'Rodents... Needles, Syringes': Cleanup Continues At Denver's Civic Center Park
DENVER (CBS4) - Civic Center Park in Denver remains closed, but it may be closer to reopening. The park was shut down over a month ago over health concerns, including rats.
A total of 19 new trees have been planted in the park. The city is now working to replace lights and upgrade the existing security camera system.
There's also a plan to hire 11 maintenance workers and eight park rangers who will be there about 20 hours a day to keep visitors safe.
With cleaning and restoration efforts underway the city hopes for a reopening in mid-November.
"We are dealing with a lot of the rodent issues. We're dealing with a lot of the needles and syringes that were out here, a lot that stuff is cleaned up and addressed, so we are working closely with Denver Public Health to see about when he can possibly open the park back up," said Denver Parks and Rec spokesman Scott Gilmore.
If Civic Center Park opens in time, the first event there after the reopening would be the Denver Christkindl Market. If it's not ready by Nov. 19, the market will be held at Skyline Park on Denver's 16th Street Mall.
"The Christkindel Market is something that we want in downtown Denver to really get people down to downtown, spend their money, and really get excited about the holiday season," said Gilmore.
The Denver Christkindl Market is a celebration of German culture and welcomes guests to experience an authentic German holiday market.
The executive director of the German American Chamber of Commerce Colorado Chapter said they're very optimistic that Civic Center Park will be open in time for Christkindel Market, and they're in close contact with Denver Parks and Recreation about the timeline.
