County supports Battlement Mesa trails project

Conservation Trust Fund grant will increase trail connections

PRESS RELEASE
January 9, 2018

GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. – Garfield County is supporting vital trail connections between the Grand Valley Middle School and a new community park in Battlement Mesa. The project will link four existing sidewalk and trail segments to the school, creating a safe, complete connection.

Garfield County is contributing $200,000 from its 2018 Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) toward the project.

The connections will create a mile-long loop trail, and a new crosswalk and accompanying sidewalk will also connect the middle school with the Grand Valley Recreation Center.

Steve Rippy, Battlement Mesa Metro District manager, said a Federal Mineral Lease District (FMLD) grant helped fund the sidewalk.

“After school, there are a lot of those kids who walk directly over to the rec center, and there really isn’t a connecting point,” he said. “We talked with the Battlement Mesa Metro District board members about providing an easement for that sidewalk connection, and they are agreeable to do that.”

The Parachute/Battlement Mesa Parks and Recreation District (PBMPRD) is also planning a nearby “flow trail” for mountain bikes that includes banked turns, jumps, and rolling terrain. Rippy added that volunteer work from throughout the community will be a component of the flow trail construction.

“This will definitely enhance the area and make it a lot more accessible for a lot more people,” said Commissioner Mike Samson.

The grant request passed unanimously, 3-0.