Master plans for two popular recreation areas approved Thursday in Colorado Springs

It was another long meeting Thursday for the Colorado Springs Park and Recreation Advisory Board, but unlike a similar meeting last month, members got what they wanted.

Starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 1:30 p.m., the board voted unanimously to approve master plans for Strawberry Fields and North Cheyenne Canon Park on the city’s southwest side.

The plans are designed to guide management of the two areas for the next 15 years. Parks and Recreation staff worked with a consultant to develop the plans.

Passage of the plans came with two conditions, however.

Work on the Strawberry Fields master plan won’t start until the Colorado Supreme Court decides whether to hear a case appealing a controversial land swap between the city and the Broadmoor.

“We think we’ll know by this summer,” said Kent Obee, a land-swap opponent. “If the court hears the case, it probably won’t happen until next spring. The Broadmoor agreed to wait until the outcome of that case is decided.”

The swap gave the Broadmoor just under 10 acres of the 180-acre Strawberry Fields parcel, which critics say is the prime section and will be used to build a pavilion, picnic areas and horse stables for Broadmoor guests.

The master plan will direct management of the larger parcel not owned by the Broadmoor.

“We take a lot of things into consideration,” said board chairwoman Mina Liebert. “Some of that includes what the community is saying and what makes the most sense for our parks system.”

As for North Cheyenne Canon Park, the board didn’t approve that master plan until the group Friends of Cheyenne Canon insisted that certain language be changed for clarity and accuracy.

The board spent at least an hour discussing whether to change the language, and eventually did so, saying it wanted to do what it could to earn the support of the park advocacy group.

“We got one of the changes we wanted but not the other,” said Rebecca MacNamee, the group’s president. “We’ll discuss if there are any other steps that we want to take.”

Some changes in the park plan have been made since the last board meeting, including the proposed elimination of dozens of roadside “pull-off” areas for drivers to briefly park and enjoy the scenery; most of those area will now remain but be evaluated over time.

Critics said the master plans cater more to the Broadmoor and to tourists, than to residents who live in the area.

But supporters of the plan like that it will bring improvements such as a paved upper parking lot and a police force to provide more safety and security.

“We hope to start working on the park plan next month,” said Karen Palus, director of the Parks and Recreation Department.

In other matters, the board received a scolding from City Councilman Bill Murray regarding park watering.

“Next week at the Utilities Board meeting, we have to consider a request to raise utility rates by 1 percent to pay for watering because the parks budget doesn’t have enough money,” he said. “Why can’t you budget enough money to pay for what you have?”

Palus said it costs the city $4.6 million annually, depending on weather conditions, to adequately meet its watering needs.

“But this year we only have $3.2 million budgeted,” she said. “We had a dry winter and spring has been dry, too. It costs us more to water when there’s less precipitation. We’re doing the best we can. If we take money from other areas for watering, then those areas suffer.”

In 2015, the city requested and received $500,000 from a state conservation fund to meet its watering needs through the last quarter of that year.

Palus said the weather will determine if the city will need to seek state assistance again.