The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
By Katherine Nettles
Mag chloride coming soon to Kebler
Gunnison County public works director Martin Schmidt confirmed that his crew will be applying magnesium chloride to the road surface on Kebler before July 4. “We have been having major scheduling issues with our supplier this year that is having negative effects on our application schedule. Kebler remains a priority for us,” said Schmidt.
Porta potty approved for Marble
Gunnison County commissioners agreed during their regular meeting on June 17 to fund an initial season of installing a porta potty rental for the base of Daniels Hill near Marble for an amount up to $1,725. The cost is $75 per week for about 23 weeks, and the request came in from a community member on behalf of the town who stated that she hopes to create a plan for sustained funding through local entities in the future. A local ranger with the White River National Forest has offered to build a casing for the facility. Commissioners approved of the expenditure from discretionary funds and characterized it as seed funding but indicated they will not be in favor of it as an ongoing expense.
Sales tax way up
County sales tax revenue was up year over year in January by 4.6%, in February by 40% in March by 10.9% and in April by 25%. For the year, sales tax revenue is up 46.9% so far. The change appears to be driven by a large increase in online sales, up more than $120,000 in 2025 from 2024. Another large increase has occurred in the specialty shop industry, showing a $48,000 increase. Industries that are down slightly include grocery stores, vehicle, clothing and marijuana sales.
Beavers damaging Irwin Road
A resident of Irwin queried both the county and the CB News about the road to Irwin Townsite, 826a, which has been somewhat washed out since early May with some temporary fixes. The resident expressed concern with summer traffic and the AmeriGas truck coming up for deliveries next week.
Schmidt said the county is addressing it. “We are working with the adjacent property owners and wildlife biologists to deal with the beavers that are causing the issues. While in bad shape in that location, the road is passable,” he said.
