Broomfield and Jefferson County on Tuesday gave conditional support to a potential federal grant that would extend a regional trail into Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
The vote was unanimous in both cases, but the Jefferson County commissioners and members of Broomfield City Council made it clear that their matching contributions to the $6.5 million grant — dubbed the Federal Lands Access Program — to build underpasses and a pedestrian bridge into the refuge would be predicated on soil testing showing the site is safe for human use.
Rocky Flats was the home to a nuclear weapons plant for nearly 40 years.
Broomfield would be responsible for contributing $95,539 toward the grant and Jefferson County is being asked to pony up just under $220,000 toward the effort, which would include two underpasses for Colorado 128 and a pedestrian bridge over Indiana Street.
The crossings would bring the Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail from Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Commerce City into Rocky Flats, northwest of Arvada.
Tuesday’s action by Broomfield and Jefferson County contingent upon soil-testing results coming back at safe levels.
A representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday told Jefferson County commissioners that his agency, which oversees the refuges, would agree to the testing.
Arvada, Boulder County and Westminster are slated to vote on the grant in the next week or so. Superior .
The grant application, due May 21, needs approximately $1.1 million in local matching funds to move forward.
John Aguilar: 303-954-1695, jaguilar@denverpost.com or @abuvthefold
