Many thanks for Nordic Council’s “new cat house”

To the Editor:
Friday afternoon the Crested Butte Nordic Council officially received the certificate of occupancy [CO] for our new cat barn, or as Skip likes to call it, “our cat house.”
Literally within minutes of having our CO, we celebrated a new era of improved operations for CBNC with an open house filled with a very enthusiastic crowd of supporters (free food and alcohol always helps).
This project would not have been possible without the support of the community and a dedicated cast of volunteers who gave up many days of prime riding this fall as well as some marginal days of skiing.
I would like to personally thank Dale Kramer, Rick Murray, and Skip Berkshire for going the extra mile with the construction, but the truth is, I’m only getting started.
I would still be banging nails if it wasn’t for several angels (yes, they are androgynous) who appeared seemingly out of nowhere: Jason Stubbe, Glenn Michel, Chris Goodnough, Chris Lange, Toni Westerholm, John Meyer, Don and Gretchen Bunnell, Beth Carter, Ross Matlock, Steve Jennison, Rich Smith, Jimmy Latter, Carl Reinman, Todd Malzhan, and Allen Hadley.
My sincere thanks to our staff for putting up with me while I was mired down in construction mode, and for presenting such an enthusiastic and professional face to our community and visitors.
Of course this project would never have broken ground without the support of the Town Council and staff, Susan Parker, Bob Gillie, Jake Jones, and Molly Minneman. Many thanks go to our local municipal funders, the Town of Crested Butte, Gunnison County, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte, and the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District.
Special thanks go to our World Cup donors, Michael Bleakley, the Whetstone Mountain Foundation, and Cliff and Janet Richmond, as well as all our many other donors who extended themselves for the betterment of the Nordic community.
Thanks to Peanut Mine, Inc. for letting us recycle a building, Dave Ochs of Red Ridge Design for the great drawings that helped smooth out the approval process, Mike Arbaney for his engineering savvy, Norm Whitehead for letting us know exactly where to start building, Carl Reinman for some free crane time, and the crews at Alpine Lumber and Mountain Colors for selling us the right stuff at the right price.
Finally, thanks to all our subs who kept the prices down, returned phone calls and showed up on time: JCI, Justin Hicks, Precision Plumbing, Buckhorn Geotech, Dragon Sheet Metal, Crested Butte Electrical, Blanco Corp, Western Slope Garage Door and Eagle Sales of Crested Butte.
The good news is this project came in under budget, right at $82.5/sq ft. with all fees included, thanks to the dedication and hard work of all the folks mentioned above. For a structure in town that has an R60 ceiling, R34 walls, in-floor heat, and hot and cold running water, we think that’s a pretty good price. The lukewarm news is that it’s only 80 percent paid for. If you would still like to contribute to our Nordic success, it’s definitely not too late. Please contact one of our board members, give me a call, or shoot me an email at director@cbnordic.org. We’d be thrilled to have your support.
Dean Davis, our head groomer, may have said it best, “I can’t wait for the cat to break down just so I can have a warm, dry place to fix it.” Be careful what you wish for Dean, but that’s what years of laying on chunks of cardboard in sub-zero temperatures will do to a guy. It’s been a long time coming, but well worth the wait. Thank you Crested Butte and Gunnison for all your support.

Keith Bauer
Director,
Crested Butte Nordic Council