Johnnie St. Vrain
Owner clearing old ag worker dorm to make way for a new home, barn
Hello again, Johnnie: Thank you much for another excellent ar ticle in the Dec. 7 Longmont TimesCall (in response to my question about a beaver behind Har vest Junction shopping center), the result of your complete research and presentation. I see the beaver deceiver is taking ef fect, at least in reducing the size of the pond, but it’s not obvious if the animal(s) vacated the premises, since beavers are primarily nocturnal.
Regarding my second inquir y in November, about the dorm on Quicksilver Road: I noticed Feb. 19 that a demolition outfit was in the process of relocating the building into a few roll-off containers with a “jawed” backhoe. I’ve attached a photo I took of the activity. The owner of the property there must be in the process of repurposing that area. Anyhow, I hope this follow-up and the photo aid in your effort to find out what the end product might be over there. I sure hope it doesn’t stir up any controversy like the possible composting facility south of town.
And again, thank you for your research and newspaper explanations.
— Dave Z.
Hello again, Dave Z.:
Your follow-up question and photo did, indeed, aid my ef for t, in that they spurred me to get into gear, track down and talk to the person who owns that property, and go take a look at the property for myself — all of which I’ve done in the past week.
The house and the dormitor y that once stood there are now gone.
I spoke with Holly Cook, who purchased the property about a year and a half ago in order to make it her place of residence.
“I originally was going to demo part of it and turn it into a home,” she told me. “Then I had it tested.”
What environmental testing revealed, according to county documents, was meth levels above state levels, as well as asbestos. So, in Januar y, Cook received a permit for the “deconstruction,” which is what you have witnessed.
“I’m looking to start from scratch and build a home and barn and live there,” Cook said.
Dave, your mention of the dorm suggests that you know about that property’s recent histor y. For those who don’t know, here’s that histor y, briefly.
On that site, in 1991, the Boulder County Housing Authority constructed a two-story, 24-room dormitor y equipped with a kitchen, laundr y facility, showers and a dining hall to house migrant agricultural workers. But more than a decade ago (and I apologize for not having the exact year), the county decommissioned the facility. In the fall of 2012, Johnnie reported that the BCHA had listed the property for sale. It sold in 2014.
Before Cook purchased the property, it was owned by Happy Little Hemp Farm, which is still the label attached to the property on Google Maps.
Hello, Johnnie: Ihavea question about one-gallon plastic bottles.
At home we use distilled water for a CPAP machine and a humidifier. We use a lot of those gallon bottles over the course of a week.
Is there a place that can use the empty plastic bottles rather than just putting them into the recycle bin? Is there any place in town that sells distilled water so we can re-use/fill our empty bottles? It seems like such a one-time-use waste.
There’s got to be a better way. — Jean
Hello, Jean: I Googled “distilled water refill station near me” and found a company called Primo Water that, according to the map on its website, has refill stations at both Longmont Walmarts and at Sprouts.
I checked the nor th Walmart and found the refill station next to the dair y section — just walk into the south entrance of the store straight down the aisle along grocer y. And I called Sprouts and asked if they had a station. The woman who answered said that there’s a refill station just inside and to the right of their exterior doors. She wasn’t sure which kind of water it dispensed. At both locations, a customer can bring her own container and refill it.
According to the website, Primo uses sediment filtration, activated carbon filtration, reverse osmosis, post carbon filtration and ultraviolet sterilization. I don’t see anything there that fits the literal definition of distilled, but perhaps their process would work for you. I didn’t know about Primo before researching your question, and my answer is not a product endorsement.
As for anyone who can use your empty jugs, I’ll let my readers send suggestions.
Send questions (and suggestions) to johnnie@times-call.com.