NWCCOG Foundation
Program Overview
The NWCCOG Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization created to facilitate multi-jurisdictional projects, allowing local governments to work with non-profits and community members. Projects administered through the NWCCOG Foundation benefit several communities simultaneously, and allow for all the funds raised to be applied directly to the designated project. The Mission of the NWCCOG Foundation is to provide a financial mechanism for NWCCOG member jurisdictions to work collaboratively with not-for-profit organizations, citizen-based groups, and individuals on projects of regional interest and benefit.
In 2008...
The NWCCOG Foundation continued to work with the Friends of Swan Mountain Recpath, a Summit County volunteer group, and the Summit County Open Space & Trails Department to raise the funds needed to construct the Swan Mountain Recpath. Once completed, the Swan Mountain Recpath will connect with a 45-mile countywide Recpath utilized by an estimated 500,000 people annually. This last segment of the Recpath will offer cyclists and other recreationalists a safe route around the Dillon Reservoir. Currently, cyclists must share the narrow, winding Swan Mountain Road with vehicles.
The NWCCOG Foundation raised nearly $250,000 in private donations for the Sapphire Section - Phase II of the Swan Mountain Recpath. Funders include The Anschultz Foundation, the Brown Family Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, the Gates Family Foundation, The Summit Foundation, and over 650 individuals, businesses, and organizations.
The National Forest Foundation awarded the NWCCOG Foundation a $14,750 grant to assist the Colorado Bark Beetle Cooperative in becoming an independent organization the end of 2009.
Currant Projects:
Swan Mountain Recreation Path - Summit County, Colorado
The Project
The objective of this project is to complete the Recpath loop around Dillon Reservoir through the construction of a safe, grade-separated path that will connect the areas of Keystone/Snake River Basin and Breckenridge/Upper Blue Basin. The current Summit County Recpath system surrounds Dillon Reservoir on three sides, but no Recpath connection exists on the eastern side of the reservoir. To travel across the existing sections, users must share the narrow, winding and busy Swan Mountain Road with motorized vehicle traffic. More than 500,000 people annually utilize the Summit County Recpath System.
Why is the project needed?
To address urgent safety issues. Currently, cyclists and other pathway users who desire to complete the loop around the reservoir must share the narrow, winding and busy Swan Mountain Road with motorists. One of the most critical issues to be dealt with is the lack of clearance for users on both sides of the road. Completion of this popular Recpath loop will provide safe passage for cyclists as well as walkers, families, in-line skaters and less-experienced cyclists who may be uncomfortable on a road with narrow shoulders and limited sight distances.
To provide the critical clockwise connection of the existing trail system and connect to other trail systems. This creates a safe integrated trail system that ultimately will offer an interconnected pathway system that links two counties, multiple drainage basins and over 62 miles of paved, grade-separated pathway.
Who is in charge of building the Recpath?
The Summit County Open Space and Trails Department will oversee construction of the project.
The Swan Mountain Recpath construction will be in four segments:
The Lowry Segment - 1.5 miles long. Construction was completed in August 2007. This section of trail allows path users to avoid 2.2 miles of Swan Mountain Road.
The Sapphire Segment - 0.7 miles long. Construction is expected to begin summer, 2009. This section offers a ride through the woods with a climb to Sapphire Point, the highest point on Swan Mountain Road.
The Blue River Segment and Summit Cove Segments will complete the Swan Mountain Recpath.
How will the Recpath be funded?
The Recpath will be funded through a combination of public and private funds.
A Capital Campaign has been designed to raise private sector funds to support the construction of the first two phases of the Swan Mountain Recpath. These two segments will provide 2.5 miles of pathway and reach the summit at Sapphire Point.
Contributions to the Swan Mountain Recpath project are tax-exempt and may be sent to:
NWCCOG Foundation, PO Box 2308, Silverthorne, CO 80498.
Phone: 970-468-0295, ext. 123.
Why are private sector funds needed?
The Swan Mountain Recpath is a substantial capital undertaking. Summit County Government is taking the lead to coordinate construction of this project on behalf of the greater community. Summit County is committed to maintaining the existing recpath in a top-quality condition and county commissioners do not want the county's limited recpath dollars diverted to new construction at the cost of the existing system. County staff has aggressively pursued public sector grants for the project, however these sources are insufficient to cover the full cost of the first two segments.
Why is the Recpath so expensive?
Construction costs for the first two segments are in line with recent recpath construction costs in Summit County and the Central Rockies. Recpaths are essentially mini-roads, with a minimum ten-foot wide asphalt surface and two-foot shoulders on either side. Recpaths are constructed to fit in with the landscape, minimize environmental impacts, and provide adequate drainage. The recpath is being build so it will last for generations.
Past Projects:
Blue River Restoration Project, Silverthorne, Colorado
The Blue River Restoration project was a collaborative effort involving representatives from several jurisdictions, organizations, and agencies. Partners actively contributing to this project included the Town of Silverthorne, NWCCOG Foundation, Inc., Trout Unlimited, US Forest Service-White River National Forest, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver Water Board, and Summit County Government. Between November 1, 2002 and November 1, 2003 the working committee raised $99,898 to match the National Forest Foundation's $94,750 challenge grant. The design for the restoration project was finalized in May 2003, construction began in early July 2003 and was completed in less than eight weeks.
Gypsum Community Arts Center, Gypsum, Colorado
The NWCCOG Foundation, in partnership with the Town of Gypsum, and with the support of other local governments within Eagle County, Colorado, leveraged support for the construction of an outdoor theater in Gypsum, Colorado. The Community Arts Center is designed primarily as an outdoor theater. However, the design is such that the doors in front of the stage can be closed to create a smaller indoor venue for art shows and children's programs. The Town of Gypsum has offered the historic Lundgren Barn (circa 1910), town owned property near the Town Hall, and up to $200,000 in matching funds toward the construction of an outdoor theater. The NWCCOG Foundation assisted in raising an additional $120,000 in private sector funds. Construction of the Arts Center began in the summer of 2004 and was completed in July of 2005.