Councilwoman Montero and City Agree to keep La Alma Recreation Center...

Councilwoman Montero and City agree to keep La AlmaRecreationCenter under city operations for two years.

DENVER, CO---District 9 City Councilwoman Judy Montero and DenverParks and Recreation announced March 5, 2010 an agreement to re-allocate $730,000 from the Capital Improvement Program for District 9 to Recreation in order to fund operations at La Alma Recreation Center for the next two years.

The West Side Line Trail project, which would have created a new soft surface trail between 15th Street and 19th Street on the west side of the Platte River, will be delayed.

In addition, City Council will be asked to re-appropriate $230,000 of the $600,000 for the Swansea Park Master Plan to fund the La Alma Recreation Center operations. SwanseaPark will still see improvements for the trails and grading, but other work such as a new concrete walk and new entry on south side of park will be delayed.

“The current economy forces us to make hard choices, but we heard loud and clear from the community and Councilwoman Montero that the operation of La Alma by the City of Denver was a priority,” said Kevin Patterson, manager of DenverParks and Recreation. “This agreement allows us to operate La Alma while continuing to work with the community and other agencies on the myriad changes happening, including La Alma Recreation Center, because of the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Plan.”  

“The La Alma Lincoln Park neighbors organized very quickly to keep the recreation center under city operations and to expand its services to the community,” said Montero. “There are many moving pieces in this neighborhood – libraries, DPS school reform, Denver Housing Authority, Transit Oriented Development – and the neighbors wanted to show that the La Alma Recreation Center was and continues to be the heart and soul of this neighborhood. I am very proud of their efforts.”

La Alma was one of four recreation centers identified by the City for transition to an outside operating partner as part of the 2010 budget process. Because of neighborhood feedback, DenverParks and Recreation re-allocated funding to delay the transition seven months for community input.