Garfield County commissioners on Monday signed a resolution defending the right to hunt, fish and access public lands, transferred $2.8 million to the airport fund for taxiway construction and approved a letter to Glenwood Springs about the South Bridge Project.

Resolution defending right to hunt

As the first action item of Monday’s meeting, commissioners unanimously signed a resolution affirming the right to hunt, fish and access public lands in Garfield County. 

“This is something we talked about when I was in the legislature, there’s 24 states in the nation that have the right to hunt and fish and Colorado is not one of those,” Commissioner Perry Will, who brought the resolution forward for approval, said. He explained that he hopes if Garfield County signs the resolution, other Colorado counties will as well and the right to hunt and fish will be cemented in Colorado’s constitution. 

$2.8 million transferred to airport for Taxiway Bravo construction 

Commissioners approved a $2.8 million transfer from the general fund to the airport fund for the Taxiway Bravo construction project. 

Airport staff requested the transfer to cover a gap in funding that could not be absorbed by the airport fund, according to the request. Included in the Airport’s capitol improvement program and master plan, the total cost of construction for Taxiway Bravo is estimated to be around $6.5 million. At the end of 2025, the airport fund contained around $6 million. 

The airport will repay the $2.8 million transfer through a lump-sum payment in 2030. 

Letter to City of Glenwood Springs requesting a 1041 application for South Bridge Project approved 

Commissioners approved a letter from Garfield County to the City of Glenwood Springs requesting a 1041 application for the South Bridge Project. 

Glenwood Springs sent a letter to the county stating they would not submit a 1041 application after agreeing to do so in October. According to County Attorney Heather Beattie, that violates the county’s land use code, as the South Bridge Project will include part of Airport Road that crosses the Roaring Fork River and Jackson Ranch, both of which are in unincorporated Garfield County. 

“We are concerned about the precedent that your refusal to follow County 1041 Regulations sets. We do not have any position on the outcome of a 1041 application…” the letter states. “The county will suffer imminent irreparable harm by your continued refusal to submit a 1041 application on the South Bridge Project. Please reconsider your position so we are not forced into a situation where we have to seek injunctive relief to ensure we do not suffer this irreparable harm.”