Mark Reaman

In a comment letter to Gunnison County over its proposed Whetstone affordable housing project, the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) made clear citizen safety was a priority.

The town of Crested Butte obtains its drinking water from water sources flowing down the Kebler Pass Road drainage. There are two surface water intakes in the 24 square mile Coal Creek Watershed and is fed by Lake Irwin, Splains Gulch, Elk Creek and Wildcat Creek. The town council discussed how to protect those sources from potential contamination at its August 6 council meeting and identified the threat of wildfire as the most important thing to address.

The threat of a molybdenum mine that literally hung over Crested Butte’s Elk Avenue is officially gone. Thanks to 47 years of relentless work and hundreds of smart, passionate people, a document called a Mineral Extinguishment Agreement along with detailed conservation easements have put in place the legal documents to eliminate, to “extinguish,” the potential of mining Red Lady. Mission accomplished.

The RTA will contribute up to $115,000 to help with road reconstruction near the Crested Butte South bus stop. RTA executive director Scott Truex said the work is extremely important and needed in large part given the weight of the buses on some thin pavement. The work will take place this fall and is expected to take up to three weeks. During that time a temporary bus stop will be put in place for CB South riders.

While their interest was piqued by the idea of perhaps letting residents of deed-restricted units in town short-term rent their abodes on a limited basis, the Crested Butte town council agreed it wasn’t a priority and should be put near the bottom of the priority list.

Commits to 2025 but wants to think ‘out of the box’ in the future

The council received an update on the development of the Crested Butte Community Plan at the September 3 meeting. Planner Mel Yemma presented a large document containing ideas and feedback received from residents. Ideas like considering increased density and allowing higher building heights in town were touched upon. It was indicated the biggest changes would probably come in the Sixth Street corridor area through town and along Belleview Avenue. Current statistics indicate Crested Butte has a full-time population occupying 66% of its housing units, a good amount for a resort community.

For some, $2 million is apparently the equivalent of chump change found in the couch cushions. The town of Crested Butte had been trying for weeks to cut a $2 million check to global mining giant Freeport McMoRan but paying a paltry couple million dollars to a corporation with a market cap worth $58.3 billion is not easy. Town staff reached out multiple times since August to ask how to deliver the money without getting a detailed response…until Wednesday, September 11.

After news of the paperwork being filed that essentially ended the Red Lady molybdenum mining fight, Crested Butte mayor Ian Billick commented in last week’s paper that “Crested Butte has now formally and fully transitioned from mining to a tourism and amenities-centered economy.” A few minutes later the community received more than $15 million for work on the Highway 135 corridor that funnels tourists and amenities-based visitors, along with lots of working locals, to Crested Butte.

With the announcement last week of a huge $15 million federal Safe Streets For All (SS4A) grant award to Gunnison County, the Highway 135 drive between Crested Butte South and Crested Butte will be very different within a few years.