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Arapahoe County approves Jackass Hill Park grant as residents press Littleton for narrower trail design
Summary
Residents urged the city to narrow a proposed 16‑foot concrete trail through Jackass Gulch and to pursue a dual‑surface design; the project’s Arapahoe County open‑space grant was approved based on the city's original application but county staff expect an updated plan that incorporates citizen input.
Residents and open‑space advocates on Aug. 19 asked Littleton City Council and staff to revise a proposed 16‑foot concrete trail through Jackass Gulch, arguing a narrower, dual‑surface alignment would better preserve open space and meet user needs. They also said staff had misrepresented conversations with funding agencies about alternatives.
"The 16‑Feet wide concrete road plan for the Jackass Gulch Open spaces [is] antithetical to the city's stated open space values," said Mark Flink, referencing the city's Environmental Stewardship Action Plan and urging a switch to a 10‑foot concrete path with adjacent soft‑surface trails. Don ("Don Brunns") Brunns and other residents urged the council to press South Suburban and county partners to alter stairs and trail surfacing to match open‑space character and reduce erosion.
Several speakers said staff had told council that CDOT or other funders would require removing trail elements to keep TIP funding, while an email obtained by residents suggested funders only said the trail spur could not be removed without risk to the funding. "Staff misled citizens and council on May 20 when they said they talked to doctor Cog about options and were told they could not make changes without losing funding," Mark Flink said, reading from city documents. (Transcript uses "doctor Cog" in places; the city and residents referred to state and regional funding conversations during the discussion.)
City Manager Jim Becklenberg said Arapahoe County approved the city's original grant application to Arapahoe County Open Spaces because the county wished to follow its advisory committee processes. He said the county approved the original plan with an expectation city staff and county staff would return to the county open‑space advisory committee with an updated plan that incorporates citizen input before finalizing project plans. "They approved the original plan with an expectation that the city, South Suburban and the county open spaces department would work to bring an updated plan with input from citizens," Becklenberg said.
Why this matters: The item ties to a county open‑space grant and a planned trail project that, speakers said, will affect habitat, open‑space character and nonmotorized access to Mineral Station. Several speakers warned that a wide concrete path could produce social trails, erosion, and a loss of the open‑space character that residents value.
Formal action: The council approved, on the consent agenda, Resolution 78‑2025 — an intergovernmental agreement with Arapahoe County open spaces for the 2025 grant award regarding Jackass Hill Park improvements — as part of a package of consent items. The consent agenda (items A through L) passed by a 7–0 vote; no separate roll call was recorded for individual consent items at the meeting.
Next steps: Becklenberg said staff will return with an updated plan and that the county process includes review by the Open Space and Trails Advisory Committee before final project design. Residents said they will continue to press for narrower trail alternatives, dual‑surface designs, and changes to planned hardscape stairways.
Ending: The discussion ended with a commitment by staff to continue outreach and to bring the updated plan back through the advisory and review process prior to final implementation.
