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County tries to make nice with Sedalia
Creeping development of Douglas County's only industrial corridor has been taking a toll on the relationship between county officials and residents who live there.
By Kiersten J. Mayer
Creeping development of Douglas County's only industrial corridor has been taking a toll on the relationship between county officials and residents who live there.
A landfill, construction of berms on open space by a private developer, concrete and asphalt batch plants and an alleged seemingly disregard by planners for the Douglas County Comprehensive Master Plan have disenfranchised some residents in Sedalia.
Opponents of Waste Connections Inc.'s landfill in Sedalia, which was approved in 2004, have accused Douglas County planners and commissioners of disregarding the master plan. Other residents involved in updating the plan five years ago have insisted they won't devote any time to the county's 2030 update until they get guarantees from commissioners the document would not be disregarded in the future.
Eva Murphy, who owns Sisters gift shop in Sedalia, said the community is unique to Douglas County. Some residents want help from Douglas County officials with zoning issues.
"The county rules that apply in other parts of the county can't always apply here," she said. "It's one of the few places in Colorado that has business and residential in the same building."
Douglas County Commissioner Steve Boand was surprised not only by how much Sedalia residents had to say, but also by how specific their concerns are.
"I had been hearing generalities for so long," he said. "Once I started hearing specific concerns, that's when I felt we could actually have some real progress."
Residents expressed interest in establishing a different set of development guidelines for Sedalia than the rest of the county to help reflect the historic nature of the town.
"They believe they are different," Boand said. "Their perception is that Sedalia doesn't want to abide by the urban level standards developed for the rest of the county and [county officials] don't think one model fits all. It's worth talking about."
County officials, after years of hearing from dissatisfied residents, are the ones now making an effort for better communication, Murphy said. Residents' unhappiness comes from a lot of misunderstandings.
"The perception in Sedalia is that the county doesn't give a damn," she said. "We have the dump and all those things we fought against. And now I think the county is trying to change that perception and try to work with us."
Boand and the county's community development director Peter Italiano have suggested a representative group of Sedalia residents to help get things done.
Sedalia is in a part of the county that doesn't have a lot of well-defined homeowners associations, Italiano said.
"It's good to have a group to communicate with," he said, citing the Western Douglas County Citizens Alliance and One Roxborough as examples. Douglas County's commissioners are open to communicating with those types of groups when it comes to land planning.
"Maybe it's time for the Sedalia area to have a voice and that would be great," he said. "We talked a lot about issues that have been lingering in the past and a lot were generated by poor communication between the county and residents in the area."
At last month's meeting, residents said they weren't aware of when projects were in the planning process or when they were approved.
The key issue was helping them understand that the best way to assist residents is through better communication, Italiano said. A group could receive proposed development plan information and be considered a referral agency.
"The challenge is if the county doesn't have someone on their list, then it's difficult to inform residents," he said.
Murphy thinks organizing an official group of residents is a start. Those attending a February meeting with commissioners have asked that part of the tipping fees paid by Waste Connections be diverted back to Sedalia. In 2004, construction landfill plans included approval of a tipping fee to pay for landfill monitoring to ensure that prohibited materials, such as household trash, are not allowed into the facility. Tri-County Health Department is in charge of monitoring and collecting the tipping fees.
Waste Connections' landfill opened in January 2006 and paid $33,300 in tipping fees for the year. Rates are set at an increasing amount per ton annually through 2008 and renegotiation can happen in 2009. The fees started at 30 cents per ton in 2006, are bumped to 40 cents per ton for 2007 and then again to 50 cents per ton for 2008, he said.
Boand said it's reasonable to talk about tipping fees and understands why Sedalia residents think their community should benefit from the landfill.
There are a lot of things that could be done in town with that money, Murphy said. "It should stay in this town because we have a lot of needs, like a sewer system."
Contact Kiersten J. Mayer at 303-663-7174
or kmayer@ccnewspapers.com.
A landfill, construction of berms on open space by a private developer, concrete and asphalt batch plants and an alleged seemingly disregard by planners for the Douglas County Comprehensive Master Plan have disenfranchised some residents in Sedalia.
Opponents of Waste Connections Inc.'s landfill in Sedalia, which was approved in 2004, have accused Douglas County planners and commissioners of disregarding the master plan. Other residents involved in updating the plan five years ago have insisted they won't devote any time to the county's 2030 update until they get guarantees from commissioners the document would not be disregarded in the future.
Eva Murphy, who owns Sisters gift shop in Sedalia, said the community is unique to Douglas County. Some residents want help from Douglas County officials with zoning issues.
"The county rules that apply in other parts of the county can't always apply here," she said. "It's one of the few places in Colorado that has business and residential in the same building."
Douglas County Commissioner Steve Boand was surprised not only by how much Sedalia residents had to say, but also by how specific their concerns are.
"I had been hearing generalities for so long," he said. "Once I started hearing specific concerns, that's when I felt we could actually have some real progress."
Residents expressed interest in establishing a different set of development guidelines for Sedalia than the rest of the county to help reflect the historic nature of the town.
"They believe they are different," Boand said. "Their perception is that Sedalia doesn't want to abide by the urban level standards developed for the rest of the county and [county officials] don't think one model fits all. It's worth talking about."
County officials, after years of hearing from dissatisfied residents, are the ones now making an effort for better communication, Murphy said. Residents' unhappiness comes from a lot of misunderstandings.
"The perception in Sedalia is that the county doesn't give a damn," she said. "We have the dump and all those things we fought against. And now I think the county is trying to change that perception and try to work with us."
Boand and the county's community development director Peter Italiano have suggested a representative group of Sedalia residents to help get things done.
Sedalia is in a part of the county that doesn't have a lot of well-defined homeowners associations, Italiano said.
"It's good to have a group to communicate with," he said, citing the Western Douglas County Citizens Alliance and One Roxborough as examples. Douglas County's commissioners are open to communicating with those types of groups when it comes to land planning.
"Maybe it's time for the Sedalia area to have a voice and that would be great," he said. "We talked a lot about issues that have been lingering in the past and a lot were generated by poor communication between the county and residents in the area."
At last month's meeting, residents said they weren't aware of when projects were in the planning process or when they were approved.
The key issue was helping them understand that the best way to assist residents is through better communication, Italiano said. A group could receive proposed development plan information and be considered a referral agency.
"The challenge is if the county doesn't have someone on their list, then it's difficult to inform residents," he said.
Murphy thinks organizing an official group of residents is a start. Those attending a February meeting with commissioners have asked that part of the tipping fees paid by Waste Connections be diverted back to Sedalia. In 2004, construction landfill plans included approval of a tipping fee to pay for landfill monitoring to ensure that prohibited materials, such as household trash, are not allowed into the facility. Tri-County Health Department is in charge of monitoring and collecting the tipping fees.
Waste Connections' landfill opened in January 2006 and paid $33,300 in tipping fees for the year. Rates are set at an increasing amount per ton annually through 2008 and renegotiation can happen in 2009. The fees started at 30 cents per ton in 2006, are bumped to 40 cents per ton for 2007 and then again to 50 cents per ton for 2008, he said.
Boand said it's reasonable to talk about tipping fees and understands why Sedalia residents think their community should benefit from the landfill.
There are a lot of things that could be done in town with that money, Murphy said. "It should stay in this town because we have a lot of needs, like a sewer system."
Contact Kiersten J. Mayer at 303-663-7174
or kmayer@ccnewspapers.com.
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