Notified — Resisting the gravel pit, Cañon may get 580 new homes & the Hyperloop
April 7, 2017 | This train is crazy fast.
We are starting Notified this week with an issue that has received little local coverage: A proposed gravel mine near Avondale. It is not a sexy topic. It’s gravel, but the fight over the proposed mine is a look into an issue that runs much deeper than gravel for local farmers, rural residents and the state’s emphasis on the agriculture industry.
The Denver Post did a primer here, but as the story unfolds it becomes more complicated.
We start this week and will continue coverage.
Resisting the gravel pit
Wednesday night a group of unhappy farmers and Avondale residents filled the Pueblo County Commissioner chambers in the third hearing of a proposed gravel mine near the Badger Hills area in Pueblo County.
The Pueblo County Planning Commission is hearing the case.
But Wednesday night there wasn’t a resolve.
Opponents of the mine have several concerns — that the 70 trucks leaving the pit per day would pose a threat to children. A proposed haul route travels past schools. The mine could contaminate the Bessemer Ditch, the lifeblood to the many farms on the St. Charles Mesa. The pit could disrupt wildlife in the area, lower home values and generally just make for an uncomfortable living situation by kicking up dust into the air.
The group is fighting a gravel mine for the third time since the early 2000s. The last two proposals were shot down by the county — one even resulted in a lawsuit.
The company seeking the special use permit from the county, Fremont Paving, already operates one mine off of 36th lane, and a negotiation made between the company and a local farmer has convinced some farmers to get on board with the plan.
Others have been on board since the beginning — they are speculated to receive payments from Fremont Paving if the pit goes in because of their proximity to the haul route.
PULP is investigating this proposed mine, its political intersects and the actual impact the mine would have on the area (the land would return to normal grazing use after the 10–15 year life of the mine). The state has deemed the land of no significant ecological integrity.
But this is what we know for sure right now: There would be some benefit to Colorado schools through the land lease, around $1.8 million over the course of the life of the mine.
Economic research from a CSU-Pueblo professor says the closer a gravel mine is to its source the more economic sense it makes. Hauling gravel is expensive.
Gravel is becoming more expensive, and more supply would mean lower prices. Pueblo County confirmed to PULP that it would consider buying gravel from the proposed mine. It is already buying out of the existing mine on 36th lane.
The state has already signed off on the pit, so the county is the last hurdle for Fremont Paving.
A decision by the county is expected later this month.
The case for Hylerloop in Colorado
Three proposed transit routes that run through Colorado could be serviced by a crazy-fast train.
Hyperloop One, a private Los Angeles-based transportation company, declared 24 finalists (of over 2,000) on Thursday that could end up with a train that carries passengers up to 700 mph.
Here are the routes:
A trip from Denver to Vail would run just over 6 minutes, compared to the current time of over 2 hours it takes to get from one city to the other.
The 17 hour trip from Cheyenne to Houston would be under 2 hours.
How does it work?
According to Hyperloop:
With Hyperloop One, passengers and cargo are loaded into a pod and accelerate gradually via electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube. The pod quickly lifts above the track using magnetic levitation and glides at airline speeds for long distances due to ultra-low aerodynamic drag.
Cañon City to add nearly 600 homes in new living community
It sounds like a building boom time for Fremont County.
The Cañon City Daily Record reported this week building could start as early as June.
Because the subdivision process could take about 18 months, the city gave the developer the green light to begin building on the first 100 lots, then they can start the others when the subdivision process is complete, according to Mayor Preston Troutman.
An undisclosed venture capital firm bought the plot of land and is looking for a particular buyer.
The keystone of the properties will lean toward people looking for a second home or a retirement home, which is 45 percent of the local market, Troutman said. They also will try to cultivate and put in first-time homebuyers with median-level income.
More from the Daily Record here.
The 2018 governor’s race is warming up (yes, already)
Per the Associated Press: The Republican district attorney who prosecuted Colorado theater shooter James Holmes has thrown his hat into the governor’s race.
George Brauchler has been the center of speculation ever since he “held a blistering press conference in 2013 to criticize Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper’s refusal to execute a multiple murderer on death row.”
Former State Sen. Mike Johnston and Denver businessman Noel Ginsburg, both Democrats, have already announced their candidacy.
How do you interview an artist?
Easy let them do their thing. We’ve started a new series called Artist Asks. We ask the questions, artists respond with creativity. First up is Riki Takaoka — you may recognize his name because he does work for us. He is part of ‘Japan Style’ at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center show.
See the interview here:
New tricks for hot dogs at the Willamette Market
PULP’s John Bueno found an awesome local market in Colorado Springs.
The Willamette Market and Deli, on the corner of Willamette and Prospect just a bit East of Colorado College near downtown Colorado Springs, is seen by some as a rebirth of this idea; using small, local shops and stores as a way to build up the local economy and in turn community. I park just down the block on a sunny-yet-chilly Sunday afternoon, and just before entering the storefront, a man outside on his porch asked “Are you going to the market?”
“Yes I am.” I reply.
“Make sure to get a hot dog,” he says as he turns to enter his home. “They’re worth it!”
Read more about the Willamette Market and Deli and the worth-it hot dog here.
