The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Taking deep breaths anytime is good. Taking them in times of stress and change are necessary.
If I recall, the town of Crested Butte asked the county a year ago to impose a moratorium on new development in the North Valley until a comprehensive “Corridor Plan” could be drafted and approved. The targeted plan would look at the impacts of new subdivisions in the area north of CB South and address things like mitigation measures for recreation, workforce housing, traffic, transportation and all the other things that come along with more building, development and people. The town asked the county to slow things down and take a deep breath to figure things out before the avalanche broke free.
But the county didn’t really even respond to the request — which is their prerogative. In the meantime a couple of major subdivisions, some would consider them an avalanche — the Lower Verzuh with 344 proposed lots (that could possibly hold a main house along with an accessory dwelling unit), and StarView with another 83 or so units have been proposed, and are in the county review pipeline so won’t be subject to any new rules that come out of an eventual corridor plan.
Frankly, the county’s reluctance to stay ahead of the potential new development that everyone had a feeling was in the works, is disappointing. And now with those two major properties in the county development pipeline, there isn’t much developable land near the corridor left to regulate. That too is disappointing.
I think sometimes government regulates too much, but I also believe there is a role for the government to oversee development that impacts all its citizens and taxpayers. I’m not sure of the timing involved from a legal standpoint, but if the county can ask/tell the developers to slow down and participate in the Corridor Plan and make a better valley for everyone, they should. The general vibe right now is that there’s a whole lot of stuff cascading over the North Valley in terms of development and growth, and for some reason the county commissioners seem pretty blasé about it all. At least that’s the perception.
A moratorium can be a heavy-handed action to take, but sometimes it is the right action under particular circumstances. It is taking a deep breath. The county chose to not take the breath when asked by the town. The circumstances would seem to have supported breathing deeply. There might still be time —and if possible, they should do what they can to take that breath.
It appears the Gunnison Watershed School District is stepping back from its request to install lights at the new Crested Butte Community School turf soccer field. Ahhh, an entity taking a breath to gather itself. The district installed the underground infrastructure for future lighting at the field but had gone to the next step of wanting to install 70-foot light poles to illuminate the field as early as next summer. The Crested Butte town staff turned down the request, and the school district could have appealed that decision to the Board of Zoning and Architectural Review and ultimately the town council but apparently has decided to take a breath for the moment. I have no doubt the request for lighting the field will return at some point, but perhaps the realization that that would be a major change at the entrance to town resulted in a taking a breath — a good deep breath. And that’s a smart choice especially since another major change will take place a literal stone’s throw away when a roundabout will be constructed at the turn to the school just north of the field. Deep breaths are good.
Speaking of breaths. I recall back in the ‘90s someone suggested that every time the noon whistle blew, you should stop what you’re doing and draw in a good deep breath. Good advice. It might be the only one you take that day, but if the noon whistle reminds you to slow down for even just a minute and breathe, it is doing more good than simply transmitting the time in a small town.
There was some concern that when the fire department leaves the current fire hall, the noon whistle might go the way of the $5 cheeseburger. So, we asked…
The answer is no, it won’t go away. When the Crested Butte fire department moves into its new facility (they are waiting on some technical parts for sewer service and hope to move before Christmas) the whistle will shift to town oversight. The town has agreed to take on the responsibility since it originates from its building at Third and Maroon. The whistle was actually the way volunteer firefighters and EMTs were called to the station when an emergency was happening. It would go off at noon as a reminder that it worked. Those days are gone as technology has made it all easier and more efficient for emergency personnel to respond faster.
Still, unlike the old cattle drive through town every fall, you will not stop experiencing the traditional noon whistle when the district firefighters and EMTs depart the current station. So, why not use it as a reminder to take a deep breath that can help make every day better…
Breathe.
—Mark Reaman
