CB council brings up issues to address in the near-term

Some heavy lifting out there

The Crested Butte Town Council finished up the July 7 meeting having a discussion about future discussions. They talked about topics they felt needed to be prioritized and possibly examined during a future council work session.

Councilperson Jim Schmidt said a work session might be needed to discuss camping in the town parks. “We’re all over the board on it,” he said. He noted campers used various town parks for various events like Bridges of the Butte or even the Bluegrass in Paradise concerts. He said a town policy should be developed before the in-town camping gets out of hand.
Councilperson Chris Ladoulis said he would like a work session on the area’s seasonal employee situation. He said he knows of workers who are camping near Crested Butte and working regularly because they can’t find a house to rent. Mayor Aaron Huckstep said he has talked to BLM personnel who confirm that is the case for some campers in the Oh-Be-Joyful campground area. That, Ladoulis said, pushes tourist campers up the valleys and into non-sanctioned campsites.
“Maybe the chamber of commerce can survey employers and employees,” suggested Ladoulis. “Let’s see if this is just a temporary situation or something we need to address for the long run. The town businesses need to have workers who live here.”
Town manager Todd Crossett says in his time in Crested Butte he has heard a lot of comments concerning the land use regulations in town, specifically about the Board of Zoning and Architectural Review, BOZAR, which he admits is a tough review board.
“Maybe the council wants to have a town hall-type meeting to discuss issues associated with BOZAR and land use issues in town,” he suggested. “That would be a heavy lift and wouldn’t happen right away but it could be beneficial.”
“A lot of the town codes dealing with things like parking might have been written in a different time,” added Councilperson Glenn Michel. “It might be time for some things to be re-evaluated to fit the needs of our current constituents. BOZAR does a tremendous job but there are probably a few things in BOZAR that need improving.”
“I don’t have an opinion one way or the other,” said Crossett. “It’s what the town wants for itself. It can’t just be a bitch session.”
“It might be worth a sincere, thorough discussion,” said Ladoulis.
Crossett said other future topics might include a long-term strategic plan on how to deal with open space acquisition. A long-term town work plan was another area he suggested the council discuss.
Crossett will bring a list of the potential future work session items to the council for them to consider.