Who/What is County?

By County Commissioner Dennis Hisey

The commissioners recently approved an expansion in a sand and gravel mining operation in eastern El Paso County. Like most mining operations in the county, or the state for that matter, it was controversial with opposition. At the 12 hour hearing both sides were given all the time they requested to present their facts and concerns.

Some time in the 60's or 70's Mr. Sokol began selling a little gravel for local needs. Through the years the operation has grown to 40 acres, changed hands a couple of times, been permitted by the state, had some large neighboring ranches divide into 35 acre home sites and seen El Paso County become its major customer. With the necessary state permit in hand, the current owners wanted to expand the operation to include processing and the ability to mine the entire 295 acre parcel, with never more than 50 acres open at a time.

Balancing the gravel pit owners property rights against the neighbors concerns about increased truck traffic, noise, flood lights and general unsightliness, the commissioners placed several conditions including limiting the hours of operation, requiring the pit owner to pave the road to the south before the end of July 2008, (this year's paving season is about over} and pave the road to the north when truck traffic reaches a preset level. The pit owner will also use quieter backup alarms and build berms where requested to shield the view of the gravel pit for the half-a-dozen homeowners who could see into the pit. Compromises are pretty standard fare when you try to navigate the right course between the owner's property rights and impacts on the neighbors.

What keeps coming back to me are comments made that if we supported the expansion it was because “the county” would get the most benefit. The truth is “the county” is getting all the rock we need, or at least can afford, out of that pit right now - we don't need an expansion to fulfill the county needs.

But what really haunts me is what or who is “the county”? El Paso County is not red trucks and big buildings, it is not roads and jails. Those are all in the county and even owned by the county to meet the needs of the citizens of the county. People are the county. Realizing of course not every citizen uses every county service or drives every county road, but the county services have to be important to the citizens as a whole.

My point here is that the “county” is people who drive roads, who purchase license plates, who expect the bad guys to be in jail. The county is its citizens, they elect people who determine policy, plan for the future and manage assets to meet the needs the citizens have determined they find necessary.

CONTACT THE WRITER • HISEY4CD4@MSN.COM

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