A look back at the top stories and photos of 2024
NEWS: Gunnison Rising files for bankruptcy, A19
COMMUNITY: A waltz through time, A14
SPORTS: A year in photos, B6
A4
B6
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
The Gunnison Valley’s only health care system is fighting to stay afloat amidst a slew of financial and staffing challenges that are plaguing all Colorado hospitals.
Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) continues to battle for reimbursements from private and public Hospital A6
At The Grove, mothers and children can be themselves, together
Mariel Wiley Times Photo Editor
For a new mother, community is everything. This is a sentiment often described by the familiar, yet archaic, proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.”
Yet in modern western culture, especially in rural areas like the Gunnison Valley, some women end up feeling isolated as they embark on their postpartum journeys.
Shortly after giving birth, many mothers are wrapped up in a flurry of attention and care from friends and family. But as
“When moms feel like they are well supported, then their kids are going to learn what it means to be taken care of, and how to take care of others.”
— Louise Perry, Motherhood therapist See story on A1
As daylight faded on the eve before the winter solstice, IOOF Park remained awash in candlelight during the annual luminaria lighting ceremony on Dec. 20. Gunnison Valley Resiliency Project team members arranged luminaria around the perimeter of the park and handed out hot chocolate to passersby. For the first time this year, the crowd could join in for some caroling as the lyrics to Christmas classics flashed across an inflatable movie screen borrowed from Western Colorado University’s Leadership, Engagement and Development office. Proceeds from
the
Center and CB State of Mind.
Park Service doubles down on boat inspections
Despite Hwy. 50 being closed for most of the boating season, the National Park Service inspected more than 15,000 watercraft — a record number — at Blue Mesa’s three main boat ramps. NPS inspectors also intercepted more than 50 boats that had traveled from Lake Powell at the Lake Fork ramp.
“As a boating community, we became a lot closer together this year. Early season meetings in Gunnison and Montrose helped open a greater line of communication between the park and the public,” said Bill Brueggeman, supervisory park ranger and aquatic invasive species coordinator at Curecanti National Recreation Area.
The Park Service closed the ramps to regular hours on Dec. 15 to give staff a holiday break. For lake conditions, fishing reports and launch opportunities call 719.530.6770.
Following the discovery of zebra mussels in the Colorado River earlier this year, the Park Service is doubling down on protecting the tributaries coming into Blue Mesa Reservoir. This means partnering with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties and boaters to keep watercraft clean, drained and dry between launches.
This year, the Park Service purchased four self-service decontamination machines, primarily for hand-powered boats. The agency plans to rotate the machines throughout the watershed this summer.
Gunnison County Commissioners reappointed Bruce Alpern, and appointed Emily McMahill, to the Gunnison Valley Health Board of Trustees. Ten applicants applied for the spots, and commissioners interviewed candidates in a public session earlier this month. Each trustee serves for five years, so the new candidates’ terms will end in early 2030.
Bella Biondini Times Editor
To avoid population declines, a new interactive mapping system will help recreation and county planners decide which areas are suitable for development with wildlife in mind. Its creators hope the map preserves what untouched habitat is left.
As herds of elk and mule deer roam across the Gunnison Country, they encounter fences, highways and sprawling neighborhoods — all obstacles on their annual migration to the valley floor as winter sets in. Wildlife populations rely on intact blocks of habitat, free from the influence of people and noise, to survive, but these kinds of places are disappearing. If residents want thriv -
ing populations in the future, wildlife managers believe more deliberate decision-making may be necessary when it comes to new development on the Western Slope.
Chaffee County was the first in the region to build a “wildlife decision tool,” followed by Lake County to the north. Once the Gunnison maps are finished, each community will have a more holistic view of the areas wildlife depend on.
The Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation (STOR) Committee, which based the Gunnison County maps on its neighbor’s models, reviewed a final draft of the wildlife decision tool in November. The joint project with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has been slow moving, but is expected to wrap up early next year.
Gunnison County is rich with wildlife and residents have made it clear they want it to stay that way, said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Brandon
Diamond. This desire is reflected in land use codes and years spent trying to balance the needs of wildlife with new development both inside and outside of city limits. Hunting and fishing, which depend on healthy populations, also help power Gunnison County’s economy. According to the Colorado Wildlife Council, hunters and anglers bring over $3.25 billion to Colorado every year, and impact all 64 counties.
“For many people, wildlife and the places they live are an important part of the quality of life here … In a state approaching 6 million people with a lot of human use on the landscape, I think that these types of tools will have a lot of value moving forward,” Diamond said.
The wildlife decision tool maps have land ownership, human disturbance (roads, houses, radio towers and trails) and wildlife layers. Insect, plant
continued on A7
• CRESTED BUTTE — CBCS, Jan. 21, 5:30-6 p.m.
• GUNNISON — Fred Field Center, Jan. 22, 5:30-6 p.m.
Join Luke Yoder, executive director of the Center for Restorative Practices in the San Luis Valley for an informative event on parenting. Free dinner will be provided to those who RSVP with the QR code.
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT MARIO KART NIGHT
JAN. 31, 5:30-8:30 P.M. GRADES 5+
Fred Field Center Tournament starts at 6 p.m.
Gems from the BiBle
HAVE YOU ACCEPTED YOUR INVITATION TO THE WEDDING?
Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself.
~Revelation 19:6-7 (NLT)
Selected by Renee Balch & Leta Haverly
FRI. 1/3 — THE LORAX MAJESTIC Theater at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.
FRI. 1/17 — DESPICABLE ME WCU Theater at 4 and 6 p.m.
© 2024 Gunnison Country Times
Publisher/Owner Alan Wartes publisher@gunnisontimes.com
Editor Bella Biondini bella@gunnisontimes.com
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Betsy Marston Writers on the Range
Writers on the Range, an independent opinion service based in western Colorado, sent out close to 50 weekly columns this year. They were provided free of charge to about 150 subscribing publications, large and small, and each of which republished dozens of the columns.
Writers on the Range has a simple two-part mission. One is to engage Westerners in talking to each other about issues important to the region. The other aim is to entice readers to look forward to these factbased opinions,with the hope they’ll then want to keep their local journalism outlet alive and flourishing.
Our opinions this year covered a wide range of topics: avalanche deaths that might have been prevented, by Molly Absolon; Ben Long’s profile of Diane K. Boyd, whose innovative career studying wolves in the wild spanned four decades; Zak Podmore’s description of how dead pool is a strong possibility for Lake Powell. We’re
Let’s teach kids how to face their problems
Editor:
Letters to the editor must be 500 words or less. We favor local topics and discourage argumentative letters addressed to particular people. If you reference data, please include sources for fact-checking.
We will not print letters from candidates for public office.
Email letters to editor@gunnisontimes.com or send to 218 N. Wisconsin St., Gunnison, CO 81230. Include your full name, address and a phone number — for our internal use only.
The deadline is Tuesday at 12 p.m. Letters may be edited for grammar, clarity or length.
happy to report that Megan Schrader of the Denver Post said that Long's and Podmore’s opinions were among the paper’s most-viewed columns.
But it was what happened to wildlife in Wyoming that garnered the most response from readers, who wrote letters of outrage or made our opinion go viral on social media. Wendy Keefover of the Humane Society of the United States was involved in both. Her first opinion column, published in April, revealed that in Wyoming coyotes can be legally killed — though in this case the animal run over by a snowmobiler was a wolf.
We know a wolf suffered this assault because the snowmobiler showed off the dazed and muzzled animal at a bar, where it was photographed splayed out on the floor. Many readers were appalled, especially as the penalty for what amounted to torture was a minor fine.
Keefover’s second column was written with Kristin Combs of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. It covered the sudden death of grizzly bear 399, Wyoming’s most famous bruin. Starting in 2004, this prolific mother bear raised 18 cubs amidst the millions of visitors and residents of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. Her death, after colliding with a car, resulted in an outpouring of grief. The writers’ opinion calling for greater protection for grizzlies was
cosm of our democracy, where we hope that everyone is treated with respect, kindness and dignity.
Thanks to Abby for last week's article covering the Gunnison Watershed School District (GWSD) school board's discussion about the district’s discipline policy.
I appreciate the efforts of our school administrators, counselors and board members, as they use research, experience and best practices to figure out what’s best for our youngest community members.
I hope we can all agree that we want to raise young people who are ready to enter the adult world as thoughtful, compassionate humans who know how to handle conflict in healthy ways. Our schools are a micro-
I disagree with the viewpoint expressed by board member Mark VanderVeer quoted in the article. He said, “As a parent, I don’t care if the kid [the bully] apologized to my child. I don’t want them anywhere near them.” From an administrators’ viewpoint, Middle School Principal Lance Betts said, “We’re trying to help [students] understand, is this a conflict, are you just being mean or is this something where a student is actually being targeted?”
In my layman’s understanding of restorative practices, this research-backed approach gives students an opportunity to understand conflict and learn how to repair damage. Of
shared on social media by more than 20,000 readers who visited our website on the first day it appeared.
We’re also pleased to report that a Writers on the Range column helped quash the state of Utah’s plan to allow a 460-foot telecommunications tower in the heart of Bears Ears National Monument. In his opinion, Mark Maryboy, former delegate to the Navajo Nation Council, blasted the state’s proposed tower as “a spear in the heart of the monument.” The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance told us that Maryboy’s column, which ran widely in the state, was a “major component” in the tower’s defeat.
A more recent column, by Jennifer Rokala, head of the Center for Western Priorities, was shared by many readers. Rokala insisted that no matter what exploitation the Trump administration planned for public lands, conservationists would fight back. As a reader put it in a letter to the editor of the Aspen Daily News: “You’re providing factual and great journalism that inspires and gives hope.”
We were inspired by several columns about Westerners trying to change the world, including Katie Klingsporn’s profile of a Wyoming principal, Katie Law, who never gives up on students at Arapaho Charter High School. Law was rewarded by seeing 14 students graduate
course, each situation has context, and in instances of clear, targeted, repeated negative behavior, I hope the administration is taking the actions outlined in the district discipline policy to prevent such behavior. I also understand that VanderVeer is making the statement as a parent, and his quote may be used out of context. But, the reality is that Mark is in a leadership position, and is being quoted as so. My point is: If we were to adopt this approach, and isolate victims from their aggressors, we miss the opportunity to teach kids how to face their problems head on. We should not treat kids that make mistakes as outcasts (bullies) and further isolate them from our community. It is dangerous to label a child as a bully, instead of acknowledg-
this year, the largest class in the school’s history. Why did she work so hard? “I want to see these students succeed, and I’m going to do what it takes,” she said.
There were other columns about extraordinary people or the novel ways writers understand the West, including Dave Marston’s piece about Amory Lovins, who insists that the energy gap can be closed, and others by Rebecca Clarren, Shaun Ketchum Jr., Rick Knight, Jacob Richards and Laura Pritchett. Marston, the publisher of Writers on the Range, also revealed his struggle with bipolar mental illness.
Each of our paid writers are eager to start a conversation because they care about the West, and in particular, the public land that makes this region unique. And we suggest never skipping a column by Grand Canyon educator Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff, who can’t help noting the many foibles of tourists.
