Buena Vista Residents Uneasy About Bringing Music Festival To Town

BUENA VISTA, Colo. (CBS4) - A plan to bring a big music festival to a rural Colorado mountain town is creating debate among locals.

The owner of a large property in Buena Vista is working with organizers to bring a 4-day music festival to his site in August. They expect 20,000 tickets to be sold.

"This is just a field, it's all it's ever been. I don't know why it has to be here," said Buena Vista resident Bob Holder of the festival.

Neighbors are organizing to put pressure on local leaders not to allow the concert in their town. They say local roads can't support the size of such a crowd, and have security concerns.

"This little street out here, it's just a little two-lane county road. It's not built for 20,000," Holder said.

The projected sales tax revenue for this small mountain town, though, has local business owners excited at the prospects.

Last year the same festival organizers put on the Gentlemen of the Road festival in nearby Salida. Twenty thousand people showed up and officials say they had no major issues there.

Organizers haven't announced the 2016 lineup but promise the event will bring a diverse group of visitors.

"Well I haven't talked to a soul so far who is happy with this situation at all," said Holder.

The county commissioners are expecting a big crowd next week when they vote on the matter, and the meeting has been moved to a bigger space.

Salida won't host the festival again because the venue isn't available this summer.