Things were moving along by l998, but all the land hadn't been acquired yet.....it was mostly going to be used for a lot of "green" space which Boulder prides themselves on:

DAILY CAMERA
VALMONT CITY PARK UNDER WAY
A LONG-TERM PLAN IS BEGINNING TO BE VISIBLE IN AN AREA ONCE CALLED AN EYESORE

Wednesday, April 29, 1998
Section: LOCAL NEWS
Page: 1C
By Kristin Dizon Camera Staff Writer

Memo: Map of proposed park is available in envelope file PARKS: VALMONT CITY PARK.

What do the county jail, an auto junkyard and a chicken farm all have in common?

They are all part of or next to what will become the city's largest park.

The proposed Valmont City Park will be built over 20 years or more, allowing future generations to determine some park amenities. Presently, there is little money to shape the 132-acre site beyond turning 20 acres into a grassy area and installing infrastructure for future development.
Because of the long-term time frame, the city has no cost estimates for the final product. About $18 million is budgeted just to buy the land, $14 million of which has been spent.

Boulder's first citywide park has the county jail on the northern border and some commercial and industrial businesses all around. The site encompasses a former poultry farm where 40,000 chickens laid eggs and Valmont Auto Parts, Boulder's only auto junkyard. The non rectangular shape is also bisected by Valmont Road, where a pedestrian underpass will one day connect the northern and southern halves of the park.

The complex also could include several atypical park features - a small neighborhood commercial center, leased office space and a building to house the parks and recreation staff.

Planners say it's an excellent place to take land that could have been sold for commercial development and fulfill some of Boulder's unmet and future recreational needs, while preserving an open area and scenic views of the Flatirons. The site was selected because it was one of the few sizable parcels left in Boulder and is centrally located. .

City Council recently approved a concept plan, the fourth considered. The elaborate wish list includes six lighted baseball or softball fields; trails; a bicycle racing track; three recreation buildings; playgrounds; courts for basketball; roller hockey and tennis; a skateboard park; an amphitheater; community gardens; picnic tables; and a cross-country skiing loop.

Before any groundbreaking, a number of steps must be taken. About 22 acres of the park site aren't yet owned by the city, which is in negotiations with three separate landowners. One is the junkyard site, where owners ##### and Doug Helgoth will be required to clean up between 2,000 and 3,000 cars, as well as substances such as oil and battery fluid that have seeped into the ground over 40 years of operations there.

Owners of a 1-acre lot and a 5-acre strip of land have yet to come to terms with the city. It is hoped property negotiations will be complete by the end of summer, said Wally Cameron, acquisition manager for the Open Space and Real Estate Department. If the talks hit an impasse, Cameron said the City Council could consider having the land condemned.

So far, about $14 million from a 1995 tax initiative has been spent to buy 83 acres of land. That was added to 28 acres already owned by the city. The remaining 22 acres are projected to cost between $3 million and $4 million, Cameron said.

Another $4.1 million has been set aside for the first phase of development, which will involve grading, irrigating and seeding roughly 20 acres of the site, as well as installing the necessary water, sewer and utility connections for later development. Construction is likely to begin in late 1999 or 2000, but it`s not clear when would the first phase will be complete.

The city hopes to pursue public-private partnerships to develop the park over the years, and has been approached by several interested groups. Janet Bellis, chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, said the group will start working on a set of criteria to determine how responsibilities would be shared and what level of public access would be required under such partnerships.

Another way the city could help pay for the park is through commercial development on part of the site. The current plan considers the possibility of selling or leasing 3 to 6 acres in the northeast corner of the park for offices, and another 3 acres for a neighborhood commercial plaza.

"I think it`s good to have a little commercial center there, because those areas are not served by one right now," Bellis said.

Possibilities for that development include a grocery store, dry cleaning, a restaurant, coffee shop and other services.

The parks department also is considering relocating its offices from the present location at 3198 Broadway to the Valmont City Park.

"We are looking at the long-term future of our office space needs," said Chris Dropinski, director of the department. She said staying at the present site, a former church building they moved into "temporarily" in 1992, will require remodeling.

Despite the lengthy timeline of the plan, many say changes to the Valmont property are already impressive.

"They`ve already cleaned up a good bit of the site," said Ann Moss of Shapins Associates, a firm consulting on the plan. "It`s changing as we look at it."

Parks planner Kate Bernhardt, who is managing the Valmont site, said chicken coops and a large grain silo have been removed, a pond has been filled and waste from the many birds is gone at the former poultry farm. In other areas, sheds and outhouses have been stripped away.

Those involved with the Valmont City Park say it will change the character of the area for the better.

"One of the reasons I really wanted to get this piece (of land) is because this is a very good opportunity to clean up a real eyesore in town," Bellis said.

"I can`t think of another site that has so many trail systems feeding into it," Bernhardt said.