Horsetooth improvements planned

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Nearly $700,000 in improvements are on the drawing board for the county's Horsetooth Park District.

Citizens got a look at the draft plans Aug. 12 when the Larimer County Parks Department asked what they thought of the ideas. Impressions were favorable, and Horsetooth area residents offered a few more suggestions --such as repainting the area's crosswalks--to make their lives easier.

A new campground at the north end of the reservoir is a top priority, according to parks director Gary Buffington. As proposed now, it would have 25 campsites with electricity but no flush restrooms, he said. The estimated cost is $300,000 to $400,000, and construction could start in late 2005 or early 2006. A campground, he noted, would make money for the parks department as well as serve recreation needs.

"It would help disperse recreation that is concentrated on the south end," Buffington said.

Several people were concerned about the future of the area's Field of Dreams, a ballfield built by volunteers in 1995. The one-acre field has soccer goals and a baseball backstop. Organizers estimated the volunteers contributed about 2,500 hours of labor.

The Horsetooth Field of Dreams Association has decided not to renew its lease with county parks and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, so at this time the county has taken over maintenance for neighborhood recreation. Buffington said the county is thinking about charging a parking fee at the field. The county may also use the site as a trailhead while maintaining the field as an open, grassy site for neighborhood recreation.

Other proposed improvements and estimated costs include the following:

• South Bay parking improvements, $100,000. Buffington noted that parking spaces for boaters fill up, but there is still room for more boaters on the lake.
• Additional cabin rentals, $50,000. The county opened three 16-by-24-foot cabins this year. Each holds up to five people. Those at the meeting suggested the county build a larger cabin for reunions.
• South Bay shower building and restrooms, $100,000. "We haven't built showers before, but that's the biggest request from campers," Buffington said.
• South Bay entrance station replacement, $15,000.

• Swim beach improvements, $25,000.

Several people wanted a return of the floating swim dock, but the parks director said liability issues were a concern.

Future improvements would be funded with a combination of lottery funds and federal matching grants, Buffington said. It would take about two years to finance the Horsetooth projects, he added.

"We do not use entrance fees for capital improvements," he said. "Fees are used for operations only."