Public meeting Oct. 24 on restroom inadequacies in Garden of the Gods
A graphic shows the Garden of the Gods'
current year-round restroom at the Main Parking lot (top), the seasonal restroom
at the Scotsman Picnic Area (mid-left) and three options for additional restrooms
(Locations #1, #2 and #3).
Courtesy of Colorado Springs Parks
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Two million visitors a year at the Garden of the Gods. One year-round restroom, one seasonal restroom. And both could use some work.
This is math that Colorado Springs Parks would like to fix.
A public meeting Tuesday, Oct. 24 will focus on that subject, seeking citizen feedback to options developed with the aid of a contracted consultant for what the city has termed the “Garden of the Gods Facility Improvement Plan.”
The meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post, 324 Beckers Lane. A presentation is scheduled at 5:30.
The plan “could include, but is not limited to the replacement and expansion of the current facility at the Main Parking Lot [at the north part of Juniper Way Loop], improvements to the seasonal Scotsman Picnic Area [on Garden Drive], a new restroom facility at Parking Lot 10 [on the south part of Juniper Way Loop] and additional seasonal 'satellite' restrooms at other plausible locations within the park,” states the city's project website. (See graphic on this page.)
The website is coloradosprings.gov/GOGrestrooms.
A total of $470,000 has been budgeted from the city's Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) fund. A portion of that is being used to pay the consultant, RTA Architects, with the remainder earmarked for renovations and/or new construction.
A schedule on the website breaks out three planning phases envisioned by City Parks. The Oct. 24 meeting will be part of Phase 1.
Phase 2 will feature a preliminary presentation to the city's Parks Advisory Board Nov. 9, and Phase 3 will culminate the process with the anticipated final master plan approval by the board Dec. 14.
As part of the city's public outreach on the subject, a survey is available via a link from the project website.
Westside Pioneer article
(Outdoors:
Garden of the Gods)
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