Briefs Crested Butte

Council approves town’s first private liquor license
The council approved a Private Tavern Liquor License for the Scarp Ridge Lodge. The license restricts liquor sales to guests of the lodge, so the general public cannot come in for a drink. The council unanimously approved the license but did state they wanted to hold a discussion over the general idea of issuing such private licenses that exclude the public. The concern was what impact having such private clubs would have on the community in general.

Crested Butte could be a Cittaslow town
Some members of the Town Council seemed enamored with the idea presented by a Western State Colorado University class during a work session April 21 to work toward becoming a Cittaslow (pronounced cheetah-slow) community. Inspired by the “Slow Food” movement, the Italian concept is to be a community that slows “down the pace of the town by applying concepts of EcoGastronomy and sustainability.” Only Sonoma Valley, Calif. has such a designation in the United States.
The idea is to attract wealthy tourists looking for something unique and sustainable. The cost would be about $3,200 annually. The class presenters indicated Crested Butte would meet the minimum qualifications. While they were not sure of how exactly to obtain the designation, the council asked town manager Todd Crossett to work with the students to find out more about the program. The students, however, will soon be graduating so it might soon be Crossett’s project. We’ll see what grade he ends up with.

Sidewalk seating getting set for summer
The council approved summer sidewalk seating permits for several Elk Avenue restaurants. In an effort to alleviate some congestion problems, the council is restricting the Secret Stash sidewalk seating to the west 10 feet of the sidewalk from the main front door. The Stash can also have seating on the sidewalk to the east of the front door in front of the deck. The idea is to keep the corner of Third and Elk more open.
The council wants to create another bike parking area on the street in front of Maxwell’s. That too was congested last summer and the thought is that this will open up the area. While the staff said the town’s insurance company may not like the idea of another bike parking area in the street at that location, the council told the staff to do it anyway.