CEMEX

“It secures it so that they can’t sell it to someone else,” Glowacki said in a separate interview Thursday. “They’re obliged to sell it to Boulder County Parks & Open Space.”

The county would also have the right to acquire approximately 974 acres of open space surrounding Dowe Flats at “no additional cost,” according to the news release.

“These concessions would set a firm end date for cement plant operations and allow the county to preserve 1,804 additional acres of open space at a significantly reduced cost,” Glowacki said. “For these reasons, Cemex’s request to extend mining for 15 years merits consideration.”

Boulder County Parks & Open Space co-signed Cemex’s application as a result of the “long-term community benefits” the company proposed.

Once verified for completeness, Cemex’s application will go before the Boulder County Planning Commission followed by the Board of County Commissioners.

According to its website, Cemex has 10 cement plants and nearly 50 aggregate quarries in the U.S.

Public comment will be taken at both the planning commission and Board of County Commissioners’ meetings.

“This is not a done deal,” Glowacki said. “This is really just the first step.”