The Buena Vista Board of Trustees (BOT) approved a change in location for the Buena Viking’s liquor license at their November 14 regular meeting. While the Viking is prepared to move to their new home, the Arizona Street trail and bridge project that has been in the works since 2012 experienced another rejected bid and instructions for staff to analyze new ways to address needs in the area.
Buena Viking Change of Location for Liquor License Approved
Buena Viking- Co-owners Anna and Evan Winger in front of their Main Street food truck, photo courtesy of Anna Winger.
The Buena Viking is all set to say goodbye to its food truck and move to its new permanent location. AVV previously reported on the construction on Main Street that will house CKS and the Viking.
As part of that move, the Buena Viking applied for a change in location for its liquor license from its current location behind the Orpheum to its new location at 418 East Main Street. The new licensed location covers the outdoor rooftop patio, courtyard, and parts of 420 East Main Street “to allow people to walk around and possibly shop for kayaks with a beer,” explained Buena Viking Owner Anna Winger.
When asked about amplified music by the trustees, Winger assured the board that there would be music, but it wouldn’t go late because there are apartments in the building.
“I don’t plan on doing any weddings because I don’t want to deal with brides,” joked Winger while assuring the board that there wouldn’t be too much noise for residents that live off of Main Street, which is an issue that had been raised at a previous BOT meeting.
Trustees Reject Bid for Arizona Street Trail and Bridge Project
The Board unanimously rejected a bid for the Arizona Street trail and bridge project. The project has been in the works since 2012 with bids far higher than available funds.
The rejected bid was for $2,993,630. The original budgeted amount was $903,442.
The project was expected to be funded primarily by a grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
According to the packet memo, “When the project was awarded and original contracts finalized in 2012 the estimated cost of the project was $611,500, meaning CDOT would contribute $489,248, the County would contribute $48,925 and Buena Vista would contribute the remaining $73,387.”
The idea behind the project was to create a safe route to school by installing a pedestrian bridge over the creek on Arizona and improving the street to make it safer for those on foot.
“I think it’s clear to staff at this point, assuming the board rejects the bid, that this project needs to drastically change to be reasonable for our community,” said Treasurer Phillip Puckett. “Spending that much money on a pedestrian bridge just doesn’t seem to be in context with the amount of money we have available for everything else.”
After rejecting the $2.9 million bid, the trustees directed staff to analyze the situation to determine how best to extract the town from the grant originally received for the project and to identify more affordable solutions to fulfill the community’s needs in the area.
When concerns were raised about whether extricating Town from the grant would affect future applications, BV Town Administrator Brian Berger assured the board that it should not be a problem. “They understand what their process can add to a project,” said Berger. “I don’t think it will impact future advocations.”
Consent Agenda and Staff Reports
The consent agenda was approved unanimously by the board. It included minutes from the previous board meeting and various advisory boards.
It also included approval of a resolution appointing new Town Administrator Brian Berger to the Chaffee County Multijurisdictional Housing Authority as an alternate member and approval of the Shining Mountain Montessori School’s (SMMS) amended and restated lease. SMMS’ restated lease will allow them to expand their outdoor area to make more room for outdoor play and learning.
Planning Director Joel Benson explained that planning is keeping busy. He addressed some complaints of applications taking a long time by explaining that applicants frequently submit incomplete applications with long periods between the original submission and when they deliver the remaining materials.
“Their clock starts when they submit the first time,” explained Benson. “Our clock starts when we get everything.”
Mayor Libby Fay sought approval from the board to sign a letter in support of a mini-grants program. The BOT unanimously approved the signing of the letter.
The full packet for the November 14 meeting is available on the Town of Buena Vista’s website.
The next regular meeting for the Buena Vista BOT is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28.
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