The Bureau of Land Management Tres Rios Field Office will hold an open house to discuss the proposed Montoya gravel pit expansion in the Grandview subdivision from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Monday at Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave.
The public is encouraged to submit comments on the BLM environmental assessment for the C & J Gravel Products, Inc., proposal. The gravel pit originally operated on private property and expanded onto BLM lands in 1991. Gravel mined from the Montoya site is used locally to improve roads and provide decorative rocks for homeowners.
The proposal, if approved, will reroute portions of existing mountain bike trails in the Sale Barn area and redesign a trail in the reclaimed portion of the existing gravel pit to create a “skills” trail. The proposed skills trail would be constructed to provide a range of challenges for all levels of bicyclists.
The proposed expansion would allow the gravel pit to operate for another 19 years, which is estimated to contribute $4.8 million to the economy, including $745,000 in lease revenue and taxes that would go to La Plata County and the rest of the state, according to a BLM news release.
The submission deadline is Jan. 13.
To view the environmental assessment, maps and submit comments online, visit http://bit.ly/2Bv62nc.
Comments can also be emailed to blm_co_montoya_pit_expansion@blm.gov, or mailed to: BLM Tres Rios Field Office, Montoya Pit Expansion EA, 161 Burnett Drive, Suite 4, Durango, CO 81301.
fstone@durangoherald.com
