To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Shannon Carter, Director, Intergovernmental Relations and Open Spaces
Prepared By:
prepared
Brett Collins, Grants and Acquisitions Manager, Open Spaces
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Subject:
title
A resolution to approve $220,000 in Open Space Acquisitioin and Development funding for the Chenango Park Trail Improvements Joint Project request
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
Open Spaces Staff and the Open Space Trails Advisory Board recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve $220,000 in Open Space Acquisition and Development funding for the Chenango Park Trail Improvements Joint Project request.
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Background and Discussion: Chenango Park is located in the City of Greenwood Village’s District 4 and the north-central District 2 of Arapahoe County. The area around the park is fully developed with Cherry Creek High School directly to the north, residential neighborhoods directly to the east, west, and southeast, and the Belleview Square commercial area with a mixture of shops and dining to the southwest.
This trail is comparable to a pedestrian superhighway because it directly links the high school with the shopping center that offers many student-friendly options. King Soopers, Starbucks, and several other restaurants provide opportunities for a quick lunch. Throughout the multiple lunch periods, students walk along the trail, often three or four abreast.
A trail counter in 2018 indicated that the beam across the main trail was interrupted more than 10,000 times a month when school was in session. Usually, this would mean approximately 10,000 pedestrians passing along the route. Still, given that the students typically walk 2-4 people across, the pedestrian count is likely to range from 10,000 to 40,000 a month when school is in session. The main trail counter-indicated just over 1,100 pedestrians in the summer months. The eastern connecting trail passes are approximately 1,500 pedestrians per month when school is in session and 350 pedestrians during the summer.
Though the largest user group is high school students, the trail is also used by families walking through the park, as indicated by the counts when school is out of session.
The proposed trail improvement is meeting a demonstrated need in this heavily traveled neighborhood. The goal is to increase the safety of trail users and provide access for people with disabilities. This unique trail improvement opportunity will serve an unprecedented amount of students for such a short trail segment.
The City of Greenwood Village, in partnership with the Cherry Creek School District, is requesting $220,000 in Joint Project Funds to construct this improved trail at Chenango Park. The total project cost will be $550,000, and Greenwood Village will be responsible for the maintenance.
Greenwood Village has met the requirements for a Joint Project Application, and if funding is approved, the proposed construction will take place starting in June of 2021 and be completed by August before school is back in session.
Alternatives: Approve, modify, or deny the funding request.
Fiscal Impact: $220,000 from the Open Space Acquisition and Development fund will be used for this project. The fund balance exceeds this amount.
Alignment with Strategic Plan:
☐Be fiscally sustainable
☐Provide essential and mandated service
☒Be community focused
Concurrence: This project was recommended for approval by the Open Space Trails Advisory Board on April 26, 2021. Please see the attached recommendation.
Resolution: See attached resolution.