CMC Board of Trustees meets in Aspen

The Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees met at the college’s campus in Aspen Tuesday, where they approved an architect contract as well as project management services for a new student housing project.

Anderson Mason Dale (AMD) was selected to lead the design process for the $40 million housing initiative that will bring apartment-style student housing to four CMC campuses. Campuses in Breckenridge, Vail Valley at Edwards, Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs and Steamboat Springs are each slated for 35 units (with approximately 50-60 beds) of on-campus housing with the potential to add units in the future.

CMC is working with AMD to schedule site visits for the first week of September and a kickoff design charette by the middle of September. Dynamic Program Management, based in Eagle, was selected to assist CMC with project management on the student housing project as the owner’s representative.

The next step will be to release an RFP for the general contractor selection process. This is anticipated to be advertised in early September with selection being complete by the end of October.

As provided by state law, the Board of Trustees canceled CMC’s participation in the November election for three open board of trustee seats because each of the vacancies received only one petition by the filing deadline.

Former Town of Snowmass Village Mayor Markey Butler filed sufficient petition signatures to qualify her as a candidate for outgoing trustee Charles Cunniffe’s position in Pitkin County (Cunniffe is term-limited). Butler faced no opposition and will be sworn in to her new role at the December board meeting.

West Garfield County trustee Peg Portscheller and Eagle County trustee Chris Romer also filed petitions to run for an additional term and will be sworn in as well since no other candidates sought election for their seats.

The trustees also unanimously approved an update to the college’s investment policy and board appointments for the condominium association of Morgridge Commons.

Finally, the trustees adopted a resolution honoring the late Doris Dewton, who passed away in July. Dewton was a former CMC trustee, Foundation Board of Directors member and passionate advocate for CMC’s students. She served the college in official volunteer capacity for 18 years.

Dewton worked tirelessly to advocate for students who had difficulty affording to go to college. “People have dreams who don’t always have means,” she once said, adding that scholarships and academic support make a big difference in how those dreams turn out.