The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
The Community Builders Task Force (CBTF) has announced that the final draft of the One Valley Prosperity Strategy (the Strategy) is available for review on their website (www.onevalleyprosperity.com). The Strategy is the culmination of a year-long planning effort in which more than 1,500 people participated. The draft Strategy was released to the public in early June whom then submitted comments and feedback; the CBTF incorporated the feedback from the public into the final Strategy.
Cathie Pagano, Senior Planner for Gunnison County, explained that “the Strategy is a document that will evolve over time and is based on significant public input and comment that we’ve received over the past year. The Strategy outlines a three to five year plan of action with specific people and agencies responsible for implementation of each action. This is not a plan that will sit on the shelf and collect dust—in fact, we’re already putting it to use and have gotten to work.”
Surveys were distributed throughout the community to get feedback on the draft Strategy. Out of the feedback surveys received, 84% of respondents said the Strategy is “very aligned” or “mostly aligned” with our community values. 78% of survey respondents said that they “completely agree” or “mostly agree” that the Strategy moves us in the right direction.
While the Strategy document itself has just been released, the work of implementation of the action plan has already begun. There are numerous short and long-term actions that a variety of nonprofits, institutions and volunteers have already started to implement.
Karl Fulmer, Executive Director of the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority, said, “Affordable housing is one of the top priorities to come out of OVPP. We just opened Anthracite Place Apartments in Crested Butte—a 30 unit affordable housing community. We’re also beginning the Housing Needs Assessment for the Valley to better understand the specific types of housing we need, in what locations and for what income levels. If you haven’t already filled out a housing survey please go to our website at www.gvrha.org!! Significant production of housing is a long-term process and investment. We won’t solve the problem overnight, but we are laying the groundwork to continue making tangible progress.”
The Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley in cooperation with many volunteers and students from Western have developed a comprehensive health and wellness resource guide. This guide grew out of a three year Health Equity Initiative that the Foundation participated in and for which they also just received notice of funding for the project from the El Pomar Foundation. The guide will be located on the Gunnison County Library website (www.gunnisoncountylibraries.org) and will also be published regularly as leaflet in the Gunnison Country Shopper. The guide will provide information about types of providers; insurance information; traditional providers; alternative providers; faith organizations; physical, mental and dental health providers and other resources for comprehensive health and wellness.
We’ve also seen some improvements this summer in recreation management. The U.S. Forest Service agreed to restrict camping in the Gothic corridor to campgrounds only, eliminating dispersed camping. We heard from numerous community members and local nonprofits about the negative impacts that were experienced in the summer of 2015 including resource degradation and overcrowding.
Education and communication about all of our opportunities for recreation will continue to help reduce negative impacts. The OVPP spearheaded a group on sustainable tourism and recreation that created the “Mountain Manners” program—an educational brochure on responsible recreation in our Valley. With assistance and participation from local businesses, nonprofits, the Tourism Association and the Chambers of Commerce we’ve been able to communicate our desire to provide a great recreation experience for our residents and visitors while also respecting the environment.
The Community Builders Task Force (CBTF) will continue to oversee the implementation of the One Valley Prosperity Strategy. CBTF is made up representatives from the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley, the City of Gunnison, the Town of Crested Butte, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte, Gunnison County, Crested Butte South Property Owner’s Association, Western State Colorado University and Crested Butte Mountain Resort. CBTF meets monthly to review progress and discuss work plans for the Strategy.
If you have questions or are interested in a specific project please contact Cathie Pagano at 970-641-0360.
