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HomeMy WebLinkAbout982117.tiff c5 OFFICE OF BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PHONE (970) 356-4000, EXT. 4200 FAX : X: (970) 352-0242 915 10TH STREET P.O. BOX 758 GREELEY, COLORADO 80632 COLORADO October 13, 1998 Ginny Shaw 1435 WCR 16.5 Longmont CO 80504 Dear Ms. Shaw: This is the written response you requested to your October 5, 1998, presentation before the Board of Weld County Commissioners. Since Commissioner Hall and I discussed the matter with you after the meeting, much of what I am including in this response will be a summary of our discussion. Your letter does reflect where the majority of the Conservation Trust Fund dollars have been spent in the past. Enclosed are three pages from the 1999 Proposed Budget that outlines how many dollars have been received by Weld County from the lottery and how they have been spent. In addition, on the last page is the criteria for allocation of the funds adopted by the board in 1984. It is the Board's opinion that Island Grove Park is a facility used by residents county wide. The park is owned both by the City of Greeley and Weld County, with Weld County owning everything west of the road in front of the Exhibition Building, except Centennial Village. More than 300,000 people attend events at Island Grove Park annually. As a result, the Commissioners feel the expenditures on the park are justified. Missile Site Park is much smaller, but it too is used by residents from throughout the county. In southwest Weld County, the Carbon Valley Recreation District gets half of the lottery per capita amount allocated to Weld County for residents in the unincorporated areas of the district. Those dollars go directly to the district from the state. As we discussed, the county is working with the State Division of Wildlife to enhance the Barbour Ponds Recreational area by connecting the existing park with the Hoekstra Gravel Pit for a reclaimed park area once the mining operation is complete. County funds are budgeted to pay for the underpass under I-25 to make this connection. 982117 Ihmudzi /04/94 Ginny Shaw Page 2 October 13, 1998 In addition, the county will be sponsoring a GOCO Legacy grant to develop a trail system in southwest Weld County in conjunction with the municipalities in the area. This will be a nice amenity for all the residents in the area. All of these initiatives are an attempt to allocate park and recreational dollars to southern Weld County. Concerning a program to purchase development rights in the MUD area, I provided you with the study of transferable development rights (TDR) in Colorado. Please refer to page 17 that indicates that TDR's are not a very practical solution for Weld County in the immediate future. It is also the Weld County Commissioners' opinion that there is much more citizen demand for more parks and trails to be used by the general public of Weld County than to purchase TDR's. Also, if the City of Greeley's experience with the reaction to their open space planning is any indication, neither landowners nor the majority of the general public are receptive to the idea of 'IDR's or major open space purchases in Weld County at this time. Last year the county completed and approved an Open Space Master Plan that will serve as a long-term guide to the investments and actions the county takes to deal with open space, trails, and parks in the county. In addition, Commissioner Hall is proposing that the county create an Agricultural Preservation Advisory Committee to address and study methods and policies to help preserve agricultural lands in Weld County with the increased urbanization of the county. The entire Board of Weld County Commissioners is receptive to the idea, so I would expect such a committee to be appointed in the near future. Hopefully, the above answers your inquires concerning your October 5 presentation. If you have questions, please call me at 356-4000, Extension 4200. Sincerely, // 4,4 /- L 'Barbara J. Kirkmeyer District 3 enc cc: Don Warden Monica Daniels-Mika Clerk to the Board 982 // 7 WELD COUNTY (99 tDCT -7 AN 9: 1 1 CLERK TO THE HAM D October 5, 1998 Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer c/o Weld County Board of County Commissioners P.O. Box 758 Greeley, Colorado 80632 Dear Commissioner Kirkmeyer. Enclosed is a copy of the request from the St. Vrain Citizen's Group that was presented to your meeting today. We would appreciate a response in writing to this request. Also thanks so much for the copy of study on the transfer of development rights. I (we) certainly hope that something can be worked out soon for the SW part of the county! Tha again, Ginny Shaw 1435 WCR 16-1/2 Longmont, Colorado 80504 9�2 /i7 October 5, 1998 TO: Weld County Commissioners FROM: St. Vrain Valley Citizens On behalf of a local group in our area, once calling themselves the St. Vrain Rural Impact District, but now their name is in the process of changing, as the word"District" will be eliminated, We would like to come before the Weld County Board of County Commissioners with the following request: That being a request for more lottery dollars to be used for