Parks Department pushes for Pikeview Quarry donation acceptance

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department hopes to persuade the city council to accept the donation of 100 acres of land at the Pikeview Quarry. The current owner has owned the land since 1972.

Once viewed as a major eyesore, the reclamation project has already made significant gains. If the city accepts the donation, it would own the final 100 acres of the original 415-acre acquisition plan.

"It's now our chance to change the legacy of it and create something that's impact-full for the community, and is no longer an eyesore on the mountain," David Deitemeyer told KRDO13. Deitemeyer is the Senior Program Administrator for the Parks Department.

While the Pikeview Quarry is viewed by some as an unappealing scar on the mountainside, it looks very different today. There's significant vegetation in the area covering the previously mangled land.

If the donation is approved, it will become a part of the city, which will open up options.

"It could be anywhere from habitat protection and wildlife protection to potentially some sort of recreational use on that property," Deitemeyer said.

For now, the focus is on getting the final hundred acres of the plan to acquire the space. The first two legs of the plan secured open space for recreational use and habitat preservation. Given the way things are moving, it's unlikely the area will ever be an eyesore again.

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