At a public meeting for High Park and Woodland Park fire survivors on July 9, residents of Rist Canyon expressed concerns over the amount of traffic in their area.
“There’s just so much going on up there right now,” said Deni LaRue, Larimer County community information manager. “People are hauling things out, there’s cleanup equipment at work, Dumpsters going in, insurance appraisers and emergency workers are there, road maintenance will be taking place, and the residents are just feeling overwhelmed. Several told us that additional vehicles or bicycles going through were getting to be too much.”
The county can’t restrict access to the area now that the fire emergency is over. But to honor the residents’ concerns, LaRue said post a sign will be posted on the east side of County Road 27E west of Bellvue at the mouth of the canyon to help keep additional traffic to a minimum. LaRue said the sign will read:
“Due to emergency, construction, clean-up and road maintenance traffic, non-residents are asked to please limit your access to Rist Canyon during the fire recovery period.”
She estimated that the sign will stay up for a few weeks, but should be taken down before the Rist Canyon Festival and Art Auction on Sept. 2.
LaRue added that in addition to road repairs in the burn areas, the county is working on mudslide mitigation efforts.
“It’s a big concern for the county,” she said.
The Virtual Courthouse at www.larimer.org is being updated to include a whole range of information and resources related to recovery from this summer’s fires, and LaRue recommended both survivors and community members check there for the latest information.