About the time the CBMR T-bars started spinning last week giving access to the renowned Extreme Limits terrain, I took a COVID test in the office. And then another because I didn’t like the result of the first one. Donald might have been on to something back in 2020 when he said, “When you test, you create cases.” Had I not tested, would I still have had a case of the Vid? If there was no chance to see the two lines appear, would I have just had a cold like I thought since my throat was sore and my nose drippy? If the High Lift spins in the night, does Teo 2 really exist? If the red light is on in the morning but the hotline says uphill skiing is probably okay, does a Paradise lift op really care?

“Cases are up because we have the best testing in the world and we have the most testing,” said math genius Donald. The fact was that I did test, and I did get the dreaded double line (twice) to indicate I had tested positive for COVID.  

And it was dumping as the T-bars were spinning. 

My wife was fortunately out of town and had tested negative, so it was just me and the dog to imagine the soft pillows of powder getting the season’s first tracks down Headwall and Hawks Nest. If Mojo dreams of untracked pow does a PAWS cat get its wings?

As reported last week in the CB News, Gunnison County saw a spike in flu, RSV and COVID cases as we moved into high gear for the tourist season over the holiday period. While the hospital is doing fine, more people here have the crud and some of the cruds are probably COVID…we’d know if they tested but then, Lord knows how many more positives we’d tally to skew the numbers. Nationally, COVID is producing new variants that are spreading across the country. Get ready for XBB.1.5!

My COVID bout felt like a lingering cold, but I followed the CDC guidelines and isolated for five days. I did a lot of snow maintenance on the driveway. If I don’t drag the snow off my roof, is it really a snow problem since it changes to ice? Mojo and I took a lot of walks. The neighbors politely tried to not return to the neighborhood and rub in how good the skiing was but if a neighbor is grinning, is it because someone plowed the berm or because there were face shots on the Monument rope line?

Taking the Tao attitude that the situation was a test of patience…sort of like four years of Donald’s math and deduction skills, I accepted the situation. Deep breaths helped as I moved snow onto the growing snowbanks along the driveway instead of the growing moguls in The Glades. If a mogul appears on The Face does the CB Mountain Bike Association gain another storage space by Baxter’s Gulch or does a big Whetstone building get closer to the road?

Honestly, it was not a bad weekend as the days were beautiful and the life tempo more mellow than had I been caught up in the opening frenzy…which I find less and less desirable. Several times I looked to the sky and expressed gratitude to the Universe for being able to live in this beautiful high mountain valley amongst this wonderfully rich community. 

And speaking of, we lost another of those who truly appreciated living here. Annie Coburn “crossed the river” this week and to me she was one of those who particularly embraced what the place added to family. As a mid-timer, peers making the crossing is the inevitable time we are in, and in the Tao space, I am happy Annie was here and that I knew her just a little bit.

Over the weekend I was cleared under CDC guidelines and had tested negative for COVID. Does my positive still count if it is now negative? On Monday, I slipped out of the office about 2 o’clock and scooted up for the end of day High Lift to NFL T-bar lap. There were no lines. Heck, there were few skiers. If a ski run is empty have there been any turns? I actually saw morning groomer lines that were still there on at least one run, so maybe not. 

The thing about the late Monday ski was not that it was filled with fresh snow (although it was still soft) and not that there were any over-the-hood shots left — but that it was open. Having that terrain accessible, for me, borders on the spiritual. The nooks and crannies of the Extremes whisper to those who live here and ski the hill. That terrain being open is one of the things that makes this place special. Despite some previous marketing campaigns, it’s not family-friendly Roller Coaster that draws the tourists or keeps the locals here, it is the steeps. It is the traverses. If a local kid can ride Smoke-a-Bowl Point, should she get busted, or will another Mark Walter restaurant stop serving locals while not telling anyone?

As we head into the heart of the winter ski season, there are no doubt challenges in this growing resort community. But I am grateful for those who live and play here. I am grateful for the ski area and the people who work to get open the places that make this place magic. I am grateful the white snow is falling which will help make the summer green. I am grateful there was only one line on the last test and my symptoms were like a mild crud rather than a harsh beatdown. I am grateful progress is being made on workforce housing. If an electric bus carries a waiter to the Four-way does the school need another classroom?

Checking back in on the political world, the first order of business for House Republicans was to try and defund, disrupt and dismantle government. Their priority was to try and defund the IRS under the deceptive reasoning that the money already approved in the budget is going to fund 87,000 stormtroopers to come after your house. That is a lie. The money is actually meant to hold their wealthy donor tax cheats accountable and get the rightful money owed to the American people while improving agency technology. Is a House of cards built on lies any way to start serious work? No, but it is not surprising.

When is a negative a positive? When it’s on a COVID test! As the days consistently grow longer and the snow consistently gets deeper, it is shaping up to be a good season in a place the relies on seasons. We awoke to another surprise six inches Tuesday, and more is in the forecast. It is a time to be grateful. Happy winter everyone.

—Mark Reaman

A really quiet bus coming in February

[  by Mark Reaman  ]

To see firsthand how an electric vehicle (EV) bus would work in the North Valley, the Mountain Express (MX) has lined up a mid-winter demonstration for such a vehicle. For three days in February, you will be able to ride the Proterra ZX5 Transit Bus between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. 

Mountain Express managing director Jeremy Herzog said the demo is another step to transitioning to a greener fleet of vehicles, but he admits the transition won’t happen overnight.

“Reducing the carbon footprint of our community is one of the three guiding principles in our strategic plan and heavily influences everything we do,” he explained. “I think the EV buses will eventually perform better, operate more quietly, normalize our fuel costs and ultimately allow us to put a better product out there for our residents and visitors alike. At the same time that I am excited about the EV bus, I am also conscious of the barriers too, and that MX doesn’t have the current funding levels to do everything we aspire to do. So, we’re being pragmatic about when the right time to take the leap is, and this demo is a really good step on that journey.”

The demo will take place Monday, February 13 through Wednesday, February 15. Herzog said Monday will focus on shop and driver training, with some exploratory Town Shuttle runs in the afternoon. He also hopes to partner with other entities in town to make this portion of the demo a community focused event, that “generates some buzz.” The bus will hit the road for passengers on Tuesday and Wednesday to gather some hard data about its performance under the current town shuttle route.

Herzog admits that there are issues running EV buses in cold climates at high altitude but that is one reason to bring the bus up to the area. “We will be looking at its range. And how safely it operates on our very snowy streets. We also want anecdotal feedback from drivers, mechanics and passengers. The ability for the bus to meet our range requirements has always been the biggest barrier to adoption,” he said. “Range has been improving every year, as the new technology continues to mature. Based on the performance of the same vehicle in other mountain towns, we think this vehicle will come in around 180 – 220 miles of range. Every mountain town operator I know of uses diesel heaters for the passenger cabin so that the electric power remains focused on the drive train.”

