[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6531657,"mediaKeyId","3515382-dfac888d8cbe6802c7cd5468f197b6f8","parentId",3515382,"title","Residents call for stronger enforcement as alleged industrial activity persists in A‑1 residential areas","audioSeconds",386,"startMs",1899000,"endMs",2285000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3515382-dfac888d8cbe6802c7cd5468f197b6f8&start=1899&end=2285","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3515382-dfac888d8cbe6802c7cd5468f197b6f8/thumbnail_1899000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6531657/Adams-County/Colorado/Residents-call-for-stronger-enforcement-as-alleged-industrial-activity-persists-in-A1-residential-areas","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6531657-aba0e0504d7ae6125e7f89c09c185771/orig.mp4?Expires=1771106322&Signature=eqraRDERBsnh-oirCRtrx33bgoP9ZN-tXZUQeOP3ruqlnDlwYzIjqEG8Di2FfrY01VAylEQfnhtpcZHJdNPYV1nEBQgGaD1Dd0ccQ8-GxhHMIa-lSZHxkvldXd-ak0FoxxRY0lxf0iTmYq7mWur8MQgw4BT7eI3C3cwI-XY26p7d6wDQgk~gLd18wevr8znA6C2QnA2VPLlLtoSoYKcOnHW~qLXkSzuURWBjbw~U3b4j9JNMIFOvesDiPlO626aOl8mtBBIjKdQde33ScGi~0JXbpsUqG83dN~VDP2CmVLl~apgNcJGog5-Lcd~LyLAqzXY-8uvgotulqmyi5UQeZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Adams County","date","2025-05-21T19:41:24Z","article","Multiple unincorporated Adams County residents used the public comment period at the May 27 board meeting to urge quicker and stiffer enforcement against alleged commercial and industrial activity in A‑1 residential areas.

Evan Dowdy, who gave his address as 16523 Tower Road (Brighton), described a complaint first filed in February 2024 alleging that neighbors had begun operating a horizontal‑drilling business from a property in the A‑1 district. Dowdy said code enforcement staff, and a named code officer (Carlos), responded promptly to initial complaints, but that enforcement progressed slowly once matters reached the county attorney’s office. He said site visits documented diesel trucks and trailers staged early in the morning, and showed what he described as draining drilling fluids onto the ground near private wells and septic systems.

Kristen Daugherty (address 16523 Tower Road) and Christina Perez (16486 Yampa Way) provided similar accounts. Daugherty said multiple properties in the neighborhood are being used for storage of construction materials, RVs and semi‑trailers; Perez said the noise and operations begin as early as 7 a.m. and disrupt livestock and pets. The residents said the business owner does not live on the property and that the business is registered in Westminster.

What county staff and commissioners said
Chair Baca and Commissioner Pinter acknowledged the complaints and said staff would follow up. Commissioner Pinter suggested residents reach out to multiple county divisions — code enforcement, the oil and gas division and the public health department — and asked that community economic development staff contact the residents as inspectors visit the site. Commissioner Henson suggested the county’s public‑health staff may be able to assist with concerns about dumped fluids and possible groundwater risks. Staff offered to collect contact information and arrange a follow‑up before the meeting ended.

Why this matters
Residents described potential public‑health and environmental risks (drilling‑fluid discharges near wells and septics), persistent noncompliant uses in an agricultural/residential zone, and an enforcement workload that residents say is overwhelmed. The board did not take formal action during the public comment period, but commissioners directed staff to follow up and to coordinate with relevant county divisions and external agencies where appropriate.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Adams County Public Hearing -- May 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Three Adams County residents told commissioners on May 27 that alleged industrial operations — including a horizontal‑drilling business — are being run from parcels zoned A‑1, and that county enforcement and penalties have not deterred the activity.","taxTitle","Adams County, Colorado","taxId",4150,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6531660,"Commissioners approve Holly Street right‑of‑way vacation; neighbors raise long‑running drainage, flood and well‑water concerns",4924,4932000,7891,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3515382-dfac888d8cbe6802c7cd5468f197b6f8&start=4932&end=7","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3515382-dfac888d8cbe6802c7cd5468f197b6f8/thumbnail_4932000.jpg","/articles/6531660/Adams-County/Colorado/Commissioners-approve-Holly-Street-rightofway-vacation-neighbors-raise-longrunning-drainage-flood-and-wellwater-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6531660-0e3cd09b3078ea45c74602ca97c4d1f0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771106322&Signature=EWPCd5CxII4MIRqQ~uZTjy16ag~zIqA~X9zjAejkU6f9d~rsh4UP9voi78rTcPu~CzyWZCb4D~jW-r3eGyBar8YHqm5Ey7ww2H-JicqDqPadvtDPFKATORYH~c1HqnBlelTBVk5CNOoej6-C4We~y8Ds81Fj9p2xGaviZBiiGOhZ2Z1LkWpxaWFyrxLNvai4Efzt8~BmM4OVACy006Pg8hHkZF0CohvDwSjQnopN8vR7cgi2bCpPTbYO9u2VM9F4iGOvtFtCQK3vvcs~nmi-YEm8-0lVRXsHiSmksBH~-cVxi0OkuaY5pkhMG-pnO-KCT3mdKDqPyLZ81Z6tApd-Bw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Adams County commissioners approved VAC2025‑1, a request to vacate a portion of Holly Street, after a public hearing on May 27 that included detailed testimony from neighbors and the property’s developer.

