Photo: Screen shot from the Pagosa Springs Town Council April 7 work session, during which Council member Brooks Lindner, second from left, argued for the expansion of Reservoir Hill Park.
I started this editorial series by stating that I think the seven people who’ve been serving recently on the Pagosa Springs Town Council are some of the most thoughtful and intelligent people in our little rural community.
But we all can develop unreasonable obsessions. And some obsessions can, eventually, become harmful.
After being told that the Town Parks & Recreation Department has a 2016 Parks & Recreation Master Plan — which apparently doesn’t exist — the members of the Pagosa Springs Town Council took turns explaining why they would be willing to spend perhaps $8 million buying a well-maintained forest just south of the town limits. The $8 million figure was suggested by Parks & Recreation Director Darren Lewis at the April 7 work session. About $5.9 million could potentially come from a federal forest-preservation program grant.
During my tour of that forest on Saturday, with Ken Levine, I was told that Council member Brooks Lindner has been the person leading the charge to purchase the property, as a recreational asset. So perhaps it was appropriate that Mr. Lindner gave a rather lengthy presentation at the Council’s April 7 work session, illuminating the many reasons why he felt the $8 million purchase was a good idea.
Here are a few of his comments, which he read from a prepared document.
“I think we have an opportunity here to develop a unique and valuable parks and open space system that increasing the quality of life for our residents and visitors, and benefits our local economy. My sort of high-level vision is combining our existing parks, trails and river assets with future acquisitions — namely, right now, Reservoir Hill — to create an exceptional system of parks and trails that connect users to a variety of experiences including recreation, relaxation, events, dining and retail, all in a pedestrian-friendly and beautiful Colorado mountain environment…
“…For the Goodman property, I see that as sort of a ‘base camp’ area which connects via pedestrian trails to the River Walk Trail, to Reservoir Hill, the East End [commercial area], Cotton’s Hole, Town Park, downtown, Yamaguchi Park, and ultimately to the Town to Lakes Trail…
“…Existing Reservoir Hill trails could be upgraded to connect to other area trails. Existing plans to connect the River Walk Trail to the Bob’s LP parcel make that very easy. And then… develop parking on the Goodman property for visitors, as well as areas for campers and RVs, including spots for seasonal employees [to camp]…”
We can pause here for a moment and consider these comments. Since about 1990, the Town government has focused a great deal of its time and resources on three or four community projects. Paving the downtown streets, for example. Acquiring land for parks and trails and adding improvements to those properties. Controlling development within the downtown in an attempt to preserve some kind of “authentic mountain town” feel. And last but not least, promoting the tourism industry.
The drive to acquire vacant land within the town has been especially strong with the Town Council. Over the past three decades, the Council has added about 90 acres of new parks and trail developments, on top of the 155 acres of municipal parks that pre-date 1996. That makes a current total of over 245 acres of municipally-maintained parks and trails.
I mentioned, back in Part One, that the north end of the Reservoir Hill mesa was designated as a municipal park back when the first U.S. government survey was done, in 1883.
We can also note that the area surrounding the Great Pagosa Hot Springs was designated as a park-like area:
Today, the area around the mother spring is privately owned, and has become one of the more expensive hot springs resorts in the western U.S. Visitors pay a private corporation to enjoy the publicly-owned geothermal water in more than 50 soaking pools and swimming pools.
The Town of Pagosa Springs, meanwhile, maintains 12 downtown parks and numerous trails, guided by the belief — as stated by Mr. Lindner — that recreation is the essential glue that connects visitors and residents alike “to a variety of experiences including recreation, relaxation, events, dining and retail, all in a pedestrian-friendly and beautiful Colorado mountain environment…”
Mr. Lindner concluded his speech this way:
“The connection between all of our different parks, Reservoir Hill and downtown, offers a huge variety of recreational a leisure experiences…
“…The acquisition of [the southern part of] Reservoir Hill offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There’s a cost to not taking advantage of this opportunity. If the Town does not buy the property, it may lose the chance to preserve it permanently. The land could be developed… or become acquired by someone else. And in that case, the opportunity cost of inaction is the lost public benefit of conservation and outdoor recreation, trail connectivity, community character, and future recreational access.
“I would argue that this opportunity is so valuable that it justifies a trade-off of foregoing other identified and unidentified initiatives, to secure the funding to ensure we acquire Res Hill…”
What might those other Town initiatives that Council member Lindner feels are less important than a potential 300-acre wilderness park, added to the Town’s existing 245 acres of recreational parks?
Street repairs, perhaps? Is that something we want to depreciate on our list of priorities? The Town’s slowly-failing geothermal heating system? Maybe that’s not very important?
Child care support for working parents?
How about Goal Number Two in the Council Goals for 2026-2027… housing for our workforce?
The Town acted like it was genuinely concerned about the housing crisis, five years ago, and purchased about 5 acres of vacant residential-zoned property. But while Mr. Lindner has been serving on the Council, nothing has been built on those vacant parcels.
Meanwhile, the Town has spent more than $3 million, during that time, acquiring ‘open space’ for recreational activities and adding new park amenities. It now seems poised to spend another $8 million.
An alien visiting Earth from another galaxy might conclude that the residents of Pagosa Springs don’t actually need homes to live in. They just need hiking trails and pickleball courts.