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Seasonal Services
The Metro District Parks and Open Space staff
provides a number of seasonal community services including trail and sidewalk
snow removal, sidewalk sweeping, holiday tree lighting, holiday banners and a
holiday tree recycling program.
Trail and Sidewalk Snow
Removal Q&A
Colorado is known for its beautiful snow
scenes and Highlands Ranch is no exception. When it snows, our community’s
service providers work in tandem to ensure our citizen’s access to roads, trails
and sidewalks as soon as possible.
Sidewalk Snow Removal
Snow removal is the responsibility of the
property owner adjacent to the sidewalk. The Metro District plows snow from
sidewalks on major roadways where we own or mange the adjacent property.
Douglas County plows snow on streets in Highlands Ranch. Clearing snow around
community mailboxes is the responsibility of the box holders. Also, please
remember to clear access to fire hydrants on your street.
Who Clears Snow in Highlands
Ranch?
The Metro District’s Parks and Open Space
staff plows snow from 180 miles of trails and sidewalks along major roads. Walk
to school routes designated by the Douglas County School District are normally
plowed prior to school start times. Crews from Douglas County’s Public Works
Department plow snow on our streets.
What are the Snow Plowing
Policies?
The Metro District’s snow removal policy
is shown below. If you have questions or comments, please e-mail the Metro
District at the link provided at the bottom of this page. Or you may call the
Metro District at 303-791-2710.
To learn about Douglas
County’s snow removal policy, click here.
How does the Snow Plowing
Service Benefit Our Community?
By plowing these routes, the Metro
District is committed to providing safe access for residents. This service
reduces gravel on sidewalks and also reduces sweeping requirements. It is
important to the Metro District to provide this sidewalk and trail snow plowing
service in a cost-effective manner. As a result, the Metro District has
purchased light-duty equipment that is capable of plowing average Front Range
snowfalls of up to 12 inches. This equipment is not able to plow heavy
snowfalls like those experienced in March 2003 and the 2006 holiday storms.
Metro District’s Snow
Plowing Guidelines
The Metro District has established these
guidelines to provide a safe and enjoyable experience while minimizing the risk
of personal injury for users of walkways and trails within our system of parks,
parkways and open space. These procedures ensure and organized and effective
response to snow storms.
Service Guidelines
The following are the Metro District’s
plowing procedures, priorities and operating guidelines:
1. Snow
depth – Metro District staff will begin plowing when
three inches of snow has accumulated. If there is less than three inches or
site conditions are unsafe, the snow crew coordinator will determine the need to
remove snow based on weather forecasts and site conditions.
2. Walk
to school routes – Metro District staff will attempt
to plow snow from designated walk to school routes to various schools 45 minutes
prior to the opening time of each school.
3. Follow-up
– Follow-up will occur on consecutive days after a snowfall to ensure safe
passage. Ice melt or sand will be applied as needed.
Service Areas and Priorities
Snow plowing will be provided
for these facilities in the following order:
1.
Fire stations
2. Metro
District Parks, Recreation & Open Space Service Center parking lots and
all access roads
3. Special
District’s Office Building – parking lot and entry walkways
4. Northridge
Park parking lots
5. Walk
to school routes
6. Arterial
sidewalks and trail system
7. Parking
lots at all other parks
Designated School Access
Routes
The Douglas County School District,
Douglas County Public Works and the Highlands Ranch Metro District determine
designated school routes.
Trail & Sidewalk Sweeping
Metro District sweeps 80 miles of
sidewalk along major roads and some collector streets throughout the community
as needed up to four times a year. This service, typically provided in
December, January, February and March, is provided for safety and aesthetic
purposes. Water is applied to the areas to be swept in order to reduce dust.
Holiday Tree Lighting
The Metro District decorates our
community’s trees with holiday lights. Each year, the number of bulbs used in
the light display increases with the growth of the many trees that our
decorated. During this year’s holiday season, more than 57,000 lights decorated
hundreds of trees at Highlands Ranch entrances. Lights are illuminated around
Thanksgiving each year and remain on until early January.
Holiday Banners
The Metro District partners with Shea
Homes to decorate the community’s light poles along major streets with four
colorful seasonal banners. The Metro District installs 110 banners at the
community’s main intersections and entrances.
Holiday Tree Recycling
Each year after Christmas, the Metro
District and the Douglas County Parks Division offer free tree recycling drop
off sites at several of our community’s parks. Trees are mulched and the mulch
is reused on tree wells in parks around the community. Free mulch is also
available to the public on a self serve basis. Please click
here
for more information.
If you have a comment, concern,
question or suggestion regarding the operation of the Highlands Ranch parks,
recreation, trail or open space, please contact our Park Recreation and Open
space staff at 303-791-2710.
E-mail the Metro District at info@highlandsranch.org.
When sending email, please include your name and phone number so we may also have
the option to call you to answer your questions.
This page was last updated on January 04, 2007.
Metro District
Highlands Ranch 
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