Lake County parks department previews strategy, seeks stable funding as Get Outdoors Leadville marks 10 years

Lake County’s new Parks, Recreation and Open Space department presented a strategic overview Tuesday, outlining program growth, budget adjustments and early-stage land-conservation talks while urging clearer long-term funding and improved maintenance systems.

Director Duncan Chatham told the Board of County Commissioners the department has worked to fold three existing program streams – parks and recreation, open space and Get Outdoors Leadville (GOL) – into a single operating structure. “We provide, protect, and improve open spaces, parks, playgrounds,” Chatham said, describing the department’s mission to expand access and stewardship across roughly 80% public land in the county.

The presentation gave commissioners an update on programming and finances. Staff reported that GOL logged roughly 8,793 program participant days in its most recent tally and that the combined parks and recreation programs served thousands of participants across age groups: in 2023, staff cited about 2,700 youth and 1,300 participants in community programs for GOL; department-wide totals were described as rising to about 8,100 participant contacts in 2024. Chatham and program staff said the department has awarded or supported employment for local youth through grants and operates the largest licensed summer childcare program in the…