Singletrack Sidewalks (STS)

I support the comments in opposition to this project but note that not much mention is made of the trail through the Bachman property, which I think should be called "The Trail to Nowhere". We all support appropriate trails in areas where there's aren't any if the affected neighborhoods support the trail. But I don't get this one. Who is it serving? Seems that the townhouses and mobile homes in the 4th st area will want to use the sidewalks on 4th to access Kinney Run, which is a more convenient and safer route than the truly goofy one proposed which starts at the end of Zeta and requires crossing 4th at the roundabout. Do the people who put this proposal together have any idea what they are doing? Or maybe this is supposed to be for mountain bikers coming from outside Golden. Or maybe we are trying to get a different route to Wrigleys and Dirty Dog. Are kids going to those places regularly now? As I said, at best, goofy trail to nowhere.

I attended the Aug 28 forum and honestly don't see the need for this. I suspect that both truly novice riders as well as speeders will continue to prefer the existing concrete path network over the STS. The dirtbike path network in Apex Park is already there for advanced novice riders on up.

I think this is a great idea! I fully support it! Thank you to the City of Golden and Giddyup for improving our neighborhood!!

I attended the community forum on STS Aug 28. I live in Eagle Ridge and fully support the plan. Having trail designed to be windy will decrease speed and conflict with bikers coming through the neighborhood. I do not believe it will disturb wildlife any more than Kinney Run already does. Giddyup has done a phenomenal job improving Apex and Golden trails and I have all the confidence they will do an amazing job here. They will be designed and built professionally and well maintained, I whole heartedly believe the trail will be a great addition to our neighborhood. I look forward to children having a place to ride and the volunteer opportunities to support it.

What an ugly scar this would be cutting through this area.

Given the level of contention over this issue, it is clear that now is not the time to move forward with the current proposal. To do so, when other options have not been adequately considered and there is no immediate necessity for the Kinney Run option, would only inject a good deal of rancor and distrust into the process. I'm can't believe that the involved parties--the Golden citizens involved and the city representatives-- would want that. I see the current situation as a lose-lose proposition. jhw

I live in Eagle Ridge and feel the Kinney Run trail is perfect just the way it is. While I'm a mountain biker I don't believe we don't need to turn our neighborhood into a playground. Let's preserve the beauty of what we have.

I live in the Heritage Dells Neighborhood and use the mixed use trails both riding and walking from the neighborhood to Golden. I read through the staff report dated October 11, 2017. There are many concerns stated in the report that I share that do not need repeating. I don't believe creating a dirt single track next to the existing multi-track system is a good idea. I also believe that there is little trust in the process within the neighborhood. I am a cyclist. I was in the industry when mountain bikes were starting to grow within the market across the country. My boys grew up riding trails. The trails were rolling and fit the level of their age and ability; however, they were not next to any type of mixed trails system. I would propose that alternate areas be explored to develop trails systems for less experienced/younger riders. It would be easy to ride the current mixed use trail to a system that could perhaps be developed, for example, in the old Magic Mountain/Heritage Park Land. Adults could be on Apex while the younger riders are riding trails developed on the acreage at the old park site. (By the way, I've seen some excellent young riders on Apex with their parents) A system of trails could be developed that would help young riders develop the skills to ride more difficult trails, i.e. Apex, Three Sisters,.. on to Moab. It would an excellent area for families and others to bring their bikes to the park from all over the Denver West Metro Area. Bottom line, an alternative to the current plan should be developed. Dirt trails next to the mixed use trails would not be easy trails for some riders. As it is now, it's easy downhill, not so much back up. Let's see some alternative plans.

I attended the public meeting Tues 8/28 and I'd like to make a couple of comments addressing the presentation by the Friends of Kinney Run. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, but this comments is primarily aimed at the PRAM group since it was clear that they are reviewing these comments and taking them into consideration.

In general I'm for the STS provided they are constructed in a careful manner to address as many of the concerns as possible. However, as I was listening to the concerns voiced by the Friends of Kinney Run (FKR) such as the negative impact on noise, wildlife, traffic, and proximity to their property, I couldn't help but think that all of these concerns could equally well be leveled against the paved Kinney Run trail in the first place. Certainly the paved Kinney Run trail increased traffic near people's houses, had an impact on noise and wildlife, not to mention the environmental impact of the heavy equipment required to build the paved path in the first place. However, the FKR presentation somehow seeks to bring up these concerns against the STS but not the Kinney Run trail. I find this to be incredibly ironic.

I feel that the FKR are actually more against mountain bikers in general. They are certainly entitled to that sentiment, as I'm sure we've all seen some inconsiderate riders (I certainly have). I've sure we've also all seen litter along the Kinney Run trail and dog waste but no one is seeking to ban dogs or walkers. But for the most part the mountain biking community that I've observed seeks to be considerate of other trail users and good ambassadors of the MTB sport. It's human nature that the negative experiences stick out in our minds more than the positive ones.