Electric buses are being used in a number of mountain communities and Herzog has been keeping an eye on how they work and how they have been improving. He noted that federal grants will keep the local costs affordable, but he said it is not as simple as throwing an EV on the road and plugging it in at night. “The biggest cost barriers are actually the organizational changes we would need to make to effectively deploy the new technology,” he explained. “It’s not just the bus … it’s the charging infrastructure, ideally on route AND at the shop, the charging management software, the telemetrics software, the re-tooling of the maintenance shop, the re-training of our maintenance staff, continual coordination with our local utility and a handful of other things. All of this would require further investment in MX staff positions, that we just simply don’t have the budget to support at the moment. With battery degradation to factor in as well, the total cost of ownership over the state mandated 12-year life cycle of a bus just hasn’t been proven out yet.

“Through my leadership position on the Colorado Electric Vehicle Coalition, if there is a bus out in the mountain west, I am pretty clued into how it has performed,” Herzog continued. “In towns where the local municipalities have invested heavily in the entire ecosystem to make the vehicle work, like Park City, UT, they are doing very well. In towns that have opted for the “let’s just buy a bus and see it how works out approach,” the results have frankly not been that great. We’re absorbing their lessons learned and factoring that into our approach to the same opportunity.”

The Mountain Express board of directors is very supportive of moving to electric vehicles when it makes sense. Herzog said the board has been receptive to his feedback about the increased hard costs of the vehicle and impacts to staffing costs of the EV buses. He said the board has directed him to first focus on the Whetstone Facility project with limited available capital reserves and a very tight annual operating budget.

“The ability for MX to move to EV buses is very much tied to our ability to build a new facility in the Whetstone Industrial Park,” he said. “Our current facility just cannot support that technology at any meaningful scale. We applied to the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) Bus and Bus Facilities Program for financial assistance last spring but were not successful. The feedback was that we needed to be further along in our adoption of EV buses to be successful in our application for the facility moving forward. This demo, along with a hopeful EV Transition Plan in 2023, is all part of telling that story more effectively next year.”

Proterra regional sales director Ivy Compton said the company has conducted similar demonstrations in other mountain resort towns including Winter Park and Steamboat Springs. The electric buses are currently operating in Breckenridge and Avon, and with the Summit Stage and Eagle County.

“A Proterra demo helps agencies match the on-board energy storage and drivetrain configuration to meet route requirements, total daily mileage and layover options,” she said. “Carrying up to 738 kWh of battery capacity, Proterra vehicles have the flexibility to serve everything from local circulator routes to longer distance intercity routes. Following a demo, we are able to provide key metrics such as: efficiency, diesel equivalent fuel economy, total energy consumed, estimated range with one full charge on an average hot and cold day and system energy recaptured by regen. Demos provide a great opportunity for transit agency operators, maintenance techs and key stakeholders to see firsthand how these buses will perform within their community. This is also an opportunity for the community to ask questions about the technology and really engage the public with their local agency by sharing a pathway to move forward with clean, zero-emission transportation for all.”

Proterra will be bringing three staff members to guide the demo and Herzog said the transit agency “is very appreciative of their efforts to help plan and execute this project for our community.”

Two local challenges were made clear this week and they are challenges that could impact the long-term community for a long time. One is literally a wolf and the other is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

Let’s touch on the latter first…

The Gunnison County Library District has received another batch of requests to relocate books in its Young Adult collection that deal with gender issues. The formal notices claim the books are not appropriate for people under the age of 18 and should be moved from where they are to another shelf. The requests insinuate that it is for the benefit of the children. They come on top of another report filed with local law enforcement saying those same books should be removed from the library and “criminal charges filed” …presumably against the library administrators. 

The wolf in sheep’s clothing description is apt because that is how book banning and book burning, censorship and restrictions of art and literature begins. It seems so reasonable to keep a book that includes sexual language and uncomfortable gender illustrations out of the hands of the children. And that seems to be the case now. They are not on the children’s shelf by the Magic Treehouse series and there is no mandate to read This Book is Gay if you take out Green Eggs and Ham for your 5-year-old. I stopped by the Old Rock Library Tuesday morning and the books were on a shelf in a separate Young Adult section of the building and located above my line of sight. 

The teenage years are some of the most challenging for most everyone. Emerging emotions, spiking hormones, feelings not yet totally formed and mind and body changes that are real as a human develops and tries to figure out what it wants, can all make it hard. It is a time to talk to friends, to parents, to family and discuss the challenges – but that can be part of the challenge itself. Sometimes a teen does not want to talk about uncomfortable issues. For me, books in my local library were a deep pool of information I could access on my own without the struggle of having to explain what I was dealing with. I have heard more than once in the valley that that is the case with local teenagers as well. Those dealing with a variety of issues appreciate the availability of a book they can relate to and access. 

So, when people say they want to deny a book to certain people because it is for the good of the children, I raise an eyebrow. Maybe those making the request are the ones that are still uncomfortable. Maybe they are the ones who are having the issues and despite their claim of a benevolent reason for doing so – for the children – they are essentially attempting to bully those humans looking for information by denying them that access. 

And in Colorado they can do so anonymously, which is insult on top of injury. A district court judge has ruled that based on state statute, those asking to relocate or ban books do not have to share their names or where it is they live. They are cloaked behind a curtain of anonymity which to me seems the antithesis of how a robust democracy works. I support anyone to be able to stand up and make their requests that impact the community and are willing to publicly debate the merits of their argument. But to be able to push for changes that impact what I or my kids can access without having the courage to do so in the public square is a travesty. I don’t know if the latest requests for reconsideration of materials at the Old Rock Library came from someone living in CB or someone sitting in a cubicle in Missouri getting paid by the Koch brothers to make the same requests at libraries in Colorado, California and Illinois. The verbiage used here certainly reflects words used by people like the governor of Texas. 

While I would 100% support the idea of anonymity with what someone takes out from the library, I believe it is imperative to know who is attempting to tell you what books you are able to access in your public library. In fact, the CB News is in the midst of arguing just that in the Colorado court system (see page 17). In the meantime, be aware that there are people trying to ban or censor access to what is in the local library. And to say they are doing so for the children seems to me they are a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and it will likely not end there if they get their way…

The other issue that has come up deals literally with wolves. The state has released its draft wolf reintroduction plan and the Gunnison area is one of two ground zeros – the other being the Glenwood Springs to the Roaring Fork Valley area just over the hill from Crested Butte. In other words, it won’t just be just coyotes we hear howling at the moon in the neighborhood. And while that sounds all old west romantic, it has the local ranchers taking a deep breath. 

As my recreation friends know, I tend to support the positions of the local ranchers first despite me being a recreationist. But I feel it is the active ranching community that separates us from other mountain resort communities, and I would advocate to give them a boost up instead of more problems. I want them here as an active part of our community.

And despite assurances by wolf advocates, the ranchers see the introduction of wolves in this area as a problem that makes their lives and their businesses harder. In the past, they have pointed out that while the wolf pack might first go after the local elk herds for sustenance — and they anticipate CBCS students will get a first-hand view of the circle of life as a wolf pack takes down an elk from the herd that makes the wetlands near the school their fall home — they eventually will stalk cattle. Cattle are the rancher’s livelihood. It is not just the taking of a cow or two but the stress it puts on the entire herd that results in pounds coming off the cattle and that is money out of their pocket. The local ranchers say wolf reintroduction will impact them, tourists, hunters and the community in general. They say despite good intentions, there is no going back to the early 1900s and they view this initiative as a way to put working ranches out of business. 

