Board hears updates on Kasner Range remediation, trailhead damage and struck-off properties; members schedule follow-up

Open Space staff updated the board on multiple field and administrative items: ongoing federal remediation work north of Kasner Range, trail and road damage at the Roundhouse trailhead after recent heavy rain, and a request to brief commissioners on the city’s struck-off property list.

Staff said contractors working under a U.S. Army contract have completed initial reconnaissance transects across the area north of Kasner Range and placed fluorescent flags at intervals to mark locations for more detailed subsurface investigation. The staff member reporting the work said, “Those flags will be removed by October,” and that deeper inspection and sampling in flagged areas will proceed over the coming months.

Board members and staff discussed trail and access issues at the Roundhouse trailhead. A field-reporting staff member described a recent heavy rain event that left about a foot of silt across the mile-long access road and said the route is likely “not passable unless you have 4 by 4” until the silt and channeling are addressed. Staff noted the road has historically washed out in heavy storms and said long-term repairs—such as adding culverts and elevating the road—require funding.

Commissioners asked for a future agenda item explaining the struck-off property process (parcels that were offered at auction after tax lien procedures and did not sell). Staff said the struck-off parcels can end up owned by the municipality and that the board asked the real-estate section to explain the legal and procedural steps at the next meeting. The board scheduled that briefing for the next month and asked staff to invite the real-estate team.

No formal board action was taken during the update; commissioners asked staff to return with details on the remediation schedule, trailhead repair options and the struck-off process.