Hello,

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

Good morning,

There has been discussion of the possibility of closing the first two miles of the Barr Trail and building a new trail.

I need more information. 

Why is this being considered.

Do the professionals say that it would be more cost-effective to build a new trail or that the old trail cannot be repaired?

There is no question that we will have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the old trail even if we build a new one.

We cannot leave the erosion damage on the hillside. Before that can be fixed, we have to have a drainage study done to design the drainage improvements.

Then implement the drainage improvements.

Then we watch to see if water is still running in any of the erosion ravines, they cannot be filled in until we are sure that no water ever runs in them in any weather event.

The fence has paint on it which is toxic, does it have to be hauled out.

Other work would have to be done to at least partially erase the old trail to prevent anyone from using it.

How much does the city estimate that all of this would cost?

How much more would it cost to keep using the old trail?

It has been close to a year since the idea of a new trail, was proposed, has the city asked Rocky Mountain Field Institute for numbers on the various options.

I would like access to these numbers, please.

Thank you, Carl Strow