GOCO LPOR Grant Application for Pedestrian Bridge Related Enhancements

Our pedestrian-bridge management team put together and submitted a $25K grant application for a Local Parks and Outdoor Recreation (LPOR) Grant from Great Outdoors Colorado, aiming to fund a number of bridge-related enhancements not covered under the CDOT (Colo. Dept of Transportation) bridge-construction Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA).

Our grant proposal is to:

• Build 2 trail-entry kiosks for attracting, guiding, and educating bridge and park users.  One kiosk will be at the Water Treatment Plant across the street from Town Park; a second will be in Pioneer Park on the other side of the bridge near the campground and disc golf Tee #1.
• Install a day-use area on the Pioneer Park side of the bridge with picnic area, environmental education, and parking.
• Install angler access immediately upstream from the bridge, also instream habitat work to improve the fishing opportunity.
• Plant functional landscaping around the bridge and day use area, also add some benches and solar lighting.

See PDF attached for graphics from the grant application for more information about the project.

If successful, we will combine the $25,000 GOCO grant with:

·        ToHSS $5,000 from Conservation Trust + $5,000 in-kind materials

·        Local partners in-kind $2,500 contribution from Grand Environmental, Conservation Assistance, Topknot Engineering, Munn Architecture, and Willow Creek Signs

For $35,000 Total Project Value

Many thanks to guidance from Mayor Hershal Deputy and strong support from Board of Trustees, especially Project Coordinator Dan Nolan.  Also thanks to several local residents and park regulars who wrote letters, also Mike Crosby from Colorado Parks and Wildlife without whom we could not proceed.

We will be hiring 3 local contractors for much of the work:

• Clearing contractor to remove trees, brush, and topsoil from the project areas.
• Excavation contractor to install angler access and in-stream structure.
• Carpenter to install 2 kiosks + signs, etc.

Tentative date for GOCO funding announcement is June 19, 2012 – wish us luck!

Geoff Elliott, Project Manager

Grand Environmental Services

geoff@grandenvironmental.com

970-509-0199

Open House a Success

Our Bridge open house went well last night, giving ToHSS board members, neighbors, project partners, and a few contractors the chance to review plans.  Project Engineer Tony Krempin (TopKnot Engineering) discussed technical details of the CDOT bridge design, and Architect Tim Hodson (Munn Architecture) discussed design options for bridge, kiosks, etc.  Public scoping specialist Cindy Southway helped manage communications, and I gave an overview of both bridge (CDOT) project and bridge-related project we hope to fund through GOCO Local Parks and Outdoor Recreation grant (application due 2Mar12).  Also attending were Scott Murdoch (Colorado Parks and Widlife) who is well versed in river/angler related engineering, Gary Siegel our sign partner, Andy Miller our long-term trail partner, Trustee Dan Nolan (Project Lead for ToHSS), and our favorite Mayor Hershal Deputy who has supported this bridge project since 15Dec06.  Thank you Hershal!

The open house was attended by a total of 11 people, the number growing as time marched toward the regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting, which says a lot for this scoping approach (Open House 1.5 hours before regular meeting).  Properly briefed, the Board then approved the required resolution committing ToHSS cash and in-kind match, and a resolution expanding my project management responsibilities to the GOCO related work.

We are starting to receive letters of support for the GOCO grant application for bridge related park improvements from present and past Trustees and past Trustees which confirms local community support, thank you so much.  We received a wonderfully poetic letter from Polly Gallagher, Academic Director of the Indian Peaks Charter School and Pioneer Park River Group Environmental Education Leader.

Letters of support for the GOCO grant application for bridge related park improvements can be sent to the Board of Trustees, Town of HSS, PO Box 116, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451 or dropped off at Town Hall by February 24.  It is helpful to include information about how you have used the area in the past and how you would like to use it in the future.

For a copy of my Powerpoint Presentation last night, please click here.

Geoff Elliott, Grand Environmental Services

Pedestrian Bridge Open House

You are invited to learn more about the Pedestrian Bridge and related park improvements team at an Open House at Town Hall in Hot Sulphur Springs this Thursday, February 16th at 5:00 PM. 