Everyone loves the wildlife we see in this neighborhood. I certainly welcome the input of the professionals who will perform an environmental impact study but I have a hard time believing that a small dirt path along the Kinney Run trail will have any detrimental impact on the wildlife (I am certainly willing to change that opinion based on the input of the experts). As a little exercise, I would encourage anyone who has wildlife concerns to open Google Maps and look a the satellite view of our neighborhood and note the many roads, houses, landscaped lawns, and the 8 ft wide paved Kinney Run path. Then try to convince an objective observer how adding a narrow dirt path along Kinney Run will completely ruin the natural experience or the wildlife corridors.

Thank you to anyone who has actually read this far.

George Antoun
Crawford Ct. (walking distance from Shelton)

I’m writing in response to last nights meeting at Shelton regarding the STS issue. My overall impression is that residents were outnumbered by a more vocal group of riders. I didn’t feel comfortable commenting because I noticed that each time someone stood to comment against the proposal there were angry comments shouted out towards the person, despite the rules set up prior to the meeting urging against that.


Clearly the theme for the riders is that this will be good for the children. The kids, while adorable, were commenting on the same theme as their parents. Here’s the issue I have with the kids theme…I walk the entire Kinney Run paved path from Apex park to 6th Avenue, or sections of it, literally every day, twice a day in the morning and evening, walking my dog. In addition I run the Apex trail several times a week and also mountain bike on Apex occasionally. My point is that I am on this trail a lot and it is a very rare occasion that I see a dad out riding his bike with his kid. During the summer you would see it occasionally, but I’d have to go back to about July to recall a summer evening where I see one of these passionate dads on a bike with his kids on the existing paths. The notion that the only way to get kids off their devices and out riding is that we build an STS for them is ridiculous. If they won’t even ride on the existing paths do you honestly think the kids will get out for this? One father at the meeting said (his voice breaking as if about to cry) that he doesn’t play basketball, doesn’t play baseball, etc and "he just wants something to do with his son". SERIOUSLY! That is pathetic. What he’s getting at is this - he can’t spend time with his son unless you build the STS?!!


This group of dads from Eagle Ridge are clearly avid mountain bikers. They ride all hours of the day and with headlamps at night, they work on the trails, which is awesome I think that’s great! But when you have little kids and you want them to be active you have to sacrifice some of your own trail time to get out with the kids so they are away from their devices. The fathers want dirt paths instead, because they are more fun to ride, and if they HAVE to ride with their kids it’s better to be on dirt. The entire community should not have to deal with a STS trail to appease these fathers.


The only time you can guarantee where in this neighborhood you see fathers riding with their kids on Kinney Run is on bike to school day, which is held one day a year at Shelton Elementary. Then it’s common to see the kids walking their bikes up Kinney Run as the hill is long and steep for them and many parents end up carrying the little kids bikes. Riding up Kinney Run on a dirt trail would be even more difficult terrain for them, impossible for a little kid to ride if they can’t even ride up the paved path.


There is a mom who rides an electric bike in the neighborhood. I occasionally saw her this summer riding up the Kinney Run towing her son (who was on his bike) with a leash. What a great idea to tow the kid up the hill. But why was she towing the kid…it’s because the grade of Kinney Run going up the hill is long and fairly steep for little kids. It feels long even for an experienced rider and anytime you go from pavement to dirt the riding is more difficult. My point is that kids are easily going to be able to ride down the trail but not so easy to get back up. It won’t be long for them to figure out that this trail, like Apex, is also too hard for the kids. So then you’ve built a trail for kids only to find out that they won’t ride it because it’s too hard, which is the excuse they gave for why they don’t take their kids riding on Apex.


Once the kids are pre-teen, middle school or high school, if they have been riding and enjoy mountain biking, they are perfectly able to ride the Apex trail. Which brings me to my next point. Regarding the older elementary school and preteen kids who spoke at the meeting last night…where have they been? They seem to have come out of the woodwork for last nights meeting. Currently and over the past several years it is very rare to see kids that age riding their bikes around the neighborhood or on the trails. They are saying they want to ride on the dirt, but they aren’t riding at all currently that I can see. I don’t see how it will be any different if you add the STS because it will still be hot outside in the summer and there will still be hills to climb. There is one local father who I frequently see riding on Apex trail with his pre-teen age son. They ride together and you can tell they are having a great time, and the boy is a great rider. But he’s out there with his dad, who has taught him to ride somehow, without the STS!


