Edgewater Art Walk April 13 see page 4
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Gardens Wanted For Tour, June 15 see page 6
Gazette
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WHEAT RIDGE
EDGEWATER
Pathways Planned for Kipling By Cyndy Beal
T
he look of Kipling Street will soon be changing, mainly by way of a federal grant. The City of Wheat Ridge has plans for concrete multi-use (modal) trails along each side of Kipling. Construction is expected to begin at the end of this year or early 2014. Some trails are already complete on Kipling, such as those in Discovery Park, just south of 38th Avenue on the street’s east side. The first new trail will be built on Kipling’s east side, with trails on the west side scheduled for later construction. Trail plans and future construction along State Highway 391 (Kipling) from 32nd to 44th avenues include continuous 10-footwide concrete paths and amenities such as benches and plantings. The total estimated cost for all phases of the Kipling Multi-Use Trail project from planning to construction is $3.2 million. $2.5 million will be paid for with a federal grant, and the difference of $700,000 will be paid for by the city. The grant is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, via which Colorado has received approximately $533 million for transportation projects statewide. The plan is not universally popular. “They [the city] didn’t tell the businesses that pay taxes,” said Shirley Walker, owner of Walker Cage and Feed on Kipling. Walker said she did not hear about the project until the day of a public meeting on Nov. 28, 2012. “We made efforts to notify both owners and tenants of property in the area,” said Wheat Ridge Projects Supervisor Mark Westberg, regarding the meeting. He said certified letters are generally sent out a couple of weeks before public meetings for those in close proximity to a planned project. Westberg additionally said that many letters were returned to the city, as not everyone picks up their mail after receiving a certified letter notice. The Kipling trail project is part of the Wheat Ridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan 2010, which outlines a trail system to connect existing trails, such as those along Clear Creek, and the addition of new trails, as well as more direct connections with area parks. Presently many bicycle routes in Wheat Ridge, marked with green bicycle signs, meander through residential streets rather than on dedicated trails. Wheat Ridge City Council adopted the plan (funded by LiveWell Wheat Ridge) in August 2010 after a series of public meetings the same year. More than two years ago may seem like old news to some, but the Nov. 28 meeting was the first that some business owners and residents in the affected areas heard about the plan. Before the regular Feb. 25 Wheat Ridge City Council meeting in the Citizen’s Right to Speak portion, where people may speak about items not on the council agenda, Walker and five other people addressed city council regarding the Kipling trail plan. Three spoke in favor of the plan and three against.
The biggest points of contention with those opposing the plan were lack of city communication, 10-foot-wide sidewalks and safety concerns. Of the three supporters, two spoke about the need to bury utility lines between 32nd and 35th avenues, and one spoke in favor of sidewalks on Kipling for school students. “A state highway this steep is no place for a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail with moms with strollers and kids on bikes and skateboards,” said Walker. The Wheat Ridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan August 2010 says, “Multi-use trails should be a minimum of 10 feet wide to safely accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, and other users (e.g., in-line-skaters and wheelchairs) in both directions.” In addition to the 10-foot width, trails are often separated from the street by an amenity (bench, greenery, etc.) to create an additional buffer between pedestrians and auto traffic. Burying utility lines between 32nd and 35th avenues on the east side of Kipling is the first part of the work scheduled to be done, before work on the multi-use trail. “The franchise money has been allotted for it, and it should be used for that,” said Patricia Roush to council about putting utility lines underground, referring to Wheat Ridge’s relationship with Xcel Energy. Westberg said he did not know the exact date work would begin on burying utility lines from 32nd to 35th Avenue. The work depends on Xcel’s schedule. Wheat Ridge has until Oct. 1 to get all aspects of the trail project out for bid to contractors, in order to comply with federal guidelines related to the grant. The addition of a multi-use trail and amenities will create right-of-way issues for some residential and commercial properties on Kipling.
