In The Durango Herald on March 9, Harrison Wendt, a City Council candidate, expressed a desire to reallocate portions of the soon to be sun-setting 2005 quarter-cent tax to housing. Going one step further, Wendt said that “Durango should not focus on Durango Mesa Park, which is probably 10 years out, when we have these crises that are affecting the people of our city.”
While Wendt has identified issues in our community that warrant considered and thoughtful solutions, positioning them against Durango’s parks and recreation is short-sighted and ignores the importance of projects like Durango Mesa Park.
A recent study has shown that our various parks generate roughly $23,700,000 in visitor spending. That results in $33,900,000 in total economic impact and directly contributes to 348 jobs in our community. That economic impact is more than triple of what the city spends on our parks and open space. These numbers do not consider the additive health, ecological or environmental benefits of our parks.
Parks and recreation are part of the solution to the problems in our community. They allow for greater density, economic vibrancy and community health. Too often, we speak about parks as a “nice to have” amenity. It’s time we all started thinking about them as the economic drivers they are. Durango Mesa Park is an opportunity unlike any Durango has ever had. Assuming it will just happen in 10 years without appropriate funding jeopardizes everything Durango will stand to gain from it.
Anthony Savastano
Durango
