Crested Butte council tangled up in signs—again

“The white ones gotta go…”

It’s not the most dramatic issue the Crested Butte Town Council has ever faced but it’s one of the most persistent: Signs. Discussion of the town sign code is a regular topic of discussion, and this summer is no exception.

This time the twist is what sort of outdoor signs should be allowed. Chalkboards? Grease boards? White board? Green board? Black boards? You can’t be bored. Sounds Dr. Seuss-ish but this is what the council does while the citizens are at Alpenglow on Monday nights. And the council is ready to bend the rules a little more.
Under the current rules adopted in 2005 and amended in 2010, the boards must conform to rules that allow one such sign per business; they must be green or black and written on with chalk; they can be two-sided with five square feet on each side; and they must be on private property.
In a memo to the council at the August 2 meeting, building and zoning director Bob Gillie wrote, “The regulation of these requirements has been an ongoing problem and has required a lot of staff time. All of the requirements have been violated and continue to be violated on a weekly basis. Despite numerous contacts these infractions continue to occur.”
So Gillie and the staff asked the council if they would consider allowing white dry-eraser boards instead of just dark chalkboards. He said the staff would do whatever the council wanted and if that meant not changing the rules and instead requiring more enforcement, they would do it. Gillie asked in the memo that the council “direct the staff to either change the sign code or engage in continued enforcement with the support of the council.”
“It’s an ongoing issue,” Gillie told the council. “How important is it to the council? We’re willing to enforce it but we don’t want to get in row over nothing. If you don’t care, let’s not make it a big deal.”
The staff supplied the council with several photos of the various signs around Elk Avenue.
“The white ones definitely are inconsistent and stand out,” said mayor Leah Williams.
Williams said she had spoken to councilperson Roland Mason, who was not at the meeting. Williams said Mason “felt that if the grease board was black, then it was okay. If it was white, they shouldn’t be allowed. I also talked to Reed [Betz] and he suggested we should have this discussion in the fall when we do a review of Elk Avenue and how it worked in the summer.”
Councilperson Jim Schmidt differed. “I have no problem if the boards are white,” he said. “The black ones are more attractive but it’s not a big deal.”
“I think it’s ridiculous to talk about it so much,” said councilperson John Wirsing. “It’s the third time in two years it’s been brought up. I don’t like operating in an area where people push the envelope and we keep adjusting the rules. The rules are the rules. There’s nothing wrong with our sign ordinance and I don’t want to change it. It’s pathetic that people won’t follow simple rules.”
“Maybe the thing to do is stick with black or green on any kind of board,” said councilperson Dan Escalante. “To me the white isn’t as attractive. But we have a lot more onerous rules.”
“So I’m hearing that from an enforcement standpoint, we should tell the businesses that the council will consider grease boards that are black or green but white ones should not be used and council will change the ordinance when they have the time,” said Gillie.
“Yes,” responded Williams. “The white boards got to go.”