Therese Glowacki, director of Boulder County Parks and Open Space, presented the department’s 2026 one-time operating and acquisition requests on Oct. 9, asking commissioners to consider funding for purchases, infrastructure repairs, several FEMA/CWCB match needs, agricultural maintenance, and a water-quality remediation project connected to an old mine site.

Glowacki told the board the department proposes using a variety of funds depending on the project, including the Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) for certain recreation and facility needs, operating funds (OS 51) for agricultural and rental-property maintenance, and sales tax appropriations for acquisitions. Key requests and figures presented included:

- Cliffside acquisition (CTF): $665,000 to complete a purchase adjacent to existing open space (the slide described this as land restoration or “land back”).
- Fairgrounds Exhibit Building roof (CTF): staff proposed replacing the building’s 40-year-old leaking roof and identified a full replacement cost of about $1.6 million; prior public-works materials included a smaller patch estimate (~$300,000) but Glowacki said the $1.6 million figure is for a full replacement.
- Crop-share and water-assessment increases (Fund 126): $63,000 one-time operating to cover recent assessment increases (roughly 12% increases over several years) while the department builds an asset-management system.
- Prince Lake (HMGP/FEMA match): $251,250 additional to complete a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)-funded dam safety project that will finish in 2026 and reduce downstream flood risk for the Town of Erie.
- Howell Ditch (FEMA/CWCB funding match): $300,000 requested as local match for a CWCB- and FEMA-funded design and restoration on Lower Boulder Creek within Prairie Run open space; work seeks a natural-channel solution that preserves agricultural water use and fish passage.
- Heron Lake outlet: $350,000 to enlarge an outlet structure that has contributed to trail erosion and inadequate capacity for runoff; the city of Longmont requested the county maintain an outlet to reduce downstream impacts.
- Rental-property energy-efficiency upgrades (OS 51): $500,000 one-time operating to continue upgrades (asbestos abatement, on-demand water heaters, solar installations) to increase rental revenue and reduce ongoing maintenance costs.
- Agricultural maintenance backlog and pivot replacements: requests to address aging irrigation systems and hazard trees (amounts vary by site; specific pivot replacement line items were described but not all amounts were provided on the slide).
- Buffalo/agricultural fencing and tribal partnership work: continuing discussions with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes; funds requested to design and install fencing once leases and staffing are in place.
- Bridal Mill/Cardinal Mill water-quality remediation: $4,000,000 requested to investigate and implement solutions (including a pilot filtration system) after state water-quality requirements changed and legacy mine tailings have created noncompliant discharges into Coontrack Creek and nearby communities (presentation cited consultant work and pilot filtration tests).
- Standing acquisitions and sales-tax appropriations: Parks staff noted a typical acquisitions budget of about $17,000,000 and asked for an additional $3,000,000 in Fund 0111 to cover expected purchases in 2026 (examples given: CMEX property and Golden Friedstrom property, plus Moore property possibilities).

Glowacki also described smaller requests: a $150,000 operating ask to contract out grinding at county “sort yards” as a trial before deciding whether to buy a new ~$750,000 grinder; Prairie Run operating costs (about $500,000 requested in 2026 with larger implementation to follow in 2027); and a request from the wildfire-mitigation tax (Fund 151) for three ranger positions (one FTE and two multi-year term hires) with about $14,000 per position in supporting operating costs.

Commissioners asked questions about appropriate funding sources (for example, whether Conservation Trust Fund dollars are appropriate for the fairgrounds roof), alternatives to structural fixes (raising or routing trails around outlets), cost estimates and prior patch proposals, and the department’s multi-year asset-management work that will better project ongoing maintenance needs.

Ending: The board treated the presentation as informational and asked staff to provide additional design-level materials, revised spreadsheets and alternatives where requested; no appropriations were approved at the Oct. 9 meeting.