Question 1--What Comes Next?

I was glad to see the "death park" torn down. The story in the Herald said new temporary ramps and rails will be built until a new location for a skatepark is found. Finding this location and hopefully constructing a CONCRETE skatepark will probably take at least a year. When building the new temporary ramps please look into using this www.skatelite.com for the ramps surfaces. It is totally weatherproof and provides the best surface for ramps. A nice 4-5' tall 16-20' wide mini ramp would look real nice, couple quarter pipes, and rails (similar to Frisco's set up) would be perfect for our temporary skatepark. Please forward this to people in charge of skatepark improvements if you like.

How about including the library in the recreation plans for the County? One of the main purposes of the library is recreational reading, not to mention the wildly popular summer reading program. I, for one, would be more than willing to work on getting funding to make this happen. Picture a complex that includes the pool, athletic fields, playgrounds, skate parks and the library. It could be a "recreation destination!"

(1) During the summer Ski Cooper is a great location for activities - mountain biking, hiking, wildflower viewing, animal watching. Look what Winter Park has done at the base of their ski area. It is a summer venue for outdoor concerts, an outdoor movie theater, a mini-golf, a maze etc. Another summer location for this could be Dutch Henri Hill.

(2) Realize the train is a privately held business - it would be good to tie in the summer train business with biking and hiking. Let people take their bikes on the train for the ride up and build a paved bike path to ride down (family friendly and safe).

(3) A Rec Tax District is a great idea - but potentially very politically charged - however one funding source could be property tax on new home building or resale of existing homes. Grassroots support in this community is amazing, and I vividly remember the quote from the rep of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation at the park opening "looking forward to working again with this community on a joint project". Wow! $$.

(3) There is no doubt we need a vision for something big but also some easy "low hanging fruit" opportunities (dog park, upgrades to existing feilds, etc.). For those of us that cannot attend the planning meeting on Jan 21st - how can we get a copy of the proposed plan and associated priorities?

I would like to see the rec fields on Harrison brought up to good condition. The fields are so poorly maintained that people give up using them after the soft ball tournament when they are no longer taken care of.

Lake County recreation is the best it's ever been. Some small improvements I'd like to see are better volleyball nets for the league. It'd be nice to actually get a play off the net since they're supposed to be tight not flopping around. Opening up the gym for kids would be a huge advantage. (For a very nominal fee!) When growing up here, Friday nights the gym would be PACKED with kids. It was filled with those practicing for their sports or just hanging out in a safe, friendly environment. Also, another small improvement could be on adult fitness classes. There is one that I know of now that occurs at the 6th street gym. However, it would be great if there were a better variety of classes and instructors and time slots available. There are great classes elsewhere, but to the average Joe, they are way to expensive.

Congrats to Peter, Kate and ALL the volunteers who helped make the Community Park possible. WOW! Leadville can step up!
I would love to see a dog park and would also be interested in planning and or volunteering to get this one on the commissioner's agenda. Humans and canines alike would benefit from more socialization her in the ville. Most aggressive dogs in Lake County are that way due to lack of positive socialization with other dogs under a controlled setting. My dogs love dog parks and give a big paws up!
If you are not aware of the efforts of Cloud City Wheelers bike group to build new mountain bike trails on CMC and county land, then check out their website at cloudcitywheelers.org to find out more. Nice job guys! Having a mapped trail system for tourists and locals with many difficulty levels is a low cost, low maintenance way to invite cyclists from all ages and abilities to visit Lake County and to experience the beauty of why we live here.
Yes, a new skate park is essential! The one we have is laden with broken glass, rusty nails and metal, broken ramps, grafitti and broken fences. What kind of example are we setting for our children if we let this go 1 DAY LONGER! It is an eyesore and public nuisance. This should be top priority for the kids who use it and all those afraid to even step foot in there for fear of contracting a disease. This is a big NO BRAINER! Come on folks, show some class and roll up your sleeves and show PRIDE in where we live. Kudos to Donny Lama for all his efforts to raise funds to clean it up but breaking even doesn't get a new park. Let's help him.

