During their Tuesday, June 11 meeting, the Buena Vista Board of Trustees heard a report from Cindy Williams on Chaffee Common Ground. Williams, who co-leads Envision Chaffee County, is also a leader in the Chaffee Common Ground initiative.
Common Ground, funded by the November 2018 passage of Ballot Issue 1A, has a mission committed to strengthening forest health, conserving and supporting working ranches, farms and landscapes and managing the impacts of growth in Chaffee County.
Williams’ presentation to the Board of Trustees focused specifically on Common Ground’s wildlife preparedness efforts.
“We’re working to get more fire-resilient forests,” said Williams. “We think we need to be doing about twice the rate of treatment in the forests in the county to be safe.”
Specific to Buena Vista, Williams advised the board to communicate the importance of wildlife preparedness with Buena Vista residents. Primarily, Williams recommended household evacuation plans and wildlife mitigation measures.
“If you have a big fire [up on Midland], you may get embers that shower down on the town,” Williams explained, “In that case, [it’s important to] make sure citizens have their homes ready for that and don’t have stuff on their roof or deck that can catch fire.”
According to Common Ground’s Wildlife Survey issued this spring, only 50 percent of people are prepared to evacuate in an emergency, something the mayor pointed out is a concern.
“Most people aren’t ready to move if there is a fire,” said Mayor Duff Lacy. “I think that’s the key; to prepare during fire season and to have things ready to go.”
Williams asked the Board of Trustees to help Common Ground reach community members who may not be prepared.
“If you are willing to help us push [information] out, [we] have some great resources on how to make an evacuation plan and how to sign up for reverse 911.”
The Jailhouse in Buena Vista, which operates as a craft beer bar, has just received the town’s approval as a historic property. Courtesy photo.
The Board of Trustees also approved, unanimously, a resolution giving historical designation to The Jailhouse, located at at 412 E. Main St. in Buena Vista. The applicants, Johnny Hughes and his wife, Renata, own the property, which operates as a craft beer bar, and believe it is worth protecting.
“The Jailhouse is a historic place worthy of the designation and preservation,” said Hughes. “The [designation] would help us prevent the building from being altered. We don’t want further development or alteration or destruction of this iconic building.”
Trustee Norm Nyberg moved to approve the resolution. Trustee Libby Fay seconded the motion.
“I think this is a great addition to the historic preservation of downtown [Buena Vista],” said Fay.
In support of Fay’s comments, Trustee Mark Jenkins pointed to the Town of Buena Vista’s comprehensive plan, which calls for the preservation and revitalization of historical buildings.
The Jailhouse property includes four lots and is the site of the historic Jacobs Building, which houses The Village retail store. According to Principal Planner Mark Doering, The Jailhouse, located on the northwest corner of the property, was likely built between the late 1880s and early 1900s.
“This is a building that, we believe, belongs to Buena Vista,” said Hughes. “It was the Jailhouse long before [we] purchased it, and with this historic designation we believe it’s a building for the ages.”
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