Fifth and final year of recovery work for Black Forest Regional Park

El Paso County commissioners Tuesday approved the last allocation of federal disaster funds for the final phase of recovery for the Black Forest Regional Park.

The forest around the popular park sustained heavy damage in the June 2013 wildfire that also destroyed 500 homes and killed two people.

But it was flooding and erosion from heavy rains in 2015 that caused most of the damage in and around the park, the county said.

On Tuesday, commissioners approved spending the final grant installment, $281,000, a third of the total cost for what will be a five-year project at the end of 2019.

In the project’s final phase, a contractor will focus on thinning live trees, removing dead or nuisance trees and weed control. That focus will reduce potential fuel that could feed future fires.

Previous phases focused more on improving drainage, reducing erosion and rebuilding trails.

The park wasn’t considered safe to use for nearly a year after the fire. Most park users said Tuesday that they’re glad to see the park’s continued restoration.

But one visitor, Anna Barnes, has mixed feelings.

“You know, it’s an awful lot of money, and I want the park to be taken care of and I want it to be safe,” she said. “But do we need it to be as fancy as they were going to spend the money to do? I don’t know. I like it natural. Right now, they’re out there working on an area where it looks like they might be putting in a bridge. I think that’s a little unnecessary.”