Council delays Whatever USA decision until Thursday

Looking for more money and every detail

With approximately 300 people packed in Jerry’s Gym and after almost eight hours of discussion about the proposed Bud Light Whatever USA special event, the Crested Butte Town Council decided at 2:08 a.m. Tuesday to continue the public hearing on Thursday, August 28 at 6 p.m. The council made it clear they wanted more details to complete the special events application and a larger contribution from the organizers than the $250,000 on the table.

Mayor Aaron Huckstep started the public hearing with an apology for the secrecy of the event and admitted that if the council could start over, they would engage the public earlier. “The council was concerned about secrecy from the get-go,” he said. “And council expectations in some areas with public communication were not met. I apologize.”
He also quashed rumors floating about concerning bribery, collusion and council members benefiting financially from the event.
At the request of Councilperson David Owen, fellow Councilmember Chris Ladoulis recused himself from the public hearing since he owns a restaurant on Elk Avenue and could benefit financially from the event.
Event organizers Sean Byrne and Bobby Wells of Mosaic, a marketing company putting on the Whatever USA promotion, also apologized to the community for the secrecy element of the roll-out. They explained that the event is based on secrecy and surprise but they too would have handled the local information differently. “The intent was not to insult the community,” said Byrne. “The concept of Whatever USA is to give people a great experience and allow them to try new things in a magical place like Crested Butte.”
Crested Butte was selected after organizers looked at nearly 400 other towns. Byrne said the event would be filmed for a television commercial and social media exposure but it would likely not be a Super Bowl ad. The idea was for the 1,000 contest winners to experience small, interesting events like playing Twister with a contortionist, along with major marquee concerts and a giant community dinner on Elk Avenue.

It’s about the magic
“It’s not about celebrities and big bands, it’s about storytelling,” Byrne said. “We understand there will be impacts to the community. We are inviting locals to come play with us. We’re excited about Crested Butte and the people, the backdrop and the character of the place. We want to leave it better than when we found it.”
Town manager Todd Crossett said there had been some struggle to get all the details tied up in the process. “That’s not entirely unusual based on our experience with other special events,” he said. “From the standpoint of ‘Can this be done?’ The staff feels more than 90 percent of our concerns have been answered. There are some pending items.
“The staff-based opinion of ‘Can this be done safely?’ is that we believe it can, pending the last items to be reviewed,” Crossett continued. “Yes, it can be mitigated. It’s up to the council to decide whether to proceed based on public sentiment.”
With that, Huckstep opened the public comment portion of the meeting that lasted more than seven hours. See page 16 for a synopsis of the speakers’ comments.
After every member of the public in attendance had an opportunity to share their thoughts on the event, Huckstep and the council directed questions to the event organizers, who responded to each query.
Wells said the event team is working closely with town staff, the fire district, Waste Management and others to keep the event safe, “green” and fun for locals as well as the contest winners. He said the participants coming to town would be instructed on how to respect the community. He said he would address the conflicts already reported with workers and would make sure the conflicts didn’t continue.
Wells admitted there were still details to work out such as with the teardown or “strike plan,” but that it would be done quickly for the town staff and council.
As for the $250,000, Byrne said the organizers were looking at the “overall impact of the event during a typical slow time in Crested Butte. There is an infusion of lodging, restaurant business, jobs for local workers. We figured the overall boost the local economy was good and probably worth about $2 million. Look at the macro view,” he said.
Town attorney John Belkin said that aside from the $250,000 donation, there were other financial contributions for the entertainment district costs, sales tax and to 1% for Open Space. He said there would be a $250,000 cash deposit and a $150,000 letter of credit for a two-year standby warranty. Essentially it amounts to $400,000 in performance bonds. Insurance levels were passed through the town carrier and they felt it is adequate for the event. “They have a legal obligation to return the town to its original state,” he said. “And there is a provision where we can add Anheuser Busch as a guarantor of the contract.”
Town public works director Rodney Due said the paint that will be used on Elk Avenue is what is used for streets all over the county and posed no significant environmental risk. Elk would be seal-coated after the event and he said that is a benefit for the town.
“We are pretty far along compared to some events but we are still crossing t’s and dotting i’s,” said Wells. “It’s been a vigorous process to get to where we are today but we understand there are still tweaks that need to be done for the community.”

