Columbus
LATEST NEWS
Hospital receives rural EMS communications grant
With one of the most remote response areas in the state, the Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) paramedic team doesn’t have to go far to lose cell and radio coverage. But the introduction of new technology, paid for by a federal grant, will help first responders in rural Colorado, and potentially across the country, stay connected.
Monsoons back in full force
Newcomers to our valley may well be puzzled by all the rain lately, even at night, with thunder and lightning. Isn’t this supposed to be an arid climate with afternoon thundershowers in the summer months?. Up until Aug. 26, 2024, we have had 17 days of measurable rain amounting...
Letters to the Editor
What an inspiration Gunnison is to all of us on the Western Slope these days. Gunnison County Commissioner Liz Smith wrote a marvelous guest commentary (that both the other two commissioners signed on to) explaining their continuing efforts to help their Country Meadows citizens. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes advocacy that savvy pols know how to do, but constituents all too often miss learning about.
CB agrees to 10-year Whetstone tap fee plan
On the long road to make its proposed Whetstone housing development a reality, Gunnison County has cleared a major affordability hurdle which had threatened to shut the project down. Crested Butte Town Council made the decision to allow the county to stretch payment for Whetstone’s $7.5 million tap fee over 10 years at a council meeting on Aug. 19.
Mt. CB allows Grand Lodge to rent units to local employees
Owners decide if they want to start a long-term lease. The Grand Lodge Resort is now temporarily permitted to house local employees in Gunnison County in need of long-term rentals. During the August 6 Mt. Crested Butte town council meeting, the Grand Lodge Resort and Condominium Association presidents requested a temporary waiver to their condominium declaration that requires the owners to short-term rent their condominium units. The council allowed the waiver.
CB council gives green light to accept deferred tap fees for Whetstone project
Staff analysis shows benefits to existing rate payers. The Crested Butte town council gave the thumbs up Monday to proceed with embracing Gunnison County’s proposal to defer the payment of $7.5 million in tap fees for the Whetstone affordable housing project until 2030 after which the town will collect ten annual payments of $751,000. Crested Butte will be extending water and sewer utilities to the planned 252-unit project located about two miles south of town near Brush Creek Road.
Bears gone (un)wild: early uptick in human-bear conflicts
The North Valley and Gunnison County saw a marked and unseasonable increase in human-bear conflicts in the last few weeks, which also coincides with regional reports. Wildlife officers across southwest Colorado have seen an unexpected surge in human-bear conflict since July, calling it “a worrisome trend well ahead of hyperphagia,” when bears go into rapid weight-gaining mode in the fall to prepare for hibernation.
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