2006-06-12_REVISION - M1978314 (2)

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Mined Land Reclamation Board June 12, 2006 Page 9 protects open space, scenic, riparian, agricultural and wildlife conservation values. Other organizations also hold conservation easements in the Toponas area for the preservation of significant ecological and wildlife habitat. April 25, 1005 Letter from Mo Ewing, Land Stewardship Director, Colorado Open Lands to Routt County Planning Commission, Routt County Regional Planning Department, attached hereto as Exhibit D. As a result, conservation values within the area are very high. The proposed gravel operation expansion, together with significantly increased traffic and corresponding dust and other particulates, and the likely decrease in wildlife usage in the azea, will inevitably compromise existing conservation easements totaling more than 3,000 acres held by the Yampa Valley Land Trust, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Colorado Open Lands. c. Transportation and Safetv Concerns King Mountain's current operation has two access points on County Road 3 (CR 3). County roads bisect the property on the south and border it on the east. These county roads are not currently well traveled because there aze only a few residences and ranches scattered throughout the area. The project proposed by King Mountain also will involve a significant amount of haul traffic and a significant increase in truck traffic generally. At a minimum, it appears that an expansion of King Mountain's gravel operation will add a volume of at least 160 vehicles per day during the peak mining months -nearly double the present traffic pattern. April 25, 1005 Traffic Report by Felsburg-Holt & Ullevig, attached hereto as Exhibit Es Combined with the traffic volume already traveling CR 3 and CR 5, approximately 350 trucks (plus 30 cars) will be using those roads daily. Id. In their current condition, the existing roads simply cannot support that increased level of traffic. Furthermore, the intersection of CR 3 and CR 5 poses a very serious safety concern. With respect to all three approaches to the intersection, sight distance is limited. The north leg of the intersection on CR 3 has a steep, 19% grade on its approach, which slope exceeds Routt County's standard grade requirements. Due to the topography of the area, those grades cannot be adjusted without a road relocation. Trucks crawl down this grade at very low speeds. Despite those low speeds, it is difficult for those trucks to stop for oncoming traffic. With the forecasted increased volume of truck activity that will result if the Boazd approves King Mountain's Permit Conversion Application, the safety concerns at this intersection (and along the roads generally) ~ Indeed, the State of Colorado has recently proposed to spend millions of dollars on property immediately adjacent to the conservation easements granted to various environmental organizations in order to preserve the grouse habitat. s The Felsburg report was prepared for submission to the Routt County Planning Commission in response to King Mountain's application to Routt County for a special use permit to increase the total mined area from 9.9 acres to 20,2A acres, with a proposed level of activity of 100,000 tons per year. As such, Felsburg Holt &. Ullevig's report and analysis of impacts is based on two and a half times less activity than that proposed by King Mountain under a 112 Permit i.e. 250,000 tons). \\\DE - 4r060N001 ~ 4668]8 v1