Good afternoon Senators.
My name is Jared Verner, and I’m the Public Policy and Communications Manager at the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments. I’m here to voice our support for Senate Bill 26-030.
In 2022, PPACG completed its first Tri-County Study, to identify the needs among all of the 16 members within our three-county region of El Paso, Park and Teller counties. Initiative 10 in that study identified the need in Park County to improve the county-owned roads that provide access to Eleven Mile State Park and Spinney Mountain State Park, including a breakdown of each road’s pavement conditions, potential pedestrian and bicycle improvements, and areas for vehicles to safely pull over without blocking traffic.
At the time, our member governments were seeing increased traffic due to pandemic-driven outdoor activities. In 2023, the introduction of the Keep Colorado Wild pass maintained those higher-than-historical traffic numbers as Coloradans could now purchase their annual state pass with vehicle registrations. These efforts have made it easier for everyone to enjoy the parks and wildlife areas that make Colorado a wonderful place to live and recreate, but it has added additional heavy traffic to the roads maintained by city and county governments to these areas.
PPACG supports a program as proposed in Senate Bill 30, as it closely mirrors the Federal Lands Access Program. This federal program provides opportunities to local governments to improve and maintain their road network that support traffic going to national parks and recreation areas. We believe a similar state program can be just as effective in enhancing the visitor experience leading to our state parks.
These state parks and wildlife areas are an economic engine for Colorado and the local communities, and our member governments welcome the increase of visitors to our regions. But it’s a challenge to properly maintain these roads, especially in rural areas with lower population bases that need to balance the needs of visitors with the needs of residents. We believe that Senate Bill 26-030 can help our member governments serve both visitors and residents with the partnership of the state to support the access to these unique state parks and wildlife areas.
Thank you for your time and we encourage your support of Senate Bill 26-030.