Bicycle Douglas County

August 9, 2004 Meeting Minutes

Announcements:

· Chatfield State Park road construction now through the end of Sept from the top of the dam west to Massey Draw Picnic area to widen the road and add a bike lane is the first of many road projects that will be done over the coming years to widen the road all the way around Chatfield Res.    There will be one lane open M-F with a flagman, or one can bike the concrete trail north of the outlet to avoid delays.  No construction on the weekends.

· Box culvert tunnel from Chatfield State Park under C-470 to the bike trail on the north side has experience flooding and upheaval in the pavement.  Several cyclists has experience crashes, please take caution when using this tunnel.  BDC has notified Jefferson County Open Space, Foothills Parks, Bicycle Colorado, Chatfield State Park and CDOT of this problem. 

· South Suburban trail planning meeting on Wed 8/11 at 7:30 at the Goodson Rec. Center to plan “dual trail and traffic claming on the South Platte Trail.

Guest Speaker:  Ron Benson, Douglas County Parks & Trails Manager

· Douglas County Parks & Trails is currently updating the master plan for our parks and trails, this fall they will be hosting public hearings.  Ron will notify BDC when they will be held and we can review and give feedback at these public hearings.

· Late fall ’04 the Cherry Creek Trail will have another section completed allowing travel from Parker to Highway #86, all on concrete trail.  No work can be done from 5/1 to 11/1 due to the Prebble Mouse breeding season. 

· Douglas County continues to expand the East-West trail as Shea homes releases land for trail development. 

· Ron handed maps to 4 Open Space trails in Douglas County, they can be used for hiking, mountain biking or horses.  Take advantage of these sites and enjoy all the trails!

· Newly completed this summer is a new trailhead for the western 8 miles of the Highline Canal south side of Chatfield Res.  Eventually there will be a separated grade crossing under Santa Fe (highway #85) to connect to the rest of the Highline Canal. 

· E-470 trail east of Parker to DIA is being looked at for trail construction by the E-470 authority, no dates yet.

Guest Speaker:  Dave Watts, Political Activist in Douglas County

• Dave initiated the Open Space Plan in Douglas County in ’92 when the county commissioners wouldn’t take interest in hearing him by getting petitions at the grocery stores and getting a citizen initiative on the ballot to fund buying Open Space.  He shared ideas of how to get a grass roots project going in Douglas County.  Dave gave BDC copies of his booklet “Establishing an Open Space Preservation Program” that the state funded through a grant.  He suggested we use this format to get our goals accomplished in Douglas County.  We need a dedicated, core group of at least 12 folks to share the workload and get our goals accomplished.

Community service project for fall ’04 will be manning the Park 2 Park aid station in Chatfield State Park on 9/11/04.  Discussion about doing Velo Swap booth on 10/23; need at least 2 volunteers to manage booth.  Call Judy Siel 303-470-8431 or email judy@bicycledouglascounty.org if you can help. 

Financial update, current balance $1166, thanks to $850 donation from Elephant Rock for BDC supplying “road marshal’s in June.

Upcoming Douglas County Town Meetings:

• August 12  Franktown 6:30 pm
• August 19  Parker  6:30
• Sept. 16  Castle Rock, Larkspur, Sedalia 6:30
• Sept 30  Highlands Ranch 6:30

Next meeting:  September 13^th at 7:00 pm,

We will have a Douglas County “candidate forum”.  This will be your chance to meet and hear from candidates for County Commissioner and CO State Rep & Senate.  To make sure your voice is heard elect bike friendly candidates!!