JCOS announces Kittredge Park boundary settlement

JCOS announces Kittredge Park boundary settlement
Posted Thursday, May 4, 2023 10:45 am
Deb Hurley Brobst, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Now that a lawsuit over property rights at Kittredge Park has been settled, it’s time to move forward, honor private property lines, be respectful and heal the community, officials told a group at a meeting to announce the next steps.

“We worked very hard with both parties to figure out something that made sense in terms of providing access to the creek that many of you have enjoyed for many decades,” Tom Hoby, director of Jeffco Open Space, said at a meeting May 3 at the Buchanan Park Recreation Center. JCOS owns the park property.

The Evergreen Park & Recreation District, which operates the park, is hosting one of its Ever-Clean days at the park on June 29, and in addition to the regular park cleanup, district officials are asking volunteers to help build a crusher fine trail on the south side of the park for visitors to access Bear Creek.

Settlement deal nets property owner $250,000 – park visitors get access to creek
A highly contentious land dispute in the mountain town of Kittredge has ended with a settlement between Jefferson County and property owner Taralyn Romero.
Author: Jeremy Jojola
Published: 5:00 AM MDT May 4, 2023

KITTREDGE, Colo. — A settlement between the county government and a property owner who asserted her rights has been announced in the tiny town of Kittredge that was divided over who actually owns land where a popular creek is located.

The settlement between Jefferson County and Taralyn Romero was hailed by both sides as a “win-win” nearly a year after Romero cut off public access to Bear Creek. Romero claimed Kittredge Park visitors were trashing the land she purchased in 2021.

Under the settlement, the county will pay Romero $250,000, while the disputed creek access area will become officially part of Kittredge Park property.

“It truly is the minority of people who cause problems. The majority of people are good. I want them to have something they love which is known as the ‘beach,’ and I ended up getting beach prices for it. Hopefully we can all be happy and move on,” Romero said of the agreement.