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City to accept 100-acre Pikeview Quarry donation, adding reclaimed land to Blodgett Open Space
Summary
City staff told council that an independent review confirms reclamation and slope stability at Pikeview Quarry; council authorized accepting the roughly 100-acre donation to expand Blodgett Open Space, with monitoring and maintenance obligations and a May 15 closing date.
The Colorado Springs City Council moved forward April 28 to accept a donation of roughly 100 acres known as Pikeview Quarry, adding the parcel to the Blodgett Open Space and completing the third phase of a multipart acquisition.
Lana Thelen, design and development manager for Parks, said the donation follows extensive reclamation and a third-party geotechnical review. "The independent review confirmed that reclamation improvements, that buttress and the drainage improvements have significantly increased the stability of this site," said David Deitemeyer, senior TOPS program administrator. Deitemeyer outlined the reclamation work: about 3,400,000 cubic yards of material moved to build a structural buttress, approximately 127,000 cubic yards of topsoil, and planting of more than 31,000 small trees and shrubs as part of the stabilization and revegetation effort.
Staff said the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety signed off on post-reclamation work late last fall, and a third-party review supported moving forward with the real estate transaction. Deitemeyer noted ongoing monitoring plans (a Leica monitoring system) and three tiers of anticipated maintenance: short-term staff maintenance, medium-term groundwater monitoring and invasive weed/security work, and potential longer-term remediation if new issues appear.
Council members asked about deferred maintenance and budget pressures for parks. "We do have significant backlogs in our maintenance of our properties," Thelen said, adding that a parks master plan and park system master fund work are in progress to identify life-cycle and maintenance costs.
Public commenters representing parks and trails organizations voiced support. "This is one of those visionary projects," said Steve Harris, who described Parks’ established public process and upcoming master plan steps. Glenn Carlson of the Trails and Open Space Coalition praised the reclamation work and third-party reviews.
Ron Goodwiss, representing the ownership family, said the family was pleased to donate the parcel and noted long-standing ties to the community.
Council approved accepting the donation; the motion carried by recorded vote (8–0). City staff said they expect to close the transaction by May 15 and will initiate a public master-planning process to determine future uses of the property, which could range from wildlife habitat to recreational features such as a bike park.
