FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 12/10/13
Contact: Emily Davies, Great Outdoors Colorado, 303.226.4531
Counties: Adams, Boulder, El Paso, Freemont, Garfield, Grand, Jefferson , Larimer, Morgan, Otero, Ouray, Prowers, Saguache, Weld
Demand for GOCO local government grants exceed available funds 4 to 1
New grants to preserve longtime community recreation facilities, build new outdoor amenities, parks
DENVER – Demand was high and competition fierce for this fall’s Great Outdoors Colorado local government grant cycle, which saw requested funding exceeding available monies by more than a 4 to 1 ratio.
GOCO, which invests a portion of Colorado Lottery revenues in conservation, outdoor recreation and wildlife habitat, received 72 local government grant applications requesting $12.1 million. The GOCO board, meeting in Brighton on Tuesday, awarded $2,750,000 to 18 local government projects around the state. Local government grants are awarded twice a year.
This fall’s cycle will upgrade a pool built in the 1930s and begin replacing a county fair's grandstands so neither is forced to close and deprive communities of central gathering and recreation spots. GOCO grants also will make possible a bike park in Carbondale and skate parks in Brush and Milliken, and renovate an aged ice rink in Kremmling.
In Lakewood, a field that has not been used to its full capacity for more than two decades due to inadequate irrigation and drainage will be transformed into a modern school playground. A degraded section of the Manitou Incline Trail, one of the state’s most popular trails near Colorado Springs, will be restored. And two communities will gain their first city parks.
GOCO invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created by voters in 1992, GOCO has funded more than 3,500 projects in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. The grants are funded by GOCO’s share of Colorado Lottery revenues, which are divided between GOCO, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Conservation Trust Fund and school construction.
Download the complete list of fall 2013 grant awards.
Here are details about this cycle’s local government grants:
ADAMS COUNTY
Adventure Elementary Site Renewal Project
Applicant: Adams County
Grant: $236,437
Play equipment at Adventure Elementary ranges from 20- to 50-years-old and serves community members as well as school children since it is one of the only playgrounds in a densely-populated area. Officials will use the GOCO grant to make improvements to the site, including soil grading and drainage, black top surface repair, and the installation of new play equipment such as swings, climbing structures and other independent play elements.
BOULDER COUNTY
Town of Lyons Meadow Park Expansion Project-Hains Property Purchase
Applicant: Town of Lyons
Grant: $227,500
The grant will help the town purchase 1.5 acres of privately-owned land located in Meadow Park, one of the town's most popular parks. A private residence since 1973, the Hains property is located in the northwest corner of the 7.5-acre Meadow Park, which attracts hundreds of people in the summer for camping, picnicking, festivals and other outdoor activities. The town plans to use the parcel to expand Meadow Park by adding picnic sites and trail connections
EL PASO COUNTY
The Manitou Incline Trail Enhancement Project
Applicant: City of Colorado Springs
Grant: $350,000
The Manitou Incline Trail is one of the most popular trails in Colorado seeing approximately 375,000 users per year. The project will improve safety, enhance the user experience, and provide long-term sustainability to the upper most portion of the Incline which is the most dangerous and degraded section of the trail.
FREEMONT COUNTY
Eastern Fremont County Trails, Open Space and River Corridor Master Plan
Applicant: Canon City Area Metro Rec and Park District
Grant: $63,750
The district will update and revise an outdated 1997 trails, open space and river corridor plan. The plan will be broader in scope, covering a larger service areas and focusing on trail connectivity and recreational uses of the Arkansas River.
GARFIELD COUNTY
Carbondale Community Bike Park
Applicant: Town of Carbondale
Grant: $44,970
Working with the Carbondale Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Trails Commission, town officials will develop a controlled, terrain-oriented area devoted to the off-road bike experience within Carbondale's popular North Face Park. The Carbondale Community Bike Park will consist of three main areas: a beginner/intermediate pump track, beginner/intermediate dirt jumps, and a mountain bike skills course. Each area will include graduated terrain to encourage skill development and offer off-road biking opportunities for beginners and experts alike.
Carbondale Parks, Recreation & Trails Master Plan Update
Applicant: Town of Carbondale
Grant: $33,750
A grant to update its Parks, Recreation & Trails Master Plan, prioritizing residents' recreation needs, identifying gaps in resources and services, and strategizing for the future. Officials will develop the updated plan via extensive public input and involvement.
