In late 2016 Loveland Ready Mix Concrete bought two large parcels in Laporte. An initial sketch plan was submitted to the Larimer County Planning Department for a gravel mine, concrete batch plant, and rock/concrete crushing plant which is, for many residents, their backyard.
This operation would be similar to the mines along North Taft Hill Road. Few residents were notified of this initial plan and some initial opportunities for review and comment were missed because of issues with the uploaded plan documents. A handful of citizens quickly spread the word, posting signs, developing the Laporte Residents Matter theme, the No Laporte Gravel Mines Facebook page. Laporte Residents Matter was rebranded to No Laporte Gravel Mines to reflect the extent of the issue and to represent the concerns of all citizens, from neighboring communities as well.
A petition was circulated opposing the proposed plan and had 1,000 signatures within the first week. A neighborhood meeting was held on March 7 at the CLP Middle School gym, where approximately 300 people attended and expressed concerns. A number of people signed up for a communication list and a planning session and work groups have since been established to research various areas of concern and to support and organize the citizen opposition to the proposed gravel mine.
From 2002 to 2004 Laporte opposed the Hawkeye Ranch (aka Timberline Resources) application that was directly south of the 287 bypass because the proposed operation was too close to Laporte. In 2005, the commissioners conditionally approved the application by requiring that the mining operation at the corner of 54G and Taft Hill be completed first. In May 2016, the commissioners approved a third amendment that extended the period that the Hawkeye land could be mined. Timberline’s CDOT permit to access the 287 bypass has expired.
Now Loveland Ready-Mix is proposing mining next to the center of Laporte. Hawkeye Ranch, that is directly north this LRM’s site no longer has an operator or an approved road access to remove the mined materials. LRM continues to acquire other land (e.g., east of Taft Hill near Chappelle Small Animal Hospital) to also potentially mine.
View the map of the proposed site and surrounding areas here.
Citizens oppose LRM’s the proposed Laporte operations, for all of the reasons outlined throughout this website and because the cumulative effect would overwhelm the town, a town which is adored by many.
Find information on this site along with petitions, discussions, and a shared bank of knowledge, opposing this proposed gravel mining in Laporte.
Laporte is a small community just Northwest of Fort Collins, nestled near the foothills with a wide open view to the East where both sun and moon rises can be spectacular. It is a gateway to the Poudre Canyon and the Poudre River runs through here.
Laporte is a little town where the bulk of the traffic is from people making their way up to the Poudre Canyon or Lory State Park to kayak, cycle, hunt and ski and in the summer, people headed to local Lyons Park to float, fish and walk the Poudre River.
Laporte is a simple town.
It is where you see cowboys on the street on horses, deer and turkeys wandering the streets while unsuspecting out-of-towners stop to take pictures. It is where the downtown consists of a watering hole/music venue, a coffee and pie shop, a ‘world-famous’ pizza place, a grocery store, a post office, a veterinary clinic and a hardware store. And one stop-light.
Laporte is a quiet town.
It is where you can commute 15 minutes by car or 35 minutes by bike to the University town of Fort Collins for a night out and then come back ‘home’ and enjoy the quiet. It is where the bike paths are plowed before the streets. It is where you can still see the stars at night.
It is where the community gathers at historical buildings to organize efforts against the proposed cement plant and rock crushing quarry that threatens our haven.
Laporte is unique. It is peace and quiet, and it is why we live here.
We want to keep it this way.