Coronado Parade pep rally to be first user of fixed-up Bancroft bandshell
A roof replacement was part of the repair work
this summer on the Bancroft Park bandshell. The replacement shingles look like
the old shake shingles, but Colorado Springs Parks officials have explained that
they're actually made of metal, in a color identifed as Antique Chestnut.
Westside Pioneer photo
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Bandshell repairs totaling just under $200,000 are “nearing completion” and the stage-area work should be done by the end of August, according to David Deitemeyer, the Colorado Springs Parks planner assigned to the project. “Our intentions would be to have the stage available for use at this event.”
In its 37th year, the 10 a.m. parade down Colorado Avenue is the school's main off-campus public event annually, with about 40 entries from Coronado and its feeder schools. The festivities traditionally conclude with a pep rally in the 1.2- acre Old Colorado City park, featuring cheerleaders and announcers on the stage.
“Thanks to the City of Colorado Springs for getting everything ready to go for us,” enthused Coronado Principal Darin Smith.
Because the bandshell repair work was not yet
completed, the Old Dogs Band played in front of it during the Old Colorado City
Customs & Classics Car Show Aug. 20. Behind the band, blocking access to the
bandshell's inner area, is the new, metal, roll-up security door installed by the
contractor, Murphy Constructors.
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City Parks decided to add that amenity to its bandshell upgrades, as previously the only way to access the stage was by the stairs on either side of it.
The bandshell was built in the 1930s. A fire - ruled as intentional though no suspects were ever named - charred the bandshell's interior and parts of the roof on a late night in January before the Fire Department was able to extinguish it.
Since then, several other major events in the park this summer (including the Taste of OCC, Organization of Westside Neighbors Picnic and the Old Colorado City Customs & Classics Car Show) have had to improvise with their live bands, while the Paint the Town Blue music series moved to Thorndale Park.
In addition to structural restoration, the recent bandshell improvements by contractor Murphy Constructors have included an electrical upgrade, a new roof (made of steel to looks like the old wood shake shingles) and a white, roll-up security door intended to keep people from getting into the bandshell except during events.
Made of steel, the door “is low maintenance and highly durable,” Deitemeyer said.
With the new stage-front security door rolled
up, workers were seen painting inside the bandshell earlier in August. What looks
like an overhang at the top of the stage is actually a header that's part of the
security door, according to City Parks.
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The Parks Department staff has termed the bandshell repairs Phase 1 of a two-phase Bancroft master plan, which was drawn up in the wake of the fire. Phase 2 will consist of upgrades/changes to the park as a whole
Preliminary Phase 2 efforts have already begun. These include surveying the park in preparation for construction drawings and moving toward hiring an architect to design the new restroom building, Deitemeyer outlined.
The old restrooms were under the bandshell and have been closed for months. In recent times, porta-johns off Pikes Peak Avenue have been provided. The new, stand-alone facility will be built at the southeast corner of the park (facing Colorado Avenue near 24th Street), plans show.
The rest of the Phase 2 plans include removing the pavilion and changing the resulting open area into a plaza, building a small playground, improving the electrical service and enhancing the landscaping.
All the work is slated for completion before summer 2018.
Two public meetings were held last April at the Westside Community Center, after which Parks staff finalized plans and gained master-plan approval from the City Council-appointed Parks Advisory Board.
Deitemeyer said another public meeting will probably be scheduled in late September “for additional dialog on the design elements of the park master plan.”
The Bancroft funding is coming from a bandshell insurance policy, the city's share of state lottery proceeds (called conservation trust funds) and revenues from the city's Trails, Open Space and Parks tax. Additional funds have been requested from next year's city's LART tourism tax proceeds, which would bring the total amount of money for Bancroft (including what's already spent) to about $725,000.
Westside Pioneer article
(Posted 8/23/17, updated 8/24/17;
Outdoors:
Bancroft Park)
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