(WOODLAND PARK, Colo.) — For a small piece of land in the middle of Woodland Park, Bergstrom Park packs a lot of history.
“It’s where we began here in Woodland Park,” said Charlie Chambers, the President of the Ute Pass Historical Society.
It was a stop along the Colorado Midland Railway that ran through Woodland Park from 1883 to 1918 before being scrapped. There was once a station in the space where the park is today, and now, there is a replica of that building in the park. It was built in 1986 in honor of Berg Bergstrom, who gave the park to the city in 1960.
“He had a vision when he donated this property to the city of Woodland Park, and that was to have an old-time park here that kind of speaks to its origins,” Chambers said.
But now, city leaders are seeking to consider making changes. On the city’s website, Woodland Park Parks and Recreation announced an effort to reimagine Bergstrom Park on May 16. As of Tuesday, May 27, the city has not posted any renderings of the plans it is considering for the park. On the site, the City said it wants to “reimagine the park site for compatibility with the new development.”
The new development is a combined steakhouse, tap house and culinary school in one building next to the park and is set to open later this year. Chambers believes completely changing the park would be counterintuitive to modernizing the city.
Courtesy: Charlie Chambers
It’s why he and other locals came up with their own plan to preserve the history while adding some different amenities. He understands wanting to grow the city but also wants to preserve the reminders of what once stood.
“It’s incumbent of our city leaders to preserve our history,” Chambers said. “By doing this, it would fall right into that category. Our leaders should really respect that.”
FOX21 News reached out to Woodland Park city officials to clarify their intent with the project and their efforts to reimagine the park. In response, the email referred to the city’s websites for information on the project.
The city is hosting an open house on Wednesday, May 28 at 5 p.m. at the Ute Pass Cultural Center. There will be two open houses in total with the other set for June 25. In between, the city will be collecting feedback on the plans before deciding how to proceed by July.
