As downtown parks go, Colorado Springs' Acacia Park has always been somewhat spare.
How much it would cost, and how the cash-strapped city would pay for it, have not yet been discussed, and did not come up at this morning's meeting.Only one in five walk more than a quarter of a mile from where they park to eat, a survey found.The city's first park, it was donated by founder William Jackson Palmer when he laid out Colorado Springs in 1871. Though records are sketchy, it may have attracted miscreants for just as long."It's kind of asking the question: What is Acacia Park? Is it a park? Is it a square? Is it a plaza?" she said.Officers hope to form a cadre of volunteers to patrol the park and report crimes, along with increased use by the public.Said Santos, "There needs to be a mix of things. Some of it is trying to bring in the positive users, trying to bring in people who are observers, who can report crimes.""I think they need to revitalize it, definitely," said Susan Godec, owner of The Phancy Pheasant across from the park. "I'd like to see the park patrolled by a policeman."Said Santos, "There needs to be a mix of things. Some of it is trying to bring in the positive users, trying to bring in people who are observers, who can report crimes."The city's first park, Acacia was donated by founder William Jackson Palmer when he laid out Colorado Springs in 1871. Though records are sketchy, it may have attracted miscreants for just as long.Colorado Springs police officer Sid Santos, the area's crime prevention officer, said when he was trained for community policing in 2001, he was warned that Acacia Park attracts an unseemly element. And the trainer had been warned many years before, when he was a rookie, of the same thing by his trainer. And so on, going back at least 50 years, he said.The survey of 2,000 people by Halfords comes as the National Trust launched a campaign encouraging people to enjoy a picnic.The Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will hear a presentation on the Acacia Park proposals, still in their early stages, at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, at 1401 Recreation Way. The meeting is open to the public.He sees the location, close to services for the homeless, as well as the interstate, as the main reason. Police stopped staffing the substation about five years ago due to budget cuts.HB&A will make a first presentation to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Thursday on the various proposals. The meeting is open to the public.Andrea Barker, with HB&A, called it a "playful exercise," with no specific plan to bring forward to the city yet.Neighboring business owners seem to support the overall concept."The more positive activity you can have in the park, the more those kinds of behaviors can go somewhere else," Butlin said.The Downtown Partnership hopes bringing more "positive users" into the park would cut down on problems and help a downtown suffering from a growing number of empty storefronts. A concert series at the band shell was launched last weekend to help do that."It historically has had issues. It's the center of town," he said. He said emergency officials responded to 58 calls to the park in the last 30 days. Memorial Park, 53 times the size, had 32 calls in the same period."It historically has had issues. It's the center of town," he said. He said emergency officials responded to 58 calls to the park in the last 30 days. Memorial Park, 53 times the size, had 32 calls in the same period.No timetable has been set for the public meetings."I think they need to revitalize it, definitely," said Susan Godec, owner of The Phancy Pheasant across from the park. "I'd like to see the park patrolled by a policeman.""It seems to be a homing ground for a lot of homeless people. If you make the park attractive enough for more people to come, those people should move out to other areas," said Terry Henderson, owner of the Boulder Street Gallery (which is actually on Tejon Street.)A third walked only a few yards before opening the hamper and 10 per cent even ate inside their cars.
The Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will hear a presentation on the Acacia Park proposals, still in their early stages, at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, at 1401 Recreation Way. The meeting is open to the public.
Author: R SCOTT RAPPOLD
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