In 1992, Mancos officials sold 50 acres of its land to Montezuma County to be used as a gravel mine north of town off County Road 42.
The $50,000 sale stipulated that as the gravel was mined the land would be reclaimed and deeded back to the town 10 acres at a time. As part of the deal, Mancos receives 1,500 cubic yards per year of gravel.
No land has been returned, partly because nobody ever asked. And now the town wants the land back for development.
But it's not that simple, because the county is depending on current and future mining there to maintain its vast network of gravel roads. The purchase agreement did not stipulate a timeline for giving the land back to town.
Mancos officials met with county commissioners Monday to discuss the situation and negotiate a partial land transfer.
"(The sale) was done to help the county, but we are shocked to see no end (date), so we felt it needs to be revisited," said Mancos trustee Will Stone.
The 50-acre parcel with the operating mine sits in the middle of a 145-acre block of town land north of Mancos off of Road 42 (the road to Jackson Lake).
"We'd like to renegotiate the terms of the agreement so we have some idea when each 10 acres will be returned," said Town Manager Andrea Phillips.
From a planning perspective, it is difficult to move forward when the mine is in the middle of a larger town parcel, added Mayor Rachael Simbeck.
County officials said they are agreeable to negotiating a deal to potentially return up to 26 acres of the land, but the town will have to wait to get it all back.
"It is a critical piece of our gravel operation and is the only mine we own," said road superintendent Rob Englehart. "The other three gravel mines we lease and pay royalties on."
The Mancos gravel mine produces 50,000 cubic yards per year. Englehart estimates that there is still 650,000 cubic yards left to mine, meaning there is probably 12-13 more years of mining operation and gravel storage at the site.
"We cannot lose this pit," he said. "It's pivotal to economically prudent operations of our road maintenance."
Officials agree that on the southern border of the parcel, two mined-out sections totaling approximately 13 acres are available for return to the town.
An adjacent 13 acres of steep terrain that cannot be mined may also be available for a land transfer.
"It is workable to return some of the land by the Fall," Englehart said. "I'll give back what is available. Mining will continue to the north."
He emphasized that the limited land transfer must have stipulations to preserve the current and future mining operation, and accommodate public safety requirements such as fencing.
County officials expressed concerns about what Mancos plans to do with the returned land in the short term, and if that use is compatible with being next to an operating gravel mine.
Phillips said there are no firm plans for what it would be used for as of yet.
Some ideas have been for new housing, community recreation, a BMX track, or to lease it for grazing. But it is too soon for a comprehensive strategy.
"We need an end date (of the mine) so we can begin planning," she said. "The town has limited resources, and the land is an asset."
Added council member Todd Kearns: "We'd like to open up the land to the citizens of Mancos."