For example, whenever a hiker asks her on the trail: “Was the hike worth it?” Woodruff confesses she’d love to answer: “No, turn around now!”
(Betsy Marston is the editor of Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, the independent nonprofit opinion service that seeks to spur lively conversations about the West. She lives in Paonia, Colorado.)
ing that kids make mistakes and need to be taught the skills to repair relationships and avoid future mistakes. We see the terrible consequences of isolating and outcasting young men and women with the awful and tragic news of school violence that occurs so frequently these days. I challenge each person in our valley, and our country, to not avoid conflict, but instead use the best tools they have available to create a kind, compassionate community where each of us can learn from our mistakes, find resolution together and respectfully disagree with one another.
New nonprofit child care center moves in with help from GVH
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
After years of financial uncertainty, Gunnison child care center Wonderland Nature School is dissolving. To ensure doors stay open, Gunnison Valley Health intervened and brought in a new provider Access Early Education Foundation.
Wonderland, a nature-based early child care center at the west end of Tomichi Avenue, has been renting a building from Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) since 2021. For years, Wonderland Nature School fought to make ends meet, dealing with teacher shortages and, as a result, low enrollment. Pandemic funds ran out in August of 2023, revealing the school’s imperiled financial situation, buoyed only by tuition and waning grant funding. With Wonderland facing certain closure, Gunnison Valley Health suspended rent and utilities for months and gave the child care center a loan in the form of a $20,000 line of credit.
Local infant and toddler child care is in high demand. Most, if not all, of these centers around the valley have lengthy waitlists, sometimes populated with children who aren’t even born yet. For this reason, losing one of the county’s six centers wasn't an option, said GVH’s Vice President of Operations Wade Baker.
But with no clear financial path forward for Wonderland, GVH executives started reaching out to child care providers in the Gunnison Valley and beyond — looking for a way to keep it open. Without intervention from GVH, the valley would have lost a child care center, said Wonderland board treasurer Lauren Cooper.
“If GVH hadn't been involved, the school would have closed months ago,” Cooper said. “And I wouldn't be going to work today … It would have had a major trickle effect into the community of parents not being able to go to their jobs.”
Within a period of months, hospital executives found Western Slope-based Access Early Education Foundation. The Foundation’s executive director Jennifer Knott runs centers in Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs and Rifle. Knott met with the Wonderland board and agreed to transition operations under the new name, Little Adventures Child Care Center. Wonderland’s
board and nonprofit dissolved, and GVH executives offered the Foundation the lease.
The center will stay open during the transition, and all children and staff will be able to stay on, Knott said. She does not anticipate a tuition increase in the near future. Wonderland will officially become Little Adventures by March 1.
“We're excited to be here and for this opportunity, and are proud of the center that is currently established here,” Knott said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to build on that.”
A parade of challenges
Wonderland Nature School, formerly Seasons Schoolhouse, moved into the GVH-owned space on West Tomichi Avenue in 2021, a year into the pandemic. The hospital supported the school’s new chapter by fronting $600,000 into an interior remodel, a debt that was tacked onto lease payments and expected to take 18-20 years to pay off. In return, the lease stipulated that 25% of the school’s slots be reserved for children of GVH staff.
Just months after moving into the new space, a cascade of challenges emerged. Around the valley, the pool of certified early childhood teachers was, and remains, slim. With teacher shortages, the school couldn’t reach its full capacity of 69 kids and couldn't open all its classrooms. Wonderland’s financial sustainability depended on full enrollment, said former board member Jessica Eckhardt. She served on the board from November of 2021 to August of 2023.
Over the next year, the school closed more than once following a COVID outbreak as well as delays with state licensing. In response, Gunnison County granted Wonderland $60,000 in the fall of 2021. That “cushion,” alongside the $9,000 a month Wonderland received from state pandemic funding, kept the school open, Eckhardt said.
To remedy the teacher shortages and low enrollment, the Wonderland board made all the cuts that it possibly could, Eckhardt said. A
contracted cleaning service was cut back from three times a month to once a month, and teachers picked up the slack. Wonderland’s teachers didn’t get many professional development opportunities, echoing a trend across early childhood education where teachers are asked to “do more with less,” she said.
Board members, teachers and former executive director Gina Loftus filled in the gaps: writing grants, cleaning and teaching while trying to plan for the future. Cooper recalls fielding numerous “stress calls” from parents who struggled with the tuition increase and noticed the strain on teachers. But by September of 2023, the grant well was nearly dry.
“It was just a very bleak picture,” Eckhardt said.
To try and compensate, the board raised tuition twice in 2023 — once in May and again in November — but it still barely covered payroll, she said. After the tuition hikes, Wonderland lost several families. Many on the board were concerned the rise in cost would impact the school’s mission to offer equitable access to education.
“We're trying to support our teachers the best we can, with a lack of public support,” Eckhardt said. “We don't get public funding. And we can't keep raising tuition on parents and having them shoulder that burden.”
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
insurers, and to pay nurses and doctors enough to keep them here. Following the acquisition of several medical offices and an entire primary care practice in 2024, GVH is offering more medical services than it has in recent years. To keep these services alive, executives at the countyowned hospital will depend on the finance team — equipped with new software — to make ends meet.
Revenue has increased year-toyear, primarily from growth in the number of patients using the hospital system, in-patient hospital stays, radiology services, surgeries and maternity services, said CEO Jason Amrich. Surgeries, MRIs and other “high dollar” procedures are also trending upward, but at a lower rate, said Chief Financial Officer Angela Kobel.
“That's a sign that we are providing the right service to the community, the community is choosing us,” Amrich told the Times
However, operating expenses, or the money GVH is shelling out to procure medical equipment, pay staff and keep the lights on, is outpacing revenue. So while its net operating revenue is up 26% from 2021 to 2024 , expenses have risen 46% over that same time period. Salaries and benefits have risen 40% since 2021, as GVH competes with other regional hospitals to retain doctors and nurses.
Medical supply costs have also inflated, along with pharmaceutical drugs. To address the issue, GVH now works with Vanderbilt
A1
the commotion dies down, the meal trains stop coming and visitations taper off, the new moms start to feel as though their freedom, autonomy and friendships have disappeared, said Gunnison-based motherhood therapist Louise Perry.
This feeling of isolation was all too familiar to Perry following the birth of her daughter in 2020. She had worked as a doula for years, providing physical, educational and emotional support for pregnant women. But her own postpartum experience inspired her to shift her practice towards therapeutic support for new moms.
“If we set moms up successfully from the very beginning, it’s going to create this amazing ripple effect,” Perry said. “When moms feel like they are well supported, then their kids are going to learn what it means to be taken care of, and how to take care of others, because someone’s modeling that to them.”
Earlier this month, Perry opened the doors of her new brick-and-mortar venture, the Grove, a membership-based hub for mothers. The cheery, secondfloor studio at 304 W. Tomichi Ave. will soon be a sanctuary where mothers, with babies and
Health Purchasing Collaborative, a supply chain aggregator that helps executives review contracts to find better pricing. That relationship has proved effective, and supply cost increases have slowed over the last year, he said. This year’s net income, or the “take home” dollar amount that carries over into the next year, is positive at $2.6 million as of the end of November. However, that figure is declining each year and it becomes harder and harder to keep it in the black, Amrich said.
“From the commercial insurances, we have the same problems that any practice does. We fight denials. We fight downgrades on our claims.”
Angela Kobel Gunnison Valley Health
The financial adversity faced by GVH is mirrored across the state, in health systems large and small, public and private, said Tom Rennell, who specializes in financial policy and data analytics for the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA).
The rapid winnowing of net income and inflation in expenses
young children in tow, can find respite and immerse themselves in community support.
“Having an actual physical space where we centralize support for moms is critical, because it removes the barriers from finding people,” Perry said. “To me, it represents your missing village.”
Pregnancy and postpartum care can be hard to come by in rural areas, where low population growth leaves birth workers without enough clients to make ends meet, Perry said.
In Gunnison, pregnancy and postpartum resources have swelled in recent years. The Gunnison Valley Hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology (OB/ GYN) departments have grown in 2024, with a near 20% increase in visitation. On average, 120 babies are born each year in the hospital, but 2024’s total count is inching closer to 140 as the year comes to an end, said GVH Marketing and Communications Director Joelle Ashley.
In 2021, GVH established a weekly support group, Mountain Mamas, where new moms can receive advice from doulas, OB/ GYN doctors or registered nurse practitioners. A meeting is hosted in English on Mondays and in Spanish on Wednesdays at 322 N. Main St. The hospital can also facilitate doula services to expecting mothers.
“We need to have the mind -
plagues all Colorado hospitals. Since 2019, increases in operating expenses have exceeded revenues by over 8%, according to CHA data. Shrinking net incomes limit how much hospitals can invest into future growth, and bring some closer to the brink of closing. It forces some to go to taxpayers to make ends meet, like creating a local taxing district. For GVH, one way to shore up its future is expanding services.
In 2024, the health system acquired Gunnison Valley Family Physicians, and two locations of the private orthopedic practice, Vail-Summit Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery (VSON). While the acquisitions grew GVH offerings for both family medicine and orthopedics, and the revenue associated with these businesses, it has also taken on a significant amount of new expenses in the form of salaries, rent and supplies.
“I couldn't imagine such an important primary care practice like that going dark and then not having the community have access to primary care physicians,” Amrich said. “But with that, GVH had to look at their financial structure and their losses and inherit that.”
GVH also gets an inch of relief as a designated critical access hospital, wherein it gets paid based on the actual cost to treat the patient for both Medicare and Medicaid, rather than a flat fee schedule. Its primary care clinic is a designated rural health clinic, which also offers better reimbursement from the government, he said.
The insurance fight When it comes to difficulties in negotiating claims payments
set that these services are now necessary,” Perry said. “They should not be a luxury or a privilege, and everyone should have access to them, including mental health support.”
The Grove serves as a continuation of this support throughout women’s postpartum journeys. The valley has been lacking a space catered to new mothers and their young children, Perry said. When looking to spend some time outside of the home, mothers are often forced to choose between child- or adultoriented spaces, such as busy playgrounds or quiet coffee shops. There wasn’t anywhere that moms could go to relax and share a calm cup of tea with a friend, while their toddlers tumble and play nearby.
Inside the studio, sunlight pours through large, south-facing windows, bathing the pink and marigold decor in a warm glow. Small tables line one wall in the main room, reminiscent of a quaint coffee shop. A bar stocked with healthy snacks and comforting, warm beverages offers replenishment. There’s ample space in the main room for kids to play while mothers lounge, and a private room to one side is a respite for moms looking for a moment of peace.
Mothers with memberships can use the space to arrange play dates for their kids outside of the home. Local counselor and
with insurers, rural health care systems like GVH face similar challenges as individual policyholders.
“We fight this game across so many levels of: Are we getting paid according to whatever policy or plan that there is … are we getting denied for a service that we should have actually gotten approved for? Did the physician have to change their note by two words to make sure that we get paid appropriately?” Amrich said.
GVH has individual contracts with its “payers,” or private insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid — health plan providers that set rates to reimburse GVH for the services it provides.
