At an April 7 work session, the Pagosa Springs Town Council discussed devising a new master plan for its vision on public parks and a land acquisition strategy to expand parks in the community.
Much of the discussion revolved around an ongoing effort to acquire 491 acres to add to the town’s current Reservoir Hill Park.
Parks and Recreation Director Darren Lewis said that “the main focus right now” is on the “300 acres” at the top of the hill and immediately adjacent to the existing park.
Lewis said that the “remaining 191 [acres] is still on the table, and we are still looking at how we can acquire that, as well.”
According to Archuleta County’s interactive mapping application, which includes a property records search, there are three parcels that could potentially serve the park’s expansion.
These parcels are currently owned by Fairway Land Trust, with the addresses listed as X Hot Springs Blvd. and X County Road 119.
At a previous meeting, Recreation Supervisor Amanda Gadomski pitched the idea of the park’s expansion as an “opportunity to conserve Reservoir Hill” and to protect “a community treasure for future generations.”
Council member Brooks Lindner, who serves on a committee with Gadomski to find a way to acquire the land, described the chance as “a once in a lifetime opportunity … that will benefit generations to come.”
At a previous meeting, Lindner updated the council that the town applied for the Forest Legacy Program, a conservation program administered by the U.S Forest Service in partnership with state agencies to encourage the protection of privately owned forest lands through conservation easements or land purchases.
He said that the town should know its status within the program by May, and that only the 300 forested acres at the top of the hill would be pursued through the Forest Legacy Program.
Another funding opportunity identified by the committee is a Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) grant, Lindner added.
At the work session, council member Leonard Martinez stressed that it would be important for the town to complete its parks master plan before trying to acquire the Reservoir Hill property.
But Lewis replied that the expansion opportunity is “a no-brainer,” even without an updated master plan in place.
Gadomski added that the 2016 master plan already has provisions about land acquisition and that the way the town is going about pursuing this land acquisition opportunity follows that 2016 plan.
Lewis added that the initial 300 acres would only be for forest conservation, with limited infrastructure geared toward hiking and biking trails, putting it in line with the 2016 plan.
However, should the town seek to acquire the remaining 191 acres, that would be where potential infrastructure could be built, such as a recreation center, sports fields or even workforce housing, which would necessitate an update to the master plan, he explained.
Martinez noted that “there is a flat area up there,” and that he had talked to folks at the school district “about the benefit of that area as a place to put more [sports] fields.”
Lewis clarified that the area Martinez was talking about is not part of the 300 acres for conservation that the town is currently pursuing, but part of the remaining 191 acres the town could pursue later, potentially through a GOCO grant or other means.
Martinez noted that “elements” for a vision for the future of parks expansion and land acquisition was present, but that he would still like to see “a master plan laid out” that articulates the town’s vision.
Lindner added that the town may want to complete this master plan before applying for the GOCO grant so it articulates a cohesive community vision.
It was discussed at a previous meeting that the Friends of Pagosa Multi-Purpose Pavilion might be looking at applying for the GOCO grant to complete the multiuse pavilion, and that the town should not compete with those efforts, necessitating one clear community vision.
Lewis added that getting the Forest Legacy grant “could sling shot us into” being better positioned to get other funding opportunities, such as the GOCO grant.
Lindner said that he “would love to go for the whole thing, but it would likely take the GOCO grant plus private donations to acquire all of the available property up there.
Mayor Shari Pierce suggested she wanted the council to give town staff some direction on updating the parks master plan.
The council agreed that it would like staff to look into possibly monetizing existing town-owned properties through either building workforce housing, building an RV park, a shooting range or through other means.
It also agreed that staff should explore potentially raising the lodgers’ tax rate to help pay for parks and land acquisitions.
Lindner noted that he thinks the town has an opportunity with Reservoir Hill and other town-owned land to “develop a unique, invaluable parks and open space system that increases the quality of life for our residents and visitors.”
He added, “My high-level vision is to combine our existing parks and trails and river access with these future acquisitions — mainly, right now, Reservoir Hill — to create an exceptional system that connects users to a variety of experiences, including recreation, relaxation, events, dining, and retail, all in a pedestrian friendly and beautiful Colorado mountain environment.”
He added that he sees the recently acquired Goodman property near Tractor Supply as a sort of “base-camp area, which connects, via pedestrian trails, to the Riverwalk, to Rez Hill, to East End, to Cotton Hole, Town Park, Yamaguchi and, ultimately, to the town-to-uptown trails.”
He said that “essentially, Rez Hill becomes a flagship area of conservation and recreation, including hike and bike trails, open space, ADA access, there could be sunset viewing areas” and other “educational opportunities based on forest conservation.”
derek@pagosasun.com
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