NEWS: County unaffected by password leak, clerk says, A5
SO MUCH MORE THAN A NEWSPAPER.
VOL. 143 NO. 44 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2024 | $1.00
City drafts tight budget headed into 2025 Public hearing scheduled for Nov. 5 Bella Biondini Times Editor
Facing lingering pressure from inflated utility infrastructure costs, the rising cost of living and stagnant sales tax revenue so far this year, the City of Gunnison’s budget for next year is tight. Sales tax collections — which make up just under 25% of the city’s revenue — were almost flat in 2024 after continual increases over the last decade. Finance Director Ben Cowan believes the closure of the Hwy. 50 middle bridge and a rainy summer season Budget A6
INSIDE
TODAY NEWS: E. coli outbreak under investigation, A8
COMMUNITY: Gunnison ghostbusters, B1
SPORTS: GHS volleyball remains undefeated, B7
OBITUARIES A2 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A15-A18 SPORTS B7 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
MOUNTAINEERS UNDEFEATED: Western football extended its win streak against the No. 10 Colorado School of Mines in an away matchup on Oct. 26. For more, see B7. (Courtesy Amelia Lukassen/Western Colorado University)
CB to CB South Excursión en trail kicked to las montañas county for review Valley’s Most residents accept highway alignment, survey shows Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Commuters and recreationists in the North Valley are one step closer to having a trail that connects Crested Butte and Crested Butte South. The path is envisioned by its supporters to offer safe passage between the busy communities — perhaps, year-round. On Oct. 24, the project inched forward when the Sustainable To u r i s m a n d O u t d o o r
Recreation (STOR) Committee agreed that the way to expedite the project is pursue a design of the trail that runs along Hwy. 135, rather than winding through adjacent private lands. The committee agreed to recommend the highway-adjacent alignment to the county, with a request to focus on mitigating impacts to ranching, defining winter and year-round use, staying open to an off-highway alignment and continued outreach. For a highway alignment, the county will first need review and approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), as it is in the agency’s right-of-way. So far, the county has been the lead on the projTrail A3
public land organizations expand access for Spanishspeakers Bella Biondini Times Editor
From translating trailhead signs to hosting field trips in Spanish, the outdoor recreation community is trying to create better public lands access for the valley’s immigrants. Ma r i s e l a B a l l e s t e ro s, a Gunnison local of Indigenous Cora heritage, has been part of this ongoing work. Her rela-
tionship with the open lands and water of Colorado began at a young age, and by the fifth grade, she had been introduced to skiing, snowboarding and fly fishing. Before immigrating to the United States, her parents had a similar connection with the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico, which has terrain similar to the Rockies. But after the family’s move to the Western Slope, their priorities temporarily shifted. It is not uncommon for those who leave their home countries to fall into “survival mode,” Ballesteros said, with little time for leisure. “[My parents] are really connected with the land and don’t feel uncomfortable,” she said. “If anything, they're just focused on family, work and Excursión A6