NEWS: Mt. Emmons land exchange approved, A10
' cattlemen s days
! VOL. 143 NO. 28 | THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024 | $1.00
Vacancies, for sale signs proliferate in downtown Gunnison City to begin economic development plan later this summer Bella Biondini Times Editor
The health of downtown Gunnison may be waning as buildings sit vacant and businesses are put up for sale. The turnover is making it more challenging to push foot-traffic through the heart of the Main Street A6
UP, UP AND AWAY: Hot air balloons offered passengers a sky-high view of town during the annual Fourth of July balloon rally at Jorgensen Park. For more, see A18. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
Western aims for MetRec drafting TODAY 2026 deadline on valley-wide housing project recreation plan INSIDE
NEWS: STOR tables transit to trailhead plans, A5
COMMUNITY: For the love of running, B1
Reduces number of units to rein in debt load
SPORTS: Waggoner inducted into Hall of Fame, B12 OBITUARIES A2 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A14-A17 SPORTS B12 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Gunnison’s newest employerowned housing project could welcome residents as early as the fall of 2026. Western Colorado University executives hope to break ground on a roughly 30-unit, $12 million housing project on the east edge of campus in the next year. For years, dwindling rental stock and a runaway housing market has made it difficult for
the valley’s largest employers to hire and retain staff. Faced with turning away prospective professors and other staff, Western has joined entities like Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) and Gunnison County in pursuing subsidized housing for its employees. The university’s housing project will be located just north of the Aspinall-Wilson building. That parcel currently houses and is owned by the Western Foundation, the university’s fundraising arm. Western is working with the Foundation to figure out how to transfer the property, which could be a sale or donation, Chief Financial Officer Ian Higgins told the Times. Western A6
Survey closes July 20 Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Gunnison Valley residents are hankering for the possibility of a pool in Crested Butte, a bowling alley, indoor climbing and field space. And as the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District (MetRec) drafts the valley’s first-ever master recreation plan, all might be on the table. The district embarked on the process last summer, and has since hired a contractor to gather community input and start drafting the plan. It could
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include everything from indoor, outdoor, summer and winter recreation opportunities from Gothic to Gunnison, including areas along the Hwy. 135 corridor. District Manager Derrick Nehrenberg anticipates a final plan by January of 2025. The Gunnison Valley’s recreation amenities are a patchwork, managed by a variety of private landowners, public lands agencies and local governments. The new plan is meant to inventory existing recreation amenities — like Crested Butte’s Rec Path or the Gunnison Rec Center — and decide where MetRec can step in to fill gaps, while staying connected to public transit and
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