The state will be holding a series of public meetings this winter to gather more public input over the draft plan that puts our valley in the center of wolf habitat. One such hearing will be held in Gunnison in late January. That no doubt will be an interesting meeting. 

We are heading into the start of the ramped-up winter season. The nights are longer and the temperatures colder. The big jets begin this week to bring in loads of people to ski and enjoy our village and it marks the beginning of a busy time in a ski town. Enjoy the holiday season and get out to enjoy what it is we offer others…but be aware there are always challenges brewing in our valley.

—Mark Reaman

Many of the hippies that stumbled into a not yet gentrified Crested Butte in the ‘60s and ‘70s stayed in the valley and watched the “old-timers” move on – either to places like Pueblo or New Mexico, or to one of the most scenic cemeteries in North America located just north of town. That’s all part of the cycle, the circle of life. 

Now it appears it is their turn. A lot of the CB hippies that stayed at 9,000 feet for decades have either found their own warmer winter spots at lower altitude or have ended their journey (at least physically) below the west side of the pointed laccolith overseeing the North Valley. One of the most iconic of the early CB newcomers, a true legend, Eric Ross, was one. He sadly moved on from the physical journey last week from his home in Wildbird. He won’t be writing any more hilarious 10-minute plays or adding to his voluminous pile of funny KBUT radio sketches, but his spirit is probably making Mitch laugh pretty good about now.

One quick story Eric probably was never aware of: Several years ago, a friend of mine who was in a place of struggle was driving back to the valley from a road trip. He says he was in what would be considered a rough mental spot and was at the wheel wondering if it would be better to just swerve left into the path of a Mack truck. As he came through Almont the radio started playing Cool Stuff, Cool People — one of Eric’s many short but weird and zany vignettes he did for KBUT. My friend said hearing Eric’s voice going on about something crazy changed his perspective and he kept the steering wheel straight. Because of Cool Stuff, Cool People he was reminded of why he lived here and was jolted into remembering that he was comfortable and accepted in a valley full of different sorts of people…people like Eric Ross.

Maybe Eric didn’t save a life that day – but maybe he did. He certainly impacted a member of the community in a time of need, and my guess is that he has not been the only one to feel the positive vibe of Eric’s uninhibited and joyful mind. He sure made me smile a lot the last three decades. I’m sorry to see him move on…but it is part of the cycle…

Speaking of…it is difficult to believe the 2022-23 CBMR ski season begins in less than a week. For whatever reason, that is hard to get around my mind. It has certainly been cold enough the last few weeks to understand the inevitable move from fall to winter. It’s just for some reason this year has been a particularly hard transition. Instead of getting used to the single digit temperatures early in the morning, it just still feels cold.

I will say that CB Nordic has done an incredible job with Lily Lake and skiing up there is nothing but sweet winter. The grooming has been great, and it is fun to see a lot of people heading up there on both Nordic and AT gear. It sure is a pretty postcard type of place and a traditional transition to move into the winter wonderland that is Crested Butte. Kudos to the skinny skiers.

As with the start to any CBMR ski season, it is normally met with joy and hope. Skiing is a big reason most of us came here originally. Getting the lifts turning so we can again ride with joy the slopes that lay below the point of Crested Butte Mountain will start next Wednesday and run until April. The hope of course is that we have a big season in terms of snowfall. The thought of waking up regularly to a foot of fresh so we can experience a pleasure not everyone can enjoy is part of the anticipation of the new season.

And then there is the hope that we have the Goldilocks tourist season — not too many and not too few but juuuuust right. To me, tourists and part-timers add good energy to a ski resort and provide diversity and new perspective to our home. I really enjoy that and appreciate the amenities provided in a resort-based community. No one wants the lines at the chairlift to be pouring out beyond the maze and no one wants to not be able to go out to eat because the wait is two hours. That benefits no one — those working or those hoping to enjoy a meal. It just adds stress to what should be a good time. Who needs that? 

A legitimate concern is that because there are now so many restaurant spaces that used to be filled with dynamic local eateries but are now sitting empty, the ones that are operating will be overwhelmed. More stress. That leads to burnout on the employee side and bad experiences on the customer side.

As reported this week on page 1, aging commercial kitchen ventilation systems are contributing to the issue but so is the takeover of downtown business spaces by just a few people of means. Someone said to me that Crested Butte’s favorite billionaire property owner, Mark Walter, sees his spending here like dropping $20 at the bargain bin. That’s fine and I sort of get it. But his spending spree that has so far resulted in a lot of empty buildings has real impacts on us living in the bin and the vibe of a unique place that depends on visitors for much of the economy. It takes away from the dynamic spirit of our community and frankly will not encourage those that came here wanting to see Colorado’s last great ski town to come back — and like it or not, that matters. 

As I have offered more than once, if Mr. Walter wants to sit down for 10 minutes and communicate to the community through the community newspaper what it is he wants to do to add to the community, he is more than welcome. 

Heck, I’ll give him as much space as he wants to write an unedited letter so he can relay his thoughts about a place he apparently likes. So far, no word. While he has enough money to not care if the buildings he bought are full of revenue generating customers, I’m just curious to know if he understands the impacts on the rest of the community.

So here we are on the cusp of another ski season. Like the passing of the Crested Butte old-timers and the original CB hippies, the circle of life and of the changing of the seasons march on. No one knows for sure what will come next. That’s part of the charm of living in a small town at 9,000 feet in the mountains. We will no doubt miss some of the local legends this winter, but the seasons continue to come as will young people looking for the same thing Eric did in the hippie days. May they be fortunate enough to experience half the life and make half the impact he did here. 

The cycles continue….

—Mark Reaman

But overall, Master Plan well-received 

[  By Kendra Walker  ]

The Mt. Crested Butte town council and planning commission made it clear they are listening to their constituents during a work session Monday night to go over the town’s draft Master Plan. While the consensus was positive for the overall Master Plan draft, the panel and public comment did not favor the proposed Future Land Use map that would change certain neighborhoods from low density residential to medium or high density.

The Master Plan is required by Colorado State Statute and is a policy document that helps shape future development of a community. “This document does not create regulation, only recommendations for how those regulations might look in the future,” said deputy community development director Hillary Seminick.

As part of the Master Plan process, the town engaged with approximately 800 community members through meetings, surveys, town events, the Crested Butte Farmers Market and social media campaigns.

“The feedback we received was consistent. The number one issue in our community is housing for locals,” said Seminick. “In the past 10 years, the average home price has increased 187%. Only two community housing units have been constructed in 10 years.”

The other top priorities include parks and trails and improving the base area. Seminick noted that with 71% of the town made up of of second homes and short-term rentals and 29% of the town made up full-time occupants, the small full-time population is a constraint to commercial activity and vitality due to lack of consistent demand throughout the year. 

