$26,414 raised by 51 donors
100% complete
$25,000 Goal
Generous, enlightened Evergreen residents and businesses have contributed over $600,000 to the Evergreen Legacy Fund (ELF) for infrastructure, beautification and legacy projects to improve the safety and enjoyment of our gorgeous foothills community. Because Evergreen is unincorporated (has no city government), it is considered 'rural' by Jefferson County and therefore not entitled to 'urban' amenities like sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and crosswalks. ELF coordinates with the county to add needed improvements in county rights-of-way and uses the funds it raises as seed money for grants to pay for the improvements. Jefferson County has approved 17 projects and ELF is leveraging its position as a representative of the community to request CDOT to include safety improvements in its rights-of-way as well.
The Evergreen Legacy Fund provides seed money for projects identified in the Evergreen Local Improvement District to preserve our mountain culture and the Evergreen community from infrastructure over-use and under-repair. ELF funds are also used to improve community safety as well as improve the overall beauty and amenities of our special mountain community.
In 2010, the Downtown Evergreen Economic District (DEED) was created by business and property owners and local leaders to develop a plan to solve the problem of overuse and under-repair of the downtown infrastructure.
In 2012, the Evergreen Legacy Fund was spun off from DEED as a nonprofit to partner with multiple public agencies to identify needed infrastructure projects in Evergreen beyond the downtown area.
In 2013, Bear Creek flooded parts of Evergreen and ELF contributed to flood relief, for which it was given the Emerald Service Award by the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce.
In 2015, the Evergreen Trails Master Plan was finalized with and approved by Jefferson County. A 200-foot pedestrian bridge (part of the trails plan) connecting the lake trail to downtown Evergreen is completed with a $30,000 matching-fund assist and project coordination from ELF.
In 2020, the Evergreen Local Improvement District (ELID) was approved by the Jefferson County Commissioners as a grant-matching vehicle to pay for infrastructure projects. The ELID defines the boundaries of ELF projects to include all economic areas of Evergreen—basically running along CO Hwy 74 and Jeffco Hwy 73.
In 2021, ELF coordinated with Jeffco to complete a Riverwalk and additional parking on Main Street to accommodate bikers and pedestrians. A signalized crosswalk at the Center for the Arts in Bergen Park was installed to connect the Center with parking areas.
In 2022, ELF funded the mural on the Evergreen Metro District building, donated $50,000 toward the reconstruction of the Evergreen North Lake Trail, funded ($9,000) the painting of murals on the Evergreen Metropolitan Water District building by high school students, and donated $5,000 toward the mural on the Century Link building in lower downtown.
In 2023-24, the Evergreen Lake Trail is being reconstructed to better accommodate pedestrian and bike use along Hwy 74. After the Trail is complete, Hwy 74 will be repaved through downtown Evergreen and raised crosswalks will be installed to ensure the safety of pedestrians/shoppers. Crosswalks and concrete separators between the two shopping centers in Bergen Park are being replaced to make them more user friendly and ADA compliant. ELF will contribute to the multi-million-dollar widening of Hwy 73 between the library and the light downtown by paying for bike lanes and bike racks.
Organization name
Evergreen Legacy Fund
other names
ELF Foundation
2020
Tax id (EIN)
84-4777007
Category
Community Improvement & Capacity Building
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
PO BOX 252Evergreen, CO, US, 80439