The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Restaurant Week banner okayed. Keep cars off Elk Avenue until Sunday afternoon?
With persistently shrinking sales tax figures a part of the recent Crested Butte reality, the Town Council is starting to focus on economic development. The council will gather next Tuesday, June 15 at 9 a.m. to discuss the general topic and start coming up with town-specific ideas toward the goal of enhancing business in the community.
The idea is to look at specific programs that might boost the local economy. The committee is made up of the entire council and will be led by Crested Butte building and zoning director Bob Gillie.
Hang the banner
At its regular meeting on Monday, June 7, the Town Council came up with a few preliminary plans. They reversed an earlier decision not to allow the hanging of a banner across Elk Avenue to promote the new Restaurant Week event. It’s the first year for the event, sponsored by the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce and the Crested Butte News. Although the Chamber had requested the banner be hung but under the ordinance governing such banners, the request was denied since a non-profit organization wasn’t the sponsor.
“I’ve heard a lot of complaints about our denying the Restaurant Week banner,” said Mayor Leah Williams. “I think we can bring it in under the heading of being a ‘civic’ event and be within the intent of the town regulations. I’ve talked to (Town Manager) Susan Parker about this.”
“And we’ve agreed to disagree,” Parker said.
“I was in Denver and have heard it being promoted on the Front Range,” said Williams. “This is a big event for business in town. I think the town can participate in hanging a banner June 11 to June 18. I don’t think it will open the floodgates.”
Councilmember Jim Schmidt agreed. “I think government can sometimes get too overburdened with rules,” he said. “I think we just ought to put the banner up. I don’t think we are going to get sued as a result. It’s not setting a precedent like it being a sign for Wooden Nickel Week.”
Councilmember Roland Mason wanted to help promote the event. “It is for a week to promote what could be a good community event. Let’s try to figure out how to make it work.”
“The only hesitation is unintended consequences,” warned councilperson Reed Betz. “But I agree that the intent is to promote all our restaurants and we should do it.”
Williams said if unintended consequences did occur, the town could tweak the ordinance regulating banners to tighten it up. “It’s open to more than just Chamber members. Lodges and restaurants are giving away special deals. Even Crested Butte Mountain Resort jumped in and helped get an $88.50 airfare from Denver. I feel like we ought to play.”
The rest of the council agreed.
Parker said she would bring the ordinance to the council to review and possibly modify since she felt the event was more in line with “economic development and wasn’t a ‘civic’ event. But we’ll hang it up.”
Moving toward an outdoor mall?
On a separate front, councilmember Dan Escalante recently returned from a vacation and noticed that in Quito, Ecuador the town shut off several streets to motorized traffic during the weekend. He floated the idea of doing something similar in Crested Butte.
“It was a great scene and I think if we did a similar thing on part of Elk Avenue for part of Sunday it would be great,” he said. “It was inspiring. The businesses move out onto the sidewalks and the people move out onto the streets. There are people walking and enjoying the scene. They are on their bikes and enjoying a pedestrian-mall feel.
“It is pro-business and pro-community,” Escalante continued. “Maybe we grow the Farmer’s Market on Sundays to a few more blocks. Maybe we block off traffic until 2 or 3 o’clock. I like the idea of food carts. I’d like to see us move toward something like that this summer if possible. It could be a cool thing.”
The council will consider the idea.
