Crews continue to make excellent progress renovating this neighborhood park, located in southeast Colorado Springs near Fountain Boulevard and Jet Wing Drive. The latest installations are an 11-foot-tall climbing boulder designed by local youth, and a key piece of the water feature that will be the focal point of the park’s redesigned entry plaza.
The climbing boulder, installed Sept. 17, was donated by The North Face through The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a key project partner and national nonprofit organization. It was designed with input from the RISE Southeast Youth Advisory Council (YAC), a group of young leaders ages 12-18 who live in southeast Colorado Springs and are working to improve the southeast through resident-led change.
The boulder’s unique design provides a variety of natural, sculpted holds and routes with natural-looking fossil imprints included throughout. This one-of-a-kind realistic boulder was fabricated in Colorado by Gunnison-based ID Sculpture.
The splashpad was a community priority and will provide refreshing fun for all in the heat of summer from May-September each year. It features a recirculation system with a large underground water reservoir tank that will conserve millions of gallons of water annually. The tank, which was installed Sept. 18, has a working capacity of 2,700 gallons and weighs more than 13,000 pounds. Sure to be a visitor favorite, the splashpad was contributed by TPL with funding made possible by a variety of donors.
Crews broke ground on Panorama, the largest neighborhood park renovation in city history, on May 8, 2021 and work is expected to be complete in the summer of 2022. Prior to this community-led renovation, the majority of land in Panorama was under-developed.
In addition to the climbing boulder and splashpad, other key features of the transformed park are a universally accessible playground; an event lawn with shade trees for hosting music and performances; a bike park; a youth area with skate features; a multi-use sports field; fitness stations; and community-inspired art.
The total Panorama renovation cost is an estimated $8.5 million, which came from a variety of funding sources, including $500,000 from 2018 TABOR retention funds approved by voters as ballot issue 2B in 2019; $1 million from Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) sales tax funds; $4 million from Parkland Dedication Ordinance funds; and funding from private partners.
Major funding partners include the Colorado Health Foundation; Colorado Springs Health Foundation; El Pomar Foundation; Great Outdoors Colorado; Lyda Hill Philanthropies; RISE Southeast; Transforming Safety Colorado; The Anschutz Foundation/Gazette Charities; and TPL.