Black Forest Section 16 in limbo after land lease increases dramatically
BLACK FOREST, Colo. (KRDO) - A popular recreational park in Black Forest is in jeopardy, after the land lease was recently increased by over 4,500 percent.
Black Forest Section 16 is a nearly 4 mile hiking loop in is near and dear to many southern Coloradans’ hearts, and has residents worried what will happen to the 90 acres of open space if lease negotiations between El Paso County and the State Land Board fail.
"I've heard people say, if we don't have Section 16, I'm moving away," said Susan Davies, Executive Director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition. "I've heard people say, that's where I met my current husband. I've heard people say, it's that trail that keeps me healthy and keeps me going because I use it three times a week."
For nearly 25 years El Paso County has enjoyed an incredible deal, locking down a lease on Black Forest Section 16 for only $452 dollars a year.
But now that the lease is up, the State Land Board has increased the rent to $21,825 a year.
"It's dramatic, and I think it's a balance of just getting a great deal 25 years ago, along with the Land Board's mission, what they've changed, and the fees that they're charging now are quite a bit more per acre," said Todd Marts, Executive Director of El Paso County Community Services and Parks. "And the value of land has gone up considerably in that area."
The State Land Board says the proposed lease rate is based on a calculation on a percentage of fair market value.
"A lot's changed in the last 25 years," said Kristin Kemp, Communications Officer for the Colorado State Land Board. "Population growth, property valuation has increased, and all of that affects the new lease rate proposal.”
The Land Board also emphasizes, the lease money is poured back into Colorado schools through a program started by the Founding Fathers.
"The rent that we collect helps fund public education to the tune of $2 billion, with a B, and that's just in the last 15 years alone,” said Kemp.
If El Paso County can’t come up with the money, the 90 acres will remain in the hands of the Land Board who would look for a new renter that could potentially close down the open space.
But El Paso County says they’re working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.
"I'm not going to go there," said Marts. "We're focused on making it happen. We're going to work with them to make it happen. Anything that we can do, is what I'm focused on. So I'm planning on having people hike there for '23, '24 and '25.”
The Trails and Open Space Coalition has put out the word to their supporters about the situation.
They're encouraging the community to speak out if they care about keeping Section 16 open to the public.
"I think the best thing to do is to contact your county commissioner," said Davies. "That's the right thing to do because they will have the final say of, 'Yes, we will continue to pay the lease, as a ten year lease.' That's the first step. But then the second step is, let's buy it. Let's find out how much the State Land Board wants for that 90 acres, and let's try to find the money to buy it so that it never, ever is in danger again."
El Paso County says they have added this increase to their parks budget for next year.
Right now the next step for the county is to get public input on the situation before approval from the Board of Commissioners.
But after that, it’s actually the Land Board itself that will have final approval on the matter.
