Image: The new PPOS playground will include a cliff rider climbing structure, swings, diggers, spinners and embankment slides.
Pagosa Springs is only six months away from having a brand new community playground, uptown, at its district-authorized charter school.
Thanks to the hard work of Pagosa Peak Open School volunteers Cady Allione and Elly Osmera, PPOS received a $680,000 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation to fund this project. The new playground will sit on PPOS property near Walmart and will be accessible to the public outside of school hours.
The design is unique: including multiple levels and hills, embankment slides, boulders, a sand pit and a “cliff rider.” It will be the Town’s only park that is not foundationally flat — giving it an intriguing look and design.
The original idea, “The Playground for the People,” is meant to be a place where everyone feels welcome, Osmera says.
The team was intentional about the set-up allowing access for a diverse population, as well as offering a “collaborative play experience” for all using the space.
During the past seven months Allione and Osmera have worked alongside architect Courtney King at Courtney King Studios in Pagosa Springs; Kerry White at Urban Play Studios in Denver; the PPOS school staff, and Mike Davis at Davis Engineering. David Pribble with PSA Consulting has been the team’s project manager along the way. Together the team looked for beautiful, fun and unusual playground pieces as well as native landscaping for the space.
The design plans were recently submitted to the state for permitting, and the project is on target to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Pagosa Peak Open School is a tuition-free, K-8 district charter school focused on implementing a project-based learning (PBL) curriculum in a Restorative Practices environment. To learn more about PPOS and to enroll your student for the 2025-26 school year, visit pagosapeakopenschool.org.
Emily Murphy is School Director at Pagosa Peak Open School, the first District-authorized charter school in Archuleta County. Prior to her appointment as School Director, Emily filled various roles at PPOS including Project-Based Learning advisor, instructional coach, and assistant director.