agricultural preservation in the MUD area. Information received from the Colorado Lottery Funds, informs us that since it's inception in 1983, the County of Weld has received almost $13 million dollars from the Conservation Trust Fund through June of 1998. These finds are then broken up (per capita) to each city or community and also to the un-incorporated part of the County. To June of 1998, the un-incorporated part of the County has received $3,314,882.46; AND the City of Greeley has received $5,708,543.98. Looking into how the dollars were spent in the un-incorporated part, more than 2/3's of the $3,314,882.46 went to Island Grove Park (which is a city of Greeley entity), and Missile Site Park. While we've heard that Island Grove Park is for the County's use, how often will folks over 40 miles away come to use it? (With the exception of the Independence Day Stampede.), or visit Missile Park (over 60-70 miles away)? Both are good projects, but -- The time has come -- with more than 45% of the County's population living outside the Greeley area, and the MUD area being the fastest growing area outside of Greeley -- to spread around some of these Lottery Dollars to an area which is in dire need of land for agriculture preservation. With an area of over 100 sq. miles of urban growth boundaries encompassing the latest IGA of the MUD area, Frederick, Firestone, Dacono, & Erie -- and with that IGA having NO plans for Open Space or Agricultural preservation, it is with that that this Committee asks the Board of County Commissioners for reconsideration and redistribution of the Colorado Lottery Funds to the MUD area in the unincorporated part of the county. It is a unique area, in that no other part of the county as that many miles of UGB's. It would be suggested that these funds could be used, along with GOCO funds (or similar programs) to establish a program of purchase of development rights -- buy giving the farmer or rancher in these areas an ALTERNATIVE to selling to that of development. Talk of a trail system is in the works, as well as additions to the Barbor Ponds. But as y.5,A l l 7 residents and landowners feel it needs to be more -- TRAILS & LAKES DO NOT PROVIDE FOR AGRICULTURAL LAND PRESERVATION. We all enjoy buying a lottery ticket from time to time-- and always hope to win, but knowing if we don't win, we've helped provide for more open space and parks. It does not work that way for the people of SW Weld. Unless they win the lottery itself, the residents of un-incorporated SW Weld are not receiving any benefit from the lottery. We would hope we could have the same consideration as that of Island Grove. We would appreciate your immediate attention to this issue, and would appreciate a response in writing. I thank you for your time. , 40LA) cc: Mr. David Maetch c/o Colorado Lottery / 7 CONSERVATION TRUST FUND COLORADO LOTTERY FUNDS DISTRIBUTION BY COUNTY Through Jun 98 ENTITY NAME FY 1983-1997 FY 1998 TOTAL COUNTY: Washington Town of Akron $ 148,269.96 $ 12,149.14 S 160,419.10 Town of Otis S 44,429.00 $ 3,463.30 S 47,892.30 Washington County S 255,372.90 S 21,193.73 $ 276,566.63 TOTAL: $ 448,071.86 $ 36,806.17 S 484,878.03 COUNTY: Weld Town of Ault $ 98,353.41 $ 8,934.20 $ 107,287.61 Beebe Draw Farms Metropolitan District $ 159.88 $ 20.70 $ 180.58 * City of Brighton $ 852.59 S 269.07 S 1,121.66 • City of Broomfield S 260.83 S 82.79 S 343.62 Carbon Valley Recreation District S 266,483.50 S 23,660.13 $ 290,143.63 City of Dacono S 109,228.78 S 8,089.08 S 117,317.86 Town of Eaton $ 176,449.45 S 16,516.21 $ 192,965.66 * Town of Erie S 115,196.93 $ 11,762.79 $ 126,959.72 City of Evans S 520,984.32 $ 48,900.13 S 569,884.45 Town of Firestone S 62,581.32 $ 5,391.57 $ 67,972.89 City of Fort Lupton S 444,138.91 S 39,407.10 S 483,546.01 Town of Frederick S 48,195.15 S 5,270.83 S 53,465.98 Town of Garden City S 15,742.77 $ 1,835.14 $ 17,577.01 Town of Gilcrest E 94,363.59 $ 8,016.64 $ 102,380.23 City of Greeley $ 5,243,482.29 S 465,061.69 $ 5,708,543.98 Town of Grover $ 12,786.48 $ 979.66 $ 13,766.14 Town of Hudson S 77,956.57 $ 7,533.71 S 85,490.28 Town of Johnstown S 132,025.29 $ 7,357.79 S 139,383.08 Town of Keenesburg S 51,127.17 $ 4,656.82 $ 55,783.99 Town of Kersey S 87,681.13 S 7,430.22 $ 95,111.35 Town of La Salle S 161,986.97 $ 12,859.74 S 174,846.71 Town of Lochbuie S 93,623.09 S 8,485.77 S 102,108.86 * City of Longmont $ 0.00 $ 0.00 S 0.00 Town of Mead $ 39,635.44 S 5,643.38 S 45,278.82 Town of Milliken S 133,099.28 S 6,174.61 S 139,273.89 * City of Northglenn S 409.48 $ 144.88 S 554.36 Town of Nunn $ 25,784.55 $ 2,497.44 $ 28,281.99 Town of Pierce S 75,006.49 $ 6,188.41 $ 81,194.90 Town of Platteville $ 148,866.51 $ 13,363.37 $ 162,229.88 Town of Raymer 5 8,385.65 $ 745.09 $ 9,130.74 Town of Rosedale $ 969.48 $ 0.00 $ 969.48 Town of Severance $ 10,126.30 $ 1,641.96 $ 11,768.26 Thompson Rivers Park And Rec. District S 16,296.75 $ 19,355.15 S 35,651.90 Weld County $ 3,069,157.28 S 245,725.18 $ 3,314,882.46 Town of Windsor S 427,126.11 $ 0.00 S 427,126.11 • Town of Windsor $ 33,147.34 S 48,493.08 S 81,640.42 TOTAL: $ 11,801,671.08 S 1,042,494.33 $ 12,844,165.41 • indicates multi-county entity Page 17 nV ' I' 7 Hello