The Fremont County Commissioners conducted their annual organizational meeting January 9th and then spent the bulk of the meeting in a nearly 3 1/2 hour public hearing on a proposed coal mine.
District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden was elected the new Board of Commissioners Chairman with District 2 Commissioner Larry Lasha being chosen the Chairman Pro-Tem. The Board agreed to keep their regular meeting dates on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. The Canon City Daily Record and the Florence Citizen were designated as official county newspapers and the Board again designated the reception area of the Commissioners' office and the bulletin board outside the Commissioners' office door as official posting places for County Public Notices. The Commissioners also reappointed Brenda Jackson as the County Attorney.
The Commissioners heard a presentation and public testimony during a public hearing on a conditional use permit application by Northfield Partners LLC who want to open an underground coal mine in the Chandler area. The proposed mine site is a half mile west of the intersection of County Roads 11A and 79 near Williamsburg. The Northfield Mine would cover a permit area of 968 acres with the above ground surface facility covering about 25 acres. The company wants to mine the coal in two sections initially opening the first section to mine 1,000 tons of coal per day. The coal seam that would be mined is five to six feet thick and runs from a distance of 300 feet to 800 feet underground.
During the 3 1/2 hour hearing several residents of the nearby Chandler Heights subdivision voiced their opposition to the mine citing concerns over diminishing property values, a threat to their water wells, and a threat from subsidence caused by the underground mine. Several people also voiced support saying the area has historically been home to coal mining and that the mine would provide the county with an economic boost in creating 60 jobs and a $5 million annual payroll when the mine is fully operational.
The Commissioners tabled the permit application until the February 13th Board meeting saying they intend to deliver a detailed list of concerns to the applicant within the next ten days so some issues might be better addressed before the Board considers what course of action they might want to take. The Commissioners say among other issues they want to see addressed are drainage plans and other water impacts as well as traffic impacts to roads in the area.
The Commissioners also took up an item tabled from the December 12th when the Board had a recommendation from the Planning Commission to put a moratorium on a requirement for site development plans. The controversial site development plans were added to the County's Zoning Resolution last spring in an amendment. Instead of a moratorium the Commissioners said they would prefer to see how the new requirement works in comparison with procedures that would be followed if the amendment had not been adopted. They also said they want to further monitor how the Planning Department and Planning Commission handle language in the amendment which requires "substantial change" in use before site development plans are required.
In other action the Commissioners:
District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden was elected the new Board of Commissioners Chairman with District 2 Commissioner Larry Lasha being chosen the Chairman Pro-Tem. The Board agreed to keep their regular meeting dates on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. The Canon City Daily Record and the Florence Citizen were designated as official county newspapers and the Board again designated the reception area of the Commissioners' office and the bulletin board outside the Commissioners' office door as official posting places for County Public Notices. The Commissioners also reappointed Brenda Jackson as the County Attorney.
The Commissioners heard a presentation and public testimony during a public hearing on a conditional use permit application by Northfield Partners LLC who want to open an underground coal mine in the Chandler area. The proposed mine site is a half mile west of the intersection of County Roads 11A and 79 near Williamsburg. The Northfield Mine would cover a permit area of 968 acres with the above ground surface facility covering about 25 acres. The company wants to mine the coal in two sections initially opening the first section to mine 1,000 tons of coal per day. The coal seam that would be mined is five to six feet thick and runs from a distance of 300 feet to 800 feet underground.
During the 3 1/2 hour hearing several residents of the nearby Chandler Heights subdivision voiced their opposition to the mine citing concerns over diminishing property values, a threat to their water wells, and a threat from subsidence caused by the underground mine. Several people also voiced support saying the area has historically been home to coal mining and that the mine would provide the county with an economic boost in creating 60 jobs and a $5 million annual payroll when the mine is fully operational.
The Commissioners tabled the permit application until the February 13th Board meeting saying they intend to deliver a detailed list of concerns to the applicant within the next ten days so some issues might be better addressed before the Board considers what course of action they might want to take. The Commissioners say among other issues they want to see addressed are drainage plans and other water impacts as well as traffic impacts to roads in the area.
The Commissioners also took up an item tabled from the December 12th when the Board had a recommendation from the Planning Commission to put a moratorium on a requirement for site development plans. The controversial site development plans were added to the County's Zoning Resolution last spring in an amendment. Instead of a moratorium the Commissioners said they would prefer to see how the new requirement works in comparison with procedures that would be followed if the amendment had not been adopted. They also said they want to further monitor how the Planning Department and Planning Commission handle language in the amendment which requires "substantial change" in use before site development plans are required.
In other action the Commissioners:
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approved transfer of a special review use permit for Los Pinos Equestrian Center south of Florence from Lyndell and Sandra Bryan to Stacey and Laurel Moss;
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approved a formal contract accepting an emergency grant of $194,720 to pay for rebuilding County Road 132 damage in the July 5, 2006, flash flood;
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appointed Matt Koch of Canon City as the new Fremont County Surveyor since no one sought the post in last November's election;
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and approved a 2007 contract for the lease-purchase of Road & Bridge equipment and computer technology equipment. AA