The Fremont County Commissioners met on site at the Western Fremont County Park at Howard April 11th. They met with community volunteers to discuss park priorities for park improvements this spring and summer.
As part of a 2016 goal to address maintenance issues in park properties that Fremont County owns the Fremont County Board of Commissioners made a site visit April 11th to Western Fremont County Park at Howard. The park property is in the Acres of Ireland subdivision that looks down across the Arkansas Valley south of Highway 50. Howard residents who have volunteered to serve on a local committee to revitalize the park say they want to emphasize the area as a community park for all residents in western Fremont County.
Mowing and minimal maintenance of the park was originally undertaken by a homeowners association but in recent years most of the work was performed by a single volunteer. Residents told the Board of Commissioners at a pair of town hall meetings this winter that usage of playground equipment, basketball court, and a picnic shelter had declined in recent years because of an infestation of puncture vine. The residents say they want herbicide control to resume and a county weed crew began work last week to start spraying in the park area.
In addressing the 2016 goal of dealing with parks maintenance the Board of Commissioners is in the process of hiring a maintenance person initially to work 30 hours a week this spring and summer. That person will deal with maintenance on county property at Pathfinder Regional Park, the B.F. Rockefellow Ecology Park south of Cañon City, the Fremont County Airport War Memorial Park, and Western Fremont County Park.
During the site visit to Howard the commissioners and County Manager Sunny Bryant discussed weed control, excavating around playground equipment, placing new crusher fines on the playground and a park trail, summer mowing, and repairs to picnic tables at the picnic shelter. Park Committee volunteers Shari Mohr, Linda Pulley, Nancy Hollen, and Fred Kroll met with the commissioners to discuss park improvements.