GVH is limited by both these payers, public and private, in just how much it can increase prices to recoup poor reimbursement. And within these contracts, GVH does not have the same bargaining power as Front Range health care systems, Amrich said.
Over the years, GVH has faced declining insurance reimbursements from Medicaid and Medicare, whose rates are set by the state and federal governments. Across Colorado, hospitals have absorbed almost $5 billion of un-reimbursed care provided to Medicaid patients since 2019, according to CHA data. This may be compounded next year, as Gov. Jared Polis’ 2025-26 budget request called for no annual increases to the state’s Medicaid provider reimbursement rates.
“From the commercial insurances, we have the same problems that any practice does,” Kobel said. “We fight denials. We fight downgrades on our claims.”
Even after all bills are paid, GVH could see hundreds of thousands of dollars retroac -
tively siphoned away from the Medicaid recovery audit contractors (RAC) program — often going back as far as seven years. This state-mandated program involves combing through reimbursement data for any erroneous payments. That process, time consuming for hospital staff, has already been questioned. In 2023, the legislature passed a bill that required the Office of the State Auditor to audit Colorado’s Medicaid RAC practices.
And for GVH, it’s not just a matter of the insufficient reimbursements baked into insurance contracts, it's the reality that GVH is not getting paid according to the terms of those contracts, Amrich said. Right now, the financial office does not have the capacity or technology to account for every single claim. Staff looks hard at the largest claims, but for the thousands of lines of claims data for less expensive procedures it’s not feasible for the office to go through with a fine tooth comb, Kobel said.
At the start of the year, GVH will onboard Epic, a new electronic health record software system that executives hope will help them resolve these issues.
“We have committed, smart, involved and engaged hospital leaders that are going to do whatever they can to help handle and offset these challenges,” Rennell said. “Now, that could come with some trade offs. There’s no magic bullet here.”
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
Perry
with her family in the new space.
yoga instructor PJ Brown plans to host movement classes and workshops for moms and kids, and Perry will conduct one-onone counseling sessions in the therapy room.
For Perry, the Grove presents an opportunity to push back against the idea that mothers should simply accept and live with a new norm of isolation. At its heart, the space is a remedy for those lacking nourishment, social connection and access to different types of care all within a centralized hub, Perry said.
“If we still lived in a collec-
tive community, our day-to-day life would already be like this,” Brown said. “All that knowledge would have been passed down from generations above us, but that’s not the norm. Going to spaces like this helps us get that generational knowledge, either from peers or other veteran mamas and feel more normalized in your experience.”
(Mariel Wiley can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or mariel@gunnisontimes.com.)
and aquatic species were also included. Different colors designate areas that are of high and low value to wildlife, and where species are more sensitive to human activity. For example, wildlife are more vulnerable on landscapes that are open, like alpine tundra and sagebrush steppe, than forests with natural tree cover.
The Gunnison Basin maps focused on species that CPW has the best data for: Gunnison sage-grouse, big game species such as elk, mule deer, big horn sheep, mountain goats and pronghorn, as well as raptors, ptarmigan and lynx. The Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly is one of the insect species of concern, as it is only found in the San Juan Mountains. Due to the number of radio collars used over the years, elk play a prominent role in the modeling, along with the well-documented Gunnison sage-grouse.
While Lake County created a “community concentration zone” that surrounds its population center of Leadville, Gunnison lacks the obvious buffer some communities have between urban areas and wild lands, Diamond. Here, big game ranges and sage-grouse habitat border city limits and people and wildlife frequently cross paths.
“To me, this helps us with the broader planning commissioner questions, maybe separate from trails and recreation: Where should we think about development being? Where should we think about development not being at all?” said Assistant County Manager Cathie Pagano during the November meeting.
The Gunnison draft map
assigned high value for untouched alpine ecosystems, which are extremely vulnerable to human disturbance, such as the West Elk Wilderness and the Elk Mountains north of Crested Butte. This kind of habitat was not accounted for in other county maps, but Diamond told STOR he is hopeful they will be amended in the future as more data is collected.
“Whether you’re hiking a fourteener, hunting or backpacking, probably everyone in this room has an example where you come over a ridge in the alpine and you see 50 elk standing there,” Diamond said during the meeting. “And what do they do? They run for their lives.”
Eight years ago, the Envision Chaffee County surveyed a mixture of 4,500 residents and visitors on their priorities as a new recreation plan was developed. Envision is a nonprofit convened by the county that helped facilitate Chaffee’s new wildfire and rec plans. More than 90% said they wanted to manage outdoor recreation to protect wildlife, but they didn’t have a tool to do it, said Envision co-chair Cindy Williams.
“The community had a vision of healthy forest, waters and wildlife … [We are] trying to keep connected, protect and care for the best remaining habitat we have,” Williams said.
The new recreation plan focused new trails and campground infrastructure in lower quality habitat to avoid the further fragmenting of the landscape. Wildlife managers also found that the spots where hikers frequently camped in some cases overlapped with patches of valuable breeding habitat for the threatened boreal toad.
Using the wildlife tool for guidance, Chaffee’s Rec Council — similar to STOR — moved the campsites out of the “toad zone,” Williams said.
Outside of recreation planning, Chaffee County also incorporated the wildlife maps into its community wildfire protection plan and, in November, its new land use codes. Wildlife biologists are now using prescribed fire and tree thinning in ways that will improve habitat over time. And depending on the area, developers may be asked to set back buildings a certain number of feet away from high quality habitat, to cluster lots or to conduct a wildlife study to lessen its impact.
While the tool may be viewed as another barrier to building, Chaffee residents have routinely advocated for the protection of wildlife, said Chaffee County Planning Director Miles Cottom. And with the addition of Gunnison, land managers will have the ability to understand wildlife movement on a more regional scale.
"It's a vital consideration, because you can't get it back once it's developed, that wildlife habitat is gone … We had some people argue that their property should not have been designated as a high quality wildlife habitat because they haven't seen wildlife on it ever since they put a subdivision in next door,” Cottom said. “It shows why it's necessary and almost makes the point for itself.”
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)
Your local government’s weekly community ad. Have questions? Call us at (970) 641-8080.
City Council Meetings gunnisonco.gov/CouncilMeetings
2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month
City Hall, 201 W. Virginia Ave., 5:30pm. Meetings typically last 2 5 hours, stay as long or as little as you like All people and languages are welcome Agendas available online the Friday before meetings
Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority (GVRHA) Board of Directors Vacancy
Gunnison City Council is looking to appoint an interested City resident to serve a two year term on the GVRHA board
The GVRHA Board of Directors is composed of elected officials and community members who advocate, plan, promote, and provide affordable housing for the entire county-wide community Letters of interest are due to the City Clerk by 5pm on Thursday, January 9th, 2025. Email to eboucher@gunnisonco.gov or deliver to City Hall.
Appointment will be made by City Council at the Regular Session on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 at 5:30pm.
THE CITY OF GUNNISON HAS ARRANGED FOR CHRISTMAS TREES to be picked up for its refuse customers on Jan.3, 10 and 24. Please remove all decorations, lights, nails, and place the tree near your normal refuse pick-up area. City refuse customers and Gunnison County residents, may also take trees to the City Tree Dump (137 County Rd. 51) and set them on the left side of the gate.
Please do not block the gate.
The next meeting of the Gunnison Valley Transportation Authority (RTA) will be January 10, 2025 at 8 a.m. at the Crested Butte Town Offices. For copies of the Board of Directors meeting packet, please go to www.gunnisonvalleyrta.com/meetings or call Scott Truex at 970-275-0111. Two or more County Commissioners may attend these meetings.
Bella Biondini Times Editor
A new partnership between the Rady School of Engineering at Western Colorado University and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) is expected to expand the limits of scientific research in the Gunnison Valley.
Scientists flock to Crested Butte’s Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory year round, its grounds bustling with a mixture of established researchers and students during the summer months. The winter is quiet, but small teams hunker down in the cabins as the snow falls and the work continues.
The biological laboratory’s reputation as a leader in the science field has already brought millions of dollars into the valley. RMBL’s increasing focus on emerging technologies, such as sensors, drones and satellites, has also been growing the pool of money available for atmospheric science. As a result, the valley has become a
magnet, attracting researchers from around the world to study how water and weather moves through mountain systems like the East River Valley.
As technology continues to advance, working together made sense for RMBL Director Ian Billick and Jeni Blacklock, dean of the Rady program and director of the CU Boulder partnership program. It can be difficult for the RMBL team to design its own measurement sensors, maintain field equipment and translate data streams into knowledge. The growing Rady program, which will soon introduce aerospace engineering, covers all of these areas and creates a plethora of new opportunities for RMBL and the students who work there.
With the exception of marine science, engineering hasn’t always been a big part of terrestrial biology, Billick told the Times
“To get out into the remote parts of the ocean you had to figure out how to do it, and that involved engineering,” Billick said. “Engineering hasn't had the same place in terrestrial biology. … It's a fantastic opportunity that could change field science everywhere.”
The partnership program between Western and the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder offers tracks in mechanical engineering and computational sciences. Rady
students are encouraged to problem solve through handson projects on campus and within the community, such as gear testing and helping startup companies at the ICELab. Last year, roughly 200 students were enrolled in the partnership program at Rady.
The new partnership with RMBL is supported by $200,000 from the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership (TAPP), the organization tasked with marketing the Gunnison Valley to prospective students and visitors. In addition to funding new research, Executive Director John Norton hoped the partnership will create more wellpaying jobs and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) career opportunities for Western students after graduation.
TAPP’s original 2024 budget included a $600,000 allocation to Blister Labs, a joint venture between the Crested Buttebased gear review company and CU Boulder. Norton proposed an amendment at a regular county commissioners meeting in February, funneling a portion of the money to the new RMBL partnership. The money from TAPP will pay for a postgraduate program that will allow students to continue this work within the valley for a year.
“This could present a pipeline of job opportunities for some of the best kids that chose Western
and Rady, and in turn create something exciting to recruit with,” Norton said.
The conversation between Rady and RMBL started several years ago. It has resulted in five interdisciplinary research projects, three of which are already in progress. For example, some students will be tasked with helping develop a new approach for measuring snow cover using remote sensors. Others will design a light-weight mounting system for scientific instruments.
“One of the core differentiators of our program is that we all work together,” Blacklock said. By bringing in aerospace and biomed in the future, it's going to open the possibilities for some of the research that we can do. This is foundational research that no one else is really working on.”
Research will continue through the summer months during Rady’s undergraduate research program at the biological laboratory. From there, the ongoing projects will be integrated into senior capstones in the fall.
While the county commissioners were in support of the new partnership, commissioner Liz Smith asked Billick and Blacklock how they imagined it could sustain itself in the future, without financial help.
“Local marketing district dollars have to be pretty adaptable,
depending on economic conditions and where we need to pivot with marketing and tourism,” she said.
Blacklock said she would continue to apply for grants for Rady’s postgraduate program. The university’s work with RMBL could also attract additional investments from CU Boulder, an R1 research institution, she said. R1 universities pioneer research projects, often backed by millions of dollars.
