BRECKENRIDGE — Illinois Gulch south of Main Street Station in Breckenridge was rededicated to the town on Thursday after the gulch was realigned and improved by developer East West Partners.

“It was very important in terms of habitat preservation,” town spokeswoman Kim DiLallo said.

Wetlands were added, boulders were placed and trees were planted to help restore the area before development. The creek snakes through the Water House on Main Street condominium development before connecting with the Blue River.

Project manager Sharon Cole with East West Partners said the creek in 2000 had been basically “a wash through the parking lot,” and that with the final phase of Main Street Station's being built, the gulch has been reclaimed.

The realignment project began March 1 and was completed about Oct. 1, and the project overall cost several hundred thousand dollars, Cole said.

The company worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and environmentalists and “what we've accomplished is the creek now flows close to its natural origin,” Cole said.

Willows have been planted and trout-spawning pools have been added to Maggie Pond. Cole said monitoring will continue the next three years to ensure the improvements make progress.

“We're all just pretty darn proud of it,” she said.

More than 30 people on Thursday were part of the dedication ceremony on a bridge over the creek, she said.

Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.