Aspen Community Vision

Printed From: http://www.aspencommunityvision.com/page_16

Parks & Recreation

The City of Aspen's dedication and focus on its Parks Department and all the amenities it supports has been ongoing for decades, and continues to grow. A few relevant facts:

The 83,000 sq. foot Aspen Recreation Center (ARC) was completed in 2004, including the Lewis Ice Arena. More than 225,000 people a year visit the ARC.
The Aspen Ice Garden was renovated in 2001.
Since 2001, the City of Aspen Golf Course off Highway 82 has featured anew clubhouse, new tennis courts, new natural water features, the planting of native grasses and wildflowers and the implementation of wildlife corridors.
There are 34 acres of neighborhood parks and 42 acres of athletic fields;
There are five Athletic areas with facilities for playing basketball, soccer, football, baseball/softball, and tennis;
Special Events that take place in City parks include 5,000 people-a-day at the Food & Wine Festival; 3,500 people-a-day Jazz Aspen; 500 people a day at Ruggerfest; 350 people-a-day at the Motherlode Volleyball Tournament; 500 people-a day at the Arts & Crafts Festival; and the New Year's Eve celebration.
Other facilities include the 10,000 square foot Red Brick Recreation Center on east Hallam St.

Linkage to other issues

There are precious few issues in the Aspen area that exist in a vacuum.
Here are a few topics that are directly related to the topic of parks.

The Economy. The Parks Department is a key player in the operation of special events, which are an important player in the tourist economy.

Environmental Quality. Irrigation at the golf course has been switched from raw river water to treated effluent water, and the Parks Department is a key player with the Engineering Department in the installation of stormwater treatment facilities in Rio Grande Park and Jenny Adair.

Transportation. City of Aspen bus service brings both visitors and year-round residents to various outlying facilities such as the ARC and the Golf Course.