To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Gini Pingenot, Director, Open Spaces
Prepared By:
prepared
Michele Frishman, Grants and Acquisitions Manager, Open Spaces
end
Subject:
title
Local Government Partner for High Line Canal Conservancy Grant
end
Purpose and Request:
recommended action
Open Spaces requests that the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) adopt a resolution authorizing the Director to co-sign a grant agreement between the High Line Canal Conservancy (Conservancy) and The State Board of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO), indicating the County will serve as the Conservancy's local government partner for the purpose of meeting GOCO's funding eligibility requirements for a grant made to the Conservancy.
end
Background and Discussion: The Conservancy received a $7 million grant from GOCO in 2024 to fund a variety of High Line Canal improvement projects in Arapahoe County, Adams County, and the City and County of Denver. GOCO requires the Conservancy to partner with a local government in order to meet its funding eligibility requirements for the grant, and the Conservancy has requested that Arapahoe County serve as its local government partner. Arapahoe County took ownership of the respective sections of the High Line Canal in June 2024; however, the County will not be the recipient of any of the GOCO funds, nor will it manage or maintain any of the proposed projects.
Open Spaces is willing to co-sign the GOCO grant agreement as the Conservancy's local government partner so long as the agreement specifies that Arapahoe County (i) is not subject to the terms, conditions, requirements, or obligations of the agreement; (ii) has not approved any of the proposed projects as the owner of the respective sections of the High Line Canal; (iii) has not committed any funding to any of the projects; (iv) has no responsibility for management, construction, or maintenance of any of the projects; (v) has no responsibility for activities...
Click here for full text