It’s time for Basalt’s voices to be heard! The Town of Basalt’s municipal election is currently underway, and the deadline to submit ballots is Tuesday, April 2 at 7pm. Ballots can be returned via mail or dropped in the ballot box behind Town Hall, located in Lion’s Park beside the Midland Spur.

The mayoral seat and three Town Council seats are open to candidates, although notably, only one candidate — current Town Council member David Knight — is running for mayor. Voters should also keep in mind that Courtney Sheeley Wyckoff has withdrawn from the election and is no longer running, even though her name is still on the ballot. Any votes cast for Wyckoff will not be counted.

For those unfamiliar with the current candidates, the Sun published a brief Q&A with each candidate last week, now available to read online at tinyurl.com/SoprisSunBasalt 

Solar array install
April 2 also marks the groundbreaking for a solar array installation at Basalt High School (BHS). The public is invited to attend a ribbon cutting and groundbreaking ceremony at 4pm. 

Five solar arrays are being constructed in a partnership between the Town of Basalt and the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD). The other four are located on the rooftops of the BHS concession stand, Basalt Elementary School, the El Jebel school bus barn, and the Public Works building.

The solar array in front of BHS will be the largest and most visible of the five, and the final one to be installed.

On average, each of these arrays will offset traditional energy use at their respective properties by 31%. The solar project marks a step forward for Basalt’s climate goal to reduce town-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050.

The array in front of BHS will provide an educational tool for its students and be symbolic that Basalt’s future lies in clean energy.

Regular meeting
This weeks’ Tuesday night meeting was especially brief. The meeting began with a pair of proclamations: March 2024 has been proclaimed American Red Cross Month in recognition of the organization’s generous humanitarian efforts, and April 2024 has been proclaimed National Donate Life Month with a goal to raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation and that registering as a donor can save a life.

Council was provided with an update on the Midland Avenue Streetscape project. Last week, contractor Stutsman Gerbaz mobilized to begin work on Midland’s new storm line, and the Black Hills Energy crew progressed their work on the main gas line to the Basalt Mountain Inn.

Additionally, some of the water lines installed last fall will be tested in the coming weeks, requiring water shutoffs. However, these shutoffs will be much shorter than the day-long blackout times that came with the lines’ installation. Beyond that, no new delays were announced, and the project is progressing as scheduled.

The only major action of the night was a resolution calling for a special election on May 21 for an amendment to Basalt’s Municipal Code adding new sections in regard to parking.

In response to many Basalt citizens’ complaints concerning the longtime difficulty of parking in downtown historic Basalt — a problem exacerbated by current construction — the Town has drafted a new section of its municipal code. Draft section 16-97 states that “There shall be no reduction in the number, size or configuration of public or private parking spaces in the Downtown Parking Area or of any public loading areas,” except if such parking spaces are replaced within 100 feet of the previously existing space.

Voters will receive a special election mail-in ballot in the coming weeks.