Much of the grass in Santa Rita Park will be roped off for construction crews and equipment to use as a staging area while they work on the sewage plant in 2017 and 2018.
The field between the Santa Rita Park Drive and U.S. Highway 550/160 will not be available for sports or casual use, Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Metz said.
Next summer, athletic teams will likely have to use other fields such as those at Riverview Sports Complex, Durango School District 9-R schools and the La Plata County Fairgrounds. The Smith Sports Complex at Fort Lewis College, which opened Wednesday, also will be available.
But the softball fields at FLC will be closed for construction because the city is planning to renovate them next year, Metz said.
Conversations about what fields might be used are ongoing, she said. She recently told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board about the construction disruptions.
“This will be a time when the community needs to work together to find solutions,” she said.
The department’s goal is to keep everyone in Durango, she said.
Other more permanent changes will take place in the park as well because of the construction.
The large picnic shelter near the Whitewater Park, the basketball court, the sand volleyball courts and the stand-alone restrooms will be removed.
The new playground will remain open and available for use.
New public restrooms will be part of the sewage plant administration building, and there is room for a half basketball court, Metz said.
The Parks and Recreation Department wants to hear from the public before designing improvements for the park that might be built after the sewage-treatment plant is finished.
“I think it’s important the community help us in the design discussion,” she said.
A timeline for the public process hasn’t been decided, Metz said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
