By William J. Dagendesh
The Soda Springs Park final master plan fell under criticism from the Manitou Springs City Council during the Sept. 20 meeting in City Hall.
Council voted 6-0 to disapprove the plan until revisions are made (Councilor Judith Chandler was excused from the meeting). Council questioned the absence of some features and use of certain building materials.
Skyler Beck, Parks and Recreation Department director, and Mia Requesens, landscape designer with Denver architectural firm Hord Coplan Macht, shared slides illustrating the master plan update.
SSP offers small play structures, picnic tables and restrooms in downtown Manitou Springs. The master plan focuses on activating the under-utilized west end of the park with play features and climbing structures for pre-teens and adolescents. Also, it offers an expanded plaza designed with flexible seating and gathering spaces for the Bud Ford Pavilion.
“We have a crusher fines (small particles of crushed rock) walkway on the western portion already and are continuing that walkway through the park over to the east restrooms,” Requesens said.
Improving playground accessibility by providing a new ramp and removing a segment of retaining wall to add a concrete walkway connecting to one of the picnic/gaming tables was discussed. Improved equipment will be added to the rest of the playground, Requesens said.
“We’ll improve landscaping along the north and south edges of the park, and include some shade trees by the playground to provide additional shade as the trees mature. We also have a pedestrian walkway that will be going through the space south of the playground and west of the pavilion,” Requesens said.
Also, she recommended using durable artificial turf between the crusher fines open space and pavilion. A concrete plaza at the western side of the pavilion would get stamped concrete, and artwork illustrating the SSP story would be displayed inside the pavilion.
Adding bike and scooter racks to three locations were recommended, as was paving an area on the east side for cars to park during public events.
However, Councilor Julie Wolfe objected to adding more concrete and parking spaces.
“We have more than enough concrete in the park. We have plenty of opportunities to find parking and reserve and block off for event planners, so they don’t need to park the way they do now,” Wolfe said.
Councilor Nancy Fortuin added, “I agree, SSP is too valuable a park space to include more parking in it.”
Also, Wolfe addressed pet waste cleanup from the artificial turf, emphasizing the efforts of Public Works personnel. According to Requesens, many parks use artificial turf because it comes with Envirofill, a coated sand designed to resist bacteria.
Wolfe asked how the turf would be washed down.
“Maybe you need to include a faucet to hook up to water. I anticipate a headache begging for that to be properly maintained,” Wolfe said.
Mayor John Graham said he too, is put off by so much concrete, suggesting gravel as a possible alternative.
“I like the idea of going to artificial turf … we’ve got a drought and artificial turf is something we have to consider,” Graham said.
Beck agreed to continue revising the plan.
Also, council voted 6-0 to approve a language modification to the Manitou Springs Municipal Code to establish a tree committee, standards for tree care on city property and protection of public and private heritage trees.
During the Sept. 6 meeting, Wolfe had expressed concern about harmful chemicals that weren’t clearly defined. Beck said the chemicals were for use only on trees located on city grounds.
According to Wolfe, the document read that harmful chemicals are prohibited for use on trees and/or city grounds.
“Maybe what you meant to say is ‘Prohibited to be used on trees that are located on city grounds,’” Wolfe said.
Beck changed the wording to clarify the definition. Council voted unanimously to approve the modifications to replace the words “city grounds” with “public property” and that the last sentence will end after the word “trees.”
Meanwhile, four proclamations were read, the first recognizing the ninth annual Creek Week cleanup from Sept. 24-Oct. 2. Trash ends up in waterways and clogs drainage systems, impacts wildlife, affects water quality and ruins natural landscapes. For this reason, volunteers clean up litter along creeks, parks, trails and open spaces throughout the watershed.
Allison Schuch, executive director of the Fountain Creek Watershed District, said creeks and waterways are the lifeblood of the community.
“In our nine years of cleanups, we have removed over 130 tons of trash and brought the watersheds to the forefront of peoples’ minds, to understand the value of these waterways,” Schuch said.
Another proclamation recognized the ninth annual Arts Month in the Pikes Peak region, slated for October. Arts Month supports arts and culture throughout El Paso and Teller counties by showcasing local talent and creating new avenues for arts engagement and cultural enrichment.
“Manitou Springs is nationally recognized as one of the top towns for arts and artists. Through its artist galleries and events, (Manitou Springs) upholds a town culture that strives to make art inclusive, accessible and affordable to all,” Councilor Natalie Johnson read from the proclamation.
Also, Graham read a proclamation declaring Oct. 2-8 as National Newspaper Week, recognizing the service of U.S. and Canadian newspapers and their employees.
“It is a time for citizens to reflect on the importance of newspapers in our culture and democracy. The Pikes Peak Bulletin chronicles the pulse of community life and promotes our unique sense of identity. … The role you play is important to us,” said Graham, a former journalist.
The final proclamation recognized the Pikes Peak Marathon as the nation’s oldest continuous marathon.
“It has grown into one of the foremost running events in the world. The marathon is rated among the top half-dozen races that international runners aspire to,” Councilor Michelle Whetherhult read from the proclamation.
Council’s next regular meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 27; members are also scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, for a special budget work session.