Residents and local safety advocates urged the Open Space Board of Trustees and city staff on April 9 to move quickly to reduce illegal parking, noisy late-night parties and fire-starting activity along Flagstaff Road on Flagstaff Mountain, citing multiple recent human-caused fires and threats to public safety.

The community concern coalesced around Panorama Point and other pullouts where people are parking outside posted hours, setting off fireworks and engaging in illegal activities. ‘‘We need to deny safe harbor to people on the road and in parking lots after hours,’’ said Josh Alban of the Flagstaff Fire Action Prevention Group, urging the board to ‘‘block the parking lots’’ and increase enforcement.

City staff told the board they are treating the Flagstaff Corridor project as both planning and active implementation: an infrastructure- and operations-focused site and management plan that will prioritize visitor safety, resource protection and clearer definitions of designated parking. Jeff Haley, deputy director for visitor experience and infrastructure, said the project goes beyond wildfire to include crime prevention and visitor management and that staff have already implemented some actions such as closing selected pullouts, adjusting parking hours and removing grills from picnic areas.

Why this matters: multiple speakers said the corridor is a public-safety risk during the spring/ summer fire season. Neighbors described near-misses when small fires were extinguished quickly and said unchecked activity could lead to a wildfire that spreads from the mountain into neighborhoods below.

What staff reported

Bill Wildenberg, who led the staff briefing, described the starting point: OSMP has inventoried parking and access along the corridor and found roughly 10 designated access points (five trailheads and five signed access points) and about 45 undesignated pullouts that visitors use and that look similar to designated places from the road. ‘‘We have 55 places visitors can park, but we’ve only designated 10 places in total,’’ Wildenberg said; staff also told the board there are 62 designated parking spaces between the one- and five-mile markers of Flagstaff Road.

Staff presented a menu of possible short-, mid- and long-term actions. Short-term ideas include targeted closures or gate pilots at a small number of locations OSMP controls (Panorama Point was discussed repeatedly as a candidate), increased night patrols and temporary ‘‘quick wins’’ such as clearer signage and tow‑away notices. Mid- and long-term ideas under review range from license-plate readers, 360-degree camera trailers or permanent camera installations, to permanent gating solutions coordinated with Boulder County and the sheriff’s office. Staff cautioned that some measures will require multiagency decisions, capital funding and operations plans.

Public voice and board reaction

Multiple residents asked the board to escalate the issue to city council and the city manager, and to push the sheriff and police for patrols. ‘‘We need action. Right now, we’re heading into fire season,’’ said Lauren Lambert Feldman of the Flagstaff Fire Action Prevention Committee. Jan Burton, a neighborhood volunteer and raptor monitor, said the activity had prompted her to remove trees on her property and called for the city to demand enforcement from the sheriff or to commit resources if deputies will not patrol the corridor.

Board members generally expressed sympathy with neighbors and urged staff to identify the actions the board can influence directly and which items require county or interagency authority. Trustee Michelle Estrella said the board should focus energy on ‘‘what we can actually influence rather than the things that we want but can’t.’’ Trustee Brady (last name not stated in transcript) urged testing one or two high-impact actions on OSMP-controlled sites and publicizing results; several trustees said stepped-up patrol presence would likely deter much of the problematic behavior.

Next steps and constraints

Staff said they will continue vetting the full list of actions, consult partner agencies (Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder Police Department, Boulder County Transportation and nearby residents) and prioritize ‘‘quick wins’’ they can implement on OSMP land without requiring county approval. Bill Wildenberg noted the county has responsibility for resurfacing the roadway in a future year, a potential opportunity to coordinate infrastructure changes and possible cost sharing.

No formal board action was taken at the meeting. Trustees directed staff to continue analysis, to test feasible pilots on OSMP-controlled access points, and to report back with refined costs, recommended pilots and timelines.

Ending

Staff asked for substantive community input as the list is refined; several board members said they would support escalating policy recommendations to council where county actions or additional funding are required. Residents asked for a visible demonstration of enforcement while longer-term solutions are developed.