Over 25 people met at the Piñon Valley Park pavilion on Monday, July 12 to:

• receive an update on funds raised by our community to support work at the park,
• obtain park maintenance status from Kurt Schroeder, Parks, Open Space and Trails manager, and Stacy Rawlins, park supervisor, and
• plan a Park Clean-up Day at the park.

Ed Plute, PVNA treasurer, noted that $8,515 had been deposited as of 6/28/10. This amount includes $320 donated by Piñon Glen Homeowners Association for the return of a portable restroom in the park. It does not include the in-kind donation by Green Valley Ranch towards a 1 ton dumpster, trash pick-up by volunteers and trash bags for the 5 trash cans that have been returned to the park. As Ed noted, funds are still coming in from residents within our community.

Kurt and Stacy were amazed at the amount of activity in the park on a Monday evening. The playground was bustling, neighbors were visiting, people were using the park trail and a baseball game was on at the west end of the park. Kurt Schroeder congratulated PVNA on the amount that has been raised and said that only one other neighborhood in the City had raised $8,000 for their park.

PIÑON VALLEY PARK NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Dear Neighbors:
You are probably aware of the many budget cuts recently made by the City of Colorado Springs. As a result, the amount of resources the Parks and Recreation department is able to devote to small neighborhood parks has been drastically reduced. In an effort to minimize the effects to Piñon Valley Park, the Piñon Valley Neighborhood Association (PVNA) is spearheading a cooperative effort to raise money to fund the shortfall for 2010 and organize volunteer efforts.

How does this affect you and our community?

A well-maintained park and playground provides a centerpoint for our families. It’s an asset we can’t afford to lose. Reduced services in the park will impact our families, children, and organized sports associations. A well maintained community park will also protect the long-term value of our property.

Limited services:

Kurt Schroeder of Parks and Recreation has told PVNA representatives that the City will fund about 50% of the water needs, mow and trim every other week and maintain most of the park equipment including the playground, lighting, fence repair. However, there is still an $18,883 shortfall. Without this money, the park can’t be fertilized, sprayed for weeds, or seeded. It also won’t cover unexpected expenses caused by vandalism. See the detailed information on park maintenance costs and the shortfall.