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PARKPROFILE -- SAND CREEK REGIONAL GREENWAY~ <br /> <br />Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) in the form of a legacy grant. <br />The grant also provided the leverage needed to attract atten- <br />tion from private fun&rs. <br /> The GOCO grant allowed the three cities and the <br />Stapleton Development Corporation (which was set up as'a <br />non-profit to broker the land vacated by Denver's Stapleton <br />airport when the airport moved to its new home at DIA) to <br />create a master plan, create a public-private entity called the <br />Sand Creek Regional Greenway~{rmnship (headed by <br />Pulver) and begin initial development. <br /> "It was a combination of the opportunity, created by the <br />airport vacation and two cities going to GOCO asking for <br />money for different ends of the same thing and GOCO say- <br />ing, 'People, work together. We have too few dollars and too <br />many needs for saving and connecting open spaces.'" <br /> Pulver says a lot of the credit goes to Stuart Macdonald, <br />who is working to coordinate trails throughout Colorado, <br />connecting open spaces and trails with one another, thus <br />connecting people through regional trail systems. <br />"Every time a city goes through a master planning <br />process or surveys its citizenry, trails always come out at the <br /> <br />very top or in the top three of what citizens want of their <br />communities and recreation program," says Pulver. <br /> <br />Interlocking Partnership <br /> : Now in the thick of it, with one phase behind and a [arg~ <br />er one to go, Pulver says she§ been pleased with the coopera- <br />tion the partnership has created. <br /> "The cities determined to form the non-profit to manage <br />the development and make strategic decisions, and making <br />certain that it's a regional resource and not just three trails that <br />meet. From the users' experience it doesn't matter when you're <br />crossing a city line," says Pulver. "We have realized tl~at there <br />doesn't seem to be anyone using the model we're using. YVe <br />may have something to offer from the standpoint of how a <br />partnership like this can work and can be duplicated." <br /> Each of the cities has assigned a senior person from their <br />parks and recreation planning department to work on the <br />project. They bring technical expertise and parks planning <br />experience to the table. <br /> Pulver meets wi. th these staff partners once a month, and <br />finds that the interaction is helpful for the project, while offer- <br /> ing a fairly unique opportunity <br /> for parks staff from different <br /> cities to. compare notes. <br /> "I've been amused to sit <br /> with people from the three <br /> cities, and as we talk about the <br /> project they'll say things to <br /> each other like, 'You're using <br /> that supplier? How's that work- <br /> ing out for you? What kind of <br /> fencing are you using this <br /> year?'" Nobody has been pro- <br /> prietary or guarded in the past; <br /> it's just that in a very busy <br /> work season they're insulated <br /> and working with people in <br /> their own departments," says <br /> Pulver. "As much as they <br /> would like to, they're not pick- <br /> ing up the phone and just <br /> chatting. This provides that <br /> opportunity and people take <br /> <br /> <br />