Hello,

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

Good morning,

The Barr Trail is a National Recreational Trail.

The city owns the first two and one-quarter miles of the Barr Trail.

I got this from the National Park Service website on a page that discusses the National Trail System.

National Recreational Trails FAQ's

“What is the basic criteria for a National Recreational Trail?”

“The trail must be open to public use, have no gaps, and be designed, constructed, and maintained according to best management practices, in keeping with the use anticipated.”

I do believe that this refers to the requirements for a trail to be nominated as a NRT, but..

I cannot imagine that the Park Service would not expect the city to continue to maintain this trail according to the best management practices.

The city has been so negligent in its stewardship of this land that the President of the Friends of the Peak has suggested that the section of the trail that the city owns be closed.

Why has the NEPA process for the alternate route down from the Manitou Incline not been started yet?

The city must be having difficulty finding a route for the trail that will pass a NEPA process.

Do the city and the USFS consider a reroute of the first two miles of the Barr Trail to be practical?

How much will it cost to make this section of the Barr Trail sustainable, meaning that it would no longer require $40,000 in annual maintenance?

Did the city not even know that the trail was having $40,000 of work done on it each year at the time of the public comment process?

Did the Broadmoor have a legal obligation to disclose to the city all liabilities or flaws on the land?

I asked for the total cost of the necessary repairs during the public comment process.

The city ignored my repeated questioning and refused to provide this information to the public.

The Broadmoor also heard my repeated questioning and refused to provide the answer.

Does the city believe that the Broadmoor knew that $40,000 of work was being done on the land and hid that fact from the public intentionally?

Was there collusion between city officials and the Broadmoor to hide this fact?

The public was deprived of the ability to make an informed decision.

The public has to be informed that the city “made a serious mistake” and that the land we acquired from the Cog Railway had major liabilities that were not disclosed.

Has the City Attorney's office determined that the appraisal for that land is invalid?

The city may not refuse to inform the public of the major flaws in the public comment process.

Thank you, Carl Strow