In Colorado Springs, Colo., the Garden of the Gods Park typically averages between 4.5 million and 5 million visitors and is open year-round. There is only one restroom open year-round. In order to convert the additional seasonal restroom to a year-round restroom, a waterline needed to be installed. This was the largest catalyst for the parks to initiate the massive waterline project. The waterline project added 8,000 feet of waterline to the park and nine fire hydrants.

The predecessor to Anna Cordova, Garden of the Gods regional park manager, had previously approached Jacob Butterfield, the parks department capital project coordinator, about wanting a new waterline for the park. Butterfield believed it would be a tough project and, since his focus is on parks and sidewalks, the park would need to partner with additional city agencies. The Colorado Springs Fire Department and Colorado Springs Utilities were contacted for collaboration on the project. The neighborhood south of the park needed more water pressure, and utilities wanted to do sediment control on a utility line that had a dead end in the park. It was also discovered that the project would be a good location to put a connection between two different water systems and connect 3,000 feet on the end of the utility’s existing line.

The large amount of waterline being placed made it necessary to tear up part of the trail and sidewalk. Since the sidewalk needed to be redone, it was decided to bring in the Office of Accessibility to ensure the new sidewalks had Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades. Accessibility is important due to the high number of visitors each year, so anyone and everyone has access to the central garden to view the rock formations and wildlife.

The idea for the waterline project came about in 2023, and the department got a designer under contract. In 2024, Colorado Springs Utilities was brought on board, and the plan set was completed. Construction on the project began over Labor Day in 2024. By Memorial Day this year, the project was 99% complete with the waterline and walkway completed. There were two project managers, with Colorado Springs Utilities being responsible for laying the waterline and Butterfield responsible for putting the park back together after it was done. Because of the planning and communication between all the partners, there were no excessive delays.

Most of the project was completed during the winter to avoid disrupting the busier spring and summer months.

“Any project we do, we try to make sure we don’t do it in the summer when there’s the most visitors,” Cordova described.

Doing the project during the winter months was a concern for the contractors. The department also wanted to ensure the park remained open the entire time the project was underway. However, the inter-garden trails had to be closed during the eight months, which is a main artery into the park. After a few months, the horses had to be detoured. Road closures were adjusted and communicated as necessary.

In order to ensure regular park visitors knew of upcoming closures and work being done, the department did a robust public campaign to notify the city and all surrounding neighborhoods that the project was coming and there would be a regular disruption to the park until its completion. There was an initial schedule of road and parking closures, but it had to be adjusted at times. News releases and social media blasts were sent out to get the word out to the public in advance as quickly as possible. If a trail needed to be closed, the department ensured it was rerouted, and that there was detour signage easily visible.

“The community was very patient because they understood the project and that we were working to improve and enhance the park,” Cassie Melvin, public communications specialist, shared. “People understood what we were trying to do. The park is now better than ever.”

One challenge encountered during construction was the team hitting more rock than expected. There also had to be an archaeologist to monitor the site for historic preservation purposes. Any time work is done in the Garden of the Gods Park, there have to be tribal consultations. While there are 49 tribes with ties to Colorado, primary consultation is with the resident Ute tribes. The department has an agreement with the Ute that any time a large amount of dirt is to be moved, an archaeologist must be on hand to ensure nothing large is being disturbed.

“We brought the tribe out and proposed the idea to them and got their input as the original caretakers of the land,” Cordova explained. “We took some input, such as where it was placed, so as to not disturb the park in any way that was not necessary.” Two monitors were present throughout the project, and only small items were discovered from the more recent past.

More handrails needed to be installed than originally planned, as well as applying a vertical grade to ensure the slope was less than 5%. Ramps and handrails were installed throughout the trail to the accessible parking lot. With bighorn sheep in the park, they also had to occasionally be shooed from the road.

The total cost of the project was $3.5 million. Funding for the project was split fairly evenly between the parks and recreation department and Colorado Springs Utilities. Parks and recreation paid for the archaeological monitoring and the design. The utilities department has a healthy budget for such a project from its ratepayers. Meanwhile, the parks and recreation side gathered some of its money from city sales tax funds, but the majority came from the Garden of the Gods Foundation, which the department has a partnership with. The land for the visitor’s center was donated with the stipulation that the center give a large amount of its profits to the park. Additionally, the foundation gives 70% of its proceeds to the park for upkeep and capital projects. The Office of Accessibility also contributed funds toward making the sidewalk and parking lot ADA-accessible.

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