Common Sense from Former Commissioner Richard Hodges

Richard (Dick) Hodges spoke to the Park County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on Tuesday October 24, 2023 regarding the approval of a PUD to place a solid waste and septage transfer station adjacent to the neighborhoods of Wandcrest Estates, Will O' Wisp and Silver Springs subdivisions spanning Pine and Bailey properties impacting Park and Jefferson County. The resolution to approve the consolidated PUD process (this process is generally 3 steps has been reduced to 2 steps) will be drafted and approved at the next BOCC meeting.

Mr. Hodges, former County Commissioner, brought the statement below to the current Commissioners:

Minute 2:17:46

“Thank you. My name is Dick Hodges. As you know, I’m a former county commissioner and I think we know almost all of you there pretty well. Uh, I’m here because I have a love for Park County. I think you do. Uh, I always cared about the future. I always worried about the fact that people considered Park County a place to drive through and, as a commissioner, I tried to work and think of ways to make it more attractive so people would stop and enjoy the beauty that we’ve all shared and enjoyed. I have not had any contact other than today with the people opposed to this. I have read online what they’ve had to say. I’ve heard the people speak today and I must say I am impressed with the extent of the professionalism in their evidence that they have given you. I read the letters online. There is a lot of thought that has gone into this. I don’t think it is all selfish and about what they want for themselves as it is they care about their community. With that, I want to address one thing I read, not by you folks but by someone in the audience that ‘if the planning commission approves something it is a slam dunk.’ I think you know that is not true. You are elected by the people; they are appointed by you for recommendation, nothing more, nothing more. And many times in the past I’ve had to disagree with the planning commission when I felt as a representative of the people that I had to disagree with them. So, I would say it is an important task, the planning commission is a valuable service, they do a good job but they are not always right. It’s that simple.

Beyond that, I think, I know it’s a repeat but I will say this. There is a thing in there called compatibility. It’s compatibility of the neighborhood that they are in; it’s compatibility with the County. I’ve read the Strategic Master Plan. I was on the commission when it was written. I don’t believe that there was any real desire for heavy industrial use in Park County; if there had been, they would have addressed it. That’s simple to me. It’s simple to understand. They were looking to the future; they were concerned about views, peace and quiet. Some of the people in this room are of limited means but they came here for the same reason each of you came here. You have properties; you have peace and quiet; you have enjoyment of nature and that is why they came here in their own limited means way. That’s what they are enjoying and a neighborhood and that is why they are fighting so hard to stop a project like this.

With respect to Shirley’s comments, I have a concern. One of the concerns is that this project started without any consequence or any thought to what the County might say or permit. This tells me that this may not be a good citizen in terms of future compliance in a high risk operation. In a prior career I went around the country and site surveyed locations for factories to be built in other communities – North Carolina, South Carolina, Warrenton, MO, Westminster, CO. In every community the state, the county and the city management asked the same question, ‘Will it pollute?, is this something that is disgusting or revolting to us?, is this something we don’t want in our community?’. These people are no different. They have the same desires as we saw in South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Warrenton, MO and I think they should be listened to in this case. They have given you good reasons for turning this down. With respect to Mr. Shirley’s desire to do his business, every businessman has a right to want to maximize his profits and that is what he is simply trying to do. It is a legitimate pursuit and, from a business point of view, I can well understand what he wants to do. It cuts his costs. He is not the only person providing this service and the only advantage here is that his costs will be cut to improve his profits. That is legitimate; I’m not arguing against that but that is not a reason to say that it has to be done. It’s a reason to say that it is a better way for him to run his business but it should not be done at the expense of a community. That’s my opinion.

I will comment on the environmental issue to this extent, County Manager Eisemann, you are well familiar with the nitrate studies in this community. You know exactly what they are and where they are and they are dead square center of that. If there are spills, that is going to add nitrates to all your water and I think you know that Tom. So I am saying to you now, if you approve this you have to be so stringent in your safeguards that no water can possibly get into the ground water system from this operation. So I don’t want to take a lot of time, I know you’d give me extra time if I wanted it but I don’t want to take more.

I’m going to leave you with a question. It is a rhetoric question. Which one of you would gladly approve this thing next to your property?

Thank you.”

See here for the county recording.