The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Antagonism reaching a tipping point
by Mark Reaman
There are apparently more than a few feuds going on between neighbors in Crested Butte over snow in the alleys. Town public works director Rodney Due and chief marshal Tom Martin came to the Town Council March 7 and asked them to consider adding some specificity to how the town will deal with plowing the alleys.
Currently, the town doesn’t deal with snow in the alleys. It is up to property owners to deal with snow and in recent years the proliferation of accessory dwellings and garages in the alleys is leading to increased conflict.
Due gave examples of fences being destroyed when snow is plowed and stored. Melting snow can flood yards if it is piled up too high and dogs can use the snow piles to escape. Due said he and Martin receive several calls each winter from people angry about the alley snow dilemma.
Due said there is nothing in town code that addresses private plowing or snow storage in town alleys. He made several suggestions, including having contractors who plow alleys obtain a permit on an annual basis. He suggested that snow that is plowed and piled on public right-of-ways be hauled out of the alley within 72 hours of a snow event. He suggested snow not be placed on private property without written consent. These ideas were meant to give some teeth to the town to help settle disputes.
Due admitted the new regulations would place a greater financial burden on those who live in the alleys and want the alleys plowed. But he said it should reduce the offending practices that now occur and it would make alleys more accessible in the winter.
“The town doesn’t have the manpower to take care of the alleys,” said Due. “But we as the town have an obligation to address it and control it. It is public right-of-way. We need these guidelines for the contractors who do the alleys. This winter, the level of antagonism reached a tipping point.”
“We get calls and ask the people to try to work it out with the neighbors,” added Martin. “But this will give us some enforcement authority when needed.”
“As an alley-plower, some of the suggestions make sense but the 72-hour requirement doesn’t,” said councilman Roland Mason. “Plus it would be a whole lot more expensive for the property owners.”
“We are approving more accessory dwellings in the alleys and we aren’t plowing them,” noted mayor Glenn Michel. “I agree with Rodney. We probably have some obligation.”
“There is a lot of affordable housing in the alleys,” said councilwoman Erika Vohman. “It isn’t fair to put the financial onus on the homeowners.”
The council was not comfortable supporting Due’s suggestions without more information on the topic. A work session will be scheduled to address the issue in the near future.
