The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“We’re hoping they can work it out”
A little more than a week after local fuel distributor Sweitzer Oil announced plans to sell the operation, businesses and town governments are working fast to make sure fuel can still be pumped at the north end of the valley.
Sweitzer Oil intends to terminate its delivery contracts with the two gas stations in Crested Butte by the end of the month, as well as close the card lock pump facility in Crested Butte by the end of September.
Gas Café co-owner Andrew Gitin says he is interested in purchasing and operating Sweitzer’s card lock facility, while selling fuel from a new distributor. He says the details of the purchase are still up in the air at this point and the discussions with Sweitzer have only just begun.
“We’re going to try to see if we can purchase it,” Gitin says. “It has such a huge effect on everybody—ranchers, businesses, the towns and Mountain Express.”
Gitin also hopes a new fuel distributor will be able to make smaller deliveries to businesses and ranches that have their own fuel storage. Gitin says Sweitzer had used smaller “tank wagons” to deliver fuel to local ranches and businesses with their own fuel storage.
For example, Crested Butte Mountain Resort mountain manager Chris Corliss says Sweitzer provided the resort with gas and diesel fuel for a storage tank at the maintenance shop on Gothic Road.
Gitin says selling a high volume of fuel from the card lock might be an important factor to getting the new distributor to deliver fuel to individual businesses. “A rancher near Crested Butte South isn’t going to be able to get a new company to come serve him alone, so we’re looking for a way to solve that,” Gitin says.
Gitin says he hasn’t seen any numbers from Sweitzer on the price of the card lock facility, but there is a large fuel distributor in Colorado that he is currently negotiating with to deliver fuel to the local gas stations. He did not want to give the name of the distributor until more details are finalized.
Gitin believes once everything is settled the gas being pumped locally will be cheaper than what was previously offered by Sweitzer.
He is in contact with the towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, as well as the Mountain Express bus service—all of which have been purchasing tax-free fuel from the card lock facility.
“The town isn’t a player but is a potential customer,” says Mt. Crested Butte town manager Joe Fitzpatrick. “We’re hoping that they’re going to work it out.”
Since there are many details yet to be settled in purchasing the card lock, Gitin says the facility may not be running immediately after September 30.
Until the deal is sealed on the card lock, or if no deal is made at all, Gitin has been suggesting the towns and Mountain Express look into getting “fleet fuel” credit cards. The cards would allow tax-exempt entities or businesses to purchase fuel at a regular gas station, but when the credit card bill is sent, any tax will be left out.
Mountain Express manager Chris Larsen says this is a good option that wasn’t available just a few years ago. “It would be a great thing if they can buy [the card lock]. But it could be a while before the actual purchase goes through, so in the meantime we might be able to get these fleet cards that don’t charge tax,” Larsen says.
Gitin says he expected discussions with Sweitzer on the card lock and with the new fuel distributor would continue over the next few weeks.
