Thank you for your inquiry. While it is never easy to maintain boundaries of prairie dog colonies, Broomfield staff does continue to try to protect trail corridors and private property buffers from prairie dog encroachment and damages. We also try to always prevent the feeding of wildlife and can address that situation directly if needed. It is difficult to comment more specifically without knowing the exact location being referenced, but please feel free to contact openspace@broomfield.org with more information and we can follow up. Thank you.

Thank you for your question. It seems your question is related to the Ridge Park, part of the Broomfield Parks department. Please submit your question to parks@broomfield.org and they would be happy to respond directly to your concern.

Thank you for the positive feedback about Broomfield’s Open Space, Parks, Recreation, and Trails. We are glad that you are enjoying these areas.

Here is a link to Appendix D Management Classification and Guidelines for Public Use (Appendix D) from our 2005 Open Space, Parks, Recreation, and Trails Plan. This matrix identifies uses and guidelines for open space and parks. 

Trails, including non-motorized multi-use concrete paths and crusher fines trails, are open space uses subject to environmental review, public engagement, and technical site analysis. Even though the matrix does not specifically list a single track trail, it could be considered under the soft surface trail category in the matrix. An example of a single track trail would be the High Plains Trail off of State Highway 93 and State Highway 128 in Boulder County. These types of trails are considered passive recreational uses. Any type of proposed trail is evaluated for its appropriateness for an open space site based on the proposed project’s environmental impacts on wildlife, erosion impacts, site grading requirements, floodplain, wetlands, slope stability, amount of overall disturbance. etc. as the preservation of the character of the open space property is a primary concern. New trail projects typically include this type of research in addition to a robust public engagement process. 

In respect to a single track bike park, this is more of a Specialized Active Recreation Facility as it includes a network of interconnected single track trails designated for single track use that often requires grading to create banked turns and jumps. Please see the Video of the Erie Single Track Bike Park that seems to capture the experience well at the Erie Single Track Bike Park. Appendix D under Parks defines a Specialized Active Recreation Facility as: 

“The specialized active recreation facility classification is intended 

to cover areas of heavily programmed athletic activities, ranging 

from a sports complex with multiple fields, to a single use area like a skateboard park or BMX track.”

We are planning to update Appendix D through our work on the Open Space, Parks, Recreation and Trails Action Plan (OSPRT Action Plan). Single Track and the Single Track Bike Park can be addressed in this matrix. As mentioned in the earlier email, we can add an OSPRT Action Plan objective to seek a site for a future bike park development on an appropriate Park or Other Open Lands property.

We appreciate your interest in an active single track bike park! 

A single track bike park, similar to the Erie Bike Park, is an active recreational use that could be provided on land designated for Park or Other Open Lands such as the Broomfield Reservoir site. Parks and Recreation areas are defined as the most intensely developed and used types of Open Lands. They may contain open turf areas that may or may not be irrigated for passive recreation, active recreation playing fields,hard courts, picnic areas, restroom facilities, and other improvements.

The DRAFT Master Plan for the Broomfield Reservoir (DRAFT Plan) also included the concept of a non-motorized BMX track. However, it is important to underscore that this Master Plan was never finally approved. The DRAFT Plan merely shows  concepts for this site that were considered in 2009 by both the Open Space and Trails Advisory Committee and the Parks, Recreation and Senior Services Advisory Committees at the time. Further work and public engagement are needed before this DRAFT Plan could be finalized.

The current DRAFT OSPRT Action Plan notes on our proposed trails plan a potential location for a single track trail around the future Broomfield Reservoir site subject to addressing the reservoir's public safety and design requirements. This property is located at Lowell Boulevard and Sheridan Boulevard. We can add an OSPRT Action Plan objective to seek a site for a future bike park development on an appropriate Park or Other Open Lands property.

Active Bike Parks are not allowed on open space properties. The Ridgeview Open Space is a site that currently has a prairie dog colony, burrowing owls, and a coyote den. Open Space means a parcel of land intentionally protected from development and/or set aside for unstructured, passive recreation and the appreciation of natural surroundings. Open Space may contain but is not limited to trailheads and trails, waterbodies, wetlands, wildlife viewing areas, agricultural lands, fishing facilities, and other facilities that support uses compatible with site resources and conditions. 

You are welcome to attend the joint Open Space and Trails Advisory Committee/Parks, Recreation and Senior Services Advisory Committee meeting on October 26, Thursday. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. and will be held at the Broomfield Community Center located at 280 Spader Way in the Lakeshore meeting room. 

