The town may be moving forward on options to help reach a consensus on how to move forward in the debate over Western Excelsior particulates.
Many of the options up for consideration were first introduced by Town Administrator Andrea Phillips at a meeting last month.
Among the options up for a vote on Aug. 25 is an item that takes a look at hiring a trained facilitator to help the organizations move forward with some kind of "mutually beneficial agreement."
The town has received a proposal from Marsha Porter-Norton, a consultant who works across Colorado and the Four Corners region. According to her bio on the Citizens' Health Advisory Council of La Plata County, Porter-Norton is a founding member of the organization, and she holds a master's degree in social work with a focus on community development. In her proposal, she writes about the need for all parties involved in the discussion to come to the table with a desire to "problem solve and to listen to others."
"Whether or not agreed-upon solutions can be identified would be unveiled as the process goes forth, but all players would need to commit to wanting to address the problem through a collaborative process," Porter-Norton wrote in her proposal.
Parties involved in the moderator sessions would be the Concerned Citizens of Riverside (CROR), Western Excelsior Corp., general public members, the town, county health department, and other community stakeholders.
Porter-Norton's quote-for-services is a not to exceed amount of $7000, provided that all meetings are held and the final product of a mutually-beneficial agreement is reached.
Another option that the town is considering is working with Western Excelsior to close the Eastern gate and create a bermed tree windbreak in its place. The idea is that the berm and increased trees will help slow and capture wind-borne particulate matter, as the open gate currently acts a wind tunnel. The project is estimated to cost $5,950 with the hopes that Western Excelsior would embark on a 50 percent cost share with the town.
Another option holds that the town seek out funding options for the bag house dust collection system and other particulate-reduction measures on behalf of Western Excelsior. The company has set a 2017 timeline for the acquisition of particulate-reduction materials because they're so costly, and the town is considering exploring grant or funding opportunities on its behalf in order to help Western Excelsior acquire them faster. Doing so wouldn't mean that the town would be matching funds or paying for the improvements but leveraging its public status to qualify.