The goal of this petition is to force the City of Colorado Springs to reverse the land swap that they carried out with the Broadmoor Hotel.

The City acquired a piece of land that has part of the Barr Trail on it, and this trail needs hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of repairs. The cost of the repairs  were not considered when the appraisal for that land was prepared, and the City is refusing to discuss the cost of those repairs with me.

The City has been refusing to discuss the cost of the needed repairs since 2016 when the land swap was approved. I have spoken at public meetings, before the City Council dozens of times, and I have sent many, many emails to City Officials. 

The land in question is on America's Mountain near Colorado Springs, and was owned by the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway. After the Broadmoor Hotel acquired the Cog Railway in 2011 they traded this land to the City in exchange for a beloved piece of park land known as Strawberry Fields. This deal faced much public opposition, and is legally flawed.

The Cog Railway land was appraised at $1.3 million, and the cost of the needed repairs is between $500,000 and $1,000,000.

The City of Colorado Springs acquired ownership of the first two and one quarter miles of the Barr Trail on December 30th 2016. This 12 mile trail begins in Manitou Springs at an elevation of 6600 ft., and climbs to the Summit of Pike's Peak at an elevation of over 14,100 ft. It is estimated that at least 60,000 people hike the Barr Trail each year, and over 300,000 people use this section of the Barr Trail to come down from the Manitou Incline each year.

This popular trail is in terrible condition. Because it was built in the 1920's it is composed of tight switchbacks which lack proper drainage. The trail must be modified to meet  modern drainage standards. The drainage problems have caused severe erosion damage on the steep hillside. The trail is riddled with obstacles (large rocks), which make hiking slow and dangerous. The fence along the trail that prevents people from cutting across the switchbacks is in desperate need of replacement. It is a terrible eyesore, much of the paint is gone,  and poles are rotten and falling off in many places.

I am asking that the City tell us the estimated cost of each specific category of repairs that are needed.

The City must first have a study done by a professional engineering firm to design the needed drainage improvements.

Then the actual drainage work can be done.

Once the drainage is improved they can begin to repair the erosion ravines that are all over the steep hillside.

The trail has washouts that must be repaired, and many rocks that must be broken or removed.

In places the trail has stability issues.

The fence that deters switchback cutting must be replaced. I estimate it to be a mile and a half long. All materials must be carried in by hand, and the old fence must be carried out.

The land was appraised at $1.3 million, if the appraisal is off 20% or more the appraisal is invalid. Therefore if the trail needs $260,000 or more in repairs the appraisal is no good. My research indicates that a new fence alone will cost that much.

What is so difficult about answering these simple questions? If the City has nothing to hide they would answer. The public has a right to know the true condition of the land we acquired.

                                                 COS Land Swap