Council approves property conveyance for Straw Road widening; $62,377 allocated for right-of-way

The Parker Town Council on Monday approved Ordinance 1.65 on second reading to authorize a memorandum of agreement with the Langley Family Trust (property owners Mary Kuchman and Jay Kuchman, doing business as Creekside Equestrian) for right-of-way needed for the Straw Road Widening Project (CIP 23-033). Nathan Class, a town staff member presenting the item, said the Straw Road project would widen Straw Road from J. Morgan Boulevard to Matzenbacher/Crowfoot Valley Road by adding two lanes to the south, build a new bridge over Cherry Creek and extend J. Morgan Boulevard south to connect to the South Metro Fire Station. The project requires permanent and temporary acquisitions from six property owners; the ordinance covers acquisition of parcels labeled RW-4 and RW-4A from the Langley Family Trust. Class said RW-4A had been a drainage easement but negotiations led the town to acquire it as right-of-way because it will be fenced with the property and property owners would not be able to use it for grazing or drainage if left as an easement. He summarized the total right-of-way cost for RW-4 and RW-4A at $62,377, and said funding has been appropriated in the 2025 Highway and Streets Capital Project Fund. Class gave a construction update: bridge abutments are in place, driven piles and caissons are installed, piers are being poured and girders are scheduled to be placed in August. He said the town expects to transfer traffic to the new bridge before the end of the year and anticipates final completion of the overall project in about August–October of next year, depending on conditions. Temporary easements are already in use to begin construction; the MOA is a cleanup step to secure permanent right-of-way. No property owners spoke at the meeting; public comment was opened and closed without speakers. Councilmember Franzen moved to approve the ordinance on second reading; Hendricks seconded. The roll-call vote was unanimous. Council members thanked public works and engineering staff for progress on local roads and noted the acquisition “makes the family whole,” acknowledging the tradeoffs for the property owner’s pastureland. The council approved the MOA and the appropriation as presented.