I'm in support of further development around Dutch Henri Hill. It is an opportunity for CMC to provide support as well as County in-kind and public financial support. Further kiosks can provide the needed education for itemized projects explaining what the goals are and the progress of those goals. I guess I've learned the necessity for input from Leadville Sanitation regarding their property curretly utilized for MBT use parking. I'd like to see the MBT or some sort of "spur" (isn't that what a small rail track was called?) to provide a connection to Copper (possibly a relationship with Climax). From Copper the trail currently exists taking you to Frisco and Breck. Howard Tritz mentions an ice skating rink - I'm all for Norman Rockwell. I'd like to see a dog park, so many people travel with their dogs are not aware of our leash laws, nor are they publish that I know of at various locations.

This momentum for recreation is more than I have ever seen. We love to play here - and share with visitors. So many amenities. Dirt Mountain bike trails near town, with good signs and mapping, is a big draw, in leau of 100bike visibility. Tax for Rec has my support. And for heavens sake, put a play wave on the Ark down at the junction - BV, Salida, Glenwood Spgs, Gunnison, Idaho Spgs, Golden, each have a few. There are kayak play park enthusiasts all over Colorado. Aslo, let me teach kayak rolling, one on one - total protection for the liner. No need to close any part of the pool. One day a week, one student every half hour (ie, 6 students in 3 hours ±) Kayaking mountain rivers high in the watersheds is a lifetime sport, non-competitive, cheap, blah blah. "The paving of paths both to Redcliff/Eagle County, and Fremont Pass to Copper seems like a no brainer. "Dito (or is it ditto?) Non-motorized has my support. Let Liz pick the music at the ice rink - awesome dancing and rhythm for floatin around by. Does a shade structure there make sense? I think we can skate when ma nature approves. Let's do broomball (again) - a random drop-in date or two vs. teams? Superbowl Sunday 11am± broomball has been fun here in the past. Please let me catch my son in the deep end before he meets the swim requirements. He wont sink, let me take full responsibility. Those are the best 'toys' at the pool and he doesn't get to play on them. Too many rules at the pool - pushes me to other pools in Summit. Onto Ultimate Frizbee - that was so fun under the lights. Divers folks. That field is deeeelux. And how about the world class soccer teams from Leads - very impressive. Be sure everyone comes out for xc skiing on Saturday night of ski joring. Is joring on the Rec Calendar? Off to snoop around this sweet web site - nice work Peter and all.

Although i personally would prefer to have a motocross track and would love to see any of the ideas mentioned above (accept a golf course) be available for the community. i think the most bang for our bucks would be more bicycle trails. Bike trails provide recreation that entire families can enjoy together and would probably bring in the most tourist $$$$$$$$. With the Leadville 100 we have begun to make a name for ourselves in the biking community which is HUGE. If we take that momentum and focus on marketing ourselves to the biking community we may be able to make Leadville a MUST VISIT tourist destination for lots and lots of people. Road bikers tend to be older, have families, and plenty of money to spend on their passion. Have you seen what one of those bikes cost these days? These are the people i think we would want to attract to our town.

This doesn't seem like a suggestion as big as the others above. It would be great to have more indoor activities for adults AND kiddos in the winter. Growing up in Leadville, one of the most fun things to do was roller skating at the 6th St gym. Maybe having that gym or the LCMS gym open on the weekends where kids can throw a ball and run around, or bring their roller skates and roll around.

The hobby of radio control aircraft is one that appeals to people of all ages and abilities. It can be enjoyed summer and winter. It is a hobby that teaches aircraft building, aerodynamics, electronics, hand-eye coordination, patience and comradery. The normal practice is to join a RC flying club and fly at their flying field or a public field that various clubs are able to use. I started in the hobby in 1990 and in the beginning I would drive to Fairplay to fly as a member of SPARCS at their flying field. Over the years, growing tired of the drive, I would look for an area around here in Leadville to safely fly, there isn't one. Once in a while I have seen other people around Leadville trying to fly their airplane in a parking lot. This practice is simply not a safe one and can be very frustrating to the flyer. A flying field is the only place to safely practice and enjoy the hobby.

