Public meetings scheduled for January and February.

Boulder County, Colo. - Boulder County Parks & Open Space, the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have released a final recommendation for a proposed multi-use trail connection between Eldorado Canyon State Park and Walker Ranch. This finalized partner recommendation will be presented to Boulder County and the City of Boulder open space advisory boards in January and February, respectively.

The three partner agencies affirm their joint recommendation of the North Route (using segments N1-N2-N4) as the preferred conceptual alignment for the multi-use trail connection which would be accessible to bicyclists. The project partners recommended this alternative because it completes the multi-use trail connection in a way that best balances the conservation and recreation needs of the area.

The recommendation for this multi-use trail connection comes after in-depth collaboration among the partner agencies to complete the feasibility study, along with careful consideration of its findings and public input from community stakeholders.

The partner agencies conducted a questionnaire that indicated 76 percent of respondents supported the preliminary agency recommendation. However, a theme expressed by many respondents, regardless of their level of support for the trail, is that access, local traffic congestion, and parking impacts to the state park and greater Eldorado Springs community need to be addressed as part of the commitment to plan, design, and construct a multi-use trail connection.

The partner agencies also recommend continued collaboration among the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and CPW with stakeholders to develop and implement strategies that mitigate capacity-related issues impacting the greater Eldorado Springs community, and support ensuring that capacity mitigation efforts are in place before the trail is opened to biking.

City and county decision makers will host public hearings to consider and take action on the preferred alternative for a multi-use trail connection. Community stakeholders may attend these meetings and provide verbal testimony during the public hearing portion of the agenda item:

• Thursday, Jan. 24: Boulder County Parks & Open Space Advisory Board Meeting
• Wednesday, Feb. 13: City of Boulder Open Space Board of Trustees Meeting
• March (date TBD): Boulder County Commissioners Public Hearing

For more information about the project, next steps, and to sign up for regular email updates, please visit bouldercounty.gov/eldo-walker-connection or contact Marni Ratzel, Boulder County Parks & Open Space Resource Planner, at mratzel@bouldercounty.org or 303-678-6270.