Our Eastern Border

For decades Longmont has been committed to being a stand-alone city.  Documentation supporting this dates at least as far back as the 1980s.
You and I, as citizens of Longmont, own 735 acres and have conservation easements on another 51 acres around Union Reservoir.  Including the reservoir the total is 1,536 acres.  The cost of these properties is over $63.3 million.  Another 613 acres are owned or are conservation easements south of SH 119 in Weld County (some in conjunction with Boulder County) at a combined cost of nearly $8.7 million.  These acquisitions were made between 1986 and 2005.
We have a responsibility to preserve this valuable vision of a free-standing town and to protect not only our eastern boundary, but the $72 million invested in these properties for open space, water resources, storm damage protection, sanitation and recreational purposes.

The policy direction of the Pirnack council in concert with certain special interests sought to alter this direction. The Longmont community rejected this direction by supporting the referendum petition against the Union annexation by over 6,000 signatures.

The Union development was and is financially unsustainable on its merits and a detriment to preserving the open space around the City of Longmont that assures its free-standing characteristic.

I support the renewed efforts to protect our eastern border from urban sprawl and to preserve it as open space, wildlife habitat and low impact recreational opportunities.