Committee proposes fence and new signage to close social trail linking Great Western Overlook to Rocky Mountain Greenway bridge

Open Space and Trails Director Kristan Pritz told OSTAC that staff proposes installing a buck-and-rail fence and updated signage in 2027 to close a user-created social trail that runs from Broomfield’s Great Western Overlook to the Rocky Mountain Greenway (RMG) pedestrian bridge over Indiana Street. Pritz said the plan seeks to “protect sensitive habitat while still allowing for access to the overlook and the existing RMG on Broomfield’s Great Western Open Space.”

Committee members pressed staff on details and context. Doug Errett noted the social trails’ age: “These social trails have been here for decades, well before the bridge was built.” Kristan responded that the City Council, via Resolution No. 2020-244, declined to extend Broomfield’s trail system to provide a connection across Indiana Street and that staff had coordinated with the City Manager’s Office and Westminster open space staff. She said the closure is proposed because the social trail was not intended to provide access from Broomfield property to the Refuge and that staff at times use social-trail patterns to inform where formal trails or restoration are needed.

OSTAC members asked whether similar deterrents are planned elsewhere. Kristan said the Rocky Mountain Greenway situation is unique to the council resolution and the nearby Refuge, and that while social trails elsewhere sometimes inform staff planning, this site is being treated on a case-by-case basis. If Council approves the CIP proposal, staff expect to begin implementation in 2027.