What Is the Apac?
By Doug Magee, Arvada Park Advisory Committee
The Arvada Park Advisory Committee (APAC) is a committee of citizen volunteers appointed by City Council for three-year terms. Our membership has a wide range of passions, including biking, hiking, equestrian issues, youth sports, Arvada history, and conservation. Our ranks include biologists, engineers, planners, landscape architects, consultants, and educators. This diversity is a key strength and makes for lively discussion about issues.
The APAC’s role is reflected in our name: we advise. We work closely with the staff of Arvada’s Parks, Golf, and Hospitality Services Department and provide input on the City’s current inventory of 602 acres of developed parks, 34 miles of trails, and 2,397 acres of open spaces. We also work with Arvada City Council and staff when they have parks and trails issues to consider.
Some of our committee’s recent work includes the approval of a multi-purpose trail in Independence Park (W. 66th Avenue and Oberon Road.). A state-run home for disabled citizens is adjacent to the park. One of the home’s staff members and a resident made an appeal to APAC to consider building a trail in the Park so residents and family members could explore the outdoors. The recent completion of the paved trail and landscaping with aromatic native vegetation should provide all the Park’s neighbors a new experience.
APAC and the City also worked with the Arvada Soccer Association, North Jeffco Park and Recreation District, Jefferson County Open Space, and others to secure funding and install two synthetic soccer fields at Long Lake Regional Park. These two new fields make a great addition to an important regional sports complex being developed on the western edge of the City.
Finally, we have been working for years to create a new funding source for Arvada’s parks, trails, and open spaces. The Committee developed the Arvada Donations Program which, through the Jeffco Open Space Foundation, provides a tax-deductible way for individuals and groups to fund park and trail improvements. Currently the donations program is focused on building a new skateboard park in the City.
Citizens with interest in parks and trails, or who have input or questions for the APAC, are welcome to attend our meetings. The Arvada Parks Advisory Committee meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at Majestic View Nature Center, 7030 Garrison Street. Call the City’s Parks Department in advance of the meeting at 720-898-7400 for more information.