PRIDE MONTH: Western opens queer library, A8
VOL. 142. NO. 22 | THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2023 | $1.00
School district to hold first election in over 30 years So far, six candidates vying for three seats Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Jacob Spetzler
Bold boaters competed in the annual Oh Be Joyful Creek kayak race last Saturday. Colder temperatures slowed the snow melt which meant a slightly lower flow than racers had anticipated. For more see B4.
INSIDE
TODAY
NEWS: Changes coming to Gunnison Arts Center, A7
Construction in progress on Tomichi Avenue A new drive-through Starbucks Coffee shop is scheduled to open at 501 W. Tomichi
SPORTS: Dowis retires after 36 years of coaching, B6
OPINION A4-A5 CLASSIFIEDS A17-A20 SPORTS B6 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
Ave. by the end of the fall. The site is the former location of the family-owned Gunnison Fruit Stand, which had been in operation for 30 years during the summertime. Grand Junction-based commercial real estate developer Sid Squirrell closed on the half-acre property, which sits directly across from Gunnison
Auto and Performance, for $515,000 last June. The builder, ASCO Construction, finally broke ground in May. The team is working to complete the foundation and utilities, which will be followed by vertical construction and landscaping. Squirrell said he is hopeful the new coffee shop will be open for business before Thanksgiving.
The new building will feature a large, covered outdoor patio on the corner, ample parking space and a see-through fireplace with glass on both sides. The developer plans to hand the building over to Starbucks team for the interior buildout by the first of September, which is expected to take approximately Starbucks A2
Fire district considers new ballot issue County signals support for new station Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
OBITUARIES A3
School board A6
Starbucks aims for fall opening Bella Biondini Times Editor
COMMUNITY: ‘Arteries of the Earth,’ B1
For the first time in over three decades, the Gunnison Watershed School District will hold a school board election.
Once again, the Gunnison County Fire Protection District is teeing up plans to garner funds for a new fire station. In November of 2021, both the City of Gunnison and the District asked voters for funding for a new station in two separate measures, but both failed at the polls. This fall, the District hopes to go back to voters with an updated question and fundraising strategy. Since the previous ballot issue, the design was pared down. The latest drawings are 8,000 square feet
smaller than what voters saw in 2021 and the final budget for the renovation is being worked out now. The District’s board will watch 2023 property valuations, which are significantly higher than last year as a result of the pandemic-era housing boom, before making a decision on a property tax increase, City of Gunnison Fire Marshall Hugo Ferchau said. If numbers remain high when certified valuations go out at the end of summer, the District may not pursue the issue due to the burden taxpayers are already under. At the start of this month, Ferchau asked County Commissioners to sign on to a station expansion by deeding county-owned property Fire district A6
Jacob Spetzler
Volunteer firemen train at the old station at the end of April.