Briefs Crested Butte

Sprucing up Tommy V. Field
Parks and Recreation Director Jake Jones said the town budgeted $2,000 for the tree program in 2010. He went out and got another $1,500 in grant money and now he wants to use the funds to plant trees near the new Tommy V. baseball field. In the past, the town has planted trees near various parks or given away aspens to town residents. “We want to try something new this year and we plan to plant six- or seven-foot spruce trees near Tommy V. field,” he said. “We can afford 16 or 17 trees and they would go between Ninth Street and the field or around the new bathroom site.” So there won’t be any free trees for residents on Arbor Day this year—but it will look good around the new ball field.

It ain’t getting any better…
The first month of 2010 sales tax collections indicates business was slow. January is never a huge month in terms of cash flow but January 2010 sales tax was off a whopping 18 percent in Crested Butte compared to 2009. And 2009 was off 9 percent compared to 2008. In hard numbers, $176,523 was collected in January 2008, $160,880 in January 2009 and $132,181 this past January.

Chamber gets Visitor Center okay
The Town Council approved a professional services agreement with the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce to run the Visitor Center at the Four-way Stop. The agreement was tweaked to provide some Visitor Center coverage over weekends, including during the spring and fall off-seasons. There was lots of discussion of requiring the agreement to contain a promise to get the Fourth of July fireworks show to launch from Crested Butte but it was determined that is a matter between the towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. That discussion will take place between the two councils after a new Mt. Crested Butte council is sworn in this April.

Free advice from the ex…
Former mayor Alan Bernholtz addressed the council and asked them to keep the proposed molybdenum mine in their thoughts. “I know with all the publicity lately of the Avatar hype or the five guys sitting around talking about the Pioneer ski area making the front page it is easy to forget about the big issues,” he said. “But I encourage this Town Council to remain aware of the mine. The mining company doesn’t care what the town thinks. Be ready for them. It’s a complicated deal and there are some things they have to file in April. Be ahead of the game and be prepared for the mine. The big boys are going to be coming. It’s big money. Keep the mine at the forefront and do something.”

State of the Town report to give the town some love
In what candidly is an opportunity to “boast,” the council okayed an idea to have the town manager and mayor compile a so-called “State of the Town” report. The idea is to review some of the “good things” the town has accomplished.
“We all tend to dwell on things that have gone wrong or things we couldn’t accomplish, but we’ve done a lot of things right,” said acting town manager Bob Gillie. “This is a chance to look back at what’s happened over time.”
“There are some things we can boast about,” said Mayor Leah Williams.
“It’s a great opportunity to brag,” added Councilperson Reed Betz as he asked that the town’s energy efficiency measures be included in any “State of the Butte” list.
A preliminary list was given to the council. It noted how the town has been fiscally responsible, enhanced a renowned historic district, supported the arts, fostered non-profit organizations, helped drive open space in the region, been a leader in affordable housing and helped facilitate local schools.

Sixth Street Station, capital projects and moratorium updates
Town Building and Zoning Director Bob Gillie said the Board of Zoning and Architectural Review (BOZAR) is close to finishing up the architectural and site aspects of the Sixth Street Station project. What is expected to be one of the final work sessions on the topic will be held Wednesday, March 24 at 6 p.m.  Sixth Street Station is a major development slated for the north side of town.
Gillie said bids are out for the wastewater clarifier project, the paving of Eighth Street and the renovation of the bathrooms in the Old Town Hall. “We have some projects this summer that will provide some jobs and keep people busy,” he told the council.
The council extended a moratorium on the extension of town services outside of town boundaries until May 26. The council hopes to have an updated ordinance in place addressing the issue by that time.