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Littleton residents urge council to remove Mineral Spur Trail paving from upcoming contract
Summary
At a Transportation and Mobility Advisory Board meeting, multiple residents and former city officials urged the city to remove the 16-foot concrete paving portion of the Mineral Spur Trail from an upcoming construction contract, citing weak public engagement and preferences for narrower or mixed-surface alternatives.
Mark Flynk, a Southbridge resident, told the Transportation and Mobility Advisory Board that the Mineral Spur Trail paving was not included in the October 2019 Envision Littleton Transportation Master Plan and said users he surveys did not want a full concrete trail. “If it ain't broke, don't fix it,” Flynk said, describing frequent, mixed use of the existing surface.
Roseanne Stern read written remarks from Steve Lowry and said user polling and informal interviews showed strong opposition to the 16-foot-wide concrete option. “Their first question was nearly always, ‘Why?’” Stern said, summarizing respondents’ reaction. She told the board that “83% of the people responding to the poll” opposed the full concrete design and asked the board to recommend removing the paving portion from the Phase 1 contract before council acts.
Larry Borger, a former Littleton city councilor and former city manager who said he has decades of experience with municipal agendas, told the board the Mineral Spur Trail item “should be taken off the consent agenda” so council members can decide it after public discussion. Residents and other speakers asked the board to ask city council to remove the contract award from the April 1 consent agenda and instead allow council members to vote after discussion.
Speakers described the public engagement process behind the current design as inadequate. Stern said the public outreach that started during the COVID-era (2021) produced limited participation and that the city rejected a modification proposed by trail users. Several residents reported doing their own short, on-site counts and informal surveys and finding overwhelming opposition to the concrete option. One commenter recommended narrower concrete (8 to 10 feet) paired with a parallel unpaved or gravel surface to preserve uses by runners, walkers and horseback riders.
Speakers also raised two related points: maintenance costs and access to the High Line Canal. Stern acknowledged South Suburban’s maintenance concerns but argued that “users come first.” She and others urged the city to reopen an access link to the High Line Canal from South Prince, asking that the connection be completed by May 1, 2025.
City staff present confirmed the paving proposal was not on the April 1 consent agenda and that it was tentatively listed for the April 15 council meeting under general items rather than consent. Board members noted the item had generated strong comment tonight and recommended deeper outreach and better documentation of public preferences before council action.
No formal action or vote on the paving was recorded at the Transportation and Mobility Advisory Board meeting. The board’s discussion was advisory; speakers requested that the board include language in its memo to council to remove the concrete paving portion from the Phase 1 contract and defer paving decisions to a later design phase or council discussion.
The board also discussed outreach methods for the Transportation Master Plan update and asked staff to broaden engagement so people beyond the usual responders are aware of projects that may affect neighborhoods.
A copy of public comments and survey material was included in the board packet; board members and staff said they would circulate those materials to council and follow up before the council meeting where the contract is scheduled for consideration.
