Changes For Acacia Park

To draw more visitors and drive out crime in Acacia Park, the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Advisory Board gave the green light to a re-design of the park.

Achitectural firm HB&A has drawn several options to improve the park with added lighting and benches, different walkway layouts, and ideas from the Downtown Partnership and Palmer High School students.

The parks board voted to instruct the group to start raising money and drawing up a master plan.

That will include public meetings within the next six months.

The city will be the repository for money raised.

The Gazette reports that parks officials said the city has no budget for the project, so the money will have to come from elsewhere. The price tag could be thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the design and amenities.

Nancy Johnson, director of parks, planning and public works, said Mayor Bach is forming a “parks solution team” to study the financing of all city parks.