Commission is Through Delaying, Now Ready for Kill: You Can
Help
We've detailed the saga of the Crested Butte (CO) Airport,
as a developer has parlayed the County into taking critical runway,
so he can build his high-density home project on the other side.
This deal, when the Commission approves it, will turn that
developer's land into a big tax base, and effectively ruin the
airport. Have a look at the correspondence we've received from the
airport's embattled owner, Carlo Cesa, and you can see what kind of
'logic' is being offered, as the county plots to ruin the lovely,
high-altitude haven, in a meeting scheduled for Tuesday:
"...because of the previous testimony from both
Colorado fixed-wing air ambulance providers..., stating that they
would not be able to operate at the Crested Butte Airport if the
runway were any shorter (B200 and Turbo Commander aircraft), the
Planning Commission and the developer are now saying that the
runway will in effect be the same length, or even longer, after the
so-called safety improvements are put in place.
Lengthening the runway will make it shorter.
"This is only political correctness; even if the developer is
forced to add approximately 100 feet of runway at the other
(between 100 and 140 feet), the runway will still be shorter. Just
because of simple math, and because the road itself, the road
shoulders, the snow plowing allowance and the road radius, it will
take between 200 and 300 feet of runway, at the very
least.
"Then, there is the Object Free Area of 240 feet. (At the other
end there is only approximately 140 feet available to the property
line). Another problem is that there is a mountain abutting that
end of the runway. Basically, it does not serve much
purpose to have a runway all the way to the base of a brick
wall.
"The developer and the Planning Commission cover
these facts behind the myth of a Displaced Threshold that, in their
own words, would mitigate the safety issue and lengthen the runway.
It is not the case, not at the Crested Butte Airport anyway.
"Documents also state that if the (proposed) road has to be
modified, for any reasons, the runway shall be shortened further.
The Planning Commission refused to address that. And, the Gunnison
department of roads and bridges stated in a 1999 memo that the
proposed road is dangerous and does not comply with County code
(insufficient turn radius and to many 90 degree turns). The
Planning Commission refused to address that, too.
"The proposal in front of the BOCC is a 'broken leg' solution:
it will not work, and it will effectively close the airport."
If you care enough to help:
Office of the Gunnison Board of County Commissioners
(BOCC)
200 E. Virginia Ave.
Gunnison, Colorado 81230
Fax 970-641-3061
bocc@co.gunnison.co.us
Gunnison County Commissioners (BOCC):
Fred Field, Chairman, Tel. 970-641-4179
Jim Starr, County Commissioner, Tel. (970) 349-6862
(Home)
970-349-5363 (Office) 970-349-5017 (Fax)
Perry Anderson, County Commissioner, Tel. 970-641-1663