Courtesy of Ryan Barwick
Anyone who has built a home or business in Grand Lake probably knows about town’s notoriously comprehensive construction codes.
The picturesque mountain community is well-known for its robust regulation of visual elements, covering everything from signs that must appear “wood-like” to the style of cabins that are constructed. Earlier this year, Fraser resident and Grand County businessman Ryan Barwick discovered firsthand the complexities of Grand Lake’s building code.
For the last several weeks, Barwick, the owner of Grand Adventures Snowmobile Tours, has been involved in a dispute with the town regarding the siding on his business.
Construction on the building, just south of the turn off US Highway 34 to Golf Course Road, was completed in early December, and Barwick opened for business shortly thereafter.
However, there was a problem. Barwick had corrugated metal installed as siding around the entirety of the building. While town staff initially signed off on Barwick’s plans, they raised issues after the materials were installed.
“Basically the issue was the amount of exposed corrugated metal on the building,” Barwick said. “The code talks about accents, versus primary, versus secondary materials. Their position is that (corrugated metal) can only be a secondary material. It can only cover 49 percent of the square footage of the siding.”
Courtesy of Ryan Barwick
During last week’s board meeting, town planner Nate Shull acknowledged a mistake had been made on the town’s part when Barwick’s construction plans were approved. However, members of the Grand Lake Board also asserted that Barwick and his design and construction team shared some of the responsibility because they proposed the use of materials outside the scope of Grand Lake’s code in the first place.
To solve the problem, Barwick initially sought a variance from the town that would allow his nonconforming structure to remain as it exists. That request was denied, though, prompting Barwick to ask Grand Lake’s Board to enter a cost-sharing agreement for the replacement of the siding.
Under the plan approved unanimously by the board, Grand Lake and Barwick will share the costs of replacing the corrugated metal siding with town-approved wood siding. The project is estimated at $21,500, and Grand Lake’s share is not to exceed $11,000.