OST Memorandum TO: Open Space and Trails Board and Board of County Commissioners FROM: Gary Tennenbaum SUBJECT: First Quarter Update on 2016 Projects DATE: March 1, 2016 CC: Dale Will Lazy Glen Open Space Management Plan The draft Lazy Glen Management Plan is out for public review. Staff gathered public input while developing the draft plan by soliciting online comments and facilitating two public meetings. The first public open house was held January 14th at Basalt Town Hall with 18 people attending. This was a great turnout and staff received very detailed comments on everything from ag to recreation to wildlife. At the next open house, on January 18th at Lazy Glen, OST had a Spanish interpreter to help facilitate and again received great feedback. OST presented the plan to the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board on February 18th and the board is happy with the direction. Their board comments will be included in the final plan that is presented to the OSTB in April. The planning process timeline for Lazy Glen is attached. Staff is working with our engineer, SGM, concurrent with the Lazy Glen Management Plan for bridge design options with costs. Castle Creek Trail OST staff has been informed by the City that the planning funds for the Castle Creek Trail were not budgeted in 2016. County staff are working with the City to determine when the Castle Creek Trail can be prioritized for planning. The trail project is on hold till both the City and County can partner on this project. Crystal Trail Great news that the Crystal Trail was selected as one of the 16 trails for 2016 by Governor Hickenlooper! Staff has been in contact with CDOT, GOCO, Department of Natural Resources staff, and the Forest Service to determine how the state and federal agencies are going to OST Memorandum handle these projects. Staff has a meeting on March 15th with CDOT, Forest Service, and the State Outdoor Recreation Coordinator to start high‐level discussions on the process to start planning the Crystal Trail. There are a ton of details to figure out, like surveys of the Hwy. 133 ROW, NEPA, and funding. Much more to come. Upper Roaring Fork Valley Trails Plan City and County staff are significantly changing the current draft with the hope that it will be ready for public release in April. What staff has realized through the public process and in coordination with the Skico and Forest Service is that many short‐ and medium‐term projects are already covered in existing plans. The current draft has too much overlap with existing plans and has trail alignments that have already been amended. The plan needs to reflect what future projects are necessary to provide better connectivity and trail options that both the City and County can partner to complete. North Star Planning for an education and media campaign for river use began in December with staff from ACES, the City and County. Our consultants are working to prepare a full‐scale media and signage plan to launch in May 2016. We are working with the private landowners along the Roaring Fork in this area to include their property in the campaign. OST is also working with ACES on a naturalist program for North Star and the put‐in to provide more visitor information. The County and City are partnering to prepare a River Management Plan for the entire stretch of the Roaring Fork from the top of Independence Pass through the City of Aspen. The City had this planning effort funded for 2016, so it made sense to include the planning for North Star in this larger planning effort. Pitkin County OST, Healthy Rivers and Streams, and Community Development will be participating in the planning. The City and County are in the process of selecting a consultant to perform this project. OST Memorandum River Access planning is also underway with OST and CDOT working on ROW mapping and the County working with their design consultants on the plans for better parking and access options for the takeout and beach access area. OST is also working with the FS on agreements to allow the County to manage and enforce at the Wildwood put‐in. OST will be creating simple designs that can be implemented under management of the put‐in, avoiding NEPA for now on a larger project. This will address the parking area and potential turn‐around for this summer. Longer‐term planning will ensue to figure out a way for the County to manage the entire put‐in. On enforcement, the County is working with law enforcement staff from the FS to determine how OST rangers can enforce regulations on FS lands. We thought it could be easy to add our rangers to an existing IGA the County Sheriff has with the FS, but the rangers are not state peace officers so other options are being explored. One option is to hire a Forest Protection Officer, who has