Briefs Crested Butte

by Mark Reaman

Council and staff to retreat together

A council-staff retreat will be held with a facilitator by the end of August. While a council election is coming in November that could change the faces of the board, everyone thought it was still a good idea to hold the meeting. A paid facilitator will be brought in to conduct the meeting. In fact, an hour-long closed-door executive session took place between council and senior staff before the July 6 meeting to discuss personnel issues.

Teo 2 update

Mayor Aaron Huckstep said Crested Butte Mountain Resort executive Ethan Mueller has volunteered to come to the council and give a presentation on the company’s plan to expand skiing into the Teo 2 drainage. A time during a work session will be made to accommodate that presentation.

Sales tax is beast

Sales tax collections in Crested Butte continue in  beast-mode. In May, sales tax increased about 10 percent over 2014. For the year, collections are up about 16 percent and so far $980,630 has come into the town coffers through sales tax.

Another big weekend on the horizon

The council was aware that the upcoming weekend will be very busy. At the suggestion of finance director Lois Rozman, council will do some preliminary prep work to get the empty block north of Rainbow Park ready for parking. Not only does the weekend host the annual Arts Festival, but the Big Mountain Enduro will bring crews and trailers to town. That event will be centered in the Alpenglow Field by the Center for the Arts.

Spring grant awards approved

Council approved $17,500 in spring grant requests from local organizations. Funding ranged from $600 for the Old Rock Library to $4,000 for Living Journeys.

Depot expected to be done next year

The council will see the final bids in August to finish up the Depot renovation project. Town building and zoning director Bob Gillie said the project has taken much longer than anticipated because of financing difficulty. He anticipated the project would be completed next spring. “It’s not where we want to be, but it is where we are,” he told the council.

Keep federal land federal

Council agreed to send a letter to the Colorado state legislature asking that the state not support any movement to transfer any “federally administered land to state control.”

Baxter Gulch trail work

A Baxter Gulch Trail Work day will be held July 30. There are still 4.5 miles of trail to complete but each summer a group of young volunteers build a section of trail. A barbeque to celebrate this year’s work will take place about 3 p.m. on July 30. Yerman said he hopes the trail will be complete and connected to a Forest Service trail in 2017.

Final retail pot shop application picked up

The fifth and final permit for retail marijuana has been applied for in Crested Butte. The potential location will be on Belleview Avenue.

Other stuff

—Public Works director Rodney Due told the council conversations are beginning to prepare for an expansion of the town water treatment plant. That work will hopefully begin in 2017.

—Due also said with infrastructure work taking place on blocks 79 and 80, dirt for the BMX dirt jumps has been moved behind the school to the gravel pit area.

—Council approved a liquor license for the 3 Chix Bakery located at 16 Sixth Street.