NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING AT EDISON RECAP
Wow! What an awesome turnout and such amazing stories shared by our neighbors about the Papeton and Cragmor Neighborhoods! The meeting
was organized by neighbors and the City; with the support of Councilmember Nancy Henjum, Parks and Rec staff, and staff from the State of Colorado ( Great Outdoors Colorado and the Division of Mining and Reclamation.)
Shout out to the neighbors who shared their stories like Jimmy Adams who shared his connection to Portal Pool as the place that launched his passion and career in competitive diving. As if it wasn’t expressed clearly enough, the neighborhood desperately wants the pool to be re-opened. Neighbors shared stories as the pool was where their families learned to swim. Most importantly, neighbors reminded the City that when the neighborhood was annexed into the City, the neighborhood
volunteer fire department sold their trucks to fund the construction of the pool.
While the City recognized that the Cragmor neighborhood sits atop existing coal mines, they were unable to provide any definite actions to address the pool continuing to deteriorate. The only timeline is a study in potentially in 2026 or 2027 that will take boring samples to further determine the condition of the soil. For more information, read this article from the Gazette published in 2012. The article references boring samples in 1979 after a sinkhole opened in the outfield of baseball field in Portal Park.
The city was surprised by the turnout and feedback from the neighborhood, they commented that usually only about eight people show up to similar meetings. It will be important to keep up the momentum and pressure to see that improvements are made.
NEXT STEPS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Join the neighborhood working group of Papeton and Cragmor neighbors. – For the past two months neighbors from Papeton and Cragmor have been organizing to address issues with our parks. We will be strategizing and organizing how to solve the issues in our park as effectively as possible. If you would like to connect with this working group, please send us an email at papetonneighbors@gmail.com.
Attending Meetings – We will need people with a flexible schedule to meet with Council members and speaking at Park Advisory Board Meetings. Community engagement was stressed by the State staff at the meeting. We have met with Council member Henjum but still need to speak with the three at-large members.
The Parks Advisory Board meets on the 2nd Thursday of every month at 7:30 a.m.
Friends of the Park – It was suggested that organizing a Friends of the Parks Group may also help with community engagement to secure grant money and funding from the state for park improvements.
Actions – We will need to prepare for a letter writing campaign with GoCo and Division of Mining to encourage them to prioritize the grant funding and the soil studies. If it’s correct that the last study was done in 1979, then it is an urgent matter to determine the status of the Portal Park. It’s also important to stress that we want solutions, not more “Closed” signs in our parks.
Communication – Most importantly, talk with your neighbors, local businesses and organizations to get the word out. The City also suggested that could raise funds as a community to address the funding gap
Although the meeting at Edison was just the official beginning of this process, it was a clear sign that we live in a neighborhood that cares, is organized, and that we have strength in numbers. The Papeton Neighborhood Organization was formed specifically for projects like this. If you would like to join us, please connect and let us know how you would like to get involved!
