What the Fact?!

Hello. There are several issues with the jumps at Left Hand Creek Park. Here is some background information. 

In April of this year, City staff identified a significant amount of social trail development and riparian degradation taking place in the Left Hand Creek Greenway adjacent to Left Hand Creek Park, south of Pike Road. It appears that much of the activity was to create a homegrown BMX-style bicycle course, complete with jumps, mounds and obstacles, tree swings, and more. The excavation and construction of this unofficial bike course has disturbed stream flows, damaged or eliminated native vegetation, and exposed the area to significant erosion. Neighbors and others have described this unofficial course as a source of fun activity for neighborhood youth, which is certainly looks to be. 

However, the unofficial course is located within a riparian corridor intended to allow urban wildlife to travel, migrate, shelter and find food. Additionally, the course has not been sanctioned by the City, does not take safety into account, and is located on City-owned property that is set aside for the protection of our natural environment. Preserving and protecting riparian habitat has been a priority expressed by City Council for several years. Actions toward achieving this goal have included a recent update of the City’s Wildlife Management Plan, numerous modifications to the City’s Development Code, adoption of the Sustainability Plan, as well as making significant creek restoration efforts through the Resilient St. Vrain Project (RSVP). 

After the 2013 Flood and additional high flows in 2015, thousands of dollars and many volunteer hours were spent reconstructing the crusher fines trail and installing native shrubs and trees within the Left Hand Creek Riparian Corridor.  None of the plants have survived partially due to the intense bike course development that has taken place along the creek corridor. 

At the time of the 2015 volunteer project, fencing was installed to protect the bank from further disturbance and erosion, and signs were provided to indicate the importance of this crucial habitat area. These recent activities have disregarded that fencing and signage. Staff recognize the importance of having outdoor activities for our community and especially our youth. We believe this is even more critical now that the Coronavirus has closed schools, put an end to organized school activities, shuttered recreation centers, and day camps are still trying to determine if and how they will provide their services. 

With that in mind it is important to note that the City has developed bike hills, wheels parks and bike challenge courses throughout the City’s park system. These areas provide for biking activities in safe locations that will not adversely impact riparian areas. One such bike skills course opened this spring at Dickens Farm Nature Area. Others are located at Stephen Day Neighborhood Park and on the site of the future Fox Meadows Neighborhood Park. (In fact, neighborhood youth in the Fox Meadows Neighborhood worked with City staff to design the bike hill area located on the site of the future park, in an area away from riparian corridors and other wildlife habitat areas.) 

City staff is aware of the community interest in these types of facilities and continues to request funding for development of future sites as well. It is important to plan and design bike facilities appropriately, and in the right locations, so they are sustainable and can be managed to minimize adverse impacts. 

At this time, staff intends to contact neighborhood groups in an effort to inform and educate them on why this Left Hand Creek Riparian Corridor location is not appropriate for a bike course, as well as provide information on ways to access the other City-developed bike skills areas via the city greenway trail system. 

Then, City staff will attempt to again restore as much of this area as possible by re-grading the area with more gentle slopes, removing excavated jumps, fencing off areas where social trial development has taken place, and attempting to reseed the area with native grasses and replanting native shrubs.  Unless directed otherwise by the Longmont City Council this work will likely occur later this summer or early in the fall.  Our hope is to reengage with volunteers to assist with the important work of restoring this riparian corridor.  

The problem seen on Main Street just north of 1^st Avenue is due to high volumes of traffic crossing an aging and deteriorating railroad crossing. The BNSF Railway is responsible for repair of this crossing. The railroad has tried several attempts at temporary repairs which have deteriorated in a short amount of time. The railroad has agreed to more extensive repairs that will include the removal and replacement of the damaged concrete panel in the northbound traffic lane. The railroad has indicated this work will be completed within the next few weeks.

