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NEWS: Boebert to leave the Western Slope, A3
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VOL. 143. NO. 1 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2024 | $1.00
Resort towns lean into affordable housing with new vigor New report shows progress since ‘mountain migration’ shook local economies Bella Biondini Times Editor
A N“ICE” EVENING: Siblings Tomas and Tatchi Collins sprawled out on the ice at the Jorgensen Ice Rink during the bluegrass-themed “Skate to Lights” event on Dec. 29. A group of kids used metal balance trainers to collect ice shavings at the center of the rink while skaters circled the perimeter. See more on A9. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
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TODAY
NEWS: AspectAvy aims to reduce avalanche deaths, A12
COMMUNITY: A modern Vincent ‘Vans’ Gogh, B1
A recent report shows that since 2020, the Mountain West has been aggressively pushing for the policies and legislation it Housing A6
GVH to buy local orthopedic clinic Purchase would expand GVH care in CB and Gunnison Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
Gunnison Valley Health is planning to acquire a private
orthopedic practice, a move that would increase its ability to provide orthopedic surgery and add its first-ever surgery center that is not in the main hospital. Executives hope the purchase will be completed by March of this year. “Our whole purpose of pursuing this is trying to [bring together] economies of scale within orthopedics, in a community that's been sorely lacking for years,” said hospital CEO
Jason Amrich in a Gunnison County Commissioners meeting on Dec. 19. “When I first came here, I always described this as an orthopedic problem that’s too big for a county that’s this small.” In a valley where outdoor re c re at i o n hap p e n s ye a rround and broken bones are as common as scraped knees, orthopedic care is a necessity. Bringing the doctor under the GVH umbrella will bump the
number of in-house orthopedic surgeons up from one to two, also bringing more “unity” to the health system, Amrich said. The private practice, VailSummit Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery (VSON), has l o c at i o n s t h ro u g h o u t t h e Western Slope. In Gunnison County, VSON has locations in Crested Butte and in Gunnison on West Spencer Avenue. GVH Clinic A7
CB to CB South trail report released SPORTS: Titans trade punches with Mustangs, B8
Current iteration Creek Road on the east side of the highway for nearly five uses highway miles, and then a final half mile into CB South. This option, alignment identified as “Alignment A,” was Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
OBITUARIES A2 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A16-A18 SPORTS B8 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
Laying a trail that connects Crested Butte to Crested Butte South, an effort that’s over 20 years in the making, is closer than ever before to breaking ground. Last month, contractor Design Workshop released the first design report, which laid preliminary plans for what the trail could look like. Designers offered plans for a 12-foot wide trail that runs from Brush Creek Road to Cement
the most popular choice in both a survey and in-person workshop that Design Workshop facilitated at the end of 2023. The company presented the repor t to the Sustainable To u r i s m a n d O u t d o o r Recreation (STOR) committee at a meeting on Dec. 21. “These trails are really helpful in improving access to transit service, reducing vehicle miles traveled and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, and also improving safety,” said Design Workshop Principal and Trail A8
A draft digital schematic of what the final trail could look like. (Courtesy Design Workshop)