RMBL’s strategy is to create a “data rich” environment that builds on itself and continues to attract teams of scientists to the valley. The biological laboratory’s rising payroll has shown that this tactic is working. Over the last 20 years, RMBL’s payroll has grown from under $100,000 to more than $2 million. And much of the ongoing research supports local science, with teams collecting data designs to improve water supply forecasting and help manage wildfires.
“It's a matter of filling in the little cracks and creating opportunities that make it easier for the next round of scientists to come in,” Billick said.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Taco Bell is one of the last places in the Gunnison Valley where diners can fill their bellies for less than $5. But on March 19, the restaurant will shut down.
The franchise owners, ColCal Colorado Inc., confirmed the closure to the Times. ColCal is a family-run franchise company that has owned Taco Bell restaurants around the Western Slope since the late 70s.
A company representative declined to provide details about the reasons for the closure. The Times reached out to several Taco Bell employees. All declined to comment.
For many, Taco Bell’s closure is another fallen domino in the loss of affordable food in Gunnison. Two fast food restaurants have closed in the last five years. The local Sonic closed
permanently in the fall of 2019, and Subway at the end of 2023.
(Subway owners have stated they will reopen the store this summer.)
“I worry about elderly in this town that go over there,” said Gunnison resident Midge Barton. “I worry about the poor kids. I worry about the working class and single parents. Where are they going to go?”
Taco Bell is also one of just a few places in town that’s open past 10 p.m., offering a consistent meal for people getting off a late shift, hikers descending back into the valley after a day in the high country or out-of-towners just passing through. The Times solicited feedback on Facebook about people’s experience with Taco Bell. The unofficial survey garnered over 200 comments. And day-to-day, Western Colorado University students hungry after a late-night study session, parents with a car full of kids, truck drivers, local senior citizens or Lake City residents who make the pilgrimage for a Crunchwrap Supreme can all be found in the small restaurant. For the vegetarians in town, the just-over-$1 bean and cheese
burrito was a staple.
Even if the food isn’t the most nutritious option, it’s always been affordable, said Jess Willis. Willis was the former manager of the now-closed Subway. She said the closure will affect local workers who rely on the store for a consistent paycheck.
“These people have kids, these people have grandchildren,” Willis said. “They have employees that are going to come back this summer and hope to work, and it’s going to be closed.”
Taco Bell has “served the needs of many that need help,” Barton said. When she raised her kids, she remembered giving them $10 a week for fast food. Each week, they went to Taco Bell. Willis would call ahead and ask for a Breakfast Crunchwrap Sausage to be ready when she swung in on her coveted free time, a habit she said got her through college.
“Think about the moms. I see them in the drive-thru when I drive home. They’re in [that line] because they're working moms and dads. They're exhausted, but they can feed their family there,” Barton said.
In the landscape of low-paid,
fast food shift work, Taco Bell managed to keep its employees for years. Elizabeth Solano started working at Taco Bell while she was couchsurfing in Gunnison and looking for something stable in her “transient” lifestyle.
She remembers the rush of Cattlemen’s Days, and the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club rallies. Through it all, the Taco Bell manager kept the store running smoothly, while giving time off for homework or to go pick up kids from school. Solano stayed for three years, off and on.
“I got so many chances to prove that I could be better,” Solano said. “[The manager] always expected the most out of the people that worked in that store. He was the most fair and grounded boss I've ever had.”
For many Lake City residents, the Taco Bell was the last stop on the road home, when nothing was open past 7 p.m. in the winter. The closure will be felt in communities beyond Gunnison and Crested Butte, said Lake City resident and school teacher Sarah Eby.
“Most people in Lake City, we go to the doctor in Gunnison, we
get groceries in Gunnison. We do a lot of our life in Gunnison. Anything that shuts down there affects us as well,” Eby said. While Sonic dealt with a slew of health code issues and Subway’s employees alleged poor building and food maintenance, Taco Bell was always immaculately clean, said former employee Jocelyn Dixon. Dixon worked there for nine years. She said the cleanliness and food safety standards were always high. On a slow day in winter, the crew was on hands and knees scrubbing the grout on the tile floor.
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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Bella Biondini Times Editor
A post-fire report issued by the U.S. Forest Service this month shows that the landscape burned by the Lowline Fire is expected to rebound quickly.
The Lowline Fire occurred last summer on the ridgeline between Squirrel and Mill creeks, approximately 10 miles north of Gunnison. While firefighters were able to control the spread of the fire, it burned for months and was not fully extinguished until snow fell. The Lowline Fire burned roughly 1,900 acres, the majority on Forest Service-owned land.
In August, the Forest Service began working on a burned area emergency response (BAER) report — a document that evaluates the severity of a fire and any restoration work needed once it is put out. The report was shared with local agencies such as Gunnison County Emergency Management, the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District and impacted private landowners on March 7.
The final report serves as a “baseline” and is used to monitor the burned area for several years after the fire is extinguished. The Forest Service will watch for any flooding or erosion near the burn scar and determine if any restoration work is needed, such as reseeding and tree planting.
According to the BAER report, the Lowline Fire as a whole was a low severity fire, and burned across the forest in a “mosaic” pattern. Although the Forest Service will continue
to monitor the area — especially this spring as the snow begins to melt — the agency issued a “no treatment” recommendation.
This means the burned area is expected to recover naturally, and little to no flooding or debris flows are anticipated. The report states that within Forest Service land, “the risk to human life and safety is possible but low.” According to observations in September, 5% of the grasses had already begun to regrow in the burned area. While the Forest Service plans to clear burned trees that may be at risk of falling on the 2-mile section of the Lowline Trail that burned, the area is open to the public. The agency lifted the fire closure in January.
The Lowline Fire was “beneficial” not only for the forest ecosystem, but for nearby landowners, said David Carr, a fire management officer for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forest. The burn scar, which is located in a portion of the Ohio Creek Valley where private farmland overlaps with forested wilderness, will act as a natural fire break. It also cleared out old fallen timber and beetle kill that could act as fuel for a large fire in the future.
“It's definitely a strategic spot to have a fire if you're a landowner here for the next few decades,” Carr said.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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area, adorned with cherry cabinets and equipped with state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances. The tiled shower and bathtub add a touch of luxury to the bathrooms, while the master bedroom boasts its own oasis with a reading nook or small office space. The 2-car detached garage features 8-foot doors and 10-foot ceilings inside, providing ample space for your vehicles and storage needs. The extra space above the garage, accessible via exterior stairs, presents exciting opportunities. Whether you need additional storage or dream of an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit), the potential is yours to explore with City of Gunnison approval. Don’t miss the chance to make this new construction your forever home. Contact us now to schedule a viewing and witness the epitome of contemporary living!
TBD W Denver Ave. MLS# 816647 $599,000 Spectacular 2.5 acre level lot located in Gunnison’s new subdivision Elk Ranch. This parcel is located just outside City limits on the west side of town and seller has it set up to be built on immediately. Lot has a well permit already in place along with the required approval for well from the Upper Gunnison Water Conservancy District which can be transferred at closing. Buyer of lot may also pay for tap fees to hook into the City water and sewer main that will be extended north by City this fall. There is a shared road/driveway into the subdivision and it will be completed by this fall as well. Lot has been surveyed and a building envelope has been established for a single family residence but other dwellings such as barns/sheds etc. will be allowed. Come enjoy some country living with incredible views of mountains up Ohio Valley and the Palisades while being so close to town.
16 Irwin St. MLS# 817525 $625,000 6 bedroom/3 bath updated brick home located in Palisades subdivision. This home has 2 kitchens and separate living spaces and the downstairs has its own entrance from the back of house. The breezeway from the house to the 2 car oversized garage is fully enclosed and is great space for
Bella Biondini Times Editor
The first step in permanently protecting Mt. Emmons, known locally as the Red Lady, from the threat of molybdenum mining was finalized last week.
On April 3, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland approved the Thompson Divide mineral withdrawal, preventing new mining claims and oil and gas leases on more than 220,000 acres of Colorado’s public lands. The administrative withdrawal will stay in place for 20 years, protecting pieces of Gunnison, Garfield and Pitkin counties, including Mt. Emmons in Crested Butte. Only Congress can issue a permanent withdrawal.
that corridor.
The decision was cause for celebration for many in the valley as decades of work finally neared a conclusion. Members of the Crested Butte’s High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) have been protesting the development of a large molybdenum deposit at Mt. Emmons since the 1970s.
More recently, Western Slope conservation groups included Crested Butte’s proposal with the Thompson Divide, located just north in the Roaring Fork Valley. In 2022, more than 19,000 acres were added at the request of Gunnison County, the Town of Crested Butte and the Mount Emmons Mining Company (MEMC).
In the Gunnison Valley, the federal action helps ensure the community’s headwaters are not impacted by the development of a large-scale mine.
“The citizens of Gunnison County have never backed away from this challenge and for decades have been persistent in their desire to remove the threat of mining on Red Lady — today we celebrate with every one of them and thank them for their advocacy and dedication to the place we call home,” Gunnison County Commissioner Jonathan Houck said in a press release last week.
President Joe Biden first announced his plans to preserve the area — well-known for ranching, outdoor recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat — at the designation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in October of 2022. The withdrawal was supported by more than 50,000 comments submitted to the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, the two agencies that manage the public lands in
“I never imagined when I first started working at HCCA that we would get to wrap in this kind of five-decade-long battle and tie it to another one of our huge efforts that we've been working on with our partners across the divide,” said Julie Nania, HCCA’s Red Lady program director. She has been leading the program since 2016. “It's exciting to see it come through in this way.”
Protecting Red Lady has been a valley-wide effort involving generations of community members, activists and politicians, said Crested Butte Mayor Ian Billick. Numerous other Gunnison Valley organizations have been involved, including the Crested Butte Land Trust and the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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Bella Biondini Times Editor
Fueled by warm temperatures, snowmelt from the high country had been flooding into rivers, pushing water levels to the highest seen in years.
River closures in Gunnison and Crested Butte will likely remain in place through at least Friday due to dangerous conditions on the water, according to Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie. In the North Valley, the Slate River is closed from Pittsburgh to the confluence with the East River, and from the East to where it flows into the Gunnison. Effective June 5, the Gunnison is still closed from Almont to the County Road 10 bridge near Cranor Hill.
Bridges along these rivers have low clearance, and the water is extremely cold with a lot of debris, said Gunnison County Emergency Manager Scott Morrill.
“With the warm weather, people want to be out on the water, but it’s just not safe right now, especially for folks who don’t have experience with these kinds of flows,” Morrill said.
Water levels on the Gunnison River are the highest recorded since 2019. This year, the river gauge at the whitewater park showed that flows peaked on June 9 at 4,300 cubic feet per second (cfs). In 2023, water levels only reached 3,200 cfs.
A sudden stretch of warm and dry weather in mid-April triggered rapid snowmelt in the Gunnison Valley. But a cooldown followed in early May, with heavy precipitation at higher elevations, stalling the
runoff, said Beverly Richards, senior program manager at the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District. At the same time, soil moisture levels — boosted from two decent winters — had reached almost normal and more water moved into rivers and creeks rather than into the ground.
