Briefs Mt. Crested Butte

Stepanik hired as Chief of Police

The Town Council welcomed and congratulated Mt. Crested Butte’s new chief of police, Nate Stepanik, who replaced retiring chief Hank Smith.

Stepanik told the council he’s eager to open new lines of communication between the town council and the police department and invited council members to tag along with an officer car during an event or an otherwise busy night around town to see what goes on.
“It would give you a bigger picture of what you’re spending the money on,” he told the council.
Stepanik has been an officer in Mt. Crested Butte since 2001.

Dual Survival at Waunita
Town manager Joe Fitzpatrick urged the Town Council to tune into the Discovery Channel after the meeting to watch Dual Survival, a reality-based survival show. Monday’s episode was filmed near Waunita Hot Springs.
Councilman David Clayton explained that the show is hosted by a hippie and a special-forces trained survivalist who use their diverse methods to survive without supplies in new, and presumably harsh, environments.
“It might be kind of fun to see what they did with it,” Fitzpatrick said.
Affordable housing in Prospect
Crested Butte Mountain Resort vice president for real estate and development Michael Kraatz asked the council for some leniency in its requirements for affordable housing units in the Prospect subdivision.
Kraatz explained that the agreement between the developer and the town would have required three new units to be built each year for a total of 41 affordable housing units.
“We just want to see the mitigation tied to the need for mitigation,” Kraatz said. “So it makes sense to us to have the number of affordable units tied to the number of market units being built in Prospect.”
The council agreed and relieved CBMR of its affordable housing obligations for the time being. Fitzpatrick said the decision would be reviewed annually as part of the annual report.

Council appoints Lodovico to Planning Commission
Ken Lodovico stepped up to offer his time as a member of the Mt. Crested Butte Planning Commission, filling the vacancy left by Tom Steuer, who took a seat on the Town Council.
Councilman Danny D’Aquila said he’s had professional dealings with Lodovico and called him a “perfect candidate.” The council approved the appointment unanimously.