Hello,

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

Good morning,

A few years ago Steve Bremner, President of the Friends of the Peak, said that he feels that the section of the Barr Trail that the city acquired in the land swap is in such bad shape that it should be permanently closed.

The problem was not disclosed during the public comment process.

Either the city failed to properly research the liabilities that came with the land or the city suppressed the problems.

The city must now disclose the mistakes made and the flaws in the public comment process.

Mr. Strow asked for the cost of the needed repairs many times during the public comment process, but we refused to provide him with that information.

Our reasons for refusing to provide that information are as follows..

I, for one, would really like to know.
Is the city planning to close that section of the trail and build a reroute?

The issue was raised publicly in the Gazette, but the city does not feel any obligation to provide an update, even to a citizen who asks?

The land has to have a drainage study.

Even if the trail were closed.

The erosion damage cannot be left as it is today.

Why are the “Proud Stewards of America's Mountain” treating that land and that section of the Barr Trail with contempt?

Our Parks Director herself said that the work being done on the trail every year is “annual maintenance” which is not long term repairs.

The trail is in desperate need of long term repairs.

The city owns a 2 mile stretch of a National Recreation Trail and I am ashamed at your negligence.

You call yourselves “Proud Stewards of America's Mountain”?

Is the city proud of the condition of that trail which you have owned for over 8 years?

Is the city working with GOCO to get a series of grants to do long term repairs to this trail of national significance?

This cannot be an oversight, this is clearly intentional and malicious negligence.

At this point, the righteous thing to do is to return that land to its rightful legal owner: the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway.

The city acquired that land illegally and it has to be returned to its rightful owner.

Thank you, Carl Strow