Crews to break ground Saturday on renovation at Panorama Park
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The City of Colorado Springs, along with The Trust for Public Land and the Southeast Colorado Springs RISE Coalition, is hosting a groundbreaking event on Saturday, May 8th to mark the beginning of construction at Panorama Park. Mayor John Suthers will join local leaders and project partners in speaking about the significance of the project, which marks the largest neighborhood park renovation in city history. The 13.5 acre park is located in Southeast Colorado Springs, adjacent to Panorama Middle School.
The ceremony will be streamed live on Facebook.com/CoSpringsParks.
Prior to this renovation, the majority of land in Panorama was under-developed. What remained from the original park design was a small playground, baseball backstop and benches, a small pavilion and a dirt parking lot. Among the key features of the soon-to-be transformed park will be the city’s third universally accessible playground; an event lawn with shade trees for hosting music and performances; a bike park; a youth area with skate features; a climbing boulder; a multi-use sports field; fitness stations; a splash pad; and community-inspired art.
One of the art features is a tile art mural comprised of more than 7,000 individual tiles to be made by community members. These tiles will come together to create two mosaics titled “Sharing our Light” and “Stepping into our Power.” Registration is now open for community members to attend a free workshop where they can create a tile(s) to add to the mosaic and be a part of Panorama Park. Register and find more information at ColoradoSprings.gov/PanoramaPark.
The total project cost is an estimated $8.5 million from a variety of funding sources, including $500,000 from 2018 TABOR retention funds approved by voters as ballot issue 2B in 2019; $1 million from Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) sales tax funds; $4 million from Parkland Dedication Ordinance funds; and funding from private partners. Major funding partners include the Colorado Health Foundation; Colorado Springs Health Foundation; El Pomar Foundation; Gazette Charities and the Anschutz Foundation; Great Outdoors Colorado; Lyda Hill Philanthropies; Southeast Colorado Springs RISE Coalition; Transforming Safety Colorado; and The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit organization.
Karen Palus, City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services director says “We are so looking forward to starting construction on Panorama Park. This transformative project has already been more than three years in the making, and it wouldn’t have happened without the support of the southeast community, the vision of The Trust for Public Land and the generosity and belief in the positive power of parks from numerous private donors. When Panorama is finished, it will be a destination park where everyone in the city wants to play.”
Amanda Ortiz, Southeast Colorado Springs RISE Coalition resident leader clarifies, “This park project is transforming an underutilized space into an activated and inclusive community asset. It is a significant investment from the City and so many other partners, and what that says to residents is that the southeast is being recognized and the people who live, play and work here matter. This sets the tone for more phenomenal projects to follow."
