Del Camino – Weld County commissioners are backing off a plan to put a U.S. 287-type road through pristine habitat at St. Vrain State Park.
The road – an extension of Weld County Road 7 – would serve one of the fastest growing areas of Colorado and relieve an already-choking Interstate 25, Weld County planners said.
But local leaders and state parks officials say the new road would destroy their vision of an oasis in the middle of oncoming development.
“There are some things worth driving around,” said Doug Cole, a member of the Colorado State Parks Board.
Wednesday night, the commissioners were told that if the road went through, the parks board would withdraw $12 million to expand the park.
Mayors and town boards from communities near the park – just off Colorado 119 near Longmont – also criticized the plan at a meeting marked by moments of exasperation directed at commissioners.
It all convinced the county board that any plans for an arterial roadway through a state park ought to be shelved, at least for now.
“This will stay in place, but it will slip in priority,” Commissioner Mike Geile said.
“I still think (the road and park) can co-exist,” said commission chairman Bill Jerke. “But we don’t want to build it if you are dead-set against it.”
The move heartened state parks officials, including parks board chairman Tom Ready. He said he would feel even better if the county would put it all in writing.
“I don’t want everything to change when commissioners leave and new ones come aboard,” Ready said.
Many towns in southwestern Weld County are already locked in disputes with the commissioners over growth policies. That rancor spilled over at Wednesday’s meeting.
“These people are fools,” Mead Mayor Richard Kraemer said afterward.
Mead is suing the county, claiming it allows uncontrolled growth near its borders.
The road extension would have served not only I-25 but also 1,800 new homes planned north of the park.
Parks officials, along with local residents and park users, argued that the road would ruin a $20 million plan to expand the park from 143 to 640 acres.
The parks board agreed that a remaining $12 million earmarked for expansion projects would go elsewhere if the road were built, said Dave Giger, Colorado State Parks regional manager.
“The board … decided that this may not be the place to put in the funding,” Giger said.
City and state officials also reminded the commissioners that expanding the park could bring in $7.5 million in annual spending to nearby towns and cities.
“It doesn’t make much sense to basically destroy a state park,” said state Rep. Dale Hall, R-Greeley.
Commissioners said they will still have to accommodate the needs of future commuters and alleviate the short-distance travel on nearby I-25.
“The people are going to be there,” Commissioner David Long said. “They are going to be saying, ‘Who created this gridlock?”‘
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com. Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 720-929-0893 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
