Mark Reaman

You never know what might happen when walking to a party in Crested Butte. For three Aspen area residents, Sky Minert, Tracy Jennings and Tina Smith heading to a Saturday gathering over on Second Street in CB via East Maroon Pass, it turned into quite the adventure. First just running into a bear can be exciting enough, which it was for them, but before cresting East Maroon Pass they noticed something weirder than a bear that was running away: a rogue fire smoking away above them next to an avalanche chute.

The poll results are in for the questions of whether to place a potential tax on second homes in Crested Butte or reallocate some of the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) funds being collected on the November ballot, and based on results of the poll, both would apparently win in an electoral landslide.

The calvary arrived in Crested Butte and there was noticeable excitement from area residents about seeing the help. Several United States Postal Service (USPS) workers from the Front Range got to Crested Butte Sunday evening and lent their helping hands first thing Monday to start digging out of the package pile mess that had been building up inside the Elk Avenue location for about two weeks.

The earthwork that has gone on since late last summer along Highway 135 between Crested Butte and the Whetstone Community Housing project south of town should be done in August. That work is basically repairing and finishing the water and sewer line work that will provide those utilities to the housing project. But a disastrous piece of work from a Montrose subcontractor last year resulted in the need for a major redo of the work by local contractor Spallone Construction Inc.

The initial direction from the Crested Butte town council to the staff following hours of council and public discussion Monday evening, was to begin crafting ballot language for an excise tax on so-called “non-primary residential homes” and possibly vacant lots in town. While the council was split with two councilmembers, John O’Neal and Gabi Prochaska opposed to the idea, one councilmember, Kent Cowherd, said he would prefer to prioritize a reallocation of the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) but could support a vacant home tax if it included provisions addressing the “fairness” issue. Mayor Ian Billick along with councilmembers Beth Goldstone, Mallika Magner and Kate Guibert were strongly in favor of putting the issue on the November ballot.

In what might be a lesson for everyone, but especially entities that deal with high dollar payments that use physical checks, local, regional and national investigators are actively looking into what is described as a “check washing” incident with the Mountain Express. The check fraud resulted in close to six figures being stolen but that is expected to be covered through insurance.

The scheduled meeting for the Gunnison County Library District to have its proposed Crested Butte South library facility reviewed by the Property Owner’s Association (POA) Design Review Committee (DRC) did not take place this week. While there was a DRC meeting on Tuesday, July 28 and the library review was on the agenda, the two entities continue to be at loggerheads so most of the action is taking place through the courts. The CB South POA claims a completed application was never submitted. The library district claims all the information for a completed application was given to them in early June and the POA never informed them about a potential July 28 DRC meeting.

A quick response by firefighters helped stop a potential spreading wildfire near Almont last Sunday. A lightning strike east of the town just over the ridge from the Almont Post Office started a wildfire about 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 26.

A major kink in the Whetstone Community Housing project will postpone work on the Brush Creek roundabout and underpass so neither will be done this year before the snow flies. That could set off a series of ramifications that will either make occupancy of the units delayed or possibly more expensive as safety concerns emerge about occupants being able to access the RTA bus on both sides of Highway 135.

Instead of settling on definitive direction for ballot language at their meeting Tuesday evening, the Crested Butte town council members focused on receiving more options from staff to evaluate how best to implement a “non-primary home excise tax” ballot question this fall.