Grant funds help Colorado town revitalize community spaces, build skate park

A plan to beautify Buchanan Park in the town of Evergreen is moving forward thanks to new grant funding.

Evergreen resident Matt Buzas said the community is optimistic that the project, which includes a skate park, will be seen to completion. 

"We're really encouraged right now, and I think the big win for us came last month," said Buzas.

Buzas said they are taking steps forward with Evergreen Parks and Rec's Liz Cohen. The plan to change Buchanan Park received a major vote of confidence recently.

Cohen said, "We've raised $360,000 in grants for the park this year."

The grant money will go towards all major projects in the park from a pavilion, to an adventure playground, to the skate park. The funding is a key first step in making those plans a reality.

Cohen said, "I think we're ahead of schedule in our grant fundraising and we're super pleased with how the board is supporting it and committing to it along the way."

The secret to community support, Buzas said, is a robust desire for feedback, consulting with experts who live in town while actively being ingrained in Evergreen's social fabric.

Buzas said, "We've been at it now for 18 months, raising awareness, doing community events, attending the local concerts, selling hot chocolate, and selling root beer floats. And just it's a lot of raising awareness."

Cohen praised the coalition's efforts in the community and sees them as a model being replicated by groups advocating for other components of Buchanan Park's improvements.

Cohen said, "That helps generate more money and more support. The other groups are copying that, and the model is working."

Buzas said, "They see the support there, and they see the progress being made, and I think we've gained their trust and it's spread quite a bit."