2016-08-11_PERMIT FILE - M2016009

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The project is also different from earlier proposalsbecause it incorporates past concerns abouthaul routes, views and other issues, said Ary. The majority of the ground at the proposed pit is owned by the state land board, and lease payments would go to support schools. In addition, Fremont Paving is proposing to improve safety at two schools on 36th Lane, which is already being used as a haul route for the company's existing gravel pit, without major problems. District 70 has submitted a letter of support to the state Mined Land Reclamation Board. Gravel pits are nothing new in the area, Ary said. To the west, south of the Bessemer Ditch, there have been many other gravel mining operations over the last century. Many of those are closer to the ditch. "The land is pure rock and cactus," Ary said. "When we're done, it will be reclaimed to grazing. We're one of the most highly regulated industries." Prior to the 1980s, the gravel industry did not face the same reclamation standards it does today, he said and added that, other than erosion and dust, there are no contaminants from gravel operations. As for economic benefits, Fremont Paving currently employs 43people in Pueblo County. The new operation would create about 10 jobs. Spreading out the mining sites would reduce the congestion in any one area. If gravel mining were banned in Pueblo County, as some suggest, there would be more cost and pollution. "We'd be hauling 60 miles instead of 4 miles, and think of how much diesel fuel that is," Ary said. "We're taking rocks and sand out of the dirt, putting the dirt back and planting it. It's been going on in the same area for 100 years without any issues." I cwoodkaV ch ieftain.com SHARE U , ED Powered by TECNAVIA Copyright © 2016 The Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, CO. 08/07/2016 Click here to see this page in the eEdition: EMM k . (Login Required) L SHARE E V S...