City of Denver could shift millions of dollars from Civic Center Greek Theater updates to fund La Alma Lincoln Park and pickleball court projects

The City Council will soon decide whether to restructure the Denver Parks and Recreation Fund, which would accelerate the construction of four pickleball courts at Rosamond Park and update the vision plan for La Alma Lincoln Park.

A total of $3 million will be withdrawn from the Civic Center Greek Theater Renovation Fund, with $2 million going to the Rosamond Park Courthouse in Hampden South and $1 million going to La Alma Lincoln Park.

Earlier this month, City Council members expressed confusion about reallocating funding in light of recent cuts to services at Parks & Rec in response to Denver’s new immigration needs.

“Now that we’re in a humanitarian crisis, think about what we can redeploy to fill other holes in the city,” Jolon Clark, executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation, told commissioners earlier this month. I explained it at the meeting. “And when you think about what kind of money could be used to fill the hole that’s being created in Parks and Recreation, the money we’re talking about today is not money that could be used for either of those things.”

So why would the city move these funds now?

Construction on the Civic Center Park Greek Theater project has been pushed back to 2026, leaving the department with $3 million unused.

Clark explained that the money is not part of the department’s general fund, but rather comes from the Park Legacy Fund, which voters approved in 2018 and is a 0.25% sales tax increase. May only be used to acquire, develop, improve, and maintain new facilities. and the existing Denver Park.

Civic Center funding will be reimbursed, but the scope of the project will not be affected.

“There were a couple of locations where we felt we could move forward with other priorities and projects that are important to residents,” Clark said.

Paying $2 million for Rosamond’s pickleball courts would move construction up a year to 2025. Four courts will be added to Denver Park Southeast.

The new construction schedule is expected to coincide with the courthouse schedule at the Raleigh Sports Complex. Clark explained that the city will save money on the project by using the same contractor for both projects, which will improve efficiency in design and construction execution.

Rosamond will join the Martin Luther King Jr. Park Courthouse and Raleigh Courthouse as pickleball projects currently funded by legacy funds. No general funds will be used for the 2024 pickleball construction project.

The vision plan for La Alma Lincoln Park will be completed in July 2023 and outlines future improvements, including a cultural storytelling and exercise loop, amphitheater restoration, new plazas, picnic groves, and enhanced lighting and safety. it was done.

Clark explained that leveraging funds from the dormant civic center to develop La Alma will help Parks & Rec apply for an Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) grant. A nationally competitive, dollar-for-dollar matching grant for urban communities without access to nearby outdoor recreation.

This expands La Alma’s budget to a total of $13.7 million and allows the project to be completed in one phase.