Evergreen Park & Recreation District (EPRD) invites residents to attend a public meeting on Thursday, May 10, to discuss its vision for the future of the Evergreen Lake North Trail. Conceptual alternative solutions will be presented and the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback.

The meeting will be held from 5-7 PM at Buchanan Park Recreation Center (Bergen Peak Room), 32003 Ellingwood Trail, Evergreen, CO 80439 (https://goo.gl/maps/ubtKPHwBshp).

The trail section between Upper Bear Creek Road and the Evergreen Dam along Highway 74 was reopened Nov. 30 after being closed for more than a year and a half due to instability, but the short-term fix is not expected to last beyond five years, said Ellen O’Connor, EPRD’s Executive Director.

“We’re excited that the trail is open again, and we’re really proud of our Park Operations staff for coming up with creative solutions and working with the Evergreen Metropolitan District to get this vital community asset open,” O’Connor said.

“But just because the trail is open doesn’t mean we are finished. This was a short-term fix. We still need to come up with a sustainable long-term plan for this vital community asset.”

EPRD and the Metro District worked together for several months to do temporary maintenance and repairs to the closed section, shoring up the wall and trail system so that it could reopen in a safe condition until a funded project to replace them can be established. The repair work included replacement of two sections of failed wall, work on other areas of the existing wall, and maintenance and repair of the handrail system and trail surface.

The District has been working with OV Consulting, a trail project consultant, on the Evergreen Lake North Trail Project, a planning study seeking to develop long-term options for the trail that will accommodate the mountain community’s growing population and diverse users.

The project was launched in response to the spring 2016 closure of 1,200 feet of the trail, which is located on property owned by the City and County of Denver and managed, through intergovernmental agreements, by EPRD.

At January’s Public Meeting, EPRD and OV Consulting will provide background about the trail, including what happened to force its closure, what has been going on since then, what the District has done to improve the trail, and plans for the future. The District will also discuss its vision for the trail’s future, present long-term alternatives and solicit community input.

A follow-up public meeting is planned for March 2018.

For more information about the trail, contact Chris Vogelsang, Principal-Engineer for OV Consulting, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 303-898-8042.