County parks master plan almost ready for final hearing

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Divergent public sentiment at a hearing on an updated county parks master plan prompted a task force to back off solid recommendations and instead call for further study on four key ideas.

Those proposals call for a swim beach at Carter Lake near Loveland, two cabins at Pinewood Reservoir Park, an events center in the South Bay area of Horsetooth Reservoir Park and an archery range north of Horsetooth Dam in the Bellvue area. By being labeled as needing more study, the task force said the concepts should remain in the plan but implemented only with future approval by the parks board and county commissioners.

With the help of the consulting firm EDAW, the volunteer task force has spent several months reviewing ideas to improve the function and financial stability of the county's parks. The task force held its public hearing on the draft plan April 20. Larimer County Commissioners, who will make the final decision, have not yet scheduled their public hearing.

Citizens interested in attending the commissioners' hearing can monitor the county's web site at www.larimer.org/parks for the date or call the parks department at 679-4570. By mid-May, the web site will also post answers to questions asked at the April hearing. The draft plan also is available online. The document is sized for 11x17 paper.

A number of Bellvue residents opposed the archery range, citing safety and traffic concerns. "The citizens of Bellvue are tired of having these proposals crammed down our throats," said James Carrion. "Public comment has been ignored."

Representatives of Boy Scout troops and 4-H clubs said, however, that they need more opportunity to practice their archery skills and they would like a bigger range.

Task force members voted 8-2 to keep the archery range concept in the plan, but said other sites within the county parks system also should be evaluated for a location.

"We'd like to get the archery range if we can do away with the cabins," offered Jim Anderson of the Pinewood Reservoir area.

Some residents of the Horsetooth area opposed an events center, citing already dangerous traffic. They also said it would detract from the natural setting. The draft plan suggested a 12,000-square-foot building of rustic design with a large deck overlooking the reservoir. It would be rented year-round for family reunions, weddings, business meetings or other gatherings.

"A business enterprise does not belong in county parks," one resident said. "That should be out at The Ranch (county fairgrounds)."

Task force member David Coulson said the concept should remain in the plan. "Don't handcuff the opportunity for generating income down the road," he said.

The task force concluded that further studies should include the concepts of an outdoor amphitheatre or a more general community gathering place that enhances visitor experience.

"The master plan is not an absolute blueprint cast in stone," advised Public Works Director Marc Engemoen.