Having attended both Open House sessions hosted by JCOS re: the Improving Visitor Experiences (Apex Park management policy review), COMBA has formally submitted our position statement to Jeffco Open Space leadership.

We encourage all interested parties to read our complete submission (PDF), and to attend the OSAC meeting this Thursday, July 2nd, to voice your support.

A very brief summary of points follows below:

• Apex Park is of significant importance to the Front Range mountain biking community for its terrain, location, and “upper” trail access by way of Lookout Mountain Road.
• COMBA believes Apex Park to be largely unique among JCOS holdings, and subsequently any new or revised management policy should reflect its distinct nature. A traditional management approach that works well elsewhere may not be the best solution for Apex– where slope and gravity present fundamental challenges.
• COMBA strongly suggests that outreach and education efforts toward common sense cooperation among trail users should be a first course of action before any major policy changes are considered.
• Both trail design and speed differential between visitors contribute to the potential for user conflict.
• Mountain bikers—as a user group—comprise the majority of visitors at Apex; likewise, Apex sees the highest percentage of cyclists of any JCOS park.
• Mountain bikers are currently prohibited from recreating on approximately 20% of JCOS trails.
• JCOS is currently reviewing management practices for Apex Park, based in part on a perceived increase in negative park experiences for users.
• The most recent Visitor Survey data (2004) for Apex Park concludes that conflict is on the decrease– “significantly”, in the case of weekend usage (as cited in the Apex Park Management Plan, 2009).
• COMBA does not support Simple Alternating Use policy practices, such as is in effect at Centennial Cone, or any policy that excludes any user group entirely from any shared-use park.
• “Greater good” consideration should be thoughtfully evaluated for majority stakeholders.
• Congestion leads to conflict. Expansion of JCOS trail system is key as local population increases.

We look forward to seeing this public process to completion this fall.