Montrose, CO – The city is hosting the 2018 Colorado Preserve America Youth Summit this week as youth leaders from across Colorado tour the area to share ideas on historic preservation, sustainability and connecting people with historic places.
The summit is hosted and sponsored by the Preserve America Youth Summit; Conservation Legacy; History Colorado; Colorado State Historical Fund; the National Park Service; National Parks Conservation Association; Nan and Dave Anderson, Andrews Hallas Architects, Inc, Alpine Archaeology, and the City of Montrose.
The interactive program will focus on preservation, stewardship and interpretation challenges as well as "opportunities facing nationally significant historic properties in the Montrose area," according to Ann Pritzlaff, the Youth Summit Director.
"Montrose is a vibrant community with a historic district, and extraordinary natural resources,” Pritzlaff said. “Whether it’s Native American sites or the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park or Curecanti National Recreation Area, with all the recreation opportunities and all the forests, it’s such a recreation hub for so many things around here. (The) students will study these areas and see what's relevant to them as an age group, then report their recommendations back.”
Youth summit attendees arrived Tuesday for education and actives at the Ute Indian Museum. On Wednesday the group inspected petroglyphs in the Shavano Valley before arriving for workshops in downtown Montrose.
A working lunch with Mayor Roy Anderson in the City Council chambers was followed with tours of Main Street, the Knights of Pythias building and the Missouri and Block building a.k.a the Vine building.
Anderson said it was nice to have the group tour downtown Montrose on Colorado Day, the 142nd birthday of the state of Colorado. Anderson told the group about recent efforts by the city to become a Certified Local Government, which allows the city to work towards the historic preservation of the city's oldest buildings.
“Having the History Colorado Youth Summit here is more than just another event providing an economic booster to our City; it is an endorsement of the historic preservation values we want to protect and share with others around the State and even the Nation. I am strengthened and encouraged that the young people of our state care enough about historic preservation to spend the time to learn more about it, and what better place is there than Montrose to learn by immersion,” Anderson said.
The group focused on Main Street working with Director of Business Innovation Chelsea Rosty before brainstorming ideas with Director of Citizen Engagement Virgil Turner about possible uses of the empty Knights of Pythias building located at 33 South Cascade Ave.
Another group worked with Tim Stroh of History Colorado to inspect the Vine Building located at 347 East Main Street about the ongoing renovations. The Missouri building, or, Vine building and the Knights of Pythias building are two of the oldest brick structures in the city.
Those tours were concluded with a program inside the Penthouse Theater located inside the historic Fox Theater also located on Cascade Ave.
On Thursday, the group is scheduled to attend education programs at the Black Canyon and Cimarron Visitor Center, located in the Curecanti National Recreation Area.
An "Engaging Youth in Stewardship" program is scheduled for Thursday evening at the Ute Indian Museum with representatives from United State Senators Michael Bennett and Cory Gardner, and a representative from U.S. Representative Scott Tipton's office.
On Friday the summit will conclude at the Ute Indian Museum as students present their recommendations during a special Town Hall presentation. Colorado State Senator Don Coram and State Representative Marc Catlin will be in attendance. A special ceremony about historic funds to replace the roof of the Denver & Rio Grande Depot will also take place at 9 a.m. That presentation will be conducted by History Colorado.
For more City news visit: CityOfMontrose.org.