Residents urge Littleton to keep Mineral Spur trail crusher‑fine; staff says concrete design tied to grant rules

Several dozen residents told the Littleton City Council they oppose a plan to pave the Mineral Spur (also called the Mineral Trail or the spur between the High Line Canal and Jackass Hill) with concrete and asked the city to keep a crusher‑fine surface or add a dual‑surface option.

Residents said the spur provides a valued soft‑surface section with a sustained grade for walkers, runners and equestrians and that concrete would invite faster e‑bikes and scooters, reduce equestrian use and harm the trail’s aesthetics. Speakers calling for preservation included Mark Flank, Ned Stern, Tammy Whitney, John Marchetti and Bob Hersher, who described outreach failures and urged council to halt the concrete work while alternatives are explored.

City Manager Jim (name provided in the meeting as “Jim”) told the council the segment is part of phase 1 of the Mineral Mobility Improvements Project and carries “millions of dollars” in grant funding. He said outreach for the project began in 2021 and that the current trail design prioritizes separating bicycles and pedestrians, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, year‑round plowability, and lower long‑term maintenance costs for South Suburban Parks and Recreation (SSPRD), which will maintain the trail. The manager said the city has received at least one grant extension and was told the funds must be used by the end of the year and that another extension is unlikely, making a design change now “not feasible” without risking the whole project.

Speakers pressed staff for alternatives. Ned Stern urged the city to either abandon concreting or create a parallel crusher‑fine route and suggested the council discuss spending an additional $125,000 to install a new crusher‑fine trail on adjacent right‑of‑way. Residents also raised process concerns, saying some neighbors learned of the concrete plan only after it had been shared with a small group.

City staff acknowledged the public interest in preserving crusher‑fine trails and said staff would pursue a dialogue with South Suburban Parks and Recreation to identify trail segments where crusher‑fine surfacing is appropriate while retaining concrete where ADA access, maintenance, safety separation and grant conditions favor hard surfacing. Staff noted South Suburban has current staffing gaps that will affect timing for those discussions.

The council did not take a vote on design changes during the meeting; staff described next steps as (1) continuing coordination with South Suburban, (2) synthesizing public input and council priorities, and (3) bringing proposals for negotiations and capital planning back to the council in study sessions.

Ending: Residents who addressed council asked that the city preserve the character and recreational uses of the Mineral Spur. Staff said they heard that preference and want to pursue a longer‑term agreement with South Suburban to preserve crusher‑fine trails where appropriate, while cautioning that altering the currently funded design risks the project’s grant funding.