Skip to main content

Steamboat Magazine

Community Engagement Gathering

11/13/2017 09:47AM ● By Alesha Damerville

Image from steamboatsprings.net

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS-November 7, 2017-The City of Steamboat Springs will be hosting its first community engagement gathering focused on the vision for Howelsen Park on Wednesday, November 15, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Townies (1744 Lincoln Avenue).

“During this initial stage, we’re looking to gain input from as many interested individuals and groups about what they value about Howelsen Park,” said Kyrill Kretzschmar, project manager for Howelsen Park Vision 2040. “Over time, we’ll narrow the focus to take common community themes and values into an actionable vision for the future.”

This gathering represents the first phase of a five phase engagement program over the coming months which will mix stakeholder input, public gatherings, surveys, previous planning efforts and a variety of digital resources, including an interactive website, engagesteamboat.net, in an effort to reach a wide audience across the valley. The site is expected to come online around the end of November.

Under the direction of the Parks & Recreation Commission, the Howelsen Park Vision 2040 project is looking to engage the community in an effort to develop a 20-year vision for the entire Howelsen Park complex, basically from the BMX track across the rodeo venue to the ice arena; and up to the top of the ski area. The goal is to create a community vision that understands desired year-round uses of the complex, while factoring in associated costs and funding mechanisms.

It’s important to understand that two concurrent engagement efforts are currently underway, Howelsen Park Vision 2040 and the Master Plan for Parks, Open Space, Trails and the Yampa River. The public will have opportunities to participate in both efforts; however, the campaigns will work to eliminate duplication, share gained information and maximize public participation in an integrated manner.

Howelsen Park has been a part of Steamboat Springs and northern Colorado since the early 1900s. The 161 acre park hosts a variety of recreational activities that residents and guests continue to enjoy a century later. Howelsen has played a major role in shaping the history and heritage of Steamboat Springs.