Briefs / Crested Butte

Elk Avenue grooves to get covered this month

Some of the final remnants of the Whatever USA party will soon be covered up. The grooves in Elk Avenue will get covered in a slurry seal the week of May 18. The grooves were left after the town had to diamond mill the street to pull up the asphalt under the failed blue paint on Elk Avenue last September. The paint started chipping off when the rains came a few days after the party ended. The action left grooves in Elk Avenue west of Fourth Street. Town public works director Rodney Due said the town would also lay a new black seal coat over the entire street so it looks consistent. That means two separate projects and will result in temporary closings of Elk while the work is being done.

Concrete and chip seal

Council opted to tap into the town general fund reserves for about $15,000 to supplement the $60,000 in Whatever USA money to finish the Mt. Crested Butte recreation path in the town of Crested Butte. While an asphalt path would come in under budget, the council felt laying down concrete would adhere more to the spirit of the deal with Mt. Crested Butte and would last longer in the future. The council also approved an $85,000 bid for chip seal work on some town roads this summer. Both projects will be done by the United Company.

Making the public works area more efficient

As part of the proposed Slate River addition annexation proposal, a master plan was commissioned for the town public works yard on the northeast side of Crested Butte. Paid for by Cypress Equities, the plan came to the council Monday, May 4. The proposal tightened up the area and made it more efficient with the uses located in the current 11.5 acres. To do everything suggested in the plan would cost $9.1 million. Half of that would go to upgrading the town’s wastewater treatment facility. Who would pay for the changes and how much would happen in the first phase if an annexation is approved has not yet been determined.

Sales tax climbs

The town sales tax for March was up 9.7 percent, even with a few businesses having yet to report their numbers. For the year, that puts sales tax up 13.4 percent. Legal marijuana sales account for about 4 percent of the sales tax.

Tennis courts dependent on weather

The tennis courts at the Four-way Stop will be ready sometime this summer. Most of the final details are being done this spring but the courts cannot be surfaced until the lows at night are higher than 40 degrees fahrenheit. Parks and Rec director Janna Hansen hopes for a late June or early July completion.

CDOT coming to talk intersection

At the request of town planner Michael Yerman, the council will ask representatives of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to give their take on the Highway 135 and Red Lady Avenue intersection. The council balked at the choices offered by the last town traffic consultant and Yerman suggested the board hear from the owners of the highway—the state. The council was lukewarm about the suggestion but agreed to meet with CDOT and talk about the busy intersection, located at the entrance to town by the community school.

Sidewalk seating getting pretty tight

Elk Avenue restaurants are getting their sidewalk seating permits approved for the coming summer. Some of the council expressed increasing concern with sidewalk congestion caused in part by the seating. They asked the staff to monitor the congestion situation this summer and suggested that some of the seating might have to be adjusted in the future.

Council asking TPL for advice on possible sales tax initiative

After extensive discussion among themselves to make sure they were not yet officially supporting a proposed sales tax increase this November to help fund parks and recreation maintenance, the council gave the go-ahead to staff to contact the Trust for Public Land for advice and analysis on how to fund such a measure. The TPL provides advice to governments on how to pay for open space and parks. Town manager Todd Crossett will ask TPL for some help but made it clear the council is not yet committed to going for a sales tax increase. Councilman Ladoulis voted against sending the letter to the TPL.

Sexy water treatment plant award

Town manager Todd Crossett proudly told the council the Crested Butte wastewater system was named wastewater system of the year for Colorado by the Colorado Rural Water Association. The award was not just for the plant, but included the town’s collection system, pre-treatment program, and composting efforts.

“It may not be sexy but it’s a big deal,” Crossett said.