Town Council candidates face off at forum

Mail your ballot before November 3

Seven of the nine people running for Crested Butte Town Council fielded almost two hours of questions from the public at the Crested Butte News Candidate’s Forum held Sunday evening.

 

 

Taking the stage at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts, council hopefuls Don Haver, Brian Kilkelly, Roland Mason, Jim Schmidt, Phoebe Wilson, and John Wirsing and mayoral candidate Leah Williams took on the issues of general development in the area, ski area expansion onto Snodgrass Mountain, transportation in the valley, the Foothills annexation proposal, carbon emissions, the Sixth Street Station proposal, and what Halloween costumes they might don in two weeks. Council candidates Jay Harris and Guy Ciulla were out of town on family matters and didn’t attend the forum.

Give me something new…
Crested Butte Council veteran Margot Levy started the questioning, asking each person to name an “innovative or enlightened” idea they hope to work on and accomplish if elected.
“I want to help expand the tourist season,” started Haver. “CBMR has improved the bike trails on the mountain so maybe fall bike competitions can be held up there. Maybe we support small music events like the type Mike Marchitelli tried with his Cajun music festival. We need to explore how to get people here in the off-season.”
Brian Kilkelly reiterated an idea he had put forward in the paper. “Developing some sort of non-profit health care clinic in town is an idea,” he said. “A lot of young people are uninsured and that would help.”
Roland Mason wanted to see the transportation system in the valley expanded. “The RTA is good but we could use a really good transportation system in the valley linking Gunnison and Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. More buses and later times,” he suggested. “Supporting expanded transportation could get kids down to the Gunnison ice rink with a bus and that could save Crested Butte money by not having to build its own rink, for example.”
Schmidt envisioned covering the buildings in the town shop area by the sewer plant with solar panels. “Those buildings are ugly anyway so I don’t think solar panels are going to hurt the look,” he said. “I’d also like to explore a micro-hydro power plant in town. And a third idea would be for everyone to invite people they know to come and visit here. That will help the economy. Hey, if you are having a class reunion, why have it in Kansas? Bring the people here.”
Wilson echoed Mason on prioritizing transportation expansion. The owner of the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin suggested organizing local businesses to help with a more thorough late-night taxi service. “DUIs in this area really concern me,” she said. “I also think some minor improvements to Cottonwood Pass could perhaps be made to make it easier to get here in the summer.”
Wirsing said he would like to explore ways to attract small businesses to Crested Butte. He suggested using the Internet as an attraction. “Telemarkski.com went from a little website to a company employing eight people in the busy times,” said its former manager. “We need to branch out. You can get more people living here so it’s not just a body here for three days. You can live in Phoenix or L.A. or here. People will choose here if it is feasible.”
Williams seconded that idea and said some efforts are under way to explore such options. “Having a mesh network in town would benefit all the people who live and visit here.” Such a network would allow wireless Internet access everywhere in town.

Someone actually asked about development
Longtime Crested Butte resident Ceil Murray wanted to ask about specific positions on the Foothills annexation proposal, but given the town attorney’s warning that the process was being conducted in a quasi-judicial method, each declined to say whether they approved or disapproved of the current plan. Murray broadened her question to ask the candidates’ position on development in general.
“Development is inevitable,” posited Wirsing. “But development should follow the guidelines of the town. We don’t want buildings in Crested Butte to look like they dropped in out of Breckenridge.”
Schmidt agreed. “Development is part of our economy,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we should bend the rules because a developer wants to bend them. If they are good rules, they will hold up in good times and bad.”
“Some growth is probably in the best interest of the community,” said Wilson. “But it should be sustainable and development should adhere to our design guidelines. We’re at the end of the road and if we look like everyone else, no one will come here. Our oddity is our commodity.”
Kilkelly said that to say all development is good or bad was not valid. “It is too much of a blanket statement,” he said. “For development, the demand should be there first. A bunch of empty houses is not attractive.”
Haver said development should be approved on “our terms. The Verzuh annexation is a good example. It has to look like the rest of town.”
Mason said development is needed for Crested Butte to remain sustainable. “But it should be looked at in an overall view. We need to look at the entire valley when evaluating development.”
Moon Ridge subdivision resident Maureen Hall asked the candidates what they’d like to see in the corridor around the cemetery. All the candidates said they’d ideally like to see it left open but that probably wasn’t going to happen. The current council recently turned down an offer to purchase 23 acres of land in that area from the Spann Family Ranches, citing a lack of money.
“It would be nice to keep that land as a buffer but since the town couldn’t afford to buy it, we’ll have to look at what comes forth as a proposal and evaluate the pros and cons,” said Wilson. Everyone at the table was essentially on the same page with the issue.

