Lake County outlines plan to reorganize parks, recreation and open space department; targets Sept. 1 launch

Lake County staff presented a plan on May 9 to reorganize the county’s parks, recreation and open-space functions into a single, integrated department and asked the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for feedback on timeline, community outreach and funding.

The presentation said the county will inventory current programs in May, conduct focused community and stakeholder outreach in June, finalize program and efficiency decisions in late June, align staffing and budget in July and aim for a public launch around Sept. 1. "The real work is really about dreaming and having better systems across the department," a Parks and Recreation staff member said during the session. The presenter added the reorganization should not "disrupt any of the great work that Rocky’s Rock does."

Why it matters: county leaders said the integration is intended to share successful practices across recreation, outreach and open-space work, reduce duplication, and prepare programs to be sustainable if the county faces budget pressures. Commissioners and staff discussed sequencing so community-facing programs continue while internal processes, branding and position descriptions are updated.

Staff described the outreach plan as a mix of stakeholder meetings, focus groups and in-person engagement (for example, attending neighborhood events and the skate park) rather than relying solely on surveys. The presentation proposed hiring community connectors ("promotores") under a research contract and using communications consultants to produce outreach materials and a public education plan. The county said it may issue requests for proposals (RFPs) to hire those consultants and estimated roughly $40,000 in potential contract funds could support community-connector work; staff said they would confirm budget details.

Funding and grants: staff identified several funding pathways the county is pursuing. The presenter said the Colorado Health Foundation grant round mentioned in the meeting closes June 15 and could fund salaries, programming or general operations if aligned to the funder’s youth-access priorities. Staff also said Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) has offered flexibility on submission timing for a capital/operations grant of $300,000 per year for five years (total $1.5 million); GOCO would allow a later submission and would likely award funds in March 2026 if the county applied in September. The presenter said GOAL (the county’s existing recreation initiative) currently holds about $260,000 in private donations that could serve as a short-term reserve while longer-term funding is pursued.

Staffing and operations: the timeline calls for drafting and posting updated position descriptions in August so the 2026 budget cycle reflects any new full-time staffing needs. Staff said it is too soon to say which positions will be funded from county general fund versus grants; the BOCC will weigh any general-fund requests during regular budget deliberations. The presenter said staffing and budget decisions will be informed by the May–June program inventory and community feedback.

Board members asked about the pace of change and whether the Sept. 1 date would be a soft or full launch. Staff and several commissioners said the Sept. 1 target is flexible and could become a phased rollout based on community input and budget realities. "If you feel like, hey ... we need to be slowed down on the implementation, we can do that too," a county official said. Commissioners emphasized preserving core programs and avoiding disruption to well-established events.

Next steps and public involvement: staff said the county’s website already hosts an open-answer feedback form, that public work sessions will be scheduled, and that staff will coordinate promotion with local media. Staff also said they will return to the BOCC with more detailed recommendations after completing the May–June outreach and the July budget alignment work.

The BOCC ended the work session after roughly 36 minutes with no formal votes taken during this discussion.