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Silt gravel pit permit pulled, could be going to county

Heidi RicePost Independent Staff

SILT – An application for the Grand River Park gravel pit southwest of Silt has been pulled from the town and is now expected to be submitted to the Garfield County Commissioners.The owner of the 181-acre property for the proposed pit, Glenwood attorney Scott Balcomb, pulled the application on July 27, according to Silt Mayor Dave Moore, who said the town received notification in a letter from Balcomb.”It says that it was based upon the applicant’s inability to reach an agreement with the town and that any continued negotiations would be fruitless,” Moore said.Balcomb was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.A pre-annexation agreement of the gravel pit property had already been reached with the town, but negotiations were still being hammered out as far as sales tax, royalties, traffic, road maintenance and other issues.The understanding was also that after the gravel pit was reclaimed, the land would be given to the town for use as a parks facility.Moore said the town realizes the gravel pit is likely going to happen one way or the other and hoped that the applicant would come back to the town.”We’re the ones being impacted and we want them back to give us control over things such as dust, noise, vibration and unsightly pollution,” Moore said. “If they go to the county, it will minimize our ability to control it.”Moore acknowledged that the town couldn’t stop the applicants from going to the county, but it could ask the county to deny the permit and send it back to the town.”I’ll be very disappointed if the county gives them a permit,” Moore said.A gravel pit application in Rifle for the 64-acre “Scott Pit” was pulled last month, when the applicant was told that county staff was recommending denial of the permit for technical reasons.Two days prior, Rifle City Council members had passed a resolution opposing the pit due to concerns on the city’s water quality, views, wildlife and the impacts on tourism and economic development.The application is expected to be re-submitted this fall.No date has been given as to when the Grand River Park gravel pit application will be submitted to the county.”We’re still looking for them to come back,” Moore said. “They’re not going to get away from us just because they’re going to go to the county.”


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