2019 Year in Review

Thank you all for helping Foothills Park & Recreation District celebrate our 60th anniversary year in 2019! It was a busy year for us, and we are extremely proud of all that we have accomplished. We wanted to highlight some of our proudest accomplishments and favorite moments of the last year.

Volunteers

The Pride in our Parks Program brought an amazing amount of volunteer resources to Foothills this year. We want to thank all of the amazing volunteers who gave so much of their time and effort to our parks. Here are some great stats on the impact volunteers had on Foothills this year.

1,260 volunteers
3,714 hours
$94,447 estimated labor benefit
24 parks sites

And, what a robust year for Eagle Scouts. We had 13 different Eagle Scouts complete projects in our parks this year, the most ever! THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS – your hard work and dedication is inspiring and we appreciate you making a difference in our community! Visit ifoothills.org/parks-pride-program to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Improvement Projects

This year, Foothills was proud to continue implementing the long list of improvement projects to existing parks and facilities made possible by the approval of the 2017 Mill Levy. Community and neighborhood parks received improvements and upgrades to amenities like irrigation systems, landscaping, playgrounds, trails and sidewalks.

Community and neighborhood parks improved this year include:
- Blue Heron Park
- Christensen Meadows Park
- Dakota Station Park – tennis court (more coming in 2020)
- Governor James B. Grant Park
- Wingate South Park
Facility improvements made this year include:
- Meadows Golf Club – parking lot
- Play feature in Ridge Recreation Center’s activity pool
- Lilley Gulch Recreation Center
  - Air conditioning in gymnasium
  - Remodel of cardio-weight room
  - Repaving of north parking lot

Learn more about these improvement projects and the upcoming 2020 improvement projects. Thank you voters!

Community Events

Here at Foothills, we love when our community gets together for some fun! That’s why we love putting on community events throughout the year. Here are just a few highlights from our 2019 events. We can’t wait to see you again in 2020!

Red, White & You – Foothills Park & Recreation District’s signature event – is an annual, fun-filled, patriotic tribute held in Clement Park with something for the whole family. Features include activities for kids, live entertainment, food and beverage concessions, bounce houses, community business booths and a fireworks display. This event is 100% community funded, with free entry thanks to our sponsors and individual donations.
Concerts in Clement Park feature a wide range of artists and genres. This outdoor series of concerts incorporates community support and grant-funded performances which are free, open to the public and family friendly. Performances are held at the scenic Grant Family Amphitheater in Clement Park throughout the summer.
BOO-rific is an affordable, fun and safe indoor trick-or-treating event that allows children to dress in full costume, trick-or-treat among community business tables and enjoy fun activities like bounce houses and swimming at Ridge Recreation Center.

Keep up on all of our community events!

Clement Park Inclusive Playground and other park improvements

This year we were thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of a new inclusive playground in Clement Park, along with many other improvements to the park. What is an inclusive playground? It is a thoughtfully designed playground that provides a place where children of all abilities can play together, and is developmentally appropriate for children with and without disabilities. Check out our video tour of the playground.

Other Clement Park improvements included upgrades to the festival area, amphitheater, lighting, shelter area, irrigation systems and lake aeration. Thanks to Jeffco Open Space, Great Outdoors Colorado – GOCO and The Foothills Foundation for their generous contributions toward the Clement Park renovation projects and the new inclusive playground.

Connecting South Jeffco Businesses

In January 2019, Foothills launched the South Jeffco Business Alliance (SJBA). The purpose of the group is to engage businesses, strengthen networks and create community. In 2019, more than 150 business owners, marketing professionals, sales people, influencers, and community and government leaders participated in monthly meetings featuring presentations from the business, government and nonprofit sectors. Participants learned about digital marketing, cyber security, homelessness, health insurance and much more!

These FREE meetings are open to anyone. Join us at 9 a.m., the third Tuesday of every month at Peak Community & Wellness Center. Follow South Jeffco Business Alliance on Facebook.

Awards

We couldn’t be more proud to have served this community for 60 years! We always strive for excellence at Foothills and were excited to learn that we received a 2019 Starburst Award from the Colorado Lottery for excellence in the use of lottery funds for community and conservation projects. The award was given for the new Splash Park in Clement Park. Learn more about the Splash Park.

We were also awarded the SPARC award by The Arc in Jefferson County for the creation of the inclusive playground in Clement Park. The SPARC Awards and its recipients demonstrate to the community that individuals and organizations can and do make a difference in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.