Mine Expansion Will Move Memorial

The only gravesite the Tease family has ever known for their loved one is moving.

Wayne Tease died 25 years ago when he fell down an old mine shaft in Victor. His remains are still 1000 feet deep. His body was never recovered.

A navy bronze plaque with the words ?Remember Me? now sits at the site. It?s where the Tease family has been visiting since 1986.

Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company says it wants to extend its mining operations over the Tease memorial.

?Our valley leach facility, the area we recover gold from rock, will be full, so we need to expand that facility,? said Jane Mannon, company community affairs manager.

Mannon said the company wants to build a leach facility on Squaw Gulch over the old Mary McKinney mine.

?It will extend our mine life. Right now, we have permits to mine through 2016. This will give us another nine to 10 years,? said Mannon.

The expansion would also increase workforce by 40 to 50 employees, she said.

Wayne?s brother, Donald Tease, said he understands the company?s need to grow, but said it?s not easy for his family.

?I?m not real comfortable with it. But as I?ve said in the past, you can?t stop progress. It is their property after all,? said Tease.

Mannon said it wasn?t an easy decision to make, but one that needed to be done for the community.

?I’m completely sympathetic with the family. It’s a horrible tragedy. However, it is private property and it is our ability to continue operating,? she said.

The mining company has offered to relocate the Tease Memorial to an overlook off highway 67 or a different spot on the mining property.

No deal has been made yet.