Briefs Crested Butte

By Mark Reaman

Lacy Construction to put in affordable housing blocks infrastructure
The council awarded a $632,172 bid to Lacy Construction to put in the infrastructure for blocks 79 and 80. Those blocks are zoned for deed-restricted housing. That work will be done this summer.

Council allocates some money for Huckstep’s East Coast trip
At the suggestion of councilman Glenn Michel, the council agreed to pick up $900 of mayor Aaron Huckstep’s tuition for a three-week long education program he is attending as part of Harvard’s Kennedy School in June. While the majority of the cost of the program is being covered by a grant from the Gates Family Foundation, Michel felt the educational endeavor was worth supporting. The money will come from the council’s travel and education fund.

Supporting a charging station for cars
The council agreed to support a grant request to the state from the Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) to pursue a vehicle charging station in town. The council will write a letter of support and provide a potential space for the Level-2 charger. Councilman Chris Ladoulis voted against the action, stating that he felt technology was changing so quickly that this type of facility could be outdated very fast. He suggested waiting a year or two. The rest of the council felt it was an idea worth pursuing in partnership with the GCEA.

Tennis pushes out hot dog cart—at least for a while
Putting the finishing touches on the tennis courts at the Four-way Stop and building a shade structure there has at least temporarily moved around some of the street vendors who set up shop there. The temporary situation should last about a month but the council decided a discussion over the long-term vendor situation at the Four-way Stop should be held sometime this summer as more paving and parking spaces go in.

Sales tax not down
Sales tax for Crested Butte in April was up 13.8 percent. For the year so far, the sales tax is up 14.5 percent over 2014.

Creative District plan
A draft version of the strategic plan for the proposed designation of a Creative District will be reviewed by the Town Council at a June 15 work session.
Sales tax issue being considered
Town manager Todd Crossett said the Trust for Public Land has started an analysis of a potential sales tax increase in Crested Butte to fund parks and recreation programs and maintenance. While the council has made no decision on whether to pursue such a ballot measure, the organization has agreed to help review the pros and cons. Crossett said the TPL will have a report back to the town at the next meeting in June.