HomeMy WebLinkAboutresolution.council.116-21 RESOLUTION NO. 116
SERIES OF 2021
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ASPEN,COLORADO,
APPROVING A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE MAROON BELLS
COMPREHENSIVE RECREATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
WHEREAS visitation to the Maroon Bells has steadily increased over the past 10 years with no likely
decrease in future years; and
WHEREAS increased visitation can degrade natural resources and environment, health, safety and
experience of the visitor;and
WHEREAS the City of Aspen as a key stakeholder can assist the US Forest Service in developing a
Maroon Bells Comprehensive Recreation Management Plan through a collaborative process to define
sustainable visitor access to the Maroon Bells and how to achieve it;and
WHEREAS the funding needed for the Maroon Bells Comprehensive Recreation Management Plan
and will be provided by the stakeholders involved with the plan including a funding contribution from
the City of Aspen;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aspen,
Colorado,
That the City Council of the City of Aspen,Colorado hereby approves the financial
contribution to the funding of the Maroon Bells Comprehensive Recreation Management
Plan of$25,000 in 2022.
RESOLVED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this V day of December 2021, by the City
Council for the City of Aspen, Colorado.
Torre,Mayor
1,Nicole Henning,duly appointed and acting City Clerk,do certify that the foregoing is a true
and accurate copy of that resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Aspen,Colorado,at a
meeting held December 7,2021. C-W
Nicole Henning, City Cler
DRAFT
Interagency Agreement and
Statement of Work
Maroon Bells
Comprehensive Recreation Management Plan
Pitkin County, Colorado
VP030022
Volpe Center Project Number:VP030022
L BACKGROUND
Covering 975 square miles, Pitkin County is located in the heart of the White River National
Forest(WRNF) in Colorado and is surrounded by the peaks of the central Rocky Mountains.
Pitkin County includes the communities of Aspen, Snowmass, Woody Creek, Old Snowmass,
Meredith, Thomasville, and Redstone as well as portions of the town of Basalt. The county
maintains 24 bridges and 265 miles of roads, including Maroon Creek Road, which provides sole
vehicle access to WRNF's Maroon Bells Scenic Area(MBSA).
Pitkin County (the County)requests that the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems
Center(the Volpe Center)provide technical transportation planning support by developing a
comprehensive recreation management plan(CRMP)to sustainably monitor and manage visitors
recreating in the MBSA. Through a collaborative process with key partners (the WRNF, City of
Aspen, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority [RFTA], Aspen Ski Company [Ski Co.], and the
Aspen Chamber Resort Association [ACRA]),this Iplan will define sustainable recreational
access to the MBSA and will identify how to achieve it.
This interagency agreement(IAA)builds upon a previous agreement in place between the Volpe
Center and the County (VPN6) and an agreement currently iri place with the WRNF (VXP8),
which provides additional funding for some of the tasks in'this''agreement.
2. SCHEDULE
The proposed project will begin upon execution of this agreement and end after two years. Work
by the Volpe Center in support of the tasking set forth below will commence upon approval of
this agreement and availability of funding. Specific project deadlines will be documented at the
working level for each task.
3. BUDGET
Initial funding for tasks.under this agreement is summarized in the table below. Details of the
tasks and associated subtasks are presented in the remaining sections of this agreement. All costs
listed in this IAA are for Volpe Center staff and on-site contractor involvement only. Costs
associated with other project participants are not included. The total budget in the tables below
reflects $50,000 that the Forest Service (FS)allocated to the project in a separate existing
agreement.
Task Description Budget this Budget in FS Total
Agreement Agreement Budget
Maroon Bells Comprehensive'Recreation Management Plan $225,000 $50,000 $275,000
Total $225,000 $50,000 $275,000
4. SCOPE OF WORK
Through this project,the Volpe Center will develop a CRMP to monitor and sustainably manage
visitors recreating in the MBSA.
This agreement can be amended upon agreement of the signature parties to add specific projects
and tasks. If additional work is added in the future,then the new work will be contingent upon
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Volpe Center Project Number:VP030022
the availability of appropriated funds and a modification will be executed to add additional
funding. A modification describing the scope of work(SOW),roles and responsibilities,project
schedule, and project funding must be developed and signed prior to beginning any work beyond
what is scoped below.
Work shall be on a best effort, no fee basis and charges will reflect only actual costs and no
profit. Work will start upon execution of the agreement and not before. The SOW may be
modified by agreement by both parties.
Task 1. Maroon Bells Comprehensive Recreation Management Plan
TASK BACKGROUND
Visitation to the MBSA has increased steadily over the past IQ years with no decrease in
visitation likely in coming years. Left unmanaged, and as experienced in recent years, increased
visitation can degrade natural resources and the environment,health and safety, and the
experience of the visitor.
A CRMP will address the impacts of increasing visitation by identifying'sustainable levels of
access to the MBSA while accounting for local economic and other community impacts. All
modes of transportation and types of access will be considered as part of this planning process.
