Architect Brookie in council running
Building his campaign on the slogan of  “Knowledge, Experience and Trust,” Durango architect and planner Dean Brookie is the latest candidate for Durango City Council. Brookie made the announcement Tuesday at the Durango Transit Center, the LEED-certified building he designed for the city.

“I’m running for City Council because I love Durango,” Brookie said. “For many years, I have contributed my passion for good planning and design to help build our community. As a councilor, I will foster long-term decision and policy making that sustains Durango as a dynamic, vital community for generations to come.”

Brookie said he believes his experience in business and community development will make him an asset to the council. “As a small business owner, I understand that a favorable business environment contributes considerably to a high quality of life,” he said.

He also said he is excited to help address economic diversification, environmental protection, education and community health at an important juncture in the city’s history. “The next few years will be critical to Durango’s future as we work to emerge from the economic downturn and begin to implement our new Land Use and Development Code,” he said. “It is a time of immense opportunity and certain challenge.”

A resident since 1980, Brookie is the founder and principal of Brookie Architecture and Planning. He has three children, all of whom were raised in Durango.

In his 30 years in business, Brookie says he has gained experience in the areas of land-use planning, historic preservation, affordable housing, educational facilities, recreation and open space, and multi-modal transportation, to name a few. In 1986, he designed the Chamber of Commerce building and oversaw the expansion of Santa Rita Park into soccer fields. He also worked on the design team for the Durango Community Recreation Center in 2002. He has served on the city’s Board of Appeals and on numerous nonprofit boards including High Noon Rotary, Habitat for Humanity and the Durango Adult Education Center. He is a founding member of the Boys and Girls Club of La Plata County and a council member of the El Pomar Foundation. In 2007, Brookie received the Colorado Habitat for Humanity Volunteer of the Year award, and in 2009 received Colorado’s Governor’s Award for Downtown Excellence for Best Building Rehabilitation.

Brookie will be running against councilor Christina Rinderle and businessman Keith Brant to fill two seats vacated by Doug Lyon, who is term-limited, and Paul Broderick, who is not running again. Ballots for the mail-in election will go out March 15 to active, registered voters in the City of Durango. The election is April 2.

BLM acquires mining inholdings
Several old mining claims in the San Juan Mountains are back in public ownership.

This week, the Bureau of Land Management announced acquisition of 40 patented mining claims in San Juan, Ouray and Hinsdale counties. The acquisition, which was part of a court settlement with the Standard Metals Corp., totaled about 285 acres.

The newly acquired parcels will help consolidate the BLM’s holdings in the fragmented Alpine Loop area, between Silverton, Ouray and Lake City. This will help ensure preservation of the area’s recreational, historic, scenic and habitat resources. In addition to being extremely popular among jeepers, hikers and campers, the area is also home to lynx, pika, boreal toads and other sensitive species. Additionally, several mining sites that are eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places are also within the area.

“The claims are part of a spectacular viewshed visible from several four-wheel drive roads in the area, and the acquisition preserves the visual scenic integrity of the claims,” said Brad Dodd, BLM Tres Rios associate field manager.

Standard Metals is the former owner of the Mayflower Mine near Silverton, which milled silver, gold and other ore on and off from 1930-91. Standard Metals transferred the land as partial settlement for environmental damage at mine operations in Colorado, Arizona and Alaska. The case was brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency for damage from mill tailings and draining to natural resources and riparian areas.

Prior to being procured, each parcel was evaluated for environmental issues to ensure the government would not face substantial environmental liability, according to the BLM. Additionally, the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety mitigated most safety hazards on the sites. A few remaining mine shafts and adits are scheduled to be closed off in the near future.

The Mayflower Mill is now a National Historic Landmark open to the public and Dodd said the new parcels could fulfill a similar purpose.

“With these sites now in public ownership, visitation opportunities are secured, and we now have the ability to interpret the sites and conduct further scientific investigations in the area,” said Dodd.


County addresses jail contamination
After a 2011 court ruling, the plan to remedy contamination found under the La Plata County Detention Center has been revised and offered up for public comment a second time around.

The contaminants, chlorinated solvents and other chemicals, were first discovered on the property while removing a grease trap tank in 2003. Since then, the county has conducted further samplings and an investigation. The compounds were also found in the indoor air, soil and groundwater beneath the county jail.

These chemicals were used by the former occupants of the property, Redfield Rifle Scope, in the manufacture of optical lenses. The concentrations, according to county officials, “may pose potential risks to human health or the environment.”

According to the county documentation, employees and inmates at the Detention Center aren’t exposed to levels that exceed Environmental Protection Agency and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment standards. However, if the property were to be used for residential purposes in the future, residents and construction workers could potentially be exposed to unacceptable levels and additional cancer risks.

Because of this, the county decided that action was needed and put forth a plan in 2010, followed by an initial public comment period. But the plan ended up in court.

La Plata County filed suit against Brown Group Retail Inc. and others, the corporations responsible for operating the Redfield plant, for costs associated with the clean up. The federal district court judge ended up reducing the scope of the first plan down to a starting point with the potential to lower the total cost of remediation.

The plan, called the revised proposed remedial action plan, was considered by the court the best way to get the most results in the shortest period of time and at the lowest overall cost.

It proposes the use of in-situ chemical oxidation, or ISCO, groundwater monitoring and additional controls at an estimated cost of $830,000, most of which will be paid by Brown Group. The ISCO process uses chemical oxidants, like peroxide, to destroy chemical contaminants in the soil and groundwater.

Some of the actions from the original plan, like soil excavation, indoor air monitoring and additional ISCO injections, were postponed under the court ruling and listed as “contingency activities” that can be used after the results of the new plan are assessed.

The revised plan was presented for pubic comment at a County Commissioners meeting Feb. 12. However, no one from the public attended.
The comment period was extended by request until March 30. Copies of all the documents related to the case are available at http://co.laplata.co.us. Comments are accepted by email at weaver@lpcattorney.org or mail to Todd Weaver, La Plata County Attorney’s Office, 1099 Main Ave, Suite 311, Durango, 81301.

– Missy Votel and Tracy Chamberlin