Longmont's Dickens Farm Nature Area earns best project honors from state association

Dickens Farm Nature Area, named after one of Longmont’s founders and early homesteaders, was a project a long time in the making. Formerly Pavlakis Open Space, plans to renovate the area go back to 2001 and the St Vrain Greenway Master Plan.

The 2013 floods devastated the waterways, providing more impetus to renovate the Greenway. Dickens Farm officially opened this spring, though the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to plans for a grand opening. That hasn’t stopped Longmont residents from exploring the city’s newest natural area or taking to the waters over the summer.

Longmont residents aren’t the only ones recognizing the hard work and dedication of the city and design teams. The Colorado chapter of the American Public Works Association has awarded Longmont its 2020 Best Park/Trail Project in a Large Community award. 

The effort to finish Dickens Farm Nature Area was collaborative, as the city contracted Confluent Designs and Jacobs Engineering for design of both the recreational and ecological components of the project. Construction was done by Zak Dirt and HPM, Inc. Work involved the Resilient St Vrain City Reach 1 project, as well as updating the St Vrain Greenway Master Plan.

Steve Ransweiler, senior Public Works and Natural Resources project manager, spoke highly of all firms involved in the project. “It really took everyone thinking outside their own projects, about who else would be using and working in the space in the years to come,” he said.

Features of the 52-acre park include multiple shelters, with one large group shelter, and passive recreation areas. The highlights are the half-mile float course and wide, slow moving shallow areas in the creek for children to play. Discovery Island is an ADA-accessible discovery area and nature trail, with elements of exploration and education. The park also includes a novice bike skills course, built with natural materials to introduce would-be mountain bikers to off-road training.

The cost of the project included $6.6 million for creek work, restorations and trail improvements as part of Resilient St Vrain City Reach 1. Approximately $3 million went into improvements and amenities for Dickens Farm Nature Area.

“Completion of Dickens Farm Nature Area has given our Longmont community a great place to play, while also providing local wildlife a safe passage along the creek corridor,” Longmont Deputy City Manager Dale Rademacher stated in a news release.

This isn’t the first time the APWA Colorado chapter has recognized the city’s efforts. 

In 2018, the city received an award for “Sustainability in a Large Community” for two completed sections of the Resilient St Vrain project. The award recognized “efficient delivery of infrastructure in an environmentally and socially responsible way that ensures the best choice in the long term,” according to the city website.

In 2016, the city received APWA recognition for “Disaster or Emergency Construction” for the Sunset Bridge repairs, highlighting coordination between several agencies at all levels of government. The same year the city also received an award for “Excellence in Snow and Ice Control.”

Ransweiller also said the city plans to seek greater recognition for the Dickens Farm project. “We plan to apply for the national APWA award for 2021,” he said.