GREENWOOD VILLAGE —Visit just about any time of year and you’re likely to see a flurry of activity. Whether it’s youth league or Cherry Creek High School sports teams practicing, mountain bikers tackling the terrain or residents walking their dogs, Greenwood Village’s largest park is often busy.
With that popularity in mind, city officials today will hold a public meeting covering the latest improvements planned for Village Greens. Options for placement of a covered picnic pavilion and additional restrooms just south of the disc golf course will be among the topics, officials say.
“We really want to emphasize and develop the entry area to the mountain bike course and the disc golf course and provide amenities to the existing park users,” said parks project manager Dave Foster. “We will be looking for some feedback from the public on the alternatives.”
The estimated $1 million pavilion project could get underway this fall, Foster said, but a smaller scale — though possibly just as impactful — change is coming to the park this summer.
The city plans to install artificial turf on one of the park’s multiuse sports fields. The turf, expected to cost around $500,000, has been a frequent request of youth sports organizers in the area and was championed on City Council by .
“We have great fields at Village Greens, but often in the fall and spring they are closed because of snow and rain,” Gordon said. “When they’re in almost constant use, they get worn out. But a turf field can be in use all the time and it’ll be just fine.”
, Douglas County, . Once installed, the turf could save the city $13,000 per year in water, Foster said.
The project is planned for the park’s No. 11 field, on the eastern edge, next to the Cherry Creek Trail.
Craig Randall is the president of , a competitive sports provider, and heads its Greenwood Village-area member league, Cherry Creek Youth Sports. He said between 3,000 and 5,000 kids participated in the Cherry Creek league’s offerings in six sports each year, and Village Greens is a critical asset, not only for his league but also for area schools like Cherry Creek High. Randall is excited about the turf field because the synthetic surface is available more regularly after bad weather, meaning fewer cancellations, and it doesn’t develop the rough patches or indentations that can lead to injuries on grass.
“Youth sports are growing, and with the weather in Colorado … having a turf field is very, very beneficial to our organization,” Randall said. “It’s something that impacts the quality of play and opportunity for our kids.”
The improvements that will be discussed at tonight’s meeting are the fourth phase in a series of upgrades outlined in the 2011 for the park, Foster said. Prior phases included the 18-hole disc golf course and extensive mountain bike trails network. In 2015, those two features attracted 43,395 players and 11,400 riders respectively, Foster said.
Park users interviewed last week were generally supportive of the city’s new ideas. Beth Cochran, whose son, Draytie, is on the Cherry Creek High lacrosse team, visits Village Greens three times per week during the team’s season. She thinks a picnic pavilion would be a nice addition if done right. She wishes the city would address the busy intersection of East Union Avenue and South Dayton Street to make it easier to get in and out of the park by car. Once in the park, though, she said she likes the mix of uses it offers.
“I really love this open space part,” Cochran said. “The city is so congested now. It’s nice to go somewhere and have some space.”
Joe Rubino: 303-954-2953 or jrubino@denverpost.com
Public meeting
When: 6:30 p.m. today, Feb. 25
Where: City Council Chambers, Greenwood Village City Hall, 6060 S. Quebec St.
