Parks and Open Space staff have been hard at work this summer making repairs from Marshall Fire damage and making other budgeted improvements. Read more about these efforts below:

Parks

Staff has been working on the installation of perennial beds at the intersection of Via Appia and McCaslin to restore burned vegetation in the area and bring some much needed color back. Planting begin on August 18 and will take approx. two weeks to complete. During this time there will be temporary lane closures on Via Appia.

The zip line is open at Cottonwood Park! Watch it in action here. The new zip line installation was part of the 2022 Cottonwood playground replacement project. Additionally, the basketball court was restriped and new equipment was installed.

The City has four more playground replacements planned for 2023, including Joe Carnival, Enclave, Meadows and Sunflower. This work will include redesign and restoration of fire impacted plant beds, medians and neighborhood entrances. There will be public input as part of this process.

The replacement of the main irrigation line at Community Park is complete. This project began in May and involved replacing and upgrading all irrigation lines in the park. The next step is landscaping design and installation along the pond. The fence at the dog park will also be replaced in early November.

The City recently hired a consultant to complete a General Maintenance and Management Plan for parks. This plan will serve as a guiding document for parks maintenance moving forward. Staff will present a final report in early fall.

Open Space

Staff is coordinating and collaborating with other City departments to draft the scope of work for the Wildfire Mitigation Plan for City public lands. Once approved a Request for Proposals will be published to solicit bids from qualified firms.

Repair of fire-impacted fencing will start in the next few weeks. This includes replacing the entire fence surrounding the Davidson Mesa Dog Off-Leash Area (DOLA) and other portions of fencing throughout the city. The DOLA will need to be closed during this work. More details will be shared when a start date is confirmed. Staff is also currently conducting vegetation surveys at Davidson Mesa to assess vegetative composition and changes over time.

Mechanical weed control at Dutch Creek has been completed, including mowing select patches in the field to target prickly lettuce while leaving pollinator and native plants. Staff also hand pulled weeds in the pocket prairie.

Staff has begun annual prairie dog population monitoring on Davidson Mesa, Aquarius and Daughenbaugh open space properties. They’ve also been working with the Bridge House Ready to Work program, which provides adults experiencing homelessness with opportunities to work, to install prairie dog barrier materials that were impacted by Marshall Fire. Over 900 feet of barrier was installed this week.

Trees

The City Forester is wrapping up removal of dead Emerald Ash trees in medians and rights-of-way along McCaslin and Cherry. These ash trees were compromised by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an incredibly damaging pest that will kill an entirely healthy tree in a matter of years. Replanting will occur this fall.

Removal of fire and snow-damaged trees is ongoing throughout the city. In fire-affected areas, the City Forester is still evaluating trees to see if some may recover. This project is part of a comprehensive tree evaluation begin conducted throughout the city.

Other Activities

There are many other day-to-day activities keeping staff busy. You can read more about these in the weekly City Manager’s Update. You can also find updates on Facebook and TikTok.