Brighton, CO

Brighton neighbors are speaking out against plans to create Colorado's largest battery factory in their backyards.

Back in March, Amprius Technologies announced plans to create a 775,000-square-foot plant for the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries.

The factory is set to be operational in 2025 and located at 18875 E. Bromley Ln. Just across the street from a residential neighborhood and within a mile of multiple schools, stands Platte Valley Medical Center and Brighton's water towers.

"We live here, we love here, our children go to school here. Please don't wreck it," said nearby resident, Jessie Williams.

Lawmakers including, Gov. Jared Polis and Senator John Hickenlooper, have expressed support for the facility, which would create over 300 jobs, while boosting the state's clean-energy economy.

"They say it's clean energy, but the process involved in making these batteries used carcinogenic chemicals, flammable liquids, the whole operation is highly hazardous and would be rated as such," said Kevin Murray, who lives a mile away from the site.

The batteries are classified as hazardous materials and are highly flammable.

"Very concerned as to why they would put something that is so hazardous to people's health and the environment and causes so many risks to be placed in a neighborhood that is not rural it is highly dense," Joe said.

She and her husband, Joe, live just feet away from the site. She posted on the app Nextdoor when she learned of the plans.

"It blew up," Jessie said. "The original post went over 18,000 views," Joe expressed.

Now they're rallying their neighbors against the battery factory and have collected over 300 signatures on a petition, urging the city council not to re-zone the site. Community members are turning in the petition on Monday.

"We have been going door to door. We have been getting the neighborhood, getting everybody involved. People aren't aware of the situation. So, we're filling them in," Jessie said.

They say their questions to Amprius about safety concerns have gone unanswered.

"What are your safety protocols? You can't give us an answer? You can't be our neighbor," Joe expressed.

CBS News Colorado contacted Amprius about the risks to the surrounding area and what safety protocols they use.

Amprius was not able to give a response Saturday, but directed CBS News Colorado to its website which says it will "comply with all federal, state and local environmental, health and safety regulatory requirements."

The City of Brighton also declined to comment.

Reporter Olivia Young

Olivia Young covers news in Adams County. Share your story ideas with her.

Brighton City Council has unanimously approved new summer water use restrictions, with stricter fines for residents who don't comply.

"Brighton is one of the last especially in the metro Denver area to pass legislation like this," said City Manager Michael Martinez, "basically we're trying to conserve water."

The new restrictions aim to reduce water use by 20% this summer. Martinez says Brighton uses 13 million gallons of water per day at the peak of it's watering season. He hopes the restrictions will save 2 million to 2.5 million gallons a day.

"Our customers will water three days a week, staggered," said Martinez.

Take a look at your address if you live in Brighton. If it's an even number, you will only be able to water your lawn Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays starting May 1. If it's odd, you can water Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. No watering is allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

"In the summer when it's hot a lot of the water that you put on your lawn just evaporates anyway so it's a complete misuse of water," said Martinez.

The restrictions will run from May to September.

Brighton resident Sandra Wilson feels the restrictions are reasonable.

"I do believe that we should all do our part sharing water and limiting what resources we're using," Wilson said. But she isn't a fan of the penalties.

First and second violations will result in a written notice, a third results in a fine of $125 for most homeowners and up to $1,500 for large commercial taps. A fourth violation will result in a court summons.

"The fines are one thing but having to go to court might be a bit too excessive," said Wilson.

Martinez says the actions are necessary to protect a shrinking resource in a growing city.

"Water being such a finite resource we have to do everything we can to protect it for our residents," said Martinez.

Martinez says cold weather turf laws like the one Aurora implemented in 2022 may be considered in the future.

Reporter Olivia Young

Olivia Young covers news in Adams County. Share your story ideas with her.

Fremont-based Amprius Technologies will build a new battery-making facility at an existing site in Brighton, Colorado, in a push to expand production of its proprietary silicon anode lithium-ion battery cells, which offer greater energy density than conventional graphite cells.

The new factory will be built in phases and is expected to become operational in 2025 with an initial output capacity of 500 megawatt-hours. Later, when the final stage of construction will be completed and the facility will have a footprint of 775,000 square feet, the potential output will be 5 gigawatt-hours per year.

The location already has a 1.3 million square foot existing factory, with the site being chosen for the pre-existing electric power and structural layout needed for a new factory, all while keeping costs down. After finishing the new facility, the site's combined output will be 10 gigawatt-hours per year.

At the event where the letter of intent was signed, signaling Amprius’ plans to expand in Colorado, the state's governor, Jared Polis had this to say:

“We need more batteries to power the future, and now we will be manufacturing more of them right here in Colorado. We are excited to welcome Amprius to Colorado, bringing over 300 new good-paying jobs and joining Colorado’s innovative and collaborative business community.”

