The 1.6 acres of grass in Buckley Park has seen better days.
The park’s central location and large grass field make it a favorite place for organizations to hold events, festivals and concerts. And slackliners, Frisbee throwers and dog walkers use the park daily.
Durango Parks Manager Scott McClain said continuous use of the popular venue may be detrimental to maintenance.
Currently, the grass at Buckley is patchy, and in some places, there is no grass at all. In the northeast corner of the park, sheets of plastic rings inserted into the dirt are exposed.
“We try to keep it up, but it is a park that with having something every weekend, it’s difficult to reseed,” McClain said.
Reseeding takes four to six weeks, so it is difficult to find a time to do that and to keep people off of the field for an extended period. And with spring in full swing, the park is seeing more use. On Wednesday, mountain bikers were riding a course through the park. In a couple of weeks, hundreds of people will gather in the park to attend the summer series Concert Hall @ the Park. The concerts will begin June 14 and will continue every Thursday through July 26.
As for the plastic rings, those provide stability in the ground for vehicle access to the park. If they were not there, the dirt would become rutted. But they’re not supposed to be exposed. A different type of soil was used where the rings are, and it makes it hard for grass to grow there, McClain said.
There are no plans for a major overhaul of the park.
The ownership situation of Buckley Park is unique. Durango School District 9-R owns the park, but the city of Durango leases the property from the school district.
The city signed a 10-year lease for the park beginning April 2, 2013, said Durango 9-R spokeswoman Julie Popp. The lease is $1,000 for the 10-year period.
The city is responsible for maintaining the park in the same manner as other city parks.
There is an option for the city to re-sign the lease for an additional 20 years, at the same price of $1,000 per 10-year period.
rsimonovich@ durangoherald.com
