The economic downturn that’s been hard on Colorado families has been hard on El Paso County’s regional parks, too.The county responded to declining tax revenue by cutting park system funding from $1.7 million in 2005 to $600,000 in 2011, said Tim Wolken, director of the county’s community services department.Fees collected from developers are down, too. Before the recession, the county collected $200,000 to $300,000 in fees that went to the park system. Now, it’s averaging $20,000 a year. “Development has just not been there, so we’re not collecting those fees,” Wolken said.The park system responded to declining revenue by slicing its work force from 42 full-time employees to 32 and cutting back on maintenance.”We’ve closed our park restrooms five months out of the year,” he said. “Our nature centers have reduced hours about 25 percent.”Until 2004, the county received about $1 million a year from the Colorado lottery. The money was used for capital improvements, but now it’s used to pay salaries.Despite the downturn, the county’s park system has gotten bigger in the last five years.In 2004, the county had 4,700 acres of parkland, 80 miles of trail and 1,700 acres of conservation easements. Today, there are 6,568 acres of parkland, 99 miles of trails and 2,515 acres of easement, Wolken said.The county’s park system could be growing in the Falcon area in the near future. Wolken said he’s been talking with a developer about a 250-acre park next to Falcon High School.”Falcon is a high-growth area for the county that doesn’t have a regional park. It’s something we need to take a look at,” he said. “We’ve been able to grow the park system without using any tax money. The increases have been due to creative partnerships with developers and a lot of volunteer help.”People also are increasing their use of the county’s regional parks.In 2004, there were 955 reservations for park system facilities, such as soccer fields and pavilions, serving 65,000 people. In 2010, there were 2,060 reservations serving 108,000 residents, he said.While planned capital improvements and maintenance has been deferred, progress is still being made.Improvements at Homestead Ranch Park in Peyton are almost complete, Wolken said. The park’s hiking and equestrian trails are now complemented by a fishing pond, pavilions and athletic fields.Fox Run Park in Black Forest will get some improvements in 2011, with the construction of the county’s second dog park.Still, maintenance of the county’s regional parks remains an issue.”We’d like to set up ‘friends’ groups for each individual regional park and do a giving campaign in the fall. If 100 people donate $50, that’s $5,000 that would stay with that park and would be used for that park’s maintenance,” Wolken said.Susan Davies from the Trails and Open Space Coalition is gathering support for another new avenue to fund park maintenance in El Paso County.Called Great Parks, Great Communities, the program would be set up like the Pikes Peak Regional Transportation Authority and receive funding from a voter-approved sales tax increase dedicated to park maintenance, Davies said.The sales tax would be collected and returned to the county and its municipalities based on population, she said.There would also be guidelines for how the money can be used. For example, it could be used to correct a fire mitigation problem in a park near a housing development but not to maintain street medians or prune city trees.There would also be an annual audit to make sure the program is used as intended.Davies said she is talking with community leaders, asking them to support the development of an initiative for the November ballot.County commissioner Darryl Glenn said voters will not be willing to support a tax increase this year.The county should create an intergovernmental agreement to look at existing revenue across the county and determine what services can be provided before asking for a tax increase, Glenn said.Commissioner Amy Lathen agreed.”I’m interested in how we take some of the existing resources and pool them,” Lathen said. “That’s something people are asking for.”While funding remains an issue, the park system is likely to continue growing.Wolken said the county hasn’t given up on the idea of an off-road vehicle park, and he’ll soon be looking at a developer-owned 600-acre parcel for that purpose.The county also is working toward a trail system where equestrians could ride up to 30 miles of only trail. The plan could attract tourists as well.”We’d like to … market El Paso County overall as equestrian friendly,” Wolken said. “(Promoting it like) ‘Please come and enjoy a weekend with us.'”
