NEWS: Library ballot initiative fails at polls, A8
VOL. 143 NO. 45 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2024 | $1.00
Democrats retain county commissioner seats Houck, Smith re-elected Bella Biondini Times Editor
MINION MANIA: Sadie Swift and Camille Estrada, dressed as Minions from the “Despicable Me” film franchise, share high-fives with classmates during the Gunnison Elementary School costume parade on Oct. 31. For more, see A14. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
INSIDE
TODAY NEWS: Hurd leads Frisch in CD3 race, A10
COMMUNITY: Girl Scouts can do it all, B1
SPORTS: Cowboy soccer makes program history, B5
Cost estimates have a few weeks to intervene, as high as and make an offer. At a special meeting on $82 million Oct. 31, the Gunnison Valley
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer Bella Biondini Times Editor
OBITUARIES A2 BIRTHS A2 CLASSIFIEDS A15-A18 SPORTS B5 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
Commissioners A3
MetRec presents Palisades Apartments for plans for Crested Butte rec center sale, again Housing Authority weighs intervention
OPINION A4
Although two Republican challengers entered the race this year, the Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners will remain blue headed into 2025. Early election results on Wednesday, Nov. 6, showed that incumbents Jonathan Houck and Liz Smith pulled ahead of opponents Lisa Henry and Steve Bathje. Houck, who faced Bathje in District 2, won by a margin of 62% out of 10,445 votes cast. Smith bested Henry in District 1 by a margin of 63% out of 10,376 votes cast. Likely due to the concurrence of a presidential election this year, voter turnout in Gunnison County was high. Roughly 86% of the county’s
For the second time since 2022, the Palisades Apartments are in the final stages of a possible sale. But under a new state law, meant to help preserve Colorado’s existing affordable housing, local governments
Regional Housing Authority (GVRHA) board agreed, in a unanimous vote, to accept the “right of first refusal” from the City of Gunnison. The decision is not legally binding, but instead gives the Housing Authority’s board of directors 30 days to learn more about the property. The property is currently under contract for $4 million with prospective buyers Laurel Bahe and Stuart Sloat, both based in Colorado Springs, according to a purchase and Palisades A6
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
The Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District (MetRec) revealed conceptual plans for a recreation center in the North Valley at a meeting last week. Depending on the inclusion of an indoor pool and a turf field, costs range from $38 to $82 million. The rec center is a part of MetRec’s coming valley-wide master recreation plan, which also includes outdoor field space and an amphitheater. If
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MetRec pursues the project, it would seek voter approval for a bond issue in 2026, with the goal of opening doors in 2030. Norris Design, Barker Rinker Seacat (BRS) and Ballard*King, the firms working on the plan, presented a conceptual design on Oct. 30. For MetRec board president Cassia Cadenhead, a rec center has been a long time coming, a means to provide a safe, reliable afterschool space for North Valley kids. It could also support the local workforce by offering more recreation opportunities for families, she said. “I am personally seven years into this dream, which is over 2,500 days if one is counting, [and] the information being MetRec A7
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