The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Maybe keeping them means it will snow this winter?
By Mark Reaman
It wouldn’t be November in Crested Butte if the Town Council didn’t debate the state of the upcoming winter snow banks on Elk Avenue. And the council did just that on Monday, November 5, with the council voting 5-2 to maintain holiday snow banks around Christmas and New Year’s and eliminate them for most of the rest of the winter.
The discussion inevitably comes up with the council review of the annual Snow Management Guideline Plan. The nuts and bolts of the plan don’t change much: snow plowing commences after three inches of accumulation; snow blowing of the sidewalks starts after one inch of accumulation; plowing and snow blowing priorities include Elk Avenue, the bus route, the emergency routes in town and the Safe Route to Schools; and the town always reminds businesses that property owners are responsible for clearing ice away from the sidewalks in front of their businesses.
But the snow bank discussion is rarely quick and this year was no exception. The latest town plan calls for crews to remove snow banks between snow events “to promote pedestrian safety, pedestrian and vehicular visibility, and provide easy access to businesses.” The plan allows for snow banks to remain on Elk Avenue the week prior to Christmas through the week after New Year’s, or to accommodate additional snow required for special events. Those can include events such as the Alley Loop, Big Air on Elk and Fat Bike Worlds.
Parks and recreation director Janna Hansen said the issue always falls between safety and aesthetics. The picturesque snow banks are a tourist favorite but there have been several times when people have fallen and broken bones or slipped under parked vehicles and hurt themselves. The snow banks can make conditions hazardous when they melt and then freeze, turning the nearby area to ice.
“Council has gone back and forth over the years on the question,” Hansen said. “People always have mixed and very passionate views on the matter.”
“Every year the snow banks are the most controversial thing in the snow plan,” agreed Crested Butte mayor Jim Schmidt.
Town manager Dara MacDonald said even the staff was split on how to best handle the issue, with some preferring to keep the snow banks and others wanting to get rid of them as quickly as possible. She pointed out that Mountain Express has said the snow banks can impede their bus flow when people park vehicles away from the curb and into driving lanes.
“The argument that struck me was that people park about three feet away from the snow banks so their passengers can get out, so [the cars] are then in the street,” said councilman Jackson Petito. “This is a town, not an amusement park, and public safety is the number one priority.”
“I’m ready to go away from my last year’s position and go with the snow banks so it will snow again,” reasoned councilwoman Laura Mitchell. “Last year we hauled them away and it didn’t snow. So I’m swinging wildly to the other side and will try snow banks again.”
“It’s not a big problem for two or three weeks, but not all season,” added councilman Kent Cowherd.
“I’m into it. Limiting it from Christmas to New Year’s makes me laugh. Why not through MLK or President’s Weekend or into March?” asked councilman Will Dujardin.
“The reasoning in the past was that we don’t have the spring freeze-thaw cycle in December and early January,” said Schmidt. “We get that warmth in February and March.”
“I’ll go with the staff and marshal’s recommendation to pull them,” said councilman Paul Merck, noting the narrowed streets. “I don’t like [snow banks] from a safety issue.”
“Thank God this is a controversial issue in the community,” said Alan Bernholtz, a self-proclaimed fan of the snow banks. “I don’t take lightly the safety situation. I don’t want business to suffer or anyone to get hurt. People enjoy seeing the snow banks on Elk Avenue. It doesn’t have to be a safety issue. You don’t have to think about the most extreme snow bank you’ve ever seen, It is something we all deal with living here. Maybe it’s from Christmas to MLK this year. If it becomes a safety issue the staff will pull them out.”
When council started to consider pulling the snow banks based on height or appearance, Bernholtz advised them to not head down that trap. “Once you start designing the snow banks it is a rabbit hole. I’d suggest staying away from those types of things. Just let your staff determine when they need to be pulled,” said the former mayor.
Schmidt considered the holiday snow bank timing a compromise that has worked.
Dujardin suggested keeping them through the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday but received no fellow council support.
Mitchell then suggested keeping with the Christmas through New Year’s time frame as part of the winter plan. Mitchell, along with Cowherd, Dujardin, Chris Haver and Schmidt, voted for that option. Petito and Merck voted against it.
Let us hope Mitchell’s “wild” stance to generate more snow this winter will work.
