The Future of Bergen Meadow

As homeowners in the Trails at Hiwan neighborhood, this is a question we have wondered and worried about for a couple of years now. Many of us have backyards that flow into the Bergen Meadow property, and many of us look over to that area from various windows or spots of our yards. More importantly, many love the open space and community use provided by the fields and playground at Bergen Meadow.

This spot is also so incredibly centrally located- convenient to the fire department, middle school, restaurants, grocery and recreational activities- that we hope its future use serves as an asset to our community, as the elementary school previously had.

Trails neighbors Ally Hilgefort and Jenny Touhey recently heard an exciting potential plan for the Bergen Meadow Property, and they're eager to spread the word.

From attending a board meeting of the Evergreen Park and Recreation District (EPRD), Ally discovered that a group was meeting on the disposition of the Bergen Meadow Elementary School. This coalition of Evergreen groups sounded promising and uplifting, that so many entrenched residents of our community had already been working toward a common goal.

Jenny and Ally met personally with a representative of the group on 3/31/25, and subsequently invited her to speak to the The Trails HOA board. The following outlines that conversation and what The Trails Collective believes to be Bergen Meadow's Best Plan.

Project Background & Status

Here's a summary of what Coordinator Linda Kirkpatrick, Executive Director of the Evergreen Legacy Fund, presented to The Trails HOA board on 4/9/25:

• In April of 2024, the Board of Education (BOE) announced Bergen Meadow was 1 of 19 properties to be disposed of. Their process started offering to municipalities first, then to the general marketplace otherwise. Their plan to dispose of 4 properties at a time took longer than anticipated.
• Foothills Regional Housing (considered a special district with a 45-year presence in Evergreen) had been formulating plans to apply for acquisition of Bergen Meadow's 13 acres. EPRD pulled together other special districts (Evergreen Fire and Evergreen Metro), hoping to qualify as a quasi-municipality. The group invited Foothills Regional Housing to the table, building a cohesive approach rather than a competitive one, as no one group needed 13 acres. Initially, the process did not allow for sub-dividing.
• The group of 4 special districts, 6 nonprofit entities, and 1 architectural firm learned the existing building would likely need to be razed due to environmental concerns.
• Members of the group lobbied independently: to urge the BOE to move Bergen Meadow up on the list and to allow for Foothills Regional Housing and EPRD to co-present, each bidding for a portion of the land to familiarize Jeffco Commissioners of Evergreen's desire to have this for community use
• On March 13, 2025, the BOE announced:
  • Bergen Meadow would be on the second set of 4 properties to be sold as "surplus"
  • They would recognize Jefferson County as the municipal entity with first right of refusal
  • They would allow the land to be subdivided
• On March 31, 2025, the Deputy County Manager asked to sit in on the meeting of the Evergreen group to gather information on how the community would use the 13 acres vs. how the county might use it. The Evergreen group put together a case for community use as follows:
  • Senior Housing / Athletic Fields / Senior Services
    • Foothills Regional Housing would acquire a portion of the property on which to construct two 3-story buildings, roughly on the same footprint as the school. These buildings would be for senior housing (rentals) to help fill a deficit of housing for the senior population.
    • EPRD would acquire the rest of the property to include the athletic fields, playground equipment, and additional open space sufficient to construct a community center or senior center in the future (the building not necessarily owned and operated by EPRD). This would include access roads and parking for fields.
    • A place for senior services to help fill the tremendous void created by the pullout of the Seniors Resource Center in 2019.
• On April 14, 2025, the County Manager and representatives of the BOE were to meet to discuss options. The Evergreen group is optimistic that the county would suggest a way to broker this on their behalf.
• Everything depends on price tags that BOE puts on the property....
  • Foothills Regional Housing would need to acquire financing
  • EPRD board would need to approve the expenditure in the midst of the expansion of Buchanan Park facilities
• The Trails HOA Board seemed very receptive.

Thoughts from The Trails Collective

We Trails neighbors love this notion- A generational community space, where seniors have access to trails nearby and entertainment in the form of kids' sports happening on the fields. Where middle schoolers and neighbors could volunteer to help seniors with their gardens, or even just spend time socializing. Where children can still play, and where neighbors can still look out onto the fields.

We love that the community would not lose the fields and open space, and that the new structure(s) would aim to remain on the current building's footprint, and just about one level higher than the old school. We love that the new structure would offer a more feasible living option for more senior residents of Evergreen, to keep those valuable members of our community right here at home.

The Trails Collective - friends and neighbors in support of Bergen Meadow's best plan - hopes this vision comes to life, as this collaboration would keep the property community, generally, and also create a wonderful new senior community for Evergreen.

We hope this potential plan excites you, too!

Thanks,

Trails Collective Founders, Jenny Touhey & Ally Hilgefort