Hello,

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

Good morning,

This is a quote from an email response I got 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.”

This indicates that our Parks Dept. has been in communication with RMFI on the subject of the cost of the needed repairs to the section of the Barr Trail that is on city owned land.

$40,000 a year is being spent doing annual maintenance.

How much does RMFI estimate that it will cost to repair the the trail on our land to the point where it no longer requires $40,000 in annual maintenance?

In 2018, Kurt Schroeder told me that RMFI began doing $40,000 of work annually on that section of the trail in 2013.

Why was this fact not disclosed during the public comment process for the land swap which was in the spring of 2016?

During the public comment process, I repeatedly asked how much it would cost to do all needed repairs to that section of the Barr Trail, and the city did not even mention the fact that RMFI was doing $40,000 of work on that trail each year.

Does our Parks Dept. have a document from RMFI that discusses the overall condition of that section of the Barr Trail?

Does our Parks Dept. have a document from RMFI that details all specific repairs that the trail needs and gives an estimated cost for those repairs?

Has RMFI told the city that this section of the Barr Trail needs a drainage study?

If yes, what is the estimated cost of that study?

Is RMFI doing annual repairs to that section of the trail what would not be necessary if the drainage was improved?

Does the city plan to do any drainage improvements on the section of the Barr Trail that is on city owned land?

Why does Mr. Bremner of Friends of the Peak feel that that section of the Barr Trail should be closed?

Is he relying on information that came from an analysis done by RMFI?

I would like an update on that issue.

Is the city planning to close that section of the trail and build a reroute as Mr. Bremner suggested?

The city may not recommend to the public that we acquire this piece of land, refuse to answer questions about the repairs it needs, then have to consider closing the trail on that land altogether.

The city must provide the public with an honest and complete analysis of the condition of the trail on the land that we acquired, and the estimated cost of those repairs.

The city must also disclose that a citizen was asking for those numbers during the public comment process and that the city failed to provide that relevant financial information before the land swap was approved by the City Council.

Thank you, Carl Strow