County supports effort to keep RV dump open

Sending a letter of encouragement and solidarity

[  By Katherine Nettles  ]

Gunnison County Commissioners agreed during Tuesday’s meeting, November 1, to draft a letter to the Crested Butte town council stating their support for the town’s decision to keep the RV dump station open for the past two years while assessing potential future alternatives. “We all benefit from it; we all have a responsibility to help facilitate these services where available,” said commissioner chairperson Jonathan Houck. 

He recommended the board provide correspondence to the town council, thanking them for reopening the RV dump station, commending the improved signage and safety efforts to reduce the traffic and safety impacts on the surrounding neighborhood and encouraging that the dump remain open if no alternative can be found. 

Commissioners Roland Mason and Liz Smith agreed, and Mason added that there are still issues with bringing big rigs through the relatively narrow entrance and exit. “Maybe they have a limit on how big a rig can be,” he suggested, similar to the county’s limitations on trailer sizes on Kebler Pass Road. “But I think it’s important to support the town and their efforts,” he said. “In the future when they do build out Butte and Sixth Street with more homes…that is an opportunity to look somewhere else for another option. “But I agree that it is a good amenity. I think there are some things they can do if it is more permanent.”

Commissioner Liz Smith agreed. She said her concern was forcing people to make the round trip to Gunnison in a larger rig if they were staying in Crested Butte for an extended period. Mason added that additional water tank refill stations could be useful for the North Valley, such as at the gas station next to Ace Hardware which already has several water taps for its car wash.

Houck said that “without trying to micromanage anything,” he supported those ideas as well and the correspondence would not prevent the county’s Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation (STOR) committee from continuing to explore other options.