Hello,
This is my contribution to Citizen's Discussion at Tuesday's City Council meeting:

Good morning,

I have been asking the city for the estimated costs for all needed repairs to the section of the Barr Trail that the city owns for nearly 6 years.

Now the President of Friends of the Peak has stated publicly that he feels that this trail is in such bad shape that it is not worth repairing.

I have a right to form my own opinion on this issue.

So far, the only answer the city has given me was in an email from Britt Haley on June 13th, 2019:

“Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI) estimates annual maintenance to the section of Barr Trail impacted by Incline return traffic to be approximately $40,000”.

The city of Manitou Springs is footing the bill for the $40,000 of annual maintenance using revenue they collect from the Barr Trail parking lot fees.

So, what is the problem?

If the $40,000 of annual maintenance is all that this trail needs, and someone else is paying for that, why would we carve another trail into the mountain?

Mr. Bremner has a potential conflict of interest as a member of the Manitou Springs City Council in that he might wish to allocate that money to other projects.

Would our city foot the bill for a new trail and free Manitou Springs from their current annual commitment?

How many more years do we estimate that Manitou Springs will be stuck spending that large amount of money on the Barr Trail annually?

I would not blame them if they want to find a way out.

On the other hand, good stewardship and conservation would prefer not to build a new trail unless it is absolutely necessary.

How much might it cost to build a new trail?

If we do build a new trail, how much would we have to spend on the old trail to shut it down?

Would we have to do a drainage study or repair the erosion damage?

How much would all of that cost?

Would it cost more to repair the old trail than it would cost to close it?

If so, how much more?

Like many others in the community, I did not agree that acquiring this land was a good idea.

The only value this land has is for its recreation value.

It has a section of the Manitou Incline on it, but the City Council is avoiding my questions about the legality of the Incline.

Now the President of Friends of the Peak says that this section of the Barr Trail is a complete lemon, not even worth fixing.

If the city was not aware of this problem during the public comment process for the land swap that would constitute gross negligence, and this fact would have to be disclosed publicly.

“It has come to our attention that a major problem exists on the land that the city acquired from the Cog Railway. We failed to recognize the issue before we approved the land swap”.

If I am right that the Manitou Incline is not fully legitimate and legal, and we have to close the section of the Barr Trail that is on that land, would the recreational value of this land not be practically negated?

The land would still have some value because a new section of the Barr Trail would use some of that land.

If we have to close the Incline permanently how much will it cost to rehab and permanently stabilize it?

Did we consider this when calculating the value vs liability for this land?

The “Good Ship Broadmoor Appraisal” just sank.

The President of Friends of the Peak says that he believes that it would be better to close the old trail and build a new one.

I have a right to form my own opinion on this issue.

How much would it cost to repair the drainage problems on the old trail, to have those repairs designed, and to repair all of the erosion damage on the hillside?

The city may not decide to close this trail and build a new one without answering my questions.

I do not believe that the public or even most of our trail's community are aware of all of the issues that need to be considered before a decision is made about the future of the Barr Trail.

This trail is a National Recreation Trail, and the public has a right to understand the issues, and to participate in the decision.

The city has a legal obligation to inform and educate the public on the many complex issues.

Thank you, Carl Strow