Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2021 10 21

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Zack Tupper, Lafayette, Oct. 11, 2021 I live on the other side of South Boulder Rd, about a 1/4 mile from this site. I just looked at the proposed plan and am thrilled to see this space staying as open space! I believe there was an attempt a few years ago to develop a portion into more residential with a hydraulic fracturing well. That would have been really really sad. We live in Lafayette because of the farms and open space. Losing them would make many of us second guess why we live here. Anyway... super happy with the plan you've been developing! Excited to see BoCo collaborating with CU as well. If I were to choose I'd suggest Option 3. Creating a lollipop would allow for nice extensions for folks who run in this area. It would also be nice to have a few spots to jump onto the lollipop from 96th and/or Empire. Again... Thank you so much for not developing this space into more residential! Kari A Baars, Lafayette, Oct. 11, 2021 Option A and Option C seem to be the best options for having blended use for all communities. I think option C seems to be the best idea as it sounds like eventually this is a goal to have the path extend in that area. I appreciate that there are many options for multiple uses of this area. Casey Lyons, Lafayette, Oct. 08, 2021 First, please pardon my previous comment (Comment #1). I made it when I was more full of fire than information. I'm hoping to correct that here. Based on the info in this draft plan, I'd like to present an alternate history of the Mayhoffer/Kerr family: They seized land that wasn't theirs and immediately set to work destroying the short grass prairie ecosystem that had existed there for —30,000 years. Shortly after the Kerr/Mayhoffer arrival, the discovery of coal on the property led to the extraction and combustion of a material that would render the land unfit for anything but agriculture and later present an existential threat to humanity. The family hunted wildlife to extinction, embraced ecologically harmful farming practices like the use of chemical pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers, and secured the future use of these things before cashing out and selling the property to the public for a 79 percent markup. And all that in 160 years. I am not sure why we lionize them. As regards the trail plan, I favor option C, which provides ADA-friendly Coal Creek connectivity and gives exercisers a loop trail which would be a similar experience to Teller Farm but without the backtracking or the parking of two cars. As a regular cyclist, I can tell you Empire Road is already bike friendly (it just needs some paint) and that no one is going to ride on Courtesy Road unless there is a protected/separated bike lane. Even so, we have something like that in Lafayette along 287 (between the Jax pedestrian overpass and Baseline), but the adjacent neighborhoods, without bike infrastructure, still offer the better way to get around. Most cyclists around here would rather spend more time on a safe and aesthetic route than have the most direct way. (If Louisville needs some bike infrastructure advice, they should tunnel under the railroad to connect the new trail north of S. Boulder Rd. with the existing network of neighborhood trails to the west of the tracks.) E:3