Briefs Crested Butte

Paving paradise in the budget? Not yet….
The Crested Butte Town Council is in the throes of working on next year’s budget. At a work session September 16, the council talked about paving the Four-way Stop parking lot behind the Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center. Councilperson Jim Schmidt recommended setting aside money for asphalt in the location while keeping a fire ring for the Vinotok bonfire. That would add approximately $10,000 to the paving project. According to public works director Rodney Due, that parking lot could also be significantly expanded to the east.

Most of the council, however, preferred to allocate money to a transportation and parking master plan for the town. Councilperson John Wirsing said the costs of a bridge over Coal Creek at Gothic Avenue should be explored. “We need options to consider if we move toward making Elk Avenue one-way in the future,” he said.
Due said the current bridge spanning Coal Creek at Butte Avenue was actually able to handle one-way vehicle traffic, so that could be another option. “We can do that now if you want,” he said. “It’s a political choice.”
“We’re not experts on this so that’s why a transportation plan might be appropriate,” said Mayor Aaron Huckstep.
“A study is a good idea but let’s realize things like parking garages are huge, seven-figure ticket items that will take a lot of time to get in place and do,” Schmidt said. “I still think the council should consider paving at the Four-Way next summer.”
No one else on the board supported the idea but the staff will start to look at the costs of a transportation study.
The proposed budget also had $50,000 set aside to do some sidewalk repair on Elk Avenue. The council thought it would be a good idea to reach out to businesses and see if they wanted to perhaps partner in utilizing the time when sidewalks were being repaired to install heated sidewalks—the logic being that some work was being done anyway, so perhaps businesses could split some costs with the town to install heat. Due will make some inquiries with businesses that might want to pursue such a partnership.

Town accepts another conservation easement
The council accepted a conservation easement on open space up the Slate River Valley. The land will be owned by the Crested Butte Land Trust and is located near the Smith Hill area.

Save money in the winter…don’t get towed!
Winter towing charges were briefly discussed. The charge is $200 per incident. Town manager Todd Crossett said the town contracts out the towing and doesn’t want to see people’s vehicles towed. But given winter parking regulations and the late night need to sometimes clear snow from the rights-of-way, towing is a necessity. Crossett said he would be working with local property managers to get the word out about parking regulations in an effort to keep towing to a minimum.
“We don’t want anyone to get a $200 towing charge but we need to keep the streets as clear as we can in the winter,” he said. “We will keep trying to get the word out to people so they can avoid the situation.”