In the News

United States Representative Brittany Pettersen traveled to Cloud City last Friday, March 17 to meet with business leaders and community members who shared concerns about pressing issues such as the housing shortage and child care needs. Pettersen, a Democrat, began representing Colorado’s 7th Congressional District this year after winning in Lake County with 59 percent of the vote. The district comprises Jefferson, Broomfield, Lake, Park, Teller, Chaffee, Fremont and Custer counties. Before being elected to her federal role, Pettersen served in the Colorado General Assembly for a decade. “We really want to make sure we’re investing across the 7th and especially in rural Colorado, where oftentimes people don’t feel like they’re prioritized,” said Pettersen. 

Community leaders were forthcoming about issues unique to Lake County and other rural areas during a roundtable discussion with the congresswoman at Colorado Mountain College. The lack of housing options here ties directly to struggles with retaining employees, said City Administrator Laurie Simonson. “You can recruit people and they can accept a job, but they’ll decline once they realize they can’t actually find housing.” These housing and workforce challenges also create roadblocks for local business owners. “We’re going to bump up against a ceiling of growth where we just can’t grow, and we need to grow,” said Melanzana founder Fritz Howard. The longtime local has seen dramatic change in the business landscape here over the years, with the company now struggling to retain employees due to the lack of housing. “It’s obviously not limited to Leadville, but all these communities are going to turn into semi-gated communities with no services in 10 or 20 years,” said Howard. “Which is unfortunate, because then it’s a golf course, not a town.” 

Treeline Kitchen owner Christine Street has also felt the growth in tourism, which can be difficult to manage without adequate staffing. Street said she wants to take care of all the tourists who come through and enable her to live here, but can’t always accommodate everyone lately. Over skijoring weekend, restaurant staff were completely overwhelmed from the minute they opened the door. “This week alone we’ve probably turned away a hundred people a night,” said Street. While Leadville is not unique in how booming tourism is impacting the community, it does offer a certain historic charm unlike anywhere else — and many community members want to preserve this with help from state and federal funding opportunities as interest in Currently, someone could sell a Colorado rehabilitation tax credit, but not a federal one. “It’s a big impediment for a rural town because you don’t have that kind of tax liability,” said Anderson. Whether it’s for restoring historic buildings on main street or securing new hospital equipment, community leaders expressed a desire for a more streamlined process of applying for federal assistance. “A lot of the wealthier communities have the ability to chase the money, and that’s the hardest part for us,” said Simonson. “We need to catch up.” 
Pettersen’s team is currently identifying state resources such as navigators to help support local leaders with grant writing as federal funding opportunities continue to come down the line. “I feel the urgency and frustration there,” she said. One vital community asset that could benefit from federal assistance is St. Vincent Health (SVH), and Pettersen’s office has been connecting with the hospital and sharing resources with staff for the past couple of months amid financial turnaround efforts. Pettersen’s team is currently exploring options for submitting a Community Project Funding Request on behalf of SVH, but the options are limited this year for important health care providers like hospitals, according to the congresswoman’s office. Despite the challenges, Pettersen noted that SVH is running as efficiently as possible and wants to continue to help staff with next steps. “We can’t let the hospital fail,” said Pettersen. “It’s something we need to come together on.” Another community need Pettersen’s team examined during the visit was limited child care resources. 

For families in Lake County, lack of affordable child care can be a real financial limiter, said Leadville Mayor Greg Labbe, who brought up the more “under-the-radar” issue during the roundtable discussion. There comes a certain breaking point in cost where it isn’t worth it to pay for care and have both parents working. “It could be an economic showstopper,” said Labbe. The congresswoman later received a tour of Bright Start Learning Center, a crucial child care center here, and heard space and sustainability concerns first hand. Bright Start closed during the COVID-19 pandemic but reopened in August 2021 thanks in part to $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funding, which also increased wages and made service costs more affordable for families. County Commissioner Kayla Marcella, who is also the chair of the Bright Start Board of Directors, emphasized that the facility’s educators provide key foundational skills for Lake County’s Pre-K students — all within just two operational classrooms. Bright Start, which is housed in Pitts Elementary School, faces ongoing maintenance needs that naturally come with older buildings. Board members expressed a need to expand child care operations, which isn’t a simple task since vacant sites around town may not be suitable due to the area’s Superfund history. But the services are vital to the community. For Bright Start Treasurer Kelsy Maxie, the center’s reopening meant she could work in Lake County instead of commuting to Summit with her kids, where her only option for child care was. “It was super time-consuming,” said Maxie. “But it was the only option because not working was not an option.” Having reliable child care in Lake County helps build a foundation for economic development and incentivizes businesses to move here, said Marcella. 
Pettersen plans to take Lake County’s concerns back to D.C. and thanked the community for sharing them with her during closing remarks at the Golden Burro on Friday. Those involved expressed appreciation for the discussion opportunities, which have been few and far between. Before redistricting took effect, Lake County was part of the 3rd district, which is represented by Lauren Boebert. Marcella said she never heard from Boebert directly throughout her years as a county official, so it was nice to feel more of a commitment under Pettersen. “This really meant something,” said Bright StartBoard Secretary LaurenBarrette of the child care discussion. “At least it's being talked about.” Pettersen said she enjoyed her visit to Lake County and getting to know the area in a deeper way after growing up visiting. “You are a small but mighty community.”