My boys are now 23 and 24 years old. When they were young they and the other local kids ruled this neighborhood on their bikes. They rode around all day, coming home just for food. When it was time to round them up you could tell where they all were by where the bikes were piled up. They found places to ride and they were out all the time because the enjoyed it. Nobody had to build special trails for them to get them away from the tv or gaming, they rode because they wanted to. We as parents cruised around with them. Would my husband and I rather have been mountain biking or running on Apex? Yes! But instead we spent time riding around with the boys making up bike games, bunny hopping over curbs,and messing around. They rode on Kinney Run, they rode off trail, through the playgrounds and Shelton fields, they built jumps, they rode in the yards, literally everywhere! The idea that you have to build a special trail for kids is so stupid.


Another point brought up last night was that Mayor Sloan encouraged them to add a section through the Bauchman property. Mayor Sloan is clearly in favor of this proposal so I was disappointed that she was not at the walk through last Saturday at 3 to see for herself what the trail entails. The city has already built several ways to access Kinney Run and Apex park. There are the bike trails on the sides of the roundabouts on Heritage Road and the walking bridge. If you can’t get there via those methods then you’re not serious about riding a bike. Mayor Sloan I would encourage you to get on a bike and ride this trail so you can see for yourself what the issues are. If you spend time on Kinney Run you will clearly see all of the issues that have been raised, concern for the wildlife and vegetation. The trails around here are beautiful and fun, and if they are not being used as is then that is the problem of the parents.


The conflict that was on display last night between residents who appreciate the local wildlife and mountain bikers will not go away if you build the trail, it will only intensify as the new trail deteriorates, and I guarantee it will not make a mountain biker out of a kid who doesn’t have the desire to become a rider. The city of Golden is a giant playground, why do you need to continue adding more trails, it makes no sense.

As I said in my previous post, I'm not even close to being a baby boomer or a "scrooge" but I live in the neighborhood and I oppose this trail, as do many of my generation. We already have the interconnectedness desired by a previous writer, it's the existing trail. Seems to me that it's the people who think we should have a special trail supposedly just for their kids just because they live in this neighborhood that are the selfish ones here. And if the "best practices for trail building that we the community adhere to" (previous commenter) take away any need to be concerned about erosion, cross counting, braiding and other issues any mountain biker knows are all too real, why is there a need for Giddyup's allegedly huge and always busy volunteer trail maintenance machine? This trail doesn't belong here. Full stop.

Love it! Keep up the good work building trails!

I was also at the meeting last night, and I must say I'm very happy the city decided to bring in a moderator.

I'm going to try to address my comments towards the P and R Committee, who I'm glad I was able to meet in person. I'm confident they're smart, forward-thinking people who will make the right recommendation.

I believe an expertly-built trail with minimal impact CAN and WILL be built by Giddyup. I’d suggest the committee (and others) take some time and google "singletrack trail building / design / company". You'll find that not only is there a science behind this, but it's an actual profession. There’s at least a half-dozen trade organizations dedicated to the craft. And if you dig deeper you can even watch detailed videos on youtube about gradients, banked turns, SPEED CONTROL, and erosion control. The information is out there on how this is done, and I believe this trail will be done correctly.

I also believe that Giddyup is exactly the type of community-oriented organization that deserves Golden’s respect and encouragement. They’re an absolutely fast-growing organization, and their membership and volunteer efforts have grown exponentially every year. They’re only getting bigger and more organized. The sport is growing, more people are getting involved, and people are actually moving to Golden because of its mountain biking. Giddyup is not going anywhere, they’re only getting stronger. If they say they will pay for this, they've earned that trust (and the bill). If they say they'll maintain the trail, well, the volunteerism and growth speaks for itself.

As for environmental impact, we all know that the people who live directly on the corridor are the single biggest disruptors to the wildlife there (lawnmowers, cars, house lights, their moving into the neighborhood). Yet somehow, there remains an abundance of cats, game and birds. One thing everyone in Golden knows is that elk, deer and moose go where they want, regardless of what we build. We’ve all seen them on the golf course, standing in people’s lawns, on the roads, everywhere. This dirt path is not going to do a single thing to make them leave.

And as to the idea that the neighborhood should have final say… This is a Golden community-wide effort. This is a pilot project. If this trail is a success, the STS project will be implemented in many other Golden neighborhoods. I live at North Table Mountain, and I want this in my neighborhood. It was said before but it bears repeating – Kinney Run is not the property of the residents there, just as North Table is not my property. It’s a Golden community resource. It means as much to all other Goldenites as it does to its neighbors. We all have equal say in this.

