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Town (fall, 1101 Broad St., Drawer 290 • Milliken, CO 80543 • (970) 587-4331 • (970) 587-267$ 1'ax'
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August 20, 2013
Michael Janesczko
Chris Janesczko
3920 Ogallala Road
Longmont, CO 80503
Dear Michael and Chris,
Thank you for your e-mail dated August 17, 2013, in which you express concerns about possible
environmental impacts from trails along the South Platte River.
I want to reassure you that protection of the environment is one of the highest priorities of the
South Platte River Corridor Master Plan. In fact, one of the primary goals of the Plan is to
enhance wildlife habitats which will be addressed in a number of ways. For example, the plan
will encourage the preservation of existing wildlife refuges, such as yours, and will also
encourage the creation of new, additional refuges on public property.
Please be aware that the draft plan to be discussed at the second round of public meetings does
not show trails on your property. The draft plan does show trails west of the river along the
Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and within the Highway 60 right-of-way. Since these rights -
of -way already have train and vehicular traffic, the proposed new trails should not have any
additional impact on wildlife.
I encourage you to attend one or both of the upcoming public meetings, which will be held
August 22 at 6:00 p.m. at the Milliken Meeting House and again on August 26 at 6:00 p.m. at the
Platteville Town Hall. Any additional comments you have on the draft plan before it becomes
final later this year would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
2
Milt Tokunaga, Mayor
Town of Milliken
cc: Milliken Board of Trustees
Mayor Bonnie Dunston, Town of Platteville and Troy Renken, Town of Platteville
Janet Carter, Jennifer Fuller Weld County
Clint Dudley,Thompson Rivers Parks & Recreation District
Steve House, Consultant, Town of Milliken
Robert Seams, Consultant, DHM Design Team
Senator Vicki Marble, District 23
Representative Perry Buck, District 49
Representative Steve Humphrey, District 48
Representative Lori Sanne, District 63
Representative Dave Young, District 50
Kyli Kehler, State of Colorado
Co .0 t`
z8 -+3
Jennifer Fuller
From: Steve House [SHouse@town.milliken.co.us]
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 2:34 PM
To: majaneczko@gmail.com
Cc: Vicki.marble.senate@state.co.us; perrybuck49@gmail.com; rehumphrey48@yahoo.com;
lori.saine.house@state.co.us; dave.young.house@state.co.us; Jennifer Fuller; Linda Beck;
Ted Chavez; kbtimes2@yahoo.com; trenken@plattevillegov.org; cdudley@trpr.org; Janet
Carter; Jim Burack; Anne Johnson; kyli.kehler@state.co.us; trenken@platteville.gov.org; Milt
Tokunaga; Julie Cozad; RHobler@town.millken.co.us; Lois Onorato; Jordan Jemiola; green49
@aol.com; bneumann@dhmdesign.com
Subject: Letter from Mayor Tokunaga
Attachments: Letter,pdf
Michael and Chris,
Please see the attached letter from Mayor Tokunaga in response to your e-mail of August 17 in which you expressed concerns about
environmental impacts of trails along the South Platte River corridor.
Steve House, Project Manager
Jennifer Fuller
From: Michael Janeczko [majaneczko@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2013 3:45 PM
To: MTokunaga@town.milliken.co.us; JCozad@town.milliken.co.us;
LOnorato@town.milliken.co.us; TChavez@town.milliken.co.us; LBeck@town.milliken.co.us;
JJemiola@town.milliken.co.us; RHobler@town.milliken.co.us; SHouse@town.milliken.co.us;
rsearns@greenwayteam.com; AnneJohnson@towttmilliken.co.us; info@platteway.com
Cc: Vicki.marble.senate@state.co.us; perrybuck49@gmail.com; rehumphrey48@yahoo.com;
lori.saine.house@state.co.us; dave.young.house@state.co.us; Jennifer Fuller;
kyli.kehler@state.co.us; trenken@platteville.gov.org
Subject: Proposed South Platte River Trail Plan
Attachments: Scan 132290001.pdf
Dear Mayor Tokunaga, Town of Milliken Trustees, Planning Commission and Greenway Team:
PLEASE REMOVE MY PRIVATELY OWNED LAND WHICH IS OUTSIDE MUNICIPAL JURISDICTION
FROM THIS PLANNING INITIATIVE.