How about a taxed Recreation District? The dreaded question of raising taxes. Personally I would happily give Lake County an extra $20 a year for better facilities, programs, etc. Right now we are the only county in the state that pays for a Rec. Dept. (employees, maintenance, facility up keep, energy bills) without a taxed Rec. district. crazy. This would free up more money for the general fund.

I love the idea about solar panels to provide shade for the rink! The ice rink needs some shade structure/device. We could really help out with the Xcel bill with that setup. As a resident here planning on spending a good portion of my life in this great place, I am pleased to see groups like the Community Park Project take charge and accomplish something on a grand scale. Hopefully this momentum will turn into a snowball affect with the Gun Club relocation and the Cloud City Wheelers trails plan.
The plan for more non-motorized trails to be built close to town will prove to be a great idea once built. These trails will not only be great for locals but will also add to the pockets of local businesses. Keep up the good work Wheelers, and while your at it start working on the bike path to Summit, Turquoise, West Park, Village at East Fork, Mountain Village.........
Moving the current Leadville Rod and Gun Club and building a public portion to the south side of town will be awesome. A new purpose built shooting facility for both public and private will calm the nerves of many residents close by the current location, and might relocate some of the people who shoot on the east side where people are walking, skiing, etc.
Erin's idea about Safe Routes to School (more pedestrian links) is great! Theres even funding out there available for it!
It would be really cool to see a large covered skate/bike/skoot/slide park down near the community park, we could put some solar panels on that too!
Dutch Henri Hill area is an area ready for a re-vamp. We could build a tubing/sledding hill like Copper's, and a multi season trail head accessing some of the best trails in the state would be a great first thing to see when you're coming into town. CMC students could help build.
Why doesn't this county have a dog park? We all have dogs. Some are better than others and with a dog park things are most likely to get better (dog relations). The old Huck Finn Park has been mentioned as a great place for a dog park. Its already fenced in, it's centrally located so you could walk the dog there, and its already near a large County Recreation area already. I don't think noise would be an issue, and we could have a group of dog owners adopt the park and take care of it.
Hopefully grooming in the county continues to get better. There are a lot of roads and preexisting trails that would make great ski trails if they were groomed.
wow theres a lot of things that could happen in the future here. This already great place will only get better!

Yeah, again, thanks to the rec dept and all involved in any and all civic improvements here in the county. We as citizens have taken the bull by the horns and are making Lake County the place we want it to be. The mountain bike trail network is at the top of my wish list, with a new sk8 park coming next. I support non-motorized trail development here, as it will provide more local amenities, as well as draw local and out of state tourists for a more consistent economy that already thrives because of hikers and cyclists. The paving of paths both to Redcliff/Eagle County, and Fremont Pass to Copper seems like a no brainer, seeing how many motorists are frustrated daily by the numbers of bicycles on the highway. As a cyclist, it would be an amazing thing to not wonder if each car or semitruck I hear approaching from the rear sees me or not...a heavy weight could be lifted from everyone's shoulders. Again, economic draw comes to mind, as the "Copper Triangle" route is exceedingly popular. The skatepark project could definitely be spendy, and worthwhile for locals. Not so much economic draw there, unless some competitions or events could bring visitors. When I was a young skater, we were lucky to find anything to skate without being chased off by the local police, much less a skatepark. Nowadays, most small mountain towns have really nice skateparks, and there is alot to be said for there being something to keep idle hands busy.

Great ideas! I want to add two more suggestions that I often thought about when I was teaching at the middle school. . ..

First, a lot of students are interested in riding their bikes from mountain view west to school (or town in the summer), but there isn't a safe way for them to do this. Adding a bike route/bike path that makes commuting by bike accessible and safe would mean that a lot of kids could be more independent and able to participate in after school activities. What better way to promote fitness than to replace cars with bikes?

