The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Maybe a jib park in Pitsker?
Recreational amenities as diverse as better access to open spaces in the valley, an indoor skateboard park and a ski area on Mount Emmons were listed as possibilities for Crested Butte’s future parks and recreation program by citizens at a meeting on Tuesday, September 1st.
Consultants preparing a master plan for the town parks and recreation department spent three days this week gathering information from the public. As part of the process, a two-hour public meeting and brainstorming session was held in the town hall.
Crested Butte parks and recreation director Jake Jones said the town hopes to have a completed master plan in five months. “Public participation is key to a successful plan,” Jones told the 30 people in the audience.
Pros Consulting, a firm that specializes in planning for parks and recreation departments, is compiling the master plan. Leon Younger said his company has prepared similar plans across the country and the public had to help establish the goals of the master plan.
“Even though Crested Butte is the community we are studying, we understand there’s a larger regional audience but only so many dollars available,” Younger said in a nod toward Mt. Crested Butte, Crested Butte South and other surrounding subdivisions. “We need to figure out what everyone’s role in delivery of services will be so there is no duplication of effort.”
The audience expressed sets of recreation values indicative of Crested Butte—concepts such as keeping the town “authentic,” valuing art and education along with recreation, celebrating the town’s history, finding more things for teenagers to do and trying to keep locals living in town.
When it came time to discuss “vision,” ideas surfaced such as eventually getting an indoor hockey rink, a swimming pool, bringing in an indoor X-games-type event that featured sports like skateboarding. Providing safe bike routes throughout town was important, as was sustainability.
“Let’s think of something ahead of the curve and not be chasing what other towns are already doing,” suggested Dave White of the Air Up There. “Maybe the town could provide a simple, lighted jib park this winter in Pitsker Field. Ultimately, a huge indoor alternative rec center could be established—something like the Woodward Camp at Copper Mountain with foam pits, climbing walls and skateboarding.”
Martha Montano said raising three teenagers in Crested Butte taught her the importance of trying to find organized activities for teens. She also advocated improving town traffic flow with solutions such as roundabouts.
“In ten years, perhaps we’ll have a sugar daddy buy Mount Emmons and we can have a competing ski area with Mt. Crested Butte,” suggested Crested Butte citizen Jeff Scott. “It would also be nice to get all the Nordic trails tied in together.”
Jacob Parr of the Colorado Boarder said new facilities could be multipurpose. “Perhaps a rink could be turned into a place where younger people can listen to music.”
Resident Todd Carroll added that eventually such recreational opportunities could bring in tourism dollars to help the local economy.
Brooke Harless asked the planners to keep in mind finding a potential place for people to camp in Crested Butte. “Something like the camping Telluride provides could be an asset to Crested Butte,” she said.
The local participants spent 90 minutes in “break-out groups” discussing possible town programs and services, potential town facilities and assets, and trails and open space.
The consultants gathered the data and will eventually craft a public survey. Those surveys will be mailed out in October to a sampling of area residents. The information will be distilled down to the key issues and by next January, a Crested Butte Parks and Rec Master Plan will be unveiled.
