Cheesman Park will not be hosting any private outdoor fee-based events in 2015 after the Denver Parks and Recreation manager decided not to add the popular park to a list of sites eligible to host these activities.
Lauri Dannemiller told the Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on June 9 that she would not allow Cheesman — at Eighth Avenue and Franklin Street — to host fee-based events this summer.
The five other parks under consideration for 2015 will be added to the list and can host fee-based activities. Those parks are La Alma/Lincoln, Argo, Forest Parkway, George Wallace and Westwood.
The city began allowing fee-based events of up to 25 people in Denver parks in 2014. Activities include sports camps, exercise programs and classes run by outside groups.
Already included on the list are the city’s major parks such as City Park, Washington Park, Central Park and Civic Center. Permits are typically limited for each park.
Dannemiller’s statement to the board did not close the door for Cheesman in the future for fee-based activities, but she said she felt this was not the right time.
“This is not to permanently eliminate the option of POFA expansion to Cheesman or other parks,” Dannemiller wrote to the board. “But a review should be conducted by the executive director on an annual basis as per the original commitment to determine demand, community support and other factors.”
Some residents near .
Friends and Neighbors of Cheesman Park president Jay Rust said that he felt fee-based activities would create more parking problems and exasperate the use of the park. He said he is grateful for Dannemiller’s decision.
“I truly believe that manager Lauri Dannemiller thought hard about doing POFA at Cheesman and understood that it really isn’t something that is appropriate for this park for a variety of reasons,” Rust said.
He added he will continue to fight against the fee-based activities at Cheesman should it come up in future years.
Dannemiller will on July 1.
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc
