The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
CB post office information shared… finally!
By Mark Reaman
Crested Butte fans of snail mail can rejoice…at least for another five years. In a quick one-sentence response to another inquiry from Crested Butte town manager Dara MacDonald to another US Postal Service employee, it was revealed this week that the Elk Avenue facility won’t be shutting down next year.
“The lease for the existing post office was renewed and is now expiring 2/28/2031,” USPS customer relations manager Brenda Baldwin informed MacDonald in a June 10 email.
Crested Butte mayor Ian Billick said the response brought some significant relief. “We are relieved to see that the USPS has a plan for continuity of critical community services for the next five years, which right now feels like a very long time,” he said. “Thanks to Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, as well as Representative Jeff Hurd, for their diligence on this issue. We look forward to supporting the USPS as they continue to evaluate alternative sites, and appreciate everything the frontline USPS workers do.”
USPS strategic communications specialist out of Denver, James Boxrud said the organization will keep looking for a more appropriate site. “I was informed (Tuesday) that the U.S. Postal Service and the property owner have agreed to extend the lease for an additional five years,” he said. “We appreciate this extension and continue exploring options for a larger property that better meets our needs. We remain committed to serving our customers and appreciate their patience as we navigate this process. As Crested Butte continues to grow, we will strive to meet the evolving needs of our community.”
Mineral Point work restarted
The town of Crested Butte building department this week lifted its red tag stop order on the Mineral Point affordable housing project going up across from the Gas Café. The town had issued a red tag notice to the project’s contractor, Streamline General Contractors, on May 29. Streamline is doing the work for Indianapolis housing developer TWG.
Town building official Astrid Mattison had cited unacceptable conditions on the worksite regarding construction debris management, not having workers follow OSHA safety regulations, improper storage of materials like screens and not having a supervisor/manager on site at a commercial project. It was the second such stop order issued on the project.
In response to a question from the CB News, Mattison said the red tag was lifted the morning of June 10.
In response to another News question heard many times from local contractors, Crested Butte housing director Erin Ganser said she could not provide any information on why it appeared siding being installed had not been treated. “Staining is not regulated by the building code, so we neither oversee nor inspect,” she said.
Ganser did say that, “The developer, TWG, heard our concerns and will be more engaged in daily activities as well as increasing the frequency of site visits. They are confident that the end-product will be high quality. Streamline also has a new superintendent on the site. The developers are still aiming for a fall finish.”
Email questions to representatives of both Streamline and TWG were not returned.