The second idea I have is to reclaim the community/school garden that was started a few years ago by the 7th grade. Community gardens can be one way for the rec department to promote inter-generational programming where adults and kids can work together to make something beautiful, learn about native species and maybe even grow some edibles. I've seen great partnerships in other communities between senior volunteers, schools, after school programs, etc. The current site isn't the best, but I wonder if this could be incorporated into the landscaping plan near the field?

Thanks!
Erin

Kudos! on the progress that we have seen in the park. Let's keep the momentum going. I believe the park should be a central hub for all ages and recreational activities. Of course there is the discussion of what's next. In my mind the idea of more sustainable landscaping should be seen through to battle erosion from snow melt, rainfall, and just overall use. With this out of the way, ideas would emerge for locations of foreseen development. Another priority should be a new skate park, not a refurbished tetanus park. Skaters that do live in town certainly commute to other counties to get their kicks. One more thing could be an initial long wraparound path of the entire proposed area. As walkers, runners, bikers, c.c. skiers use this path they could get an idea of the exciting things to come by reading small kiosks about future developments along the way.

Really enjoy the new space, and anxious to see what's next. Whatever it is let's make it a community focus.

I visualize an ice skating rink in the vicinity of Dutch Henri Hill. The college classes could excavate a fair sized pond somewhere west of the tubing hill and north of the MBT. Ice on a pond will not melt as quickly as a thin coating of ice on concrete. The skating season would be extended. The renovations to Dutch Henri Hill next spring will greatly improve the sledding and tubing experience. The MBT provides classic and skate skiing as well as snowshoeing in this same area. A real frozen pond will truly make this area a winter recreation area. Imagine driving on Highway 24 on a snowy night and seeing Dutch Henri Hill lit up and people tubing, sledding, skiing and skating in one extended area. Kind of reminds me of a Norman Rockwell painting.

Thanks for asking for community input! The park is an obvious success (thank you!) and I think it is imperative that we maintain the momentum. I would echo the thoughts on re-vamping the skate park, creating continuous trails to connect the Mineral Belt to other local assets (Turquoise Lk, Copper, Tennessee Pass, BV?, etc...), and "stabilizing" the ice rink somehow. However, I would also agree that park landscaping should be completed first.

The linked trail system would be of benefit for both summer and winter seasons. With such an avid base of bikers and nordic skiers, this would be a great local resource as well as a fantastic tourist draw year-round.

The ice surface is definitely a challenge. There is a lot of charm to an outside rink, but the sun exposure severely limits the season. Fixing the Zamboni is an obvious start, yet an enclosed or covered facility is the true answer for a prolonged season. Even a "half-roof" on the South side would suffice, and we could layer it with solar panels if grant $$ was available and the angle right...

The Rec Dept and RAB have been outstanding at utilizing our inherent community strengths and providing considerably more opportunities than there were even 5 years ago!

i am not a skater..but i think a skatepark would be great for the demographic of teens sort of "leftout"... i have chemical sensitivities and the smell coming off the new field makes me ill...even up at the new park. I would love to see a usable free shooting range. there are so many trails to bike and ride motorcycles...seems strange to "build" them...

I love the idea of an extended trail system, as they're not only great for residents, but also attract tourists.
Ditto what others have said about finishing the landscaping at the Community Park before we get too ahead of ourselves.
Ditto also what others have said about how far Lake County Rec has come in the last several years. As a resident, the Rec Dept. makes a tremendous difference in the quality of my life. Thank you friendly pool staff and all others who work to make sure we have places to play!

Many issues I wanted to discuss have already been brought up so I would like to piggyback on what others have already mentioned.

First, the ice rink is an amazing feature in this town, but the season doesn't seem to last very long. Last year we had an adult ice hockey league which was the most fun I have had in a very long time. As CBender mentioned, a cover for the rink we have now could be a great addition to allow the season to last longer. It seems the sun does a lot of damage during the day that is hard to make up for every night. Another problem that was a pain last year was one corner of the rink always being closed off. I'm not exactly sure what caused the lack of ice in the area, but it would be nice if it was fixed. A friend of mine mentioned there was a crack that caused the water to leak out which prevented the ice from forming. Is this the problem? I'm not sure, but it's a start.

