Echoes of the governor’s visit to Crested Butte

So I’m listening to the Governor of Colorado Friday afternoon on a perfect late summer day, thankful to live here but wishing I were on a bike ride instead of under the Rainbow Park pavilion. And I hear what I think we’ll be hearing for a while from a lot of different government and business people: “We don’t have the money so…”
Oh, that reality thing again.

Anyway, first the good news… Governor Bill Ritter did say he was very aware of the Mt. Emmons molybdenum mine proposal and would make sure the state’s permitting process was followed to the letter, if it got that far. “The state’s standards are different from the standards of the 1872 mining law,” he said. “The state won’t issue permits unless the town’s watershed is totally protected.”
That might help keep this valley clean, which is what people expect when they come here. We are a resort town, after all.
Ritter also indicated he was serious in trying to shift Colorado to a “clean” energy economy, which might make sense for all of us in the long run.
Back to the economy thing again… because almost every question he fielded came down to… you guessed it, money. Now, unless you are President Obama and can basically print money, we are facing some tough financial times. Governor Ritter made that clear while answering questions from citizens Friday. There were questions about pre-school education, college education, affordable housing, healthcare and other issues. “I agree we should do that, but we don’t have the money,” was the essence of his longer, more political answers.

Echo: “The reality is we don’t have much of an option for a council ‘wish list’ this year,” Crested Butte mayor Alan Bernholtz told the council in July. “Overall, I think people have gotten used to a level of service the last three or four years that we might not be able to maintain given the economy… The level of service that the community has come to expect might be cut back.”

Echo: Citing the current economic climate, the executives at Crested Butte Mountain Resort have said they are pulling back and won’t be pursuing the construction of the Red Lady Lodge or Cimarron projects any time soon. Employees were laid off last winter and those who weren’t had to work six days instead of five.

Echo: The town of Mt. Crested Butte is not faring any better. “We are in survival mode,” said Mt. Crested Butte mayor William Buck. In fact, if voters don’t pass a proposed bond issue this fall, he said the town could expect severe cutbacks in programs, services and employees.

Echo: Given declines in sales taxes—which fund the Mountain Express bus system—the board last week voted to institute cuts to certain condo routes and late-night service.

Just last week, Governor Ritter manned up and cut $320 million from the state budget. He had no choice. And he also made it clear last Friday at Rainbow Park that “every economic forecast we have has gotten worse. And the way the economy works, the state’s worst fiscal year will probably come after the start of the recovery. So we think the 2010-2011 fiscal year will be worse and more cuts are likely.”
Great.

The Crested Butte Town Council will begin the budget process early in September. The council is looking at purchasing acreage in the corridor for $6.5 million. They are looking at future recreation centers and ice rinks that will run into the millions. They likely will have to spend money to protect our watershed from a potential mine. They want to build affordable housing and possibly take on expanding town services with more roads and snow plowing costs through an annexation. All of these issues cost money and every time I see the sales tax figures, money is a commodity that is drying up in the town coffers.
It might be time to pick a priority and focus on getting revenues back. That means looking for ways to keep tourists coming back to the valley.

It sounds like Governor Ritter feels the state of Colorado is in the same boat as a lot of us here. Economic reality is tough. But the governor appears to be addressing the situation honestly.
We as a community, and as individuals, are facing the same dilemma. We need to face it honestly. And honestly… we live in a great ski town… a place where people come to recreate. How we can make it better so people start coming back here and we can all continue to live in this valley should be the goal. We need to be focused and creative to build on the assets we have.

It’s a perfect late summer day… and it is good to live here. We should all probably be prepared to make some cuts, look for new opportunities and remember to take advantage of the things we have in the valley. The governor is gone but his echo remains. It is time to go on a bike ride.