VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 33
WEEK OF AUGUST 17, 2023
Neighbors oppose battery plant
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Commerce City budget review gets underway BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
reviewed the project. Planning Commisioners voted against Ampirus plan, recommending City Councilors turn it down at that Aug. 10 meeting. Andrew Huie, Amprius’ vice president of infrastructure, said the company still needs zoning approval from the City of Brighton and permits from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. They plan to submit their applications to the state this fall, with zoning reviews with the Brighton City Council on their todo list next, if the Planning Board approves. The company hopes to be operating by the beginning of 2025. The facility would be located at
Councilors kicked off the annual review of their 2024 spending plan Aug. 7, getting a refresher on what they should expect to hear from city staff over the next two months. City Manager Jason Rogers and his staff outlined the process behind the council’s work agenda through November and staff ’s ideas and philosophy about city spending. “The budget is intrinsically linked to the city’s vision and mission,” Rogers said. “How are we encouraging the development of our organizational goals? How are we establishing policies and plans to achieve these goals and how are we allocating the resources that are consistent with our goals.” Commerce City’s 2023 budget called for $98.4 million in overall spending. The council’s Aug. 7 budget refresher was the first of three meetings before the council’s budget retreat on Sept. 11 and their first public hearing on the budget on Oct. 16. Councilors are scheduled to adopt the final budget for 2024 at their Nov. 6 regular meeting. Councilors are scheduled to hear a report on city fund balances, projected revenues and department funding requests at the Aug. 14 discussion. They’re scheduled to discuss the council’s own budget and review the previous two meetings at their Aug. 21 discussion. Working on the budget is a yearlong job, Budget Manager Christopher Johnson said. Staff begins working on the next year’s capital investments plan in February, even while the staff is working to close
SEE PLANT, P3
SEE BUDGET, P2
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• Vestas to lay off 200 employees
BUSINESS
Jessie Williams and Cat McQueen talk with Amprius Tech Vice President of Infrastructure Andrew Huie Aug. 8 at Brighton’s Healing Place Church while Joe Williams reads company handout during an open house meeting the battery manufacturer PHOTO BY SCOTT TAYLOR hosted for neighbors.
Planning Commission to hear zoning change Aug. 10 •27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
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LOCAL
Jessie Williams is clear about her opposition to opening a lithiumion battery manufacturing plant in Brighton’s former Sears/KMart distribution center: Nothing developers, company officials or city say will convince her it’s a good idea. “This is an inappropriate location,” Williams said. “I’m not against the technology. I’m not against anything they are trying to do. It’s just that this is an inappropriate location.” Williams lives on Mt. Sneffels St.
due north of the place where hightech battery maker Amprius Tech plans to open its first full scale manufacturing plant. The company announced in March its intention to occupy the empty former distribution center on Bromley Lane, setting up their new lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in the 775,000-square-foot building. They say their first phase would create 332 net new jobs in Brighton with an average annual wage of $68,516. But Williams, her husband Joe and their neighbors are standing in the project’s way. The Williams attended an open house hosted by Amprius at Brighton’s Healing Place Church Aug. 8 and say they were front and center Aug. 10 when the Brighton Planning Board
BRIEFS: PAGE 2 | OBITUARIES: PAGE 4 | CLASSIFIEDS: PAGE 8 | LEGAL: PAGE 10
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SEEING WHAT’S IN STORE Parents, students, teacher curious to see changes at Adams 14 P4