The Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB) met on Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. to receive updates regarding the creation of a new trail so that elementary students can travel safely from the school to Nederland’s ice rink and tennis courts.

Nederland Parks Manager and Interim Town Administrator Nicki Dunn, along with Trustee Luke Miller, discussed updates regarding the proposal to create a new trail, referred to as the Rink Link, connecting Nederland Elementary School to NedRINK.

The land for the proposed trail is Town-owned land near the elementary school’s emergency access and is planned to connect to an existing trail system that provides access to NedRINK. High Performance Earthworks, Peak to Peak Endurance, and the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance plan to volunteer for the development of the Rink Link.

Trustee Liaison Luke Miller has begun researching the history of the plot of land after a public comment was made during a Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting on June 4. The public comment, which has resulted in letters to PROSAB and the BOT, stressed that an adjacent property owner had been promised by previous Town officials that the open space would not be developed.

“The town-owned open space between the private properties on Ridgeview and the private properties on Arikaree Circle and Shoshoni Way was rejected as a route for a trail because of the negative impact on wildlife moving through the area and because of erosion issues that could impact properties below such a trail,” one concerned resident of the impacted neighborhood wrote.

It was claimed within the letter that research on the use of the land had been done by the Town in the early 2000s and that the undeveloped open space was used by wildlife moving from Ridgeview to Mud Lake.

“Because the space has no trails and is a quiet space with little human activity, it is used by moose, elk, and deer for grazing and resting and is frequented by bobcats, coyote, pine martens, Abert’s squirrels, black fox, red fox, owls, hawks, magpies, Colorado blue jays, cardinals, eagles, etc.,” the letter continues.

“I ask that the town not sacrifice this small but invaluable swath of green space and wildlife habitat to a second trail.”

PROSAB also received four letters in support of the creation of the trail, two of which came from Nederland 8th graders.

Miller noted that he had spoken with former PROSAB members, who indicated that there was no specified reason as to why a trail at that location was never completed. Miller also stated that mention of the land has also been found within the Town of Nederland’s previous trails master plans.

Any action on the proposed project has been paused for further investigation and public outreach from the BOT and Mayor Billy Giblin.

Dunn presented her staff report to the Board, which included updates on several projects and initiatives involving the Nederland Parks Department, such as the shot blasting of the NedRINK tennis courts, which will cause the courts to be closed for a short time.

The Summer Concert Series, organized and managed by Time Served Productions and contracted by the Nederland Downtown Development Authority, has held two out of six concerts at Chipeta Park. Dunn expressed concern about the wear and tear on the park’s already stressed lawn, especially with a summer-full of events still to come.

The NDDA had decided during their June 12 meeting that three of the four remaining concerts should be held at Chipeta Park, as there was difficulty finding many more viable concert locations for the series.

Since PROSAB was holding this meeting outdoors at Chipeta Park’s pavilion, Dunn was able to point out to the Board the bald spots and noted that it takes up to two years to regrow grass on the lawn.

In addition to the Summer Concert Series, Chipeta Park will also host events on the Fourth of July, and will host the Carousel of Happiness Summer Circus on July 27. Some events during the Town’s 150th Anniversary Celebration on August 2, 3, and 4 will be held at the park, as well as the Jazz & Wine Festival on August 24.

Balazs Garami, the Lake House Supervisor at Evergreen Lake, discussed the process of managing recreational activities at the lake, from boating and fishing in the summer to ice skating and ice fishing in the winter.

PROSAB Chair Kat Barr indicated that the Board had no position regarding opening Barker Reservoir for recreation, nor did they have any intention of moving forward with any such initiatives. The presentation from Garami was strictly intended as an informational item on PROSAB’s agenda.

Garami first briefly described the Town of Evergreen, located at 7,351 feet with a population of 9,000. Evergreen Lake, which does contain a dam and stores the drinking water for Evergreen, covers approximately 41 acres. The lake sees boating and paddleboarding in the summer, though no motorized watercraft are permitted, and also hosts a summer concert series.

Though Evergreen Lake has several stakeholders, including Denver Parks and Recreation and the Evergreen Metropolitan District, it generates enough revenue to be self-sustainable.

The Lake House is often used for Town events and can also be rented for private events, including weddings. With thousands of visitors on the weekends, and providing recreation year round, the revenue generated from recreation and Lake House rentals covers the cost of offering recreation at the lake. It also provides funds for Evergreen’s other parks and recreational facilities.

Garami specified that there is a strong focus on providing safe recreation at the lake, including requiring their seasonal employees participate in extensive training. It was noted that mitigating human/wildlife conflicts and managing safety close to the dam were the biggest concerns at Evergreen Lake.

Board members asked if there were any concerns about contamination and water quality, to which Garami responded that there was not, as the type of recreation on the lake was strictly regulated and the requirements for water quality were meticulously adhered to.

The Board discussed with Erin Fried and Julien Blundell of the Boulder Watershed Collective about the work PROSAB is doing on the creation of a volunteer program, and how the Collective can assist with such endeavors.

The Collective is currently developing a Community Wildfire Action Plan, which is close to being unveiled to the public, with a two-week long plan for outreach where all will be able to read the 200-page plan.

Through the public outreach already conducted concerning priorities involved with living with the threat of wildfires, the community has expressed a need for a community volunteer network, with leaders for several different volunteer operations to help provide safety and preparedness for wildfires.

The Collective has worked with Gold Hill and Coal Creek and offered them grant writing support to secure funds to hire fire mitigation coordinators. Friend added that the Collective can also host seminars for the public on ecology or emergency preparedness, as they are currently working with Nederland’s Emergency Manager Troy Hendricks on creating a preparedness campaign.

PROSAB is in the early stages of creating a volunteer program, starting with devising strategies on attracting volunteers, and compiling a list of regular volunteers from several different sources.

A tentative date has been set for the first Saws and Slaws, a volunteer fire mitigation event to take place at the Town’s newest recreational asset, Moose Meadows. The date is currently set for September 14, subject to change.

Barr led a discussion regarding a revised list of PROSAB’s 2024 - 2025 goals. She also shared the results of an inter-organization survey that asked each Board member to clarify their thoughts on what the Board’s focus should be.

According to the survey results, there was a general consensus among the Board to continue focusing on the previously stated goals of updating the Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails Master Plan (PROST), supporting Town staff’s priorities, and developing a volunteer program.

Board members were also interested in pursuing trail connectivity and updates to the NedRINK facility, though there was discussion as to how PROSAB could properly assist in the creation of trails. Focusing on trail connectivity was also suggested as an alternative focus from the Pump Track project, which was listed as one of PROSAB’s goals.

The Board discussed how they can work to determine the best trail connections and prioritize them, and map which trails go onto private land. They also discussed how they can provide fire mitigation on existing trails and social trails, clean them up, and post updated signs. There was also mention of focusing on land acquisition, easements, and open space preservation.

The Board decided to keep focusing on PROST, on improvements to NedRINK, and on the creation of a volunteer plan, but removed the Pump Track project from their list of goals for 2024 and 2025, replacing it with pursuing funds to provide an ADA-compliant playground at Chipeta Park.

The Board needed to appoint a new Chair after Barr officially stepped down from the position. Barr will continue to serve on the Board as a regular member.

Vice Chair Sam Ovett and Board member Alex Zabierek both expressed interest in the position. A motion was made to elect Zabierek as PROSAB Chair; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Zabierek’s first action as Chair was to call for a vote to adjourn the meeting.

The Nederland Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board meets every third Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 18, 2024. Meetings can be attended online via WebEx. For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/parksrecreation-open-space-advisory-board.