The public will have an extra month to comment on the potential alignment of a Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail.
During recent public meetings, some members of the community suggested more time should be given for public comment, given the breadth of wildlife and engineering data to be considered. County commissioners and the Open Space and Trails Board have both agreed informally to extend the deadline until Oct. 30.
“People will have more time to review the information and make their comments, and we’ll push back the timetable for getting a plan adopted until early in 2018,” said Gary Tennenbaum, director of Open Space and Trails.
The trail alternatives were unveiled at a pair of well-attended open houses, in Redstone and Carbondale, last week. The county is seeking public comment on alignment options within each trail segment. All of the information is available at www.pitkinOSTprojects.com, along with an online survey to collect public feedback. The original deadline to submit comments has been extended from Oct. 2 to Oct. 30. Input from the public will help inform the alignment that will be proposed in a draft plan.
“The end goal is thoughtful public input from community members who will have more time to contemplate the complex information we’ve provided, and more time for us to work with Colorado Parks and Wildlife on a plan that also furthers the goals of wildlife officials,” Tennenbaum said.
An already scheduled Oct. 17 joint meeting of county commissioners, the Open Space and Trails Board and Carbondale Town Council will still be held at Carbondale Town Hall. The meeting will be an update on the process and provide the public and the boards a chance to ask questions of project consultants and Open Space staff, Tennenbaum said.
Open houses that had been scheduled on a draft plan will be pushed back until January 2018, with final adoption of a plan by the Open Space and Trails Board and county commissioners occurring in February or March, he said.
Pitkin County is focusing on extending a multi-use trail from the terminus of the existing Crystal Trail to Redstone, and routing a singletrack trail from Redstone to the summit of McClure Pass at the county boundary. A separate process to complete a singletrack between McClure Pass and Crested Butte is occurring in Gunnison County.
The Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail is part of the Colorado’s 16 initiative, which prioritized trail connections of statewide significance around Colorado.
Contact: Gary Tennenbaum, Open Space and Trails director
gary.tennenbaum@pitkincounty.com or 970-920-5355