Plans for the 215-acre regional park near Falcon High School are progressing as the county compiles information gathered from a public meeting and an online survey, said Elaine Kleckner, project manager with the El Paso County Parks and Leisure Services department.ìWe started the planning process at the Nov. 18 public meeting,î Kleckner said. ìWe talked about issues, concerns and types of uses for the park. We have not put anything specific on paper; we are just letting people tell us what they want us to include.îMore than 700 people participated in the survey, which was posted on the countyís website from November through December, Kleckner said. ìThatís a record (number of participants) for us at parks,î she said. The top features people voted for in the survey were picnic tables, benches, pavilions, playgrounds, restrooms, trails, open spaces and sports fields, Kleckner said.Tamara Baxter, project manager with N.E.S. Inc., said she has been working as a consultant with the county to create the parkís master plan. The data gathered from the survey and the input from the community will be used in conjunction with a site analysis to determine how to fit the chosen features into the area, based on the topography and access, she said.Using that information, N.E.S. will develop and present three design options at a meeting Jan. 7 for public comment and input, Baxter said. The meeting will take place at the Meridian Ranch Recreation Center at 10301 Angeles Road, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., she said. There will be another meeting at the same time and location Jan. 28 to get the final feedback from the community, Baxter said.Kleckner said the county plans to apply for a Great Outdoors Colorado Grant in the spring and anticipates completion of the planning process in February. ìWe should be beginning construction on the first phase at the end of 2015,î she said.
