Briefs Gunnison County

by Olivia Lueckemeyer

DOLA grant cycle hearings attended by county representatives

On March 15 Gunnison county manager Matthew Birnie and county commissioner Phil Chamberland attended the DOLA Grant Cycle Hearings in Golden to present the county’s case for funding to add two compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to the county’s RTA fleet. Following the presentation, a committee made up of government officials and representatives from the Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Program will convened to decide whether or not the county will receive the Energy Impact Grant required to fund the buses. At a Gunnison Board of County Commissioners meeting on March 1, Birnie expressed his confidence in the project, saying, “I don’t think we are competing against anyone.” Chamberland, who agreed to accompany Birnie to the meeting, felt the presence of at least one commissioner would be valuable. “It’s an important project and we need to let them know that’s how we feel, so we will send that message,” Chamberland said.

Airport terminal renovations put on hold

Plans to renovate the terminal at the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport have been stalled due to a miscalculation in funding projections from the Colorado Division of Aeronautics. County manager Matthew Birnie explained to the Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners on March 1 that the county had expected to receive $500,000 in funding split evenly over the next two years; however, since the division was forced to take out a loan with the state comptroller to meet its obligations for 2015-2016, funding for the county in 2017 will be significantly reduced. While the county will still receive $250,000 this year, next year’s funding will be lowered to $61,000. Because of this, planned renovations of the runway will have to supersede those of the terminal. Unfortunately, Birnie said, the situation “doesn’t look to get better for some years, because they [the division] have to pay back the loan and fund balance until 2020.”