willingness to become involved. To do so, please respond that you agree to accept and honor the Downtown Parking Perks tokens, with your name, business contact information, e-mail address—and offer if you choose to extend one— to:

http://downtownparkingperks.com/about/contact-us/
or
downtownparkingperks@gmail.com

We hope you will encourage customers, employees, friends and associates to also take part in Downtown Parking Perks!

Sincerely,

The Downtown Parking Perks Team

Leslie Bethel, Downtown Development Authority
Kate Collins,  Write Brain West, Inc.
Tom Fleming, Glenwood Springs Downtown Partnership
Rosa Mendez Silver, Transportation Manager, City of Glenwood Springs