‘A game of inches’
Over the weekend, high water levels and safety concerns led to the cancellation of the annual Oh Be Joyful Steep Creek Race. On June 7, the day prior to the race, Crested Butte local Cole Brunner got into a kayaking accident while training for the event. A number of would-be volunteers traveled to Grand Junction to stay with Brunner in the hospital.
Oh Be Joyful Creek runs off the backside of Mt. Emmons in Crested Butte and into the Slate River. It is considered a class 5, expert level creek. Each year, the event depends entirely on snowpack, which feeds directly into the creek each spring during the melt. The race follows a narrow stretch of river, and passes through a series of large waterfalls and rapids.
“Everybody loves high water, it's less abusive on the boats and instead of just sliding down rocks, you're actually getting to paddle … But there’s significantly less room for error when it’s high water like that,” said race organizer Paul Raymond. “It’s already a very difficult and somewhat dangerous creek and the people who paddle it know that.”
At the end of last week, the water was running high and fast through Oh Be Joyful, fueled by the wet month of May and temperatures that neared 80 degrees. After talking to boaters on Friday, and then Saturday after he made the decision to cancel, Raymond said he got the impression that some had considered backing out from the race because they felt nervous about the flows. This is the first time the race was canceled due to high water.
“I want people to be excit-
ed about racing and not super scared … Ultimately we decided it was safer not to have it this year,” Raymond said.
Brunner, who survived the accident with minimal injuries, became caught in the rapid known as the “Speed Trap,” located about halfway through the race course. When the water is high, the large slide ends in a hole that recirculates water. It’s a spot that has trapped kayakers before, forcing them to abandon their boats.
On Thursday, the day before the accident, Brunner and a group of kayakers hiked their boats up Oh Be Joyful in the evening, but turned around because the water was too high. They put in the next day, much more confident in the conditions. The first few rapids went smoothly. Then Brunner hit a rock and was caught in the blink of an eye, he said.
“We like to say it's a game of inches up there, and I was on the wrong inch,” Brunner said. After he became stuck, Brunner, upside down, tried to roll his boat a few times, battling the water. He eventually pulled the skirt of his boat, attempting techniques he’d used in the past to escape a similar situation. But the water held onto him. Still trapped in the hole, he went unconscious and was swept downstream. He drifted into an eddy just above one of the creek’s large, 23-foot waterfall.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Time is of the essence for Gunnison County planners who face the possibility of abandoning Whetstone, the county’s over $130 million affordable housing project, if costs rise enough to push rents past affordability goals.
Crested Butte Town Council has yet to decide if it’s able to help the county reduce the cost of Whetstone, or if it’s willing to connect the project to the town’s utilities. Meanwhile, the county faces escalating pressure to secure construction costs, break ground and issue bonds to guarantee the county could pay for the project.
“Time has been a bigger risk, and if we keep seeing delays, we might actually miss a building season again, or part of a building season, which is a huge cost of the project,” Assistant County Manager for Operations and Sustainability John Cattles told the Times
In order to finalize the eventual bond amount, the county needs to know just how much funding and staff time the town is willing to commit to see the development built. All these factors influence the overall cost of Whetstone, and will determine if the county can keep rents at a place that could truly be affordable for Gunnison Valley workers.
Council discussed the considerable financial obstacles Whetstone faces at a work session on June 24. Members indicated they were comfortable considering a utility extension agreement on or by July 15. Council also agreed to continue the conversation about the tap fees and the town’s possible financial contributions into the fall.
Stacked financial obstacles
Whetstone, planned for a parcel of land just south of Crested Butte, would be Gunnison County’s largest affordable housing development. Eighty percent of Whetstone’s units will have a workforce requirement or area median income (AMI) restrictions. The remaining 20% is anticipated to be free market units. The county has been designing the project for over three years.
County officials intend to finance the project primarily through tax-exempt bonds, assuming a 4.5% interest rate with a 30-year repayment period. In order to finalize the eventual bond amount, the county needs to know just how much funding and staff time the town is willing to commit to see Whetstone come to fruition and welcome residents. The county hopes to issue bonds by this winter, Cattles said.
The more funding the county pulls in, the more latitude it has to adjust rents and serve the valley’s lower-income workers. The county has not yet set a guaranteed maximum price with the project’s contractors, but will have permit-ready construction designs by the end of this month. But the longer the wait, the more the cost of construction will rise.
“We're optimistic that with contributions from CDOT [Colorado Department of Transportation] and I'm here asking for some contribution from you all, that we can lower those rents even more, lower those AMI. It just gives us more flexibility to serve a broader range of the community with the project,” County Commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels said in the June 24 meeting.
Current cost projections for Whetstone range between $130-$146 million, but county staff expect it to be closer to $130 million, Cattles said. The town and county staff convened a working group to find solutions to the issue of rising costs affecting rents. After two meetings, the group offered several possible options, including reengineering pieces of the proj -
ect to reduce costs, or seeking a cash contribution from the town.
Councilor Anna Fenerty said she’s not interested in a straight cash contribution, as it would likely mean selling town property. Crested Butte Mayor Ian Billick said he’s comfortable considering using sales tax revenue as a way to make a financial contribution, but not property taxes or by not reimbursing the town’s enterprise fund, which means asking current ratepayers to eventually subsidize the project.
Last month, the county requested that council contribute by not charging Whetstone’s anticipated $7.5 million tap fee, a one-time cost for new builds that covers the long-term capital needs of the utility system. Councilors indicated that the tap fees need to be paid for by someone, but may consider stretching the county’s payments out over time.
They could also “reduce” the fee by not fully reimbursing the town’s waste and wastewater enterprise fund, which pays for the system’s long-term maintenance. At this point, county staff are hoping the town will allow the county to stretch tap fee payments over time, enabling it to use future rent revenues to pay rather than issue more bonds, Cattles said.
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Bella Biondini Times Editor
More big money settled in the Gunnison Valley with the multimillion dollar sale of Crested Butte’s Old Town Inn at the end of July.
The new owner is a real estate fund, Stomp Capital, which boasts over $70 million in assets. Stomp is run by Richard Fertig, a real estate investor and former Wall Street hedge fund manager focused on the vacation rental market. Over the years, Fertig has also vacationed and owned property in Crested Butte.
The Old Town Inn, located right off Hwy. 135 at the entryway to downtown Crested Butte, has been owned and operated by Crested Butte locals Sandy Fails and Michael Garren for over two decades. The pair were approaching retirement age, and sought to sell the Inn to pursue other adventures in the Gunnison Valley, Fails wrote in an Aug. 4 email to the Times.
Fertig paid $6.7 million for the Inn, under ESC Crested Butte LLC, in an “off market” deal at the end of July. This means it was never listed on the public real estate market. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Fertig claims to now own a third of Crested Butte’s hotel rooms.
Fertig has no plans to tear the Inn down or redevelop it completely, he told the Times. He’s instead looking to “freshen up” the space with small projects like new paint, carpeting or updating bathroom amenities. The twostory building, completed in the mid-80s, has 33 rooms. Fertig said he will gauge community interest in major renovations before pursuing anything of that scale.
Historically, the Old Town
Inn has been one of the more affordable places for visitors to stay, with costs ranging from $116 to $180 per night, depending on the season. These rates will increase to account for inflation, but it's still unclear by exactly how much, Fertig said. Other boutique hotels in town, like Eleven-owned Public House Lofts, the Vaquera House and the Scarp Ridge Lodge, range from $500 to $1,200 per night.
“We're not looking to come in with a fancy zip code proposition, change things up and make our mark,” Fertig said. “We're very much trying to enhance the location and the community, give people a better value proposition and employ local people.”
‘Next-gen’ hospitality
Fertig lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, another of the West’s booming resort towns. He previously worked for the behemoth international investment firm, Blackstone, and was the co-head of investments at Ramius Capital Group, where he managed a $4 billion hedge fund. In the late 90s, he started investing in shortterm rentals.
But Fertig is no stranger to the Gunnison Valley. He first moved to Crested Butte in 1991 for the ski season and worked at the former Artichoke Restaurant before heading to Chicago to start a career in finance. In 2015, he bought a home in Crested Butte for family vacations, and shortterm rented it when they weren’t in town.
Fertig had been keeping an eye on Crested Butte’s real estate market for years when he learned that Fails and Garren were trying to sell the Inn last fall, he said. The investment in Crested Butte is intentional, he wrote in an email to the Times, as his interest stems from the town being a “world class location” for outdoor recreation with nods to his past.
As early as October of 2023, Fertig shared details of the coming purchase on X. He underscored the valley’s abundant recreation opportunities — the
expansive fields of wildflowers, world-class skiing, mountain biking and restaurants. Following the announcement, his posts received hundreds of likes and thousands of views on various social media platforms, as well as comments from wealthy real estate brokers and investors around the country.
Stomp redevelops and manages mostly summertime properties around the country. It has properties in various stages of development in North Carolina, California, New York, Florida and Costa Rica. These properties range from yoga and surf hotels on the beach to modern, luxury villas. The minimum investment required to buy into the fund is $100,000, according to its website.
Stomp calls these developments “next gen hospitality,” straddling the line between a traditional hotel and modern vacation rental. Some of these properties boast amenities like pilates classes, live music, private chefs and location-specific recreation activities such as surfing and jetskiing.
Stomp builds some properties from the ground-up. But, like the purchase of the Inn, it also refurbishes older buildings. Stomp’s largest, 60-acre property is located on Hatteras Island, North Carolina. The fund is the single largest landowner on the island, with the exception of the national seashore. The firm currently short-term rents three single-family homes and a hotel with plans to further develop the area over time.
A new chapter
For decades, the Inn has been owned and run by Gunnison Valley locals. Fails and Garren ran the inn after purchasing it in 2002 from Gunnison residents Bob and Donna Rifley. The couple started trying to sell it last year, as they approached retirement age. Their son Chris, who is also the general manager, also wanted to explore other business opportunities, Fails wrote. Fails and Garren moved to
Crested Butte in 1981 from Austin, Texas with their “worldly possessions,” a few foldable directors’ chairs and orange crates for end tables. Over the years, Fails worked for the Crested Butte News and edited the Crested Butte Magazine. Michael worked for Crested Butte Mountain Resort, before they purchased the Inn in the early 2000s.
A mutual friend who knew both couples scrawled the Rifleys’ contact information on a note and left it on Garren’s car. Soon enough, the Inn sold and Fails and Garren embarked on their first attempt at hospitality. They cobbled the first few years of business together with a small staff and help from their teenage son. Mentorship from locals like Allen Cox from the Nordic Inn, and former Cristiana Guesthaus owners Martin and Rosie Catmur, fostered the Inn’s success, Fails said.
“Over the years, we tried to build a culture of respect and support for our staff,” she wrote. “We hired kind-hearted people and emphasized taking good care of guests, who often arrived weary from their workaday lives; it was gratifying to watch visitors relax, play and smile over the course of their stay.”
Garren and Fails worked to ensure the Inn served the Crested Butte community by accommodating local workers and offering discounts to nonprofits. The couple slowly renovated the space while trying to preserve a “welcoming and homey” feeling with colorful tablecloths, fresh flowers and old photos of Crested Butte.
The entire staff will be able to keep their jobs, Fertig said. The new general manager is a long-time local who’s worked for years in Crested Butte hospitality.