Thank you for your comment. We are not quite sure the exact area that you are referring to; if you could, please email openspace@broomfield.org and we are happy to work with you to determine this location. Once we have this, we will forward this to the Broomfield Transportation staff to evaluate the safety of all crossings off of Lowell Blvd into and around Paul Derda Recreation Center. The transportation team will evaluate and monitor these areas for adding more crosswalks and other potential safety improvements.

Thank you for your interest in Broomfield’s open space and your farming question.

Broomfield works with two farmers. Neither farmer is paid for farming. One farmer farms:

• The Field Open Space (63 acres)

• Broomfield County Commons Open Space (77 acres).

• Wottge Open Space (72 acres) Southwest corner of the intersection of 144 and Sheridan

• Davis Open Space (59 acres) South of the Northwest Parkway, and East of Zuni

• Nordstrom (88 acres) South of the Northwest Parkway, West of Huron and South of 160

This farmer is paid to make temporary accommodations on a portion of the Broomfield County Commons Open Space for the annual July 4 fireworks launching area and safety zone. The field is prepared for this community event to address public safety concerns, particularly fire. The safety zone has these general requirements:

• 840-foot diameter circle  (a.k.a., fallout area) is mowed (1 to 4 inch height maximum) or tilled (preferred for safety) for fire protection around the fireworks launch site.

• A temporary parking area for up to 8 vehicles is needed for the Firing Crew’s vehicles approx. and the actual launch site with trailers and other equipment generally about 350 feet by 150 feet in size.

• The center of the fallout area may need to be graded or leveled to provide adequate access.

• A temporary access road 8 feet in width needs to be created for vehicular access to the launch site.

The farmer is paid (not to exceed) $3,200 for the fireworks preparation.

We also have another farmer that farms the Harmer Open Space (132 acres). He is also not paid and has farmed this property for many years before Broomfield purchased the land as open space. Broomfield inherited this lease and has maintained the same provisions generally that the farmer had in the previous lease with the family that owned this land before Broomfield purchased it. He also provides Broomfield with a ⅓ of the profits from the farming and continues to utilize the FRICO-Marshall ditch water shares historically used to irrigate this property.

Below is some additional background on open space and farming:

Farming is part of Broomfield’s history. Open Space includes agricultural lands as well as lands that have native grasses and wildflowers. In general, residents have indicated appreciation for seeing the cycle of the seasons that farming reflects as well as the beauty of native areas. These agricultural properties are included in Broomfield’s total open space acres. 

The portions of the Broomfield County Commons Open Space and the Field Open Space agricultural lands are tilled and periodically fallow. Tilling typically occurs once in the spring and once in the fall. If the field is scheduled for planting, the field is tilled right before the seed is planted. Tilling helps to manage the weeds and also breaks up the hard layer of clay and soil that often forms in Broomfield soils given their high clay content. This fall, the farmer intends to plant triticale at Broomfield County Commons and winter wheat at the Field. Triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye.

The intent is to eventually convert both sites to native grasses over the long-term. The establishment of a native landscape requires intensive weed management and takes 5 to 10 years to establish. 

Here is a link to the Broomfield County Commons Management Plan. Here is a link to the The Field Master Plan and Recommendations.

Broomfield also has natural areas at Broomfield County Commons and the Field and is working with volunteers and our Broomfield Open Space Foundation on habitat enhancement. If you are interested in this type of volunteer opportunity, please sign up on Volunteer Hub and you will be notified about upcoming habitat projects as well as other open space volunteer events. Our Open Space and Trails website also provides information on volunteering. 

Thank you for sharing your comment on Broomfield Voice. The Eagle Trace Golf Course is a privately owned golf course. Broomfield will communicate to the owner that if they are ever interested in a sale, we would be happy to help facilitate discussions with other experienced golf course operators active in the front range. In previous Open Space, Parks, Recreation and Trails Plans, Broomfield has not identified Eagle Trace Golf Course as a target for acquisition;  your comments have been shared with staff working on the current OSPRT Plan Refresh for consideration.

There are currently plans for a future addition of outdoor pickleball courts in Anthem Community Park. These plans are not funded at this point and will need to be approved by City Council in a future budget. The Steamboat Springs courts are amazing and were built by a private venture for around $4.75 million dollars funded through pledges, sponsorship and donations.