Posted on: January 29th, 2010

Report on the January 11, 2010, Meeting

Next Meeting is planned for March 8, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center

Seven people attended: Edie Eilender, John Sand, Karen Simmons, Dirk Arnold, Mark Steen, Marie Brookhart, and Gretchen Diefenderfer.  We had a wide-ranging discussion and we invite all interested people to attend the next meeting.

Presently we have historic, social trails, which many would like to see preserved, although there are sometimes private property issues.  In addition, because we have so much potential County Open Space surrounding us (some acquired through Conservation Easements, some to be acquired from BLM through the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, some purchased outright), we have the prospect of future trails, etc, being developed by the County.  A concern for some is that both the old and the potential new trails can leave us open to a lot of people trucking around – possibly in dangerous places (open mine holes, etc.) and possibly on adjacent private property – as well as the inherent liability issues connected to that.

Now that we have our CPI Vision Statement adopted into the County Comprehensive Plan, we want to look at our area citizens’ wishes concerning trails, both historic and future, with the goal of having input into County policy and plans.  Most felt that the County has been and will be interested in our feedback, including having public meetings before any plans are carried out, but all felt that we should be proactive and not wait until events start to unfold.

Dirk suggested we consider an inventory of present trails and old roads, as well as old mine workings.  Other questions arose concerning private property rights, the difference between public and private roads/trails, and adverse possession issues.

We need to look at the old Open Space plans for our area (developed some years ago with Jeff Moline in many public meetings), see where they stand now, and invite someone from Open Space up to address a meeting so that we all know what’s planned for the future.

John Sand volunteered to contact Garry Sanfacon to find out who we should contact.  Here is John’s follow-up email from January 13:

Yesterday morning I spoke with Chad Ricklefs (303-678-6273; cricklefs@nullbouldercounty.org) of the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department. I had been referred to him by Gary Sanfacon. Chad now has the responsibility for planning for all county open space development, including the area around Gold Hill.

Regarding the R&PPA Management plan for Horsfal Flats, et al., there has been no action on it since the draft was prepared by Jeff Moline in 2003. The color map of the area showing trails, improvements, etc., has not been changed. He is actively engaged with discussions with the BLM, but nothing conclusive yet. He is sending me two copies of the management plan as it was submitted to the BLM for our reference.

As for social trails around Gold Hill, he is sending me a large aerial photo of the area, which we can use for marking what we can identify.

I emphasized to Chad our strong desire to see a minimalist approach to development of the area, and he is in agreement. I used the Bald Mountain Trail Head as an example. He also plans to cooperate fully with all interested people in the development of a final management plan. He is looking at a 3-5 year time frame before beginning development of the area.

Overall, I feel that Chad well understands where we are coming from, and is willing to work with everyone as the process continues.