Ahhh… Snodgrass
And then there was the Snodgrass issue, brought up by expansion critic Gary Dotzler. While there were varying degrees of support and opposition to the plan to bring ski lifts to the mountain, all the candidates agreed the ski company needed to do a better job with the current permit area before moving over to Snodgrass.
Wirsing said someone had given him a Lower Loop analogy. “Developing Snodgrass would be like paving the Lower Loop, rearranging it and charging $1,000 to use it. I think expanding to Snodgrass is hard to justify at this point.”
Kilkelly agreed. “I am against the current plan,” he said. “I understand there is plenty of land on the current mountain available to develop for intermediate skiing. And there is an air of people not trusting each other when having the debate. That needs to change.”
Wilson was less opposed. “It is obviously on a lot of people’s minds,” she said. “We need to work with CBMR to make both their economy and the town’s economy viable. I have a lot of concerns with the expansion proposal but if the ultimate concern in the town is thwarting the mine, Snodgrass may be the best way to prevent a mining interest by strengthening the tourist economy.”
Haver wanted to see a joint public meeting to filter fact from fiction. “We need to get both sides together to determine the real facts. Trust is an issue,” he said. Haver pointed out that Crested Butte dropped in the recent Ski Magazine rankings from #21 to #24. “There sure appears to be too many black runs. Will families come here to ski without more intermediate?”
Mason said he had literally grown up around the Snodgrass debate. “I’m on the fence right now,” he said. “I see the potential benefits but it goes back to timing. Will CBMR keep the plan they have if the town says they like it or will they change it? I need more information.”
Williams reiterated that she wanted the town to be a “cooperating agency” during the NEPA review process organized by the Forest Service. “I want to make sure we protect our quality of life issues,” she said.
Schmidt said he “was not in love with CBMR but I don’t have a problem with Snodgrass. Of course some issues would have to be mitigated. But since I’ve been here the ski area has grown a lot. I don’t think having Snodgrass will change the character of the town.”
Wirsing jumped on Haver and Mason’s faith issue with CBMR. “It goes back to the trust factor,” he said. “The land between the Goldlink and Prospect lifts would have been perfect intermediate terrain for skiing but they chose to develop houses there instead. That’s not much of a show of good faith.”
Wilson agreed that CBMR “should in good faith do what they can with what they have first.”
Kilkelly concurred. “If developing more intermediate terrain on the current mountain brings in more people, it would strengthen their argument, but they should start there,” he said.
Mason also said there were obvious improvements needed at the current mountain. “Seeing families eating at a picnic table at 20-below zero or on the steps of the Treasury Center isn’t going to get those people back,” he said. “[CBMR] should be looking at alternative activities to provide guests.”
Wirsing said the ski area should be exploring other attractions such as a water park at the base area. “They need to find other ways to entertain people. We aren’t competing just against other ski areas, but we are competing against the beach as well.”

Foothills magic
Resident Glo Cunningham brought up the Foothills annexation proposal. She asked candidates’ opinion on the process and then asked, “If you had a magic wand, what would you ask the proponents?”
Haver said the Town Council and Planning Commission sessions seem to be going beyond a traditional sketch plan negotiation. “If I had a wand, I’d ask the proponents why they spent $15 million on the land without spending $40,000 on the test to determine what’s in the old dump.”
Kilkelly saw the negotiations turning into “a bait-and-switch situation. First they came in and everything was great and they offered a lot. Now it’s like they are saying either the town cleans it up or we’ll sue you. If I had the wand, I’d ask them what their definition is of affordable housing.”
Mason said the meetings he has attended have appeared very frustrating for everyone in the room. “I certainly haven’t heard a lot of positive statements from the public. Most people are concerned with what it will look like. If I had the wand, I’d ask them to set a specific date to get either a yes or no answer.”
Schmidt said the original proposal was so far off the town’s guideline marks, it has been frustrating from the beginning. “I feel like it recently is turning into a hostile takeover more than a cooperative negotiation. If I could wave the magic wand, I’d want to see more public land in the project.”
“It’s certainly a large can of worms,” agreed Wilson. “It’s important, however, to realize that the dump situation doesn’t just go away if the annexation does. The proposal has some good benefits in affordable housing and open space. They also have an idea where they’ll pay for the cost of the dump cleanup up-front. If I had the wand, I’d ask how them this will ultimately affect the business community and what burdens would be placed on the town.”
Wirsing said the frustration could have been avoided if the proponents had followed the town area plan and subdivision regulations. “The town has guidelines on paper,” he said. “We have standards on what we want and how it should be built. The Foothills plan has never stayed consistent. If I had the magic wand I would make the dump go away. And frankly, if I bought a car with a blown engine, I wouldn’t go after the people who owned it before the guy I bought it from.”
Williams wanted the wand to “be able to push the do-over button. But I want them to tell us how it will be a benefit and not a cost to us as a town.” She also emphasized that no one knew yet who was ultimately liable for the old dump cleanup.
Mason said the council shouldn’t let the proponents set the ultimate timeline for approving the plan. “There are still lots of things to figure out.”

