Title
A Resolution of Support for the City of Colorado Springs’ Jimmy Camp Creek Property Open Space Grant Application to Great Outdoors Colorado
Presenter:
Karen Palus, Director, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
Tilah Larson, Senior Analyst, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
Body
Summary:
The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department (“Department”) submitted a grant to the Great Outdoors Colorado (“GOCO”) Open Space Grant program to assist with the acquisition of 295 acres of property located between Jimmy Camp Creek Regional Park and Corral Bluffs Open Space. The $800,000 request will contribute to acquisition costs estimated at $3,188,100. The Department is seeking a resolution from City Council in support of the application.
Background:
After a decade of acquiring land in eastern area of Colorado Springs, the City is now presented with the opportunity to create the long sought after link between two cornerstone properties. Jimmy Camp Creek Prairie Preserve offers an outstanding natural area that connects two large existing properties, Jimmy Camp Creek Regional Park and Corral Bluffs Open Space, in order to achieve landscape-scale conservation in eastern Colorado Springs. The 295 acre parcel of the prairie preserve will help link the 876 acres of Corral Bluffs to the 693 acres of Jimmy Camp Creek Regional Park, resulting in the preservation of 1,864 acres of critical prairie habitat, distinctive bluff landforms, a transitional ponderosa pine ecosystem, and a world class paleontological site.
The property, currently owned by Colorado Springs Utilities, was purchased by Colorado Springs Utilities in the early 2000s in anticipation of building a reservoir to store water for the Southern Delivery System, a 50-mile pipeline from the Pueblo Reservoir. Colorado Springs Utilities abandoned the location as a possible site when the Bureau of Reclamation, Corps of Engineers, and Environmental Protection Agency identified a preferred reservoir site several miles south. Per the Colorado Springs Utilities Procedure Manual for the Acquisition and Disposition, Colorado Springs Utilities invited City departments to purchase and the Parks Department expressed interest. The Department has submitted a GOCO grant application to assist with acquisition costs.
Previous Council Action:
N/A
Financial Implications:
Through Trails, Open Space and Parks (“TOPS”) funding, the City will provide $2,388,100 as match funding in order to complete the acquisition. A supplemental appropriation to the TOPS fund will be brought to City Council when the acquisition for the property is ready to move forward. The GOCO Grant funding is included in the TABOR calculation.
City Council Appointed Board/Commission/Committee Recommendation:
The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board will vote on supporting the application to GOCO at their October 10, 2019 meeting. Unanimous support from the board is anticipated.
Stakeholder Process:
The 2014 Parks System Master Plan and the Colorado Springs Open Space Plan both identify this property as a priority open space candidate area. Each plan sought community feedback, received organization endorsements from area partners, and received unanimous approval from both the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board and City Council.
Alternatives:
City Council may choose not to pass a resolution supporting the grant application. Doing so would limit the ability of the city to receive GOCO grant funds.
Recommended Action
Proposed Motion:
Support the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services’ Jimmy Camp Creek Open Space Grant Application to Great Outdoors Colorado.
Summary of Ordinance Language
N/A