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Janet A. Kunz <br />386 East 60 South <br />Ivins, Utah 84738 <br />435 - 627 -8749 <br />June 28, 2010 <br />Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />1313 Sherman Street - Room 215 <br />Denver, CO. 80203 <br />Attention: Loretta Pineda, Director <br />Re: Abandoned mine reclamation of the Mary McKinney Mine 1986 <br />Dear Madam Director: <br />This letter unfortunately is going to be quite long however, in order for you to have a <br />complete understanding of my dilemma, it is imperative that I write a history. Thank you <br />in advance for you patience. <br />In 1986, my son Wayne B. Tease fell into the Mary McKinney Mine located in Cripple <br />Creek, Colorado on property leased by the Texas Gulf Minerals & Metals Corporation. It <br />was a terrible accident and has caused unending grief for Wayne's family. <br />When the accident occurred, I was a resident of Pennsylvania (I was born and raised in <br />Pennsylvania). Wayne was also born and raised in Pennsylvania and had only been a <br />resident of Colorado for four months. Hence my letter to United States Senator Arlen <br />Spector. <br />Mr. Gerald Addyman a district metal mining inspector for the Colorado Bureau of Mines <br />and Mr. Joe Nugent of the Colorado State Division of Mines, Supervisor, led the <br />investigation and the possible recovery of my son's body. The mine had been abandoned <br />in 1936 and was deemed inactive due to a fire. It was 1000 feet deep and in fragile <br />condition. There was a possibility of gases being present. My son's remains could not be <br />retrieved. Consequently, the mine was reclaimed by the State of Colorado with funding <br />coming from the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Department of Labor who <br />retrieve funds from the coal industry (Public Law 95 -87). At that time Colorado had been <br />awarded $8,263,000 for construction costs in abating hazards within the State. In April, <br />1985 the OSMRE awarded the State of Colorado $233,000 to abate the hazards <br />associated with forty vertical openings (shafts) in various mining areas, including the <br />Cripple Creek area, that were close to the highways and populated areas and determined <br />to be extremely hazardous. The Mary McKinney Mine is near Highway 64 between <br />Cripple Creek and Victor. <br />