How green can you be?
When asked about reducing carbon emissions, the candidates all lauded the town’s Energy Action Plan. Wilson said historic preservation and energy efficiency shouldn’t be pitted against each other. “They should be compatible,” she said.
Kilkelly said a new review of BOZAR (Board of Zoning and Architectural Review) regulations to enhance energy efficiency might be in order.
Wirsing said a lot of the things being touted as “green” aren’t necessarily very impactful. “I’d look at developing real alternative energy sources like solar and wind in the valley,” he said.
Mason said carefully allowing solar panels, “even on old buildings in town, would not hurt the historical integrity of Crested Butte.”
Schmidt said the town should support the Gunnison County Electric Association idea “and its efforts to put a power plant at the Taylor Reservoir. Hydro-plants are great and should be explored,” he said.
Haver said money to fund alternative energy projects could be garnered through sales tax, which makes up 56 percent of the town’s budget. “If we get more tourists here we get more money to put toward these ideas,” he said.
Elliot Stern asked for views on the Rural Transportation Authority in the valley. Everyone liked the service and would love to find ways to expand it.

Sixth Street Station
Current councilman Reed Betz asked about the Sixth Street Station. No one opposed underground parking but everyone was against letting the project spill onto public land. There has been talk about allowing so-called “bump-outs” onto public rights-of-way as part of the project.
“There are some exciting aspects to the project. They can be the first to test underground parking over there and see if it is a feasible deal. It might come with a car wash,” Wirsing said in reference to the anticipated high water table in the area. “The high-end hotel idea is a real benefit.”
Schmidt said he was concerned with size and scale of the project but would certainly keep an eye on it as it moved through the town process.
Williams said she trusted the BOZAR and town staff to keep the project appropriate to Crested Butte.

Can the Village People all work together?
All agreed that the other candidates were good people and people they could work with as a team. Each advocated something along the lines of holding a council retreat after the election and determining specific goals.
“There’s more agreement among us than I expected,” commented Kilkelly.
“The council should represent a cross section of the community,” added Wirsing. “It’s sort of like the Village People. Everyone has their role.”
Schmidt reminded everyone that there was nothing wrong “with respectful disagreement.”
Wilson touted the wealth of information available through the town staff and said the staff was a great asset for the council.

Boo
Resident Alex Fenlon asked the final question of the night: What would the candidates dress up as for Halloween?
Williams said she had a trunk of clothes her mother wore to special events. “It includes an old pill box hat and it would make me feel like a queen,” she said.
Wirsing said he planned to be a “concerned parent, carrying three water bottles and healthy snacks” this Halloween.
Wilson admitted an old obsession with shoes. “I could go as Imelda Marcos,” she said.
Schmidt said it was frightening enough to look in the mirror each morning but if he could, he’d go as “a skinny, young person.”
Mason planned to pull out his 2008 costume and go as Dracula while being a guide at the Haunted House in the Company Store.
Kilkelly said if he wanted to really frighten people, he’d go as “a Republican who raises taxes, but I’ll end up being Walter from the movie The Big Lebowski.”
And finally, Haver said he planned to stay home and pass out candy, but a guy in a Bernie Madoff mask might meet you at the door.
The candidates all ended with their closing statement on why people should vote for them. Ballots have been sent out and should be mailed back to the county by November 3.