City Council will soon decide whether to reshuffle Denver Parks & Recreation funds that would speed up the construction of four pickleball courts in Rosamond Park and updates on the La Alma Lincoln Park vision plan.
A sum of $3 million would be pulled from the Civic Center Greek Theater Renovation funds, appropriating $2 million towards Hampden South’s Rosamond Park courts and $1 million toward La Alma Lincoln Park construction.
Earlier this month, Councilmembers expressed confusion about the budget reallocation given recent service cuts at Parks & Rec in response to Denver’s new immigrant response.
“When you look at what can be repositioned to fill other holes in the city, as we have this humanitarian crisis happening,” explained Jolon Clark, Executive Director of Denver Parks & Recreation before committee earlier this month. “And then when you look at what funds can be used to fill the holes that that is creating at Parks & Recreation, the funds we are talking about today are not funds that can be used to do either of those things.”
So why would the city move these funds around now?
Scheduled construction at the Civic Center Park Greek Theater project has been pushed back to 2026, leaving the department with $3 million that would sit unspent.
The funds are not part of the department’s general fund dollars, Clark explained, but rather from the 2018 voter-approved Park Legacy Fund, a .25% sales tax increase that can only be used for the acquisition, development, improvement and maintenance of new and existing Denver parks.
Civic Center funds will be reimbursed and not affect the scope of the project.
“There were two places we felt could advance other priorities and projects that are important to residents,” Clark said.
The $2 million toward Rosamond pickleball courts would move construction up a year to 2025. Four courts will be added to the southeast Denver park.
The new construction timeline would match with that of the courts at the Lowry Sports Complex. The city could save money on the project by using the same contractor on both projects, increasing efficiency in design and construction delivery, Clark explained.
Rosamond would join Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Lowry courts as currently legacy funded pickleball projects. No general funds are going into pickleball construction projects in 2024.
The La Alma Lincoln Park vision plan was completed in July 2023, outlining future improvements such as a cultural story and exercise loop, a restoration of the amphitheater, a new plaza, picnic grove, enhanced lighting and safety.
Clark explained that leveraging otherwise dormant Civic Center funds to advance La Alma would help Park & Rec apply for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Grant. The nationally competitive, dollar-for-dollar matching grant for urban communities that lack access to close-by outdoor recreation.
This would expand La Alma’s budget to a total of $13.7 million, enabling the project to be completed in one phase.
