A volunteer waves a green flag to alert a race car driver it is time to go all out during a past Clifton Hill Climb. The event is held in the fall. However, whether, it is held this year depends on several factors. Among concerns is whether the town of Clifton can afford to pitch in in this year as it has in past Hill Climbs. The town's 2023-24 budget has yet to be discussed and acted on by Clifton's Town Council. Discussion and action on the town's future budget will probably not begin until some time in June.
A volunteer waves a green flag to alert a race car driver it is time to go all out during a past Clifton Hill Climb. The event is held in the fall. However, whether, it is held this year depends on several factors. Among concerns is whether the town of Clifton can afford to pitch in in this year as it has in past Hill Climbs. The town's 2023-24 budget has yet to be discussed and acted on by Clifton's Town Council. Discussion and action on the town's future budget will probably not begin until some time in June.
PHOTO WALT MARES
Participants in the 2021 Clifton Hill Climb come back after finishing their courses.
Will the Clifton Hill Climb be held in 2023? That remains to be seen.
The Clifton Town Council has twice tabled any action regarding the event. It comes down to whether the town’s 2023-24 budget will allow its participation.
The town does not put up cash for the Hill Climb, but what it has done in the past is provide in-kind contributions that provide assistance in facilitating the event. Much of that assistance involves the town’s Public Works Department.
For example, vendor booths must be transported from the Public Works yard to the Hill Climb site in Ward’s Canyon. That is only one of many tasks performed by Public Works for the Hill Climb.
The road through the canyon is narrow and has several hairpin curves. It is a big part of what makes the Hill Climb interesting and very challenging. Participants include several from out of state.
One town official pointed out that staging the Hill Climb is a matter of volunteers stepping up to help.
“It’s much like the annual Festival of Lights around Christmas. It is a matter of having enough volunteers to organize the event and then actually putting it on,” the official said.
As it is, town employees are already pushing the limits of time and efforts to perform any work outside of their regular work schedule. During a recent Town Council meeting, the council voted to pay employees who put in time beyond their regular working hours.
The Hill Climb was first held in the 1960s and became quite popular. However, it was put on hold through much of the 1980s and '90s. The event was resurrected around the mid-1990s and then petered out by the early 2000s.
It was resurrected during the past six years with much involvement by the town’s Public Works Department.
The council has not yet begun deliberation in setting its 2023-24 budget. That will probably begin in June. No decision about the event’s future is expected before then.
