Necessary Steps

Construction of a roundabout at the entrance to Telluride, at the corner of Colorado Ave. and Mahoney Dr., is on course to begin in June with completion set for October.

The Telluride Town Council on Tuesday took a number of steps necessary for the work to begin, most notably amending a town ordinance adopted by town voters in 1998 that prohibited development of the seven-acre Pearl Property, which the town had acquired for an intercept parking lot. Since that vote, the property has served as de facto open space.

The amendment council adopted on Tuesday – with only Hilary White opposed, out of concern that wetlands may be affected – allows approximately 3,300 square feet of land to be carved out of the Pearl Property and for that newly created parcel to be paved or re-graded. Only a very small part of the 3,300 square feet would be paved. The action has no affect on the remainder of the Pearl Property.

Council on Tuesday also took actions allowing small portions of privately owned property at the intersection to be used for the roundabout.

In addition to the roundabout itself, a quarter mile of the Hwy. 145 Spur immediately west of the roundabout will be rebuilt this summer. Construction plans anticipate maintaining two-way traffic throughout construction.

Still ahead before the project breaks ground is a review by the Telluride Planning and Zoning Commission, the award of a construction contract, and approval of that contract by the Telluride Town Council, currently set for council's meeting on May 31.

A Bigger, Broader CASE

A proposal for the Telluride Commission for Arts and Special Events to take on a new task – evaluating and awarding community support grants – won initial approval by the Telluride Town Council on Tuesday. Community support grants have previously been awarded directly by council.

The ordinance council unanimously adopted on Tuesday on first reading renames CASE, which following final adoption at second reading will be called CCAASE, or the Commission for Community Assistance, Arts and Special Events. The amended ordinance also restructures the board's membership, removing a designated seat for the Telluride and Mountain Village Convention and Visitors Bureau and adding two designated seats, one for a representative of the Telluride R-1 School District administration and one for a representative from a San Miguel County health and human services organization. A limited number of seats on the restructured board may be held by out-of-town residents.

In the past few years, CASE has won praise for the way it reviews and awards grants to arts organizations and festivals. Council, meanwhile, has struggled to fairly award community service grants. Under its new banner, CCAASE would presumably handle community support grants using the same procedures it has employed for arts grants.

"One of the huge reasons for doing this is to eliminate the gray area that confuses applicants," CASE chair Ron Gilmer told council on Tuesday. As it is, applicants often don't know if they should apply to CASE for an arts or special events grant or to council for a community support grant. Henceforth, there will be one deadline and one application procedure instead of two.

There will be two separate council allocations of funding, however, one for arts and special events and the second for community support grants, from which CCAASE will recommend awards. While the current CASE (and future CCAASE) recommend grant awards, those awards receive final approval from council.

The Next Housing Project

Some members of the Telluride Town Council hesitated on Tuesday when faced with a proposal to continue planning a housing project consisting of between 15 and 25 units on a 64,900 square-foot parcel adjacent to the Shandoka Parking lot. The site, lot 48A, is now used by the Telluride Marshal's Department as an impound parking lot.

Several members of council expressed some concern that a project on the lot might limit opportunities for river restoration, and asked for a few more weeks to evaluate the suitability of the lot.

"I don't intend to slow this down in any way," Councilmember Hilary White said. "I think we need to take some more time. I would like to see more space opened up by a river restoration effort in that area for more development, whether a rec center or more affordable housing."

White indicated she would like to take another look at the Stonehenge parking on lots 34/34B for its housing potential to serve as the town's next housing project.

Councilmember Mallory Dimmitt said she agreed with White and clarified that the reconsideration of lot 34/34B would include only a small piece it, whose development would not preclude a large project on the bulk of that property.

"That large parcel of land takes more master planning than just to take a sliver of it for housing," countered Councilmember Stu Fraser, reiterating his past support for moving forward with lot 48A. He and Mayor John Pryor argued against unnecessary delay on housing projects. Council has already had "a thoughtful discussion of this," Pryor said, and there is nothing to be gained by revisiting the decision to move forward with lot 48A.

"We already decided on this location," Councilmember Mark Buchsieb noted.

"If it is the consensus of council to move forward with lot 48A, I would not be opposed to that," Dimmitt said.

A motion to proceed with the project passed by a vote of 5-1, with Fraser, Pryor, Buchsieb, Dimmit, and Councilmember Andrea Benda in favor, and White opposed. Councilmember Roberta Peterson was absent from Tuesday's meeting.

Council on Tuesday also deposited proceeds of almost $1.1 million from the redevelopment and sale of the Telluride Family Housing Project back into the affordable housing fund. That project involved the refurbishment and sale of deed restricted rental housing in East Telluride.

Another $280,000 in savings due to completion of the Shandoka Phase IV Apartments under budget will be split between the Shandoka Capital Improvement Fund, the Telluride Affordable Housing Fund, and the Telluride Water and Sewer Fund.

Not Yet Approved, But…

The Telluride Town Council is poised to award a temporary permit for the Telluride Farmer's Market to operate on S. Oak Street again this summer. The approval is likely to include conditions and restrictions closely resembling last year's.

"We didn't receive a single complaint about the operations of the Farmer's Market last year," Town Planner Hal Hutchinson told council

The market will operate on Fridays from June 17 to mid-October, from noon to 4 p.m.