Town staff also explained that any developments currently under town review, such as the proposed North Village and Prospect projects, are not addressed in the Master Plan draft because it has not yet been adopted and instead fall under the town’s 2007 community plan recommendations. 

“I understand why community members might not understand why we’re not addressing certain developments,” said Seminick. “We cannot consider something that doesn’t have entitlements right now in this document.”

Seminick noted that the town received the most public comment that she or planning partner Norris Design had ever seen in their planning work. “To get this amount of public engagement you should be proud,” she said. 

Future Land Use map

As part of the Master Plan and one way to address the housing needs and base area vitality, a proposed Future Land Use map was included in the Master Plan draft. It maps out future land use designations, such as where the commercial core and community facilities are located, as well as appropriate locations for low, medium and high-density residential areas. 

However, community feedback showed concern for the proposed changes of low-density residential neighborhoods to medium and high-density areas. “The future land use map was the most often cited area of concern and most wanted it revisited,” said Seminick of Master Plan draft feedback. 

The evening’s public comment was also dominated by concerns for the residential density changes and how the map could become a template for zoning changes. 

“Mt. CB has enough high-density residential capacity in the core area including several open/undeveloped lots, so why more high density residential in existing neighborhoods?” said Kathy Hooge. “There are future water issues, traffic issues and housing issues already. If you make Castle and Crystal high-density then you will ruin our neighborhood and encourage investment growth which will lead to even less housing for those of us who are working locals.” Hooge referenced the Marcellina Apartments (now Timbers) that were built for local workers. “A past town council let that be sold and made into condos…what are we going to do in the future if another town council says, hey let’s sell that off?” she said. “Bottom line, it is not correct to up-zone already established, single-family, low-density residential/medium-density residential neighborhoods when the commercial core is the obvious place for high-density residential.”

“Don’t mix high density and medium density with single family residences,” said Bob Brutsch. “Don’t do harm while you’re trying to do some good.”

“Revitalize some of the existing facilities,” said Tom Rolleczeck. “There is still a lot to be developed there at the base area. We all want more from that area and there’s a lot of opportunities.” 

“Like most other Mt. CB property owners, we moved here to leave behind the urban density, traffic, noise, pollution, etc. We love the way Mt. CB is now – quiet; 1/2 acre lots; great outdoor access; decent mix of single-family homes and base area condos / hotels,” said Matthew Peirson. “It is inevitable that the proposed increased density would degrade the quality of life for every resident. It will mean more traffic, noise, pollution, conflicts, crime, dog poop, etc.”

Town staff reiterated that the Future Land Use map is not a zoning map. “It’s very layered, we need to look at it in that way,” said Tory Aidala of Norris Design. “There’s other code, traffic studies, etc. that apply…we’re not saying we’re putting 200 units next to you, we’re still making sure it makes sense in that spot.” 

Council and planning commission thoughts

 “I felt like it was more of a template for other mountain towns and we are very different from other mountain towns. Applying that template to our town to assume we can handle future growth, that we need to have all this affordable housing when we haven’t even investigated that we need as much as being proposed here,” said planning commission member Nancy Grindlay. “What are the industries we have in the town of Mt. Crested Butte? We have Vail [Resorts], the core area, town employees, EMT people, Mt. CB Water and San…other than that what are the major jobs we’re providing? Seasonal housing is the main demand as far as I can tell and I think Vail is working toward helping with that and I think that’s something we can help with our regional partners. I don’t really see the driving job demand for all the proposed community housing.”

“Why is the future land use document written the way it is considering how much available high density multi-family undeveloped land exists?” asked planning commission member Dusty Demerson. 

“Is it aggressive? Yes,” said Seminick. 

“Through this master plan process we’ve identified problems within the town,” said community development director Carlos Velado. “The most prominent was community housing. One tool you can use is density. When we created this Future Land Use map, it identified where all that additional density could happen. It wasn’t going to get approved in this form. It was a way to identify places where it might make sense to address some of the issues.”

“Has the team considered any way to incentivize development of those existing properties?” asked Demerson. 

“We do have recommendations that go beyond density to consider different policies that would incentivize community housing development,” said Seminick. “I do think as a town we should consider our housing guidelines.”

Almost every member of the panel of planning commission members and town council members expressed the desire to nix the proposed future land use map as presented in the Master Plan draft. 

“Throw this future land use map out because specifically we have a zoning map that covers everything as far as high-density areas,” said council member Dwayne Lehnertz. “There is no need to change single family districts into medium density and high density.”

“Up-zoning existing areas to provide affordable housing will negatively impact those residents that already live here,” said Grindlay. “There are far better land use options to address the problem just a few miles down the road. We can be regional partners with those developments. We can give money and resources, we can contribute. That doesn’t mean we have to build the housing in the town.”

Council member Roman Kolodziej was open to looking at the future land use map further. “I’d like to take this map and massage it a bit more. I’d like to look into getting statistics into other like communities that have done something like this. I hear concerns of high density area off of Belleview and would like to see what changes can happen with that, but I’d like more explanation of what realistic development might look like on some of those areas. I’d like to hear more specific concerns from the community about what their great fear is of a duplex being one or two or five units down from them. There’s obviously concern, but very few specifics.”

“We haven’t been able to come up with numbers relative to our labor shortage,” said council member Steve Morris. “I feel there’s a massive gap of insufficient data to justify these changes…I struggle to find moving density out of that core when we haven’t seen that need. Zoning is a promise and people do base their lives off of zoning and the decisions they make. I would like to build up in the base area. I’d like to see the hard core commercial core maxed out.”

Council member Michael Bacani agreed, “Until we’ve built out all the high density that’s available, there’s a reason why these aren’t being built out right now. Let’s find out why and incentivize it. At some point when that’s all built out, we can revisit something else.” 

“I feel like it’s a little bit of a shame this has been focused so much on the Future Land Use map and not the Master Plan as a whole,” said mayor Nicholas Kempin. The council commended the town staff’s hard work and overall Master Plan. Bacani agreed, “I trashed the first version of the Master Plan, but this one seems above and beyond professional. The presentation and data and narratives, this is a fabulous job,” he said. 

Town staff heard the message loud and clear, and agreed the Future Land Use map would not change any of the residential areas as they appear on the town’s current zoning map. “We’ll still need to have something that reflects the intent of our community, but not as aspirational as what’s presented in the draft,” said Seminick. 

“I think there should be a future land use map in the Master Plan, but it should reflect the current residential zoning map,” agreed Velado. 

Base area group weighs in

Through the Master Plan process, the property owners of the base area have been meeting with each other and the town to discuss the vision for the base area. These property owners include Jeff Hermanson (Urban Villages), Nick Klaus (Elevation), Erica Sollberger (Lodge at Mountaineer Square Commercial), Richard Divine (Solstice & Club Properties), Tara Schoedinger (CBMR) and Ethan Mueller (Treasury Center).