Many have expressed their concerns for a new skate park. I agree that the youth of Leadville would like to see a much improved park to skate on. I, personally, would like to see the tennis courts to be improved as well. Several people have mentioned the fact that Leadville has such a long snow (cold) season that we should have a longer ice rink season. My question now is, if we have so much snow for such a long time how do the youth take advantage of a new park all year? There are only a few solid months the park, or the tennis courts, may be accessable. Plus, with all the snow it would be hard to keep the surfaces it top condition all the time.
The honest answer to these problems is an indoor skate park, indoor tennis courts, etc. Many might suggest this is a stupid solution, or it is impossible. It would cost much more than simply resurfacing the skate park and tennis courts. It would take away the outside time one would have when doing these activities. However, it would be available all year, not just a few months, and the surface wouldn't be subject to typical wear and tear caused by the weather. I understand this is a huge project. Where would it go? How would we pay for it? What needs need to be met? So on and so on...

I am simply making a suggestion. If you feel this is the wrong direction that is fine, but I feel having something available all year would be extremely beneficial to the community. Plus, once the snow starts falling kids don't have to worry about the skate park being unavailable. People that want to participate in spring or summer sports during the winter wouldn't have to be shut out. I know for a fact I like playing tennis all the time and not just when the weather is right. Would this cost quite a bit of money? Yes. Would this take quite a bit of time to complete? Yes. But, I feel the pros outweight the cons and it could be extremely beneficial to the community. I guess I'm just dreaming big.

Sorry this is so long....

I agree with Luke (11/11/09) regarding priorities for outdoor recreation. I'd like to specifically mention that a volleyball court or courts need to be included as part of the additional phases at the ballfield site.
I would also like to see an effort put behind developing indoor programs for the county. Specifically, dance classes for teens and adults. I participated in last year's classes and would be willing to give feedback on what was good and what wasn't .
Ooh-and I like Karen Casey's idea of building a paved trail from town to Copper Mountain! SWEET.

I would like to see some money thrown at the golf course. The course is in good shape but there is always room for improvement and it would also attract golfers from other counties which would increase revenues for the whole county as well as businesses.

The community park is such a great asset to have and I want to thank all of those who made it happen. It was so much fun to see the looks on my 7th grade football teams faces the first time they stepped on that field. They were filled with pride and awe. Also, the comments I recieved from other coaches and parents were glowing.

Guy Masterson

First, my sincere gratitude and appreciation goes to all the efforts past and present that has brought true recreational opportunities to Lake County, especially for our youth. Another need is one to accommodate the early morning walkers who try to get in some exercise prior to heading off to work each day, specifically during the winter months when the streets and Mineral Belt Trail become iced over an/or snow packed.

During the summer/warmer months it's enjoyable to walk outside, but perhaps during the months of November through March/April the solution would be to open the MIddle School's gym/track area? Early in the morning I see many on the streets/trails doing the same as I. Offering indoor opportunities may attract more users? Perhaps as early as 6:00 a.m. or even 5:30 ....?

Thank you for your consideration. - Keith Moffett

Would like to see a master plan to build safe bike paths across the city to connect the mineral belt train and the roads around the lake. It would also be nice to have a paved trail from Leadville to Copper Mtn. similar to the trail from Frisco to Brek. We would attract more bikers, x-country skiers and it would be better for families with small children that want to use the trails but currently have to drive to a parking area.

My second vote would be to do something to replace the movie theater - perhaps a combined movie/arcade center.

BTW the new community park is just fantastic.

First off, thank you to the Rec Department, County Commissioners, and the entire Leadville Community - it is a real pleasure to see the steady and positive evolution of Recreation opportunities in Leadville. Wasn't so long ago that the pool was dry, the rink closed to often, etc, etc... Quality recreational opportunities that draw youth in is a personal priority, hence I support the idea of working towards upgrading the skate park as a next step. Long term I'd add expanding the managed (rather than informal) trail system - a truly multi-use system with both single and multi-use trails that provided expanded opportunities for dirt bikers, sledders, mountain bikers, runners, hikers, skiers, etc... this is a long term project, but how many communities have the opportunity to have literally miles and miles of trails ranging from the paved mineral belt to remote single track to long distance snow machine and ski routes...

