Within our Green Mountain neighborhood on Lakewood Parks land in an area called Ravines Open Space that has three bridges purportedly owned by Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District. These bridges serve a dual purpose for our community: 1) They are a conveyance system for wastewater, as managed by Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District. 2) They are also pedestrian bridges connecting trails within Lakewood Parks. They have functioned as both since our neighborhood formed in the late 1960s through 1970s. Generations have used the bridges to access the open space for recreation and also to walk students safely to school. This route to school allows students to walk a reasonable distance, off of roads or busy streets.

Recently Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District posted signs on the bridges claiming ownership and stating that pedestrian use was unauthorized and treated as trespassing. There was no communication with the neighborhood or Jeffco Schools before these closures. There were also no studies completed to look at use. This closure impacts our access to open space. It also impacts students commuting to Devinny Elementary and Dunstan Middle schools. Closing the bridges would easily double the distance students would need to walk and for many families would mean driving, therefore increasing traffic and pollution. 

On 1/9/23 several neighbors attended the Lakewood City Council meeting to ask for help. On 1/10/23 even more neighbors attended the Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District board meeting to obtain information and ask them to not close the bridges. We were informed that communication had begun between the two entities that afternoon. 

We’re asking your help in signing this petition. The petition asks both the city of Lakewood and the Green Mountain Water and Sanitation District to work together to come to a solution that keeps all three of our community bridges open to pedestrian use. We realize that at least one of the bridges is in serious need of repair. We ask that repairs are made to keep the bridge dual purpose, as it has been for the past 50 plus years.

Thank you for your help! 

Your Green Mountain Neighbors