To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Gini Pingenot, Director, Open Spaces
Prepared By:
prepared
Elly Evans, Program and Project Administrator, Open Spaces
end
presenter
Presenter: Elly Evans, Program and Project Administrator, Open Spaces
end
Subject:
title
1:00 PM *High Line Canal Recreation Lease Extension Amendments
end
Purpose and Request:
recommended action
Pursuant to Res 26-056 (the 2026 signature authority resolution), the Director of Open Spaces is authorized to sign recreation leases following a drop-in session with the Board of County Commissioners. The Director of Open Spaces requests approval by the Board to issue amendments extending the existing High Line Canal recreational leases with local government partners.
end
Alignment with Strategic Plan: Good Governance - Understand and respond to community needs, interests, and values.
Background and Discussion: When Arapahoe County acquired the High Line Canal property in 2024, Denver Water transferred several Recreation Lease agreements they held with local government partners. These agreements define roles and responsibilities for upkeep and maintenance of the High Line Canal trail corridor (the trail plus six feet on either side). Specifically, they cover actions such as debris and weed removal from the trail and mowing vegetation alongside the trail. They do not cover the maintenance needs within the canal itself. Those are covered by the county‘s $700,000 budget allotment or, in rare cases, by a local partner‘s stormwater agreement.
The current Recreation Leases are set to expire on December 31, 2026. Open Spaces staff and local government partners are satisfied with the terms of the original agreements at this time and wish to sign amendment documents extending the leases for an additional two years. Extending the Recreation Leases will come at no cost to the county and will benefit the Open Spaces department by ensuring that trail maintenance continues to be managed by local government partners rather than our own maintenance department.
An example Recreation Lease and proposed Extension Amendment are included for review.
Alternatives: Approve, modify, or decline the proposed extension amendments. If the County does not move forward with the amendments, High Line Canal recreation leases will no longer be valid beginning January 1, 2027.
Fiscal Impact: None.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: N/A.
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends that the BOCC approve extending High Line Canal recreation leases.
Concurrence: Local government partners along the High Line Canal, including, South Suburban Parks and Recreation, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, and Aurora are in support of extending their recreation leases by 2 years.