CB South POA plans budget and capital improvements for 2022

Loose discussions on future mailbox building expansion

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

The Crested Butte South Property Owners Association (POA) board approved a budget for 2022 this month that includes mostly keeping up with operations, and a capital improvement plan that prioritizes leveraging funds for recreational amenity enhancements such as plans for Red Mountain Park and improvements to the hockey rink, volleyball court and rec path. The board also discussed how to expand the mailbox building, manage parking and consider affordable housing and commercial building sizes in the future.

Based on a modest income from mostly residential dues and to a lesser extend commercial dues, application fees and property transfer fees, the total projected POA income of $485,500 and prior year retained earnings ($20,875) minus a commercial development fund contribution ($15,900) will be stretched carefully in 2022 to cover staff compensation and benefits, building costs and maintenance, legal fees and then operations such as weed mitigation, snow removal, Nordic grooming and ice rink maintenance. Projected expenses total $490,353 for a remaining balance of $192.

The board reviewed this budget during a special meeting on December 8, and approved a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) later that same evening. The budget included funding a $24,000 consultant/proposal for a parks master plan, which will be offset by a Met Rec grant for $14,000 for a remaining cost of $10,000 to the POA. The board voted unanimously in favor of using the consulting firm Mundus Bishop, based out of Denver and with a local Gunnison County location, for the park master plan. That plan is expected to be complete by April 2022.

POA manager Dom Eymere reviewed the potential 2022 CIP for the board next. The CIP is not necessarily fully funded, but identifies priorities for the POA to consider when partnering with other entities within or beyond the valley. Board president Andrew Sandstrom confirmed that the CIP comes out of the reserves, and the capital reserve rolls over every year. “It is projected to be at about $380,000 at the end of this year,” he said.

The 2022 CIP included a skate park for a POA contribution of $10,000; basketball court improvements for $4,600; and adding parking on Gillespie (creating more of a shoulder) for $9,000.

The board decided to hold off on adding parking to Gillespie until a larger plan was in place to ensure it wouldn’t interfere with future developments.

Smaller items, totaling less than $2,000 each included adding gravel to the Teocalli rec path, adding safe cedar chips to the Red Mountain playground, Zamboni improvements, adding Wi-Fi to Sunset Hall, four new pedestrian crossing sign replacements and a new hockey rink liner.

Eymere said a transportation study completed in 2021 still needs to be fully considered and incorporated into a new strategic plan if that is the will of the board. He said the current contract has reached its end and would need to be continued if the board wants a new strategic plan to come from it. “I think there’s still some value to be found in the old strategic plan before we redo a new one,” said Sandstrom. The rest of the board agreed.

Board member David Neben referred to a new mailbox building as “the gorilla in the room,” based on the overcrowding at the post office in Crested Butte. The board discussed possible ways to expand the existing mailbox building versus building a new one at another location. One suggestion was to simply add more outdoor slots.

“I think we really need to scope that,” said Eymere, to include associated parking requirements.

Neben said the package processing aspect would need to be considered, and people don’t want to wait outside for mail and packages—so additional mail slots outdoors would not be adequate.

“According to the postmaster, you need one

for every street location in CB South. That’s hundreds and hundreds of additional boxes,” he said. “We need a facility that can handle that.”

Ultimately, Neben commented that a bigger picture is needed there too. “If you’re looking 10, 20 years out, what does CB South want? You would want to scope it properly,” he said.

In the longer term, larger capital improvement wishes include tennis court replacement, estimated at $120,000 and paving the hockey rink for close to $120,000. The board is looking to partner with Met Rec and potentially others for such projects. “So we are hoping to leverage funding with some larger entities out there,” said Eymere.