I’m not a member of Giddyup, and have never volunteered for one of their projects. But this project has struck a chord and activated me. It’s something that’s actually positive, in a country with so much negative…

It was surprising to see Mr. Benitez speaking last night as he wasn't on what was claimed to be a tight agenda by PARC. But elbow-in he did to a spot up front. He is an official promoter of economic development so why was he speaking in support of a trail for kids? It's possible, I suppose, that a couple more pint-sized high-end Yeti's might be sold but I don't think more people will visit Golden because of this ill-planned kids' trail.
For an example, Kinney Run, is an official Audubon Society birding "Hotspot" and I'll bet there are far more birders than kid mtb'ers who will find it on the web and visit Golden because of it. Add in tourists just wanting a quiet walk without getting muddy feet and I think Golden would prosper more by promoting these activities than a so-called kids' trail. Am I to assume now that economic development is a scoring criterion to be used to evaluate the GG proposal? Pretty lame don't you think to bring the Gov's guy out for this?

Parks and Rec Advisory Committee, can you please add the minutes and audio from 7-17-18. Hmm, somehow that was left off, I'm sure it was an accident. Transparency is essential here.

Thank you.

I have a big concern for Section 4. Observing the camps which were held this summer at Shelton, it would be an open invitation for them to use those trails with a big group of kids. This area is beautiful all spring and summer with wild flowers, you can see deer crazing, coyotes walking through, and all of that will take a back seat to the desire to have trails there. One of the comments at the meeting was that the kids could be more in tune with nature. They already can! There is an existing path! Why are we not exploring an alternative side if this is mainly for kids? The base of Apex could be done so younger kids could use it. What about the area from the closed Heritage park? Can we please look at other options? We moved here to enjoy the wildlife and the beauty of area. We can coexist on the path which is already here. Inge

I live in Heritage Dells and am directly impacted by the location of the trail system (segment 3). With that said, I am in full support of this project with input from all community members to ensure it is done correctly and meet's the objective stated...ensuring a safe and sustainable environment for kids and beginners to learn the sport of mountain biking. Thank you.

After attended last night's informational meeting at Shelton, it's clear where the divide lies in our community. On one side, you have the baby boomers that live in the Eagle Ridge neighborhood that oppose the trail for a variety of reasons ranging from disinformation about environmental impacts to maintenance concerns. On the other side of the fence you have the new generation of Goldenites who wish to live in a progressive, interconnected and bike-forward city with a focus on family. The concerns of the boomers are very NIMBY, bordering on a scrooge-like mentality. We need to squash the disinformation about who would pay for and maintain these trails (the strong and committed community of volunteers) as well as the baseless argument of environmental impacts (we don't need a study to understand that a 2ft wide dirt path will have no affect on nearby wildlife). Issues of trail building and erosion in the past is an issue, but again there are new best-practices for trail building that we the community adhere to in order to better mitigate water and maintain sight-lines. I hope Golden will make the right choice and help propel our town into the forefront of bike-first communities on the Front Range and beyond.

I attended the community meeting last night (8/28), but did not have an opportunity to raise a question. It appears as though this project is intended for children. However many, both pro and con, are (or should be) concerned that the SDS will be overrun by adults. My question is regarding safety. How will safety rules be enforced? Will it be an honor system? If the concern that most users will be adults is realized, is there any going back?

I live on Golden Eagle Circle and back up to the beautiful green space that is part of section 5. I attended the meeting at Shelton last night and also the walk through that Al Head lead on Saturday. I very much appreciate Al doing that and also appreciate his demeanor but, I have to admit that I have additional concerns after attending. People who have not walked the trail to see exactly what is planned will not understand the concerns.
There are multiple places where kids will have to transition from the dirt trail to the paved trail. The trail from Kimble down to 6th Ave is all downhill and bikers, walkers, dogs, etc. on the paved trail will be in conflict with them.
Section 2 and part of section 3 are right now lovely green grass areas maintained by the city and there are dozens of sprinklers to keep the grass green. The proposal is to create a "S" shaped dirt path on the East side of the trail. Besides having to reconfigure the sprinklers, that will be an eyesore. The photo of the cute child on this page is not an accurate representation of what the trail will look like. All of the photos of the different segments were taken when the plant life was brown. Again, not an accurate representation of this area in the warm seasons.
At last night's meeting at Shelton, it was mentioned that an environmental impact study had been done. What wasn't mentioned was that the company that did it, did it for free. Al Head could not deny that the people who did the study were for the proposal. That does not make me very confident of the results. Also, while cute to have kids speak on behalf of the trails, they only care about having fun. They do not have an understanding of the big picture so it was very inappropriate to take time away from adults with concerns and allow 10-12 kids to speak. I also think it was inappropriate to have a staff member from the Governor's office speak on behalf of the proposal. Why was that allowed?
I'm very offended by rumored comments I hear like, "the city owes it to GGU for all of the volunteer work they have done", and "the community may be resistant but you have to stay aggressive and they will give up". I don't believe the opposition from this community is going to dissipate.
Lastly, why would GGU want to go forward with this proposal when there is such strong opposition from the community? There is already a great deal of resentment and animosity on both sides. Any time there is a conflict, or washout on to the paved trail, or a rude cyclist it will be blamed on GGU and there will be more resentment.