Study Session:
A trip with four stops along the route of the Peaks-to-Plains Trail in Clear Creek Canyon. The first stop is at what is called as the Big Easy. It is near the East end of what presently is being constructed, it will offer a large creek-side experience, and has the most Eastern bridge across the creek. The next stop was just east of the Mayhem trailhead in a spot where the County will be trading land with CDOT, moving the right-of-way further from the creek, to allow for parking on the creek side of the right-of-way.. The third stop was at “Cannonball Flats” that also has a bridge crossing and is a popular take out for rafters. The final stop was in Clear Creek on a nearly completed section of the trail, where the Committee had their box dinner.
On the way back to Golden, we stopped at the top of Floyd Hill to look at a 110-acre property in Clear Creek County that Clear Creek county is looking for partners for its acquisition. The property has potential for being a trail head for a trail down to the creek and also could give access to a trail in Jefferson County along the upper benches of the South side of the canyon.
Regular Session:
Planning Update – The Planning Team (Nancy York and Kyle Newmyer) reported on their recent activities:
They have reviewed 480 referrals from Planning & Zoning that might have an impact on Open Space. The referral of note is the Dinosaur Ridge application by the three Dinos. This application is to request additional commercial uses at the Northwest and Southeast corners of C-470 and Alameda Parkway.
The team has focused on one new property for potential acquisition. This is the Brookes property on the Southeast corner of Highway 93 and Leyden Road (82nd Avenue.) The property is adjacent to Arvada’s Pattridge Open Space property East on Highway 93, and would preserve migration corridors, Preble’s habitat, and provide connections to existing and planned Arvada trails.
The team has been working on two grant proposals. A GOCO grant for development of about one mile of the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon. A federal grant for an overpass of Indiana Street and two underpasses of Highway 128. This grant would allow connection of the Rocky Mountain Greenway from Westminster Open Space across the northeast corner of the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge to Boulder County.
The team is working on an update of the Mesa’s Region Master Plan (Mount Galbraith and North and South Table Mountain Parks.)
Scott Grossman discussed six small grants that Open Space has made to individuals for Nature-based studies on Open Space properties. These include tent caterpillars, wetlands, the K-T Boundary, riparian restoration, noxious weed suppression, and the fall web worm.
A recently completed construction project is replacement of the failed diversion structure on Deer Creek in Hildebrand Ranch Park. The diversion structure meters Open Space’s water rights for use in the park. A project now under study is the upper Mount Falcon Park trailhead. The goal is to improve the pedestrian safety in the parking area, add more parking, move the restroom and kiosk closer to the parking, and add a picnic area.
Nancy York discussed the updating of the cooperative agreement that Open Space has with Denver Mountain Parks for trail construction and maintenance. Open Space has built trails on a number of Denver Mountain Parks. The old agreement was about 18 years old and did not reflect some of the standards in use today.
The Executive Session discussed the potential for a land exchange with a Three Dinos property adjacent to Dinosaur Ridge that is not included in the rezoning application. A second item was discussion relating to the property viewed the study session field trip.
The June Study Session will be a field trip into the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon.
