MEETING OF THE PARKS & OPEN SPACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO

Regular Meeting Minutes

Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 6:30 P.m. - 8:30 P.m.

Third Floor Hearing Room

County Court House

1325 Pearl Street, Boulder

Members Present:

• Janet George
• Tony Lewis
• Trace Baker
• Paula Fitzgerald
• Drew Adams
• Derek Turner
• Carol Byerly

Members Excused:

• Jackson Moller
• Kristine Johnson

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1.

Call to Order

2.

Roll Call

3.

Approval of Last Month's Minutes

• Moved by Carol Byerly
  Seconded by Trace Baker
  APPROVED

4.

Presentations

4.1

Bearberry Acquisition

Staff Presenter: Aaron Clark, Land Officer

Action Requested: Recommendation to BOCC

Q: How does it work to buy property in Gilpin County?

Response: We cannot use open space sales tax money to buy property outside of Boulder County, that's why we are using other funds for this purchase. Gilpin County indicated no objection  to the purchase and they may have an interest in partnering with us. 

Q: This will be open to the public, but how does that work if houses are on the property?

Response: The house in Gilpin County is in bad shape so we will probably remove it. The Boulder County house is in better shape. Staff will decide how to use and manage it.

Q: Who is responsible for the structures? Will Gilpin have a memorandum of understanding?

Response: That's something we will discuss with Gilpin County. The area around the structures will need to be closed for the time being until staff decide the planning process. 

Q: Would it be possible to build on the property?

Response: I'm not sure of the building requirements, but topographically I think it would be possible.

Q: Is it a fair price?

Response: It's a very good price.

Public Comment:

Josh Schlossberg, Nederland. He thinks it's great that the county is purchasing this property, but he has concerns that fuel reduction logging will be done on this property and hopes there will be a public process before that happens.

Response: Each resource group will have discussions after the purchase to decide how the property should be managed. 

• Moved by Trace Baker
  Seconded by Janet George
  APPROVED

4.2

NoCo Places Illegal/Unauthorized Trail Inventory

Presenters: Jarret Roberts, Recreation & Facilities Manager and Nick Walendziak, Crux Environmental LLC

Action Requested: Information Only

Q: Did you look only at public lands, or did you also look at CE properties?

Response: The county's interest in CE properties is a restrictive use on the landowner. We do monitor the properties for compliance with the terms of the easement. We would need to look at each of the 1,000 individual easements to see if any trails are allowed. Some easements do allow trails for the owners' use. We don't have the ability to map those trails without special permission. 

Q: I'm wondering about the terms "illegal" or "unauthorized" considering these are public lands. Are these areas where the public is prohibited from stepping off of established trails?

Response: Yes and no. We're settling on which term is most appropriate. in some areas the area off-trail is closed to the public, like at Caribou Ranch. In other areas off-trail use may be allowed but the trail is developing to a point where it looks like a designated trail, but it is not. We even get calls from the public that a "trail" requires maintenance, but it's not a designated trail so we don't maintain it.

Q: What is considered trash vs. historical artifacts?
Response: We sort through everything and look for items that are 50 years old or older and look for anything that may have been used onsite and determine the next steps for those items.  

Q: How could this data eventually be used?

Response: Using this data, we can see hotspots across areas and as an agency we'll look at how we would like to start managing based on the data.

Q: Does Boulder County need to wait for NoCo Places to start work?

Response: No, we won't need to wait for them. We can act independently.

 

Public Comment:

None

 

4.3

Resource Management Division Update 2024

Staff Presenter: Stefan Reinold, Resource Management Division Manager

Action Requested: Information Only

5.

Public Comment Period for Items Not on Agenda

These members of the public spoke in favor of bringing back the open rides for equestrians at the county fairgrounds:

Cindy Johnson, Boulder County. She pooled time with Deborah Kinnett, Jack Dolbeare, Ronda Nickoley, and Pam Andringa

Dr. Jeremy Spivey, Veterinarian 

Carmen Porter, Boulder

Rick Johnson, Boulder County

Dr. Larry Freidman, East Boulder County

Carson, Rural Boulder County

Therese Glowacki reminded POSAC and the public that they can send comments to the Boulder County Board of Commissioners at

Joe LaFollette, Fairgrounds Manager, commented that public sessions were used by a very small number of users and not all small groups can be accommodated. 

 

 

6.

POSAC Members Comment Period for Items Not on Agenda

Janet George asked for some compromises which could allow the open ride to continue at the fairgrounds.

Drew Adams would like to see a renegotiation for 2026 so this group can be accommodated because their access in other places is limited.

Tony Lewis suggested POSAC schedule a separate working session to discuss the open ride topic. 

 

Carol Byerly would like to observe a prescribed burn. Staff indicated that a prescribed burn would be too hard to plan enough in advance to have a field trip. We can instead notify POSAC the night before and the first two members to reply could go with staff to observe. 

7.

Director's Update

• 1000 slash piles burned so far this season, had one of our first agricultural burn, 6000 feet of ditch near Erie today. We have criteria for when we burn both piles and ditches.  As a reminder, it is our SO Mitigation Crew that leads these prescribed burns.
• We closed on the purchase of the almost 500-acre Spruce Gulch CE. CU will own the fee and if they ever decide to dispose of it, the property comes to Boulder County for free because of our CE investment.
• We have been told by the State that the Prince Lake FEMA project is funded. Prince Lake is just West of Erie. The team is getting bids now, so there will be people out looking at the project.
• We are working with the Watershed Center on the South St Vrain. They are spearheading the creek restoration and are about halfway finished.
• 2025 Soil Health Grants have mostly been awarded. This includes adding compost, adding mycelium as a soil amendment

8.

Adjournment

9:11