According to the press release, the initial phase of 500 MWh will be funded in part by a $50 million cost-sharing grant awarded by the Department of Energy, with Amprius being one of the first companies in the United States to receive funding thanks to the bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“The selection of Colorado for our gigawatt-scale factory marks an important milestone for Amprius,” said Dr. Kang Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Amprius Technologies. “We worked closely with the state of Colorado, the Colorado Economic Development Commission, Adams County, and the City of Brighton to align on terms that are mutually beneficial and include a comprehensive incentive proposal. Increasing production to meet the substantial market demand for our breakthrough silicon anode lithium-ion technology remains a priority, and we are confident this factory will allow us to scale and effectively serve the electric mobility market.”

The battery company prides itself on making the most energy-dense lithium-ion units today, courtesy of its silicon anode technology which allows the cells to be smaller in size compared to the graphite anode cells that are widely available on the market. According to Amprius, its currently available batteries deliver up to 450 Wh/kg and 1,150 Wh/L.

News | Rocky Mountain PBS

BRIGHTON, Colo. — A lifesized replica of World War II-era battleship USS Colorado that's taking shape on the banks of Brighton's Mann-Nyholt Lake will never see naval service, but it's already received honors from the U.S. Navy.

Several U.S. Navy officers joined veterans and Adams County officials for the official "mast stepping" ceremony for the replica battleship, destined to debut by Memorial Day 2023 as the county's new Veterans Memorial.

"The Navy is excited about it because they want to use it as a recruitment tool, bring potential recruits, maybe bring out veterans to do physical therapy, weddings, military weddings, or commissioning of officers or chiefs, or retirements. We are going to have the USS Colorado's bell the same one on the submarine, " said Adam County Commissioner Charles "Chaz" Tedesco, a retired Navy Veteran.

Crews are continuing to build the Veterans Memorial at the Riverdale Regional Park, on the shore of Mann-Nyholt Lake. It's meant to honor past, present, and future veterans for their sacrifices to defend our country, Tedesco said.

Meaning behind mast stepping

The mast stepping ceremony was celebrated on Dec. 7, which is the Remembrance Day of Pearl Harbor. Veterans and community members placed mementos in a box that were placed inside the battleship's mast.

U.S. Navy Command Master Chief Benjamin Chester, a 22-year veteran who has deployed on three different ships, gave of speech on what the stepping of the mast means and the ceremony's history.

"The stepping of the mast is a meaningful event of the building a ship," Chester said. "The mast is carefully lowered through the whole main deck surrounded by reinforcing shocks reinforcing shocks security structural beams, the mast was in jostled into position through a slot into the keelson."

Chester said the tradition started with the ancient Greeks and Romans placing coins under the step of the mast to pay a toll for the crew to cross the dangers of the sea – and into the afterlife in case the ship sank. The Roman tradition paid Charon the ferryman to cross a river, Styx, into the afterlife.

"Placing the coins in ship functions as a form of advice, thanking the gods for successful construction, and requests for divine protection," Chester said.

Chester said it was also the practice when a ship was demasted, losing its mast to a storm or some other trauma; coins are placed in the new mast for good luck.

Chester said the Vikings placed coins in a container over the mast. Navies have continued the tradition, and coins were placed in the USS Constitution, Old Iron Sides, and on the original six heavy frigates of the U.S. Navy, still in service today.

"It's a rich tradition carried forward to the present. Though today the mass stepping ceremony involves placing or welding coins and other significant objects into the hollow part of the mast of the ship during its construction to bring good luck," Chester said. It's essentially a time capsule onboard the ship."

Chester said there is no official instruction or regulation which covers mass stepping. The ceremony is a time-honored tradition and an important part of bringing a ship to life.

"Today the ceremonies vary greatly from region to region and even throughout the individual shipyards. It focuses on history, heritage and ships' namesake enduring tie between the shipbuilder's crew, the plank owners and the sponsors of the ship, linking the past with future," Chester said.

Chester placed a Navy Talent Acquisition Group Rocky Mountain Command Chief challenge coin on the USS Colorado mast.

"I hope that it may bring luck and strength, I'm happy to be part of this today with Veterans Advisory Committee," Chester said.

Adam County Commissioner Charles Chaz Tedesco also served in the Navy for six years as a Boiler Technician taking care of the power units for the ship, the boiler, which ran on steam back in the day. He also served part of his Navy career on the USS Midway before its decommission.

Tedesco said his father, who adopted him, also served in the Navy in Sasebo, Japan, right after the bombing of Japan. In honor of his father, he placed his Good Conduct Medal from World War II on the mast.

"I served almost 45 years later, in Sasebo, Japan, that was my base," Tedesco said.

