BUENA VISTA — Chaffee County commissioners appear poised to OK a four-day music festival expected to draw 20,000 people to a ranch outside Buena Vista. If approved, Madison House Presents and AEG Live hope to make the festival an annual event in the upper Arkansas River Valley.

“I don’t see having challenges we could not overcome,” Chaffee County Commissioner Dave Potts told a packed community center in downtown Buena Vista on Tuesday. “I have faith in Madison House that is well earned that they can do what needs to be done.”

Boulder-based Madison House Presents proved its mettle in August with the two-day Gentlemen of the Road concert that drew 20,000 people to Salida.

“I hate to sound like I’m pushing this thing, but we really had no problem with this. There’s really not a lot of negatives to talk about,” said county sheriff John Spezze. The sheriff and county emergency medical services last summer billed Madison House more than $80,000 for county overtime, communications and medical services.

Still, Spezze said he would not sign off on a concert that involved “bands that are notorious for problems.”

Organizers are not ready to disclose headliners for the Aug. 4-7 festival, but promised bands that would attract a wide range of ages. If the county commissioners approve the festival at their next meeting in early March, a festival lineup would be ready a few weeks later.

“We know we are the new kids on the block and we also know if we are not good community members we won’t be doing this again,” Madison House Presents president Jeremy Stein said, explaining that his team will soon begin community meetings to hear resident concerns.

Of the roughly two dozen residents who spoke at the meeting, most were supportive. But about 10 residents were very opposed to the proposal, which got its first public airing Tuesday.

Neighbors of the 274-acre ranch developer Jed Selby bought in early 2014 were irked they didn’t have more advance notice. They raised concerns about traffic, noise and said 19,000 people camping for three nights in their backyard will disrupt their lives.

“I do not question Mr. Selby’s right to develop his property as he sees fit. We all have that right. I do question the impact of this on his neighbors,” said Susan Klinsing, whose rural neighborhood borders the potential festival grounds. “This is surrounded by people who moved to this community and moved to the mountains to get away from the crowds and the noise. Now it’s following us.”

Supporters cited Buena Vista’s tourist-based economy and the need to embrace all visitors.

The festival promises a big economic bump. Sales tax collections in August last year in Salida reached a monthly all-time high, surpassing $509,000 and eclipsing July collections for the first time. Salida’s lodging and restaurants sales tax revenues alone climbed more than 30 percent over August 2014.

“This will be a windfall for me,” said Thomas Liverman, who wants to expand his Lettucehead Food Company grocery inside the festival grounds.

“We need this. My employees need this,” said Lenny Eckstein, whose Deerhammer Distilling Co. has made whiskey on Buena Vista’s Main Street since 2011. “I think this will be amazing for our town.”

Unlike last year, festival organizers are planning to contain all festivalgoers inside the venue.

Last year, Madison House hosted smaller music events in downtown Salida, which blocked off an area around its river park for beer drinking and concerts.

This time,Madison House Presents and AEG Live propose to schedule acts to 1 a.m. on Thursday and Sunday, and 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, essentially keeping people inside the festival grounds for the entire night.

The idea is to keep from overwhelming Buena Vista, which is roughly half the size of Salida. If even a couple percent of festivalgoers rally in town, that’s enough to fill the town’s bars and restaurants.

“We have to be cognizant of what this town can handle,” Madison House Presents’ festival director Michael Sampliner said.

Selby said he’s keenly aware of Buena Vista’s capacity, especially for new development. When his family acquired the sprawling series of meadows flanking Cottonwood Creek in the shadow of the towering Collegiate Range, a previous developer had sketched as many as 715 homes on the property.

Selby’s bustling South Main community, on the town’s former dump on the banks of the Arkansas River, has more than 50 homes and commercial buildings. He was reticent to seed more homes at the ranch, but, he said, “it’s too big to do nothing.”

Last summer he started talking to Madison House and AEG about hosting a festival.

“We have been scratching our heads on how we can preserve this property,” said Selby, explaining how hay production in his meadows also fits the grassy needs of a camping festival. “We can occupy it one weekend a year and that allows us to keep the farm operational. This has the potential to actually preserve what is really is. It is the best Colorado has to offer.”

Several people who support the festival questioned its timing.

Buena Vista is busy in early August, with most of the town’s modest hotels already full. The Gentlemen of the Road festival worked because it was later in August, when region’s bustling summer season is waning.

“There’s a lot of room to grow in the latter half of August,” said Greg Felt, whose Ark Anglers fishing outfit has had an office in Buena Vista since 1999. “Those first 10 days of August are the busiest on our calendar.”

Bill Dvorak, who owns a whitewater rafting expedition company in the valley, said most rafting outfitters would be able to assist with shuttling festivalgoers if the date was pushed back to later August.

“To try and do this event at the peak of the season doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Dvorak said.

Ken Krehn, a homeowner near the Selby property, didn’t hide his contempt for the plan.

“We are already bursting at the seams in summer,’ Krehn said. “We are going to pump 20,000 more people in here … is just ridiculous.”

Madison House’s Stein told the gathering he was very amenable to moving the festival dates in future years, but this year it cannot be changed from the Aug. 4-7 weekend.

“This year, our back is against the wall,” he said. “There is a lot to be said about moving this to the shoulder season.”

Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or @jasonblevins