Public bike path being removed from Aspen School District campus

Construction is underway to reroute a bike path around the Aspen School District campus instead of straight through it to maximize school safety.

Rerouting the existing bike path from the school district campus is part of the larger Maroon Creek Trail project. The city of Aspen began working on the project in November 2021 with civil engineering firm Otak, Connect One Design, city of Aspen Engineering, Open Space and trails, and Aspen Parks and Recreation with a mission to create a safe, year-round bike and pedestrian connection between the Colorado Highway 82 roundabout, the Aspen Recreation Center, and Aspen Highlands.

After back-to-back swatting calls at the Aspen School District in early 2023, the district revamped its safety protocols. One of the district’s priorities was to work with the city to incorporate plans to reroute the Maroon Creek Trail bike path outside of the district campus. 

Moving the public bike trail off campus, where Aspen elementary, middle, and high schools sit and also the Cottage, the district’s preschool, will minimize the risk of having people who are not connected to the district wandering on the campus. Superintendent Dave Baugh and Director of Security and School Safety Garrett Seddon have discussed the plan in multiple school board meetings as a safety mitigation factor for the school.

The current connection between the roundabout and the recreation center is a mixture of trail, sidewalk, and roadway. The new trail will be a paved surface maintained year round, will have a 10-foot width, will meet ADA accessible guidelines including a maximum 5% grade, and will minimize access crossing to ensure separation from the Maroon Creek roadway.

Construction on the trail will run through the summer. 

Rerouting the bike path was one of several moves by the district to improve safety. The district upgraded school locks, updated visitor policies, and created a new position with the district to strictly address safety and security in response to the February 2023 swatting calls.

The district also created a text service that anyone can opt into to receive updates about schools, including immediate safety updates. It is the district’s way of streamlining communication between the schools and the community, which was one of the major concerns from the swatting incidents.

Seddon’s position was created in direct response to the hoax calls and is meant to keep the idea of “safety first” at the forefront of every student, teacher and faculty members’ minds.

The district has also joined a statewide project based in Boulder that evaluates threat assessments and management protocols in schools. It is one of several pilot districts across the state taking part in the Colorado School Safety Resource Center’s threat assessment project.