colorado springs making plans for park improvements

Three popular parks in downtown Colorado Springs may soon be in line for upgrades, depending upon the results of the upcoming November election.

City officials have said that they would like to see voters approve what is officially known as Ballot Issue 2B.

That question will allow the city to keep some $7 million in revenue it has earlier collected for a variety of new park and recreational facility work.

If approved, the 3-acre Antlers Park at 31 Pikes Peak Avenue, and the 3.7-acre Acacia Park, located at 115 E. Platte Avenue, would both be in line for a series of improvements, including better lighting and improved accessibility.

The Acacia Park is the first official park in Colorado Springs history, having been created in the 1870s.

A third downtown park, also slated for lighting and accessibility improvements, is the Alamo Square Park, located at 215 S. Tejon Street.

The center of that park is the Pioneers Museum, which is located inside the restored and historic El Paso County Courthouse.

Altogether, it is expected that work on the Antlers, Acacia, and Alamo parks will cost around $2 million.

Another $1.4 million will go for baseball field work at the Cottonwood Creek Community Park; another $1 million will target facility upgrade work at the Monument Valley Park.

Additional funding will target work at the city’s Leon Young Sports Complex, as well as several of Colorado Springs’ historic cemeteries.

Colorado Springs voters will also be asked to extend a 2015 sales tax increase for road improvements.

That tax of 6.2 cents on every $10 of purchased goods in the city has generated around $250 million in revenue and paid for more than 1,000 miles in city road improvements.

The five-year extension will be lower at 5.7 cents, and will pay for another 884 miles of road construction and upgrades.

The initial 2015 sales tax increase was approved by more than 65 percent of the Colorado Springs voters.

By Garry Boulard

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