The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Fire district discussing the lease situation on May 12
[ By Kendra Walker ]On Tuesday, the Mt. Crested Butte town council approved a letter of support for Crested Butte Search and Rescue (CBSAR) based on concerns over the ongoing lease negotiations between CBSAR and the Crested Butte Fire Protection District (CBFPD).
The council’s letter supports CBSAR’s efforts to secure a permanent, stable home at the newly constructed CBFPD fire safety campus. The letter notes bond measure 6A, which was approved by voters in 2021 authorizing debt and tax revenues for a series of public safety purposes, including “the construction of a search and rescue facility with staging for search and rescue operations and equipment storage.”
According to the letter, “The Mt. Crested Butte Town Council believes that voter approval of bond financing for a dedicated search and rescue facility reasonably reflects an expectation that such a facility would provide long-term operational stability for CBSAR. A purpose-built public facility for search and rescue operations necessarily contemplates permanence sufficient to allow for safe equipment storage, reliable staging, volunteer training, inter-agency coordination and sustained investment in the organization’s mission.”
The letter further reads, “Continued uncertainty regarding long-term occupancy or the potential for termination associated with a short-term lease undermines these objectives and risks undermining the purpose for which voters authorized the expenditure of public funds. While the town recognizes the Fire Protection District’s obligation to plan responsibly for future needs, we respectfully believe those interests can and should be balanced in a manner that maintains a predictable home for CBSAR at the new fire safety campus.”
The council’s letter also recognizes the value of regional cooperation among emergency service providers. “We therefore respectfully encourage the Crested Butte Fire Protection District Board of Directors to work with CBSAR to finalize an arrangement that provides long-term security and permanence for the search and rescue facility consistent with the expressed purpose of the bond measure and the broader public interest.”
The council also received a letter from CBFPD CEO and commissioner Sean Caffrey. “We have offered a 30-year initial term with renewal options extending the arrangement up to 95 years — terms that, to our knowledge, represent the most generous lease arrangement between a local government entity and a nonprofit that we are aware of. The initial term alone extends beyond the payoff of the construction bonds used to build the campus, securing CBSAR’s occupancy. The lease does include a landlord termination provision that becomes available only after the initial 30-year term, and any exercise of that right would require five years of advance written notice. This is a standard governance safeguard for a public facility — it does not diminish the district’s intent, and we believe the overall terms speak clearly to the strength of this partnership.”
He continued, “Since February of this year, we have invited CBSAR to begin occupying the new facility even as lease negotiations continue. We look forward to concluding this agreement and seeing CBSAR fully operational in their new home as soon as possible.”
The council agreed to the letter of support for CBSAR, to be sent to the fire protection district ahead of its upcoming meeting on May 12 to discuss the lease matter.
