Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rocky Flats Greenway topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents and advocates urge Jefferson County to halt Rocky Mountain Greenway crossings at Rocky Flats refuge
Summary
Multiple residents and public commenters urged commissioners to stop planned Rocky Mountain Greenway trail crossings into the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge over concerns about lingering plutonium and other contamination.
Multiple residents, former Rocky Flats workers and advocates urged the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners on April 29 to pause or withdraw from planned Rocky Mountain Greenway crossings that would connect trails into the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
Speakers including Dr. Deborah Seigeloff, a biomedical researcher; Judy Padilla, a former Rocky Flats worker; Randy Stafford; Giselle Herzfeld of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center; John J. Lipsky, a retired FBI agent; and Jeff Gipe each said the refuge remains contaminated with plutonium and other hazardous materials and that encouraging public recreation on those soils would risk inhalation of respirable particles.
“There are no safe levels of plutonium,” Dr. Seigeloff told commissioners, arguing that even microscopic uptake by the body can cause DNA mutations and cancer. Several speakers cited the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) toxicological profile and referenced sampling work by Dr. Michael Ketterer; John Lipsky said the county’s land-development rules (citing Jefferson County Land Development Regulation section 27) require a radiation assessment and argued that crossings and trails were constructed without one.
Public commenters raised specific concerns about trail crossings at Indiana Street and an underpass beneath Colorado 128. Speakers referenced past sampling, high-wind resuspension of contaminated dust, and the long half-life of plutonium-239 (about 24,000 years) as reasons to stop the project. Several speakers also criticized spending on the Greenway, citing an $816,000 expenditure in 2019 and other invoices and arguing the county should not “greenwash” the site by promoting recreation.
Commissioners allowed five in-person speakers who had signed up specifically on the Rocky Mountain Greenway item to speak during the meeting’s public-comment period; additional commenters joined virtually. The board did not take formal action on the Greenway during this meeting; public testimony closed and the item remained on the consent agenda for consideration (item noted as on consent).
