On Feb. 23, 2023, over 50 regional partners from the Canal Collaborative, a regional public-private partnership, gathered for the Second Annual State of the Canal. Together, this Collaborative is leading the implementation of over $130M in trail improvements along the High Line Canal over the next 15 years, including:

  • Improved access and safety
  • Enhanced environmental health for the region
  • A higher quality of experience of the greenway

 

Inspiring remarks from Jim Lochhead, CEO of Denver Water, and Mayor Mike Coffman, City of Aurora, celebrated the Collaborative’s recent progress, including kicking off a project to close the largest trail gap along the Canal in Aurora by constructing an I-70 overpass for trail users.

 

The Collaborative is a national model of public-private collaboration comprised of visionary leaders and managed by the Conservancy. Leaders from the Collaborative discussed the urgent work ahead to secure permanent protection for the 71 miles of the Canal as a recreational, ecological, historical and stormwater resource.

 

“The High Line Canal is an important part of Denver Water’s history. Though it has outgrown its purpose to operate solely as an irrigation delivery system, the Canal’s benefits as a treasured recreational and ecological resource have potential to expand for many in our community. We have found a way to repurpose and reuse what could have been underutilized infrastructure, and we are doing it in a way that benefits the environment and surrounding communities,” says Jim Lochhead, CEO of Denver Water. At the event, Lochhead also announced a $1 million contribution to the Conservancy by Denver Water, investing in the long-term preservation and maintenance of the Canal for future generations.

 

The State of the Canal is an annual event held by the 13 regional entities that work in partnership to protect and enhance the metro region’s 71-mile High Line Canal. At this year’s event, the partners celebrated 2022 progress, which included:

  • Connectivity and safety improvements moving forward, including the underpass at Santa Fe Drive in Douglas County and the overpass over I-70
  • Four federal funding applications to advance underpass projects across the region, creating safer access and connectivity across the 71 miles, which cross 98 streets
  • Improved trail user experience and environmental health by planting trees, resurfacing the trail, designing stormwater infrastructure, and opening the Parker Road underpass at Mississippi at the border of Denver and Arapahoe County.

 

City of Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman spoke about the City of Aurora’s commitment to enhancing the Canal in partnership with the community.

 

“Thanks to Adams County and federal government funding, we have begun constructing two miles of the Canal trail north of Colfax to close the largest trail gap on this 71-mile corridor. Around this time next year, the Canal trail will not only go under I-25 and I-225, but it will also connect over I-70, delivering benefits to our entire region and connecting north Aurora to Denver’s Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. This is a powerful symbol of our regional collaboration,” says Mayor Mike Coffman, Aurora.

 

Under the leadership of the Conservancy, the Collaborative is ensuring a sustainable long-term future for the Canal, as shown by the deep commitment of each partner to steward the Canal’s natural resources during this time of transition.

 

“The visionary leaders that head the Collaborative are driving our work forward to ensure a sustainable future for the Canal. What we’ve discussed today only scratches the surface of the Canal’s impact on the over one million people across the region that live, work and play near the Canal annually,” says Paula Herzmark, Board President of the High Line Canal Conservancy.

 

Together, Canal Collaborative partners are doing more together than any one group can do alone. Over the next 15 years, the Collaborative will implement over $130 million of trail improvements, including improved access and safety, enhanced environmental health for the region and improved quality of experience. “The state of the Canal is strong and our future is bright,” concluded Jim Lochhead, CEO of Denver Water.

Standing: Harriet Crittenden LaMair, Executive Director, High Line Canal Conservancy; Councilmember Kyle Schlachter, City of Littleton; Commissioner Carrie Warren-Gully, Arapahoe County; Councilmember Christine Sweetland, City of Centennial; Laura Kroeger, Executive Director, Mile High Flood District; Paul Danley, Director, Southeast Metro Storm Water Authority; Councilmember Earl Hoellen, City of Cherry Hills Village; Chris Cramer, City Manager, City of Cherry Hills Village; Tom Roode, Director of Operations, Denver Water; Councilmember Alison Coombs, City of Aurora; Brian Green, Manager of Open Space and Natural Resources, City of Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space; and Paula Herzmark, Board Chair, High Line Canal Conservancy

Sitting: Jim Lochhead, CEO of Denver Water; Commissioner Lora Thomas, Douglas County; Carolyn Schierholz, Board of Directors, Highlands Ranch Metro District; Councilmember Pam Grove, City of Littleton; Dave Lawful, Board of Directors, South Suburban Park and Recreation District; Suzanne Moore, Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Greenwood Village; Councilmember Dan Sheldon, City of Cherry Hills Village; Scott Gilmore, Deputy Executive Director of Denver Parks & Recreation, City and County of Denver; Shannon Carter, Open Spaces Director, Arapahoe County; and Mayor Mike Coffman, City of Aurora.

Denver Water’s Historic Three Stone Buildings.

 

Julie Anderson, Chief of Staff, Denver Water; Amy Heidema, Engineering Director, Property Management Administration, Denver Water; Angela Bricmont, CFO, Denver Water; Rick Marsicek, Water Resource Strategy Chief, Denver Water; and Jessica Brody, General Counsel, Denver Water.

 

Scott Gilmore, Deputy Executive Director of Denver Parks & Recreation, City and County of Denver; and Paula Herzmark, Board President, High Line Canal Conservancy.

 

Michele Frishman, Grants and Acquisitions Manager, Arapahoe County; Laura Kroeger, Executive Director, Mile High Flood District; and Shannon Carter, Open Spaces Director, Arapahoe County.

 

Alix Joseph, Senior Attorney, Denver Water; Tom Roode, Chief of Operations and Maintenance, Denver Water; Dirk McDermott, Board Member, High Line Canal Conservancy; and Harriet Crittenden LaMair, Executive Director, High Line Canal Conservancy.

 

Harriet Crittenden LaMair, Executive Director, High Line Canal Conservancy; Steve Coffin, Board Member, High Line Canal Conservancy; and Jim Lochhead, CEO, Denver Water.