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 county.

Why it matters: Parks and recreational services are both a community amenity and a revenue- and labor-intensive operation. Chatham told the commission that the department needs a multi-year plan to address deferred maintenance, define fee policies and create predictable operating models so that programs remain affordable for low-income residents while sustaining core services.

Budget and grants: Chatham described recent “clean up” work on accounting and reimbursement. The department is operating on reimbursement schedules for several grants and has been reconciling two multiyear reimbursements described in the presentation as roughly $1.4 million across 2019–2021 and about $400,000 for fiscal 2022; staff said those adjustments explain part of a year-to-year budget shift that appears as lower revenue in one fiscal view but represents reimbursement timing rather than permanent losses. The department also highlighted reliance on grant funding streams including Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and state grants routed through the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and the state energy office.

Land-conservation talks and open space: Chatham said the county is in early-stage conversations with Trust for Public Land and other partners about a roughly 7,000-acre property (referred to in the presentation as the Cavalli or Lakebank Ranch) that the prior board had discussed acquiring for water rights and open-space protection. He described several acquisition models under consideration — county fee title, donation to a land trust, or a split arrangement — and emphasized the funding would be a partnership effort so the county would not carry the entire price tag alone.

Facilities and programs: Chatham proposed next steps for the proposed Lake County recreation and aquatic center, calling the immediate requirement a business case that examines strategic need, demand, management and finance before pursuing expensive feasibility and design work. He said the department will pursue clearer performance measures and improved registration and communications systems to boost participation. Staff also described plans to develop park-by-park management plans, revisit lease and concession agreements, and clarify rules and regulations for park uses.

Equity and outreach: Get Outdoors Leadville staff described a decade of outreach and a push for a more inclusive outdoor sector, noting a statewide “outdoor equity summit” scheduled for February (staff said the summit had 84 registrants at the time of the brief and that some federal-state funding flows were temporarily paused while legal counsel at the state clarified guidance for ARPA-derived reimbursements). GOL staff said the program’s goals include reducing financial and cultural barriers to outdoor recreation and convening statewide partners to expand access for underrepresented groups.

Maintenance and operations: Chatham stressed the department must move from reactive maintenance to a lifecycle-based approach, with scheduled upkeep of playgrounds, fields and trails. He described the maintenance function as shared with Public Works and flagged the need to clarify responsibilities so repair work is not duplicated or deferred.

Next steps and requests: Department staff said they will return with more detailed budget categorizations, a timeline and prioritization matrix for recommendations in the county’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space master plan, and a business-case outline for the recreation/aquatic facility. They also asked the commission to consider direction on fees policy, lease policy, and whether county-held land should be used for future amenities or conveyed to partners.

Chatham concluded by urging ongoing collaboration and by encouraging commissioners to attend upcoming community events run by the department and partners. Ending: Department leaders said they will supply a draft strategic plan and detailed revenue/cost breakdowns to commissioners ahead of requested follow-ups.