You’ve read in this week’s paper that Metro Wastewater has completed the necessary land acquisitions so construction can commence on a new regional wastewater treatment plant at the corner of Weld County Road 2 and U.S. Highway 85.
    But before we move forward, it’s important to look back and recognize the tremendous human cost that came with these land purchases.
    The 88 residents of the Slymar Manor Mobile Home Park were relocated from their homes. Business owners surrended their property.
    Yes, Metro Wastewater helped the residents of Slymar find new homes. And it’s reasonable to believe that many of the residents might just be in a better situation than they were before.
    Yes, Metro Wastewater said it negotiated with landowners for a “fair and equitable price.” Having heard no different from those landowners, we’ll take the district’s word for it.
    The new treatment plant, scheduled to go online in 2015, will offer state-of-the-art odor control, according to Metro representatives. Let’s hope it’s good enough to quell the stench that comes from the nasty practice of seizing private land for a public project.
    That’s especially true in this case, where that seizure is necessary to accomodate more desirable developments like houses or commercial industry rather than a mobile home park or a junk yard.
    Metro Wastewater took the brunt of public cricisim for the perception that it was chasing people out of their land and off their properties.
    But, make no mistake, Metro Wastewater, was simply responding to the growth demands put on it by the communities – including Brighton –that will utlitize this plant.
     Is this plant needed? Yes, it’s hard to argue that. But this ends an ugly chapter in Brighton history. Hopefully we don’t have to do something like this again.