Council rebuffs staff attempt to move buses off Whiterock Ave.

It’s not Disneyland over there

Despite a recommendation from the town staff to change the Mountain Express bus route through town this winter, the Crested Butte Town Council wants to stay with the current route.

At the Monday, October 4 meeting, the staff had suggested taking the bus off of Whiterock Avenue and bringing it through the newly paved Big Mine Park parking area. The ice rink, Nordic center and sledding hill are all located in Big Mine Park between Second and Third Streets at the south side of town. A bus pull-out was included in this summer’s paving upgrades.
The bus would then head down Belleview Avenue to Sixth Street before starting back up to Mt. Crested Butte. The staff memo to the council indicated Whiterock is a narrow street and “showcasing Big Mine Park including current and future amenities will enhance the visitor experience and will increase accessibility to the facility for everyone.”
Longtime Crested Butte businessman Bob Matalon of C.B. Auto said he understood showing off Big Mine Park, “up to a point. My problem is Belleview is a busy street most of the year,” he said. “I don’t have a problem watching buses drive by, but the problem is keeping things moving over there on a consistent basis.”
Matalon said there are regularly delivery trucks, big tractor trailers and tow trucks in the street. They sometimes block the street for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. “It is a disaster waiting to happen,” he said. “It is not a wise move at this time. I’ve asked several businesses located over there what they think of the idea and they are not in favor of it.”
Mountain Express manager Chris Larsen said he bases his decisions on safety and schedule. “Third and Belleview [where the bus would exit Big Mine Park] is a congested area,” he said. “That’s my biggest concern. It will also add at least two minutes to the route and that route doesn’t have minutes to spare. While I’ve always wanted to get the buses off Whiterock, I’m not sure this is the right way. There is a lot of congestion over there but especially in the winter, at night during hockey games.”
The bus system’s assistant manager, Bill Quiggle, agreed. “Frankly, people comment on how much they like the look of Whiterock in the winter,” he said. “The visitors comment on the small homes and the lights and the snow banks. It is very pretty at night in the winter. It is very cute. Going down the commercial zone on Belleview wouldn’t be that cute.”
Mikey Larsen of Mikey’s Pizza, which is located on the north side of the new parking area, said he thought changing the route was a good idea. “I think it makes sense. I’ll be there to serve you coffee and food,” he promised. “Change is hard but it makes sense to get the bus off the residential path. It shows off your winter amenities at Big Mine Park. The kids can ride the bus to the hockey rink. Having the park seen by the tourists as opposed to the quaintness of Whiterock is good, too.”
But in the end, the council came out strongly against the idea of moving the route. “I don’t want to change it,” said councilperson Jim Schmidt. “There is a real hassle over there with the congestion. I think it would be a real problem on Belleview, what with the delivery vehicles. I think a lot of stuff will be in the way.
“I’m also a little disappointed with the staff for going ahead and putting in the bus pull-out,” Schmidt continued. “We should have discussed this before the paving over by Big Mine was started. Perhaps we could have shifted some of the money to the current bus stop at Second and Whiterock and used the money to make a nicer pull-out.”
Councilperson Phoebe Wilson said she initially saw a benefit in switching routes. “I agree that it would be a good way to show off Big Mine Park,” she said, “and I felt it might encourage beautifying Belleview. It might also encourage more businesses over there. But now it seems that the infrastructure problems are too big to overcome.”
Councilperson and Whiterock Avenue resident Roland Mason said the neighbors he spoke with like the bus on their street. “They like the amenity of being able to run out of their house and catch the bus, especially with kids,” he said. “And I know schedule is important for a bus system. Just two minutes can set everything back and turn into a real mess. There’s also the chance people will park in Big Mine to catch the bus and that will cause more congestion.”
Fellow Whiterock resident Cathy Sporcich said she’d love to see the bus route move off Whiterock, “but in the summer the kids are everywhere over there by the skateboard park. Safety is a real consideration. I’d rather keep the buses on Whiterock than risk having a kid run over.”
Councilperson John Wirsing suggested maybe running the bus through the Big Mine Park and turning back onto Whiterock. “But that could screw up the schedule again,” he said.
Councilperson Reed Betz argued for the change but realized his fellow council members outnumbered him. “I have no problem making the change,” he said. “Maybe we try it for a year and see if it works. I see it as a benefit to the businesses on Belleview.”
Matalon said the council had a philosophical decision to make as well. “Do you want businesses like Al’s Backhoe or C.B. Auto or the lumber yard over there?” he asked. “Or do you want restaurants and shops? It is the commercial and industrial part of town and that helps make this a real town. It’s not all Disneyland.”
Acting mayor Dan Escalante said public transportation is a beautiful thing. “Seeing it work on Whiterock is great and if we move it, more people might decide to get in their cars, and that will cause more traffic,” he said. “I think the direction of the council is pretty clear to not change the bus route.”
The staff heard the message. Expect to continue catching the bus on Whiterock Avenue.