NEWS: Arts center wraps up renovations, A14
VOL. 143 NO. 52 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2024 | $1.00
Masons donate almost $1 million to community As membership dwindles, Gunnison Valley’s last lodge will close Bella Biondini Times Editor
The cold creeping in behind him, Dan McDonough flicked on the lights in the Gunnison Pioneer Museum Masons A6
FRIGID FRIENDS: Members of the devo team at the Crested Butte Nordic Center listen carefully to instructions before ascending a hill on Dec. 17. For more, see A12. (Photo by Alex McCrindle)
Housing Authority, School upgrades TODAY buyer pass on now include new Palisades track at GCS INSIDE
NEWS: Youth Nordic skiing takes off, A12
COMMUNITY: Sisterhood of the seams, B1
County both the private buyers and Pipes freeze the Gunnison Valley Regional organization Housing Authority withdrew as at CBCS buyers. says it’s ‘shoring possible The Palisades Apartments, Abby Harrison located on North Colorado up’ programs Times Staff Writer Street, offer 60 affordable Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
SPORTS: Uhrig leads GHS wrestling, B4
OBITUARIES A2 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A15-A17 SPORTS B4 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
For the second time in the last several years, the Palisades Apartments have nearly sold, only for the deal to fall through. In early November, the property went under contract with private buyers out of Colorado Springs. But a new state law — enacted just a month before — halted the process and allowed a local government or housing authority to intervene and make an offer. Just over a month later,
housing units. Rental rates are controlled by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and are some of the lowest in the Gunnison Valley. HUD controls rents at the Palisades through a “Section 8” housing choice voucher program. Section 8 vouchers cap rents at 30% of the tenant’s “adjusted” income, which considers factors like disabilities or dependents. In general, Section 8 contracts are unique in that HUD Palisades A6
Timewise, the Gunnison Watershed School District’s $120 million bond project is just about at the halfway point. Through cold snaps and feet of snow, construction crews continue to demolish the old, and build the new at schools up and down the valley. The school board received the final construction update of the year from its owner’s representative, Artaic Group, at a board meeting on Dec. 16. In the last month, construction crews have run into weather-
related issues at Crested Butte Community School (CBCS). And, the most recent plans for athletic field space at Gunnison Community School now include an all-weather track. Good news for track stars The school district’s running stars will soon have eight lanes of all-weather home track to practice and compete on, as designs for the Gunnison Community School’s outdoor field space now include an all-weather, eight-lane rubber surface track. This means that the district would be able to host state-wide middle and high school track competitions. However, the design team was only able to include the track Schools A3