Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — John Holloway asked the Steamboat Springs City Council Tuesday to help persuade the Routt County commissioners to postpone their decision on Lafarge's proposed gravel pit.

In his plea to stop the pit six miles south of the city, Holloway asked the council to recommend to the commissioners that an alternative site be considered. Holloway proposes property just outside of town that already has gravel on it.

The council said it was not willing to overstep its boundaries, but it did like the plan Holloway presented during the public comment portion of Tuesday's meeting.

On April 2, the council voted unanimously to recommend the county not approve the Lafarge application.

The review and recommendation of a plan not in the city limits but with impacts to the city is a routine process, but Councilman Bud Romberg said a recommendation to postpone a decision is not.

"Whether or not I would support the proposal, I am very hesitant to go to the county commissioners or to say to the county commissioners how they should run their jurisdiction," Romberg said.

Councilwoman Arianthe Stettner was willing to move forward with a recommendation to the commissioners. Stettner called Holloway's plan a win/win proposal.

When Lafarge came before the council 18 months ago, the council asked for an analysis and evaluation of other gravel sites, which Stettner said the company did not provide at the city hearing last month.

"I would feel comfortable writing a letter to the commissioners asking them to delay their decision so this proposal gets a little more study," Stettner said.

The commissioners are scheduled to hear Lafarge's application on the gravel pit next Tuesday.

Lafarge is asking the county to allow a 128-acre gravel pit south of Steamboat on Colorado Highway 131. The largely open agricultural land is part of the More Ranch and is visible from Rabbit Ears Pass.

The gravel pit would replace Lafarge's two other gravel pits in the south valley, which largely serve the southern half of the county and would cut down on trips made from gravel pits west of town.

Holloway's proposal would have gravel taken from Ed MacArthur's property also on the south side of town. Gravel piles already exist on that site, Holloway said, and once cleaned up it could be turned into a beautiful entrance to town. He said it could one day be used for affordable housing and public parks.

Holloway does not represent MacArthur but said he has contacted the landowner, who he said has been through the planning process four times and would return only if someone approaches him with an acceptable proposal.