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Commissioner Stahoviak asked about compliance with the conservation mitigation and <br />for a response to the letter from a Saddle Mountain Ranchette resident who asked for the <br />creation of an accessible recreation area that would benefit the public. Mr. Vanderbloemen <br />replied that an eighty-acre parcel located approximately 2.5 miles from the mine site would be <br />set aside in perpetuity. The property was on a ridge, had wonderful views, and could be <br />accessed from the highway. <br />PUBLIC COMMENT <br />Commissioner Stahoviak opened the hearing to public comment. None was <br />forthcoming. Commissioner Stahoviak closed public comment. <br />ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION <br />Commissioner Stahoviak stated that a letter form Diane Holly held been received and <br />was included in the fact packet. Commissioner Stahoviak stated that no complaints regarding <br />the mining operation had been logged by the Planning Department since September 20, 2007, <br />on which date a complaint regarding dust was received, but not from Ms. Holly. Ms. Holly had <br />stated in her letter that she had contacted Mr. Zehner regarding noise issues, but no complaint <br />had been made to the Planning Department on that occasion. Ms. Holly was also concerned <br />about trucks' gearing down and jake brake noise. Commissioner Stahoviak believed that jake <br />brake noise did not exceed the State limit allowed on Highway 40 and that the County had <br />done as much as possible about the issue by the inclusion of pertinent conditions in the permit. <br />Also, the mine had constructed a haul road at the County's direction. Commissioner Mitsch <br />Bush added that complaints needed to be lodged formally and be specific, whereas the noise <br />tests Ms. Holly had requested of the Environmental Health Department had not necessarily <br />pertained to the current operator's haul trucks. Commissioner Stahoviak noted that Milner <br />residents and Saddle Mountain Ranchettes residents had expressed significant concerns <br />regarding noise at the time of the original permit application's review. Yet from 2006 to the <br />present, only five complaints had been reported, and none had been received since 2007, <br />which indicated that the pit had not created negative impacts on the neighborhood and the <br />operator was complying with the conditions of the permit. <br />The Commissioners reviewed and discussed the conditions of approval that had been <br />revised this day. Mr. Easterling stated that the Existing Pit was the gravel operation north and <br />east of the centerline of Trout Creek; the Expansion Area pertained to the area west and south <br />of the centerline of Trout Creek. If an area were not specified, the condition applied to both <br />areas. It was also noted that Specific Condition #2 related only to the entry to the pit area. <br />MOTION <br />Commissioner Mitsch Bush moved to approve the amendment to Special Use Permit <br />(SUP) #PP2005-078, Specific Condition 9, to expand the mine and increase the disturbed area <br />from 25 acres to a potential of 60 acres of disturbed land and to extend the hours for hauling <br />and crushing, with the findings of fact that, with the following conditions, the proposal meets <br />Page 2009-295 <br />May 26, 2009 <br />Routt County Board of County Commissioners' Minutes