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County approves OLRT funding for Windy Gap Ranch and authorizes purchase-closing steps
Summary
The Open Lands, Rivers and Trails advisory committee recommended full funding for the Windy Gap (Swindy) Ranch acquisition; the board approved the off-cycle grant and passed a resolution authorizing the county manager to sign closing documents and the treasurer to wire funds.
Grand County commissioners approved May 20 an off-cycle Open Lands, Rivers and Trails (OLRT) grant to acquire the 58-acre Windy Gap Ranch parcel along the Colorado River and later passed a resolution authorizing closing steps for the purchase.
The OLRT advisory committee reviewed the county's emergency (off-cycle) request and, after scoring the application, recommended full funding. Anna Drexler of the OLRT advisory committee told the board the nine advisory members gave the application an average score of 83.1 out of 100 and unanimously recommended full funding for the request of $1,135,000.
Why it matters: the Windy Gap Ranch purchase includes land adjacent to the Colorado River connectivity channel and secures 1.9 cubic feet per second of water in the Schmuck Ditch. OLRT funds were cited as critical to preserving riverbank habitat, maintaining public access and preventing development on the parcel.
Board action: the board voted to approve the OLRT off-cycle grant funding recommendation. Later in the meeting, county staff presented a resolution (No. 2025-5-10) authorizing the county to complete the purchase, directing the county manager to sign closing documents and directing the treasurer to wire required funds. The board approved the resolution.
Clarifications and next steps: advisory committee members and staff noted that public access through an adjacent connectivity channel is subject to an existing 10-year agreement with Northern Water; for roughly eight more years public access will require walking from a BLM parking area across the connectivity channel until Northern Water and partners finalize long-term access and management. Staff said title and closing documents must be provided to county staff ahead of closing and that recorded documents and a memorandum of understanding will follow closing.
No litigation or contract contingencies were announced at the meeting; staff said they would circulate closing paperwork and follow up as required by the MOU and title company requests.
