Briefs Mt. Crested Butte

New Sign
The Snowcrest footbridge crossing Gothic Road near the base area has been given a visual update. A new sign was installed this month, with a design based on Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s branding study and “wooden nickel” logo. The sign was constructed between the Triple Peaks sign shop in Okemo, Vt. and CBMR’s local sign shop. Installation was a joint effort between CBMR and the town.

Town clean-up scheduled
The Mt. Crested Butte town clean-up is scheduled for the morning of June 13. There will be a large dumpster set up in the “Rasta” parking lot at the corner of Gothic and Treasury Roads and the community is invited to participate.

Recycling proposal off the table
After hearing a presentation from Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Gothic Mountain Waste Solutions earlier in May, the Town Council expressed some interest in improving recycling facilities in town. The council was considering purchasing a recycling bin for the transit center, and setting up a temporary recycling drop-off center once a month for three months this summer. In a May 19 report to the council, town manager Joe Fitzpatrick said there were not any funds in the budget to pay for additional recycling programs. Furthermore, Fitzpatrick said that the town’s contract with Waste Management includes curbside recycling, so citizens were already paying for recycling through their trash bill.
Based on Fitzpatrick’s report, mayor William Buck said, “We are not able to pursue this right now.”
Council member Wendy Fisher asked, “Not even a recycling container at the bus stop?”
Buck said no.
Council member Andrew Gitin asked if the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) would be interested in purchasing a recycling bin for the transit center.
Fitzpatrick said the DDA was already pretty committed with their funds.

March sales tax report
The March sales tax figures for Mt. Crested Butte are finalized. The March collections are 23 percent down from 2008, with a total of $237,702 collected. The lodging, restaurant, and retail categories all posted a decrease, while the “other” category showed a slight increase. The March collections are 3.8 percent under the 2009 budget, but Fitzpatrick reports that overall the town is on budget for 2009 sales tax collections. The town’s sales tax rate dropped from 4.5 to 4 percent at the beginning of the year.

CBMR proposals get extensions
The Town Council granted CBMR planning extensions on two proposed developments on May 19. The preliminary plan for the Promontory subdivision was given a two-year extension and the preliminary plan for the Mountaineer Square North PUD (Planned Unit Development) was granted a one-year extension. Neither project has received final approval, but the extensions are necessary to keep the projects at the same stage in the town’s planning process. The preliminary plan for Promontory was originally approved in June 2007, and the preliminary plan for Mountaineer Square North was approved in June 2008. There wasn’t much discussion on the matter at the council meeting. CBMR planning director John Sale said, “I think everyone realizes what sort of economic climate we are in these days.”

Irwin guide proposal
The Mt. Crested Butte Town Council is looking to make comments on the proposal to bring guided snowcat skiing back to Irwin. Mayor Buck said the town had received letters and concerns from Irwin property owners and affected neighbors. It was mentioned that the night before (May 18) the Town Council of Crested Butte wrote a letter to the Forest Service asking for an extension to the comment period. The comment period ends on May 30.
Having only just received information about the Irwin Backcountry Guides project, Clayton said the town wouldn’t really be able to make comments without an extension. Keiser said some of the Irwin property owners had valid concerns.
Clayton said the proposal was a good idea and was basically bringing back a service the area once had. “It would be good for the economy to have that up and running,” he said.
The council decided to send a letter to the Forest Service asking for an extension to the comment period, as well as a list of general concerns including impacts on private property, impacts on wildlife and the environment and trailhead congestion.

Fireworks might be at the base area this year
Crested Butte Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce executive director Richard Bond said the Chamber was working with CBMR, the town of Mt. Crested Butte, and the Crested Butte Fire Protection District “to see if we can identify a launch site for the Fourth of July fireworks on Crested Butte Mountain… which is where they were done before I got here.” The town was hoping to have the fireworks at the base area this year.
Bond said fire chief Ric Ems’ primary concern was fire safety. “At the onset he was very disinterested in the notion of setting the fireworks off anywhere close to the National Forest,” Bond said. “It turns out where he has recently set them off in town park is almost as close to National Forest as Warming House Hill is.”
Bond said there were two sites near the base area being considered for fireworks—the first on Warming House Hill and the second between the Peachtree and Westwall lifts. He said the second site was more encouraging because there were not as many evergreens in the vicinity.
However, CBMR director of snow surfaces Mark Voegeli happened to be driving by when the groups were on site one day and Voegeli said the wind always shifts directions on Warming House Hill when the sun sets.
Bond said the groups were getting back together to test Voegeli’s predictions on the wind. If the base area sites are ultimately determined to be unsafe for fireworks, Bond said, the show was set to go on at the usual location near the wetlands east of the town of Crested Butte, unless there is a fire ban or major dry spell.