Looming federal government shutdown could impact Estes Park business if Rocky Mountain National Park were to close
Congress's inability to reach a deal to continue to fund the federal government could once again impact the incomes of those living in the community of Estes Park. Estes Park, neighbor to Rocky Mountain National Park, heavily relies on the park's visitors to bring in boosts for the economy and sales tax.
Gov. Jared Polis announced on Thursday that he would try and use resources in Colorado to make sure RMNP remains open if the government shuts down on Sunday, Oct. 1. However, if the park were to close due to the shutdown, elected officials and business owners in Estes Park say they could see an impact to their operations as well.
"We are very much a tourist economy," said Brooks Ferguson, store manager at Hyk in Downtown Estes Park.
Though there are many things to do in and around Estes Park that do not involve needing access to RMNP, the mayor of the town said tourists still provide critical dollars to the community.
"Our tourism last year was 4.5 million people coming through our area to enjoy Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park," said Wendy Koenig, Mayor of Estes Park.
Koenig said she was disappointed in Congress and their failure to secure a deal well in advance of the set date the budget was known to expire. She said previous government shutdowns have impacted the economy in Estes Park at times.
"The impact reduces tourism slightly," Koenig said.
Ferguson said local businesses like his rely on a steady stream of visitors throughout the warmer months of the year.
"It is everything for us. We do probably 85% of our yearly goal in May through October," Ferguson said.
Koenig said any potential threat of RMNP closing for a prolonged time means local businesses and maybe even the local government will see some impacts.
"All of our business are concerned about having their income reduced. And we live on sales tax, that is how our government runs. Anytime something reduces sales tax we have to go into reserves," Koenig said.
Koenig said her main concern is with making sure her constituents who both live in Estes Park and work in RMNP continue to have access to a steady income.
"We are concerned about the employees too because many of them are members of our community," Koenig said. "(Congress needs to) take care of all of us, and then you can take care of your personal goals."
Management at Hyk, which sells high quality outdoors apparel and goods, plans to keep their business open largely through the end of the year even if the park is impacted by the looming shutdown. Ferguson said tourists should continue to explore the Estes Park area and enjoy the changing leaves, even if the park does close.
"No matter what happens with the park the town is still here, we are still open. It is still a great place to come and get away and enjoy the scenery and all the cool stuff we have up here," Ferguson said.
