After two months of deliberation, Westminster City Council voted last night to not move forward with funding for a pedestrian bridge and underpass at Rocky Flats.
The site, a former nuclear weapons production facility that operated from 1952 to 1992, has raised public concerns due to past plutonium contamination, despite official reports stating that contamination levels do not pose significant public health threats.
Rocky Flats was designated a Superfund site due to plutonium accidents and improper waste disposal, with cleanup efforts concluding in 2005. However, residual contamination fears persist, particularly as the area now serves as a wildlife refuge.
The Rocky Mountain Greenway is a 25-mile trail connecting Commerce City through the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and into Boulder and Jefferson Counties. Proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a decade ago, the project links three national wildlife refuges: Rocky Flats, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, and Two Ponds.
The problem is these “wildlife refuges” are also former and current Superfund sites. Critics argue the development could endanger trail users and nearby communities.
Joining us to tell us more about last night’s vote and the sustained efforts against any development through Rocky Flats is Chris Allred (he/him), Administrator, and Giselle Herzfeld (she/her), Campaign Coordinator from the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center.
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MorningMagazine_2024-09-24 Alexis Kenyon
