Mead in Motion Public Draft Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails Plan

As the manager at St. Vrain State Park, it's concerning this proposed trail would be published without consultation with St. Vrain State Park staff beforehand.

Great to see this connection north along WCR 7. Berthoud and Mead will continue to collaborate, and this connection potential is good to see. Thank you.

I believe this area is slated for residential development and connects with the proposed Turion project in Berthoud. Is it possible to include future trail connections through this development to the north to connect our communities on the east side of I-25?

Designating this property as community buffer/Ag preservation may be misleading if the Mead portion of the Turion project is moving forward.

I'm sure I'm not the only one with color blindness. Perhaps label one of these lists with ABC's instead. They currently look the same and are confusing.

“Town Of Mead Open Space Mulligan Reservoir Trail Plan”
My wife and I have lived in Mead for over 24 years. We are also deeded members of the “Mulligan Fishing and Gun Club”. This club was founded in 1909 and has deeded surface rights to Mulligan Reservoir, including parts of the shoreline where the club house was built. Please keep in mind, many club members have a multi-generational legacy, spanning decades. Also, the club has always strived to be good stewards of the reservoir. This includes only allowing wakeless fishing practices, keeping noise levels in check, stocking the lake, managing the area around the lake, and keeping the Canadian geese population in check by harvesting them. This stewardship has allowed, Ospreys, Bald Eagles, Pelican’s, Racoons and other wildlife to flourish. The current club has a very low impact on the surrounding subdivision due to the club’s limited membership and club bylaws that protect the reservoir habitat.

We have many concerns about the proposed public trail around half of the reservoir:
• Liability for our club and the city of Mead if someone gets hurt on the shoreline.
• Keeping the general public from violating our club’s fishing and hunting rights to the lake.
• The club hunting rights are not compatible with general public access.
• Will the city use eminent domain to get surface and or shoreline rights as the above concerns seem like a substantial roadblock to the trail plan?
• Impacts to nesting raptors like Osprey’s and Bald Eagles which are both protected species.
• Property value decreases for residences that back up to the lake due to current trails being accessible to the public. Fences would need to be installed to prevent the general public from accessing these trails.
• The concern of crime rate increase, due to the trail connecting to highway 66 which opens up the trail to non-Mead resident foot traffic.
• Costs to the city of Mead.
o Trail build costs (substantial if wheelchair accessible).
o Trail maintenance costs will be ongoing.
o Legal and compensation costs if eminent domain is used. Also, potential legal costs with the Highland Ditch company that manages the water in the reservoir. The town of Mead cannot impact downstream water rights.
o Police or Ranger patrols due to the potential crime increase.
o Environmental impact studies due to the increased foot traffic that may disturb nesting raptors and other wildlife.
o Lastly, Liability insurance costs.
• Please take into consideration the above concerns before approving this trail around Mulligan Reservoir.

Regards,
Jim and Cheryl Mechalke

Hello!

Is there another picture to use here? This one is a bit blurry.

This is impressive!