“Countless people helped us out over the years. The hospitality business is full of surprises, from guests’ unusual situations to unexpected building repairs,” Fails wrote. “People went above and beyond to save the day for
us, again and again. We will still live here and be part of the community — and hopefully have more time to ski, hike and ride around here in our retirement.”
Market for who?
Fertig joins a slate of other millionaire and billionaire investors who’ve bought highprofile commercial properties in the North Valley. In 2018, Vail Resorts bought Crested Butte Mountain Resort and introduced the Epic Pass. Mark Walter, who runs the investment firm Guggenheim Partners and owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been purchasing high-profile commercial properties on Elk Avenue over the last several years. He also bought the Almont Resort.
Crested Butte has only a few traditional hotels left, now mixed with the growing vacation rental market and luxury hotels. Many tourists stay in Mt. Crested Butte at places like the Lodge at Mountaineer Square and Elevation Hotel and Spa, both nearer to the ski resort. But market demand for more high end hotel rooms persists in the North Valley, said Brian Cooper of Bluebird Real Estate.
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)
Alex McCrindle Times Sports Editor
Lifelong Gunnison local and author Polly Oberosler can still remember dancing on her father’s shoes at the “Pavilion” in Almont. At 4 years old, she spun round and round atop the handlaid maple floors of the historic dance hall.
Her grandfather built the pineframed pavilion in 1920, and for the next four decades, fishermen, miners and families sashayed and do-si-doed under twinkling lights. However, the pavilion dances disappeared in the 1970s. Although private gatherings and weddings sometimes returned, community dances became a relic of a past generation.
After an over 50-year drought, the dances returned to the pavilion this summer thanks to a group of Gunnison locals and nonprofits. For nine weeks straight, members of the Gunnison community have promenaded their partners along the dance floor, and waltzed to live music from standup bass, fiddle and guitar. Although the
pavilion hosted its final dance of the summer on Aug. 7, plans are already underway for future events as the weather cools down.
The Gunnison dancing revival began this spring in Bozeman. While visiting her son at Montana State University, Almont-based Decorate CB owner Darcie Perkins was amazed at the swing dancing resurgence in college towns.
“In Bozeman, I witnessed a multi-generational group of dancers connecting face-to-face,” Perkins said. “There was a lesson at the beginning and experienced dancers taught new dancers. There were veterans, college students and athletes. It was a diverse crowd and everyone was having a blast. I thought, ‘We need this in Gunnison.’”
Perkins returned to the valley, dreaming of a two-stepping dance hall for Crested Butte and Gunnison, and coincidentally opened Oberosler’s newly published book, “The low down from the high up.” She flipped to a chapter about the old pavilion dances, titled “The lure of Almont.” It read:
“Attending one of these dances at the Pavilion was something everyone looked forward to, the highlight of the summer for many
YEAR IN REVIEW: September 5, 2024
… The Pavilion got one last regular gasp in the early 1960s and through part of the 70s with 4-H square dances being held there every Saturday night in the summers. Though people that still remember those far-gone times in the first half of the century would all tell you that it was just not the same as the elegant waltzes and the music of the big band era.”
Inspired, Perkins teamed up with musician Lizzy Plotkin and Western Colorado University Psychology professor Kari Commerford. Their goal was to create a family-friendly environment at the pavilion.
The group partnered with the
Gunnison County Substance Abuse Prevention Project (GCSAPP), using grants to make the dances free to the public. The newly founded Gunnison Valley Music Association donated a sound system, and Plotkin curated a lineup of local singersongwriters, such as Evelyn Roper, Chris Coady and Rachel VanSlyke.
“Our idea behind the partnership with GCSAPP and the dances was to provide community spaces that don’t center around alcohol use,” Commerford said.
“Many events have a cost barrier for families and young adults, and there are few dancing events outside of bars in the valley.”
The pavilion re-opened its doors for a community dance on June 12. The event began with free lessons at 6:30 p.m., and then Roper took the bandstand and serenaded the swinging crowd. Now, nine weeks in, the pavilion has welcomed more than 75 dancers every Wednesday night, offering two step, swing and square dancing.
(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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Mariel Wiley Times Photo Editor
Over the past two weeks, vibrant whorls of paint bloomed across the formerly white wall on the western side of the Tacos La Esquina restaurant on Tomichi Avenue.
In one corner of the mural, a man and a woman make an arduous trek through a barren yellow landscape along a dark fence, carrying a baby swaddled in blue blankets. A cross atop a pile of stones honors the travelers who never completed their journey. A lush section of red, pink and green flora nods to Mexico’s diverse natural ecosystems. Nearby, bold blocks of color are overlaid by faint stencil outlines of scenes soon to be painted.
After months of planning, a community mural titled “A Little Corner of Mexico” is nearing completion. The mural, designed by Gunnison Valley artists Luke Schroeder and
Yamel Aguirre, brings together symbolic figures and scenes that represent the heritage of Mexican and Cora communities in Gunnison.
“I’m one of those people that believes it’s really good to understand someone else’s perspective and respect it, too,” Aguirre said. Aguirre is the cultural linguistics lead at the county’s Juvenile Services Department.
“It’s not just representative of Mexico, but also the community we live in … Our community is filled with little pieces from other countries.”
Silvia Hernandez, owner of Tacos La Esquina, had long dreamed of filling the blank wall on the side of her restaurant with a community mural. Hernandez worked with the Gunnison Creative District to apply for a grant to fund the project. She proposed a mural that brought a “little corner of Mexico” to Gunnison, with allusions to her story arriving in Gunnison in pursuit of the American Dream, said City of Gunnison Community Outreach Liaison Ricardo Esqueda.
After winning the grant, the Creative District approached Schroeder to design the mural. Schroeder’s past experience leading community painting projects prepared him for the unique circumstances that the undertaking would require. He’d
previously organized community paint days with Gunnison mental health and youth programs, including Crested Butte State of Mind and the Gunnison County Substance Abuse Prevention Project. One of Schroeder’s most notable collaborations carries passengers around Crested Butte on a daily basis: a Mountain Express bus painted with mental health messages and encouragements.
“You have to be strategic with the style you go for. It has to be approachable for the average painter,” Schroeder said. “But I’m constantly surprised by people’s skills, and people surprise themselves when they get out here.”
Schroeder opted for a minimalistic, impressionistic style that allows for small imperfections that add character, he said. Once the design was finalized, Schroeder overlaid a grid onto the scene. When scaling up the sketch to the wall, painters work their way through each square on the grid. They fill in each of Schroeder’s stenciled outlines in a similar fashion to popular Paint by Number kits, matching color and brushstroke as they reference printouts of the design.
Although this was a streamlined process for Schroeder, this project presented a new hurdle for him: working with a culture that was not his own, he said.
Input from community members, artists and project managers helped evolve the original draft into something all parties could be proud of, he said.
“It’s been really challenging and rewarding, trying my best to be as respectful as possible and bring their vision to life as best I can,” Schroeder said.
Fellow artist Aguirre had initially joined the project during the grant proposal stage, but returned to help with design later on. In addition to Schroeder’s own research, Aguirre’s photographs of murals and architecture in Mexico led to the final color palette of punchy red, pink, yellow, green and blue.
(Mariel Wiley can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or mariel@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Gunnison Valley Health is in the process of purchasing Gunnison Valley Family Physicians (GVFP), the city’s last traditional, independent primary care provider. While the acquisition had been previously considered for 2025, mounting pressures on the clinic forced an accelerated timeline that will conclude in the coming weeks, once negotiations are complete. GVFP, a primary care provider located on Virginia Avenue, has offered comprehensive medical services to thousands of valley residents for more than eight decades. This includes sports medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, immunizations, newborn care and more. The office contains six providers, five who are partners with equal ownership stakes in the business, and one nurse practitioner.
The practice has shouldered
years of compounded costs from delayed insurance reimbursements, new electronic health record software and the loss of several physicians assistants and doctors to retirement. Facing the possibility of closure, the practice started negotiations with GVH, said Practice Manager Marsha Thorson.
“It touched a lot of generations, delivered generations of patients here in the valley,” Thorson said. “So there's definitely mixed emotions with everything that is happening, because we've been independent for 82 years. It's not been easy.”
The deal should be finalized by the end of the month, said hospital CEO Jason Amrich. GVFP will continue operating as a private practice through Sept. 30, and reopen under the GVH banner in the first week of October. GVFP’s phone numbers will remain live to avoid confusion. All existing patient medical records will transfer over to GVH.
Patients can continue to receive care and see their existing providers at GVFP’s current location, 130 E. Virginia Ave. GVH is purchasing the business and leasing the building. The GVH board is planning to build
a medical services building in north Gunnison, which could house primary care offices.
Currently, GVFP is equally owned by the five physicians and member-partners: Jay McMurren, Lauretta Garren, Eric Thorson, Laura Villanueva and Megan Tucker. GVH had the practice valued by a third party and is in negotiations over a final price for the business. Through an asset purchase agreement, the partners will sell their stake in the business and become GVH employees.
The practice will be integrated into the GVH Family Medicine Department, its primary care system. According to Amrich, the purchase ensures that GVFP physicians have the option to keep practicing in the Gunnison Valley, sustain a local network of primary care providers and offer quicker continuity for referrals, labs and other testing.
“We feel pretty lucky to bring in an organization like GVFP with eight decades of experience and longstanding in the community, into GVH,” Amrich said. “We recognize just how hard it is to operate health care, and so if we can provide that landing spot and continue that access for the community, that's basically a win-win for everybody.”
An abundance of hardships GVFP opened in 1942, in the era of the American country doctor. These doctors traveled around the valley to deliver babies, conduct routine checkups and even respond to emergency calls. Over the years, the practice grew to serve the valley’s expanding population, adjusting to the advent of public health care (Medicare and Medicaid) in the 60s and decades later, private health care.
In time, distinctions between private and public insurance have been obscured or fallen away completely. Commercial insurers entered the public health care sector with programs like Medicare Advantage. The industry-wide cross pollination has made dealing with insurance increasingly complex, Thorson said. Then, the advent of the Affordable Care Act in 2014 further obfuscated the picture. GVFP outsourced its billing in 2021, in part due to the growing convolution in the insurance landscape — a significant expense added to the books.
“Our hands are tied, and we're trying to participate in that American health care system, working with the different insurance [companies] and we
Bethany Church
909 N Wisconsin St.
(behind Powerstop) • 970-641-2144
Two services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
FREE lunch for college students following the 10:30 a.m. service gunnisonbethany.com
9 a.m.: Family Service with nursery & children’s church
Check out our website for updates! Or download our app on the App Store by searching, Gunnison Bethany.
B'nai Butte Jewish Congregation
PO Box 2537 Crested Butte, CO 81224
305-803-3648 bnaibutte@gmail.com
Serving the Jewish communities of Crested Butte, Gunnison and surrounging areas.
Dec. 13, 5:30-7 p.m.: Interfaith Shabbatluck service/dinner/event in Gunnison, pls bring a dish/drink to share.
