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Appointments to Boards and Commissions
Commissioners reappointed Sam Craig Wright to the Jefferson County Housing Authority Board. The Housing Authority works to provide affordable housing throughout the county through rental assistance and other programs. Wright's term will last through October 2014. | |
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Jeffco to Explore Bike/Pedestrian Plan
Commissioners gave county staff approval to pursue a bicycle/pedestrian plan that would identify both existing and long-range needs for bicycle and pedestrian paths in unincorporated Jefferson County.  The county currently has a Major Thoroughfare Plan that identifies long-term needs for significant roadway corridors. However, the plan does not identify the needs for bicyclists and pedestrians. The new bicycle/pedestrian plan may include such elements as:
- Walking and/or bicycle connections to schools, transit and key commercial areas, and other community features.
- Walking and/or biking for recreation within a right-of-way.
- Maps that indicate existing bicycle and walking paths.
- Standards for bike-lane construction and walking paths and trails.
The plan would not take the place of trails and routes that Jeffco Open Space has already identified. It also would avoid conflicts with state laws and allow flexibility to comply with changes in state law.
Staff will begin working with citizens and other interested groups to draft a plan that would go before the Planning Commission at a future meeting. |
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Equipment for a new Hazardous Materials Response Van owned by the Sheriff's Office.
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A deputy district attorney for two years who will work with the WMDTF.
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A wire investigation linguist who will work with the WMDTF to interpret conversations over wire taps among dealers in other countries. Many meth producers have moved their operations into rural areas of Mexico. To aide their investigations, law enforcement agencies listen in on tapped conversations that are in local dialects of Spanish and require a wire investigation linguist.
The grant award runs through 2012. Community Oriented Policing Services is a federal office within the Department of Justice that focuses on programs that prevent crime and eliminate the atmosphere of fear it creates, rather than responding to crimes after they have been committed. |
Commissioners Receive Update on Open Space's 3rd Quarter Activities
The County's Open Space and Community Resources Department was busy in the third quarter of 2010, with activities including issuing a new management plan for Apex Park; completing a new parking lot and trailhead at Mayhem Gulch in Clear Creek Canyon Park; and starting construction on a new trail from Reynolds Park to the Colorado Trail. Ralph Schell, Open Space/Community Resources director, briefed Commissioners on the department's third quarter activities at the Staff Briefing.
 Perhaps the most publicized action Open Space took during the third quarter was to issue a new management plan for Apex Park near Golden. Over recent years, Open Space staff have received complaints and seen an increase in accidents and serious injuries. Many people have stopped using the park because of negative experiences and safety concerns.
Staff met with the Trails Use Task Force and various user groups, including bikers, hikers and equestrians, and reviewed citizen comments to draft a plan that would create a better visitor experience and address the safety issues. The Open Space Advisory Committee received the final draft at their regular meeting on Oct. 1 and Open Space will implement the plan in the spring. The plan designates certain trails, such as portions of Pick n' Sledge, Sluicebox and Enchanted Forest, to one-way biking on certain days of the week. It also prohibits "downhill biking," or shuttling, and calls for new signage, trimmed vegetation and segment construction to improve visitor safety.
Open Space will monitor Apex for three years, beginning in 2010, to determine whether the new management practices have been effective. Click here to review the Open Space Advisory Committee's Apex decision.
Other projects during the third quarter included:
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Construction of a 60-car parking lot and trailhead at Mayhem Gulch in Clear Creek Canyon Park, 12 miles west of Golden. The project should be completed this fall.
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Work on a new 8-mile trail from Reynolds Park to the South Platte River. When complete in about three years, the trail will be available for hiking, biking and equestrian use.
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An application for a Great Outdoors Colorado Conservation Excellence Grant that would fund an update to the Natural Heritage Inventory of Jefferson County. The last inventory was completed in 1993. An update would identify areas that contain rare, imperiled species and plant communities.
For more information about Jeffco's Open Space and Community Resources Department, visit the Open Space Web site. |
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Other BCC Actions
BCC Renews Agreement with Arapahoe County Human Services
 Commissioners renewed the Collaborative Foster Care Program between the Jefferson County and Arapahoe County Human Services departments. The intergovernmental agreement integrates the two counties' foster care programs into one shared program in an effort to improve and expand foster and foster-to-adopt services for children. Operational expenses will be shared equally between both counties.
Jeffco Receives Land Near Elk Meadow Park Jefferson County has received 80 acres of donated land along the southern boundary of Elk Meadow Park near Evergreen. Commissioners approved the land donation at the BCC Hearing. The land, known as the Owen property, will be transferred to the Jeffco Open Space Foundation, which will pay as much as $5,000 for the title policy and closing costs. The Foundation then will donate the land to the county. A conservation easement protects the property from building and road development. | |
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