Improvements to the Cozy Point Ranch facilities and the Maroon Creek Trail are coming down the pike, but they are still a few years out from being completed.
Aspen City Council toured the sites on Monday in place of a formal work session so council members could see what’s currently in place and hear updates on upcoming capital projects, and in turn provide feedback on prioritization. The site visits were also opportunities for council members to ask questions and learn from city staff about the projects.
“This is a precursor to forthcoming budget discussions,” said Matt Kuhn, director of parks and open space. “We wanted to take an opportunity to provide context on what’s being proposed over the next five years with respect to the facilities at Cozy Point Ranch and answer any questions they have in person.”
The city is currently working on several projects at Cozy Point Ranch, some of which are already underway, such as a grading and drainage project to address safety concerns on the ranch due to a lack of consistent infrastructure, according to a memorandum from Open Space and Natural Resource Manager John Speiss. City staff is also planning a number of upcoming projects which will be discussed at budget work sessions later this year, including improvements to the boarding facility and a potential replacement of the riding arena.
The city also hopes to improve the employee housing on the ranch, of which there are currently four units on site, according to the memo. Kuhn said that most of the units are in need of repairs and replacement. Although the city does not expect to be able to replace the units in the near future, Kuhn said that staff was hoping to hear some guidance from councilors about the timing, scope and scale of the project.
“We really would like to replace that existing housing with a better and more long-term-focused housing solution,” Kuhn said. “It’s really critical that we have people on the site that are able to deal with the functionality of the ranch 24/7.”
Additionally, the parks staff is hoping to collaborate with Pitkin County Open Space and Trails next year on a wildlife crossing feasibility study in the Cozy Point Ranch Area. Kuhn said that to his knowledge, wildlife crossing studies usually take quite a bit of time, and he is expecting the process of creating a wildlife crossing to take several years — the feasibility study will help determine if it is the right thing to do in the area. The city is considering studying the parcels of city-owned land on both sides of Highway 82 near Brush Creek Road, where wildlife migration and movement are common.
“We’ve all seen the aftermath of deer and elk trying to cross that corridor,” Kuhn said. “We’re uniquely positioned, having property on both sides of the highway there.”
According to the memo, staff hopes to complete the grading and drainage project, begin planning and design for the riding arena improvements and begin the wildlife crossing feasibility study in 2023. The housing improvements and restoration projects at Brush Creek and Cougar Creek are the last on the schedule and are planned to begin in 2027. City council members were asked on Monday to provide more direction on the timeline.
The Cozy Point Ranch projects are expected to take a significant portion of the parks department’s capital project budget over the next five years, according to the memo. Staff expects the volatility of unforeseen maintenance tasks to be reduced, but Speiss wrote that “it should be noted that these projects aim to provide a stable, safe and acceptable suite of facilities to continue the various operations at Cozy Point Ranch for the foreseeable future.” The projects are also expected to have a positive impact on the environment.
The city council also visited the site of the Maroon Creek Trail, where the city is planning to install a hard-surface, multi-use trail between the Highway 82 roundabout and the Aspen Recreation Center. The current trail is a mix of trail, sidewalk and roadway, according to a separate memorandum from Speiss, and has created concerns about safety and snow-free access. The project would aim to provide a safe, year-round route between the school campus and the roundabout, according to the memo.
“The goal is to get a more direct connection that doesn’t go through the [school] campus and makes that connection with the Highlands Trail,” Kuhn said.
The project is currently in the schematic design phase, which is estimated to cost $122,530 of the 2021 budget. An additional $150,000 is appropriated for the 2022 budget for the remainder of a project survey and construction documents, according to the memo. The total project is estimated to cost $3,964,704 — staff proposed a $4-million budget for 2023 for construction.
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July 26, 2022 at 04:00PM
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City plans improvements at Cozy Point Ranch, Maroon Creek Trail - Aspen Daily News
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