Lack of funds puts crimp in Palisade Plunge plan 

Lack of funds puts crimp in Palisade Plunge plan

• AMY HAMILTON

After investing two years into the planning process of the Grand Valley's most spectacular mountain bike trail yet, Palisade town officials said they were a bit blindsided when they learned that a Great Outdoors Colorado grant for trail construction will not be available this year.

Palisade received $90,000 from GOCO in 2016 for a planning grant for the Palisade Plunge, a proposed 30-mile downhill mountain bike trail to drop 6,300 feet from the top of Grand Mesa to the valley floor.

The trail idea also made a priority list two years ago as part of Gov. John Hickenlooper's "16 in 2016" initiative, which aimed to create 16 new trails or trail connections in 2016. There was no state funding directly tied to that effort, though.

While planning for the Palisade Plunge is expected to wrap up this spring, the town expected to apply for a $1 million trail construction grant in August, with the hopes of starting construction in 2019.

However, Palisade Town Administrator Rich Sales learned last week that GOCO's Connect Initiative, which funds regional trail networks, is not being offered in 2018. The funding may resume in 2019 or 2020, GOCO officials said, but it's out for 2018.

The timing is important because biological studies being done that are required under the U.S.  National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, have a shelf life of about three years. If those studies time out, the NEPA studies would probably have to be redone.

"We're just still in the shock process," Sales said. "I can understand that (GOCO does) not have to tell us anything, but we have staff spending their money to make the project happen. I don't know what to say other than this is disappointing."

Sales learned about the Connect Initiative's 2018 hiatus after following up on a rumor. He emailed Jake Houston, local government program manager for GOCO, who confirmed the program's halt this year.

Houston said by phone last week that the Connect Initiative was never intended to be offered every year, as outlined in the agency's strategic plan. GOCO cannot offer regional grant funds this year because it says it must pool its money, offering grants for trails within parks this year through other programs.

"I don't believe that we've given any false hope," Houston said. "Nothing was promised to the Palisade Plunge. If anyone would have asked us last year, we would have told them."

Connect Initiative was backed by $28.5 million, Houston said. The Grand Valley has scooped up a number of GOCO awards over the years from the granting agency that is fueled by state lottery proceeds.

For example, it has funded more than $11 million over the years to the Colorado Riverfront Trail. The latest funded-trail connection is under construction, bridging the gap between Fruita and the popular Kokopelli trail head near Loma.

Grand Junction's most recent award gave $1.5 million to connect the riverfront trail to the Lunch Loops trail head along Monument Road. Construction should begin on that project in the fall. Grand Junction is also waiting on the results of a grant request to help fund a boat launch at Las Colonias Park. The results will be announced in March.

"We have to look at it from a GOCO perspective," Houston said, explaining grant cycles and the agency's priorities. "Palisade Plunge has the possibility to be an amazing project, but it's not the only one. I don't think to my knowledge that Palisade Plunge can't move forward if it holds off six months."

Since receiving clarification on funding, Sales has met with local leaders about possible next steps.

The town may look at other possible grant opportunities through private foundations, like the Gates Foundation and El Pomar Foundation, he said.

News of the Connect Initiative grant ending in 2018 was a jolt for the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association, the group's president Scott Winans said. The nonprofit, which works with volunteers to build local trails, is a partner in the Palisade Plunge development.

"Whether that's our fault for being ignorant or the state for not telling us, I can tell you it was a big surprise," Winans said.

Trail work can begin once federal officials sign off on the environmental studies related to trail construction on Grand Mesa.

However, some sections are going to be tricky to construct and should probably be handled by professionals, not volunteers, Winans said. Some areas on the mesa are logistically difficult to access for a single work day and other areas can only be developed at certain times of the year, because of snow or wildlife concerns.

Winans said the plan has always been to get the community involved in fundraising and other support for the project, but this latest setback requires more immediate community support.

The mountain bike trail association estimated construction at a little more than $1 million. More funds will be needed to build out the trail head at Palisade Rim, and some bathroom facilities should be on the agenda.

"We need to mount a capital campaign," he said. "The bottom line, the state is a critical partner. You bet it would have been helpful to have that explicit statement that this wasn't happening. We just need to be focused on moving forward and casting our net broadly, communitywide."

Winans said the community shouldn't be discouraged by progress already made on the trail. Getting through the National Environmental Policy Act process in two years time is practically unheard of.

"We never get NEPA done in two years," he said.

The best response is to keep momentum, Winans said. Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association is organizing some sort of campaign, but the effort will require buy-in from a number of volunteers.

"We're going to have a community that says, 'We're going to support it and maintain it,' " he said.