{"id":1319874,"date":"2020-05-11T14:35:08","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T20:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=996338"},"modified":"2020-05-11T18:48:32","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T00:48:32","slug":"garfield-county-to-seek-state-waiver-to-allow-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/garfield-county-to-seek-state-waiver-to-allow-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen\/","title":{"rendered":"Garfield County to seek state waiver to allow restaurants, other businesses to reopen"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>The Byers family, clockwise from left, Abigail, Amanda, Travis, Austyn, and Trent of Rifle talk with their waitress Laney Kirkpatrick as they sit down for lunch Monday at Shooters Grill Monday in Rifle. The restaurant located in downtown Rifle opened their dine-in service last week. The Byers, who own 3 small businesses, said they know how hard it has been during pandemic, and wanted to show their support to Lauren Boebert owner of Shooters Grill. (Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent)<\/strong><br \/><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Garfield County will seek a variance to allow restaurants in the county to reopen at 25% capacity for dining in, possibly as soon as Friday, if approved by state public health officials.<\/p>\n<p>But at least one Garfield County restaurant isn\u2019t waiting.<\/p>\n<p>Appearing in person in front of the three county commissioners and a handful of county staff, Shooters Grill in Rifle owner Lauren Boebert said during Monday\u2019s county commissioners meeting that she already opened her doors to customers last week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am serving people inside at 30% capacity right now,\u201d she announced, acknowledging she is doing so in defiance of the state\u2019s public health orders until the county is granted a variance, but with social distancing and other precautions in place.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row gspi-donation gspi-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/03\/PI-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/03\/PI-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIf other people choose to not fully open their business, they can do so \u2026 but we\u2019re done. \u2026 I don\u2019t want government handouts or a stimulus check, I want to get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-2-1024x815.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-996342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-2-1024x815.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-2-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-2-768x611.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-2-1536x1223.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/05\/GarcoReopens-gpi-051220-2-2048x1630.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Lauren Boebert, owner of Shooters Grill in Rifle, opened back up her Third Street restaurant to dine-in service last week. (Kyle Mills \/ Post Independent)<\/strong><br \/><em>Kyle Mills\/Post Independent<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Boebert \u2014 also a Republican candidate for Congress challenging incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton in the June primary \u2014&nbsp; joined other western Garfield County business owners and one elected town official in urging the commissioners to immediately seek a variance allowing the county to loosen statewide restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>Silt Trustee Sam Walls said he believes the initial coronavirus scare has passed, and Garfield County\u2019s numbers don\u2019t support continued business shutdowns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a state, we are being put underneath one rule, and our communities may not fit that rule,\u201d Walls said. \u201cAt some point people, we have to be allowed to make our own choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Others who spoke noted that neighboring Mesa and Eagle counties have been allowed to reopen to a greater extent than state health orders allow.<\/p>\n<p>Commissioners were sharply criticized for waiting longer than the other nearby counties to seek a variance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mesa County restaurants have since been allowed to reopen at 30% capacity. Eagle County was more limited to begin with and is now on the same track to reopen restaurants and other businesses as Garfield County, Commissioner Tom Jankovsky noted during the Monday meeting.<\/p>\n<p>With the support of county Public Health Director Yvonne Long, commissioners agreed they want to \u201cfast-track\u201d the request, in particular to allow restaurants the ability to reopen at limited capacity by this coming weekend, if possible.<\/p>\n<p>Jankovsky suggested 25% building capacity for restaurants as a starting point, plus the ability to have outdoor seating with proper social distancing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to have to wait to negotiate on our waiver,\u201d Jankovsky said of the 25% request, as opposed to allowing greater capacity to start.<\/p>\n<p>The variance request will also address other types of businesses, such as gyms and the county\u2019s only bowling alley in Rifle; with the required COVID-19 operating plan to be submitted to the county.<\/p>\n<p>However, Jankovsky said he would prefer that tourist-oriented businesses, such as the two Glenwood hot springs businesses and Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, be addressed separately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want us to get rejected on just those and affect everyone else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>To date, Long said about 600 such business plans have been reviewed by Public Health for businesses that were allowed to open on May 4, with restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPublic health is more than ready to move forward\u201d with a variance request, Long said. \u201cWe are continuing to show a decline in the number of cases, which we\u2019re happy to see \u2026 we are feeling pretty optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But a reopening of restaurants at 100% capacity for restaurants is not something that\u2019s likely to be approved by state officials, she agreed.<\/p>\n<p>Boebert said she doesn\u2019t believe the county\u2019s COVID-19 data (110 cases and two deaths as of Monday, out of a population of some 65,000 people) supports continued business shutdowns.<\/p>\n<p>Even at 100% capacity, she said the proper precautions can and are being taken.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is civil unrest already, and there will be civil disobedience, and there\u2019s not much you can do about that,\u201d Boebert said.<\/p>\n<p>Glenwood Springs Mayor Jonathan Godes also spoke via phone during the meeting, saying what Shooters is doing is \u201crecklessly irresponsible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also called out the commissioners for not maintaining social-distancing protocols in their meeting set-up \u2014 which the commissioners worked to rectify during a break.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s easy to overreact to some of the information that\u2019s out there \u2026 and I think you\u2019ve taken a good path of not overreacting,\u201d Godes said.<\/p>\n<p>If the county is granted the state variance, he said Glenwood Springs may decide to hold off a little longer before allowing its restaurants to reopen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGlenwood Springs is a tourist destination, and it\u2019s hard to treat Glenwood Springs and Carbondale in the same light as the rest of county,\u201d Godes said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we will look at as a council \u2026 and maybe be a little more conscientious about what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also weighing in during the meeting was Iron Mountain Hot Springs and Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park owner Steve Beckley.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are anxious to get open again,\u201d Beckley said, adding the Caverns and Iron Mountain operations have both submitted reopening plans to state and county health officials.<\/p>\n<p>For the Adventure Park, plans call for restricting the number of people in the gondola that\u2019s used to access the park, and regular sanitizing of the tram cars, as well as establishing ticket purchase times for customers to limit crowding at the ticket window.<\/p>\n<p>The park itself, which sits on 10 acres, is to be limited to 50% capacity, Beckley said.<\/p>\n<p>At the Iron Mountain Hot Springs, guests would be required to book their visit time online and capacity is to be reduced to 40%. People can change in the locker rooms, he said, but instead of using the lockers, there would be cubbies at each pool site for people to take their belongings with them outside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe it will be a better experience for our guests, because there will be fewer people,\u201d Beckley said.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"mailto:jstroud@postindependent.com\">jstroud@postindependent.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/garfield-county-to-seek-state-waiver-to-allow-restaurants-other-businesses-to-reopen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Byers family, clockwise from left, Abigail, Amanda, Travis, Austyn, and Trent of Rifle talk with their waitress Laney Kirkpatrick as they sit down for lunch Monday at Shooters Grill Monday in Rifle. The restaurant located in downtown Rifle opened their dine-in service last week. The Byers, who own 3 small businesses, said they know [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1319874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-03 23:14:48","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1319874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1319880,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319874\/revisions\/1319880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1319874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1319874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1319874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}