EPRD Receives $100K GOCO Award for Evergreen Lake Trail Rebuilding

For Immediate Release
PRESS RELEASE

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EPRD Receives $100K GOCO Award for Evergreen Lake Trail Rebuilding

Grant, Combined With Other Awards, to Fund Study of Possible Solutions
EVERGREEN, CO (Dec. 9, 2016) -

GOCO logo
Evergreen Park & Recreation District has been awarded a $100,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to support completing an engineering analysis, feasibility study and planning process to create an accessible trail on the north side of Evergreen Lake, EPRD Executive Director Ellen O'Connor announced today.

A portion of the Evergreen Lake Trail between Upper Bear Creek Road and Evergreen Dam has been closed since spring 2016 due to unstable conditions. The solution requires the securing of funds and coordination of a number of local and state organizations and agencies.

EPRD and other stakeholders involved are looking at the possible creation of a multimodal system to accommodate the growing number of trail users, with an ADA-compliant pedestrian boardwalk along the water's edge featuring push-outs for fishing and wildlife viewing, and a paved bicycle segment alongside Highway 74 on the north side of Evergreen Lake.

"The Evergreen North Lake Trail Planning Project provides vital infrastructure to local residents and the thousands of people who visit Evergreen each year. Whether they are strolling, hiking, riding a bike, pushing a stroller or propelling a wheelchair, this trail is a crucial link in the heart of our mountain community," said O'Connor. "We are grateful to GOCO for investing in EPRD efforts to repair, and in fact enhance, the north trail."

The grant was part of GOCO's new Connect Initiative trail planning grant program, which provides funding for trail projects for design, engineering and master planning to help them get shovel-ready for construction grants also offered through the Connect Initiative.
Funding Efforts
Over the last four months, EPRD has amassed more than $400,000 to use toward both short- and long-term solutions to improve the North Lake Trail, including EPRD matching funds. The first step, which is already underway, will be to assess current conditions and develop feasible repairs that could allow the trail to be reopened as soon as possible.

The GOCO funds will be added to previous awards EPRD has secured:

$25,000 from the Colorado Division of Local Affairs (DOLA) to assist in the geotechnical, civil, geometric, drainage and structural engineering analysis to recommend short-term solutions to stabilize the site and long-term solutions for a multimodal transportation system
$12,500 from Evergreen Metropolitan District for the preliminary engineering study
$199,500 from the Colorado Department of Transportation's Transportation Alternatives Program for final design and engineering of a multi-modal transportation system that will improve the damaged portion and improve the trail to better accommodate both cyclists and walkers.

Engineering Study
The preliminary engineering study will include geotechnical, civil, geometric, drainage and structural engineering analysis to assess existing conditions. It will then make recommendations for short-term repair alternatives to stabilize the site and long-term improvement alternatives to provide a multimodal transportation system. The study will also make initial planning and design recommendations for the new trail. The TAP grant funds will then be used to complete design and ascertain construction specifications.

The GOCO grant will ensure EPRD can move forward with this highly-demanded but complex, multi-jurisdictional project between Denver Mountain Parks, the Colorado Department of Transportation, Evergreen Metropolitan District, Jefferson County and EPRD. The District aims to complete the planning process by early 2018.
About Evergreen Park & Recreation District
Evergreen Park and Recreation District (EPRD) was formed in 1969 to serve the park and recreation needs of the communities of Evergreen, Bergen Park, Indian Hills, Kittredge and Marshdale. The citizens of the EPRD area place high value in their parks, recreation facilities and programs as an enhancement to the community's quality of life. This commitment is embodied in the District's strong parks and recreation system, with its high-quality facilities such as Buchanan Park Recreation Center, Wulf Recreation Center and Evergreen Lake House.

EPRD serves approximately 22,000 people residing within its boundaries, and offers affordable recreational options to non-district residents. Learn more at www.evergreenrecreation.com .

About Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state's parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO's independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a Constitutional Amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 4,800 projects in urban and rural areas in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information.

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Evergreen Lake North Trail Update
Evergreen Park and Recreation District
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Maintenance and Repair:

Beginning at 8 PM on Oct. 10, Evergreen Park & Recreation District and Evergreen Metropolitan District will perform maintenance work to support and protect the waterline under the Evergreen Lake North Trail. The repair is scheduled to occur overnight Oct.10-11 beginning at 8 PM. It is scheduled to occur at the same time as CDOT's planned milling of SH 74. Traffic may be impacted as there will be a one-lane road closure of SH 74 during work activities. We appreciate your patience during this process.

Additionally, EPRD and the Metro District are in the process of evaluating additional maintenance repair solutions to potentially reopen the closed trail section. No definitive short-term solutions have been determined at this time and the trail portion along SH 74 remains closed.

Planning:

EPRD has entered into an agreement with OV Consulting to oversee Phase II planning functions for the long-term solution of the Evergreen Lake North Trail. As previously mentioned, Phase II (Planning Process to Preliminary Design) is focused on possible means to create multimodal recreation and transportation opportunities at the project site.

Learn More:

For more details on the closing and repair efforts, visit www.evergreenrecreation.com/District_Inf...uncements.htm#Update

Lake trail construction plans move forward

Plans to rebuild the north section of the Evergreen Lake trail are moving forward, with construction expected to start in November and be completed in summer 2022.

In the meantime, the Evergreen Park & Recreation District and the Evergreen Metropolitan District will look for ways to repair two areas of the trail that have failed thanks to the three feet of snow Evergreen received a few weeks ago.

A point of concern for the board is how long traffic will be diverted because of the construction. Vogelsang said traffic will be diverted four months if only one lane on Evergreen Parkway is blocked off, so northbound traffic would move through downtown Evergreen to Meadow Drive while southbound traffic would travel on Evergreen Parkway.

If the entire road is blocked off, necessitating all traffic moving on Meadow Drive and through downtown Evergreen, the work could be done in three months and save about $100,000, he said.

Read more here: www.canyoncourier.com/stories/lake-trail...-move-forward,374953
Deb Hurley Brobst
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Posted Tuesday, April 6, 2021 5:09 pm