USS Colorado

Stephen Leek, another former sailor, served in the Navy from 1993 and 1997 as an aviation machinist working on airplanes on the carriers. He came in from Seattle to help with this memorial; his grandfather Elmer Hitchcock served on the original USS Colorado battleship in World War II as a first-class seaman.

"After he passed away, I started volunteering with his alumni group that served with my grandfather on the USS Colorado," Leek said. "They would have annual reunions after the war; they were all busy with their lives working and raising families. But as they got older, the reunions didn't happen as often. It was a regular part of my life with them, who fought in World War II with my grandfather."

Leek said when they couldn't take care of themselves, he answered the phones and sent out the newsletter.

About 12 to 13 years ago, there were up to 200 of them. Now we are down to four.

"The good news is that with the help of Adams County, all four plan on coming here to open the official ribbon cutting in May for Memorial Day," Leek said.

The Lucky Ship

Leek said the original USS Colorado History battleship was commissioned after World War I and was considered a dinosaur by World War II– one of the older ships in the Navy at the time.

"The Navy realized in World War II during Pearl Harbor that battleships were very vulnerable and became obsolete, and as December 8, 1941, the aircraft carrier had become the ship of battleships," Leek said.

When the attack on the Pacific Fleet began on Dec. 7, 1941, the USS Colorado was the only battleship that was not at Pearl Harbor.

"She had electrical problems and was at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on that morning that every other Pacific Fleet battleship was at Pearl Harbor and every one of them was damaged to some extent or another that morning. She was considered a lucky ship," Leek said.

The attack created a new role for battleships.

"The World War I era dreadnought kind of a ship couldn't keep up with faster battleships and aircraft carriers they were making," Leek said.

Leek said the USS Colorado still had a purpose as support for ground invasions such as Tarawa, Okinawa, etc.

"Those older slower battleships they would go in with the invasion forces soften up the beaches, so it kind of became her purpose after that," Leek said.

Found foghorn

The USS Colorado was decommissioned in 1947 and scrapped in 1959 and 1960.

Leek said all the parts from the battleship were sold and scrapped in Seattle as well.

"A lot of the pieces of the battleship have been found. Since I'm part of that alumni group, I get called about found pieces. A company near the Seattle airport had the USS Colorado's foghorn since 1960, using it inside its factory as emergency evacuation and about seven years, it upgraded to a modern system," Leek said.

One of those pieces was the ship's original foghorn. Lee said it's been placed on campus at the University of Colorado museum. He contacted them and they plan on bringing the foghorn to the ceremony in May to blow her horn when the memorial is complete.

"I've been getting more original parts and pieces and have some of the teak wood deckings from the ship that I'm bringing to be built into this battleship," said Leek.

Colorado Community Media is a network of more than two dozen print and online publications serving eight counties in the Denver area.

This story was first published in Colorado Community Media.

An undisclosed maker of silicon anodes for use in lithium-ion batteries received approval for up to $5.49 million in state job growth incentive tax credits from the Colorado Economic Development Commission on Thursday morning.

Project Maverick, the code name used by the company, is considering a site in Texas or Brighton for a manufacturing plant to produce silicon anodes. The company has developed a proprietary process to grow 3D structures of silicon, considered one of the more promising breakthrough materials to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

Using silicon can extend the range of the batteries, allow them to handle lower temperatures better, reduce the risk of fires and speed up recharging times.

The Brighton plant would create 332 new jobs at an average annual wage of $68,516, which is 104% of the average annual wage in Adams County. Managers, engineers, technicians, operators, and business support personnel are among the positions that will be created. The company currently has 59 employees, none currently in Colorado.

Meredith O’Connor, an executive with real estate brokerage JLL, told the commission that her client had been zeroing in on a location in another state when the Colorado site became available.

“We are hopeful they will find a home in Brighton,” she said.

Project Spectra, an unnamed aviation company, received approval for up to $3.79 million in job growth incentive tax credits in return for the creation of 240 net new jobs at a new flight training center in Denver. The jobs would pay an average annual wage of $186,500 or 208% of the average annual wage of Denver County. Positions include flight instructors, evaluators, stimulator technicians and engineers and maintenance supervisors.

The airline in question is also considering locating flight training jobs in Goodyear, Ariz. It has 80,000 employees, including 11,000 in Colorado. That matches the headcount of United Airlines, which maintains flight training centers in both Denver and Goodyear.

The third award granted Thursday went to an aerospace and engineering company from Huntsville, Ala. Project Beacon received approval for $1.35 million in job growth incentive tax credits tied to the creation of 71 net new jobs in El Paso County to work with the U.S. Space Command. The new positions would pay an average annual wage of $115,049, which is 191% of the average annual wage in El Paso County.

Several types of engineering roles would be offered including senior software, senior cybersecurity, modeling, and simulation, as well as program managers and controllers. The company currently has 555 employees, including three based in Colorado.

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