Mc Namera Park Offers New Opportunities
McNamera Park Offers New Opportunities
About 12 people showed up for the presentation on plans for the restoration of McNamara Park in Walden. The meeting was held at the Mountain Parks Electric building on June 28.
Of the 12, four were MPE employees who were there anyway, one was a Town Board member, one was a town employee, and one was her husband. Only five came in off the street to look at preliminary plans for the restoration.
That is not a level of interest that would justify spending $300,000 of public money on the park project. It certainly wouldn’t persuade GoCo to grant $150,000 or more for the restoration project, and without that grant, the town can’t afford to do much with the park.
And maybe people want it that way. I don’t think the town Board has any intention of shoving an expensive proposal down the throats of the citizens if they don’t want it. Town residents whould understand that one option regarding McNamara Park is to do nothing.
Those who did attend the meeting on June 28 seemed interested in the presentation. The town has hired RPA & Associates of Fort Collins to produce renovation plans for the park. RPA’s Mark Kosmos produced several 3’ X 5’ panels showing proposals based on previous town surveys. There were options A, B, and C for an overall plan, plus some modern options for playground equipment that would tie into the historical theme of an area of town anchored by the Pioneer Museum and the Courthouse.
A big difference among the three plans is the size of the physical activity area. The park now has two derelict tennis courts and one derelict basketball court. Kosmos noted that rebuilding and maintaining tennis courts would be the most expensive part of the project, using up maybe two-thirds of the funds available. He presented options for an activity area the size of two tennis courts, one tennis court, or half a tennis court – suitable for half-court basketball and/or pickle ball.
One person at the meeting suggested a skateboard park, so we are investigating the cost and potential liability for that. Another person suggested that McNamara Park ought not to be a mirror image of Hanson Park. However, at this point, the town is going to have to demonstrate a high level of interest in the project, or I will probably recommend to the Town Board that we drop it.
The McNamara Park panels will be making their way around town. From July 5 to July 10, they will be in the Mountain Valley Bank lobby. From July 11 to July 14, they will be at the Jackson County Library. With the panels will be instructions on how to take a survey regarding McNamara Park. This survey is available only on-line at https://PollEv.com/surveys/buSn0H11q/web
These surveys must be completed and submitted by close of business on July 14. We are now operating on a tight time frame dictated by when we can apply for construction money from GoCo. I think further action on the project – if any - will be guided by how many surveys get turned in.
Road Work
The project to resurface parts of Fourth, Third and School streets will begin on Aug. 7. County and town crews will be putting a double chip seal surface on those streets. Following that work, the streets will be closed for 24 hours to allow the surface to cure. So businesses and residents should make plans on how to access their properties while the streets are closed.
What will be resurfaced is Fourth Street from Lafever to Main Street, Fourth Street from Main to School (Washington) Street, School Street from Fourth to Third streets, and Third Street from School Street to Main Street. We haven’t decided yet where we will start, but the resurfacing will probably take two days. The streets will remain closed for 24 hours after the asphalt is laid down.
The town will publish reminders between now and then. If anyone has any questions about the project, please contact Town Hall or any of your hard-working, long-suffering, dedicated Town Board members.
