'Progress at What Price?' the topic of first Vail Symposium Community Conversation

The Vail Symposium invites the community to participate in a conversation about a topic of critical interest to Vail Valley residents -- “Progress at What Price?” -- led by community leaders Rob LeVine, Terry Minger, and Stan Zemler on Thursday, May 23 at the Antlers at Vail.

This is the first program in a new series called Community Conversations, which brings the organization back to its roots of brainstorming goals and ideas for the purpose of guiding the future of the community. The series will explore a variety of topics of pertinent interest to those who are passionate about the future of the Vail Valley.

“Anyone who cares about the future of the Valley should attend,” said long-time Vail Symposium Board Member and General Manager of the Antlers at Vail LeVine. “Not that this is meant to be the ultimate key to success nor the total solution to any of our problems, but it is an important piece in the puzzle of local democracy. Understanding better how one’s friends and neighbors feel about important issues and having those feelings expressed in a group setting, where others can react and respond (respectfully), is extra valuable.”

LeVine, Minger, a former Vail Town Manager and founding father of the Vail Symposium, and Zemler, Vail’s current Town Manager, will begin the discussion on Thursday with a few remarks on the topic before inviting attendees to participate by sharing their own thoughts, ideas, and questions on the subject. There are no right or wrong comments and where the conversation leads is up to the audience.

“I expect the physical scale of development will be discussed,” said LeVine. Several large buildings, including the Arrabelle, the Ritz, the Four Seasons, and particularly, Solaris, have all been lightning rods for what people do and don’t like about Vail’s recent ‘progress’. It’s a fair question, and one that probably deserves the constant reflection that it receives.”

“I would echo Rob’s comments,” said Zemler, “and add the question ‘do we want Vail to be like yesterday, or create a better tomorrow?’ to the conversation.”

Both LeVine and Zemler hope these meetings will provide a great forum for healthy and informative discussion in the community.

The topic for the next Community Conversation will be determined by the attendees at the first one.

“We’ve identified a number of potential topics for future Conversations; everything from Vail’s leadership in 2025 to the environment,” said LeVine. “Our intent, though, is to let the audience at each program decide on the topic of the next one. We have a fun method planned to determine the audience’s desire.”

The discussion begins at 6 p.m. following a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are pay-at-will with a suggested donation of $10. Reservations are not required. Visit www.vailsymposium.org or call 970-476-0954 for more information.