Leah Campbell, a planner with the county’s Community and Economic Development Department, told the board the subject right of way and the property receiving it are now within the City of Thornton but, because the right of way adjoins unincorporated Adams County, state statute requires county review (CRS 43‑2‑303). Staff found the vacation would not create nonconforming lots in unincorporated Adams County, would not leave adjoining land without access to a public road and would not pose fire‑access concerns.

Developer presentation and public comment
Colin Bowman of Vector Development said the property has been annexed into Thornton and the developer intends to build paired housing (Bowman said 37 residences are proposed) and to extend a regional trail to Thornton’s current standard. Bowman said the site includes an existing detention area that the developer will upgrade and that the city’s engineering requirements are driving extensive stormwater improvements.

Neighbor Lily Ewing, who lives at 10800 Riverdale Road, told commissioners she has had chronic drainage problems for 25 years. Ewing said a pipe installed decades ago has failed, her property floods, and her well water has been contaminated; she said repeated requests to Thornton have not resolved the issue. Ewing told the board she fears adding roughly 29 new houses and the associated vehicle trips and utilities will worsen the flooding and water‑quality problems.

County staff, developers and engineers said the development’s drainage is piped northeast under Riverdale Road and that the developer plans to upgrade the on‑site detention to current code. County engineers said the pipe serving the area is owned and maintained by the City of Thornton, and county planning staff said Thornton has been notified and engaged in ongoing conversations about the resident’s concerns.

Board response and follow‑up
Commissioners said the drainage and aging‑infrastructure questions are serious and are separate from the vacation itself. The board asked county staff and the county manager’s office to continue outreach to Thornton to clarify responsibility for failing culverts and pipes that appear to affect unincorporated properties. Commissioner Henson made the motion to approve VAC2025‑1; Commissioner Pinter seconded. The motion passed 4‑0 (one member absent).

An executive‑session request for legal advice on the vacation statute was made during the hearing; the board reconvened and voted on the vacation. County staff said they will track engineering referrals from Thornton and will review any plan materials that show outfalls into county right‑of‑way. The developer said final engineering and plat approvals with Thornton were near completion and that construction would move forward later this year if approvals are granted.

Why this matters
The vacation itself transfers a piece of right of way that the City of Thornton will administer; however, public testimony highlighted cross‑jurisdictional infrastructure maintenance where failing pipes and culverts located in one jurisdiction can cause flooding and water‑quality impacts on neighbors in another. The board directed staff to follow up with Thornton and to bring technical plans to county engineering staff if the development’s drainage connects to or discharges toward county property.

","The Adams County Board of County Commissioners on May 27 approved VAC2025‑1, vacating a portion of Holly Street that adjoins the City of Thornton, after a public hearing in which a local resident described longstanding drainage failures and reported well‑water contamination.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6531665,"Adams County commissioners approve motor grader purchase, three-year GIS contract and final construction change order; Holly Street vacation also OK'd",647,2945000,3592000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3515382-dfac888d8cbe6802c7cd5468f197b6f8&start=2945&end=3592","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3515382-dfac888d8cbe6802c7cd5468f197b6f8/thumbnail_2945000.jpg","/articles/6531665/Adams-County/Colorado/Adams-County-commissioners-approve-motor-grader-purchase-three-year-GIS-contract-and-final-construction-change-order-Holly-Street-vacation-also-OKd","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6531665-24860b5d33232869052d9aa88f940c42/orig.mp4?Expires=1771106322&Signature=mP538zjw2SNtkHCPLLWInvwmc4xsbVJMWz~PQpFcTmr5ETdoxEjin2~g8QjXbMSFJ23IbMi3wbKx0JgCa4c8wSyykrGY~FLIj2aSfyyGx8oHxfxkfc5xQYfe0Dv8-oh~jsErbiqcwTavC2HsDLSnof4fjVV7E-paCWr04lGY4r~Y35QoUAaFqEbbDcZ9AmUahozsingejJ6YhAXxgcuT1-AGn4H8WPG4U3qYwMZqeEYTqW6ZKk2vmdbRstjnXDiLhR8PTHB9lV~200XaYaOQ~REPKdKRjbwVdZ9vNT4ACCJjxM4SRbFHs3LHfLagvUMxE--9j0SNmNzDaCr5wlazeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Adams County commissioners voted 4-0 on Tuesday to approve four separate items of new business and to affirm a land-use vacation introduced earlier in the meeting.