With development projects tree mitigation can be attained one of two ways. Developers, and/or other city departments if an internal project, can replace tree diameter loses. For every inch of tree diameter lost the project would put in an equal number of diameter inches of newly planted trees back in. As an example: if one 20” tree is removed from a development then the project would need to replace with those lost inches with ten 2” diameter trees. If the site has spacial constraints the development can reimburse the city $200 for each inch of diameter lost. In the example above that would equated to $4,000. There can be a mixed version of the solution as well. The developer, or department, can reimburse funds and plant trees as the site allows.

Dquince: Thanks for your question. Since the incorporation of Longmont in 1871, the citizens and leaders have strived for infrastructure to meet the needs of the traveling public as well as the safety of the residents, workers and visitors to Longmont. The first pictures of an active town in the early 1900’s clearly show a variety of travel choices based on their popularity with the public—horses, carriages, wagons and bicycles.  Of course many folks are also seen walking along the sidewalks, which have always been a key piece of infrastructure as we are (still) all pedestrians at some point of any trip. From the very beginnings of Longmont, the “vision” has been to not have anyone killed or even injured, especially on our streets. That same idea carries on today—the City does and is doing everything within its current resources to minimize injury on our streets and increase the safe use of other means of traveling besides the single-occupant vehicle. This is clearly evident in many of the capital projects over the past 2 decades, beginning with the Saint Vrain Greenway trail system and continuing with the many bicycle/pedestrian underpasses added over the years. Our street standards have changed and will change again by the beginning of next year, to incorporate safer streets with narrower lanes and wider, buffered bike lanes and separated walkways. Envision Longmont was clear that safety was critical to all people, traveling on our streets or otherwise, in our City—stating clearly in one of its goals that the transportation system “offer safe, healthy, and reliable mobility for people of all ages, income levels, and abilities”. Though we sometimes disagree, as 96,000+ residents will do, in how to achieve these goals; we still strive as did the founders of Longmont, to provide a safe, reliable system for all the people who live, work and visit the City.

A Library Annex question would be included in the bond election question, either as part of a pool and ice facility or connected to another City facility. Options are still under discussion at this time. As always, residents are invited to share their thoughts with Council during any Tuesday City Council session at the Longmont Civic Center!

UPDATE: The Library Annex question has been dropped from the November 2019 ballot, pending the outcome of a feasibility study regarding a potential library district. That study is slated to be carried out during the Fall/Winter of 2019.

SH 66 and Ken Pratt are state highways and signs/striping layout are under the purview of the Colorado Department of Transportation. As far as determining which lane ends, either left or right is acceptable and allowable and neither is incorrect. It is more common to drop or merge the right lane.

We've relayed your concerns about the other areas to our transportation staff, thank you for sharing them with us!

The City tracks active developments showing development projects that currently under review by the City of Longmont. Several of these projects include a residential component, but many have not been approved yet or are not yet under construction. You can view the active development log and map to get information about specific projects:  https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/departments/departments-n-z/planning-and-development-services/plans-and-reports/active-development-log-and-map. The first part of the log shows the projects under construction.

We also track building permit activity monthly, including permits for new housing units. The most recent report can be viewed on the City’s website: https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/departments/departments-n-z/planning-and-development-services/plans-and-reports/historic-building-permit-report. Through May of this year, permits have been issued for 650 new dwelling units.

The City coordinates with the St. Vrain Valley School District on plans for growth and has two Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with the District that address how we collaboratively plan for growth. The adequate school capacity IGA outlines requirements for cooperative planning to accommodate new development in the Longmont Planning Area and specifically sets a capacity standard of 125% of permanent capacity for elementary, middle, and high schools. The Fair Contributions IGA outlines requirements for residential developments to provide either cash-in-lieu fees or land for the purpose of meeting the demand for school sites created by new development. The District regularly receives and provides comments on all residential development proposals in Longmont, including impacts to specific schools.

Thanks for your interest in a potential aquatics center! A site won't be selected before the 2019 election. If voters approve the construction of the facility, four possible locations would be considered:

• Montgomery Farms at Highway 66 and County Road
• Clark Centennial Park
• Quail Campus, near the Recreation Center
• Dry Creek Park at Clover Basin and Grandview Meadows Dr.