Huerfano County is taking comments on operations and planning for its Parker Fitzgerald Cuchara Mountain Park, which is located about 75 miles southwest of Pueblo.
“We want to hear from as many people as possible,” said Huerfano County administrator Carl Young in an email.
The nonprofit Panadero Ski Corporation has managed the county-owned park year-round for some time. Volunteers for the group have been working to get a long-unused chairlift there running again. In the meantime, they've been offering uphill rides on a sled pulled by a snowcat.
Mountain biking, hiking and other activities are available during other seasons at the 47-acre park, which has a mercantile store with a restaurant in a privately owned building at the base area. A number of condominiums and other types of housing are adjacent to the park, along with thousands of acres of National Forest land.
The county wants to know what the public thinks about renewing the contract with Panadero. They also want to know whether services like lodging, large concerts and retail shops should be allowed on park grounds.
Concerns had begun swirling about the possibility of a tiny home proposal, but, “It is 100 percent off the table,” Young said. “We aren't going to force PSC (Panadero Ski Corporation) to work with someone they don't want to work with.”
He said that the county will use the public input to inform what kinds of services should be part of the new contract with the nonprofit.
“If the public tells us they want (a particular) kind of service we can explore options with PSC,” Young said. “If the public tells us that they do not want that kind of service, my recommendation is going to be, we prohibit that service in the agreement with PSC.”
Comments will be presented during the county commission’s regular meeting on May 20, according to Young.
“The Commissioners will take all of those comments under consideration and, if necessary, discuss changes, based on the public comment, with PSC,” he said.
Young said he's seen a lot of controversy about the park and confusion about its ownership.
“The Park is owned by the County and is not now, nor has it ever been, for sale,” he said.
The county purchased the park in 2017 using funds donated by a nonprofit foundation, separate from Panadero. The purchase included one chairlift and some other facilities that were part of a larger ski area that closed decades ago.
The online survey also includes a question regarding the Fox Theater in Walsenburg and about usage of other county-owned parks. Young said this information is for demographic purposes because those facilities are at least partially funded by the same resources as Cuchara Mountain Park.
Comments can be made through Friday, May 16, online, by mail or at several public town hall meetings that will also cover other issues, including the Fox Theater, improvements to Fiesta Park and the community shooting range.
Upcoming Huerfano County Parks and Recreation Town Hall Meeting schedule:
- Saturday, May 10, at 2 p.m. in the Day Lodge at Cuchara Mountain Park
- Monday, May 12, at 6 p.m. in the Community Center in Walsenburg
- Wednesday, May 14, at 6 p.m. at the La Veta Fairgrounds
