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Crested Butte cracks down on lights

Allen Best

CRESTED BUTTE – The Crested Butte Town Council has adopted what appears to be one of the most restrictive light-control measures. The new law mandates “full cut-off” lighting fixtures effective immediately on new construction and requires retrofitting out-of-compliance fixtures by 2010.What does “full cut-off” mean? It appears to mean the direct light itself cannot be seen from adjoining properties. That means t see-through glass fixtures will be banned, as will spotlights. The exceptions are for historical lighting, illuminating of the U.S. flag, theater marquees, outdoor recreation lights, and street and safety lighting.Although the measure passed by a 6-1 vote, there was some backlash in letters published in the Crested Butte News. One couple, 30-some year residents, argued that they needed unshielded lights to ward off bears, drunk drivers and other things that go bump in the night. “How DOES a bare light bulb cause “SKY Pollution?” they wondered.The council discussed, but did not seem to come to grips with how to “educate” the intent of the new law, although there was some mention of having some demonstration lights.New ski area needs nameCRESTED BUTTE – Crested Butte wants to create a new ski area, just across the road from the existing ski area on a mountain called Snodgrass. But ski area owners Tim and Diane Mueller want a more inviting name for this new ski area when they begin buying magazine advertisements that announce Crested Butte is “new, bigger, and better.” To that end, reports the Crested Butte News, they are mulling some 200 proposed names.Something similar happened at Vail, where the ski area in 1999 was expanded onto an adjoining mountain called Battle Mountain. The expansion area was called Blue Sky Basin.As for Snodgrass, nobody wants to change the official name. It was named after Perry Snodgrass, a Forest Service ranger who was struck by lightning while riding a horse on the mountain in 1915 and died several days later of his injures.Vail, Colorado


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