In a letter submitted for public comment, the base area owners shared, “Each of our organizations believes in a positive future of Mt. Crested Butte and are excited to work together along with the whole community to realize our shared vision. We have appreciated the opportunity to be involved, each in different capacities, with the planning process including serving on stakeholder committees, focus groups and community meetings. While the process to create the current draft plan was lengthy and took many turns, it resulted in a document that will help realize our town’s fullest potential…With new investment being planned for the Elevation Hotel, the old Avalanche building, the Ski Club, and the surrounding area, this is an opportune time to catalyze further redevelopment that follows the principles of the Plan. As a group of base-area owners, we are committed to working together and with the Town and DDA to help realize the vision of this plan.”

The letter concludes, “We look forward to participating in further community process to refine the vision for Mt. Crested Butte. We offer our support to work through implementation tactics and other solutions moving forward.”

 “I’m thrilled the base area owners are meeting and talking to each other,” said Demerson. 

“I’d like some clarification from the base area group regarding what they’re expecting from this process vs. what we might be expecting from them,” said Kolodziej.

“What this plan recommends is the guardrails for someone to provide a development application,” said Seminick. “We can create code and regulations, but it’s really up to the base area owners to come forth with applications.” 

“I hope they seriously read those 86 pages (of the Master Plan), in particular parts about the core area,” said council member Janet Farmer. 

“We provided them with a lot of free research,” said Seminick. 

Town staff will now amend the draft Future Land Use map and related goals, policies and recommendations based on public, downtown development authority (DDA), Planning Commission and town council feedback.

Are current regulations working for or hindering the town with affordable housing?

[  By Mark Reaman  ]

The first in a series of public meetings being held to gather feedback on what direction the town of Crested Butte should take regarding updated vacation rental regulations was held August 24 and it included viewpoints on all sides of the issue with a majority tilt toward pro-STR (short-term rental) positions. More than 30 citizens attended the meeting in person at the town council chambers with another two-dozen participating through Zoom. Staff used a technological tool called Menti to gather the thoughts of the participants. The more than two-hour discussion was at times heated, but the Crested Butte planning department said that while the issue was hard, the goal was to work together to come to some sort of consensus direction.

The town staff provided STR data as part of, but not before, the public meeting and this tweaked some participants. Probably the most relevant information posted by the town was what had happened to houses that gave up short-term rental licenses. That has been frequently requested information. Vacation rental licenses have been required since 2017 and were capped at 212 and designated to certain town zones. The 212 is about 17% of the town’s current overall housing stock of 1,243 units. At full build-out town is anticipated to have 1,379 units. Because of a moratorium implemented in 2021 on issuing any more vacation rental licenses, there are currently 192 so-called “unlimited” STR licenses and about ten limited licenses that max out with 60 rental nights. 

Town data showed that since 2018 55 homes have obtained and then relinquished their licenses. Approximately 30% of those properties became owner occupied homes, 18% have been long-term rented, and 52% became second homes. Seventeen of those 55 licenses were relinquished since the moratorium began and one became owner occupied, three became long-term rentals and 13 are now second homes. As for the new long-term rentals, the town does not have data on what the rents are for those units.

“That’s the data with no interpretation,” Crested Butte community development director Troy Russ told the crowd. “Most that gave up the licenses turned into second homes and there was a small increase in long-term rentals. We’re trying to build trust and represent the collective. We haven’t interpreted the data, just collected it.”

But some in the audience felt that was incomplete. “So the council agreed to a ‘North Star” problem statement without the data?” asked Karl Zachar. “That doesn’t make sense. The data should also include the price of what the houses that gave up their licenses through a sale sold for.”

Resident and realtor Mindy Sturm said the data should include who is long-term renting the former STRs. She postulated it wasn’t frontline worker types like waiters or teachers but more likely retirees or remote workers with high paying jobs outside the valley. She sees the local ski bums as an “endangered species” and said they deserve first crack at long-term rentals to have a chance at that lifestyle. She said with remote work decreasing she hopes there will be more rentals on the market for locals but said the current STR regulation seems to be working.

Crested Butte long-term planner Mel Yemma explained the vacation rental discussion was being conducted through the framework of the emerging Community Compass plan that is based on the four primary community values of being “authentic, bold, connected and accountable.” Developing a “problem statement” to define what problem is trying to be solved is the first step in the process. In this case, the statement drafted by the town staff says: The Town should regulate vacation rentals in a way that acknowledges their economic and fiscal impacts, confirms the licensed use meets the intent of existing zoning districts, supports the Town’s affordable housing goals, aligns the housing stock’s use with the needs of the community, and ensures neighborhood livability.

Yemma said the August 24 meeting was meant to focus on what success would like with updated vacation rental regulations. 

“There is some confusion here,” pressed Zachar. “What’s the goal? Do we all agree with the council’s problem statement? Is this where we all want to head? We all agree we want more local housing but is this the way to get there?”

“Shouldn’t we also be including and asking our tourists?” suggested Laurel Walker. “We are a unique tourist town after all.”

Quick online thoughts

The staff used Menti to solicit thoughts on a number of topics and so-called success measures. Thoughts were displayed on a screen in the council chambers, but no name was associated with individual ideas.

When asked what being connected meant in terms of vacation rentals, ideas included: Being sensitive to your neighbors, not saying nasty things about tourists and second homeowners at the Post Office and store, making lasting relationships, providing an authentic experience for visitors, welcoming all to town, knowing the people around you.

Being accountable meant: people understand and ensure they follow the ordinances, realizing that there are no hotels and tourists need places to stay, that there needs to be transparency and consequences of new regulations.

As for being bold it solicited thoughts of: supporting a vibrant STR environment, understanding that STRs are Crested Butte’s hotels, not giving into the vocal minority, following the data and not just special interests and coming up with unique solutions that fit Crested Butte’s style.

Property manager Steve Ryan was part of the original citizen’s task force that helped come up with the current STR regulations in 2017. “When I look at the data I see a trend that limits vacation rentals but provides a needed service. If the 2018 regulations are accomplishing the goals, what is the point of this if the regulations are working?” He also explained that the task force concluded STRs played a very small role in potential affordable housing since most people bought a place in CB so they could use it for themselves and their families and thus were not conducive to long-term renting the property.

“There have been short-term rentals in this town since the time the ski area opened,” added resident Bob Bernholtz.

“There have been such drastic changes in the housing situation between 2018 and now,” responded Russ. “We declared a housing emergency and the vacation rentals have exploded with things like VRBO and the Internet. But if this doesn’t make sense, we don’t have to make changes.”

Ryan expressed he felt a “vocal minority” was driving the housing emergency narrative and said all his employees have found housing with the biggest hurdle being for those with pets. “One employee said that if he didn’t have a dog, he had several choices of housing opportunities.” Ryan also noted that STRs generate a significant and stable amount of tax revenue earmarked for affordable housing. 

Do STRs prohibit full time occupancy goals?

Russ noted that the relationship between housing and jobs in town is out of whack as the number of jobs in town has grown faster than the number of houses being built and significantly faster than the growth in full-time occupied homes. 

“There’s been an increase in housing too, but they are now mostly in the multi-million dollar range,” said Walter Schoeller.

