CB PROST master plan approved by town council

A rough edge means different things to different people

[  by Mark Reaman  ]

A Crested Butte Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails (PROST) master plan was approved by the Crested Butte town council at the May 4 meeting with no further discussion. Finishing touches on the document were made and the council discussed a last glimpse of the draft last month.

PROST director Janna Hansen along with consultant Scott Robson went over some final survey results and touched on a decision-making framework for the department at the meeting. They sketched out how the plan fits into the Community Compass template.

“People want to make sure our parks remain authentic with rough edges,” Hansen told the council. “They want community gathering spaces.”

“People in this town care a lot about parks and recreation,” added Robson. “And they want it unique to Crested Butte.”

“My concern is authenticity is in the eye of the beholder,” said mayor Ian Billick. “For example, while indoor recreation space is really important, especially in winter, the outdoors is the reason a lot of us came here.”

“I agree with that. And it is hard to define rough edges,” said councilmember Beth Goldstone. “But people here don’t want urban parks. I don’t want to overdevelop our parks with too many typical urban features. I like our natural feeling. It’s very important to me as well.”

“I’ve gotten feedback for example that the upgraded Totem Pole Park is a little too polished,” said Billick.

“I too hear that. People describe it as ‘hard’ with less grass and more rock,” said councilmember Mallika Magner.

“I’ve heard the opposite,” said councilmember Gabi Prochaska. “Just recently I was told how much someone liked the new upgrade and how pleased they were there was less grass to water. To your point, it is in the eye of the beholder. I’ve heard positive comments.”

“It’s not to say the Totem Pole upgrade was a wrong decision,” noted Billick. “There were reasons for the design. But other places can be less polished.”

“The plan has good alignment with the Community Compass,” noted councilmember Kent Cowherd. 

The master plan was approved at the May 4 meeting on the consent agenda with no further discussion.