Briefs: Crested Butte

By  Mark Reaman

High Mountain Concepts coming in under budget and ahead of schedule

The Crested Butte town council gave the thumbs up for High Mountain Concepts to start phase-two of the Paradise Park affordable housing project. HMC is finishing phase-1 faster than anticipated so the builders hope to get in the ground for the next phase this fall instead of next spring. With that boost, HMC hopes to have the new units close to ready for occupancy next August. The cost per unit for the three-phase development is coming in at $534,000 and includes 14 units with a total of 31 bedrooms.

Town staff anticipates opening rental unit applications in December with a lottery held in January and lease up in March/April for phase-1. Some councilmembers said they’d like to see occupancy begin sooner than the spring, but staff suggested being conservative in the timelines so as not to end up disappointing people if the timing was delayed for some reason.

“These units are coming in under budget? And ahead of schedule?” asked councilmember Jason MacMillan. “Who does that?” HMC, apparently.

The Mineral Point apartment complex on the other hand has suffered a few “compounding delays.” Still, the contractor is saying that work has been adjusted to deal with the delays and they still expect the units to be leased up next summer.

Population numbers…dogs up, people down

The 2024 Crested Butte census was completed in August 2024. The data was collected using Survey Monkey and by speaking with residents at the town’s Block Parties along with door-to-door surveys. According to the new data, 63% of the 1,280 residential units in town are occupied by year-round residents. The population is 1,589 which is a decrease from the 2021 figure of 1,617. But what CB saw in a lack of new people was more than made up for with dogs. There were 333 dogs counted in the 2024 census which is an increase from the 244 K9s counted in 2021.

CB a future hub of psychedelic wellness?

Sylvia Salcedo and Chris Smith approached the council asking that the town be prepared as the state’s new regulations allowing the therapeutic use of natural medicines like psilocybin get released in 2025. They said Crested Butte has the chance to shape how those natural medicines can be used in the community and suggested a committee be formed to investigate the issue. “It is an incredible opportunity for the community with healing centers,” Smith said. “It’s not just for healing, it is for spiritual growth.”

No appetite to quickly pursue restaurant awning request

Councilmember Mallika Magner also asked if the council had any interest in pursuing a request by local restaurant owners to allow retractable awnings to protect outdoor seating along with possible tents for their Elk Avenue parklets in the summer. Community Development director Troy Russ said pursuing a change to town code to allow such action would delay the current Community Compass timeline. The town is reviewing the town zoning code starting next summer and that request would fall under that umbrella. With only Magner and Billick expressing any urgency for such an exploration there was no council consensus to proceed with the restaurant request.

Elk Avenue snowbanks…

Council approved the 2024-25 Snow and Ice Control Operation Plan. There were no major changes to how the town dealt with snow and ice from the previous winter season. Snow plowing will commence at three inches. Snowbanks on Elk Avenue will be removed as snowbanks begin to encroach within pedestrian sight lines or between snow events, depending on the severity of the snow cycle. The Mountain Express bus route and emergency routes in town will be cleared of snow after each storm.

Chick report

The Slate River Working Report reported to the town that summer activity through the Great Blue Heron rookery was down compared to the summer of 2023. That was due primarily to lower river flows later in the season. It was reported that the number of fledged chicks in the heron rookery has been slowly declining since 2018 with new rookeries being found in other parts of the Upper East River and Ohio Creek Valleys.

Trail cameras deployed

The town had deployed trail cameras at certain local trails this past summer to collect baseline data for trail usage. The trails involved included the Green Lake Trail, the Deli Trail and Woods Walk, all of which have origination points in town. The goal is to better understand staff resources required to implement data collection initiatives.

Stuff:

—In a recet memo to council, it was noted that “due to inappropriate and disrespectful behavior at Jerry’s Gym and the town hall green spaces, children under the age of 18 are no longer welcome in those spaces unless accompanied by an adult or if they are participating in a rec program.”

—Council approved a letter of support for the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce asking the county’s Local Marketing District to increase its annual contribution for visitor center operations. The request is to double the current contribution of $25,000.

—Crested Butte’s Human Resources manager has resigned so the town has retained the company Employers Council to outsource HR services. 

—Council asked staff to continue facilitating a regular ‘Coffee with a Councilmember’ series that each found beneficial by meeting with constituents.

—An honorary bench for Diane ‘Diner’ Theaker made of an old Twister Lift chair was placed in the green space east of Town Hall with a plaque and pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness.

—The Depot will be closed to public use from December to May in order to relocate town staff during a major second floor renovation of the current Town Hall. 

—Councilmember Gabi Prochaska, who sits on the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority board, gave a heads up to the council that some other GVRHA members have raised some concerns about how GVRHA funding is split up. She said there are some grumblings that Crested Butte should be contributing more given much of the work is focused on Crested Butte issues.