Final action approving a list of conditions for the Northfield Coal Mine conditional use permit was taken by the Board of County Commissioners at the March 27th regular meeting.
Days and hours of operation for the proposed Northfield Coal Mine in the Williamsburg area was the only undecided issue following the March 13th Commissioners meeting. The mine will be permitted to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Commission Chairman Ed Norden said the board had considered four or five different options regarding limitations on truck traffic hauling material off site from the mine. In the end the board adopted a condition that will limit truck traffic to the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Norden said it was clear from the town of Williamsburg and other neighbors that they did not want truck traffic on the roads at 4 o'clock in the morning. Norden said if the mine operates responsibly nothing prevents the applicant from coming back and asking for a modification of the limits on truck hauling.
Fremont County Tourism Council (FCTC) Chairman Mike Bandera presented the council's annual report. Bandera said in 2007 FCTC is expanding its marketing efforts to reach regional and nationwide visitors through advertisements in USA Weekend, Midwest Living, and Texas Monthly. FCTC's 2007 budget will rely in an estimated $136,000 in revenue from Fremont County's two percent lodging tax, $15,000 from a Colorado Tourism grant, and $6,000 from web site advertising revenue.
Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine General Manager Ron Largent and Community Affairs Manager Jane Mannon were present to provide an update on their gold mining operation in Teller County. Mannon said the mine received a safety award in February for operating three years without a lost time incident. Mannon said of the 322 people who work at the mine, eighty of them live in Fremont County earning wages totaling $4.7 million in 2006. She said the average hourly wage for Fremont County employees at the gold mine is $22.80.
At the request of the applicant, the Commissioners agreed to table for another two weeks the conditional use permit application for the Beedle Quarry. Jack Beedle wants to operate a gravel quarry for ten years on a 40 acre parcel along Hardscrabble Creek off of Siloam Road southeast of Florence. Beedle acknowledged County Engineer Jack Effinger's finding that the applicant had not submitted a stormwater management plan with the application. The Commissioners also expressed concerns about both groundwater and stormwater in the application and voted to table the application until the April 10th meeting.
In other business the Commissioners:
Days and hours of operation for the proposed Northfield Coal Mine in the Williamsburg area was the only undecided issue following the March 13th Commissioners meeting. The mine will be permitted to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Commission Chairman Ed Norden said the board had considered four or five different options regarding limitations on truck traffic hauling material off site from the mine. In the end the board adopted a condition that will limit truck traffic to the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Norden said it was clear from the town of Williamsburg and other neighbors that they did not want truck traffic on the roads at 4 o'clock in the morning. Norden said if the mine operates responsibly nothing prevents the applicant from coming back and asking for a modification of the limits on truck hauling.
Fremont County Tourism Council (FCTC) Chairman Mike Bandera presented the council's annual report. Bandera said in 2007 FCTC is expanding its marketing efforts to reach regional and nationwide visitors through advertisements in USA Weekend, Midwest Living, and Texas Monthly. FCTC's 2007 budget will rely in an estimated $136,000 in revenue from Fremont County's two percent lodging tax, $15,000 from a Colorado Tourism grant, and $6,000 from web site advertising revenue.
Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine General Manager Ron Largent and Community Affairs Manager Jane Mannon were present to provide an update on their gold mining operation in Teller County. Mannon said the mine received a safety award in February for operating three years without a lost time incident. Mannon said of the 322 people who work at the mine, eighty of them live in Fremont County earning wages totaling $4.7 million in 2006. She said the average hourly wage for Fremont County employees at the gold mine is $22.80.
At the request of the applicant, the Commissioners agreed to table for another two weeks the conditional use permit application for the Beedle Quarry. Jack Beedle wants to operate a gravel quarry for ten years on a 40 acre parcel along Hardscrabble Creek off of Siloam Road southeast of Florence. Beedle acknowledged County Engineer Jack Effinger's finding that the applicant had not submitted a stormwater management plan with the application. The Commissioners also expressed concerns about both groundwater and stormwater in the application and voted to table the application until the April 10th meeting.
In other business the Commissioners:
-
Honored District One Road Foreman Oscar Lee upon his retirement from the Road and Bridge Department following nearly 18 years of service;
-
approved utility abatements for Quest, Aquila Power, and Union Pacific Railroad for assessments that should not have been included in the new Four Mile Ranch subdivision at the east edge of Canon City;
-
heard details from County Weed Director J.R. Phillips about the landowner application process for weed control cost sharing money available along key drainages in the county;
-
approved a six month extension for the Krauth-Eggleston lot line adjustment in the Hayden Creek area;
-
and approved a temporary use permit for the Penrose Chamber of Commerce to operate flea market twice monthly for six months in the Gooseberry Patch parking lot in Penrose.