Granby Board of Trustees narrowly approve resolution supporting mountain passenger rail project
Emily Gutierrez/Sky-Hi News
The Granby Board of Trustees met Tuesday, Feb. 25, at town hall and narrowly approved a resolution to support the mountain passenger rail corridor having a stop in Granby.
Town Manager Ted Cherry explained that the Colorado Department of Transportation had requested the town pass a resolution to show support for the project.
Resolution 2025-02-25 states that Granby supports the mountain passenger rail project and would support a stop within the town. The resolution also shows a commitment to working with CDOT but doesn’t give the town any obligations, according to town attorney Nathan Krob.
Granby is being considered for inclusion in the first phase of the rail project. A letter from CDOT’s Division of Transit and Rail states that the division has been working on a Service Development Plan for passenger rail since the beginning of 2024. Through the development of this plan, several station markets have been identified as feasible for the passenger rail line between Denver and Craig. Along with Granby, other potential stations include Fraser, Winter Park Resort, Kremmling, Hot Sulphur Springs, Craig, Hayden, downtown Steamboat Springs, Steamboat Ski Resort, Oak Creek, Rollinsville/Gilpin County, West Metro Denver and Denver Union Station.
Cherry explained that the town has not been asked for any financial support for a station at this time, but that if any type of financing were requested, it would be minimal due to the current station in town being actively used.
A joint webinar with CDOT, the Department of Local Affairs, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and the governor’s office will be held March 11. The webinar will cover state funding sources that could be used for station area planning to induce economic development around the proposed station areas.
Cherry said the passenger rail program has the potential to remove 1,200 people from the roads every day, according to CDOT representatives.
Some trustees voiced hesitancy about supporting the project. Rebecca Quesada expressed concerns about not knowing enough about the project to support it, while Seth Stern said he was skeptical of the state legislature and the project’s feasibility.
Trustees Sharon Silva, Chris Michalowski, Michael Mahoney and Mayor Joshua Hardy supported the resolution and the possibility of the train having a stop in Granby.
The resolution passed, 4-3, with trustees Quesada, Stern and Deborah Shaw voting against it.
- Senior resident Glenda “Cookie” Ready raised concerns about Cliffview Assisted Living Center in Kremmling and brought up questions about the county’s approach toward the situation. She said she wanted to make the board aware of what was happening.
- Tara Thompson and other representatives with the Grand County Library District presented an annual report to the board. Representatives said online access at the library has increased by a huge amount and the district saw an overall increase in visits in 2024. The full presentation is available online.
- Amanda Miller was appointed by trustees to the Fraser River Valley Housing Partnership.
- A yearlong contract with SGM Engineering was approved unanimously for town engineering services.
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