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,Somerset ~"' ` mine plans to expand Marija B. Vader Statl Writer The Gunnison County Planning Commission ~•ill hold public hearings on two Somerset area mat mines Feb. 18 at [he county courthouse. The owners of the mines, represented by Jim Stover, hope to roughly double the output of one of the mines. Both Gunnison County as well as the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology must approve the plan. The Gunnison County Planning Commission discussed the mines at its Jan. 7 meeting. Both mines are less than two miles inside Gunnison County off the Delta' County line, so according to Steve Westbay of the Gunnison County Planning Office, most of the impacts of roads and housing will be in Delta County. The Somerset Mine The Somerset mine, currently producing some 750,000 tons of coal a year, seeks to increase production to 1.6 million tons. The Sanborn Creek Mine See MINES or~ iii iiiiiiiiiiiii iii 999 Mines Continued hom 1 would produce around 13 mil- lion tons, while 300,OOD tons would come from surrounding mines. The entire region of mines is known as the Somerset Mine. The mine management will add employees, up 25 to 125, but reserves the opportunity to hire as many as 150 employees. Also, operators plan to increase the number of trains pulBng mat out from 120 to ]60 per year. The min- ing company plans to add two miles of conveyor belt to the oper- ation aswell. The mine management is increasing production because it is retiring one of its processors and purchasing a new one, one which runs more efficiently and could double the output of the mine. Westbay said the planning commission listed this change as minor impact because no sur- face facilities will be altered. The planning commission decided at its meeting that the people and trains would cause the most impact, so it will hold a public hearing at ]1:15 a.m. on Feb. 78. The Beaz Mine The Bear Mine doesn't hope to increase production volume, but rather time and the space it mines. Stover asked the planning commission to extend the amount of time four more years and the area by two 40-acre sec- tions. Nothing will change on the surface, and the number of employees will remain constant. The planning commission agreed that the only issue would be that the mmpany will continue to truck the mineral through town.,Stover reassurtd the commission that there will be no impact on two springs that run nearby. "They want to grow under- ground," Westbay said. 'They will mine out of the same shafts they're currently using." This request came as a result of the mining mmpany finding more coal at the end of their permitted mining area. "They feel they only have four more years of mat left," he said. If any Gunnison County resi- dent is in the Somerset area on Jan. 26, he or she may attend the public hearing there, which begins at 6 p.m. at the Somerset Community Building. But for Gunnison County residents who are interested, the public hearing on the Bear Mine will be held Feb. 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Gunnison County Courthouse.