As Mighty Argo Cable Car nears completion in Colorado, Idaho Springs hopes for economic boost

Each day, the Mighty Argo Cable Car project in Colorado inches closer to a big opening to the public.

The $71 million project in Idaho Springs is now close to its May 9 opening to the general public. The new gondola will carry visitors from downtown Idaho Springs up to the summit of Virginia Canyon Mountain Park. 

The gondola hosted rides for invited guests as the weather cleared on Friday. It provided a picture of the intense mountain bike trails and facilities opening on the mountain.

At the top stood renowned veteran burro racer and Idaho Springs resident Bill Lee and his donkey Jack.

"All these mining towns had a hard time surviving," Lee noted. "And this is a way to keep these towns alive and generate traffic and let the people see all the beautiful scenery and all the different things."

If Bill Lee is buying in, so goes the town, it seems.

"Definitely saw opportunity in this," said Cody Bower at the newly opened ChainLynx Bike Shop.

The shop is just up the road from where the Mighty Argo will lift mountain bikers to an eventual 28 miles of mostly intense trails. Bower and his wife had been planning to open a bike shop for years. They had a plan to do it in Georgetown until the Mighty Argo took shape.

"We're going to offer services, repairs, demos, rentals," Bower said. "We found this spot, so we jumped right on it. And we actually leased it in February, so we've been sitting on it."

There are three bike shops now open near the Mighty Argo project.  

"Just this east end of town has been blowing up," Bower added.

The town's mayor has noticed too.

"This is on the sleepier end of Idaho Springs that can handle that kind of development. But it's going to be a really good complement to existing businesses," said Mayor Chuck Harmon.

There are projections of $400,000 in sales tax revenue in the first year the Mighty Argo is open. That's the kind of revenue that helps towns with needed projects.

"We're co-marketing with the historic core. We want people to be downtown. We want people to spend the day. We're getting more hotel rooms," said Mary Jane Loevlie, the project's developer.

She has a stake in wider development.

"I grew up here. And I do own several of the historic buildings downtown that I bought when they were worth nothing," she said.

"We've been slowly building up the character, keeping the authenticity, and this, I believe, will be a big shot in the arm."

Downtown, Amy Miley at Mountain Remedy was glad to see the area's potential.

"The rising tide will float the boat," she said. "Any increased visitors will help downtown."

At his bike shop, Bower feels pretty good about his chances, too.

"Sunday the 25th was our first bicycle sale, which was huge," he said.