Council decides to keep one blue pole to remember Whatever USA

Symbol of diversity or division?

Should the town of Crested Butte leave one Elk Avenue lamppost blue in commemoration of the recent Whatever USA Bud Light event? It looks like they will.

While the lampposts, bike racks and benches that were painted blue for the commercial have been repainted to their original green, one lone lamppost at Second and Elk remains blue.
When the repainting got under way, a few council members asked that one pole be left blue so the council could discuss keeping it that way. On Monday, the discussion came up and not everyone jumped into the blue wave.
“What’s up with the one blue pole?” asked Councilman David Owen.
“The notion was to leave one pole blue to commemorate the event,’ said Mayor Aaron Huckstep. “If the council wants to paint it back to green, we can.”
Citizen Mel Harper was not a fan of the blue. “How do you know if people like it or not?” she asked. “The people I’ve talked to don’t like it. For some, this was a difficult time and that’s a reminder.”
“I feel very strongly it should be returned to green,” Owen said later in the meeting.
“I think it should be kept blue,” countered Councilman Shaun Matusewicz. “I think it commemorates a great event. In ten years people will be playing Trivia on the Brick deck and one of the questions will be ‘Why is there one blue lamppost on Elk Avenue?’ I think it is great. It turned out be a great party.”
“I’m an Elk Avenue purist,” said Councilman Glenn Michel. “I don’t like a lot of new things on Elk. I’d like it green.”
“I think what Mel said should be considered,” said Owen. “It is a symbol of something that really divided this community. I don’t want a symbol of division. I don’t want people laying flowers out there every September 5 because they think that’s the day the town lost its soul.”
“On the other hand, some people will look at it as a symbol of the town being bold enough to take a risk and pulling off something that turned out to be a great event,” said Councilperson Chris Ladoulis.
“In terms of the symbol and the town selling its soul, this community is built on a lot of things since 1880 and I don’t think two days in September of 2014 lost the soul of the town,” said Huckstep.
“I look at it as blue is the symbol of diversity and we live in a diverse community,” said Councilman Jim Schmidt.
“It’s the symbol of making a bold move to hold a world-class event,” reemphasized Ladoulis. “I really think most people who were doubters but attended the event changed their opinion and ended up liking the event.”
“I like blue,” said Huckstep to make it a 4-2 decision, with Councilperson Roland Mason not at the meeting. “That doesn’t mean it can’t be painted green in the future, but the majority likes the idea of the lone blue pole.”