About to disappear (Silverton)

I just found out that San Juan County is about to close on buying the smelter site on the south edge of town adjacent to US 550. By mid-summer, they hope to be well into construction of infrastructure for some 18 units of "affordable" housing units. The right of way of the Silverton Railway passes through the middle of this site as well as all the former trackage of the smelter. Some pieces of the smelter remain, along with pieces of metal smoke stack. It is fairly easy to follow almost all of the spurs in this complex as well as locate where some of the structures used to be, like the assay office. There is also the pit for the track scale, and portions of the mainline.
This site is marked by smelter slag and black, very fine residue. Some years ago, the D&RGW purchased the small mountain of slag that was at this site and hauled it down to the Silverton yard where it was slowly moved down the canyon for use as ballast.
I was quite surprised by this as I heard it from the town/county planner and county land use administrator as we were driving to Ouray for a Red Mountain meeting where we heard good news about buying more of the remaining right of way leading into Corkscrew Gulch turntable from private land owners. An act of preservation on one end of the trip, and destruction of a really neat site about to take place on the other end.
I suggested that since this will take a positive recommendation of the planning commission, of which I'm the chairman, that an accurate mapping of the site with related photography may well be required for our approval. I don't think there is any legal way to stop this action, as it has all sorts of backing and lots of money being thrown at it from state and federal levels.
My suggestion is for anyone interested to hit the ground early in the spring (May around here) and tour the site and document it if you have any interest. It's not much as seen from the road, but walk the site and have a copy of the Rainbow Route in your hands and it all comes alive. But not for much longer.