the ability to ticket for illegal parking and other violations of Forest Service regulations. This Forest Protection Officer would focus on the upper Roaring Fork Valley – at Wildwood, Hunter Creek and Smuggler, and Castle Creek. If this position is a feasible option, funding for this position will be brought to the Open Space Board, BOCC, City of Aspen, ACES, and private landowners. Gary met with Joe Disalvo to discuss additional deputy presence at Wildwood and Joe agreed to help this summer, especially during the July 4th holiday and on hot summer weekends. The existing IGA between the Sheriff and the Forest Service will be amended to include Wildwood as an area for mutual aid. Hunter Creek/Smuggler Cooperative Plan The prescribed burn planning for the Hunter Creek Valley is moving forward and with favorable weather, the Forest Service is preparing to conduct this burn. Staff from OST, the City, Aspen Fire, FS, ACES, and Wilderness Workshop presented the launch of the public outreach campaign to the City Council and the BOCC on February 16th. Attached are the beginning campaign OST Memorandum materials that will be mailed out to all City water customers and to Red Mountain Homeowners. A public meeting will be held on March 31st from 4‐6 pm in the Aspen Firehouse conference room on the 3rd floor. City and County staff are working on a Stewardship Agreement with the FS to include all future land management and trail projects so we can plan the next 5‐10 years of projects and get them implemented in a timely manner. All trail and forestry projects will be reviewed this summer with FS specialists so we can have a comprehensive plan moving forward. Filoha Meadows The prescribed burn in the Filoha/Avalanche Creek area is planned again for this spring if the weather cooperates. The Forest Service is heading up the public outreach and is presenting information to the Crystal Valley Caucus in March. Glassier Ranch Open Space The equestrian and bike/hike trails will be bid out in March with construction beginning in May after the seasonal closure has been lifted. The parking area and soft‐surface trail adjacent to the Rio has been approved by RFTA and OST will finalize the design to go to bid for construction in the summer. Continued ag and irrigation improvements are also planned for 2016. Sky Mountain Park The trail connection from the upper Rim Trail will go to bid with the Glassier trails for construction this spring/summer. This is a joint project with the Town of Snowmass Village. OST and the Town will embark on a major noxious weed project on the Town and County lands on the Upper North Mesa/Seven Star side of Sky Mountain Park this summer. OST Memorandum The County will be involved with the Cozy Point Ranch Management plan this year to analyze the connection for trails and ag to Cozy Point South and other properties in the Roaring Fork Gorge. East of Aspen Trail Some serious issues have emerged with the East of Aspen Trail. Five piers have uplifted anywhere from 1‐4 feet and two trees have come down, significantly damaging the boardwalk. OST is working with contractors and the boardwalk has been temporarily repaired for safe passage and snow load this winter. In the spring, work will commence to fully repair the structure. ADA and width of trail improvements will continue in the spring to bring the entire trail into compliance with ADA and provide a width of 6‐8 feet. New Resource Manager OST staff is reviewing candidates and will hopefully have a candidate selected for the position by March 4th. Staff, especially me, is looking forward to getting major help in making everything listed above a reality, especially since the list above is just things in the first quarter and early spring! Rio Grande Trail Some great news to share regarding the Rio Grande Trail. The Rio Grande Trail has been nominated for the Rails‐to‐Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame. The article about the fall of fame from the Rails to Trails Conservancy is attached. We will keep everyone up to date when the voting begins. Lazy Glen Open Space Planificación Cronología PlanningTimeline ENERO JANUARY Draft Plan Development Draft Comience alcance público para Begin public outreach for el desarrollo de un Proyecto de Plan development of a Draft Plan ENERO 11th, 2016, 5-7pm JAN 11th, 2016 5-7pm Los residentes de Glen perezoso" Open Lazy Glen Residents’ Open House @ House @ Perezoso Glen Sala de reuniones Lazy Glen Meeting Room ENERO 14th, 2016, 5-7pm JAN 14th, 2016 5-7pm Open House @ Ayuntamiento de basalto Open House @ Basalt Town Hall ENERO 20th, 2016 JAN 20th, 2016 COMENTARIO PÚBLICO POR PUBLIC COMMENT DUE Desarrollo del Plan de Desarrollo Proyecto ENERO 29th, 2016 JAN 29th, 2016 Personal presenta Proyecto de Staff submits Draft Plan for Board Plan