Russ asked what the impact of the STRs is on the town goal to have 75% fulltime residents living in Crested Butte. He said that currently the town was comprised of about 65% fulltime residents and that would be increasing somewhat once the Sixth and Butte/Paradise Park affordable housing project is completed. Having 65% full-time residents occupying the housing stock in town is considered to be quite high for a resort community and Crested Butte is top among ski towns. Russ noted that while Crested Butte’s percentage of full-time residents is number one for ski towns, it is down from Crested Butte’s 79% of full-time occupied homes in the year 2000.

One participant noted that if STRs are only 17% of town then there is opportunity for 83% of town to be filled with full-time residents.

“When it comes to a vibrant town, income doesn’t matter,” Russ said. “We want a rich, functioning community that includes members of the workforce, retirees, remote workers.”

“All these success measures are subjective,” concluded Yemma. “Everything is on the town website and this meeting was recorded and will be included. Focus group meetings start next week. We are working on this together. The issues are hard but we can do this together.”

[  By Dawne Belloise  ]

If you find yourself traveling up the meandering dirt road leading to Gothic and decide to stop in that tiny camp town full of research scientists and marmots, you might be greeted by Rick Horn, the manager at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab (RMBL aka “Rumble”) Visitor Center. Rick, who was once titled information technician, is now the center’s manager and has spent nine summers at the base of the spired mountain. As info tech, he’d give talks about RMBL’s history and research. After his first summer there in 2014, he was asked to be manager. “I love the organization for so many reasons,” he says and notes that the tourist traffic into the visitor center has increased exponentially since he first started. “We’ve gone from about 10,000 visitors during the summer season to about 20,000. There’s certainly more people coming from other parts of the country who have found their way to Gothic,” he explains.

Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, Rick touts that’s he’s a real Midwestern kid but quickly adds, “We love having grown up there, we just don’t want to live there as adults.” He also had the ideal American family life. “My father was a World War II vet and mom was a part-time librarian. We grew up in an Ozzie and Harriet household. I was a hardcore baby boomer.” 

Even though he was in a big city, Rick was very outdoors oriented. He’d often spend time with his grandparents who lived in small towns in Iowa and got him outdoors. “One grandfather was a farmer, the other hunted and fished every day and I was influenced by both.”

In his Midwestern school, Rick recalls that team sports ranked as most important for everyone. “I was too small, so I wasn’t going to make any of the teams, but I had a talent for writing and journalism.” He became editor for his school paper. “I really liked journalism and if you were the editor, you could have your own column on the front page.” Rick was part of the generation who was profoundly affected by the assassinations of President JFK, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, the latter who died on his commencement day. There were 800 graduates in his class of 1968.

Rick was a good student but laughs that he wasn’t the greatest. However, he knew he was going to college because the Vietnam War was raging and the draft was in full effect and boys could get a student deferment. “My sophomore year in high school was when they had the first draft and my number was 80, and up to number 150 were going to Vietnam.” 

Rick enrolled at the University of Iowa, where there was a small ski club of about 30 people and as a freshman in 1969, took his first trip out to Colorado, spending five days at five different resorts. “I took a half-day lesson from a college-aged girl with a great tan and I loved everything about the experience – the fresh air, the beauty of the mountains, the snow, that beautiful blue sky. It was before the Eisenhower Tunnel was built so you drove over Berthoud Pass. It was just a life changing experience for me.” After that, during spring or Christmas break, “Whoever had a car that would run, we’d road trip to Colorado, usually Steamboat, Aspen and Vail where a lift ticket was only $6.50. So, for a couple hundred dollars, a college kid could go skiing in Colorado.” 

On May 4, 1970, four Kent State University students were shot dead and nine others injured by the Ohio National Guard for protesting the war. All hell broke loose across the country, and it was yet another life changing event for Rick and his generation. “Every campus exploded with riots and demonstrations. The school was shut down right after and they wanted us to leave campus and go home. It became really personal because now there were college students being murdered on their campus and it radicalized all of us. It was very personal,” he says of the shootings, “because a lot of us were going to be drafted.” 

Rick received his degree in business in 1972. It was a mere two weeks after graduation when Uncle Sam called up his number for the draft and Rick received his papers. He was determined not to get drafted and fortunately, he was rejected because he had grown up with asthma. “I was ready to go to Canada. I was not going to be the last person killed in Vietnam,” he affirms, as the war was declared over in 1974. “I put my dog, skis and road bike in my car, and I moved to Steamboat in the fall of ‘72.” 

With no affordable housing, Rick moved into a trailer park 11 miles west of Steamboat, essentially living in a closet and working as a diver at the Holiday Inn. He didn’t even make it to ski season there because of his housing situation. 

After a trip up north to see if there were any other desirable small town ski resorts in Montana or Wyoming, he headed to the newly opened Snowbird and moved to Salt Lake City where he felt confident that he could find work and housing, and eventually wound up in Sandy, Utah. “I spent four years waiting on tables at night and had a ski pass at Alta and Snowbird. It was an exciting time. I didn’t know how to ski that well, but I met a few friends who helped me learn. I just sort of followed them around,” he laughs. “We had over 600 inches the first two years I was there.”

Living the dream ski bum life was fine but Rick decided to return to the Midwest to seek a real career in 1976. “I thought I’d have better luck finding a job back in Iowa than in Salt Lake City, because of the Mormon influence, since you might not be hired if you weren’t a Mormon.” 

After a short, unfinished stint at Drake University in Des Moines, Rick had an opportunity to help open a restaurant in Minneapolis, which moved him into the Twin Cities. “I liked it because there was snow, better skiing and bike riding, it was better in a lot of ways.” He spent the next 22 years there entirely in the restaurant industry.

In 1984, after managing various restaurants, he was hired by a small company of restaurants called Applebee’s, he grins, and tells that there were only nine restaurants in the newly started franchise. Over the 15 years he was with them, he built out about 20 Applebee’s in various locations, including Washington state, and saw the company grow from nine restaurants to over 1,000. He eventually moved from the franchise side to the company side of business as VP of operations as well as VP of concept development.

With his background and now years of experience, Rick was snatched up by an Italian restaurant company in 1999. “They were expanding to Naples and Fort Myers, Florida, and they needed a guy who had grown a restaurant company before.” He traveled for work from Minnesota to Florida to open those new restaurants but after spending way too much time on planes, phones and in hotels for two years, he and his wife felt a change was needed. “My wife was tired of being a lawyer,” he tells of his spouse, Susan Holappa, who he met through Applebee’s where she was a lawyer. They married in 1989. 

 The couple had been spending their vacations in the West and one night after dinner and wine in Grand Junction they decided to make the leap. “We were returning from a Lake Powell trip, and we decided to sell the house and move to Grand Junction. We weren’t sure we wanted to live year-round in the snow and Moab is an hour and a half from GJ. I thought GJ looked like an undiscovered gem.” They bought a home there in 2001. Rick did some restaurant consulting but three years later, anxious to hit the slopes with a pass, he applied to be a CBMR ski instructor. To his utter surprise, they hired him. Rick and Susan bought a tiny studio condo at Skyland Lodge, splitting their time between CB and GJ since his wife still had her law practice on the Western Slope.

