High Line Canal in Aurora to receive multi-million dollar repairs, enhancements to improve access and safety

Horseback riding, a goat farm, and winding bike trails are probably not the first things that come to mind when you think of East Colfax. Yet they’re all things Harriet Crittenden LaMair loves to find when she’s in Aurora.

“The High Line Canal crosses Colfax in three different areas,” she said.

As CEO of the High Line Canal Conservancy, LaMair visits the 71-mile High Line Canal Trail often. Lately, her trips are along the northeast side in Aurora.

“We’re focused on this section of the canal, which we refer to as the final 28 miles… because of the great need,” LaMair told CBS Colorado’s Kelly Werthmann.

While Aurora is known as the most diverse city in Colorado, its access to the outdoors is anything but. LaMair said many of the barriers in neighborhoods with multi-family dwellings were the inspiration for their latest project.

“It’s just striking to me to see this tall, chain-link fence and people don’t have access to [the High Line Canal],” she said of a community that backs up to the trail near Hinkley High School. “I really hope the chain link fence comes down and that kids play over here in a natural area instead of a cemented parking lot.”

That hope is looking more like a reality thanks to a recent $7 million contribution from Great Outdoors Colorado to the conservancy. It’s for the $33 million Great Lengths for the High Line campaign, which aims “to breathe new life” and ensure the canal’s preservation for generations to come.

“This is an opportunity to create a series of pocket parks throughout the city of Aurora, but also really bring people to the canal and activate it,” LaMair explained.

LaMair told CBS News Colorado about two-thirds of the money received, from public and private partnerships, is going towards improvements in the “final 28 miles” in the Aurora area. Some of the work is already underway, which includes crews spraying weeds and removing debris along the canal. Other projects, like bridge repairs, will take shape down the road.

“There’s going to be $3.5 million spent in the next three years on enhancing the natural resources of the canal,” LaMair explained. “We’re looking at possibly adding some land bridges with pipes underneath to make it easier for people to get through.”

The greater goal isn’t just about improving use and access, but safety in the community as well.

“There’s been a lot of concern about crime, encampments, and safety along the High Line Canal,” said LaMair. “Research from park associations around the country shows that the more you activate a park, the more people you get out there and the more you improve it, it helps with those challenges.”

Talking with homeowners and residents who live near the canal is part of LaMair’s frequent visits. The conservancy has, and still is, collected public input along the way.

“Some people are quite anxious about the improvements, worried it’s going to draw more trouble to the High Line Canal,” said LaMair. “We believe quite the opposite. And, we know this is a treasure to neighbors… We’re not changing the neighborhood and not going so overboard you’re going to see dramatic gentrification.”

The only dramatic change is a cleaner, safer, and more accessible environment to enjoy. It’ll take years to complete, but it’s LaMair’s hope it won’t take that long for people in Aurora – whether on horseback, two wheels or on foot – to explore what lies just beyond their backyard.

“More than 228,000 people in Aurora live within a half mile of the trail and we hope all of them make their way to the High Line Canal and really improve the quality of their lives,” she said.