Dec. 14, 10:30 a.m.-12 noon: “Kibbitz with the Rabbi” at the Daily Dose in CB- new location
Dec. 14: Mt CB Night of Lights, menorah lighting
Dec. 15, 11a.m.- 12 noon; Today’s Torah, in CB South
Spititual leader: Rabbi Mark Kula is available for you at RabbiMarkKula@gmail.com bnaibutte.org
New Song Christian Fellowship
77 Ute Lane • 970-641-5034
A Christ Centered Gospel Sharing Community where we want to be part of a community who encourage and support one another in our spiritual journey.
Sunday 10 a.m. / Wednesday 7 p.m. newsonggunnison.net
Community Church of Gunnison
107 N. Iowa • 970-641- 0925
Pastor Larry Nelson
Sunday Morning Worship 9:30 a.m.
Weekend Services 9:30 a.m.
Nursery & Age-Graded Ministry
Weekly Student Ministry
Weekly Adult LifeGroups
Office Hours: Mon-Thurs, 9-4
For more info: ccgunnison.com or email info@ccgunnison.com
Join us in-person, listen to our broadcast on 98.3 FM, or view online stream on YouTube
Transforming Lives • Building Community
First Baptist Church
120 N. Pine St. • 970-641-2240
Pastor Jonathan Jones
SUNDAY
Sunday School at 10 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship at 11 a.m.
Sunday Evening Service at 6 p.m. (during school year)
WEDNESDAY (during school year)
Truth Trackers Kids Club at 6:30 p.m.
Youth Group for Teens at 7:30 p.m. firstbaptistgunnison.org.
Congregational Church
United Church of Christ
317 N. Main St. • 970-641-3203 Open and Affirming Whole Earth · Just Peace Sunday, 10 a.m. Casual, Relaxed, “Come As You Are” Worship gunnisonucc.org
Trinity Baptist Church
523 N. Pine St. • 970-641-1813
Senior Pastor - Joe Ricks Sunday Service 9:30 a.m.
Adult Bible Study 8 a.m. trinitybaptistsgunnison.com
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church 711 N. Main • 970-641-1860
Senior Pastor Robert Carabotta
Assoc. Pastor Jacob With Childrens Sunday School – Sunday 9 a.m.
Adult Sunday School – Sunday 9 a.m.
Divine Service of the Word – Sunday 10 a.m.
St. Peter’s Catholic Church
300 N. Wisconsin • 970-641-0808 Fr. Andres Ayala-Santiago gunnisoncatholic.org crestedbuttecatholic.org or call the Parish Office.
St. Peter’s - Gunnison Sat 5 p.m. & Sun 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m. (Spanish) Mass First Sunday of every month bilingual Mass 11 a.m.
Queen of All Saints - Crested Butte, 401 Sopris Sun 8:30 a.m. Mass
St. Rose of Lima - Lake City Communion Service, Sun. at 10 a.m.
can't control what their insurance does,” she said. “That's very challenging.”
Payments from insurers are unpredictable, Thorson said. Contracts between insurers and providers, called fee schedules, determine how much the insurer pays for each medical service. These contracts are rife with uncertainty and make it hard for providers to know how much or when they’ll be paid. Reimbursements vary based on insurer, policy and specific plan details (deductible, co-pay, etc).
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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The Good Samaritan Episcopal Church
307 W. Virginia Ave. • 970-641-0429 Rev. Laura Osborne, Vicar First Sunday of each month –11 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Alternating at Good Samaritan and All Saints in the Mountains
Check our websites for location Second Sunday-Fifth Sunday –9 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II Children’s Sunday school –2nd and 4th Sundays, monthly Office hours: M-TH 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Taize – 1st Wednesday, monthly - 7 p.m. goodsamaritangunnison.org
Visit our partnership church: All Saints in the Mountains, Crested Butte Meeting Second-Fifth Sundays at 5 p.m., Holy Eucharist, Rite II 403 Maroon Ave, Crested Butte
Visit our website for location of 11 a.m.
Holy Eucharist, First Sunday of each month allsaintsinthemountains.org
Church in the Barn
8007 County Road 887
Waunita Hot Springs Ranch • 970-641-8741 Sundays, 10:30 a.m. Non Denominational Come as you are.
Church of Christ
600 E. Virginia • 970-641-1588
Sunday Morning Bible Class: 9:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.
Sunday Evening Worship: 6 p.m.
Wednesday Night Bible Class: 7 p.m.
See GWSD website for details gunnisonschools.net
Gunnison Watershed School District believes that students thrive when they are connected to something bigger than themselves. That’s why we create learning experiences that spark curiosity, helping students discover who they are and how to make a difference in the world around them. As they excel in academics, athletics and the arts, students find the confidence to pursue any opportunity in life. Our team is “Driven to be the Difference!”
HOURLY OPPORTUNITIES
Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent CBCS - Health Assistant CBES - Permanent Substitute CBES - Half-time SPED Educational Assistant Bus Drivers Food Service Substitute teachers
PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Early Childhood Special Education- Child Find Coordinator Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment GHS - SPED Teacher
COACHING
GHS - Assistant Girls’ Basketball Coach (C team) GHS - Girls’ Diving/ Asst. Swimming coach Please contact: Superintendent’s Office JoAnn Klingsmith 800 N. Boulevard 970-641-7760 jklingsmith@ gunnisonschools.net
Part-Time Openings Lifeguards: $23-$29.33/hr.
The City of Gunnison offers a competitive benefit package, including 75% of medical, dental and vision premiums paid for the employee and their dependents, 5% of gross wages in a retirement plan, 3 weeks of vacation (increasing based on the years of service), 13 paid holidays and 12 days of sick leave per year.
For more information, including complete job descriptions, benefit packages, required job qualifications and application instructions, please visit GunnisonCO.gov/HR.
Patrol Deputy
Sheriff: Full-Time, 40 hours/week, the annual salary range is from $72,397.26 to $102,405.83 plus full benefits.
Take home vehicle & uniform allowance provided by the Sheriff’s Office.
Detention Deputy
Sheriff: Full-Time, 40 hours/week, the annual salary range is from $65,056.55 to $92,022.40 plus full benefits.
Uniform allowance provided by the Sheriff’s Office.
Heavy Equipment Operator
Public Works: Full-Time, 40 hours/ week, hourly range from $23.60 to $31.69 plus full benefits.
Shop Technician
Public Works: Full-Time, 40 hours/ week, hourly range from $26.51 to $35.61 plus full benefits.
Health Educator – Health Services Intern
HHS: The hourly range is from $25.01 to $28.48, depending on experience plus partial benefits.
Public Trustee Specialist
Treasurer: 40 hours/week, hourly range is from $23.60 to $28.69, depending on experience, plus full benefits.
HR Coordinator
HR: 40 hours/week, hourly range is from $27.84 to $33.84, depending on experience, plus full benefits.
Bilingual Juvenile Case Manager Juvenile Services: 40 hours/ week, hourly range is from $31.28 to $35.61, depending on experience, plus full benefits.
For more information, including complete job descriptions, required qualifications and application instructions, please visit GunnisonCounty.org/jobs.
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THE TOWN OF CRESTED BUTTE seeks applicants for a Planner I to join the Community Development team. The Planner I works closely with all the Community Development divisions, multiple Town departments, the Board of Zoning and Architectural Review (BOZAR), the Town Council, regional partners within the Gunnison Valley, and the Crested Butte Community. The Planner I assists/leads some smaller case review and processing of development applications to BOZAR. The Planner I assists in the development and amendment of long-range plans and regulations that guide the growth and development of Crested Butte. The Planner assists some case work for the housing division. The Planner I is a communication resource for the Community Development Department assisting crafting and distributing in public notices; creating and distributing the advertisement of community events; crats and distributes the Department’s new letters; other media to raise public awareness, and performs related work as assigned. This year-round position includes an excellent benefits package with 100% employer paid health, dental, vision, life insurance, and contribution to retirement plan after one year of employment. Starting salary is $61,000 to $85,406 annually, DOQ. Full job description is available on the Town’s website at www. townofcrestedbutte.com/jobs. Please submit application, cover letter, and resume via email to jobs@crestedbutte-co.gov. Position is open until filled. The Town of Crested Butte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
ICLEAN IN CRESTED BUTTE is looking for cleaners. Pay DOE. Please call 970-331-2417. Buscamos limpiadores para trabajar en Crested Butte. Por favor, comuníquese con IClean al 970-331-2417.
with the housekeeping and lodge teams to complete daily and checkout cleans for all guest rooms according to Eleven standards, and accommodating guest schedules. This position requires proficiency with English and an understanding of Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) procedures, as well as ability to work flexible hours. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the needs of a hospitality company with high standards of excellence, and the ability to succeed and maintain a positive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt quickly to everchanging needs of a growing company. This full time, year round starts at $24/hour. For more information and to apply, please visit elevenexperience.com/careers/.
THE MT CRESTED BUTTE WATER AND SANITATION DISTRICT is accepting applications for a full-time Wastewater Operator to be part of a team environment focused on the operations of the wastewater plant and collection system for Mt. Crested Butte. Qualifications for the position include construction experience, the ability to work outdoors, prepare and analyze lab responsibilities, and experience with electrical, mechanical and maintenance repairs. A State of Colorado Collections and/or Wastewater license or the ability to obtain such within one (1) year is mandatory (training for certifications provided). Operators will be required to take on-call responsibility including select weekends and holidays. A valid Colorado driver’s license is required, and a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is preferred at hiring or the ability to obtain such within one (1) year is required. Starting salary is $53,100 to $59,500 for entry level. $58,000 to $75,000 salary available for operators/electricians with experience and appropriate state licenses. Excellent benefits package including 100% employer paid
and
insurance, 12 paid
days, two weeks paid vacation, paid sick leave, paid personal leave,
contribution to retirement plan (5% automatic mandatory employer matching with 1-3% optional additional matching), employer provided uniforms, and a wellness benefit/ski pass. Full job description is available at www.mcbwsd. com. Please submit cover letter and resume to Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District, PO Box 5740, Mt. Crested Butte, CO 81225, or email info@mcbwsd.com. Position is open until filled. MCBWSD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
POWERSTOP is looking for head cook. Pay is $50,000 minimum, position also offers paid time off and health insurance reimbursement. Pay is based on 40 hours a week. Applications must be able to work mornings or evenings and weekends. Resumes to be in a sealed envelope attention Sean. Drop off at Powerstop.
Contact your local Newspaper or email rtoledo@colopress net
LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE is hiring one more amazing teacher to complete our team! Looking for someone who truly loves working with kids, is patient and kind, has a flexible schedule, is hardworking and reliable, and a team player! This position is part to full time and has some time with infants and toddlers and some time with 3-4 year olds. Come be a part of this rewarding career with awesome pay, benefits and a stable year round full time job. Please submit resume via email to Jessica at lilredschoolhouse1@gmail.com
WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY is hiring a Donor Relations Coordinator to join the Development Team. This role is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to engage, steward, and grow relationships with donors to the WCU Foundation. This role oversees annual stewardship plans, donor recognition events, and the creation of electronic and printed stewardship communications. The Coordinator collaborates with the WCU Financial Aid Office and scholarship committees to manage the WCU Foundation scholarship program and leads the optimization of the Blackbaud’s Award Management platform. This position manages a small portfolio of annual scholarship donors, ensuring their gifts are solicited, stewarded, and renewed annually. The Coordinator ensures compliance and consistency in gift documentation processes for the WCU Foundation. Salary range is $50,000-$56,000. To view full job announcement and apply, visit western.edu/jobs and click “view careers”.
