Crested Butte Town Council leaning toward tidying up town

Private signs on town signs, vehicles for sale, bothering town manager and council

Some things are about to get a little tidier in Crested Butte. Town manager Susan Parker has admitted she would prefer the entrance to town be spic-and-span. Two years ago she lobbied the Town Council to make it illegal to park vehicles with “For Sale” signs at the Sixth and Belleview, which is the first stop sign coming into Crested Butte. The council at the time didn’t back her request.

This summer Parker has brought a similar issue up to the council. At the Monday, June 19 meeting she told the council members that seeing homemade signs for things like garage sales stapled to town stop signs and directional signs bothered her. She wanted permission to post a “No Unauthorized Posting” sign at the Four-way Stop at Sixth and Elk.
“I find it unsightly,” she said. “We have a code against it and I’ve instructed the marshals to take down the signs for things like Crested Butte South rummage sales. We don’t need that on our stop signs. We are using a light touch but there is no reason for us to advertise a Crested Butte South rummage sale. It is unwelcoming to the community in my opinion. I personally don’t like them and want to know how the council feels.”
“I don’t have a problem with these signs,” responded councilperson Reed Betz. “I’d rather see the marshals focus on slowing down speeders in town instead of spending time taking down rummage sale signs.”
Mayor Leah Williams said she thought it reasonable to post a “No Posting” notice at the Four-way Stop.
“It’s common in small communities for people to do this,” responded councilperson Phoebe Wilson. “It’s kind of cute.”
“It’s part of who we are,” added councilperson John Wirsing. “If anything, I would say enforce it after the event. Clean up the signs after the event is over.”
“I don’t generally have a problem with the signs,” agreed councilperson Jim Schmidt, “but I’d agree with Leah and say go ahead and put a notice at the Four-way Stop.”
Councilperson Roland Mason said he was fine with the status quo. “It only happens in the summer, which is for a short period of time,” he said. “I agree with the enforcement as it is now.”
Councilperson Dan Escalante wanted to talk cars for sale at the entrance to town. “I don’t like them anymore,” he said. “They just kind of stack up there.”
Parker said she spoke with the owner of the vacant lot at the corner of Sixth and Belleview. “It was becoming a used car lot and an abandonment lot,” she said. “I don’t like the aesthetic of the cars parked there. We’ve run the plates and most of the cars aren’t even local.”
“I didn’t support it last time but I’ll support it now,” said Escalante. “I don’t like it.”
Schmidt agreed that it was becoming a bit too much.
“I still think we should not allow vehicles for sale to just be parked on town streets,” said Williams.
“I just want them off Sixth Street,” said Parker. “Sixth is our entrance corridor and Sixth and Belleview is the worst place for them to be.”
“I don’t have a problem with that either,” said Betz. “I feel like with so much on the town staff’s plate, this shouldn’t be a priority.”
“It’s not something we should accommodate,” said Escalante. “It was taking up parking spaces during Alpenglow.”
Given the leanings of Escalante, Williams, Schmidt and Wilson, the staff will bring back the ordinance written a couple of years ago to prohibit vehicles with “For Sale” signs from being placed on public streets.
“The ordinance is already written so this won’t involve a lot of staff time,” promised Parker. Look for an ordinance to be considered at the August 3 meeting that will prohibit parking a vehicle for the purpose of selling it on Sixth Street and the surrounding half a block.