A special district in Security-Widefield has been soliciting opinions from the public about converting a road into a multi-use path with trail connections. The plan, spearheaded by the Fountain Mutual Metropolitan District, would close Goldfield Drive to vehicle traffic and create a non-motorize d trail loop around the Big Johnson Reservoir. While the plan is far from official approval, District Manager Elise Fluegel said it remains a possibility. Hiking along the Big Bluestem Trail gives a view on Dec. 15 of the Big Johnson Reservoir and Pikes Peak from the east side of the reservoir. A plan to close Goldfield Drive to motor vehicles would complete a loop around the reservoir for hikers and bikers. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock) “There’s not been a hard ‘no’ as we went along in the process,” she said. The district had an open house on the proposal Dec. 2, and a survey remains active on the Goldfield plan website until Feb. 28. Goldfield Drive connects two areas of dense residential development in Security-Widefield through the Bluestem Prairie Open Space, bordering the Big Johnson Reservoir. Fluegel described the drive as “a rural feeling in the middle of the city.” Fountain Mutual became interested in the idea of closing the road due to its poor condition and a problem with people dumping trash, according to Fluegel. The nearby Fountain Valley School keeps a Dumpster for discarded couches, mattresses and other trash left along the roadway, she said. A quasigovernmental entity that collects property taxes to provide public services, Fountain Mutual was formed to provide storm-water and parks and recreation management. Goldfield Drive is maintained by El Paso County and is not under the district’s jurisdiction. The roadway is deteriorating, said Fluegel, with no immediate plans to replace an aging bridge. “It would take a lot of work and is nowhere really on the horizon,” she said. El Paso County Engineer Joshua Palmer said the county took part in “stakeholder discussions” about the proposal. “At this stage, the county has not taken a position for or against the concept,” he wrote in a statement. If the proposal becomes formalized, the decision would go to the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners. The plan is still in flux, but it may see Goldfield left to deteriorate in place, said Fluegel. The pavement would eventually be milled and converted to gravel. Trail-users would have the option to hike or bike all the way around the Big Johnson Reservoir, with the possibility of a connection to the Crews Gulch Trail to the south. The district is also looking at the possibility of sprucing up a social trail behind Mesa Ridge High School that runs along an irrigation ditch to Widefield Community Park, just south of the open space. “It’s a lovely little corridor,” Fluegel said. She said the district has received some positive public feedback on the Goldfield plan, while some are against converting a road with “sentimental” value to residents. “There are some loud voices that are against it,” Fluegel said. A black-tailed prairie dog peeks its head out of its home next to the Big Johnson Reservoir southeast of Colorado Springs on Dec. 15. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock) A mountain biker rides the Big Bluestem Trail near the Big Johnson Reservoir on Dec. 15. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock) ...read more read less