My family, my husband ,10year old son and myself are residents in the Historic Hoagland Ranch PUD, where we've lived in peace for over 15 years, taking care of our home built in 1929. Our tranquility was disrupted 14 months ago, when Emma Fields Aspen Distillers began their operations, flooding our once serene home with continuous noise and bothersome low-frequency vibrations stemming from the alcohol distillation process. This transforms our home and neighborhood from a calm residential area into a site of distress and discomfort.

Over time, the adverse effects of these disturbances have become unbearable, threatening our sense of belonging and commitment to our community. Promises were made by Emma Fields to ensure the disturbance would be handled, yet these mandates and deadlines set forth by BOCC have not been met , leaving us with a list of broken commitments and unanswered complaints. 

Accountability needs to be held, action needs to happen today!

1.Emma Fields has failed to complete and test a planned, mandated noise mitigation plan set forth by the BOCC to be completed by 12/1/2024.

2.Emma Fields has had Tran reprogram their ethanol exhaust fans system to not run off operational hours when Distilling Operations have been stated by them to start with a 48 hour fermentation process that produces ethanol without consulting or being inspected by the Pitkin County and the Fire Marshal.

3. We request the BOCC mandate that true operational testing onsite at Emma Fields be conducted by an Acoustic Engineer that is 3rd party not hired and contracted by Emma Fields. Testing the whole cycle beginning to finish, every process and every piece of operational equipment. To test the transformer fully loaded with all the electricity they produce during these operations with their fully electrified facility . To effectively come up with the proper mitigation plan. It has been proven from recordings during site visits from the Emma Fields/ Aspen Distillers Operator ,various neighbor complaints & videos , Sheriff visits that off hours production exist and ethanol is produced off operational allowed hours per the Resolutions set forth by the Bocc 7am-7pm Monday-Friday. It has been proven to have low-frequency noise , vibration and nuisance heard and felt by homeowners through the night, early morning and on and through the weekends as well.

4.Matt Patel states in his Annual report for Emma Fields upon this review set for 1/22/2025 that all 3 employee workforce affordable housing units are occupied. They can be seen from our property line and the Hoagland Ranch neighborhood , They can be driven by during all hours and they sit completely dark, as they have since being available to be occupied since June 2024, no traffic or cars go to and from them. These are required in their Resolutions to be occupied at all times this is non-compliance. 

5. Emma Fields continues to not uphold to their agreement to maintain Hoagland Ranch Rd, it remains unsafe with ice patches on the steep slope leading to a stop sign before entering Hwy82.

6. Emma Fields has been witnessed to have Public tours and shuttle busses entering and leaving their property on  numerous occasions. The most traffic being Food and Wine weekend. This is a non-compliance of their Resolutions to not being able to be open to the Public as well as having anything occur and being open Saturdays and Sundays , this is also outside the 7am-7pm Monday - Friday operations listed in the Resolutions and is non-compliance.

We, the homeowners of the Historic Hoagland Ranch community , the residents of the Roaring Fork Valley & supporters of this family, neighborhood and community urge the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to take our plight into consideration during their annual review meeting on January 22, 2025. We demand them to revoke and not renew Emma Field's Special Use permit to distill alcohol, in order to restod re the peace and tranquility our neighborhood is known for.

Silence and respect for residential peace are not privileges; they are rights. Please sign this petition to help us reclaim these rights and end the nuisance caused by the alcohol distillation operations.