Minturn seeks land for wastewater plant

MINTURN – Minturn officials submitted an offer to a Vail Resorts subsidiary to buy a piece of land in town to build a waste water treatment plant.The town offered $735,000 to purchase the “Bone Yard,” a five-acre piece of property north of downtown adjacent to the railroad tracks. The Ginn Co., hopeful developer of a private ski resort on Battle Mountain, is paying for the land purchase and future building of the treatment plant.Town officials requested an agreement be reached with Vail Holdings within the coming month.Whether the town plans to work with the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District on the construction of the plant is unknown.”We’re not that far along in the process to know if Eagle Water and Sanitation District would be interested in participating in this plant,” said Anne Castle, Minturn’s water attorney.If the treatment plant is built on the “Bone Yard,” Minturn likely would regain water rights it lost in a legal settlement nearly a decade ago.The plant would clean the wastewater created by up to 4,600 people as well as what is produced by the private ski resort.Minturn officials have said the Ginn Co.’s purchase and building of the treatment plant does not obligate them to approve development of the private resort.Staff Writer J.K. Perry can be reached at 748-2928 or jkperry@vaildaily.com.Vail Daily, Vail Colorado CO