With his management skills, CBMR moved Rick into ski school supervisor his second year there. The following year, he was promoted to Adult Ski School manager. Unfortunately, two years later, CBMR hired a new ski school director who fired everyone and Rick returned to being an instructor with no salary or health benefits. But he continued to teach skiing in the winter until 2014 when he went to work as an information specialist up at Gothic. “I love being part of the RMBL team. I felt so fortunate to find a home like I’ve found at RMBL. I’m older than billy barr by one week,” he laughs, “so I’m the eldest there. I have a wonderful staff who come back to work every year at the visitor’s center. We keep growing each year and I’m thrilled that I’m making a contribution there.”

As with most Buttians, what he’s enamored with the most about this valley is, “The people who live here, the environment, the beauty. Just like the first time I ever went skiing, the beauty is overwhelming. I love the size of the town, going to the post office, grocery or having a beer on Elk Avenue and seeing people I know. There’s no place I feel better and no place else I’d rather be.” 

Gunnison Arts Center:
• Main Gallery: “Life in the West” by Cheri Isgreen.
• Cafe Gallery: “Acceptance” by Jennifer Lynn Butler.
CB Arts Festival:
• Art demos, auction, family activities, live music, food and more. August 5-7 at the CB Community School. Tickets at crestedbutteartsfestival.com.

THURSDAY 4
• 7:30 a.m. Open AA meeting: Crack of Dawn Group topic discussion, Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 7:30-8:30 a.m. CB Rotary Club weekly presentation featuring () at the CB Center for the Arts.
• noon Cultivating Hope Cancer Support Group online & in-person, free, livingjourneys.org/calendar.
• 4-5:30 p.m. St. Mary’s Garage open for shoppers and donations.
• 4-6 p.m. CB South Farmer’s Market at Red Mountain Park (thru 9/29).
• 5-6 p.m. Oh Be Joyful/Gunnison Food Pantry Food Bank at 625 Maroon Ave. 970-349-6237. (1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month)
• 6 p.m. Old Rock Library Wine Tasting Fundraiser at Queen of All Saints.
• 6-8 p.m. Artist meet and greet with Dolan Geiman at Favor the Kind.
• 6:30 p.m. Open AA meeting: 11 Step Meditation at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 7:30 p.m. Live music featuring The Bellamy Brothers at I Bar Ranch in Gunnison.

FRIDAY 5
• 10-11:30 a.m. Historic Elk Avenue Walking Tours with the Crested Butte Museum, meet in front of museum at 4th and Elk, 970-349-1880.
• 11 a.m. Chamber Music with the Land Trust and the Crested Butte Music Festival at the Peanut Lake Wedding Site, crestedbuttemusicfestival.org.
• noon Closed AA meeting: Readings from Living Sober at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 6:30 p.m. Live music featuring House of Cards at Talk of the Town.
• 7:30 p.m. Live music featuring the Kitchen Dwellers at I Bar Ranch in Gunnison.
• 5-8 p.m. First Friday ArtWalk with the Gunnison Arts Center at participating locations in Gunnison.

SATURDAY 6
• 7:30 a.m. Open AA meeting: Big Book Study at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 9:30-10:30 a.m. Free Yoga in the Park with CB Power Yoga at Rainbow Park (donations accepted to benefit Mountain Roots).
• 10:30 a.m. Bluegrass Camp Performance with the Crested Butte Music Festival at the CB Center for the Arts, crestedbuttemusicfestival.org.
• 11:15 a.m. Singer-Songwriter Camp Performance with the Crested Butte Music Festival at the CB Center for the Arts, crestedbuttemusicfestival.org.
• 5:30 p.m. Trey Wellington Band and Jessica Lynn with the Crested Butte Music Festival at the CB Mountain Resort, crestedbuttemusicfestival.org.
• 6:30 p.m. Open AA meeting: Literature at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.

SUNDAY 7
33rd Annual CB Rotary Duck Race (tickets at cbrotaryduckrace.square.site)
• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. CB Farmer’s Market on Elk Avenue.
• 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Artists of CB Art Market at the parking lot at the top of Elk Avenue.
• 5 p.m. All Saints in the Mountains Episcopal Church service at UCC, 403 Maroon Ave.
• 6 p.m. Sundays @ 6 at Legion Park in Gunnison featuring Two Faces West.
• 6 p.m. Open AA meeting: Topic Discussion at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 9 p.m. Live music featuring George Porter Jr & Runnin Pardners at Public House.
• 8 p.m. Michael Franti & Spearhead – Follow Your Heart Tour at I Bar Ranch in Gunnison.

MONDAY 8
• 5:30-7:30 p.m. Alpenglow! Outdoor Concert Series featuring Dragondeer at the CB Center for the Arts.
• 6 p.m. Navigating Grief & Loss Support Group online & in-person, free, livingjourneys.org/calendar.
• 7:30 p.m. Open AA meeting: Favorite Big Book Reading at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.

TUESDAY 9
• 7:30 a.m. Open AA meeting: Mediation AA & Al-Anon at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Duane Vandenbusche’s History Van Tour with the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum, crestedbuttemuseum.com, 349-1880. (Tuesdays thru August 9)
• noon Closed AA meeting: Readings from Came to Believe at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• 4-5:30 p.m. St. Mary’s Garage open for shoppers and donations.
• 5:30-9 p.m. Tin Cup Whiskey Presents: at I Bar Ranch in Gunnison.
• 7-8:30 p.m. Public Policy Forum featuring General James L. Jones: “America In Decline? Not so Fast!” at the CB Center for the Arts, crestedbuttearts.org.

WEDNESDAY 10
• 8:30 a.m. Hike with HCCA. Sign up at hccacb.org.
• 8:30 a.m. Free T’ai Chi sessions at Three Ladies Park, all levels welcome.
• 10-11:30 a.m. Elk Avenue Walking Tours with the Crested Butte Museum, meet in front of museum at Fourth and Elk, 970-349-1880.
• noon Closed AA meeting: 12 Step & 12 Tradition Study at Union Congregational Church, 349-5711.
• noon Yoga in the garden in Mt. Crested Butte wedding garden pavillion (Wednesdays through 9/28).
• 5:30 p.m. Music on the Mountain featuring Paper Idol at the CBMR base area.
• 5:30-7 p.m. Mid-Week on Main Street live music at IOOF Park in Gunnison.
• 8 p.m. Adult pickup basketball at the CBCS high school gym. Enter through the doors by Tommy V Field.

One piece of super good news is that it looks like Crested Butte could have a running movie theater in town again. The Friends of the Majestic has raised more than half of its fundraising goal and the group is confident enough to sign a lease that sometime this fall should result in that empty theater once again being full of people who like to watch movies. That has been a big hole in the entire valley and kudos to the hard-charging people who are pulling it off. 

Another note of good news is that the North Valley visitor numbers, while constantly in flux, are indicating we might have pulled back just enough to see more of a balance. Like Goldilocks and the three bears, perhaps the previous couple of summers served up porridge that was a bit too hot and this year we are tasting porridge that is just right.

