County Parks Master Plan update considered

       No major changes to Westside county parks and trails are envisioned in a planned update of the El Paso County Parks Master Plan.
       However, the plan does envision the eventual connection of the Ute Pass Trail into Manitou Springs, County Parks Director Tim Wolken said.
       The proposal from County Parks staff, the first update of the department's long-range visions since 1997, is scheduled to go before the County Parks Advisory Board at its June 14 meeting. The plan will need final approval from the Board of County Commissioners.
       Most of the major additions and upgrades are planned in growing areas in the north and east areas of the county, Wolken said.
       One of the main countywide ideas that's been proposed is allowing development fees - which are paid when new county subdivisions go in - to be used to build parks, not just to buy the land for them, he noted.
       Different routes are being analyzed for the Ute Pass Trail from its current eastern end point in Green Mountain Falls down to Manitou Springs.

Westside Pioneer article