By Brendan Henry
The Surveyor

All board members were in attendance for Berthoud’s second town board meeting of January. Items on the agenda included an update on the Adaptive Park Project, a presentation on the arboretum design, consideration of approval for Farmstead filings two and three for construction of a roundabout and sewer infrastructure respectively and marijuana code amendments.

Town Administrator Chris Kirk kicked off the meeting with an update on the Adaptive Park Project by introducing Lauren Bowling, the project’s primary proponent. The project had humble beginnings, using a lemonade stand to work toward the project’s former goal of $1 million—now just under $1.5 million. Currently, the Adaptive Park Project has raised $619,000 of that $1,457,405 goal for playground equipment.

Bowling showed 3D renders of what the playground is going to look like, stating that every piece of equipment has been thought out, having children herself that would benefit from the accessible features of the playground. Bowling identified that the closest accessible playgrounds are about 45 minutes away in Fort Collins, Greeley and Westminster. Overall, the park is meant to provide a place to play for children with or without disabilities.

Farmstead, the developer of the park, has committed funds to the project along with donations, and Bowling is now asking the town to help with the remaining $637,946 necessary to fund the project. Kirk mentioned that there had been talks about providing $400,000 from the town’s Parks Development Fund, and left it to the board to discuss. The board showed overwhelming support for the project, and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Grace moved to approve the funding of up to $650,000 for the project and this was approved unanimously and was met with applause from the audience and graciousness from Bowling.

“Good luck following that one up,” Kirk jokingly said after the motion passed.

Deputy Town Administrator Jeremy Olinger followed up the emotional passing of the last motion with a presentation on the arboretum design in Waggener Farm Park. The arboretum is intended to serve as a living showcase of the area’s diverse trees and plant species and
educate the community on the importance of biodiversity and the need to protect and conserve natural resources. Town Forester Paul Furnas has identified trees that truly capture the area so that they can be implemented, along with a garden spot and a natural play area for children.
The results of the public survey to gauge how Berthoud residents feel about the project were mostly positive, many appreciative of a natural development that did not involve compact residential areas. Current cost projections look to be around $6,022,500 for the total project.
The trustees were able to provide input and ask questions about the arboretum, some of which included reserving a hill for sledding, workshopping ideas based on concerns about the public garden idea, overall water usage and how far out the project will start going underway. There was no definitive answer, but town staff will continue to look into the logistics of the project.

Moving on to Farmstead’s two filings, filing three regards the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Mountain Avenue and County Line Road. On Dec. 12 last year, the board agreed to consider an agreement to pay a proportionate share in the costs associated with the construction of the roundabout. In addition to filing three, filing two regards the town’s agreement to oversize the sanitary sewer line to accommodate the town’s existing customers.

The board grouped the two filings in their motion to approve and authorize Mayor Will Karspeck to execute the agreement subject to final edits by the town attorney, Erin Smith.

Chapters 13 and 30 of the town’s municipal code regarding marijuana have gone through minor changes, those being two corrections and a duplicate section number being remedied. With nobody speaking during the public hearing, the board unanimously approved these changes.

The next town board meeting will be on Tuesday, Feb. 6.