The Fremont County Board of Commissioners Tuesday said they need more time to consider proposed conditions for an amendment to the conditional use permit (CUP) for Black Range Minerals to expand its uranium exploration in the Tallahassee area northwest of Cañon City.
The Commissioners voted to table any decision on approval or denial of the amendment until the board’s November 23rd meeting. Commission Chairman Ed Norden said that after the final public hearing on September 28th it took water consultant Bruce Smith of Western Water and Land a couple of weeks to draft a letter proposing a series of conditions for the Black Range amendment should the CUP be approved.
Commissioner Mike Stiehl noted that on the original permit the board voted to approve the permit and then draft a series of conditions. He said that on the amendment he felt that with the expertise available from Smith it was important to draft the conditions first before the board considers approval or denial. The motion to table until November 23rd also allows limited comment from the applicant to react to any of the language in the proposed conditions.
Black Range Minerals wants to amend their original permit for uranium exploration which covered 8,169 acres on the Taylor Ranch to also include 2,210 acres on the neighboring South T-Bar Ranch properties.
Questioned by nearby Autumn Creek resident Jim Barton on how the Commissioners intended to enforce any conditions that might be part of an amendment, Commissioner Norden said the conditions would have language that would specifically address those concerns.
The Commissioners Tuesday also voted to adopt a holiday calendar for 2011. Commission Chairman Ed Norden said the holiday calendar adoption reflects two budgetary decisions for next year. He said the first budgetary impact is that the county will again observe eight holidays instead of eleven for the second straight year as a cost cutting measure. County offices will be open and employees will have to work on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, President’s Day in February, and Veterans Day in November. Norden said the move means the county will save money by not paying double holiday pay for those employees who would normally have to work on a holiday.
He said the other budgetary move reflected in the holiday calendar is that it includes two calendars; one for eight hour per day employees and one for ten-hour, four-day employees. Norden said it was the consensus of elected officials that because of other benefits given up by county employees in the Administration Building, they wanted to continue with the four-day, ten-hour work days at the Administration Building through 2011. Norden said he was voting ‘No’ on the holiday calendar adoption only for the reason that because of public feedback he has received, he believes the county needs to return to a five work day schedule. Commissioner Mike Stiehl said based on motor vehicle department surveys he believes citizens appreciate the longer service hours available with the four-day work week. The 2011 holiday calendars were adopted on a 2-1 vote.
The Commissioners Tuesday also voted to declare a vacancy on the Fremont County Tourism Council for the seat held by Vicky Casey who no longer is employed in the tourism industry due to the closure of Buckskin Joe. The Commissioners will be seeking applications to fill three vacancies on the Tourism Council by January 1st.
A special review use permit was also unanimously approved for Dale and Janet Walters to operate a dog kennel on a 40 acre tract of property a half mile south of Highway 50 about 1 ½ miles west of the Highway 115 junction at Penrose. The Walters plan to house up to 25 small dogs at their kennel operation.