Mt. Crested Butte Council Briefs

Those are Mt. Crested Butte parking lots
The two free parking lots in Mt. Crested Butte are now sporting new signs that say “Parking provided by the town of Mt. Crested Butte.” The ”Rasta Lot” just north of the resort’s main parking area is a town-owned property known as Inn Site 2. The town leases the second lot along Snowmass Road. The Mt. Crested Butte council installed the signs to clarify that the parking spaces are provided by the town, and not by Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

Plow trucks are ready for work
While coping with the abundant snowfall in December, the town of Mt. Crested Butte has been facing some mechanical issues with its plow trucks. “We have had two out of two trucks break down,” town manager Joe Fitzpatrick wrote in a January 6 report to the council. According to Fitzpatrick, after the first big snowfall the town’s newest plow truck began having problems with the hydraulic system that moves the plow blade. Soon after, the town’s older plow truck lost its four-wheel-drive capability. The newer truck was back up and running on December 29, while the town is working to get repairs to the older truck completed as fast as possible. Furthermore, the town also uses a front-end loader with a snow blower attached to the blade. When the loader was fired up after the first big snow, it became apparent that some of the cable wiring in the loader needed to be repaired. That repair has been completed. With both the loader and the new plow truck back in business, Fitzpatrick says the town should be able to keep up with plowing. If the new truck breaks down again, the town might fall behind. But in the meantime, “We are ready for the next storm,” Fitzpatrick writes.

Streetlights out on Gothic Road
When driving along Gothic Road this winter you may notice a few of the streetlights are out. According to town manager Fitzpatrick, Gunnison County Electric Association maintains the town’s streetlights, but couldn’t purchase any replacement bulbs this fall for the “cobra”-style streetlights along Gothic Road because the bulbs are back-ordered. Fitzpatrick says the streetlights will be repaired as soon as replacement bulbs become available.

Electric shuttles aren’t street-legal
Town manager Fitzpatrick reported on Tuesday night that CBMR is facing some challenges with its new electric shuttles, which transport passengers from the resort’s parking lot to the base area via Emmons Road. The first challenge is getting the right vehicles. Fitzpatrick said CBMR is still awaiting the delivery of a few new electric shuttles. Right now they’re using a temporary electric shuttle. But that shuttle does not have a vehicle identification number (VIN), and so cannot be fitted with a license plate. Technically, the vehicle needs a license plate to be legally driven along Emmons Road. Fitzpatrick said if the next batch of electric shuttles arrives without VINs, the town might have to consider an ordinance to allow them to legally travel along Emmons Road. “That’s just a heads-up,” he said.

Admissions tax to CBMR
On Tuesday night the Mt. Crested Butte Town Council approved a $50,000 grant from its admission tax fund to support an airline marketing program with Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The money will be used for CBMR’s “Friends and Family Fly Free” promotion, which is a “buy two, get one free” discount on airline tickets. Last fall the Town Council approved a similar request from CBMR to the tune of $100,000. CBMR vice president of sales and marketing Daren Cole said this time around the promotion was being targeted at the Salt Lake City and Chicago markets, which have been “underperforming.” Cole said CBMR was supporting the program with $100,000 of its own. Councilman Dave Clayton recommended the council approve the request for $50,000, and commended CBMR’s marketing efforts. “To me, this is the poster child of how we do [the admissions tax fund] program,” Clayton said. Citing a follow-up report by CBMR on their fall marketing program, Clayton said, “Their presentation back in December laid out their goals, and showed the return on investment and how much money came into the community.” The council unanimously approved the request.