CREATIVE PLAY FOR ALL
PANORAMA PARK –
A PLAYGROUND FOR ALL By Cassie Melvin, Public Communications Specialist, City of Colorado Springs
“Meet me in the place where we gather in love and light, a once-desolate land now reinvigorated by the passion of the people.” - Ashley Cornelius, the Pikes Peak poet laureate
Colorado Springs is known for its breathtaking natural scenery, like the famous red rock formations at Garden of the Gods or majestic Pikes Peak America’s Mountain. As one of the nations’ most physically active cities, Colorado Springs, known as Olympic City USA, abounds with neighborhood, community and regional parks as well as native open spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy in the endless, yearround sunshine. In 2018, the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department recognized the need for a vibrant outdoor recreation space in the southeast side of town that would reflect the community’s diversity and passion. With limited public space available, Park staff identified Panorama Park as the perfect location to create that safe and inclusive environment. At the time, the 13.5-acre park, within walking distance for more than 3,300 people, was an underdeveloped and underutilized neighborhood park site with a small playground, pavilion, baseball backstop, and dirt parking lot. The City of Colorado Springs, through a collaborative effort between multiple community partners, underwent a year-long process to gather public input about the park’s design, usage and future programming. Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national non-profit organization that works with communities to protect public land and provide equitable access to outdoor opportunities, led the community engagement process. RISE | Southeast Colorado Springs, 22 • Colorado Byline | Summer 2023