The schedule is:

·         5:00 snacks and open discussion

·         5:30 detailed presentation of proposals, financing, and compliance

·         5:45 questions and answers

·         6:00 break (open to further discussion)

·         6:30 Board of Trustees regular meeting including 2 action items to move on proposals

Remember draft bridge plans from local TopKnot Engineering are available for review beforehand at the Town Hall, along with concepts for the GOCO grant for park improvements.  Click here, for Pre-construction Photos.

GOCO Grant Application for Bridge-Related Work (Not CDOT)

Trustee Dan Nolan, Town Clerk Sandy White, and Geoff Elliott attended the recent workshop hosted by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to learn more about Local Parks and Outdoor Recreation (LPOR) funding for bridge-related work in Pioneer Park that is outside the strictly regulated CDOT scope of work.  Bridge-related park work will include trail entry points with interpretive signage, picnic area, parking, environmental education, lighting, angler access, and habitat work.  For a look at the plans - click on this link.

Looks like funding will be very competitive but GOCO procedures are more clear now including grading mechanisms and we are confident our project is worthwhile.  GOCO staff members Jake Houston and Jackie Miller remembered our long history with GOCO including:

·         Open Space Grant to purchase Pioneer Park in 1999

·         Planning Grant to develop river corridor restoration masterplan 2001

·         Planning Grant to locate, develop initial designs, and permit Pedestrian Bridge 2009

We are asking everyone interested to help us with letters of support for the Pedestrian Bridge and related campground work.  Please write us with these talking points:

·         You support the Pedestrian Bridge effort and GOCO funding for related work.

·         How you typically visit the park (bike, snowshoe, fishing, disc golf)

·         How you will use the project.

·         Why it is important to you, local kids, etc.

·         If you are willing to donate an afternoon or 2 during construction to help with landscaping etc.

Join us at an open house right before next Board of Trustees meeting 16Feb12.  We’ll start at 5:00 with discussion over maps and drawings, then a power point presentation at 5:30 with more details and open for questions 5:45.  More opportunities to discuss later as Trustees consider the final resolution to move ahead with GOCO application to pay for park work.  CDOT funding is already confirmed for the bridge work.

Construction Plans Available for Review

Geoff Elliott met with the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs (ToHSS) Board of Trustees on Thursday 19Jan12 to share TopKnot Engineers’ updated bridge plans which show a 2-foot reduction in bridge elevation due to recent floodplain analysis, great job Tony! Lower elevation means less fill, reduced wetland and river impacts, and less need for safety rails. We also discussed a strategy developed with Trustee Dan Nolan, Mayor Hershal Deputy, and Jack Zielinski to pull all ancillary design and park work out of bridge project to focus CDOT-related work totally on bridge. The strategy is to work with GOCO for a Local Parks and Outdoor Recreation (LPOR) grant this spring cycle. This should allow the bridge contractor (not chosen yet, RFP soon) to focus on bridge construction. Bridge plans are available for review in ToHSS Town Hall.  Everyone is invited to review and comment; Tony will begin working on the next set to CDOT after Feb1.

Pedestrian Bridge Project Moves Forward!

After 10 years of dialogue and planning, starts and stops, boil orders and stimulus projects, we are entering our final stages of Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) approval for construction of the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs Pedestrian Bridge over the Colorado River!
 
Project Engineer Tony Krempin of TopKnot Engineering and I (Geoff Elliott of Grand Environmental Services) will meet with ToHSS Trustees this week to discuss some final design considerations, and how we will best facilitate the bidding and construction process. Part of our plan is to get our bridge-construction contractor on board late spring (May-June) and give the contractor a couple of summer months to organize workers, materials, and presumably, a pre-fabricated bridge for installation in September.
 
We will have cleared and prepared access and staging areas so our bridge contractor can focus on the bridge itself. We will follow bridge installation with other park improvements coordinated with final revegetation and stabilization for winter.
 
Contracting will be straightforward, following standard CDOT conditions and procedures as outlined in our ToHSS-CDOT Intergovernmental Agreement which will be available at Town Hall along with TopKnot draft designs.

Posted by Geoff Elliott, Grand Environmental Services