Bayfield is looking at ways to improve downtown and make the town more welcoming to visitors.
Consultants from Downtown Colorado Inc. visited Bayfield for two days in mid-March to evaluate the town. They recently presented a lengthy report to town officials.
“We’re digesting that information and regrouping,” said Chris La May, Bayfield Town Manager.
Some of the consultants’ recommendations could be implemented this summer, while others may be 20 to 30 years down the road, La May said.
Officials in Bayfield, population 2,493, seek to turn the town’s identity as an agricultural and family-oriented town into a marketable brand. Bayfield long has existed in Durango’s shadow as a bedroom community with limited appeal to visitors.
No one expects Bayfield to rival Durango as a tourist destination, but the consultants pointed to measures Bayfield could take to boost its attractiveness.
Among the nonprofit group’s recommendations:
Develop street-design criteria and commit money to streetscape improvements.
Consider how to fill in two key lots on Mill Street. The consultants called these vacant lots “missing teeth.”
Enhance Bayfield’s branding and social media marketing.
Develop a master plan for parks, open space and trails.
Encourage development along the Pine River to take advantage of the setting.
Support efforts to bring more lodging and rental options to downtown Bayfield.
Improve the transition from U.S. Highway 160 to downtown Bayfield.
La May said better branding and marketing could be implemented fairly easily. Costly improvements are less likely to happen anytime soon, as Bayfield voters have shown little appetite for higher taxes. In November, voters narrowly rejected a sales-tax hike that would have gone toward street maintenance and improvements.
La May said the next step is to engage residents and businesses regarding the recommendations.
“We definitely are looking at reconvening and taking the information and getting people involved,” he said. “Some of it is just trying to get people into the downtown and Bayfield in general. ... Hopefully that builds some steam to help start tackling these bigger challenges and larger problems they identified.”
Government grants are a possible source of funding, he said.
Some businesses are finding a home in Bayfield. Tailwind Nutrition is in the process of moving from Dolores into the former Steamworks building at 442 Wolverine Drive. The building has been vacant since Steamworks moved out.
Jeff Vierling, who owns Tailwind Nutrition with his wife, Jenny, said the Steamworks building perfectly fit their needs. Tailwind manufactures a powdered supplement for endurance athletes, so the former brewery and kitchen fit the bill.
“The facility was great,” he said. “We really liked how it was configured.”
Tailwind has hired two full-time positions in Bayfield and plans to hire more after the facility is fully operational.
“Bayfield was just very welcoming,” Vierling said.
In downtown Bayfield, Bottom Shelf Brewery opened in October 2013. The brewpub has been growing ever since, co-founder Greg Allen said.
“There was a void in the market for this type of a business, this type of a restaurant,” he said. “There was nothing like this here.”
Allen suggested Bayfield could bring more events downtown, such as an arts festival, a beer tasting or a car show. Bayfield better could capitalize on the annual Heritage Days event, held in late September, he said.
Echoing the consultants, Allen said Bayfield can make the town’s Pine River frontage more attractive. “I’m also a big proponent of improving the river corridor that runs right through town,” he said.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
