During a regular meeting held by the Combined Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Thursday, March 5, Pagosa Springs Parks and Recreation Director Darren Lewis provided an update on the department’s projects planned for this summer.
Lewis highlighted multiple projects will be taking place, including the installation of three new pieces outdoor fitness equipment at Yamaguchi Park this spring.
Lewis then mentioned that the Pagosa Pickleball Club is contributing $25,000 toward a roughly $30,000 windscreen installation at the Yamaguchi pickleball courts.
Lewis noted that the rest of the funds being used for that project are coming out of the Conservation Trust Fund.
Multiple asphalt trails around town will be sealed as well, Lewis explained.
He indicated that a section of the trail behind the River Center near the ponds, the trail section in Town Park from the restroom facility to the Hot Springs Boulevard vehicle bridge and the section uptown from Walmart to the U.S. 160 and Pinon Causeway intersection will all be sealed.
“Those trails will be sealed,” Lewis said, noting the goal is to have those projects completed by July 4.
The bike park project at Yamaguchi Park South, which the Pagosa Springs Town Council and Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners both approved $25,000 for, is being spearheaded by local nonprofit group DUST2.
The park was originally scheduled to be built in 2025, but “land issues and permitting have pushed this back until 2026,” the DUST2 website explains.
During the meeting, Lewis explained that the area south of the pickleball courts in Yamaguchi Park South has been flattened out in preparation for the new bike park, “as well as a possible multipurpose pavilion that could possibly go there depending on grant funding.”
Lewis noted the bike park is “for sure going in” this summer.
Another big project highlighted by Lewis is a collaborative effort between the town and Archuleta School District for a new irrigation system to be installed at Yamaguchi Park.
Lewis explained that the two entities are “collaborating and splitting the cost of a new irrigation system” at the park, mentioning the system is used to water the school district’s baseball fields.
“It’s old and we need something that we can count on and be a little more reliable,” Lewis said, noting the hope is to have something the town and school district can rely on even when levels are low.
He explained that with the current system, “when the river’s barely flowing it is hard to irrigate,” and that sometimes leads to having to pay for Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District water to irrigate the fields.
“And that’s just so expensive,” he said.
Lewis explained that the new system won’t be installed until this fall, meaning they’ll have to make do for one more season with the old system.
“We need a new system for sure, and we’ve decided to collaborate together,” Lewis added.
Lewis went on to talk about riverbank stabilization projects, noting the bank repair recently completed by the Pagosa Springs History Museum.
He explained that the 1st Street pedestrian bridge planned to be installed, which will connect the pedestrian trail to the east end of downtown, is being redesigned and extended by 30 feet because of the erosion that took place.
“It’s gonna be great when it’s completed,” Lewis said, noting the goal is to have the pedestrian bridge installed this fall.
Lewis also mentioned that other riverbank stabilization still needs to take place in areas going through town.
“We have a ton of debris right here behind Town Hall that’s still in the river and on the bank,” he said, explaining that some of the work is dependent on the snowmelt and river levels.
Lewis explained that large boulders and other objects got moved around during the October 2025 floods that need to be addressed.
“It could be a very interesting boating season,” Lewis added.
He also noted that his department is hoping to get the ponds behind the River Center drenched out and bring “that park back up to speed.”
In response to a question from the board, Lewis explained that the town is waiting on a decision for the Forest Legacy Grant application that was submitted to obtain funds to purchase approximately 300 acres of land neighboring the existing Reservoir Hill Park.
He noted that an update on the grant decision should be provided in May.
Lewis also explained the price tag for the 300 acres is about $8 million and that the town is hoping to receive $6 million from the Forest Legacy Grant and $2 million form another grant that is currently being worked on.
“That would, in a sense, take care of that purchase,” Lewis said, referring to those two grants.
He also noted that if the Forest Legacy Grant is not awarded to the town, then it is unlikely the town will be able to make that purchase.
“It’s something we’re really pushing hard to get accomplished,” he said.
Pagosa Area Recreation Coalition
During the March 5 meeting, Lewis and Pagosa Springs Recreation Supervisor Amanda Gadomski provided an update on the Pagosa Area Recreation Coalition (PARC) and some potential next steps for the group.
Lewis commented that he’s “extremely impressed” with the setup, task force and current leadership board stakeholders who have been involved with PARC so far, noting the setup of the organization is beneficial for the entire county for recreational purposes.
Lewis explained that the town has a Parks and Recreation Department and that Archuleta County does not.
“The majority of recreation is handled by the town,” he said, mentioning his department has a $3.5 million annual budget, with the majority of parks and trails being located within town limits.
“It’s a great opportunity because of the stakeholders that are there,” Lewis added, mentioning this could be an opportunity to provide something for the entire county to build on, “and it takes a revenue stream, and it takes collaboration.”
Lewis mentioned that a presentation on PARC will be given at the upcoming joint work session being held by the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners and town council on Monday, March 23, at 5 p.m. at the county’s administration building at 398 Lewis St.
Lewis went on to explain that even with or without “certain collaboration, PARC “is something that we need to move forward with.”
Lewis talked about the importance of creating a guaranteed revenue stream at some level in order to be able to advance recreation in the county.
He explained the town does its best in going after grants to secure extra funding for projects and “leveraging whatever money we have to leverage,” but that in order for recreation “to really take off,” a guaranteed revenue stream is needed.
Lewis mentioned that collaboration with all those involved with PARC could assist with things like the additional Reservoir Hill Park land purchase and a multipurpose pavilion to be built downtown.
Gadomski mentioned that “it’s really hard not having that revenue stream constantly” and that one option previously brought up within PARC was the idea of creating a special recreation district.
“There’s just a lot of work to do that on the forefront,” she said. “We have seen that that is gonna be a hard feat to continue to try to do.”
Gadomski explained that PARC is a part of a regional partnership initiative through the state, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Great Outdoors Colorado that is getting direction from Gov. Jared Polis to follow the state’s outdoor strategy “to build regional recreation and conservation in our areas.”
Gadomski mentioned that PARC has been awarded $86,000 from the next round of funding coming down from the state to continue its work.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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