SPRING-LIKE REFLECTIONS – A March snow melts on the trail near the Clear Creek Greenbelt Trail at the Kipling Trailhead. The Clear Creek trail is an example of a multi-use trail type. A multi-use trail, funded largely by a federal grant is planned along Kipling Street between 32nd and 44th Avenues. The Kipling multi-use trail plan is part of Wheat Ridge’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The Clear Creek trail was designated as a National Recreation Trail in 2007. PHOTO BY CYNDY BEAL
Because of federal rules, the City of Wheat Ridge cannot comment on specific right-of-way issues with property owners. Instead the city has to hire a sub-consultant to interface with property owners about the purchase of private property, per guidelines on federal grant money. The plan monies do not cover burying utilities in the stretch between 38th and 44th avenues; instead, utility poles and lines will be moved. “It might impact some, but it’s only going to take a couple of feet,” said Mike Stites, council member for District III, about property needed for the planned multi-use trails. Stites’ district is in the Kipling trail plan area. Because Kipling is a state highway, the Colorado Department of Transportation will
oversee the project. The Denver Regional Council of Governments distributes the federal funds. Per the Wheat Ridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan 2010, and not part of the federally funded Kipling Multi-Use trail project, the multi-use trail will extend to 51st Avenue.
Additional Information The City of Wheat Ridge outlines three priority areas for modal trail types in the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan: 38th Avenue, Wadsworth Boulevard and Kipling Street. To view the plan or maps, go to http:// www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/ and go to Public Works or Parks and Recreation.
West 38th Road Diet, Pop-Ups and Planters Stay – For Now By J. Patrick O’Leary
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he concrete planters and pop-up cafés lining West 38th Avenue aren’t going anywhere soon, and new banners promoting Ridge at 38 and its events may adorn light posts by summer. Reacting to city council concerns about the “temporary” look of flower planters placed last summer as part of the 38th Avenue Corridor Plan, Wheat Ridge Community Development pitched a plan to spend $150,000 on permanent landscaping islands. Met with a “lukewarm” response by council, the department will instead move planters on the east half of 38th farther west, and continue to evaluate traffic data and community response. At least that’s the consensus of council at its March 4 study session. Council also gave the go-ahead to on Wheat Ridge 2020’s proposal on how to spend $100,000 approved by Council in its 2013 budget to carry out the plan. The plan was adopted in October
2011, and sets the course for implementing economic development and land use strategies as well as street and right of way improvements. Wheat Ridge 2020 has engaged about 50 community stakeholders through a Leadership Committee to guide the process, and has contracted with the city carry out parts of the plan. Tasks and costs include: Creation and placement of banners for Ridge at 38 and its events on light poles along 38th Avenue, plus installation of new lights and lighting features (solar powered, on small trees and planters), estimated at $16,400. Improvement and maintenance of the RidgeAt38.com website and other social media, $18,000. Coordination of design, production and purchase of click ads, posters, branded items and other marketing peripherals to implement the marketing plan, and coordinate with businesses, $18,000. Selecting a consultant, through competitive bidding, to conduct a special
district feasibility study, $22,000. Continuing support of the Leadership Committee through communications, meetings, information gathering, events, grant writing, training and workshops, $16,000. Coordinating with city staff on strategy and implementation, $7,600 Paying for meeting costs, supplies, refreshments, $1,000. The 38th Avenue Corridor Plan calls for a 24-month evaluation period (July 2012-July 2014) to assess the success of the project, examining automobile traffic volume, pedestrian and bicycle counts, travel time, traffic speed, accidents, emergency vehicle access, vacancy rates, building permit and business license activity, and sales revenue. Community Development will also consider feedback from businesses, residents, and the 38th Avenue Leadership Committee, through tools such as the city’s Citizen Survey. For more information on the 38th Avenue Corridor Plan, click on the 38th Avenue Quick Link on www.ci.wheatridge.co.us.