The plan will be composed of four main sections: introduction, existing conditions and current
trends, recommendations, and next steps.
The involvement of stakeholders and the'public from the onset of the project will be critical to
ensure that all interests and concerns are considered and addressed. Adaptive management will
be utilized to monitor and refine the accessibility levels developed as part of the comprehensive
plan.
1.1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT
The Volpe Center will hold monthly meetings/teleconferences with key partners and will track
the financial status of the project monthly. The Volpe Center will also develop a stakeholder
engagement plan to help guide the involvement of stakeholders, the public, and locally elected
officials in each section of the plan and throughout the duration of the project.
• Deliverable: monthly status/financial reports and meeting notes
• Timeframe: on-going
• Deliverable: stakeholder engagement plan
• Timeframe: month one
1.2 INTRODUCTION
The introduction will establish the organization and purpose of the CRMP. Stakeholders will be
identified and described and the vision, goals, and objectives of the CRMP will be established in
collaboration with the parties identified in the engagement plan.
• Deliverable: draft and final introduction section
• Timeframe: month four
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Volpe Center Project Number: VP030022
1.3 EXISTING CONDITIONS AND CURRENT TRENDS
For this section of the report,the Volpe Center will collect and analyze data on past, current, and
projected recreational uses in the MBSA. These uses include, but are not limited to, hiking (1/2-
day hikes, day hikes, 14er hikes, mountaineering), backpacking, biking, camping, fishing,
photography, hunting, environmental education/interpretation, special events (weddings,
horseback riding), search and rescue, and winter activities (cross-country skiing, snowmobiles,
lake access, fat biking, etc.). This section will identify and articulate current and projected issues
and challenges as well as opportunities and strengths. This section will build off of existing work
and analyses, as summarized in reports such as the Maroon Bells Scenic Area Shuttle Staging
Study Report as well as the region's Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan and destination
marketing plan.
• Deliverables: draft and final existing conditions and current trends section
• Timeframe: month ten
1.4 RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings of the section above,the Volpe Center will develop strategies and actions
as well as a list of specific projects and initiatives'that can betaken to ensure sustainable
recreational access to, experiences in and the management of the MBSA for years to come. This
section will identify resources and responsibilities for each of the above items and will create an
implementation timeline for each item as well.
• Deliverables: draft and final recommendations section "
• Timeframe: month fifteen
1.5 NEXT STEPS
This section will include a plan for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of each
recommendation'to ensure that they are on-track and continue to be relevant. The Volpe Center
will develop-performance measures for this purpose and will identify any data needs to fulfill
them.This,section will`also layout a,progress reporting timeline and a schedule for future
updates to the plan as well.
• Deliverables: draft and,final next steps section
• Timeframe: month eighteen
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Volpe Center Project Number:VP030022
5. SCHEDULE, DELIVERABLES,AND FUNDING
Estimated Completion Estimated Cost
Task Deliverable This FS
(from project initiation) Total
Agreement Agreement
Task 1.1 Project Management Ongoing $30,000 $7,500 $37,500
Task 1.2 Introduction 4 months $40,000 $10,000 $50,000
Task 1.3 Existing Conditions 10 months $75,000 $15,000 $90,000
Task 1.4 Recommendations 15 months $50,000 $10,000 $60,000
Task 1.5 Next Steps 18 months $30,000 $7,500 $37,500
Total $225,000 $50,000 $275,000
Volpe Center Resource Plan
Estimated Costs
This Agreement FS Agreement Total
Direct Labor $212,500 $47,500 $260,000
Contracts $0 $0 $0
Travel $12,500 $2,500 $15,000'
Other $0 $0 $0
Total $225,000 $50,000 $275,000
6. ASSUMPTIONS AND.CONSTRAINTS
a. The County will review all deliverables and give written feedback within 2 weeks of
receipt.
b. The County will make available staff to ensure efficient data and document collection.
7. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
a. The cost estimates in this Agreement are based on information available at the time of
writing the SOW. The County and the Volpe Center will discuss and jointly agree to any
significant changes to these cost estimates or reallocation of funding among the tasks and
will update the SOW accordingly. If the project scope is modified or expanded, the
County and the Volpe Center will modify this Agreement.
b. The Volpe Center's work shall be on a best effort basis (not fixed price) and charges will
reflect only actual costs, without profit or fee.
c. At the technical close out of the project(when all deliverables have been completed and
all charges have been recorded),the Volpe Center will return any unexpended funds to
the County in a timely manner.
d. The Volpe Center will use reasonable, good faith efforts to complete the work, including
procurements, in a timely and efficient manner to be able to meet the milestones in this
SOW. The County and the Volpe Center will discuss and jointly agree to any significant
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Volpe Center Project Number:VP030022
changes to the schedule. If the project's period of performance changes, the County and
the Volpe Center will modify the Agreement.
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