The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Looking for a partner
The Town Council wants to slowly move forward with building a new Crested Butte campground on the Avalanche Park site south of town. The 70-acre parcel owned by the town has about six acres of land that could accommodate a campground.
“In light of the Baxter Gulch trails easement this is relevant,” said parks and recreation director Jake Jones, “plus it was identified as a priority in the parks and recreation master plan.”
Jones admitted there were challenges with the property, especially since it was not immediately adjacent to town but located about a half mile from the town boundary. “Getting people back and forth could be an issue,” he admitted.
Jones outlined a potential 30 campsites that could generate some income for the town. He outlined a very rough estimate of startup costs at $242,000, which included paying back the town’s open space fund $42,000 since the property was originally purchased with money from that fund.
“There is a lot of impact with dispersed camping in the area during the summer,” said Jones. “This could help alleviate some of that. Dust is not a minor issue, either, as people drive up and down the nearby valleys looking for campsites.”
Jones estimated the campground could net about $25,000 a summer. “It definitely has the potential to generate income,” he said.
“It would cost a fair amount to develop and I’m not sure we have it,” said councilperson Jim Schmidt. “Let’s perhaps put out a request for proposals and see if we can get a private-public partnership. Let’s see if someone can come in with some capital and participate with us.”
Jones said some further feasibility studies would first be in order. He suggested phasing the project could be one way to cut immediate costs.
The council’s consensus was to move ahead and have Jones conduct some more research on the potential project.
