3 minute read
Grants Are Great
By Gabrielle Chisholm, former Parks & Recreation Assistant Director, Gilpin County
In June of 2020, a new GameTime Play On! playground was installed at Pete Gones Memorial Park in Gilpin
County by Triple M Recreation! In December of 2019, the county was awarded the CPRA/GameTime promotes play grant. This demonstration site uses six key play elements: balancing, spinning, brachiating, sliding, climbing and swinging. Research proves that these movements and actions, in conjunction with one another, increase gross motor development,
improve critical thinking and problemsolving skills, and provide opportunities for creativity, social interaction and overall physical fitness for ages 5-12 years. This playground provides a safe and fun place for young children to develop and grow, to be able to explore and become stewards of Gilpin County’s vast open space land. This playground replaced a 19 year-old structure, and is one of the few public park locations in the Peak to Peak area. THANK YOU CPRA and GameTime for this excellent opportunity!
Many of the partnerships that were secured had some great contributions planned for this playground project. BaseCamp: demo and upcycle old equipment, CSU Extension: planting native grasses and wildflowers, Local Girl Scout Troop: plant a tree, Library: help with usage research, and Ameristar: looking into how to contribute to more ADA accommodations such as a universal swing or pour-in-place surfacing. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 the County and many of our partners closed down in
mid-March. Some staff in Gilpin County Parks & Recreation were still able to work from home and virtually to be able to complete the project with the Public Works Department and Triple M Recreation. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closing of all casinos for three months by a state public heath order. The closure and the current very-restricted variance, greatly impacted the 2020 county budget, with the loss of an estimated $3 million, leading to the furlough and eventually the dismissal of 79 employees, close to 25% of Gilpin County staff. The Parks & Recreation Department has closed entirely. The extreme measure to close the department was necessary to continue funding the statutory responsibilities Gilpin County has as a political subdivision of the state. While passive areas like the playground and trail have reopened, once the State went into “Safer at Home and in the Vast Great Outdoors,” Gilpin County has no resources available to maintain the outdoor facilities for continued use. Gilpin County has submitted a Great Outdoors Colorado Resilient Communities Program Proposal. The proposal asks for funding to provide maintenance and oversight of the outdoor facilities, including the new playground at Pete Gones Memorial Park, 2 ballfields, fairgrounds, arenas, trail and community garden, in order for them to open to Gilpin residents again. These funds will act as a stop gap as the county will be putting a dedicated mill levy on the ballot in November to reopen the Parks and Recreation Department in 2021. Surveys from residents show a great willingness to pass the mill levy and a successful GOCO grant will allow the outdoor areas of the department to open until revenue from the mill levy is received in Spring 2021. Fingers crossed!
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