Review of proposed LaPorte gravel pit back on table

By Dan MacArthur
Correspondent

Aggregate Industries is offering big concessions to gain approval for its proposed gravel pit northeast of LaPorte. But it remains to be seen whether they will be sufficient to appease skeptical neighbors still critical of the company's operation of the nearby Stegner pit.

Most significantly, Aggregate agreed to relocate access to the new Timberline pit from Overland Trail to U.S. Highway 287. The access issue had been one of the biggest points of contention due to concerns that gravel trucks could pose a safety hazard to bicyclists and pedestrians traveling Overland Trail.

The revised plan was presented to the LaPorte Area Planning Advisory Committee in a packed public meeting Nov. 16 at the American Legion Hall.

Although Aggregate insisted in previous meetings that the Colorado Department of Transportation would not allow direct access onto the highway, company consultant Barb Brunk said subsequent negotiations resulted in a tentative agreement with CDOT.

The proposed size of the mining operation also has been reduced by nearly two-thirds. Original plans called for mining 212 acres of the 295-acre site belonging to John Donaldson of Fort Collins. Current plans call for mining 78 acres. Mining would occur for seven to 10 years beginning in 2006, after the Stegner pit on Taft Hill Road is depleted.

Those and other changes typify the transformation that's taken place since 2002 when Aggregate first submitted plans for the Timberline Resources sand and gravel pit a half mile north of County Road 54G between Overland Trail and the Highway 287 bypass.

A proposed asphalt and concrete batch plant was dropped in the face of strong public opposition. Then in the fall of 2003, Aggregate decided to withdraw and resubmit the entire proposal to address a range of concerns raised by residents. Those issues included noise, dust, hours of operation, groundwater, wetlands, access and traffic.

Before the company submitted its revised special review application, Aggregate's mining and reclamation permit was approved by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology. LAPAC chairman Tim O'Hara said he takes some comfort in that approval, given the extensive experience of the board that oversees the office. He said members maintained that Aggregate's reclamation plan was the most aggressive they have ever seen.

Brunk said the processing facilities would be moved to the center of the site "pretty much as far away as we can get it from existing homes." Processing equipment, she said, would be slightly below grade and surrounded by sand and gravel piles to make it less visible and minimize dust and noise.

The mining, she said, would create two unlined ponds, one of which could be filled before the mining is completed. After the mining is finished, the property would be developed as a low-density residential subdivision with homes situated around the ponds. Brunk said there would be no mining near the homes to the west of the pit.

Concerns were raised about the proposed hours of operation of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays with repair and maintenance work allowed at other times. Neighbors contended that noise would disrupt both their morning and evening activities. But Brunk maintained that the hours were reasonable and Aggregate would be more zealous in enforcing them.

"We will probably have to agree to disagree about the hours," she said.

The proposal now is under review by Larimer County officials. Planner Karin Madson said it likely would go before the planning commission for consideration in February or March.