Council frustration
When Crossett again said the application was about 90 percent complete, several councilmen expressed frustration. “If I recall, major special events require complete applications before a review. Why are we even here tonight?” asked Owen.
“I have yet to see an application come into town that is 100 percent complete,” responded Crossett. “So 90 percent means most details have been drilled down. The process with every special event is a back-and-forth. I’m not sure any applicant could come in and anticipate every question. The staff is always looking at things at the last minute.”
“The ordinance calls for a pre-application conference. Did that occur?” asked Owen.
“That ordinance was put in place to give us tools to grapple with large events,” said Crossett. “Our approach has always been to try hard to make events happen. That’s been the direction from the council. So we try not to slam doors and we try to treat everyone the same.”
“Do you remember the council asking firmly for more information by August 8? Did that happen?” grilled Owen.
“I’d say yes,” said Crossett. “Was it ideal? Absolutely not. It’s been a tremendous burden on the staff. There’s not much upside from the staff perspective.”
“Did you ever consider this was too much, too late for the staff?” continued Owen.
“Absolutely,” said Crossett. “We thought it for a while but felt we were making progress. We’re here where we are now. We’ve done the best we can with the staff we have. This isn’t Denver. If the council isn’t comfortable with it, vote no.”
Owen pressed the applicant with the same questions.
“What’s the definition of all the information?” asked Wells. “I’d say it’s here. It’s a new event. It’s a learning curve for all of us and a huge undertaking. The town staff has been amazing.”
“You’ve been in contact with town staff since April. Did you know we wanted to have this meeting in July and not now?” queried Owen.
“Yes but the timing is probably right. A month earlier and the word would have gotten out to the masses. It may have been a blessing in disguise,” said Wells.
“It would have been better for the democracy of this community,” said Owen.
“I have an issue with the incomplete application,” added Councilperson Shaun Matusewicz. “I can’t believe some of the stuff not in here. The Strike Plan, for instance.”
“We wanted to focus on the upfront issues. I can have a strike plan in 24 hours,” said Wells.
“Do you have the authority to renegotiate the $250,000?” asked Councilperson Jim Schmidt.
Byrne said they would have to go back to the client for such a request.
“I don’t think we can close the public hearing,” said Owen. “We don’t have a complete application.”
“We have an ordinance that says what needs to be included,” added Matusewicz. “It would be irresponsible and inappropriate to pass this now.”
“I see 16 major items the town manager is still working on,” said Councilperson Glenn Michel. “I think we need to continue this as well.”
Huckstep implored the council to approve the application with certain conditions. The remaining 100 people in the room at 1:15 a.m. were asked if they expected a decision that evening. They all raised their hands in support of a vote.
“Kicking the can down the road just makes it worse,” Huckstep said.
The rest of the council disagreed with the mayor.
“Our job is to protect the health, safety and welfare of this town. I can’t see how we do that by voting on an incomplete plan,” said Owen.
“We add contingencies to special event approvals all the time,” said Huckstep.
In an effort to be “crystal clear” about what the council wanted to see in a final operations plan, Huckstep went detail by detail through what remained to be included in the plan. It captured about a dozen items, including a complete Strike Plan, staff opinions on the maps, signage details and a new amount for the $250,000 donation.
“I’m not sure of the right number but it needs to be more,” Schmidt instructed the organizers.
The council agreed to continue the meeting on Thursday, August 28 at 6 pm. In the meantime they will allow the event team to utilize some public property to begin working on constructing structures to be used for the event. That Thursday meeting will be held at Town Hall.
If approved by the town council, the Whatever events will begin September 5, just nine days after the decision is made.