BRIGHTON — A proposal to put a medical-waste sterilization facility near Commerce City drew a narrow recommendation from the Adams County Planning Commission on Thursday despite ferocious opposition from its neighbors.
The planning board voted 4-3 to recommend approving a plan by Denver’s Waste Solutions to put in a one- story, 15,660-square-foot building on 4 acres at 8620 Brighton Road in Dupont. The plan now goes to the Adams County commissioners, who will make the final decision on the project Sept. 12.
The planning board’s vote came after several residents attacked the idea and the leading partner in Waste Solutions, Mike Magee.
“This is a case where we are all being put at risk,” said neighbor Gary Mathews. “This is madness.”
Residents said the facility is too close to homes — including the 300- resident Wikiup Mobile Home Community — and schools.
They also charged that Magee was too dismissive of their concerns at a public meeting in July.
In fact, Magee was “condescending,” said Commerce City Mayor Paul Natale. “The customer service in this meeting was horrible.”
Natale and others argued that the business would fit in better in a more industrial area of Adams County.
The harsh reaction to the plan stunned many of the planning-board members.
“This is as close to hysteria (as) I think I’ve ever seen on an issue,” said board member Stew Mosko, who voted against the proposal along with Sharon Richardson and Paul Tochtrop.
However, the majority agreed with Magee that the operation will be highly regulated and of little danger to the population. Waste Solutions, Magee said, looked at several sites but “felt this fits all of our needs.”
The site would process regulated medical waste that includes syringes, gauze and bandages. No chemotherapy wastes or body parts would be accepted, Magee said.
The facility would use industrial-size steam autoclaves to heat the medical waste to 280 degrees Fahrenheit for 70 minutes. It then would be compacted and shipped to landfills, Magee said.
If approved by the county commissioners, the operation will be given a Certificate of Designation, which means it will have to meet higher safety and environmental standards to remain in operation, said county planner Christopher LaRue.
Waste Solutions will also have to meet several other conditions, including banning the storage of medical waste outside the building and restricting the hours of operation from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
But Commerce City Councilman Dominick Moreno said the facility would be a blight on the city’s reputation, which officials have tried to improve.
“I think this would be step backward for Commerce City, not a step forward,” Moreno said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
