Boulder County advisory committee recommends $3.9 million for parks projects
The recommendation includes $475,000 to address recurring flooding at Pella Crossing and $300,000 for early design of a U.S. 36 wildlife crossing; county commissioners have not yet acted on the package.
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Boulder County’s Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee recommended $3.896 million for parks capital projects and stewardship, including $475,000 to address recurring flooding at Pella Crossing and $300,000 for early design of a U.S. 36 wildlife crossing. The committee approved the recommendation by a majority vote Oct. 22, and the proposal now goes to county commissioners, according to the meeting recording.
The largest requests include $1.475 million for agricultural infrastructure, $475,000 to redesign the Pella Crossing area, $360,000 for forest-fuel reduction grants, $300,000 to advance a U.S. 36 wildlife-crossing concept to 30% design, and $275,000 for district-level planning. Other requests include $81,000 for irrigation-water assessments, $320,000 for sort-yard grinding, $110,000 for resource-protection radios and a $500,000 placeholder for buffalo-project infrastructure spread over two years. Staff said the department reduced its initial requests of about $12 million to just under $4 million.
At Pella Crossing, recurring blockages in an underground outlet have caused flooding and trail closures, staff said. The request would fund a redesign and work toward a more permanent fix. One concept under consideration is a pedestrian bridge that would let water pass even if the outlet clogged; it is not a final design.
The U.S. 36 request would fund county-led conceptual design for a wildlife crossing between Boulder and Lyons. Staff said the goal is to advance the concept to 30% design, then seek the Colorado Department of Transportation’s involvement in later design and construction. Staff said the crossing is on the department’s 10-year improvement list.
One committee member opposed the recommendation, saying it included prairie-dog killing. The member said they supported most of the requests but could not support the package.
The county’s 2027 budget schedule lists a budget work session for Nov. 5 and adoption by the Board of County Commissioners for Dec. 8.