CB South briefs

Missing bikes
The shiny new fleet of community bicycles in Crested Butte South was a hit over the summer, but the bikes must go into storage for the winter. Unfortunately, two of the bikes are still missing in action. The Crested Butte South Property Owners Association and the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority pitched in to buy the bikes as a way to make the trip between the subdivision and Hwy. 135 more convenient for people riding the free RTA bus.

Crested Butte South manager Chris Behan says 10 of the 12 community bikes have been returned and are in storage. The bike rack at the intersection of Cement Creek Road and Hwy. 135 has also been removed to make room for snowplows. Behan says if the other two bikes don’t show up soon he’ll send an e-mail to Crested Butte South residents asking them to check their garages and back yards for a misplaced bike, or maybe to encourage the two holdouts to stop riding around.
As far as the bikes that have been returned, Behan says they’re still in great shape. “Everything is working fine. I got some quick release bolts for the seats, so people can adjust them, but that’s the only thing I’ve had to do maintenance wise,” Behan says.

Red Mountain Ice Rink almost ready
Behan says they’re starting to make ice at the Red Mountain Rink. “If the weather cooperates we’re within seven days of getting it up and running,” he says. The rink is sporting some new improvements for the coming season too. Behan says the rink has a new liner to help keep the ice from leaking away, there are new kick-plates along the base of the rink, and everything else has been repainted. Even the Zamboni got a new paint job. “It looks pretty slick,” Behan says.
The POA has also been trying to raise money to purchase a new set of backboards for the rink. Behan says they need to raise about $45,000 to complete the project, but, “I’m stuck at about $25,000. That price point might get us a used set, but I still don’t have enough money for the concrete foundation.” Behan is putting together a grant application to the National Hockey League Players Association to secure additional funding.
He says the curling area will also be set up this year, and should be ready about the same time the rink opens.
 
New code for business signs
The Crested Butte South POA board approved a new sign code for the subdivision’s business district during their October meeting. The new sign code has rules for the size and location of main business signs, sale displays and even holiday decorations. Crested Butte South was approved as a special regulatory area by the county earlier this summer, which means new developments in the subdivision no longer have to go through duplicate planning processes between the county offices and the POA design review board. Behan says the new sign code is a necessary regulatory tool the POA can use when reviewing business applications. Behan says there has been one application for a new business in the subdivision since the special area regulations were adopted. “We wanted to make sure we had our act together to have a nice looking commercial area,” Behan says.

Community survey results coming soon
This fall Behan sent Crested Butte South residents a community survey similar to the one the town of Crested Butte recently conducted. Behan says he had a great response to the survey—more than 300 were sent out and 100 have been returned. Behan says he’s not ready to release the survey results until the POA board has had a chance to review them, but once that happens the data will be available on the subdivision’s website. Hinting at what the survey results might entail, Behan says the recreational amenity most desired by residents was more Nordic skiing trails.
A community recycling center was also high on the list of desires for Crested Butte South residents. Behan says the POA is looking at bids for recycling service for the entire subdivision from Waste Management and Gothic Mountain Waste Solutions. He says residents seem to prefer having a single recycling center to serve the subdivision, but there are concerns over managing such a facility and keeping it looking nice. “We’re leaning toward getting better curbside pickup… hopefully in the next few months we’ll figure something out,” he says.

Picture perfect
The Crested Butte South website now boasts a photo gallery of happenings in and around the subdivision, such as the annual property owners association barbeque and Rukus in the Southland. Behan says he put the pictures up, “to get a little community spirit going on.”