Southface Community Association

President's Message

Jul 01, 2000

Tired of looking at the scar on the mountain? Castle Concrete, owners of the Peakview Quarry are proposing a reclamation project that could make it nearly disappear.

After going on a tour of both Queen*s Quarry, near Garden of the Gods whose reclamation project is nearly complete, and Peakview Quarry; and attending a CONO meeting at which time representatives of Castle Concrete and Colorado Mountain Reclamation Foundation gave presentations, I feel I have an understanding of what and why a change in the reclamation project is being proposed.

The present reclamation project is limited by the steep incline in the rocks. Because of this, instead of being able to put topsoil and trees and other vegetation, there could only be steps (officially called benches) cut in the rock which would be sprayed with Permeon to give the rocks a weathered look. In addition, the rock is very unstable and will continue to slide down the incline, revealing new untreated rock and creating a dangerous situation when this area will be turned into a park.

Castle Concrete is requesting a parcel of 12-18 acres from the U.S. Forest Service which would allow Castle Concrete to gentle the slope. This would make it possible to use topsoil, trees and shrubs and cover more thoroughly the present scar. This proposal would also reduce the safety hazard in the area.

In order for this proposal to be accepted, hundreds of pages of documentation-- including engineering reports, a multimillion dollar bond, etc.--must be submitted to various governmental agencies. Although there is no requirement for Castle Concrete to obtainapproval from the city or county, it is keeping the local governments apprised of its plans.

To keep our residents informed of activity that impacts our area, I have enclosed a copy of a newsletter published by the Colorado Mountain Reclamation Foundation which explains the plans in greater detail. In addition, Castle Concrete will encourage neighbors to take a tour of the quarries to see what has already been done as well as to understand future plans.

Tours can be arranged by calling Greg Francis, Supervisor of Safety, Reclamation & Special Projects for Castle Concrete at 598-0215. He would prefer to do the tours on weekdays for groups of at least 10 or more. So feel free to get together with your friends and neighbors to see the area up close and personal and get the facts. Perhaps if there is a large enough group, he may consider a weekend day. He is anxious to answer any of your questions.