cb council briefs

Council looking ahead to major developments
With the proposal for a huge Sixth Street Station commercial project on the boards and the potential for an annexation proposal just around the corner, the Town Council Monday agreed to set aside two days in January for a council retreat. The council will spend one of the days focused on the annexation process, specifically how to deal with density. The other day will be spent bonding and discussing general council priorities.

Town zoning and building director Bob Gillie told the council that the Sixth Street Station general plan application has hit the office and “It’s fairly voluminous. There is a lot of stuff in it,” he said. “I am digesting the application. BOZAR [the Board of Zoning and Architectural Review] will talk about the process and probably hold separate meetings on the application since the project is so big.
“It will be a long, ongoing time commitment for the next six months or so,” Gillie predicted.
Initial drawings of the proposal at town hall show promise an for interesting discussion over the project.
Town manager Susan Parker said she didn’t know when, but she expected the developers of the proposed Foothills annexation to make a return appearance with a new plan in the near future.
The retreats to talk about future development and the general vision in town will be held in January but the council has yet to pick a specific date.

Good news, bad news in the $ department
Sales tax figures for the third quarter are still off from last year. According to town finance director Lois Rozman, sales tax is off 2.6 percent from last year through September. She estimates sales tax for the year will be down about 3 percent from 2007 numbers. The good news is that overall general fund revenues are up from last year. She credits the increase to more parking ticket fines from last winter’s heavy snow, an increase in recreation revenue because of higher fees and additional programs, and an uptick in the mineral lease monies received from the state.
“We are holding our own,” she told the council. “It’s not great but we’re doing okay. The staff is staying within budget and we’ll get through this.”
In keeping with a conservative budgeting approach, the council passed the 2009 budget on Monday night. Next year’s budget includes increases in the water and sewer fees. No one came to the meeting to protest the fee increase, but Rozman said she expected to hear about it when the first bill with the increase hits residents in February.

Ferchau taking town to court
Without revealing too much detail, town manager Susan Parker informed the council that the Ferchau family, which gave notice last summer about the potential to sue the town, is doing so. The Gunnison family is asking for a jury trial in Gunnison County District Court to rule on the situation, in which 16-year-old Evan Ferchau was hit in the mouth with a hockey puck during a high school game last February at Big Mine Ice Rink. Evan lost three teeth in the accident and has had several dental procedures as a result. The Ferchaus and the town could not reach an out-of-court settlement, so the family is taking the town to trial. The town’s insurance company, CIRSA (Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency), will represent the town in court. No date has yet been set for the trial.

Let it snow
More than 45 people took part in the Crested Butte snow summit on Monday. Private contractors, utility representatives, and town representatives all went over the Crested Butte snow plan for the upcoming winter. The town will now charge those who want to haul and dump snow in the town gravel pit. Last year, a lot of snow collected from outside the town was dumped there. That will no longer be allowed. Snow tainted with diesel will also be prohibited. Any information about the Crested Butte snow removal plan can be found on the town website at www.townofcrestedbutte.com.

Rec department ready for cold weather
Parks and Recreation director Jake Jones said Big Mine Ice Rink is ready to go “as soon as the weather makes it possible to make ice. We are ready to flood the rink,” he said. “Right now all age groups are using the new indoor ice rink in Gunnison. It’s a really great amenity for the valley.”
Jones also said the staff was interviewing firms that have applied to conduct the Parks and Rec master plan. Eight proposals were received. Jones said when the time comes, it will be important to have a lot of community participation in the proposed master planning.

Halfway house presentation Thursday
A presentation for a proposed drug and alcohol treatment center in the T-zone (tourist zone) will be held Thursday, November 20 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers. Oh-Be-Joyful church Pastor Jim Kunes is proposing the facility and will make a case for the project and answer questions from neighbors and anyone else concerned about the project. He wants to build the new halfway house, which will accommodate up to 12 men, behind the current church at Seventh and Gothic.

Here comes the bus … shelter
At the request of Gillie, the council reaffirmed its desire to build a bus shelter at the current Rural Transportation Authority bus stop in the Four-way Stop area near Sixth Street and Sopris Avenue. The stop was somewhat controversial when a couple of nearby businesses asked that the bus stop be moved away from the area because they felt it compromised their business. The town staff and council discussed the issue a few weeks ago and felt that the location was a good one, since it was in the center of town along the highway. They anticipated that building a shelter would alleviate some of the problems such as people who are waiting for the bus loitering in the warmth of the current buildings and an increase in trash such as cigarette butts.
The town will begin constructing the shelter soon in order to get it up before the snow flies. The council reaffirmed their decision to build the shelter at Sixth and Sopris with the understanding it could be moved after this winter if things don’t work out well.