On Aug. 19, staff from the town’s Parks and Recreation Department presented an opportunity to the Pagosa Springs Town Council for the expansion of Reservoir Hill Park.
The potential expansion would extend the park along the remainder of the hill to the south, toward County Road 119, also known as Light Plant Road.
Parks Director Darren Lewis and Recreation Supervisor Amanda Gadomski were on hand at the meeting to pitch the idea of expanding the park, describing it as an “opportunity to conserve Reservoir Hill” to protect “a community treasure for future generations.”
Lewis and Gadomski explained the acquisition of land would come through grants and private donors, with Gadomski explaining that the conservation grants that the town would be applying for would require most of the property to be delineated as a “conservation easement.”
A slideshow presented at the meeting states that this type of conservation easement would prevent any future development on the property, preserve open space and protect wildlife.
It also states that it would improve outdoor opportunities by expanding hiking and biking trails, as well as the disc golf course and the cross-country skiing trail network.
It would also strengthen “community and the economy,” enhancing the “quality of life” for residents and boosting tourism and local businesses, according to the slideshow.
Gadomski explained that the easement would “prevent both residential and commercial construction,” adding that it “guarantees the community would always have access to this hill.”
Lewis explained that, in total, around 490 additional acres of potential parkland are currently for sale and available on the hill.
Mayor Shari Pierce thanked the parks and recreation staff for bringing this before the council and “all the work you have done on this so far.”
She had some questions about the conservation easement, with Gadomski explaining that “through some of those grants … we’re going to have to conserve it.”
“There’s not gonna be room for building any recreation center or anything like that. It’s gonna have to be slated for conservation. Not all of it, but there will definitely be portions depending on the grant opportunities,” she said.
Pierce also asked if “there was a minimum amount that we’d need to purchase” through the conservation grant opportunities.
Lewis explained that at least one of the grant opportunities has some flexibility to “downsize” from the 490 acres available to “possibly 300 … so, yes, there are options to do that.”
In an email to the SUN, Lewis adds that “the parcels outlined in red on the map [from the slideshow] represent the land currently for sale.”
According to Archuleta County’s mapping application, which includes a property records search, there are three parcels that would include the potential park expansion.
These parcels are currently owned by Fairway Land Trust, with the addresses listed as X Hot Springs Blvd. and X County Road 119.
“However, this does not guarantee the Town could acquire all of it, as some grant programs may limit the amount of acreage that can be purchased,” Lewis states in the email.
At the meeting, Pierce asked what types of development could happen under a conservation easement, with Gadomski explaining that low-impact recreational development, such as hiking and mountain biking trails, would be allowed on the easement.
Gadomski added that this type of “acquisition opportunity is rare on Rez Hill. It’s centrally located as a natural park, which is an unmatched community value here.”
The conservation easement would ensure that “it remains wild and open and accessible for future generations, and we think with the right partnerships and funding we could protect this local treasure,” she said.
The funding to acquire the land “is gonna take community members, local stakeholders and nonprofits, and there’s also state and federal grant programs that we’ve been looking into, like the forest legacy program, [Great Outdoors Colorado] acquisition grants and public land trust, as well as private funders,” she said.
Lewis added that “staff is really looking at trying to purchase as many acres as possible with the funding sources being grant opportunities and private donors.”
He added, “Staff is really concentrating on as many grant opportunities that we can come up with to fund this.”
Council member Brooks Lindner described this as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity … that will benefit generations to come.”
Lindner wanted the council to think about the folks who had the foresight to designate Reservoir Hill a public park “75 years ago.”
“If you think about how much we all enjoy Rez Hill, and what a huge quality of life it brings to us all, and they figured that out 75 years ago,” he said, describing the current opportunity to expand the park as “a legacy project” for the current council and staff.
Council member Gary Williams said that the council prioritizes “preserving the character of Pagosa Springs … and this fits right into that,” preserving the “outdoorsy nature of the town.”
Lewis states in the email, “The opportunity to conserve this land for future generations is a worthy goal—especially if it can be achieved through a combination of grant funding and private contributions.”
derek@pagosasun.com
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