Adams County awards open-space grants to 22 projects, including Riverdale Bluffs funding

The Adams County Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution Dec. 2 awarding open-space grants and grant agreements to 22 projects recommended by the Open Space Advisory Board.

The awards, announced by staff during a brief presentation, included a $995,316 grant to the City of Westminster for improvements to the Ranch Creek Trail and a $3,955,000 award to Adams County for construction of the Riverdale Bluffs open space. The county also announced multi-project awards to Thornton (including a $4.22 million award for a proposed Thornton Community Center), Brighton (a roughly $3 million award for phase two of the Brighton Rex Plex and a smaller tree-planting grant), and a mix of smaller awards to municipalities, park districts and non‑profit partners for playground and trail improvements, signage and restoration work.

County staff said the grant program is administered through the Adams County Open Space Sales Tax Grant Program and noted the advisory board’s volunteer role in reviewing applications and recommending funding. Recipients were invited forward to accept the awards and staff directed the public to the county website for full project descriptions and application materials.

Why it matters: The awards fund park renovations, playground upgrades, trail extensions and habitat or restoration projects in multiple municipalities and special districts across Adams County. The county framed the grants as investments in recreational infrastructure and community access to open space.

What happened next: Commissioners closed the awards presentation and posed for a group photo with grantees. The resolution to approve the grant awards was adopted before the award announcements.