Briefs Crested Butte

Economic prosperity sounds like Bon Jovi!
Neighborhood noise is becoming an issue throughout town as the busy-factor amps up for summer. The town received several complaints from citizens who said they didn’t like the loud music coming from a wedding reception held at Big Mine Pavilion on June 29.

Parks and Recreation director Jake Jones said the reception was indeed loud. “The event was a success by most counts but the music was not quiet,” he confirmed. “They may have exceeded the 70-decibel limit so we have some work to do with the planners.
“But they turned off the music at 9:59 and 58 seconds, which is before the 10 o’clock curfew,” he said. “The sound of economic prosperity is apparently Bon Jovi cover songs.”
“It might not have been the loudness, it might have been the music selection that drove the complaints,” suggested Councilman Shaun Matusewicz.
And in another noise arena, the owner of the Forest Queen Hotel, Bill Wheeler, asked the town to look at adjusting its noise ordinance to focus on low-end bass-type noise. He is located next to Kochevar’s and he said his guests are being kept awake at night by music coming from the bar. The council asked him to touch base with the new owner to address the issue before coming to the town to change regulations.
Wheeler invited the seven councilmen to come spend a night at the hotel free of charge. “You will be able to talk about the issue all night,” he promised.

Crested Butte billboards out of control?
The council expressed some dismay at the proliferation of banners on the Pitsker Field fence along Sixth Street. The fence has been used for years as a place for nonprofit organizations to hang a banner before an event. But the signs are growing and the time on the fence is lasting longer. So the council wants the staff to begin rolling back the billboard bonanza. They felt it was getting out of control and messy.

Park your bike in the street
Councilperson David Owen also pushed the town to add to the two bike-parking areas located along Elk Avenue. The two spots are located in the street and take away some vehicle parking but fill up with bicycles pretty quickly. The effort was made to open up the sidewalks. “I’d like more in the street,” Owen said.
“I’m a fan,” added Huckstep. “I’d support that.”
The council asked staff to look at possibly adding two more street parking spots for bikes.

Time for more affordable housing?
Owen also said he and Mayor Aaron Huckstep are working with Gunnison Valley Housing Authority director Karl Fulmer in the preliminary stages of a possible rental project for town. The project is in the early discussion stages and would require low-income housing tax credits. Owen wants to explore how impacted entities could assist in obtaining the credits. That could cost some money so he wants to approach the town of Mt. Crested Butte along with Crested Butte Mountain Resort to help fund the early costs. Owen said the first step would be a study to determine if there is a need for such a project.

Busy, busy, busy
The entire staff noted the busyness of town. All mentioned they were doing what they could just to keep up between the growing numbers of town events. But they said it all seemed to be working pretty well.

Marijuana task force
Town attorney John Belkin said he and the Town Council Marijuana Task Force will soon get together to discuss how to proceed with Colorado Amendment 64, which essentially legalizes recreational marijuana in the state. The town was waiting on the state regulations before crafting the local rules. Preliminary state regulations were released July 1. Belkin said to expect a work session on the matter in August.