Tuesday, June 10, 1997 | 11:03 a.m.
The competitive sale of 22 million tons of gravel from Lone Mountain is a major policy shift for the federal Bureau of Land Management, motivated by the demand from local builders for high-grade gravel.
Associate District Manager Jim Abbott said the sale is an extension of the existing Lone Mountain community pit operations that have been going on since 1980, and is merely the sale of gravel already identified for disposal.
The BLM has conducted competitive bids in other parts of the county, though nothing this large, said Mark Chatterton, assistant district manager for nonrenewable resources.
The last competitive bid was for 3 million tons, in conjunction with the West Flamingo Wash expansion behind the Spanish Trail community, he said.
Until now, the BLM has limited Lone Mountain gravel operations to on-demand sales of up to 100,000 tons, with a cap of 200,000 tons a year. Under the competitive bid, private operators will obtain the right to excavate and process gravel from four different lots just north of Lone Mountain.
"When we do a competitive bid we can do larger volume and can plan for an extended period of time," Abbott said. "A multiple-year contract allows you to set up a business plan knowing you have a gravel source for a long time, and you can develop a more aggressive marketing plan."
Whoever wins the bids must follow the normal dust abatement and haul restrictions, Abbott said.
"This is a continuation of what we've been selling for 17 years and will continue to mine," Abbott said.
Abbott said the growing demand and competition from private operations has pressured the BLM to go with the competitive method.
"We change from over the counter to competitive to ensure we're getting a fair market value for the gravel," Abbott said. "Because of the demand for high-quality gravel, it's in the public interest to sell competitively."
The county's high growth is creating the demand, Abbott said.
"All this growth is not going to occur without it," Abbott said. "It really steps up the market interest in gravel."
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