The bench at Fourth Street and Lincoln Avenue might as well have an “occupied” sign on it for the next few months, as Protect Our Loveland organizer Sharon Carlisle intends to hold a “bench sit-in” there every morning until Election Day.

Sometimes, Carlisle will engage her art to connect with people, sometimes she plans to have events or special guests, but sometimes — as on last Wednesday morning — she’ll just be sitting there in her Protect Our Loveland T-shirt, next to a sign urging a “yes” vote on a two-year fracking moratorium in Loveland.

“I’ll be here every single day until Nov. 5,” Carlisle said. “If it’s raining or snowing or anything — I’ll be here.”

The City Clerk’s office validated a petition submitted by citizen group Protect Our Loveland on July 23.

On Friday, the last day to challenge the petition, Larry Sarner of Loveland turned in a protest, saying he believes the ballot question contains too many subjects, that the proposed law “improperly seeks to become effective retroactively”; the petitions contain too few valid signatures; and the issues are covered by state law..

A hearing on the matter is set Thursday morning before the city clerk.

The proposed ordinance would impose a two-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to recover oil and gas within city limits so that full studies on human health and property values can be completed.

Carlisle started her “sit-in” on Wednesday and hopes that as she becomes a presence at the bench in the coming months, more people will stop to chat. She doesn’t see herself as a resource for information about fracking and said Protect Our Loveland stems from unanswered questions about the impacts of fracking in the first place.

Carlisle stressed the importance of a community conversation on the topic.

“I’m not here to give people answers; I’m asking questions,” she said. “So far with this particular issue, I haven’t heard any answers to any of our questions.”

The City Council must vote by Sept. 6 to either enact the proposed ordinance or place it on the ballot. With regulations for oil and gas development now in place in the city, councilors have indicated they will let the voters decide.

Jessica Maher can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 516, or maherj@reporter-herald.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JessicaMaherRH.