State of our parks: Some are watered and green, while others are overgrown, dry patchy fields

The summer sun’s scorching rays mercilessly beat down on the parched grass and dry, cracked ground of Memorial Park Sunday afternoon.

Here and around the city, the green slowly fades away.

Turning to the parks department to save the withering landscape won’t do much good, though. With a shriveled budget and skyrocketing water rates, there isn’t much more the city can do. In two years, the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department budget was cut from $19.9 million to $3.1 million, said Kurt Schroeder, the agency’s parks, trails and open space manager. A 66 percent increase in water rates over the same time period has compounded the problem, he said.

To help ease the city’s budget woes, Colorado Springs Utilities began a water conservation program in April that gives the city a reduced rate on water if it keeps consumption low. That saves money, but the parks receive far less water than the grass needs to stay green.

The city has picked which parks get help to stay green, and which likely will stay brown.

Parks that are major revenue producers, like sports complexes, and those that host large events get the majority of the city’s resources, including a full 24 inches of water and complete maintenance. America the Beautiful Park, Memorial Park, El Pomar Youth Sports Complex and Acacia Park remain green.

The 135 parks that don’t fit these criteria are left with whatever resources the city has left. Schroeder said that maintenance for this lower tier of parks is left up to 10 employees. Weeds are taking over lawns, trash cans are gone, and bathrooms are closed at these parks. Most haven’t been fertilized in three years he said.

While volunteers have stepped up to take over trash can and other park maintenance, the solution won’t work forever, Schroeder said.

After shifting and squeezing the parks department’s resources Schroeder has had to accept the brown.

“Hopefully we get a bit of help from mother nature,” he said. “But most likely the parks are going to be brown the rest of the summer.”

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Contact the writer at 636-0187.