Representatives from the El Paso County Parks and Leisure Services Department and N.E.S. Inc. held a meeting Aug. 11 at the Meridian Ranch Recreation Center to update residents about progress on Falcon Regional Park.Elaine Kleckner, planning manager for parks and leisure services, said the 215-acre park that will be located just north of Falcon High School is in the final design stage.EPC applied for a Great Outdoors Colorado grant to help fund the parkís construction, but they were not chosen for the grant, Kleckner said. ìWe have secured $811,000 for phase 1 of the park, and we estimate the total cost of the park will be about $4.5 million,î she said.Ron Bevins with N.E.S Inc. said the master plan for the park is broken into three main areas: a natural area of about 110 acres, most of which will remain as it is, with hiking trails and similar features; an activity area that will include ball fields, playgrounds and restrooms; and an educational area where the El Paso County Conservation District will be located.Phase 1 will include construction of two baseball/softball fields with dugouts and bleachers, one multipurpose field, parking, restrooms and a playground, Bevins said. Water and electricity will be extended so the restrooms and lights will be fully functional, he said.The first phase will also include a dog park. ìOriginally, the dog park was planned for 4 acres, but now weíre proposing 10 acres,î Bevins said. ìAs we develop this park further, we are going to sharpen our pencils and make sure everything we are designing is feasible.îA trail system will parallel Eastonville Road and tie into the existing trail system in that area, Bevins said.ìThe timeline for construction has been pretty aggressive from the start, and we want to begin construction this year so we can have the ball fields available by April,î Kleckner said. Construction is slated for completion in June 2016, she said.
