Ewing Mesa could be home to a music venue, trails, campsites and other attractions, in addition to the planned multiuse events center.
The city will host its first public meeting dedicated to planning development on Durango Mesa Park on Thursday and expects to gather ideas about the community’s vision for the property, Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Metz said.
The city’s projects would complement the multiuse events center La Plata County is planning.
The county is planning to develop about 200 acres, which leaves about 1,650 acres that could be used for other purposes.
Co-founder of Mercury Payment Systems, Mark Katz, bought 1,850 acres on Ewing Mesa adjacent to Horse Gulch in 2015 and announced plans to donate it for public use. The property that is not donated to the county for the events center is intended to be donated to the city, Metz said.
The city plans to complete a high-level area plan for the property by summer. A $100,000 grant from the LOR Foundation is funding the new area plan.
During meetings for the multiuse events center, residents expressed a desire for an outdoor music venue, bike park and campsites to stay near their livestock, Metz said.
She expects some of those ideas will come up again, but the city is also open to other suggestions.
She also expects that the plan can help meet some of the desires expressed in a parks and recreation survey.
The city is also updating its five-year strategic plan, and residents will have an opportunity to present their ideas to three city advisory boards Wednesday.
The plan lays out the possible timing of large construction projects such as putting in new Rotary Park restrooms and rebuilding the Animas River Trail from River City Hall to the swinging bridge.
The parks and recreation master plan the city is also updating focuses on long-range goals, while the strategic plan is updated annually.
“The strategic plan is a way for us to check in,” Metz said.
A draft of the strategic plan is available on the city’s website at Durangogov.org.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
Draft Strategic Plan
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If you go
Three city advisory boards will hear from the public about future parks and trails projects at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Durango Community Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave.
The first meeting on the Durango Mesa Park development will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Durango City Hall, 949 East Second Ave. A presentation will start at 5:15 p.m.
