JEFFCO OPEN SPACE INVITED TO APPLY FOR GOCO LOTTERY GRANTS
Great Outdoors Colorado, (GOCO) announced in June that it would be awarding $97 million in lottery grant to fund 57 projects around the state. Jefferson County has three projects that have been accepted for consideration.
Foothills Rec District Funding for Robert Easton Regional Park
Jeffco Open Space Northern Jefferson County Ranch aquisition
Jeffco Open Space Front Range Mountain Backdrop/Foreground Preservation
The ranch, named the Julia Chase Ranch, also is part of the Mountain Backdrop/Foreground project. This project has received previous GOCO funding for planning purposes, since it involves five counties. The Jeffco portion of the total Mountain Backdrop/Foreground project cost is estimated at $25 Million and the request to GOCO is for $5 million, the balance of the project cost to come from Jeffco Open Space revenues. Staff is working diligently to prepare the necessary information by the August 5th deadline. The final awards of these grants will be made by December.
Several public GOCO committee meetings were held in early 2004. Information at these meetings included an informational review covering the complex required distribution of lottery revenues. In general, funds are allotted for State Parks and Recreation, Division of Wildlife, Open Space, and Open Lands with Matching Funds.
Considerable time was spent examining bonding, which had been approved by voters in 2001. The Bonding Committee invited concept submittals in order to consider which, if any, projects would be of sufficient size and urgency to qualify for bond funding. GOCO a formidable list of criteria, such as the project must be large enough to significantly impact a region=s character (later amended that it must be significant to the whole state), the funds must be used in three years, and stated a preference to include investment by other public or private entities. Additional studies were prepared to estimate likely interest costs for sample amounts of money and length of bonding. Allowable bonding is $115 million.
In March, thirty-three concept projects were submitted to the committee. Sample projects were: Routt County B two Yampa River preservation projects, one from the Nature Conservancy; Multi County-Montezuma, Ouray, San Miguel, San Juan B Skyway Land Conservation Initiative; Gunnison Valley Ranchlands, Boulder County and City of Longmont B Preservation of 1,845 acres located near contiguous farmland in Boulder County and Weld County along the County Line Road and the City of Longmont=s open space; Mesa County B Greenway and Community Separators - an endeavor to acquire development rights and place conservation easements on significant agricultural, wildlife, wetland, riparian and other open space lands between Grand Junction, Palisade and Fruita. The Skyway Land and Gunnison Valley Ranchlands projects are included in the June 18th announcement of projects that may be fundsd. (It would be useful to have a review meeting covering the merits of the other projects and to know the committee=s thinking.) The desirability for funds addressed to keeping front range communities separate, avoiding pressures of expanding urbanization was stressed in the public meetings along with the observation that the urgency factor was one of preserving these open spaces while they might still be available and affordable.
Suggestions by PLAN Jeffco and several other environmental groups for holding regional workshops have not been answered or implemented, as far as we know. We also suggested a Master Plan be developed to further clarify priorities and to improve cooperative efforts by the variety of stakeholders, (environmental, agricultural, recreational, population growth planners.)
The Board decided to increase the awards of Grants out of present (and reserve?) revenues available, rather than tapping any bond funding. They announced that they would use $97 million in lottery grants to fund 57 projects around the state. Quoting from an article in the Rocky Mountain news: "It breaks down to $37 million in annual grants for playgrounds, ball fields, parks and wildlife, and open space, and $60 million for large projects."
There is language to the effect that the board will use the bonding authority IF it is necessary. For now, this seems like a rather small crack in the door for a project, or projects to be considered. It would seem that this committee=s remains very negative to the use of bonding. The criteria bar has been set very high. Worthy projects will require very professional, persistent efforts to prepare a proposal package that would fulfill all the difficult parameters set forth for approval of the use of bond funds.
By Marilyn Mueller