At their joint meeting today, Tuesday February 26, the Pagosa Springs Town Council and the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners will review a proposed ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU) that would combine the County government’s Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails (PROST) Committee, and the Town’s Parks and Recreation Commission into a single, seven-member Board, as “an efficient and effective step towards combining efforts” at providing recreation in the community.
The joint meeting is scheduled for 12 noon at Town Hall in the Council Chambers.
From the proposed document:
WHEREAS, the importance of parks and recreation activities and facilities have consistently been rated as one of the most important services provided by the Parties to its residents and visitors; and
WHEREAS, the County-wide advisory vote in November 2014, with over 5,000 responses, decisively affirmed the residents’ desire for the Parties to join efforts and resources for parks and recreation purposes; and
WHEREAS, the Community Parks and Recreation 2018 Survey (with over 500 responses) also conclusively stated that parks and recreation activities were of paramount importance and that the Parties should collaborate together on this endeavor; and
WHEREAS, each of the Parties receive and allocate funding within their respective jurisdictions for parks and recreation purposes; and
WHEREAS, the Parties agree that combining the County Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails (PROST) Committee and the Town Parks and Recreation Commission is an efficient and effective step towards combining efforts; and
WHEREAS, the County and Town further agree that partnering on funding and efforts in a collaborative manner will better serve the community.
NOW, THEREFORE, the County and Town agree as follows:
The Combined Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (“Board”) shall consist of seven (7) members. The composition of the Board will be:
- 1 County Commissioner (or an appointee of the Commissioners)
- 1 Town Council Member (or an appointee of the Council)
- 5 At-large members from the general public of Archuleta County
The proposed agreement suggests that the County government will allocate $60,000, during 2019, towards the Town’s administration of recreation programs and services. Traditionally, the County government has not offered recreation programs, nor has it done extensive development of regional parks. The Town government, meanwhile, has operated a Parks Department and a Recreation Department for the past several decades.
The MOU states that the new Board will meet “at least quarterly.”
You can read the full MOU here.