RV dump station riles neighborhood

Town will explore options outside of Crested Butte

By Mark Reaman

It is understandable that no one relishes living near an RV dump station, even if you live near a wastewater treatment plant, and that sentiment was made clear to the Crested Butte Town Council Monday night.

Residents of the northeast part of town strongly encouraged the council to close the RV dump station located at Eighth Street and Butte Avenue, or at a minimum relocate it so that summer RV traffic is mitigated. Council will have staff pursue conversations with Gunnison County and the Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation (STOR) committee to see if another location in the north valley is feasible.

“There is no good answer to this issue,” Crested Butte public works director Shea Earley told the council in a memo. “It is the town staff’s opinion that we, as a community, have a responsibility to provide a location for people to deposit their septic waste.”

Earley said providing such a service helped protect the environment from people who might choose to dump their waste in the nearby backcountry and gave people a safe place to deposit their waste. He said to extend sewer services out of town at, say, Avalanche Park would be very expensive and to fill a large tank that was then pumped into the town wastewater treatment system was not physically feasible.

Gunnison County commissioner Roland Mason said that while the county owned 14 acres south of town, there has been no discussion on what to do with that property. To use a space near the county shops south of town would likely involve the Colorado Department of Transportation and expensive road improvements. “Being tied to a sewer plant is important for the environment,” he said.

Town manager Dara MacDonald said the staff had been looking at alternative routes to and from the RV dump station that would alleviate some of the traffic issues that have popped up recently with an increase of use. The traffic issues, she said, brought safety concerns, congestion and occasional confrontations.

“I have heard from people that we are a resort town and we should provide amenities for people who come here,” said mayor Jim Schmidt. “I assume some of the people using it come into town and buy things and go to our restaurants. The other option would be in the south end of the valley, perhaps near the airport.”

“When it was first put in in the 1990s there wasn’t a neighborhood there,” said council member Mona Merrill. “It will just get more congested as that neighborhood continues to grow. I am not entirely convinced it is an amenity we need to offer if the county can help us. The solution five years from now is not to keep it there. We don’t want people dumping waste in the backcountry so we need to collaborate with the county for a solution.”

“I really would like to see our neighborhoods preserved,” added council member Mallika Magner.

“I live two blocks away and that neighborhood is dealing with a lot as the town grows,” said council member Will Dujardin. “I know the need for it but it came to a boiling point this summer with all the congestion. I think in the short-term it might be a signage and communication issue while we work to find a better place outside of town. I recognize it is by the wastewater treatment plant.”

“I think it is a topic we need to address with STOR,” said council member Chris Haver. “My thought is to start the conversation with the county and look at a long-term solution and do community outreach for next summer.”

“If the council wants to say you will decommission the dump site, then say it,” advised MacDonald. “There will be no motivation for another entity to work toward a solution otherwise. And if that’s the case where in two years or five years you close it, I don’t recommend building additional infrastructure on that site.”

“I’m not prepared to put a sunset on that site tonight,” said Dujardin. “It feels like there is a large demand for this.”

“There is a demonstrated need,” said MacDonald. “The town collects thousands of dollars every summer in contributions from people who use it. But that waste will go somewhere if this is closed.”

“Reaching out to the county to see if they can offer assistance is important,” said council member Candice Bradley.

“STOR is a great place to have this conversation for the long run,” said Mason.

“And winter is the perfect opportunity to have the discussion with our partners,” commented Haver.

Citizen Kent Cowherd said the RV dump was an amenity the town should keep providing. “If it is closed there will be an impact on the environment,” he said. “Look for solutions and I suggest going with your suggested option 3 even though it is the most expensive. Move the dump and loop the RVs so they come in, use it and exit off Pyramid Avenue.”

“We understand the need to keep the dumping out of the backcountry but I would encourage the council to preserve the quality of life in that neighborhood,” said Heather Seekatz. “There’s the cell tower issue and this and river access. It feels like we in that neighborhood get shit on.”

“The council seems more concerned with issues outside of town than the people inside of town,” said Tom Cosgrove. “You don’t have to solve the world’s problems all the time. Focus on town. There are 150 people who signed a petition saying they don’t want a dump station in that neighborhood. Listen to the people.”

“I don’t really think people with RVs will be dumping in the backcountry if this is closed,” said Johnna Bernholtz. “But I’m tired of us having to provide everything for the county up here. Thanks for reaching out to them.”

“Down the road I see perhaps a station outside of town but keeping the town facility open as well so there are two places,” said Mason. “That is way down the road but the STOR committee is a good place to start.”

MacDonald said she and Crested Butte STOR representative Mona Merrill would approach STOR about the issue and pursue a solution outside of town. If that doesn’t go anywhere they will look at in-town mitigation possibilities with lots of input from neighbors.