Public meet is next week

The Town of Westcliffe and the West End Association invite all interested citizens to attend an open meeting next Thursday, March 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the community room of Cliff Lanes.

The West End Association, a citizen’s group working with the Town of Westcliffe and the Wet Mountain Valley Community Foundation, is moving ahead with the creation of a land-use plan that will provide information and suggestions to the Westcliffe trustees and our community on the best uses of the bluff area on the west end of Main Street.  This is the first of two open meetings for those interested in learning more about the project and provide their points of view.

The property consists of three parcels totaling about nine acres.

Westcliffe and the residents of the Wet Mountain Valley have been presented with the unique opportunity to acquire this property through a private donation.  Most residents are aware that  the bluff area has been the site of community events like the High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival and Wet Mountain Western Days, as well as a photo stop for visitors to Custer County, or just a beautiful place to walk the dog and take a break from the workday. 

The properties on the bluff have already been leased to the Town of Westcliffe for three years while The West End Association works with a professional land use planner, the town and the public to create a long term plan for the site.  The planning process will include several opportunities for community input through open public meetings.

The planning proposal and work to be completed this fall include a civil engineering assessment, soil testing, drainage assessments, a landscape architecture assessment, the public meetings for community input and the expertise of a land use planner. The planning process will result in suggestions for a site-plan with reasonable recreational and alternative uses, costs, timeline, potential partnerships and funding sources to aid the Town of Westcliffe Board of Trustees in making an informed decision on the best use of the parcels and contiguous open space.

Improvements to the bluff performance area (as it is known informally) have already been made in the form of irrigation, grass, electricity and phone lines to aid several nonprofits in putting on outdoor music festivals.  The property, with close proximity to the town and merchants, provides an opportunity to protect valuable open space and develop a recreational and arts centerpiece for the community while promoting compatible economies in Custer County.