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VOL. 142. NO. 46 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023 | $1.00
Magic school bus drivers of the Gunnison Valley During a dire shortage, a small team keeps bus routes alive Bella Biondini Times Editor
Te d B e m i s a r r i v e d a t Gunnison High School long before the students and grabbed his key off the hook. It was still dark out as he circled around the school bus for a safety check, the exhaust pipe creating a cloud in the cold. As part of this earlymorning ritual, Bemis pumped the brakes, inspected the mirrors and peaked under the hood at the oil levels and fan belts. With the heater at a full roar, and the seats empty, he pulled out of the bus barn parking lot. The sun began to rise over the School bus A6
A student looks out the window of the school bus on Oct. 12. (Photo by Bella Biondini)
City launches County adopts TODAY community-driven 2021 building program to slow codes traffic in town Contractors fear
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NEWS: Realtors chip in to help new homebuyers, A13
COMMUNITY: Rasmussen shows grit in marathon, B1
Online request form goes live in January SPORTS: Western to host playoff football game, B6
OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A15-A18 SPORTS B6 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
Bella Biondini Times Editor
The City of Gunnison is introducing a new program designed to quicken its response time to community requests to slow down traffic through busy areas. Instead of drafting another long-range plan to reduce the amount of cars speeding through town, City Manager Amanda Wilson wanted to take more immediate action.
In August, Wilson introduced a draft “traffic calming” program to city council for input. Once put in place, the program would create guidelines for how city employees should respond to and make decisions regarding resident complaints about unsafe roads and intersections. An uptick in community concern about the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Spruce Street, the location of what many believed was a dangerous crosswalk, spurred the creation of the new program. The city approached the problem from a number of different angles, but there wasn’t any guidance in Traffic A8
skyrocketing prices for energy ratings Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
After multiple rounds of review and public input, Gunnison County Commissioners have adopted the 2021 International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC). The new rules, like each suite of code updates, tightens building requirements in an effort to better manage overall energy use. While the county is man-
dated to adopt the 2021 codes, it also approved a number of “above code” amendments, reflecting the county’s preparation for even stricter state regulations years down the line. Despite the fact that planning staff have called the new codes “conservative” for months, several contractors showed up to a commissioners meeting on Nov. 7 to share serious cost concerns about years of increasing regulations and a newly-mandated energy rating system for large homes. After public comment, commissioners adopted the new IECC codes and the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready code. The new codes include more stringent requirements for Codes A8
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