In the City: Take advantage of open recreation, cultural and park amenities – Coloradoan

John Stokes Published 7:00 a.m. MT Aug. 16, 2020

John Stokes(Photo: City of Fort Collins)

Even in the midst of this unprecedented time, I hope you are finding opportunities to enjoy our beautiful Colorado summer.

The last few months have brought the welcome reopening of several recreation, cultural and park facilities, and programs. Following county and state health department guidelines, the city has designed reopening plans to create safe and welcoming places with appropriate activities for each location.

A number of recreation facilities have reopened including Edora Pool and Ice Center (EPIC), Northside Aztlan Community Center, Fort Collins Senior Center, The Farm at Lee Martinez Park, The Pottery Studio, Foothills Activity Center, and Club Tico.

Visitors should expect modified hours, limited programs and capacities, increased cleaning and sanitization, and updated check-in policies when visiting. Participants can engage in fitness, education, youth enrichment and arts and crafts programming in person or virtually.

The last month has also brought the reopening of the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery and the Lincoln Center. In welcoming the community back, the museum has limited and timed admissions and is using an online ticketing process. The Lincoln Center is available to the community for scheduled gatherings, meetings and events.

The Gardens on Spring Creek opened in June and has added summer programming for the community including yoga and tai chi on the Great Lawn.

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Be on the lookout for over 50 murals being created this summer by local artists through the Art in Public Places Program. Artists will be painting murals on transformer cabinets, pianos, walls and even concrete barriers in Old Town.

Another great way to enjoy the Colorado summer is by taking a stroll in a local natural area or park. I encourage you to enjoy these treasured open spaces and recreate safely at available splash pads, dog parks, skate parks, golf courses and more.

While we are very much in the moment, we continue to plan for the future. For the last 10 months, Fort Collins parks and recreation staff together with a consulting team and with considerable public engagement, have been updating the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

There are many phases to this in-depth planning exercise, and the final document is intended to guide the future of recreation and park assets for several decades. Community input is vital to the success of the master plan, and we want to hear your voice. Visit ourcity.fcgov.com/ParksandRec for more information on the master plan and how you can participate in upcoming engagement opportunities.

We have seen tremendous community use of public amenities recently, and we hope you will continue to enjoy the parks, natural areas, recreation and cultural facilities. Please know that we remain committed to staying informed and to safely adapting to the ever-changing conditions we find ourselves in.

John Stokes is the deputy director of Fort Collins Community Services. He can be reached at 970-221-6263 or jstokes@fcgov.com.

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In the City: Take advantage of open recreation, cultural and park amenities - Coloradoan