The city of Durango will become the new owner of Buckley Park, the cherished green space previously owned by Durango School District 9-R in the 1200 block of Main Avenue.
Durango City Council authorized City Manager José Madrigal to close on a deal with the school district to purchase the park for $3 million Tuesday.
“This is the final step for the long, it seems like, acquisition of Buckley Park,” Madrigal said.
He said he has been working on the agreement since he joined the city about 3½ years ago.
The $3 million to purchase the park was appropriated by City Council last month from the 2005 sales tax fund.
“I think it’s great that we are securing Buckley Park for our community for the long term,” said Councilor Olivier Bosmans.
Councilor Melissa Youssef said the purchase is a “big feat” and a “wonderful addition.”
“It’s already been there, but it’s nice to (have it) be in city hands,” she said. “It’s a great gathering place for public events and many more things. So I’m very happy that that went through.”
Durango 9-R Board of Education member Katie Stewart said in a news release in March the school board is happy with the deal.
“After four years of dedicated discussions, we are glad to have reached an agreement solidifying Buckley Park as a cherished community asset,” she said.
Durango School District, which used to be headquartered at a historic high school building next door to Buckley Park, also since acquired by the city, has long been adamant the park should be preserved “for generations to come,” as stated in an Oct. 29, 2021, posted announcement on its website.
The announcement was an affirmation of the school district’s commitment to Buckley Park and mentions negotiations with the city.
“The Board of Education has been committed to ensuring that the building continue to be an historically-preserved community asset and that Buckley Park remain a park,” the post says. “... Also, we are collaborating with both the City and the Fire District as we ensure that there is no intent to cut down trees and that Buckley Park can be used for generations to come.”
The city announced it reached a deal with the school district to buy Buckley Park in March.
City officials have said they share the school district’s vision for the park to be preserved.
Karla Sluis, spokeswoman for the school district, said the school has historically owned the park, but many residents were under the false impression that the city owned it.
The city previously leased the park from the school district. Durango Community Events Administrator Ellen Babers said in March the park hosts various events, on average, 45 days of the year.
Buckley Park is a common gathering place for parades, protests, celebrations and other community events.
Sluis said the park served as DHS’s athletic field from 1917 to 1976.
“In 1989, during the 100th year celebration of Durango High School, a time capsule was buried in Buckley,” Sluis said. “No one knows where.”
Buckley Park was so named in recognition of Warren and Wendell Buckley, brothers, “for their contribution to the education of Durango’s children,” according to a memorial at the park commemorating the Buckleys.
In 2015, the Durango High School class of 1965 rededicated Buckley Park with an upgrade to the memorial, as reported by The Durango Herald at the time.
Warren Buckley was a principal of Animas City School before he taught geometry at DHS and became the principal in 1957.
Wendell Buckley also led Animas City School until he became principal of Smiley Junior High School, the Herald reported.
“What the Buckleys instilled was respect,” Art Gomez, 1965 DHS graduate, said in 2015. “They were the best educators. They were old-school and firm, but that’s an important element I think is missing in education today.”
Gomez rallied others to get the city’s greenlight to rename the park, which was formerly known as the “Durango High School park.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
