Briefs Crested Butte

Can town allow more than medical marijuana?

A special Town Council meeting will be held in Crested Butte Monday, June 14 to discuss the medical (and potential non-medical) marijuana issue. New state regulations could affect the town’s governing regulations. Town Attorney John Belkin and Town Manager Susan Parker recently attended a conference in Denver outlining some of the ramifications of the state regulations changes.

“The state law will not affect our ordinance at all but you could make changes based on the state’s regulations. It could come down to: Do you want to legalize the commercial sale of marijuana in Crested Butte?” Belkin told the council. “Be prepared for a comprehensive presentation at the special meeting next Monday.”
In the meantime, five businesses are in the process of being granted a license to dispense medical marijuana in Crested Butte. The businesses have gone through a lengthy review process and Parker is expected to approve or deny the individual applications by June 18.

Finalizing the Kochevar open space
The council passed various ordinances facilitating the purchase and transfer of the Kochevar open space parcels in the Slate River Valley. The first phase of the purchase is set to close on June 30 and will cost $3 million. The entire property will be sold in three phases for $5.4 million. The town is applying for various state and local grants to help fund the purchase and is using open space money from its real estate transfer tax.
The town is still working on clarifying public access issues to all the parcels and are tweaking the operating agreements that regulate items like agricultural and recreational uses on the property. The proposed conservation easement with the Crested Butte Land Trust on the property will be discussed at a June 14 special meeting. At the moment, no hunting will be permitted on the land, motorized vehicles will be strictly prohibited and the documents will not address the possibility of allowing (and possibly charging for) groomed Nordic trails on the parcels.
After making its commitments to the current outstanding open space projects along with this new project, the town’s Real Estate Transfer Tax fund will be left with about $115,000.

Slow down out there!
As is usual this time of year, the council said they were hearing horror stories of speeding inside the town limits of Crested Butte. The speed limit in town is essentially 15 miles per hour. Several signs are posted in various neighborhoods and they get shifted throughout town during the summer months. Each neighborhood can purchase its own such signs as added insurance to slow down the speeding vehicles. Citizen Ann Johnston said she lives near the bottom of Kebler Pass Road and has noticed the tendency of people to speed up once they get off the dirt and hit the town pavement. Parker said she would alert the Marshal’s Office.

Help plant a tree, get a break on Little League fees
Saturday, June 12 is Arbor Day in Crested Butte. Instead of a free aspen tree hand-out, the parks and recreation department is asking for volunteers to help plant 17 spruce trees near the new Tommy V. baseball field. Those who volunteer will receive a parks-and-rec discount voucher. The tree planting starts at 9 a.m.

Cart love
The council will review the ordinance governing commercial carts in Crested Butte at the June 14 special meeting, to look at size restrictions. Councilperson Dan Escalante likes carts as a way of doing business and suggested allowing more of them in Crested Butte. Currently food and merchandise carts are limited to two merchandise carts and four food carts. Town clerk Eileen Hughes said there is a small waiting list for cart licenses. Escalante suggested loosening the restrictions. Mayor Leah Williams said the rules came about after local businesses with higher rents made some noise about the unfair advantage carts could have. The council may dip their collective toe into that potential controversy.