While uptown CB and the Mt. CB base area are busy these days for the most part, the chaos of the previous two summer seasons seems missing. It feels lighter on Elk Avenue and even the backcountry camping scene seems steady but manageable. That was not the case in 2020 and 2021 and that added to our pandemic stress of simply trying to live a good life here at 9,000 feet. Throw in a tiny pull-back on the number of students expected to show up next month for the start of the Crested Butte Community School as the CBCS feels the stress of an overcrowded facility and maybe put another checkmark in the good news box. 

Look, growth isn’t automatically good or bad. More isn’t always better but finding additions that serve us well (a movie theater) can be good.

While many people only see progress when everything is growing and booming, the pullback in tourism numbers might indicate a return to balance. Balance is good.

We are a different type of small town after all, and that is something to embrace and honor. It is not something to simply toss aside for another couple bucks being dropped from another financial advisor from Dallas or Boulder who is visiting the valley looking for the elusive and mysterious Gronk she read about on Yelp.

Despite the explosion of both tourists and students the past couple years, perhaps the Universe is sending the signal to all of us here to be where you are — to be who you are. Considered one of the smallest destination resorts in the West, is there a need to try and hang with the big boys like Aspen or Steamboat or our once little sister, Telluride? Can we find joy in continuing to be a steady, interesting, small town at the end of the road? For me, it is the “end of the road” element that keeps us unique. This isn’t a place for everyone.

A similar indicator trend might be happening with local real estate prices as the explosion of house prices seems to have peaked last spring and we are seeing more and more “price improvements” on the market. That’s not to say that there will not be more $4 million houses under contract this summer but the days of putting the old mining shack with foundation issues on the market for $2.1M and waiting for the bidders to line up might be taking a breather. Some local realtors are telling me they expect a pullback in prices for a bit. While property in Crested Butte proper likely won’t be coming down much, the rest of the valley might see a reset. 

The increased crowd reality that accompanied the pandemic is shifting from this valley being the place where people came to be outdoors and away from the virus and many of those who tried it here are going back to Rockies games or Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts. But don’t be surprised if a steady long-term migration of visitors or new residents continues as people realize it is more comfortable here at 79 degrees in July than at 106 in the asphalt cul-de-sacs of Tulsa.

Crested Butte and this valley will be an attractive place no matter what given the future climate realities. I believe it is made more attractive with our tourism amenities that we enjoy all year long. But do not be blind to the fact that while more in balance than say a year ago, there is still work to be done to keep from falling over. There is still a workforce housing problem, and the local school rightfully continues to worry about growth that will stretch the facilities that are already stretched. Climate issues, even here, will continue as will the social equity challenges our small town confronted and must still not ignore.

We are probably more than halfway through a busy summer season. The natural exhale is on the horizon and that always provides an opportunity to take stock of where we are. Let’s remember that we don’t always have to keep growing to be successful…but we do have to always be aware. 

The good news is that we are people who chose to come to the end of the road. As difficult as that reality may be, we are not afraid to take stock and adjust to circumstances as things change. Taste the porridge and let’s continue to figure out how to make it juuuuuuust right.

—Mark Reaman

Harwell sees positive potential for a developing community

[  By Katherine Nettles  ]

When the Crested Butte South board of directors announced the search for a new Property Owners Association manager this spring, Derek Harwell says he felt called to bring his experience and positivity to the table.

Harwell has gotten his feet wet since being hired in April and starting as POA manager in May, finishing up his previous work teaching and advising at Western Colorado University and fitting in a previously-planned Grand Canyon rafting trip along the way. He sat down with the Crested Butte News recently to share what he has observed in the few weeks since taking the reins as manager and already running two major votes on a contentious covenant revote controversy, hosting a Red Mountain Parks master plan unveiling and now overseeing the membership’s new covenant revote and board of directors election. And Harwell seems to have an energized perspective to it all.

Derek and his family have lived in the North Valley for five years, settling in CB South near the commercial district which has given him perspective on the intersection of family life, growth and the commercial interests in the area. He was the community engagement coordinator at the Clark Family School of Environment and Sustainability at WCU for three years, and growing up between the San Francisco Bay Area and Atlanta, then attending Middlebury College in Vermont he has seen a range of cultures and lifestyles. He spent 18 years between two different towns in rural California and says, “It’s actually more like an urban setting coming here—we were pretty out there.” He also lived in and worked at small resort communities like West Marin, the San Juan Islands, Yosemite and the Santa Ynez Valley. 

Between the diverse and underpopulated places he has lived and his 30 years of experience in education, from preschools to graduate schools, he feels familiar with the need for collaboration, accessibility and transparency in small town circumstances. He said he is getting approached a lot around the community, possibly due to the contention around the covenants vote that was nullified earlier this year and then voted on twice to determine the process and timing of a revote. “I’m trying to have some boundaries,” he said, of not talking shop everywhere he goes. But he is also happy for the engagement. “I’ve always felt my work has to align with my life. I got inspired to get more involved,” he says.

Harwell says he see a few challenges, of course. One is sometimes conflicting perceptions of what CB South has been, is or might become. “There are people who have been here a long time, and others coming in—some as investment property owners but mostly as residents. And many people have different ideas of what should happen here, in the commercial zone, even with our covenants,” he says. “It is something to navigate.”

Harwell says he feels good about joining an entirely new but very competent staff at the POA and working for an engaged POA board and citizenry.

“There’s pretty much an entirely new team here,” he reflects, between the administration, management and parks and recreation department that has turned over in the past year. “There are a lot of fresh eyes seeing where we might go.”

As for where CB South might go, Harwell has gotten a sense of what he has in front of him. 

“There’s tons of growth. For a long time, CB South has been kind of a sleepy spot,” but he says the boom of people gives it more of a sense of full-time life. And that certainly includes a relatively booming commercial district and the possibility of residents relying less on the town of Crested Butte or Gunnison for goods and services.

“There’s a lot of value in people not feeling they have to go to town,” he says.  “Gunnison and Crested Butte have a vested interest in Crested Butte South absorbing some of the demand.”

Harwell says he sees the challenges too, though. “There are also community concerns over speeding, traffic issues, parking, bus stops, a potential sheriff’s substation and in general an area that is growing faster than almost anyone can keep up with.”

He is most excited to see about what can be done with the POA-owned parcels, some graduate student collaborations with Western Colorado University for the community garden and developing the parks. “There are lots of possibilities,” he says. And those will need a lot of planning. 

“I think we are at a crucial time in CB South to be able to hone in on a vision for the community and be able to truly enact it such that we retain the livable feel for all. We are in the final stages of work on a master plan for the parks, both Red Mountain and Brackenbury, and there have been some incremental steps in the development of the commercial district. We have to remember that while we continue to grow, we still currently have a single bridge in and out and are already experiencing challenges with congestion, traffic flow and parking. As we further develop both the residential and commercial areas in CB South, we are going to need to address the broader infrastructure capacities. This will all need to happen in coordination with larger entities, as we do not have a tax base from which to draw, we operate primarily upon our annual membership dues.”