My property is located from where the highway 60 bridge crosses the South Platte River Southwest (upstream)
for approximately one mile.
I could take the time to write a very long winded dissertation as to why I feel this initiative is "wrongheaded" at
the very least and could be absolutely devastating to the wildlife along this section of the river corridor at it's
worst. I'll spare you the repetition of the particulars, as they were very succinctly stated by Ms. Tershia d'Elgin
of the Eaton Cattle Company in her letter dated June 12, 2013 which I have attached.
The only thoughts I would like to add are that I have managed this property (as have the previous two owners
all the way back to the 1960's) as a private wildlife refuge. We all know that the wildlife in this
Platteville/Milliken river corridor have been increasingly squeezed out of their domain by the encroachment of
both industrial and suburban development. As a result, this remaining narrow ecosystem which is only
approximately a few hundred yards wide along both sides of the river, is the only place for dozens of various
aquatic, terrestrial and avian critters to hide, nest and rear their young. Putting a trail for public use right down
the middle of it would be an environmental disaster of the first order. For this reason, I find the statements in the
South Platte River Corridor Planning documents referring to "enhancing wildlife and game habitat" to be at the
very top of the list of the total "wrongheadedness" of this initiative.
Sincerely,
Michael and Chris Janeczko
Greenhead Ranch - Milliken, Colorado
rosnrcati-
1
2013-2394
Dear Mayor Tokunaga, other Town of Milliken Trustees, and Planning Commission:
Question: "What would Milliken do if strangers showed up with :concrete, busters..to.dig up parking lots:and
housing, determined to plant corn rows and daylight feeder creeks?" '
As property owners involved in farming and habitat restoration along the South Platte River, we are alarmed
to learn that our land is within the "South Platte Trail" planning footprint. Please remove our privately owned land.
which is outside municipal iurisdiction, from this planning initiative.
Further, we beseech you, as visionaries, to acknowledge the flaws inherent in the trail concept. Pedestrians,
cyclists and pets are catastrophic for wildlife. Look what development has done to the Platte in recent years!. Non-
porous asphalt pavement lined by barbed wire interrupts ;Wildlife corridors,prevents water infiltration, decreases
carbon sequestration, and generally augments anthropocentric impacts such as poor air quality, air and water
pollution and energy use. The trail concept is making the planet worse for future generations,not better.
The idea of ogling working farms from a fenced off trail evokes Joni Mitchell's song .about tree museums: The
trail will function` as conduit for the incursion of weeds and pests, including human pests; trash, dog waste, etc. making
farming harder not easier. That the lottery dollars, which fund the plan, pair "conservation" with "recreation" :la
flagrantly wasteful and unethical. It keeps governmental staff working but does a disservice to biodiversity and riparian
health.
Regardless of footprint, without a plan, budget?: and management for maintenance, these trails will almost
immediately be eyesores — weedy, trashy, attracting vagrancy requiring policing, etc.
We are wholly adverse to this misguided plan: Burgeoning development has lowered our property value,
nabbed agricultural water resour, .compromised food cultivation, diminished ecosystemservices, greatly thinned
out wildlife and irreversibly altered the quality and chemistry of the South Platte. This "South=Platte Trail" will increase
these existing crimes against sustainability exponentially _ ..
If the Town of Milliken is serious about honoringits agriculturalroots, it must respect surrounding farms not
exploit them.
We look forward to your responseto this letter.
Sincerely,
Tershla d'Elgin
Eaton Cattle Company
619.929.7630
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