Denver Begins Study of Mountain Parks System

Denver Parks and Recreation will begin this month a two-year master-planning process for its historic 14,000-acre mountain parks system. The goal of the process is to bring the 1914 vision that originally created Denver Mountain Parks into the 21st Century.

The system of scenic parks and roads - designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm in Massachusetts - is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The master-planning process will involve partners from four other counties, federal and state agencies and residents in five counties. The lead consultant for Denver Mountain Parks master plan is Mundus Bishop Design Inc. in Denver. Other firms working on the project include Andrews and Anderson PC, The Trust for Public Lands, ERO Resources, Walden Group, Community Focus, Fehr & Peers and CTM Mapping.
Total funding for the master plan is estimated at $150,000. Implementation of the plan will be funded by a combination of private and public dollars.

CDOT Finishes Widening of Berthoud Pass

Federal, state and local officials and citizens celebrated the completion last fall of the Berthoud Pass Mountain Access Project - the 14th project finished under TRANS (Transportation Revenue Anticipation Notes), a bonding program initiated by Gov. Bill Owens and approved by voters in 1999.

The Colorado Transportation Commission established a statewide list of 28 Strategic Transportation Projects in 1996, and proceeds from the bonds advanced those projects.

The recently completed final phase, a $15.6 million project that widened the lower two miles of Berthoud Pass, began in 2004 and included adding a climbing lane to the existing two-lane highway; construction of several retaining walls; shoulder widening; new snow storage areas adjacent to widened shoulders; a large wildlife crossing under the highway and adjacent deer fencing, protecting wildlife and humans; a new storm-drainage system to keep mountain runoff clean and separate from highway surface runoff; construction of four permanent sediment-capture basins to improve water quality; and 56 new drainage inlets, designed to improve water management efficiency.

The last major improvement on the east side of Berthoud Pass was in 1938. Before the recent construction, the road was as narrow as 25 ft, had minimal shoulders and virtually no recovery zones for vehicles. Drivers now have three lanes - two uphill, one downhill - with a width of at least 66 ft and more in some areas.

The Colorado Department of Transportation reconstructed the upper three miles of the pass between 1999 and 2002 for $50 million.

Park Named after Noted Denver Community Leader

Denver Parks and Recreation reopened and renamed the park located in the heart of LoDo's Ballpark neighborhood at the intersection of Broadway, Lawrence and Park Avenue West.

Edward J. "Eddie" Maestas Park - formerly known as Broadway Triangle Park - was named to honor Eddie Maestas (1932-1998), the owner and operator of Johnnie's Market at 2030 Larimer St. who was known as "the mayor of Larimer Street."

In addition to its new name, Maestas Park underwent significant improvements, including the addition of a large plaza with seating areas and a raised planter with groundcover plantings and trees.

Following a Denver tradition, street trees will be planted on all three sides of the park, lighting will be improved and irrigation will be upgraded. These amenities will support the area as a public space and will address past maintenance problems.

City Still Seeking Comments on Civic Center Park Redesign

The three-dimensional model of ideas for Civic Center Park created by Studio Libeskind have been moved to the Denver Public Library, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway.

The display, located in the Denver Western History Department on the fifth floor, will offer the public an additional opportunity to explore the ideas presented in August by Libeskind, who was contracted by the Civic Center Conservancy to develop conceptual ideas for the park.

Libeskind's planning ideas do not represent final designs but are intended as a starting point to inspire the public's imagination beyond ordinary solutions, city officials said.

Since Libeskind's ideas were unveiled last summer, Denver Parks and Recreation and the Conservancy have been hosted a series of public forums and community discussions, dubbed "Civic Center Sessions."

Public comments on Civic Center Park are being collected through an online survey at www.denvergov.org/Planning_Design_and_Constr/template26273.asp. They will be included in a summary report to the Denver Parks Advisory Committee this month.

Renovations Close Denver's City Park Lake Until Next Summer

Public access along several roadways and walkways around Ferril Lake at City Park in Denver will be closed through June because of an $18 million renovation project, including stormwater drainage, asphalt walkway improvements and reconstruction of the Electric Fountain.

"More than 80,000 cu yds of sediment and soil will be hauled out of the lake bottom by daily truck loads over the course of the project. The entire work area encompassing 25-plus acres will be fenced and off limits to park users because of the extent of dangerous conditions, including excavated terrain, exposed utilities, trenches, broken pavement, material stockpiles and frequent disturbances to normal park conditions.

The renovations will allow for the installation of stormwater pipes as part of a larger effort to establish a stormwater detention area in the park. Denver's wastewater management department plans to improve the lake as a holding basin where storm runoff will be temporarily stored for short periods during heavy downpours.

While the bulk of improvements will serve the needs of stormwater control, other park-related improvements will also be made to maximize benefits for public enjoyment and park use.

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