Town prepares to upgrade Totem Pole Park this year

Snow storage on the site will remain in winters

By Mark Reaman 

One of Crested Butte’s most iconic spaces will be getting a facelift starting later this month. While the traditional uses will be preserved, Totem Pole Park will likely see more picnic tables installed, expanded native plant perennial gardens, more designer rocks put out to define spaces and provide seating spaces, and a move away from sod and soft grassy areas to finely crushed gravel. 

The park was added to the town’s five-year capital plan for improvements in 2023 and last winter snow removal operations damaged the backflow preventor in the irrigation system, so the park has been a bit barren looking this summer. The town council gave the thumbs up on Tuesday, August 6 to have the CB Parks staff begin a major renovation project. 

“The much-loved Totem Pole Park is in dire straits,” Crested Butte Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trail director Janna Hansen told the council at a work session. “We are seeing the impact of snow storage on the eastern side and on the west side the trees are getting mature and giving off more shade and the roots are big. That all makes it hard to grow grass. Plus, the irrigation system hasn’t worked all summer. It’s in rough shape right now.”

Hansen said 35 people attended a community meeting at the site in July and presented varying opinions on how to upgrade the park. Some wanted the park to return to its original state with mostly grass while others supported a slightly different upgrade that included the so-called “crusher fines” gravel. Most preferred not using the park for snow storage that has taken a toll on the park site.

“It is a great little refuge just off Elk Avenue and near Coal Creek,” Hansen said. “The design options are meant to keep the uses the same and enhance some of the spaces.”

The two options were similar with green space situated on the west side. Option one had more picnic tables included with shade umbrellas. Option two included a section of green space on the east side but Hansen warned that given snow storage impacts, that would result in heavy maintenance costs for the town. “Snow removal and grass don’t work well together,” she said. “If we put grass there, we will be replacing it every spring.”

Kimberley Barefield lives across the street and said neighbors were concerned with trash management. She said the current trashcan has a heavy metal lid that slams loudly when shut. She described it a “real mental health issue.” While saying she understood the snow storage issue, she asked council to make sure that any improvements, like larger gardens, could be sustained by the town.

Hansen said while trash has been an issue all over town this summer, the much quieter “Big Belly” trash compactor cans were broken and should be repaired and back in Totem Pole next year. She said that would eliminate the trashcan noise factor.

Mayor Ian Billick suggested the town have a few Big Belly trashcans at the ready to replace broken ones. “It seems logical to build in some resiliency,” he said.

Another neighbor, Neil Windsor, said that “of all the pocket parks in town, Totem Pole was probably the most utilized. It is a special place and deserves some hard thinking about if it is appropriate to store snow there. Snow storage results in junk going into the creek,” he said. “This is one of the most important places in town.”

Sue Navy said her concern was that “the park be comfortable and clean and not have too many competing things happening in one place. Plus, gravel isn’t a great thing to put a blanket down on.”

Councilmember Anna Fenerty spoke in favor of using mulch as a ground cover instead of crushed gravel.

Majority council sentiment generally favored the idea of an upgrade, but most council members wanted more picnic tables whichever option was decided upon. However, councilmember Beth Goldstone said she preferred native grasses and fewer picnic tables. “I like what we did at the Slate River by the Rec Path,” she said. “It wasn’t overdone.”

The council addressed whether snow storage was appropriate for Totem Pole Park and while no one was enthused by the idea, council felt there wasn’t much choice but to use it as a winter staging area. 

“There isn’t really another option. That is where trucks align to move snow,” said Fenerty. Public Works director Shea Earley said it is a critical part of the snow removal system and while not using it could be done, it would make snow removal in town harder and more expensive. “That would constrain our ability to manage those operations,” he said.

Council agreed to keep allowing the site to be used for snow storage. 

Fenerty asked if there was discussion about restoring the actual totem pole. Hansen said they have not yet taken that idea to the public arts commission. She did say the original topper had been found and would be placed back on top of the totem pole.

Town staff indicated they would look at a modified option for the park’s renovation based on council feedback which was similar to the public’s comments. 

Hansen said $25,000 was budgeted for the project in 2024. While any upgrade would require more flower bed maintenance and less upkeep of surface areas, an additional $20,000 to $30,000 would need to be budgeted in 2025 to purchase picnic tables and other site furnishing. The staff plans to do all the work in-house and hopes to begin in August.

“It will be an improvement no matter what you do,” concluded councilmember Jason MacMillan.