Emma Townsite Steering Committee
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COMMITTEE DRAFTS VISION STATEMENT
A Steering Committee assigned to explore potential future uses for the historic Emma Townsite store buildings convened on May 28 for its first discussion following site visits to the property in April. The committee's next meeting has not yet been scheduled. Minutes of the May 28 meeting are posted below. At the May 28 meeting, the group agreed to a vision statement that will guide its recommendations regarding the buildings. The vision statement: The Emma Store Buildings will honor their historic agricultural roots, the natural environment and character of Emma with high public value, and provide a space that celebrates the innovative spirit of this location. KEEP TABS ON THIS PROCESS Watch this web page for future meeting dates and other information as this process moves forward. Steering Committee meetings are open to the public. Posted below is a packet of information that was distributed to committee members, as well as additional materials that were provided for the May 28 meeting (Addendums 1 and 2). |
DISCUSSIONS BEGIN WITH SITE VISITS
The Emma Townsite Steering Committee convened for a site visit on April 23. Suzannah Reid, Pitkin County's historic preservation officer, led the group on a tour of the structures and explained the work that has been done to date to preserve the buildings. The townsite is located on the county's Emma Open Space. A second site visit took place May 3 for committee members who did not make the April 23 visit. |
STEERING COMMITTEE PACKET AND OTHER MATERIALS
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COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The Steering Committee includes six members of the public appointed by the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Board. They are: Raul Gawrys, Carolyn Shipp, Harry Teague, Mitzi Rapkin, Martha Furguson and Jason Smith. In addition, Liz Newman is representing the Emma Caucus (with Margaret Simmons as her alternate), Watkins Fulk-Gray will attend for the Town of Basalt and Matt Annabell is the Historical Society representative. Michael Kinsley is participating as a member of the Open Space and Trails Board, and Suzannah Reid is participating as the county's historic preservation officer.
SOME BACKGROUND
The side-by-side store buildings along Hwy. 82, just downvalley from Basalt, are among several historic structures on the property. The distinctive brick structures were built in the late 1800s by Charles Mather, an East Coast native who operated a successful mercantile business at the site when Emma was a thriving hub along the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. The store buildings fell out of commercial use in the 1920s, but served as the site of community dances for a time, and then as storage for a succession of owners.
The expansion of Hwy. 82 to four lanes, and its rerouting through Emma in order to bypass downtown Basalt, was completed in 1988. The highway project compromised the store buildings. Heavy traffic rattled the brick edifices and the ravages of plowed snow and de-icer caused further damage.
In 2008, the vacant buildings were acquired by Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, with financial participation by the Town of Basalt. By that time, the roofs of the store and warehouse had caved in and the walls were starting to collapse. Open Space and Trails quickly pursued two stabilization projects to prevent the complete collapse of the aging structures and make them structurally secure. State Historic Fund grants helped finance work on the buildings. The 12.5-acre property also includes several outbuildings and the historic Mather House, a Victorian residence that will see needed maintenance in 2019. Installation of a new septic system and well repairs on the property were completed in 2018.
The Emma Open Space Management Plan, adopted in 2017, established agricultural use of 58 acres across the highway from the townsite. That land, also part of Emma Open Space, was acquired in 2000. The Management Plan calls for the formation of a Steering Committee to help determine management of the store buildings, a process that has now begun. The structures are protected from demolition by an historic designation.
Posted below is the Emma Open Space Management Plan. It contains much greater detail on the history of the townsite buildings and the open space at Emma.
MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Steering Committee includes six members of the public appointed by the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Board. They are: Raul Gawrys, Carolyn Shipp, Harry Teague, Mitzi Rapkin, Martha Furguson and Jason Smith. In addition, Liz Newman is representing the Emma Caucus (with Margaret Simmons as her alternate), Watkins Fulk-Gray will attend for the Town of Basalt and Matt Annabell is the Historical Society representative. Michael Kinsley is participating as a member of the Open Space and Trails Board, and Suzannah Reid is participating as the county's historic preservation officer.
SOME BACKGROUND
The side-by-side store buildings along Hwy. 82, just downvalley from Basalt, are among several historic structures on the property. The distinctive brick structures were built in the late 1800s by Charles Mather, an East Coast native who operated a successful mercantile business at the site when Emma was a thriving hub along the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. The store buildings fell out of commercial use in the 1920s, but served as the site of community dances for a time, and then as storage for a succession of owners.
The expansion of Hwy. 82 to four lanes, and its rerouting through Emma in order to bypass downtown Basalt, was completed in 1988. The highway project compromised the store buildings. Heavy traffic rattled the brick edifices and the ravages of plowed snow and de-icer caused further damage.
In 2008, the vacant buildings were acquired by Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, with financial participation by the Town of Basalt. By that time, the roofs of the store and warehouse had caved in and the walls were starting to collapse. Open Space and Trails quickly pursued two stabilization projects to prevent the complete collapse of the aging structures and make them structurally secure. State Historic Fund grants helped finance work on the buildings. The 12.5-acre property also includes several outbuildings and the historic Mather House, a Victorian residence that will see needed maintenance in 2019. Installation of a new septic system and well repairs on the property were completed in 2018.
The Emma Open Space Management Plan, adopted in 2017, established agricultural use of 58 acres across the highway from the townsite. That land, also part of Emma Open Space, was acquired in 2000. The Management Plan calls for the formation of a Steering Committee to help determine management of the store buildings, a process that has now begun. The structures are protected from demolition by an historic designation.
Posted below is the Emma Open Space Management Plan. It contains much greater detail on the history of the townsite buildings and the open space at Emma.
MANAGEMENT PLAN
| Emma Open Space Management Plan |
For more information contact: Lindsey Utter, Planning and Outreach Manager
lindsey.utter@pitkincounty.com or 970-920-5224
lindsey.utter@pitkincounty.com or 970-920-5224