Article by: Mary Eiberger (Attorney Carl Eiberger's daughter)
31 Years Ago
On this day in 1994, attorney Carl Eiberger, along with community opponents Bob Woodfill and Doug Holling, prepared for a pivotal prehearing meeting ahead of the July hearing before the Mined Land Reclamation Board—the issue at stake was a proposed quarry on South Table Mountain.
On the other side was attorney Leo Bradley, representing his wife, sister-in-law, and Coors, who collectively owned 2,000 acres on South Table Mountain. Bradley downplayed the scale of opposition, stating, "The South Table quarry permit is not a popularity contest." He added, "There may be 100,000 people who don't want this quarry."
He was not wrong. Carl Eiberger, together with Applewood neighbors Betty McFerran and Lowell Hudson, had organized the "Citizen's Coalition to Preserve South Table Mountain." Back in the 1970s, Betty had collected 15,000 signatures alone, going door-to-door and standing outside King Soopers. The coalition was made up of neighbors, geologists, and mining engineers—such as S. Alex Scott—who had testified over the years to the hazards of quarrying the mesa.
This was Bradley's final appeal to pursue the quarry. The Division of Minerals and Geology had already recommended the denial of the permit due to serious risks: contamination of groundwater from naturally occurring radioactive radium in the volcanic rock, potential rockfalls and landslides, and structural damage to surrounding properties such as a Public Service Co. tower, irrigation ditches, West 32nd Avenue, U S West cable, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and others.
The proposed quarry would have been massive—one mile long, one mile wide, and 175 feet deep. A conveyor belt would have transported crushed rock 1.3 miles from the summit of South Table Mountain to 32nd Avenue.
By then, Carl Eiberger had donated 20 years of pro bono legal work for the Pleasant View Metropolitan District, fighting to block the quarry. This was the third and final appeal, following previous denials in 1981, 1983, and 1988.
Eiberger said, "Leo and I have locked horns before."
At one point, Bradley stated there had been "more than 100 hearings." Eiberger corrected him: "It was 98, Leo, 98 hearings," he said.
Attorney Carl Eiberger had won all 98 public hearings before the commissioners.
Following the final legal victory, Carl dedicated another four years to solidifying those protections—working closely with Camp George West, Jeffco Open Space, and others to secure the land and finalize the contracts that ultimately made South Table Mountain Park a reality.
Carl Eiberger's pro bono legal work totaled one million dollars to the Golden community—equivalent to several million dollars today.
In recognition of his decades of public service, the northeast Point of South Table Mountain is named Carl's Point. Here is a short 2-minute video in QR form at Carl's Point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIYQANXBfEI
Carl Eiberger passed away on March 6, 2019. Throughout his lifetime, he helped create 11 parks in Golden and was the founder of Applewood Park. A man who never took for granted the education that allowed him to rise from poverty, he spent his life giving back—especially to the Golden community.
A proud Coloradan, Carl often marveled at the sunsets over South Table Mountain, saying, "This is God's country." He cherished Colorado's beauty and dedicated his life to protecting it.
To learn more about Carl Eiberger's legacy and the decades-long fight to preserve South Table Mountain, visit www.carleiberger.com.
He is honored in the "Legendary People" gallery at the Golden History Museum.
