Parks & Open Space Proposal

The Town of Frederick’s Board of Trustees is exploring options to use existing tax revenues in a more effective way to provide enhanced services and improve overall outdoor amenities.  One option under consideration is a modification to the current Open Space sales tax that would broaden the use of available funds to maintain our parks, open space, and trails system.

In 1999, the Town of Frederick voters passed a 0.5% (half of one percent) sales tax to be used for the purchase, limited development, and maintenance of open space lands. The current tax can be used to create buffers to preserve community identity, natural areas, wildlife habitat and wetlands, allowing a continuation of existing visual corridors and addressing passive recreational projects like trail systems. The Open Space tax currently generates approximately $1.6 million per year. 

Since its inception, the tax has been used to purchase nearly 300 acres of open space, built over 10 miles of trails, constructed major improvements to Frederick Recreation Area and has maintained over 600 acres of open space and 22 miles of trails.

Examples include :

• Purchased the Marx Open Space (the field west of Milavec Reservoir)
• Purchased the Mendoza Open Space (185-acre parcel west of Aggregate Blvd)
• Developed trails around Milavec Reservoir, the Marx Open Space, Colorado Boulevard and Godding Hollow Parkway
• Developed and improved the Legacy Trail along Colorado Blvd
• Developed the Safe Routes to School Trail from Savannah subdivision through Carriage Hills to Thunder Valley School
• Constructed parking and access improvements to Milavec Reservoir
• Developed trail improvements in Centennial Park

The Open Space sales tax is administered under the guidance of a community-led advisory board, the Parks, Open Space and Trails (POST) Commission.

The Town of Frederick is considering placing a proposal on this fall’s ballot to broaden the use of Open Space sales tax dollars but will NOT increase the tax. Voter approval of this type of ballot issue would allow the Town to add, develop, and maintain open space while also improving its local parks.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Continue the development of the Town’s trail system.
• Add and maintain playgrounds, sport courts, trails, shade trees and other base amenities at neighborhood parks.
• Implement water conservation strategies in park areas.
• Add and maintain improvements to the Town’s Community Parks at Frederick Recreation Area and Centennial Park, as well as construction of a new Community Park west of I-25.
• Improve water quality, add and improve water-based recreational amenities at Milavec Reservoir.
• Add and maintain amenities and native vegetation in existing open space lands.
• Acquire additional open space lands to continue to preserve community identity, natural areas, wildlife habitat and wetlands and to allow continuation of existing visual corridors.