Briefs Crested Butte

Sales tax just keep climbing
April 2013 sales tax showed an improvement over April 2012. Collections rose more than 3.1 percent for the month, which brings the year-to-date figure to a 5.3 percent increase in sales tax collection.

Sidewalk biking conflicts?
During the June 3 meeting, the council began wondering if it was a good idea to let bikes travel on local sidewalks. There has been some conflict between bike riders and pedestrians and some on the council want to discuss whether it might be wise to ban some bikers from the sidewalk as the summer congestion sets in. No one wanted to move children riding bikes onto Elk Avenue but the discussion may become more detailed as we get closer to summer season—which everyone expects to be off-the-charts busy.

Cart controversy…again
This is not an error in repetitiveness—Just like last meeting, despite a protest from cart vendor Shawn Mast, the council will not review its recently changed ordinance that allows carts in town to be 24 square feet as opposed to 20 square feet. Mast, who owns Sock It To Me food cart, told the council the rule change gave any new vendor an unfair advantage over current cart owners. He wanted things changed back so carts would be limited to 20 square feet. The council understood his position but disagreed with it and declined to review the new rule change.

The Glaze gets a reservoir…sort of
The council made an official proclamation and dedication to change the name of the town reservoir to Glazer Reservoir. The move is in honor of longtime local businessman and water advocate Steve Glazer, who has spent countless hours working to protect water in the local area.

Todd in is the house
New town manager Todd Crossett attended his first council meeting June 3—a relatively short one lasting just two and a half hours (not including an executive session). He reported that he’s been busy making the rounds getting introduced to people and getting briefed on various local issues.

Gettin’ artsy
Art Alliance co-chairs Jenny Birnie and Laura Elm gave the council an update on its growth. The alliance is booming with the “goal to make Crested Butte a national arts destination,” explained Birnie. Among other measures, the alliance would like to see more public art sprout up around the community.

Council prioritizes Alpenglows
And finally, the council wants to recreate as much as everyone, so they instructed the staff to not schedule any 6 p.m. work sessions this summer that would conflict with the Alpenglow performances. Those take place Mondays in July and August. Councilperson Jim Schmidt, a big fan of the social event, said he’d rather have a longer meeting than miss the Monday music gatherings. The rest of the council agreed and they should expect to see a few early Tuesday mornings, given the proclivity to meet and chat the night away.