With a focus on youth sports fields and Wildcat Regional Park, Douglas County publishes a financing study

For months, plans for parks and recreation have been in the spotlight in Douglas County, with the youth sports community voicing concerns about the future of Castle Rock-area sports fields amid plans to renovate Fairgrounds Regional Park.

County leaders have expressed a desire to build new sports fields elsewhere, but a proposal to build sports fields in the Highlands Ranch area – in what is known as Wildcat Regional Park – is facing opposition, including an online petition raising concerns about potential impacts on wildlife.

It is now possible to submit suggestions directly to the district authorities on how to use the parking funds.

“Completing the online survey will take approximately 15 minutes of your time and is one of the county’s many ongoing efforts to involve you in the process of setting spending priorities for the Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space Fund,” the county said in a news release.

County staff said the survey could influence county commission decisions about where to build youth sports fields, as well as decisions about the planned Wildcat Regional Park, programs for older adults and other priorities.

Potential changes to the county’s Fairgrounds Regional Park have been brewing for a long time. Officials say it’s time for renovations and demand for space at the venue is outpacing capacity.

According to a draft of the trade fair master plan, some sports fields could be retained. However, three fields on the eastern edge could be put to new use.

A baseball field, a football/lacrosse area and a multi-purpose soccer area could be affected, according to Tim Hallmark, the county’s facilities director.

Attention is turning to the proposed Wildcat Regional Park as a site where new fields could be developed. The 202-acre piece of land — near Monarch Boulevard, south of Rocky Heights Middle School — was given to the county as part of an agreement with the Mission Viejo Company, the original developer of Highlands Ranch.

Officials have heard that there is some agreement between those in favor of new fields and those concerned about wilderness, but it is unclear whether the public can broadly agree on the locations of new fields.

The results of the district’s survey could help in developing solutions.

“The survey methodology is designed to provide the best possible means of obtaining a statistically accurate and representative sample of the opinions of Douglas County residents ages 18 and older,” the county said in a press release.

Until Aug. 27, residents across Douglas County can take the “online-only, confidential survey” conducted by independent research firm Hill Research Consultants, the county said.

After its first approval by voters in 1994, a 0.17% sales and use tax has helped maintain parks, trails, historic resources and open space throughout Douglas, according to the county. In 2022, Douglas voters approved a measure to expand that sales tax, which is expected to raise $350 million over 15 years.

The distribution of funds from the Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space Fund includes a 20 percent “municipal re-share” of funds to Castle Pines, Parker, Larkspur, Lone Tree and Castle Rock, according to the county.

More: Take the District survey at tinyurl.com/DouglasParksSurvey.

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