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In this paper we identify six areas of concern with the proposed quarry: <br /> 1. Impact on property values within Eagles Nest <br /> 2. Blockage of ingress/egress easement road <br /> 3. Financial impact of repairing flood damage <br /> 4. Safety and security issues <br /> 5. Water issues <br /> 6. Impact on the environment <br /> Each of these is discussed in more detail in the sections below. <br /> 1. IMPACT ON PROPERTY VALUES WITHIN EAGLES NEST <br /> The proposed quarry operations area is located on a portion of Hitch Rack Ranch along Little <br /> Turkey Creek Road within Section 16, Township 16 South, Range 67 West of the 6th P.M., <br /> EI Paso County, Colorado. In the 1960s the land within Little Turkey Creek canyon to the <br /> west of Section 16 was sold to a developer. This land was initially divided into forty lots and <br /> called the Eagles Nest subdivision. The area now includes 36 lots within the El Paso County <br /> Assessor's database. There are currently 30 landowners within Eagles Nest, with several <br /> people owning more than one parcel of land within the canyon. <br /> The Eagles Nest is a very unique enclave located at the back of a mountain canyon, several <br /> miles west of Highway 115. Property owners access their properties using a very narrow, <br /> rustic, one lane road. They must haul in water or drill water wells and generate their own <br /> power, as there are no utilities that reach to the back of the canyon. Buyers for this type of <br /> property include only those people who are willing to make major"creature comfort" <br /> sacrifices in order to own property or live in a place where they can enjoy the scenic beauty <br /> of the canyon in an extremely quiet, peaceful environment, surrounded by wildlife. <br /> Once potential property owners realize that they would have to drive right through the middle <br /> of an operational quarry to reach their property and then suffer the noise and dust of those <br /> quarry operations and other possible environmental impacts,the appeal of these isolated <br /> properties may quickly fade and the already tiny market for Eagles Nest properties may <br /> simply evaporate. Unfortunately, buyer perceptions, not reality, often drive the real estate <br /> market. If the real estate market is impacted by the presence of the quarry, Eagles Nest <br /> property owners wishing to sell their property may be forced to sell at a greatly reduced <br /> price, or may not be able to sell their property at all. <br />