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VOL. 143 NO. 46 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2024 | $1.00
MetRec TV service faces unclear future District takes another hard look at system costs Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
HOME OF THE BRAVE: The Gunnison High School Legion Club participated in a flag folding ceremony at Legion Park to honor Veterans Day on Nov. 11. For more, see A13. (Photo by Abby Harrison)
INSIDE
TODAY NEWS: Community outcry over city firing, A10
COMMUNITY: A lifetime, in bears, B1
OBITUARIES A3 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A14-A16 SPORTS B4 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
MetRec A6
County prepares School board to issue bonds signals support for Whetstone for synthetic turf CFO resigns following audit Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
SPORTS: GHS volleyball crowned regional champs, B4
Growing pains abound for the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District (MetRec) as it is faced with dual charges of providing over-the-air TV service and accommodating the community’s growing recreation desires. The board discussed the possibility of discontinuing TV service at an Oct. 30 meeting. MetRec’s service plan states that it has the “ability,” but not the “mandate” to provide TV, just as it does for recreation services, said Board Member Earl Marshall, who’s taken the lead on the TV inquiry. The board believes MetRec is the last special district in the state offering the free service, as they can’t find
Gunnison County is preparing to issue bonds for its massive income-restricted housing project, Whetstone. To accommodate the financing, the county’s draft budget is the largest in its history, slated to bring in over $213 million in 2025. County commissioners reviewed the first draft at a meeting on Oct. 15. At the same work session, the board heard from the county’s independent auditors for its 2023 budget, who said they had to
make more corrections than in previous years. The next day, Gunnison County Chief Financial Officer Perry Solheim announced his resignation. Solheim declined to comment on the conditions of his resignation. County Manager Matthew Birnie did not reply w h e n t h e Ti m e s a s ke d i f Solheim’s resignation and the audit were related. The county has now had three CFOs leave in the last four years, one to retirement and two resignations. Deputy CFO Ana Canada has stepped into the lead role until the county can fill it. The county’s draft 2025 budget includes the $117 million in bonds it intends to issue for Budget A5
Roberts votes no, cites environment and health concerns Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Synthetic turf may soon be coming to the Gunnison Valley as part of the school district’s $120 million, multi-school renovation project. The board, in a 4-1 vote, supported the inclusion of synthetic turf as an option for new athletic fields. The Gunnison Watershed
School District has the chance, through its renovation project, to upgrade the field in front of Crested Butte Community School, and add two new fields behind Gunnison Community School. While the district initially planned to lay sod for these fields, board members considered the pros and cons of shifting to synthetic turf at a meeting on Nov. 11. The discussion drew one of the school board’s largest crowds of the year. A majority of those who commented spoke in support of synthetic turf, describing how years of limited field space and poor field quality has damaged the valley’s athletic programs. Others, Turf A7