Larimer County outlines plan to secure local gravel, updates County Road 44H quarry proposal
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Summary
Road and Bridge staff told commissioners the county has adopted a strategy to develop small, geographically distributed quarries to secure roadaggregate, lower haul costs and improve disaster response, and gave a detailed update on the County Road 44H site being developed with Colorado State University.
Todd Jurgens, director of Larimer County Road and Bridge, told the Board of County Commissioners on April 13 that the county has settled on a strategy to secure local aggregate by developing several small, geographically distributed quarries rather than relying solely on the county's existing Strang pit or buying material commercially. "The best thing for the county is to own aggregate resources," Jurgens said, arguing ownership would give the county control over cost, quality and supply.
The county staff described a multi-step screening process that began with a 2019 desktop geological study and advances candidate sites only after checks for suitable geologic material, access, ownership and environmental and social compatibility. If screening suggests a site is viable, staff said they would perform geotechnical testing such as test pits or drilling before broader public outreach and design work. "We've gone through a stringent screening process before a project is ever moved beyond that initial investigation," Jurgens said.
Staff said small sites reduce haul distances and placement costs, cut truck miles (which lowers roadway wear and greenhouse-gas emissions), and improve the county's ability to respond after natural disasters. Jurgens said the strategy could yield cost savings "approaching 36%" compared with a status-quo reliance on more distant sources.
Permitting and oversight: Jurgens told the board that state agencies will be the primary permitting authorities for mining permits (Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety) and environmental review (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment), and that county land-use approval would proceed via the planning commission's location-and-extent process. Jurgens said staff anticipates referral reviews by other agencies during the state permit process. "We permit it from the state," he said of the mining permits, adding the county would pursue location-and-extent approvals where required.
Costs and timing: When commissioners asked about budget and timing, Jurgens said the county is funding investigative and design work from existing capital budget lines and described an upfront investment at the permitting and development phase. He said staff had produced an estimate "we could be in the $152,100,000 dollar range to get [a project] through permitting," and reiterated the expectation that savings accrue later through reduced haul and placement costs. Staff gave a best-case schedule of initial site work beginning in late 2027 if intergovernmental agreements and permits move quickly.
County Road 44H update: Jurgens said the 44H site sits near the end of Pingree Park Road adjacent to Colorado State University's Mountain Campus and an existing dormant, roughly 2.5-acre quarry. The project concept would enlarge the disturbance by about nine acres and operate intermittently over roughly a 15-year active life. Jurgens said the U.S. Forest Service has been a partner in the review and that the agency provided a letter of support for work on nonfederal (CSU) lands within the Wild and Scenic River corridor; the Forest Service management plan prohibits sand-and-gravel extraction on federal lands but not on private or state lands.
Staff said the 44H concept includes buffers to screen the quarry from Pingree Park Road, campus views and nearby trails, and that noise studies indicated crushing and processing would fall within residential noise standards. Jurgens added that preliminary reclamation concepts envision a six-acre all-weather surface on the quarry floor with revegetated slopes and potential CSU uses such as material staging, outdoor classrooms or overflow parking after reclamation.
Public process and next steps: Staff described an outreach plan that starts with an early public notice when a site passes screening (mailings to nearby property owners, a project web page and social-media posts), followed by a neighborhood meeting after test pits or drilling. Jurgens said the county will attempt to incorporate public comments into final plans and will pursue an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with CSU spelling out roles before submitting permit applications. "We're not trying to hide anything," he said about the timing of notifications, adding staff would produce a one-page information sheet for commissioners to review prior to public outreach.
Board reaction: Commissioners expressed support for the strategy but emphasized careful timing for public notification to avoid alarm if a site is still only under evaluation. Commissioner Kristen Stevens said the approach "seems really sound because it saves us money," while Chair pro tem John Cavallis pressed staff to err on the side of informing neighbors when testing will occur.
The county will continue stakeholder meetings and hold neighborhood outreach on the 44H project over the coming months; staff said the IGA with CSU and permit submittals would follow public engagement and design revisions, with initial site work possible in late 2027 under a best-case schedule.
