New Weld County Facility to House Electric Lawn and Garden Equipment

In a move to reduce air pollution and comply with state regulations, a new 4,800-square-foot facility will be built in 2025 to house county electric lawn and garden equipment. Earlier this month, the Weld County Board of Commissioners entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), accepting a $200,000 Energy and Mineral Impact grant for the construction of a new grounds facility, which is budgeted at $1.25 million.

“Air quality is an important component of health, safety and welfare, and this conversion to electric equipment is expected to reduce the negative impact on ozone,” said Kevin Ross, Weld County Commissioner Chair. “However, the new facility required to house this equipment is an added expense, so we’re pleased that DOLA is offsetting a portion of the cost to taxpayers with this grant.”

The building is being built in response to Regulation 29, a rule passed earlier this year by the Air Quality Control Commission. Regulation 29 applies to local, state and federal governments in the Denver/Metro North Front Range ozone nonattainment area and prohibits the use of smaller, push and handheld powered gasoline lawn and garden equipment from June 1 to Aug. 31.

Dr. Annareli Morales, Air Quality Policy Analyst for the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment, said the regulation follows computer modeling in 2021 by the Regional Air Quality Council that showed the emissions benefit of converting from gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.

“Regulation 29 is good for air quality because gas-powered lawn and garden equipment is a major contributor to ozone, with commercial equipment emitting more than residential,” she said. “Switching to small, electric equipment would reduce ozone precursor emissions and eliminate the direct exposure of people using the equipment to gasoline vapors, air toxics, carbon monoxide and particulate matter.”

The building will be the county’s first electrified building equipped to charge lawn and garden equipment. Its design is nearly complete, and construction is expected to be completed in 2025 by an outside contractor, which will be selected at a later date.