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Public Comment Is Needed On 100-Year Vision For Civic Center Park

February 26, 2021 / 7:56 PM MST / CBS Colorado

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DENVER (CBS4)- Civic Center Park prides itself on being Denver's front yard. After a century, however, there is no doubt the park needs a little TLC. Denver Parks and Recreation as well as the Civic Center Conservancy want to hear from the public about improvements, and what they imagine for Civic Center's next 100 years.

(credit: CBS)

"We're excited to work on that enhanced portion of our mission, and that's where the next 100 years project comes in," Eric Lazzari, Executive Director of the Civic Center Conservancy, told CBSN Denver's Kelly Werthmann.

Last year was particularly tough on the park. The pandemic forced the cancellation of the annual Independence Eve celebration, events like Civic Center Eats were revamped and, protests and homeless camps took over Civic Center Park.

"It's a place where people gather. Sometimes it's for large celebrations or a protest in expressing their voice," Lazzari said. "It's important our community have a space like Civic Center for both those things to happen. As I look back on 2020 and the role Civic Center played in the Black Lives Matter protests and the response to George Floyd, it was Civic Center serving its highest and best use for our community. It's a place, really as a community, that we can all come together."

As the Conservancy considers the next 100 years of the park, the public's input is greatly needed.

DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 10: Rally organizer John Tiegen, right, addresses a small gathering in what was billed as a Patriot Rally in the amphitheater in Civic Center Park on October 10, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. Two rallies, one right-wing and one left-wing, took place at the same time in Civic Center Park. One person has died and another man, who Denver Channel 9News confirmed was a private security guard contracted by them, is in custody after a shooting during dueling protests Saturday in downtown Denver. The rallies at Civic Center on Saturday came less than a month before a presidential election and amidst a global pandemic that has the nation on edge. Until the shooting, the protests mostly consisted of each group chanting and yelling at one another from across the amphitheater, which separated the two groups. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

"We really want to know what people want to experience in Civic Center Park," Lazzari explained. "We've got great key projects, the Greek Theatre being probably the most prominent of them. We want to know what types of things they want to experience there. Do they want to see live music? Do they want to see theater performances? Do they want it to just be a place where we can go and have a discussion?"

Lazzari added the survey will help gauge what the next few years could bring for the park, but also generations to come.

"We're asking the community to think about what their children and their children's children will want in Civic Center," he said.

(credit: CBS)

The survey is available to complete now and will close March 5.

LINK: Civic Center Park Survey

Civic Center Park