The board approved: a purchase order to Four Rivers Equipment for four John Deere motor graders (not to exceed $1,819,696); a three‑year renewal with Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) for geographic information systems (GIS) software and services ($1,425,000 over three years); and Amendment 6 to the East 50 Eighth Avenue construction contract, adding $840,055.52 tied to utility-related delays and finalizing construction closeout. Separately, the board approved VAC2025-1, a Holly Street right-of-way vacation adjoining the City of Thornton, after a public hearing and discussion (see separate article).

Motor graders
Mike Gutierrez, fleet operations manager, told the board the graders will replace units that “have reached and exceeded its full useful life cycle” and will be John Deere 772GP models purchased through the Sourcewell cooperative. Gutierrez said the county shortened the planned useful life of graders from 120 months to 84 months because of rising failure rates on major components. The board approved a motion to issue a purchase order to Four Rivers Equipment for a not‑to‑exceed $1,819,696; the motion passed 4-0 with one member absent.

GIS agreement with Esri
Jason Schultz, director of information technology and innovation, briefed the board on a three-year renewal of the county’s Esri agreement. Schultz said GIS use has expanded across departments — public works, community economic development, clerk and recorder, emergency management and public health — and that the renewal includes added licenses and analytics tools and will be billed annually ($450,000 year 1; $475,000 year 2; $500,000 year 3). The board approved the agreement 4-0.

East 50 Eighth Avenue change order
Public Works Director Bridale (Bridal) Staley presented Amendment 6, a negotiated $840,055.52 contract adjustment tied to extended project duration from utility delays (the staff presentation cited Xcel Energy as a major factor). Staley said approval would finalize the construction contract at about $26.73 million and allow project closeout and community ribbon-cutting planning. Commissioners asked for a follow-up study session on lessons learned; the amendment was approved 4-0.

Votes and motion summaries
- Motor graders: motion to approve purchase order to Four Rivers Equipment not to exceed $1,819,696; approved 4-0 (one absent).
- Esri agreement: motion to approve three-year agreement totaling $1,425,000; approved 4-0 (one absent).
- East 50 Eighth Avenue Amendment 6: motion to approve $840,055.52 contract amendment; approved 4-0 (one absent).
- VAC2025-1 (Holly Street vacation): approved after public hearing, 4-0 (one absent). See land-use article for details and public comment.

What the board said
Commissioners asked staff for clearer documentation of equipment life-cycle policy for future capital purchases and discussed using change-order after‑action reports to improve coordination with utilities on large projects. Commissioners also asked that staff continue outreach to partner jurisdictions when county residents are affected by infrastructure maintained by another government.

Next steps
The motor graders will be ordered and delivered per fleet timelines; the Esri contract will be implemented over three fiscal years; and Public Works will proceed with project closeout tasks and a community ribbon cutting for East 50 Eighth Avenue. The Holly Street vacation will proceed through the City of Thornton’s development steps for the proposed subdivision and trail improvements.

","Adams County commissioners voted 4-0 on May 27 to approve a not‑to‑exceed $1.82 million purchase order for four John Deere motor graders, a three‑year $1.425 million renewal of the county’s GIS agreement with Esri and an $840,055.52 contract amendment to finalize the East 50 Eighth Avenue construction project.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Residents call for stronger enforcement as alleged industrial activity persists in A‑1 residential areas

Commissioners approve Holly Street right‑of‑way vacation; neighbors raise long‑running drainage, flood and well‑water concerns

Adams County commissioners approve motor grader purchase, three-year GIS contract and final construction change order; Holly Street vacation also OK'd