Crested Tutte Town Briefs

Town cracking down on snow storage
Contractors who hauled snow from various properties last winter and took it to the Crested Butte gravel pit will now have to pay for the privilege and follow more rules. In last winter’s epic snowfall, the gravel pit at the south side of town became the primary place to pile up snow at this end of the valley.

“We are trying to recoup the cost of dumping and storing snow and make sure things like diesel fuel doesn’t contaminate the snow storage,” said the director of the Crested Butte Department of Public Works, Rodney Due.
The Town Council set for public hearing on December 15 an ordinance incorporating its new Snow Management Guidelines and prohibiting storage of snow from outside of town. It also prohibits snow littered with debris, trash or “petroleum products” from being hauled to the gravel pit. Apparently some contractors spray their truck beds with diesel fuel to make dumping the snow easier.
Certain snow regulations will also apply to the town in general. “We are trying to get control of what goes on in town as well as keep our right of ways clear,” explained Due.
Mayor Alan Bernholtz was pleased with the rules making stored snow cleaner. “I’m in favor of this ordinance,” he said. “It’s important we keep our water clean and when the snow melts into the wetlands out there, it shouldn’t be polluted with diesel.”
Also in the snow mode, chief marshal Tom Martin said the force had issued 600 parking ticket warnings in November and 13 real tickets on December 1. The winter parking regulations went into effect November 1 and people must now remember to move their cars to the appropriate side of the street each night.
“We are ready to go,” said Martin. “We can ticket, tow and plow.”
“How about taser?” asked Bernholtz.

Better luck next year for a solstice celebration
A proposed town-funded celebration of the solstice was pushed back until at least next year. Brought forth by Marcie Telander and Katie Folz, the proposed celebration was meant to complement Vinotok’s fall festival, Flauschink’s spring celebration and the Fourth of July celebrations.
The two wanted to have a “Bringing Back the Light” celebration on the winter solstice. It would have been free and held at the Depot.
While the council liked the idea, they told Telander and Folz they had missed the deadline for monetary requests to be put in the budget. The event was estimated to cost approximately $1,500.
Telander said they would likely hold a small event this year and work to make it larger. “We want a quality event,” she said.
The council said they’d probably be happy to chip in some money but also wanted to see some funds raised by the organization throwing the event.
“Winter solstice is a great time to have a festival,” quipped Bernholtz. “It’s dark and cold, and why not?”

Mayor wants to chat with the Land Trust
Mayor Bernholtz asked the town to schedule a work session with the Crested Butte Land Trust. The Land Trust was originally scheduled to come before the council Monday evening for some question-and-answers concerning the Land Trust proposal to subdivide the Niccoli parcel at the entrance to Crested Butte South. The Land Trust plans to carve out five acres of the 36-acre parcel and sell it off. A public hearing and work session at the Gunnison County Planning Commission will take place Friday, December 5. At the last council meeting, several council members said they had questions about the idea.
Bernholtz cancelled the scheduled Monday evening Land Trust meeting in order to have a more philosophical discussion about their partnership in January. He asked the town staff to pencil in a work session with the Land Trust for a general discussion. The town of Crested Butte is a major contributor to the Land Trust through its open space fund.

It will soon be easier to get fed on the west end
Town Clerk Eileen Hughes said the council could expect to see requests for a few new liquor licenses. Two would be coming up soon and both would be for establishments on Crested Butte’s west end of Elk Avenue.
Hughes said the old Cowboy’s restaurant was reopening as The Pub in Crested Butte, and the old Josephine’s was reopening as the even older Forest Queen.

But be careful about imbibing too much
Chief marshal Martin informed the council his department had secured a state grant that will help with D.U.I. (Driving Under the Influence) enforcement. Administrated by Crested Butte marshal Jack Crumpton, the grant goes into effect in 2009. Martin said his force had six D.U.I. arrests in the last week and probably just ten up to that point for the entire year. “I think some new people got to town for the ski season,” he said.
The grant will reimburse law enforcement for the tools like breathalyzers and time used in D.U.I. cases. “This $10,000 grant could put extra officers out on the streets for D.U.I. enforcement,” said Crumtpon. “We’ll use it during typically busy times like St. Patrick’s Day.”
Crumpton said it is the seventh such grant obtained by the force and it is shared with Mt. Crested Butte and the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Department.