GRAND COUNTY
Ice Rink Board Replacement
Applicant: Town of Kremmling
Grant: $109,500
The town of Kremmling will use the grant to replace the deteriorating plywood boards at the town ice rink, in addition to the safety plexiglass and the penalty/players/timekeepers boxes. Durable, longer-lasting materials including polyethylene boards, tempered glass and galvanized metal will be used, ensuring the upgrades' longevity.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Foothills Elementary School Field of Dreams
Applicant: City of Lakewood
Grant: $338,040
Working with the Jefferson County R-1 School District and Foothills Elementary School, the city of Lakewood will rebuild the school's outdated athletic field, which has not been used to its full capacity for more than two decades due to inadequate irrigation and drainage. In addition to installing an irrigation system to the field, the school will resurface the adjacent playground, and install fencing, benches and landscaping at the site. The field and its associated amenities serve the surrounding Green Mountain area in addition to Foothills Elementary students.
Evergreen Trails Master Plan
Applicant: Jefferson County
Grant: $49,000
Jefferson County applied to GOCO on behalf of the Downtown Evergreen Economic District to develop a trails master plan for the Evergreen community to make the area more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.
LARIMER COUNTY
Pinewood Reservoir Recreation Improvements Project
Applicant: Larimer County
Grant: $154,739
Larimer County will make improvements at Pinewood Reservoir west of Loveland, including updating existing RV and tent campsites and adding new ones. Other upgrades include extending an existing boat ramp, building new trails and restrooms, increasing boat and car parking, and adding a playground and educational kiosks.
Estes Valley Comprehensive Trails Master Plan
Applicant: Estes Valley Rec and Park District
Grant: $35,000
The Estes Valley Rec and Park District will use GOCO funds to create a comprehensive trails plan that emphasizes connectivity throughout the entire Estes Valley. The plan will incorporate all major trails system providers including the town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Rocky Mountain National Park, YMCA of the Rockies, the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and others.
MORGAN COUNTY
Pioneer Skate Park
Applicant: City of Brush
Grant: $130,000
With no sanctioned place to skate within city limits, Brush skaters are using park benches, picnic tables, parking lots and other undesirable and often unsafe areas. The city will use its GOCO grant to replace the fitness course in Pioneer Park, which is located near Brush High School, with a skate park. Additionally, walking trails within the park will be paved and signage will be increased.
OTERO COUNTY
Fowler Municipal Swimming Pool Upgrade
Applicant: Town of Fowler
Grant: $17,771
With the GOCO grant, town officials will install a new filtration system, pump and sump for the pool's drain, and updated piping to accommodate increased water flow. All of these upgrades will make the pool, built in the 1930s, compliant with Colorado health standards. Without these renovations, officials would have been forced to close the pool to the public.
OURAY COUNTY
County Fairgrounds Grandstands Replacement Project, Phase 1
Applicant: Ouray County
Grant: $350,000
The county will use its GOCO grant for the first phase of replacing the grandstands, which will include demolishing the existing grandstands, building a new foundation, purchasing and installing a sound system, and constructing steel/aluminum, covered, ADA-compliant, stadium-style grandstands with a press box.
PROWERS COUNTY
Smith Park Playground
Applicant: Town of Wiley
Grant: $43,530
With roughly 300 children currently living in Wiley, town officials will use GOCO funds to add two play structures to Smith Park. The structures will include slides, poles, climbing walls and towers, a bongo panel and other features that will serve children 4- to 11-years-old.
SAGUACHE COUNTY
Center Park Project
Applicant: Town of Center
Grant: $216,614
GOCO funds will help the town install shaded lawn and picnic areas, play structures, a splash pad, and restrooms for the park. After clearing old buildings from the town-owned parcel on S. Worth Street in 2010, Center officials installed a pavilion, thereby creating the downtown park, and solicited input from residents to plan for additional amenities.
Vista Grande Master Plan
Applicant: Town of Saguache
Grant: $35,000
The GOCO grant will enable the town of Saguache to develop a master plan for a future park. The town acquired the 220-acre Vista Grande property in 2010 with the help of GOCO funds. The latest grant from GOCO will enable the town to develop a vision for the future park as well as a physical site plan that explores potential trails, athletic fields, and camping and picnic sites.
WELD COUNTY
Hillsboro Skate Park Rehabilitation
Applicant: Town of Milliken
Grant: $314,399
Milliken officials worked with area schools to develop the Skatepark Leadership Team, consisting of local skaters, families, business owners and skate park designers. Located next to Milliken Middle School, the current skate park has fallen into disrepair over many years, making it unsafe and in many places, unusable. In addition to expanding the skate park, the renovation will entail replacing the current wooden structure with durable concrete and installing a bowl, bars, ledges and stairs, among other skating features.
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