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River West Homeowners Association <br />RE: SerFer Pit Letter of Response <br />July 3, 2008 <br />Page 5 of 6 <br />The material mined on site will be stored in the bottom of the pit. - No outside <br />material will be hauled on site for storage or processing. See number 6 above <br />regarding further comments on visual impacts. <br />14. It will require professional landscaping of the site, including, but not limited to, trees, <br />bushes, other plantings, and a permanent irrigation system to sustain the plantings during <br />and after the project has concluded. <br />It is unclear what the objector would like professionally landscaped during the <br />project. A landscape plan is required by the Town of Windsor. <br />It is understood that the SerFer Pit will require reclaiming after completion of the <br />project. Per approval of this permit, the SerFer Pit will be reclaimed in such a <br />way as to make it sustainable and agreeable to the natural pre-development <br />landscape of the region. <br />15. Migrating airborne weed seeds from the proposed SerFer Pit into existing HOA Open <br />Space that has been re-landscaped will results in a loss of investment in weed control by <br />the HOA to date and cause the HOA to incur even more expense in controlling such <br />weeds. <br />It is unclear how the SerFer Pit will cause increased weed problems to the HOA <br />open space. The reclamation plan includes a seed mix, not to contain noxious <br />weeds, for the portion that is to be revegetated. <br />16. It will require a significant surety bond to assure reclamation of the area into a natural <br />space with water storage that is permanently maintained. <br />------------- <br />It is inherent in the application process that, before approval, an appropriate surety <br />bond be established and agreed upon by the Applicant and the Board. The Bond <br />will be sufficient to ensure the reclamation of the site during any period of the <br />mine's progress. <br />17. The proposed SerFer Pit will be immediately adjacent to the existing River West <br />residential development, and is currently believed to be the closest that a gravel pit has <br />ever been proposed to be located near such a large residential development in the State of <br />Colorado. Home values and market appeal for the area will decline as a result of the <br />proposed mining operation. <br />Although there is no database that contains this information, a brief search <br />revealed other instances of mines located near residential areas. <br />It is unclear how home values will be directly impacted by any "by-right" land <br />uses on privately owned property in the area. The Town of Windsor Land <br />Management Plan designates the land as open space, which includes mineral <br />extraction as an approved land use.