Article Contributed on: 10/19/2007 10:56:50 AM
Building two new trails nearly 1,200 feet long. Maintaining 1,000 feet of existing trails. Restoring more than 300 feet of eroded slopes. All accomplished in a day by 43 local volunteers and Town staff.
The Castle Rock Parks and Recreation Commission recognized two groups Wednesday from which many of the volunteers came - 6202 Cycling Club and Castle Rock Bicycle Co.
The work was completed at the Town's Memmen Ridge Open Space during a Sept. 15 Community Work Day that sprang from a joint vision of the Town and the cycling club to develop and restore trails within the space. Bike shop workers, teens and other Castle Rock residents also pitched in during the Work Day to help bring that vision to life.
6202 adopted Memmen Ridge in November 2006 as part of the Town's Adopt-A-Park program. At the time, the club said that through the adoption, it wanted to "provide an open space in downtown Castle Rock to a variety of people and to gain good representation for the cycling club."
Ten months of hard work, training and joint-planning efforts between the two groups and the Castle Rock Parks and Recreation Department led to the Work Day and, ultimately, the realization of the club's goal.
"It's always good to see volunteers that want to come out and work hard and improve the community," said
Ron Claussen, Parks and Recreation Commission chairman.
Claussen presented
Jon Haase, a ride leader with 6202, and
Mark Neel, owner of Castle Rock Bicycle Co., with letters, certificates of appreciation and gifts at the commission's Wednesday meeting.
There are no plans to stop the work at Memmen Ridge, near South Street and Curtis Place. Another Community Work Day is planned in the spring to construct and maintain trails on the western portion of the space. Informational signs are being installed around the property, and marker posts and informational decals are being installed along the trails.
For more information about Memmen Ridge or the Adopt-A-Park program, contact program coordinator
Jennifer Martin at 303-814-7444 or jmartin@CRgov.com. Learn more about the two groups that were recognized at www.6202cycling.org and www.castlerockbikes.com.
Kristin Zagurksi is a community relations specialist for the Town of Castle Rock.