Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Trails Parks Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission reviews trail and park projects as NEPA, RFPs and neighbor concerns continue
Summary
Commissioners and staff reviewed the East End Connector and Bridal Veil alignments, an ongoing NEPA review with pending public comment, Mill Creek Park RFP and survey results (56 responses), and Galloping Goose Park redesign; no formal approvals were taken due to lack of quorum.
San Miguel County open-space staff provided updates on several trail and park projects at the Nov. 17 meeting, including the East End Connector, Bridal Veil platform signage, the Mill Creek Park RFP and community survey, and design work for Galloping Goose Park.
On the East End Connector, staff (Speaker 3) described preliminary trail alignments near Pandora Mill and the tailings ponds and said Newmont representatives have expressed support for recreational amenities. Plans include two pedestrian crosswalks across a recently paved road and a route that will connect the Idarado Legacy Trail to Bridal Veil Trailhead. Speaker 3 said modifications to a large boulder at the proposed alignment were under consideration and that the alignment would be finalized this winter with construction targeted for spring. "We're gonna finalize the trail alignment this winter and get this done in the spring," Speaker 3 said.
Speaker 3 also reported ongoing concern from Pandora Lane neighbors and their lawyers over the perimeter trail’s NEPA review. She said the U.S. Forest Service must complete internal processes, involve the State Historic Preservation Officer and likely open another public-comment period of approximately 45 days, with a projected NEPA completion around May 2026. Neighbors’ attorneys raised parking and environmental-process concerns, which staff said the county has relayed but cannot unilaterally resolve because NEPA is a federal process.
At Bridal Veil, the historical commission is preparing interpretive signage for the recently completed platform deck. Ted Wilson, chair of the historical commission, is drafting text; staff said they will consider including acknowledgment of a black swift study requested by the bird conservancy, either in text or as a silhouette on the sign.
Mill Creek Park was the subject of a reissued RFP for soil preparation and regrading; staff said bids are due Nov. 28 and that the project was intentionally released for winter so a contractor can be selected for immediate or spring work. The county requested staff return to the county commissioners with bids and cost details before proceeding. Staff also reported a community survey (July 9–Oct. 16) that yielded 56 responses; top preferences from respondents included picnic tables, a pollinator garden, natural play and bike-repair amenities.
Speaker 3 said she has preliminary plant and shrub lists from consultants and suggested volunteers on the Mill Creek committee could assist with planting and project coordination given staff limitations. "If somebody gets a job now, if they want to do it now, great… if they then say we want to do it in the spring, even better," Speaker 3 said.
For Galloping Goose Park, staff hired a consultant to redesign the site after removal of a small train feature. Historic-preservation advocates want the train returned, but staff cited cost and operational constraints and noted the tailings pile could not be used for track placement.
No votes or formal decisions were recorded during the meeting. Staff said they will share RFP materials, survey results, and updated signage verbiage with the commission in follow-up communications.
