Saving Stone Structures At Monument Valley Park

Monument Valley Park?s most valuable features are on their way to getting much-needed repairs.

The last piece of fieldwork for the condition assessment on the park?s historic stone structures wrapped up on Tuesday.

Around 40 stonework structures have been evaluated over the past two weeks.

Friends of Monument Valley Park, a non-profit organization, received a $10,250 grant from the State Historical Fund to evaluate the stonework.

The group is trying to save the stone structures, some built in the 1930s after the flood, many others going back to when the park was created in 1907. The park was a gift from Colorado Springs founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer, said Judi Ingelido, Friends of Monument Valley Park member.

?This is our Central Park,” said Ingelido referring to the famous landmark in New York. “All of these stone features really enhance the experience in the park. It?s what Palmer Park wanted, a people?s park,? she said.

Two international experts in historic preservation, John Feinberg and Donald Harvey, have been conducting fieldwork for the past two weeks.

They?re using Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) tools including a pachometer, infrared thermography and radar.

?A lot of walls have had a lot of pressure put on them by vegetation and it moved the wall and cracked them,? said Feinberg.

After the study is complete, the Friends of Monument Valley Park will seek more grants and host a fundraiser to raise money for repairs.

?The repairs will likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take anywhere from three to five years to complete,? said Ingelido.

For more information visit: http://fmvp.net/.