To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Jeff Brauer, Director of Parks and Recreation
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
Title
Resolution Supporting the Submission of an Application for a Non-Motorized State Trails Grant from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Trails Program for the Completion of Various Improvement Projects along the Colorado Front Range Trail in Castle Rock
Body
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this agenda item is to obtain Town Council approval of a Resolution supporting the application for a Non-Motorized State Trails Grant from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) State Trails Program and the completion of various trail improvement projects along the Colorado Front Range Trail in Castle Rock. A Town Council resolution in support of the grant is a requirement of the grant application.
If awarded, the grant money will be used by the Town of Castle Rock Parks and Recreation Department (Town) to supplement the construction costs of two maintenance and reconstruction activities that address safety, connectivity and accessibility issues on two sections of the paved, multi-use Colorado Front Range Trail (CFRT) as it travels through Castle Rock.
The CFRT initiative began in 2003 by Colorado State Parks, with the support of many communities and stakeholders, to offer a multi-purpose trail connecting communities along the Front Range from New Mexico to Wyoming. Castle Rock functions as the southern crossroad for the CFRT: East Plum Creek, Hangman’s Gulch, Woodlands and McMurdo Gulch trails will eventually link travelers with the Cherry Creek Regional Trail to the east, and Denver to the north with Colorado Springs to the south.
The projects identified in the grant application would replace 0.26 miles of asphalt trail with concrete within the Woodlands Bowl Open Space and construct 0.21 miles of new concrete trail extending from the South Perry Street cul-de-sac to the East Plum Creek Trail. See Attachment C for a project map.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
For the past several years, there has been a multi-media outreach effort to notify the public about proposed expansions to the CFRT through Castle Rock, which these two maintenance and reconstruction projects are a part of. The newest section of the CFRT, a two-mile extension from South Perry Street, was completed by the Town in 2019. During the planning process for that extension, the Town conducted multiple outreach efforts to involve and notify the public of the proposed project. Those efforts involved an online feedback form available on the project webpage, multiple posts on the Town’s Facebook page and informational tables at several free public events hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department. Additionally, both the Woodlands Bowl Asphalt Reconstruction Project and the South Perry Street Connection Project are currently listed on the Town's trail construction webpage (CRgov.com/TrailConstruction) for information and updates on these proposed projects.
Discussion
The completion of the CFRT corridor in Castle Rock, which these maintenance/repair projects are part of, is included as the top priority trail connection in multiple master plans for the Parks and Recreation Department, beginning in 2002 and most recently within the 2015 Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Master Plan, the 2018-2020 Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan and the 2019-2024 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan. The CFRT is also included in the 2017 Castle Rock Transportation Master Plan update.
The Woodlands Bowl Asphalt Trail Reconstruction Project is located within the Woodlands/Escavera neighborhood in central Castle Rock. This project addresses ADA (Americans with Disability Act) and access issues with 0.265 miles of existing cracked and crumbling 8’ wide asphalt trail by removing and replacing the existing trail corridor with concrete. Construction will include earthwork, seeding and mulch for restoration of any temporarily disturbed areas. This project area is located on property owned by the Woodlands Master Association, Inc. within Woodlands Bowl Open Space but the Town has a permanent easement for the maintenance and repair of the trail. This section of trail is part of the southern crossroads of the CFRT that travels between East Plum Creek Trail and the Cherry Creek Regional Trail to the east.
The other project included in the grant application is the South Perry Street Connection Project, located just south of Downtown Castle Rock at the South Perry Street cul-de-sac on the Hier/Gannon Open Space property owned by the Town. The project addresses issues with ADA, access and connectivity to the paved East Plum Creek Trail by creating 0.21 miles of new paved trail. The project will place 8” thick reinforced 10” wide concrete over an existing compacted dirt access road traveling from South Perry Street to the East Plum Creek Trail. Construction will also include earthwork grading, subgrade soil prep, final grading and seeding and mulch for restoration of any temporarily disturbed areas. The current connection from South Perry Street to this section of the East Plum Creek Trail, which was completed in October 2019, is a dirt road with a vehicle tracking pad area near the access gate and entrance gap in the fencing for pedestrians and cyclists who access the trail from South Perry Street. This project will create a safe, ADA-compliant connection for all trail users as well as maintenance access for heavy equipment accessing a Castle Rock Water wellsite located on the open space.
The Town has submitted other grant applications in the past that were successfully approved. The following is a list of successful grant applications submitted to CPW in recent years:
• East Plum Creek Trail Phase 3 Construction: $200,000 grant in 2007;
• East Plum Creek Trail Corridor Land Acquisition: $230,000 grant in 2009; and
• Hangman's Gulch Trail Construction: $193,166 grant in 2013
Grant awards will be decided by the CPW Commission and announced in March 2021. If awarded the grant, the Town has 2.5 years from the award date to complete the proposed projects. If awarded the grant funds, the Town would be the primary coordinator of the projects to be initiated in 2021.
The grant application was submitted to CPW by the deadline of October 1, 2020, however, the Town has until December 1 to submit a signed resolution as an addendum to the application. At this time, the staff recommends that Town Council approve the resolution supporting the attached grant application.
Budget Impact
Funds for both projects, if awarded the grant funds, will come from the Annual Trails Improvement Account #110-5275-452.75-14 in 2021. The total project cost is $364,015.90. The grant request is the maximum amount of $250,000 with the Town providing a minimum 30% match of $114,015.90. Below is the breakdown of the total costs for both proposed projects:
• Woodlands Bowl Asphalt Trail Reconstruction Project: $139,035.10
• South Perry Street Connection Project: $224,980.80
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the Resolution as introduced by title.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the resolution as introduced by title.”
Attachments
Attachment A: Resolution
Attachment B: CPW 2021 Non-Motorized State Trails Grant Application
Attachment C: Project Map