The skate park we have is too old to be maintained or safe, a concrete park would inspire more youth to get out there and skate instead of getting into trouble. I also note that down by turquoise lake people shoot into a sand pile at cans, bottles, propane tanks and other garbage. If the pubic had a low cost range maybe people wouldn't trash the place, and shoot garbage targets in dangerous places.

The new field looks great. I will have to agree with that. I am confused a bit though. I don't understand why we needed a new football field when there is snow on the ground here most of the year. I understand kids like to play football so it makes sense to have a field. How bad can the old one be? Why didn't that one just get fixed and save us all some money? I think a new sk8 park would be one of the best things that we could have as a community. It would give kids something to do after school that doesn't involve sex and drugs. Which seem to be pretty prevalent here in Lake County. If it had a roof over it then we could use it year round too. I also think that an easy way to maintain it would be to charge out of towners and let the locals use it for free. Tony Hawk also has a foundation that will donate up to $25000 to help build a skate park!

A new ice rink or actually fixing the zamboni that Lake County purchased would be beneficial to the county. In a place where there is so much ice and snow for such a long time of the year it would be really nice to be able to ice skate and maybe even get a high school hockey team eventually. The rink and skate park are both in great locations they are just run down and rarely maintained which looks bad for visitors to Lake County and it's also hazardous to the people that don't care about what conditions the facilities are in and use them anyway.

Thanks for listening!

Hi Y'all,

First of all, congrats on getting that field up and running! Looks great, feels great, runs well, plays well, helped secure our first soccer playoff win...Great Job, everyone!

I agree with Peter, we should first concentrate on getting the landscaping completed...native grasses and plants, aspens, sand, retaining walls and planters, etc., but NO wood chips: they are impossible to walk on barefoot (they may hold water, but they hold no favor with feet). The current base, a taupe layer of semi-nutritious soil, is like quicksand when wet and like concrete when hard. This makes for a mess at the field and at home.

After that, I'd like to see the original plans set into action, with the different Phases coming to fruition: a baseball field, a softball field, an amphitheater, etc. Let's get this community park really going as a large Complex for multiple activities. This would add to the asset that currently is the Community Field. Centrally locating our fields gives families a great opportunity to be involved in many activities in just one short day. Whatever we do, let's try to keep it all together so families and visitors can experience all they want without the worry of getting to another location, across town or the county, on time.

Leadville/LC has an opportunity now to expand upon our recent accomplishments. If we can keep the ball rolling (I'm not concerned about the low cost projects as those usually get done without the hassle that can be money and government red-tape), perhaps with enough effort and support, we can see an entire complex of fields to help support our "Great Living at 10,200".

I would like to see the skateboard park redone. It's in a great location, but it looks really shabby right now. I would love to see us maintain and upgrade the facilities we have.

Also last year, I fell on a crack on the tennis courts and gave myself a black eye. I would love to see those resurfaced and cared for.

Thanks!

Amy Frykholm

Partly because I was so involved with the project, I would like to see landscaping at the new Community Park finished, so that we don't have a beautiful new park surrounded by lots of dirt and mud. Beyond that, I am excited to hear about the potential new mountain bike trail network on CMC and County land. This seems like a low-cost, low-maintenance, high-return venue. It would get a lot of use from locals, and would be another magnet for attracting regional and Front Range tourists. I'm also interested in seeing a top-notch skateboard park for kids. These are popular venues no matter where you go, and it just seems like a losing battle to keep renovating the current skatepark. Whatever future initiatives are undertaken, I would like to see the County, the City, the College, the School District and many other public/private entities continue the collaboration we saw with the Community Park project. A high level of collaboration, plus developing and following a community-wide master plan, is the key to attracting outside funding. The Community Park drew $850,000+ in outside funding, and we can replicate this success again and again. -Peter Frykholm