Nature Center’s pavilion expected to arrive in January
The Bear Creek Nature Center's new pavilion is on order, and site preparation has begun.
The pavilion, which will be used primarily as an outdoor classroom, is expected to arrive in mid-January, according to Donna Scheeter, the center's superintendent of interpretation. The open-air structure will be similar in appearance and size to the public pavilions in Bear Creek Park, with a 36-foot-diameter hexagonal roof over a concrete pad, 10 picnic/activity tables, and water and electricity. The current work involves grading, putting in two handicapped-accessible walkways from the center's nearby parking lot and trail, and installing the utility connections. When the pavilion arrives (in sections that will be assembled on site), “we're counting on balmy weather on the Westside to put it in,” Scheeter said. After the unit is installed, the area around the pavilion will be revegetated with native grass and wildflowers, she said. The hoped-for readiness month is May. There will be an opening event, and “we'll invite a lot of people,” Scheeter said. The pavilion was made possible by $48,000 that was fund-raised by the non-profit El Paso County Parks Naturalist Docent Organization, $20,000 from the county's conservation trust (lottery) fund and a grant for just under $12,000 from Greater Outdoors Colorado (GOCO). Westside Pioneer article |