The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Red Lady Mine solution at top of list
By Mark Reaman
As might be expected, the number one priority that came out of the Crested Butte Town Council retreat designed to set priorities and goals was to work toward a permanent solution to the possibility of a mine on Red Lady.
“We all agreed that we would want the town to focus on that to resolve the issue if the opportunity came up,” explained Crested Butte mayor Glenn Michel. It looks like it has.
The council agreed on three additional priorities after two five-hour meetings to start the month.
Goal number two is to focus on dealing with the VRBO (vacation rental by owner) situation in town. Michel said that might include looking at further regulation of such rentals, or coming up with a tax or license geared toward short-term rentals.
Goal number three is looking at overall event management in the town. “Right now it is pretty much the situation where someone comes in and fills out the paperwork and they can have a special event,” said Michel. “We want to look at the bigger picture and see how it all ties in together and works for the town. What is the strategy of having special events in town? How can they be coordinated?”
The fourth goal set by the council is addressing backcountry management in the nearby drainages. Michel said the increase in town sales tax revenue in the summer indicate that the town benefits from the nearby backcountry attraction, so the council felt some responsibility to address the overcrowding situation.
“One somewhat easy way we can help is to enhance the Four-way Stop area. We can build better bathrooms for visitors to use and make the Visitor’s Center more amenable to visitors so they can learn about things like where to camp or what backcountry etiquette is appropriate,” said Michel.
Michel said the seven council members all came into the retreat with an individual list of priorities, but the four cited seemed to transcend individual wants. He said the senior town staff also informed the council of big projects that were already in the works, such as a major affordable housing push and a utility upgrade for Big Mine Park.
Day two of the retreat centered on team building between the council and the town staff. “We wanted to find ways to work together to accomplish the goals,” Michel said. “We also made it clear what the roles and responsibilities were for the council and the staff. It set the stage for us to grow as a group. I was encouraged at the end of the two days. We want a more fun and productive atmosphere for everyone.”
Michel gave an example of roles being delineated. It became clear that the role of the town manager was to act as the manager, direct the staff and set the budget, while the town attorney was to focus on legal advice and not the politics of an issue.
“We all left a lot of ideas and individual priorities on the table,” Michel admitted. “But we all agreed with the four main goals. I think that will help us obtain the best outcome for the people of the town of Crested Butte.”
As for a timeline, it appears there is a loose guide. The council hopes to really drill down on the short-term rental issue in April and May. Event management will be discussed in early summer and improvements to the bathrooms at the Four-way Stop will ideally begin in the fall.
“But if the mine opportunity comes along, everything else gets pushed to the side,” said Michel. “We have a finite amount of resources and a lot of things going on already. We all agreed we wanted to be effective.”
Michel said the council did ask town manager Todd Crossett to give an update on the ongoing One Valley Prosperity Project meetings. “We want a status report on where the OVPP is right now since it is slated to continue with regular meetings for another year,” he explained. “The council wants an idea of how much time is being allocated to the project.
With seven council members, some of whom are replaced every two years, Michel admits it is not always easy to find consensus. “But at the retreat we agreed we want to accomplish some things and not just keep adding things to the town’s plate. Overall, I think the retreat was a success. Todd was the facilitator and in the end it worked well. It is a good building block for discussion and for the future.”
