HomeMy WebLinkAbout950110.tiff27 Dec. 1994
Mr. Al Wiechmann
Denver Airports District Office
F.A.A.
5440 Roslyn St. Room 300
Denver, Colo. 80216-6026
Dear Mr Wiechmann;
-�s4
, rni 9: !8
I have studied the Draft Environmental Assessment for the
Greeley/Weld County Airport Project. I was unable to come to
Greeley for the meeting on the 15th of December when public
comments were received, so I am writing this letter to bring to
your attention some of my major concerns about the Assesment.
My sister, Anne Warren Denig, and I jointly own 240 acres immedi-
ately north of Bliss Road (County Road 62) and west of County
Road 45. We will be one of the most severely impacted land-
owners in the environmental area under consideration.
It is my understanding that one of the FAA guidelines for air-
port expansion programs is that the impact, environmentally and
economical, on the landowners be minimized to the greatest de-
gree possible. Based on our farm operation the closing of three
county roads, particularly Bliss Road, will create tremendous
inconveniences. It does not appear to be prudent to close Bliss
Road for a number of reasons:
1. The increase in pollutants caused by increased farm traffic is
going to become a major negative factor for the environment. Our
farm operation involves a lot of east -west vehicular traffic, and
what is now a 1 and 1/4 mile trip to the intersection of County
Road 47 and County Road 62 will become a five mile trip, whether
it is made by going north or by the south. Because there is a
great deal of east -west traffic I question whether the traffic
counts used for Bliss Road accurately reflect the amount of traffic
that uses that road, particularly during harvest time. I believe
that the closing of Bliss Road would generate literally hundreds
of thousands of miles of extra driving for farm vehicles in the
area. The third paragraph on page 4-21 discusses emissions caused
by aircraft, ground support equipment, etc. It does not mention the
potential for severe environmental damage from pollution caused by
the re-routing of farm vehicles. I respectfully suggest that the
conclusion in the third paragraph on page 4-24 is not valid. Air-
craft activity is not the major concern here. It is the tremendous
increase in pollutants from farm equipment.
2. The economic impact would also be severe. Using the standard
of $.27 per mile the cost of operating farm vehicles would sky-
rocket when you consider the thousands of extra miles that will
have to be driven. The alternative of bridging Bliss Road makes
a great deal of sense when the above is taken into the equation.
950110
Even the Airport Authority, in the minutes of it's meeting held
on December 16th, 1993, agreed that the bridging of Bliss Road was
an appropriate action to take. On page 4-16 it is indicated that
the Weld County Public Works Department recommends that a tunnel
not be constructed. I believe that the drainage issue can be
solved and that the conclusion reached by the Department does not
take in to consideration these other factors. In fact, the De-
partment offers no figures to substantiate its conclusions.
3. On page 4-18 reference is made in the second paragraph about
traffic safety as it relates to widening and paving of certain
roads. I believe that there is a new traffic safety problem that
will be created by the closure of Bliss Road. If the road is closed
rather than bridged the increased farm traffic on Highway 263
(Eighth Avenue) is going to be tremendous. There is currently an
enormous amount of north -south truck traffic on County Road 43
that uses Bliss Road to go east. If Bliss Road is closed rather
than bridged this traffic will go on south to Eighth Street, and
I strongly believe that Eighth Street could become one of the most
hazardous county roads in Colorado. The road has curves which
generate the potential for highway disasters because of a huge
increase in farm related traffic. This is an environmental
negative that should be avoided.
4. The fourth paragraph on page 2-9 makes reference to the fact
that noise impacts on residents would be minimized. While not
disagreeing with that statement I believe that it is fair to state
that the noise impacts on the people living on the farms that are
immediately adjacent will be significant. Our farm is bound to be
negatively affected.
Thank you for providing the opportunity to make comments on the
Draft Assessment. I am sending a copy of this letter to the Weld
County Airport Authority and the Weld County Board of Commissioners
via Dale Hall and a copy to the Greeley City Council.
Sincerely,
QLs L 119.,x.`_
Charles L. Warren
2101 East 4th Ave.
Denver, Colo. 80206
8..01.1.0
Hello