The following are highlights from the March 17 meeting of the
Elbert County Board of County Commissioners.

* Carol Vonfeldt with the Elbert County fairgrounds gained
approval for an additional driveway at the fairgrounds to improve
access for large horse trailers and increased traffic.

* Tim Sheridan submitted a bill from Shuler Terracing Co. for
work performed on the road at Chapparell Valley. The improvement is
paid for by bond money and Sheridan said work should be complete
within the next two weeks.

* Ken Wolf, Elbert County Planning Director, and David Gertz,
owner of Sunshine Master Builders, provided an update on the start
of construction on the Eagle View Ranch Development. The
subdivision was approved Feb. 10, 2001, and county regulations
require work to begin within a certain time period. Gertz told
commissioners the drop in the real estate market delayed start-up,
but that he plans to apply for density bonuses this year and begin
construction in the spring of 2005. Commissioner Steve Stutz asked
for an update within six months.

* Van Sands with the Economic Development Council asked
commissioners for a motion to support a project along the
Interstate 70 corridor. The ECDC has developed a concept plan for
the commercialization of the area to bring business into Elbert
County, Sands said. The council is presently pursuing grant money
to complete a feasibility study for the introduction of an energy
plant in the area. The North American Bio Energy Resources, a
company that builds ethanol plants, is interested in bringing a
plant to the I-70 corridor, he said. The project is estimated to
cost $250,000,000 and bring 200 permanent jobs to the area. The
county’s support would assist in the pursuit of the grant, Sands
said. Commissioners approved a motion to pledge their
support.

* Charles Groesbeek with the ECDC reported on his recent
attendance at the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute Conference. The
conference of developers and planners provided information on how
residential development needs to pay for itself. Groesbeek
suggested commissioners re-evaluate the Elbert County Master Plan,
and take a pro-active stance on what the county wants to see in
terms of residential development, rather than what the county does
not want to see. Groesbeek suggested a plan to protect open space
combined with density in development to ensure the county remains
rural. The present master plan designs a problem for the county,
contributes to sprawl, and fails to provide for the challenge of
overwhelming residential growth, Groesbeek said. Commissioners
agreed it is time to revisit the Master Plan, and said they would
submit a planning motion within the next few weeks.

* Commissioners heard presentation of the West Wind Concept
Plan, a proposal to develop 83.63 acres into eight, approximately
10-acre lots. The proposed development is near the corner of County
Road 166 and Thunderhill Road. It would be the smallest major
subdivision in the county, Wolf said. The applicant’s
representative Jim Kenton asked to waive the traffic study in light
of the numerous traffic studies provided for the area by the Spring
Valley Ranch developers, and the applicant would ask to combine the
preliminary and final plats. Commissioner Debra Paulson recommended
a traffic study for the point of impact where the new road will
intersect County Road 166, to determine whether or not an
acceleration/deceleration lane is necessary.

* Commissioners approved the Carlson Rezone, a proposal to
create two, 35-acre parcels from one, 70-acre parcel.

* Commissioners approved the Viaero Wireless special use permit,
to allow the installation of a 330-foot tall guide tower at the
cellular communications facility near County Road 77 and Colorado
86 in unincorporated Elbert County. The special use also provides
for the installation of a 16-panel antenna, and two microwave
dishes. Local residents voiced concern over the light pollution of
the night sky, and urged commissioners to deny the request. The
applicant said the light at the top of the tower would be one level
during the day, and a lower level during the night, comparing it to
the illumination of the dimmed lights of a movie theater.

* County attorney Mark Scheffel presented commissioners with a
land use application approved more than two years ago for A-S Land,
LLC, in Agate. As a condition of approval the applicant needs the
approval of the Agate Volunteer Fire Department to ensure the water
infrastructure meets fire department standards. Larry Rector, chief
of the Agate Fire Department, said the system does not meet the
minimum requirement of 1,000 gallons per minute, and the department
will not sign off on the application. The applicant’s attorney,
Amos Ownbey, said the fire department’s recommendation was
unreasonable, and that no single area in Agate meets such a
condition.

Ownbey maintains the applicant is being singled out unfairly,
and urged the board to rescind the requirement of the fire
department’s approval.

The board said the approval of the local fire department is a
standard requirement on all land use applications, that such a
condition would not be waived and any further discussion should be
handled between the parties, and not by the county
commissioners.

By Rhonda Moore