100-plus at confab on open space

       More than 100 people turned out Sept. 8 for the first public meeting to create a master plan that will make two new city-owned open space properties one with Red Rock Canyon Open Space.
       No major conflicts emerged at the meeting in the Westside Community Center's gym, although it was evident that no one is promoting pricey enhancements for the new Section 16 and White Acres properties just south of Red Rock.
       The bulk of the suggestions from citizen subgroups touched on simpler matters, such as trail links, dog waste disposal, signage, noxious weed control and overall preservation of roughly 1,500 hillside acres of mostly pristine forests and meadows that the three neighboring lands above the Westside comprise.
       Still awaiting answers are a few questions, such as whether to allow access to certain known-to-some dino-saur fossil areas in Section 16, whether all trails should be multi-use, what (if any) parking lot improvements are needed at the Section 16 trailhead, whether to keep the White Acres pavilion, what should be allowed for rock climbers, what to do about a popular hang-gliding spot and how any improvements can have ensured longevity when the money-strapped Parks Department is relying heavily on volunteers for maintenance.
       One matter was settled without dispute. Sarah Bryarly of City Parks announced that for administrative reasons the entire property will be known as Red Rock Canyon Open Space. The original 790-acre property by that name has been owned by the city since 2003. “It's very easy to identify this area within the town,” she said.
       The gathering filled most of the chairs at a dozen tables that had been arranged in the Westside Center's gym. After a PowerPoint presentation by representatives of the city and its two master plan consultants (Tapis Associates and KezziahWatkins) discussing physical and management aspects of the three properties, each table became an informal subgroup, encouraged to respond to identified issues and to suggest ones of their own.
       At least two more public meetings are planned - Oct. 5 and Nov. 16. Additional information is provided at springsgov.com/rrc.

Westside Pioneer article