The Nederland Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB) met on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. to hear updates on the Chipeta Park Pump Track project, the Trails Master Plan,
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The Nederland Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB) met on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. to hear updates on the Chipeta Park Pump Track project, the Trails Master Plan, and the renaming of South Mud Lake Open Space.
PROSAB Vice Chair Sam Ovett provided an update on the proposed Chipeta Park Pump Track project. The estimated 10,000 to 15,000 square foot track is being considered to be built between the parking lot and the basketball court in Chipeta Park.
The project received votes of support from PROSAB on March 16, from the Sustainability Advisory Board on March 23, and from the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) on April 12. The NDDA also approved funding up to $10,000 through a supplemental budget for design plans from American Ramp Company (ARC).
The project will be going before the Planning Commission on May 24 for feedback and support, and then before the Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) on June 6.
Board members were provided with an update concerning information gained from the Town Hall meeting with Boulder County Commissioners held at the Nederland Community Center on April 13.
Commissioners Claire Levy, Marta Loachamin, and Ashley Stolzmann, along with Park Rangers and other members of Boulder County Parks and Open Space, spoke during the meeting about the effect population growth has had on area parks and trails, and about the opening of a new five-mile trail that stretches through areas of Tolland Ranch, Jenny Creek, and Eldora.
The new Tolland Trail (though the name has not been finalized) will allow for hiking, biking, horses, and leashed dogs. The trail will be accessible through a 2.5 mile West Magnolia trail, and a connection to Rollinsville through Deadman’s Gulch is being negotiated with the US Forest Service. The Tolland Trail is expected to be open for public use before July of this year, and will be accessible Spring through Fall.
Parks Department Manager Nicki Dunn provided PROSAB with her Staff Report, which stated the department’s need for volunteers for several projects including the Town Clean Up Day (Saturday, June 3, 2023), trail building, and the planting of more than 70 bushes at Barker Meadows. Volunteers are needed for May 31, June 7, June 17, and July 1; those interested can apply through the Nederland Town Hall.
Dunn added that organizing days for necessary weed pulling around Nederland’s parks will be difficult this year due to issues with Boulder over composting the weeds. The Parks Department also currently has an opening for a full-time staff member.
The Staff Report also provided a short update regarding the work being done on Guercio Field. Tree planting is planned to be conducted on April 29, and hydroseeding efforts will proceed in early May. The entire Guercio Field project is expected to be completed by July 1.
Dunn then provided PROSAB with an update on attending the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Trail Labs which was held in Bentonville, Arkansas from April 5 to April 7. The BOT agreed to fund the $1,350 to send Jesse Seavers, the Trustee liaison to PROSAB, on the trip, which PROSAB matched by funding Dunn’s attendance.
The IMBA Trail Labs offered Dunn an education on the proper step-by-step planning process for trail building. Dunn stated that the seminar taught her a lot about planning trails intentionally, with a focus on connectivity, sustainability, accessibility, and with consideration of the future. Dunn and Seavers also learned much about how naming trails and parks can become a fundraising draw for the Parks Department.
Ecologist and Botanist Rea Orthner Wrobel provided PROSAB with an update on the Fisherman’s Lot Wetland Area project, which was approved by the BOT in May of 2022. The project is being led by Eldora Mountain Ski Resort and is part of an agreement with the Town of Nederland, with TEENS, Inc. assisting in the creation of the new wetlands.
Fisherman’s Lot is the dirt parking lot at the corner of East 1st Street and East Street that is adjacent to TEENS, Inc. and connects to Barker Meadows Park. The creation of the wetlands is required of Eldora by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) due to the impact to wetlands created by Eldora’s construction of the Ignite Adaptive Sports building. The project will ultimately help with flood mitigation and wildlife protections, as well as restoring Nederland’s watershed.
The project was originally estimated to cost $60,000 to $80,000, with Nederland contributing a match of $10,000, and was expected to break ground in April or May of this year. Orthner Wrobel stated that the excavation will begin June 5, 2023, and that public outreach initiatives concerning the project will roll out next month. The planting process will be complete by mid July; however, it may take years for the native plants and shrubs to grow in.
PROSAB continued their discussion on the development of a Trails Master Plan, which is contingent on assessments being conducted by students Sarah Drew and Amanda Ferro from the University of Colorado College of Architecture and Planning.
The question before the Board was whether another member of PROSAB wanted to join the subcommittee formed to draft the Trails Master Plan. Currently only Board Member Alexandra Zabierek is representing PROSAB on the subcommittee, though work on the draft will ramp up by June and a second representative from PROSAB is needed.
PROSAB will revisit this discussion during their meeting next month on Thursday, May 18, 2023.
PROSAB were tasked with appointing a member the role of Secretary on the Board. K.C. Cunilio, the Board’s newest alternate member, was proposed to be appointed to the position. A motion was made and seconded to appoint Cunilio the role of Secretary; the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Board Members continued the preliminary stages of the proposed project to rename the South Mud Lake Open Space, located between the Caribou Room and Tejas Lane, and to implement signage to designate it as an official Town asset. The questions before the Board were what to rename the open space, and who to authorize as the volunteer to move forward with sign fabrication and mounting.
PROSAB Member CT Hutt provided fellow Board Members with poll results from local households, many neighboring the open space in question. Of the 65 households that were reached out to, 39 completed the poll. Nine choices for new names for the open space were provided by Hutt and from resident suggestions, including names of revered residents like Dave Hallock and Lee Tillotson, and other choices like Moose Meadows. The Tammy Forrest Open Space was the ranked winner for the new name by 18 votes.
Though there was some discussion about utilizing the open space naming process as a device to raise funds for the Parks Department, PROSAB decided to honor the wishes of the polled residents and voted to approve renaming South Mud Lake Open Space to the Tammy Forrest Open Space.
A motion was also made to authorize Hutt as the volunteer to complete the sign fabrication and mounting; the motion passed unanimously.
The Nederland Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board meets on the third Thursday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 18, 2023, and can be attended online. For more information go to: https://townofnederland. colorado.gov/parks-recreation-openspace advisory-board.