By Will Grandbois
Sopris Sun Staff
Snowmass Avenue is slated for a new path between Sopris and Main, thanks to an intergovernmental agreement recently inked by both the Town of Carbondale and Garfield County.
The County has agreed to cover the almost $300,000 price tag for the 10 foot wide sidewalk — which will likely be concrete but is designed to accommodate both walkers and bikers — and the Town will maintain it until it gets around to annexing the area. The agreement doesn’t specifically address the adjacent trailer park, which is also unincorporated, but it’s likely to be a factor in the process. The Town also agrees to take on plowing and sanding the road up White Hill as far as the St. Mary of the Crown Catholic Church.
The unanimous approval is just the first step in a process that will involve engineering and design, input from the Bike, Pedestrian and Trails Commission and likely more public process before construction could actually begin. Still, it’s a major step in a conversation that has been brought up and shelved several times. Mayor Dan Richardson gave some of the credit to a group of Crystal River Elementary students, who pushed for the path. Town Manager Jay Harrington agreed.
“All the letters from the kids really worked,” he said. We might have to use that in the future.”