Home Page

Friends of Sondermann Park holding first workday May 17

       The first workday for the recently formed Friends of Sondermann Park group will be Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
       Volunteers are welcome. Work will involve a park cleanup, according to to Erik Mattson, the education program coordinator for the Catamount Institute, which leases space in the building at the 100-acre park's entrance.
       Called the Beidlemann Environmental Center, the building is at the west end of Caramillo Street, west of Chestnut Street.
       “This is an official Friends group with Colorado Springs Parks, and as such they are very interested in us doing work to help with flood damage and erosion prevention,” Mattson explains in an e-mail.
       Other workdays are planned in August and October.
       Chris Aaby, Catamount's assistant director, said in a phone interview, “I hope a lot of people who care about the park will come out to help. It's a gem of the city.”
       He added that the park, which has a creek flowing through it, is actually perceived by the city as a “nature preserve,” meaning that it will never be developed with high-use amenities such as soccer fields or picnic pavilions.
       Catamount is a nonprofit environmental organization that uses the park itself as a kind of “outdoor classroom,” Aaby said.
       The idea for a friends group emerged from the Sondermann neighborhood about two years ago when it became apparent that there was reduced park maintenance because of city funding constraints. People wanting to help can either show up at the workday or make contact in advance at friendsofsondermann@gmail.com. The Catamount phone is 471-0910.

Westside Pioneer/press release
(Posted 5/14/14; Outdoors: City/County Parks)

Would you like to respond to this article? The Westside Pioneer welcomes letters at editor@westsidepioneer.com. (Click here for letter-writing criteria.)