Compost facility as planned is not what we need

The morning article on the composting facility says that the Longmont City Council plans to weigh in on whether we have a composting facility for Boulder County.

If their answer is that they support a composting facility, here are my hopes for that decision. I support the council saying that a composting facility:

1. Shouldn’t be built on land that was purchased as open space. Because after all, it was the voters of Boulder County who made possible the purchase of land as open space. The voters’ will should be honored, and a composting facility placed on land that isn’t open space. If the council or the county does other wise, they are jeopardizing the public’s future support of open space funding. Why have taxes for open space if purchased open space can just be eliminated by a current governing board?

2. Doesn’t need to cost tens of millions of dollars and doesn’t need to be a massive regional activity. Something more appropriate in scale and cost would be best.

3. Shouldn’t process human sewage sludge. There aren’t neighbors anywhere who would be supportive of this near their homes and rural businesses.

There is an opportunity to do something that makes sense rather than doing something that is enormously costly and violates the trust Boulder County voters have in those who are charged with protecting our open space.

Jana Mendez Former State Senator and Boulder County Commissioner Longmont