$1.00 Vol. 142. No. 5
Thursday, February 2, 2023
Wolves coming soon to Western Slope CPW hosts draft reintroduction plan hearing in Gunnison
Mid-dual frenzy
Jacob Spetzler
Left to right: Sadie Lindquist, Brayden Roman and Byrd McCarley cheer on the Mountaineer wrestling team during a dual with Adams State last Friday, Jan. 27. Western ultimately fell 22-18 after a rally in the mid-weight matches came to a halt in the heavier divisions. For more, see B10. Another wrestling triumph happened in Gunnison over the weekend. Two GHS wrestlers, Royce Uhrig and Miles Harris, broke school records in a home dual against North Fork. For more, see B7.
INSIDE
TODAY NEWS: Grocery store mega-merger worries locals, A13
Council to decide next steps this week
The city’s final candidate withdrew his application for Gunnison’s manager posi-
SPORTS: GHS wrestlers continue to break records, B7
Bella Biondini Times Editor
OPINION A4-A5 CLASSIFIEDS A16-A18 SPORTS B7
ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
Wolves A6
tion less than a week after city council directed staff to begin the formal hiring process. This leaves Gunnison with an empty city manager seat for the foreseeable future. Finance Director Ben Cowan presently serves as interim manager. Last month, council selected three finalists for the position, which has been vacant since late October following the
resignation of previous manager Russ Forrest. The candidates were invited to a “Meet the Finalists” forum on Jan. 19 at the Gunnison Rec Center, but two of them withdrew their applications the evening before the event for “personal reasons,” according to staff. Brian Berger, the remaining candidate, attended the community event alone. Berger
presently serves as the town administrator, treasurer and clerk for the Town of Poncha Springs, just east of Monarch Pass. After extensive interviews, city council directed staff to work toward negotiating an employment contract with Berger, expressing confidence he had the skill set needed to City manager A7
Frontier Land suddenly pulled from the market Owner’s plan for mobile home park unclear
OBITUARY A3
O n Ja n . 2 5 , We s t e r n ’s University Center overflowed with residents seeking to learn more about a draft plan that will
City manager finalist declines offer Bella Biondini Times Editor
COMMUNITY: Left on Red brings new sound to Gunnison Valley, B1
Bella Biondini Times Editor
F ro n t i e r L a n d , a s m a l l mobile home park just north of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport which had been listed for sale, was suddenly pulled off the market on Wednesday. Local leaders had been scrambling to find a way
to preserve the affordable housing it provides for the community. CCNB Properties LLC, based in Almont, according to state records, listed the property for $1.3 million last July while the Gunnison Valley’s housing market was still hot. Frontier Land’s 12 trailers are owned by the LLC and are individually leased to tenants. After sitting on the market for months, the price of the park dropped to $890,000 in December — the reduction potentially making the property more enticing to buyers who
Bella Biondini
Frontier Land is located at 912 West Gunnison Avenue, just north of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.
may have wanted to increase the rent or remove the homes entirely. It also captured the attention of local organizations trying to protect Gunnison’s existing affordable housing — which is becoming harder to find and stabilize.
On Jan. 30, the listing agent, Gunnison Real Estate and Rentals, informed the Times that the owner had decided to take Frontier Land off the market on Feb. 1 and relinquished its listing agreement with the Frontier Land A8