ELEVEN is seeking a team oriented and flexible Housekeeper to ensure application of the highest Eleven standards for cleanliness of guest rooms and common areas for all Eleven properties in Colorado. This position will work
WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY seeks a Graduate Academic Records Specialist to handle tasks and projects supporting graduate student registration, enrollment, records management, and related academic processes and events. If you excel at managing complex information, ensuring accuracy, and working collaboratively to make a meaningful impact, this is your opportunity! Learn more and apply at www.Western.edu/jobs.
THE TOWN OF CRESTED BUTTE seeks applicants for a Human Resources Technician to join the Finance & Administrative Services team. The HR Tech provides advanced office support to various Human Resources functions including, but not limited to the following specialized areas: recruitment, compensation, benefits administration, confidential data management and general administration; provides information and assistance to staff and the public; coordinates Human Resources related events and activities; provide clerical duties, as required, assists with projects and special assignments as requested by professional and management staff; and performs related work as assigned. This year-round position includes an excellent benefits package with 100% employer paid health, dental, vision, life insurance, and contribution to retirement plan after one year of employment. Starting salary is $29.33 –$35.19 per hour DOQ. Full range of pay grade extends to $41.06 per hour. Full job description is available on the Town’s website at www. townofcrestedbutte.com. Please submit application, cover letter, and resume via email to jobs@crestedbutte-co.gov. Position is open until filled. The Town of Crested Butte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
THE GUNNISON VALLEY REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY (GVRHA) is seeking a dynamic Homeownership Operations & Compliance Officer that will provide leadership, direction, and administrative oversight to the GVRHA’s Homeownership Program. This role is responsible for ensuring GVRHA’s Homeownership Program and Deed Restriction monitoring and compliance are operating in legal compliance with all affordable housing program guidelines, regulatory agreements, and municipal/federal
Operations & Compliance Officer will perform a wide variety of tasks directly related to program & policy development, education and oversight of affordable housing homeownership from development through occupancy and resale. This position is characterized by a high degree of initiative, responsibility, integrity, accountability, and the ability to work congenially with various individuals and government entities. This is a full-time exempt position. Salary DOE $65,000-$70,000 with full benefits. For more details and a complete job description visit our website: https://gvrha.org/ join-our-team/. To apply please email resume and letter of interest to hiring@gvrha.org.
CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY SOUND &
LIGHT TECHNICIAN: The Gunnison Arts Center is seeking a Sound & Light Technician on a contractual basis to support our exciting lineup of events and performances. Responsibilities include setting up, operating, and troubleshooting sound and lighting equipment for concerts, plays, and community events. If you’re experienced in technical theater operations and looking for a flexible opportunity, visit gunnisonartscenter.org for more details and application instructions.
SEASONAL YOUTH PROGRAMS
INSTRUCTORS: Are you passionate about working with youth and the outdoors? The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory seeks enthusiastic nature and science educators to teach summer day camps for K-2nd and 3rd5th students in Gothic and the surrounding region for the 2025 season. Positions start June 2nd. The summer season runs until Aug. 1st, with opportunities for full and parttime work teaching fall school programs from Aug. to mid-Oct. Pay rate is $20-$24/per hour depending on experience. *Housing not provided. For the full job description and to apply visit: rmbl.org/about-us/jobs/.
JOIN OUR TEAM! CENTER
ADMINISTRATOR POSITION AVAILABLE:
The Gunnison Arts Center is seeking a highly organized and motivated individual to fill the role of GAC Center Administrator. This full time position supports the daily operations of our nonprofit arts organization, including administrative tasks, marketing, front desk duties, and facility management. If you’re passionate about the arts and want to make a difference in our community, visit gunnisonartscenter.org for more details and application instructions.
Saguache County Board of Commissioners Seeks Saguache County Planning Commission Members
Saguache County Board of Commissioners are seeking members and alternates from: Town of Saguache surrounding area –alternate La Garita/Center area – member and alternate Town of Center and surrounding area –alternate Cochetopa/Sargents area – alternate Moffat and surrounding area – alternate Hooper and surrounding area – member and alternate
Villa Grove and surrounding area – alternate
At Large for All of Saguache County –alternate
Crestone and surrounding area – alternate
and
PUBLIC
GARCIA
dates of December 26, 2024 and January 2, 16, 2025
The representative must be a property owner or property manager and reside in the area they are interested in representing. Regular member terms are for three years, and the alternate terms are for one year.
Saguache County Planning Commission meets on the last Thursday of each month in the Road and Bridge meeting room. The Planning Commission may also have work sessions throughout each month to work on the Saguache County Master Plan and different items.
Saguache County Planning Commission members and alternates are paid $100 for every regular meeting they attend, plus mileage reimbursement.
If you are interested, please send a brief letter of interest stating qualifications and interest to: Saguache County Land Use, Attn: Amber Wilson, PO Box 326, Saguache, CO 81149 prior to Friday, January 15th, 2025. All applicants will be interviewed by the Board of County Commissioners. Should you have any questions please call Amber Wilson a555t 719-655-2321.
Gunnison Country Times
Gunnison, Colorado Publication dates of December 26, 2024 and January 2, 9 and 16, 2025 15871
GVP intends to ‘reorganize’ for the future
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Gunnison Rising’s investors and developers have faced no shortage of obstacles in recent years: delayed utility installation, unfavorable interest rates and, most recently, a series of lawsuits from contractors alleging unpaid invoices. But the project might be now facing its most considerable hurdle yet.
At the end of August, Gunnison Valley Properties (GVP), the company behind the 630-acre Gunnison Rising development, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Colorado District of United States Bankruptcy Court. Chapter 11, referred to as a “reorganization” bankruptcy, allows investors and business owners to keep their company whole and continue fundraising while the court decides how to sort out finances and pay outstanding creditors, or those who have put money into the project.
The bankruptcy process ultimately allows GVP to “get back to building Gunnison Rising,” the GVP team stated in a Sept. 17 press release. GVP still intends to issue bonds through seven previouslyapproved metro districts covering Gunnison Rising. Metro districts allow private developers to place a tax on real estate for future residents. Revenues are then used to pay investors a stated rate of return.
“Because of mounting expenses and related litigation with certain contractors, GVP in consultation with its legal counsel and other advisors, has determined that it is in the best interest of all stakeholders to voluntarily seek reorganization protection under Chapter 11,” the press release reads. Project manager Jeff Prosapio declined to comment further.
GVP also owns approximately 94% of Tomichi Materials LLC, the material and concrete provider on Hwy. 50 east of town. The company will continue serving the valley through bankruptcy, the press release stated.
The filing came just weeks before the company was set to appear in trial for a lawsuit with one of its contractors, Crested Butte-based Dietrich Dirtworks. As a part of that lawsuit, Dietrich filed a mechanic’s lien on the property, which GVP contests. If upheld, the lien
could force GVP to sell pieces of its property to pay its multimillion dollar bill to Dietrich. Filing for bankruptcy pauses all ongoing litigation, but Dietrich’s lawyers are pushing to allow the case to proceed in Gunnison District Court.
And in bankruptcy filings, GVP cited over $42 million in financial liabilities. Nearly three quarters of that is collateralized, or secured by, Gunnison Rising land, other land owned by GVP, and GVP’s ownership interest in Tomichi Materials.
Without filing Chapter 11, the company would have been forced to continue in its lawsuit with Dietrich. And, with debt racking up, no bonds issued and dwindling cash in the bank, land could be sold to pay GVP’s creditors — depriving all of the chance to develop the parcels and sell them for a significant profit.
A long road
GVP is owned by commercial real estate developer Byron Chrisman and Gunnison attorney Dick Bratton. Bratton has the lion’s share of ownership in the company, just over 39%.
Chrisman claims 12% (another 17% is owned by the Carlene Chrisman Trust) and the rest is divided among estates and trusts based in Highlands Ranch, Longmont, Boulder and Moab, according to bankruptcy filings.
Since its inception in the early 2010s, Gunnison Rising has been framed as an expansive development for everyone: converting open land adjacent to town into a walkable development with affordable housing units, commercial stores, trail connections and even a “glamping” lot.
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@ gunnisontimes.com.)
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Starting an End of Life Conversation
Monday, January 13, 2025, 1:00 to 1:45 p.m.
Gunnison Senior Center, 200 E. Spencer Ave.
Landscape of Aging in Place & Five Wishes
Monday, January 27, 2025, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Gunnison Senior Center, 200 E. Spencer Ave.
Aging in Place: A Primer for Adult Children
Monday, February 10, 2025, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Virtual
Medical Aid in Dying: Options & Resources
Monday, February 24, 2025, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Gunnison City Hall, 201 W. Virginia Ave
Register for one or all sessions by scanning the QR code, leaving a message at 970-641-8272, emailing egillis@gunnisonco.gov or visiting: WWW.GUNNISONVALLEYHEALTH.ORG/AGING
To register please email Dawn Stewart at dstewart@gvh-colorado.org or inquire at 970-641-4254
We o er comprehensive gynecological care including hormone replacement therapy, menopause care and Endometriosis treatment.
Specialty Clinic | 970-641-3927
Dr. Maija Swanson, Dr. Laura Villanueva and Dr. Megan Tucker specialize in family medicine obstetrics providing full spectrum prenatal, labor and delivery and postpartum care.
Family Medicine Clinic | 970-642-8413
We provide a comprehensive set of breast screening services that includes 3D Tomosynthesis Mammography and Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound (ABUS).
Radiology | 970-641-7253
Come meet other mamas and their little ones!
¡Ven a conocer a otra Mamas!
Monday, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at 322 N. Main in Gunnison
Wednesday, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at 322 N. Main in Gunnison (en Español) Thursday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Oh Be Joyful
At Gunnison Valley Health we o er services designed to meet the specific health needs of women at every stage of their lives.
Maija Swanson
Dr. Laura Villanueva
Gunnison Valley Health is Baby-Friendly designated which demonstrates that we are adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
As 2024 draws to a close, Times journalists have curated a collection of the year’s most memorable photos. Despite the months-long closure of the Blue Mesa bridges and the stresses of an election cycle, the Gunnison community continued to thrive. People came together in dance all year, whether in dragon costumes celebrating the Lunar New Year, or dads and daughters sharing an evening of slow dancing. Art lovers, like Yamel Aguirre, rejoiced in front of a new community mural gracing the wall of Tacos La Esquina. The following pages showcase some of the Gunnison Valley’s most cherished, and newsworthy, moments of the year.
At SGM, we are sincerely thankful for all of the support the Gunnison Valley community continues to provide. We pride ourselves on engineering projects that improve people’s lives — from the roads we drive on to the water we drink.
We wish everyone good tidings, good will and good health as we ring in the New Year!
Engineering / Consulting / Surveying (Proud sponsor of the Gunnison Country Times’ Photographic Year-in-Review.)
