Red flags and mid-summer glitches

I haven’t been to Gunnison in a bit – is it still there? Did the July 4 fireworks blow it all up? I’ll guess I’ll find out at the end of the week on an errand run and chance to pop in on the five-hour (five-hour?!) public hearing over the proposed Lower Verzuh Ranch development with the county planning commission.

Development of Lower Verzuh is a valid discussion. It touches on what should be the dominating question of future growth in the valley — do the people here want the North Valley to be a small community — or a bigger community that serves more people with more amenities? I’ve heard arguments for both sides. Whether it is this particular development proposal or an overdue North Valley Corridor Plan, the answer to that question will steer us in the direction we ultimately go. And let us not pretend there aren’t thousands of acres more that could see development. Precedent matters.

The answer should be found in the context of all the potential development from Round Mountain north, and not just one project at a time. A recent analysis of approved but empty lots in the North Valley tallied well over 1,500 potential new units out there right now. So, it wouldn’t be the worst thing for the county decision makers to pull back and look at the big picture before deciding on one big project any time soon.

I haven’t been to the CB Post Office in a while – how’s it going over there? Line it up people! Mayhem anyone? Now I hear plumbing issues, and postal issues are piling up on top of one another? Holy Moly.

So, it sounds to me like the last postmaster overseeing the Elk Avenue Post Office made a unilateral decision to eliminate package delivery in Crested Butte. That was the process in place the last several years that allowed everyone to breathe. But rumor has it he decided to split town and, on the way out, allegedly made himself look good to his bosses who don’t live anywhere near CB by saving money and tossing out what worked well for an increasingly busy post office. Oh, and I hear it’s possible to save money by cutting cleaning costs, so he apparently did that as well. If that’s true, can you say tool?

Anyway, maybe none of it is true and he tried his best to make decisions best for the community. Given the reality of the situation, it appears he threw us and his co-workers under the bus. While we all are left with the remnants and are paying the price, the ones who are reallllly paying the price are the postal employees who are hanging on. And it feels like they are just hanging on. The notes being posted explaining the current situations are clearly expressing the message that it is incredibly hard to come into work with hundreds of neighbors begging for their packages while thousands of new boxes are staring at you as the piles get bigger and bigger.

A note on Tuesday said not only were the packages piling up but a “sudden plumbing issue flooding our office and affecting our mental and physical health” was in play. All I can say is that while no one likes spending an hour in line to grab a box, the people behind the counter are heroes. Put in a position of being thrown to the wolves (and you shouldn’t be a mean wolf) with fewer helping hands and more package mayhem, the ones still working the counter and back room deserve gratitude and grace. There’s no winning for them, but they are showing up and trying to keep it together. And while there is no way it can be easy for anyone, it’s what we got at the moment and since there is no way I would want to be in that pressure cooker, I give huge thanks to the ones who are dealing…

While I’ve shared the cluster of the situation with the postal officials I communicate with in Denver and know the town has done the same, you can let your national elected officials know we are on a razor’s edge and need real help…

Oh, and someone suggested that perhaps instead of ordering from Amazon and kabillionaire Jeff Bezos, you instead shop locally when possible. Yeah, it might cost a few bucks more but consider the fact you could be on a trail instead of sharing a line with your wife’s ex-boyfriend and it’s probably worth it. Plus, it would take some of the pressure off the heroes behind the counter. In the meantime, send some grace and gratitude to those at the CB PO.

I haven’t been to the Brush Creek Roundabout or underpass in a while — because it’s not there yet and no work is actively underway right now. And that could be a problem.

It appears the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) could be throwing some wrenches into the timing of the Whetstone Village housing project. Recent communication between the town of Crested Butte and Gunnison County have shown that under the utility extension agreement, the town made clear they wouldn’t turn on the water and sewer until residents of Whetstone could safely get to the bus stops along Highway 135.

That would be accomplished with an underpass below the highway. As a guy who has had to cross that highway after getting off the RTA bus, I can testify there is not much joy in scurrying across the highway as vehicles zip by at 50 to 70 miles per hour.

In theory, underpass work was to have begun by June 1 and the county maintains they have indeed started some underpass work. The town wants to make sure everyone is aware that under the agreement, that underpass work must be completed before any Whetstone units are occupied. I emailed county officials Tuesday to see where they are with the CDOT approval and how long it would take to do the work to complete the underpass. I was told there is no new info at the moment, but there is a scheduled meeting with CDOT for July 16. The county hopes to have a better understanding of the timing situation for approvals after that meeting.

With no definitive idea of when that work might be completed, it seems both the town and county are crossing their fingers that the state will sooner than later give the okay for that roundabout and underpass so intensive work can really commence. I can’t imagine any government body approving occupancy in Whetstone when residents would have to play ‘dodge ‘em’ to catch a bus so here’s hoping CDOT throws a thumbs up at or right after that July 16 meeting.

Anyway, just another red flag or two in a valley that has seen more than a few red flag warnings this summer. See you in the alleys.

—Mark Reaman