Briefs Mt. Crested Butte

New garage for Water and Sanitation Department
At the January 19 Mt. Crested Butte Town Council meeting, the Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation Department applied for a conditional use permit for the design and construction of a three-bay garage. Department Manager Frank Glick said the garage was needed to house all their vehicles in one place, and that the more convenient, year-round access would cut down on wasted time.

The proposed location is on their commercially zoned lot at 100 Gothic Rd. On the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the initial building design was altered to include a gabled roof instead of a shed roof; windows will be added to the back of the proposed building; and “appropriate” landscaping needs to be placed near the back of the building to shield the rear of the building as you enter town. The council approved the application, which permits a roughly 1,800-square-foot, 24-foot tall structure. Mt. Crested Butte Mayor William Buck addressed Glick after the permit was approved, saying “Frank, I want to thank you for putting in this extra effort.”

All aboard…
The Mt. Crested Butte Performing Arts Center governing body has been formed, and goes by the name MCPAC. The group has also submitted its 501c3 non-profit application. The Mt. Crested Butte Council discussed appointments to the MCPAC board at its January 19 meeting, and after some discussion it was determined that Mayor William Buck, Town Manager Joe Fitzpatrick, Downtown Development Authority head Allen Cox, and councilperson/DDA board member Gary Keiser would comprise part of the MCPAC board. Mayor Buck said, “The real heavy lifting is going to start soon; the meetings will go weekly. It will be fairly intense.” Keiser was the last to be appointed. “I’m not going to volunteer but will serve if drafted,” Keiser said. Despite working with both the council and DDA, Keiser was willing to take on another community project. All four will likely have two-year terms.
A Mt. Crested Butte Performing Arts Center presentation by the Crested Butte Music Festival followed at the Planning Commission meeting on February 3.

Council supports Mountain Express grant application
Each year, as a member of the Colorado Transit Coalition, the Mountain Express applies for Section 5309 funds to support capital expenditures. This year they are applying for $350,000 for two new buses in 2011. The council wrote letters to Representative John Salazar and Senators Udall and Bennet to request their support. The CTC is the actual grant applicant and requests funding on its members’ behalf. After reviewing the letters at the January 19 meeting, the council approved their contents and signed off.