Huerfano commissioners give final approval to Sonic Bloom festival
WALSENBURG — Sonic Bloom representative Jess Gries informed the Huerfano County commissioners that the final stipulations they had laid down before allowing the three-day music festival to proceed have been met. Gries ticked off the items the commissioners had stipulated: weed mitigation, a fire plan with equipment and trained personnel in place, dust mitigation – a coating of magnesium chloride will be applied to County Road 650 a few days before the event, and a contract with the Huerfano ambulance service. Sheriff Bruce Newman has signed off on their security plan, and the traffic plan has been approved by the Colorado Department of Transportation. Commissioner Max Vezzani asked what the status was of the $95,000 security bond the county required, and Gries replied he had copies of it. The commissioners asked for the originals. “Well, it sounds like
it’s a go,” said Commissioner Ray Garcia. “We feel good,” Gries relied. In other business, the commissioners approved a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to DDS Limited for their marijuana grow business, located southwest of the SPRHC and Chaé Organics. This is another business who got their CUP application in before new regulations were put in place. DDS Limited expects to expand in five phases, with phase one having an initial number of 3,600 plants. They expect to begin growing in 30 to 60 days. After the CUP was issued, Commissioner Vezzani broadly hinted he would be bringing up additional regulations in a near future meeting designed to limit the total number of marijuana grows in the county for a two year period, to see how the business settles out. Don Mercier, director of the 911 service for Huerfano County, came to talk to the commissioners about the county’s 911 equipment which, due to a paperwork loophole, is not covered by county insurance. Mercier asked if the county would ‘sponsor’ the equipment, so it would become eligible for coverage. The commissioners, who acknowledged the county sheriff and road and bridge crew use the system, were open to the idea, though noted the independent 911 board would be responsible for the $2,000 annual cost.
