Crested Butte snow plan getting tested this year, results are good

Crews keeping streets clean

The valley already has more snow than it seemed to have received all of last season. A couple of decent storms have made skiing good and provided an early test of Crested Butte’s new “Snow and Ice Control Operations Plan.” The plan was actually put on the books last year but because snowfall was so lean, the plan never had a chance to really be implemented.

“Is it working so far? I’d say yes,” said Crested Butte public works director Rodney Due. “But it is probably too early to come up with final conclusions. We’ve been able to implement the policies with these early-season storms and we haven’t had a lot of complaints, so from that perspective, it appears to be working.”
Under the plan, Due’s department hired extra personnel to deal with late-night snowfall. Crews would be out in the wee hours keeping the streets relatively free of snow during storms. The focus is on Elk Avenue and the Mountain Express bus route but the crew would try to get all streets plowed during storms.
“As we always see when we start plowing, there is some grumbling from people when snow is pushed into their driveway,” said Due. “No one likes to have their driveway blocked but that’s what happens during snow events. Most people understand that and know they will get snow in their driveways because it is snowing.
“We have stated that when we pull up the snowpack from the streets, we’ll make every effort to clear local driveways,” continued Due. “But that won’t be happening during storms or regular plowing. We want to be very clear about that and make sure people understand that they will have to deal with snow in the driveways when we plow during and immediately after a storm.”
Due said the crew is keeping Elk Avenue wide so it can accommodate buses, cars and people. The snow banks have been trimmed back but remain in the center of town for scenic purposes. Due said those snow banks will be pulled from the town’s main thoroughfare in about a week.
Councilperson John Wirsing said he has received some early-season complaints from people about the noise generated in the early mornings because of snow clearing. Wirsing lives near one of the town’s snow storage lots and he has personally experienced the joy of 3 a.m. trucking noises. He asked that the town consider measures to lower the noise volume. Due said he personally hasn’t taken many noise complaints.
“The bottom line at this early stage is that the plan seems to be going according to plan,” said Due. “It’s still early and it isn’t thoroughly tested yet but it’s good to have a few storms to work with it and get the operation going.”