After a municipal election held on April 7, the Town of Basalt welcomed three new members to Basalt Town Council for four-year terms beginning April 28. Angela Anderson, Greg Shaffran and Elyse Hottel were elected to serve as councilors through mid-April 2030. During this week’s meeting, the council discussed new construction guidelines in Historic Basalt and preparations for a new season of the Sunday Market, and the police department pinned Sergeant Travis Still as its new lieutenant.
The municipal race was held between four candidates: Anderson, Shaffran, Hottel and Benjamin Fierstein. Anderson ran for a consecutive reelection, Hottel also ran for reelection but for a non-consecutive term, after stepping away from her 2020 term early. Hottel and Shaffran will be taking the seats of present councilors Ryan Slack and Dieter Schindler. The three electees will take their seats and appear before the public on April 28.
Tuesday’s meeting opened with a pinning ceremony, officially promoting Still as Basalt Police Department’s next Lieutenant. Still was selected for the role after former Lieutenant Aaron Munch leveled up as the department’s chief of police.
Still joined the department in 2024. This year, he received Roaring Fork Fire Rescue’s 2025 Call of the Year Award. The award is given to any public safety official who demonstrates decisive action, teamwork and excellence towards saving a life. Still was given the award on Feb. 11, after he and his fellow officers delivered life-saving care to an individual who had cut an artery.
Lieutenant Still received hearty applause from his fellow officers after receiving his new pin from Chief Munch during the council meeting.
Another action item was to sign a resolution for the upcoming season of Basalt’s famous Sunday Market.
The Market begins June 14 and goes through Sept. 27. As in years past, the market will run from 10am to 2pm, rain or shine, on the Midland Spur and at Lions Park. Visitors and residents can expect delicious food and produce as well as handmade crafts from local vendors. For entertainment, the Lions Park stage will host live music performances, and kids can enjoy a bounce house and craft activities.
Basalt also invites folks from across the Roaring Fork Valley to its Earth Day celebration on Wednesday, April 22, from noon to 6pm. The event, hosted in Basalt River Park, will feature guest speakers, electric car demonstrations, solar power exhibits, tree and compost bins giveaways, performances by Natalie Spears and students from Basalt Elementary School and more. The theme this year is “My Future, My Voice” to encourage people to speak up for environmental causes.
Historic guidelines
Prior to this week’s meeting, councilors met for a public work session with members of GMSHAY Architects to further discuss the Midland District Design Guidelines, first presented on March 10.
The guidelines document is in progress and intended to provide a framework for all new construction and remodeling of buildings on or near Midland Avenue for the purpose of preserving the area’s historic architectural character. The document also outlines how to treat what it designates as “contributing buildings,” which are considered some of the most notable examples of 19th and early 20th century architectural styles, such as the Alpine Bank building and the former post office.
While the guidelines provide checklists and guidance for everything from adding awnings to how windows should be framed, the document is meant to serve as an overlay to existing zoning laws, not a replacement. Applicants with projects that do not meet the technical requirements of the guidelines will be able apply for a waiver.
Since the presentation on March 10, the team at GMSHAY had refined the document and provided councilors with drafted checklists to clarify how it might be used for construction applications. During the work session, the architectural team requested a resolution to adopt the guidelines at a later date.