County looks at longer-range planning for Irwin community

Winter parking, development putting pressure on the community

By Katherine Nettles

Gunnison County commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels convened a meeting with Irwin community members last month to receive input and discuss the community’s needs and challenges ahead of determining final Kebler Pass Trailhead management for the 2024-25 season. Puckett Daniels said the community is requesting more regular meetings with county representatives as the Kebler Pass Trailhead recently changed hands and is now owned by Gunnison County after a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service. The meeting was an initial step as Gunnison County assesses how parking permits, enforcement and increasing development in the area are working or how they might require fine-tuning in the near and long-term. 

Puckett Daniels reported that she was joined at the Irwin community check-in by Gunnison County undersheriff Josh Ashe and Gunnison County assistant county manager for public works Martin Schmidt. 

“We did it virtually, so folks were able to Zoom in from where they were,” she said. She summarized that there was a productive conversation about the short-term management of the Kebler Pass trailhead and she, Ashe and Schmidt answered questions about permit enforcement and fees.  

Puckett Daniels said she was able to distill two overall requests coming from community members for commissioners to consider: “One was to have a standing meeting between county representatives and the Irwin Community Association (ICA) after the winter season is done to debrief how things went that winter, but also other issues that might be coming up in their area.” Puckett Daniels noted that the ICA has a standing annual meeting in July. “So, we could potentially just send some guests to that meeting to have a conversation with the folks that live up there about what is going on in their community, similar to how we’ve done with Marble and Somerset in the past.” 

Puckett Daniels advocated for the request. “And it is in line with our strategic goal of going to people and communicating more with them about what’s going on with their local government.”

The other request was that the community have a conversation with commissioners about what the mid- and long-term plans are for the Kebler Pass area. 

“Now we own the land and we know there is a lot of development happening out there. We have talked about clarifying with people their expectations of access in winter,” reviewed Puckett Daniels in reference to county manager Matthew Birnie’s encouragement in recent meetings to better communicate to new homeowners and builders that access cannot be guaranteed to everyone there indefinitely when roads cannot be plowed in winter and the county has to balance the needs of the entire jurisdiction. 

“[Residents] are feeling some stress and anxiety about what the future might hold,” said Puckett Daniels. She emphasized that there was not a litany of complaints, but that residents and ICA representatives were focused on finding solutions. “They really want to be working partners,” said Puckett Daniels. “It was a really positive meeting for all.” 

Commissioners discussed getting through a first winter with their new county ownership and management system before meeting again with Irwin residents for a debrief and possible longer-term plans.

“There are very different ideas and views. For some people Irwin is home. For other people it is seasonal, and others live in town and have a place there,” commented commissioner chair Jonathan Houck. “It drives a lot of different desires and concerns. But they all need to be heard.” 

Puckett Daniels agreed that within the ICA there is a diversity of voices, and many property owners and residents there are not part of the ICA. “It seems like a time to reinitiate a more formal rhythm for how we have these conversations,” she said.

Houck said they are seeing similar needs in other remote areas of the county like Quartz Creek, White Pine, Tin Cup and Arrowhead where they sometimes need to travel to meet constituents. “We’ve always had lines of communication out to these areas, but it is going to look a little different.”