County scrutinizes Kebler winter trailhead permits

Higher permit costs? Less plowing? 

By Katherine Nettles 

As Gunnison County commissioners and staff weigh the costs of maintaining the Kebler Pass winter trailhead ahead of another season, they are considering some possible policy changes to better reflect the actual costs of plowing and parking lot maintenance there. This could mean vehicle parking permits increasing from $200 last winter to as much as $330 or more this 2024/25 season. Additional considerations include whether to only increase permit costs after a first one is secured, to cull the number of snowmobile/trailer permits or reduce the county’s regular plowing schedules there to curb costs. All these concepts are on the table as a final decision approaches sometime next month.

Kebler Pass trailhead is used by Irwin residents in the winter to access their properties beyond the plowed roadway by snowmobile, as well as by winter recreationists and commercial guides accessing backcountry experiences. One lot is for overnight residential use, and another is for trailer parking. There are also about eight previously established commercial permits for trailer and groomer parking that go through 2028.

“So personal use, commercial use and residents that live in Irwin,” summarized Gunnison County commissioner chair Jonathan Houck, “All kinds of things mix into this discussion.” 

Gunnison County public works director Martin Schmidt shared some data and management ideas for this winter with commissioners during a work session last week. Commissioners and staff also heard from some Irwin residents about their hopes for policymaking on the issue. 

Schmidt pointed out that Kebler is the only trailhead in the county where overnight parking is provided, and where a plowed lot is maintained for that purpose. 

“And the only reason that we’ve been able to provide this service is because this was land owned by the US Forest Service in the past, with a county easement that ran through it,” said Schmidt. 

As the county executes a land exchange with multiple partners including the Forest Service, the road and trailhead is now fully in the county’s jurisdiction.  

During the Kebler parking permit discussion last year, county manager Matthew Birnie asked Schmidt to look at all costs associated with the trailhead, including the lot’s recent reconstruction and seasonal plowing. 

Schmidt reported those actual costs which, between paying off the construction loans at about $3,000 per year (for the next 20 years) and an average of $18,466 per year to plow, then divided by the 56 parking spots, comes out to $329 per permit.

“That does cover quite a few things that we do, that people may or may not be aware of,” said Schmidt, from building the trailhead to the signage that periodically gets destroyed or stolen and has to be replaced, to shoulder and right-of-way work for damage around the parking lot, to plowing, drainage/culvert work and administrative costs.

But Schmidt did not suggest charging that much for permits since in recent years permit costs have already been steadily increasing. He had ideas to reduce costs by modifying how the county plows the trailer parking lot. 

“In order to not have the permit fee be suggested at $329, by removing that lot we would be removing the need to plow. We would plow by it as if it were any other side of the road. Instead of plowing it out for trailers, we’d be able to charge a little bit less for the permit and not have trailers. I understand that people get used to having a place to put their trailer, but it is not truly our land, and it could be something that a lot of people contend with.”

Schmidt said that the critical need is for overnight partners to get to their property, and suggested that for the overnight trailhead, “We email everybody and ask them to remove their vehicles by 9 a.m. on this date, and then we go in to plow. And if a vehicle is left we do stay away from that vehicle until it can be moved.”

Schmidt said the county could still maintain the size of the parking lot all winter, since they haul most of the snow away anyway.

 He reviewed the parking permit numbers which were 56 permits in 2022/23 and 2021/22. He said in 2023/24 permits didn’t sell out, with five permits never claimed. “It does show that there aren’t a bunch of people waiting to get a permit,” he said. Then in 2021/22 the county issued no trailer permits, and in 2022/23 they issued 30. “Last year we only issued 15. And so again, we’re not having an outrageous amount of demand for trailer storage. We are having a decent amount. But it is not a one-to-one trailer to car.”

Schmidt recommended two permits per qualifying residence, which allocate up to five snowmobiles apiece. The qualifying factors would continue to include a valid onsite wastewater treatment system, as has been the case for the past few years. 

Commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels suggested they get clear on how to serve the needs of the community without being in the business of endlessly expanding parking areas for convenience to an ever-increasing number of users.

“I don’t know that building our way to the solution is necessarily there. So I definitely want to continue to think about innovative ways to make these spots available,” she said.

The county had emailed all previous permit holders on the prior Friday afternoon informing them of the agenda item to hold the work session. A few people showed up to offer their input as Irwin residents, including Kristi Murrin who has lived at Irwin since 2012. Murrin reflected that she has tried to represent her Irwin neighbors over the years, and the challenges of accessing their property when there is no private property to purchase and they must rely on the Forest Service and county. 

Murrin said she had counted about 20 houses occupied full-time, 12 homes that are occupied part-time, plus eight homes along Bracken Creek Road nearby that are occupied part-time. She made the point that part-time homeowners could potentially sell and those homes could become occupied year round, bringing the potential residential numbers up to 40 homes.

 “My biggest thing has been about looking at the future,” she said. “I want to have a really good working relationship. I feel like our conversation with [commissioner Puckett Daniels], and all the comments today have been really positive around understanding the situation that we continue to be in.”

Todd Colvin, whose family has been associated with Floresta, an old mining town west of Irwin that also uses the trailhead for access, thanked commissioners for protecting the historical use of the area. “We’ve been using it since the eighties, and it’s very important to the Irwin crowd,” he said.

  He added that he believes Irwin residents should cover all the costs associated with having parking spots, as it would be if they were using their own private driveways. He suggested a lower rate for a first permit such as $250 but a higher, perhaps $350 rate, for a second permit to allow residents on a tighter budget to make choices about how many they truly need.

Commissioner Liz Smith said the idea of staggered rates had occurred to her as well, but that policy should dictate that rates cover the costs. Birnie suggested perhaps an even bigger differential to discourage extraneous vehicle permits, or those who get permits for their friends who don’t live at Irwin. 

Birnie also reiterated his take that any building permits issued to Irwin homeowners should have messaging included that year-round access is not guaranteed in the future. 

“I think there’s there could be a policy rationale around reducing demand. And I think that’s a legitimate approach,” he said.

Smith agreed that discouraging future builders from having expectations of accessing their property during the wintry eight months of the year was a good idea.

Ultimately commissioners gave Schmidt the direction to make sure, as Houck phrased it, “fees are tethered to actual costs” and run a balanced budget, while also exploring tiered costs to encourage sustainable use. Public works and the commissioners are encouraging further public input until the issue comes back around in September for an official decision.