Community Opinions Wanted: Arkansas Valley Fairground and Crystal Lake Recreation Area GOCO Project

Description: (PRESS PLAY TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW) MARCH 11 COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE | 11 AM - 3 PM | FAIRGROUND 4-H KITCHEN/EVENT CENTER This process is all about the community's goals and vision for the Fairgrounds and Crystal Lake! Join us March 11 for an interactive Open House to share your ideas, feedback, and get involved.

Community Opinions Wanted: Arkansas Valley Fairground and Crystal Lake Recreation Area GOCO Project

1. The City of Rocky Ford is working with Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) on a visioning process for the Arkansas Valley Fairground and Crystal Lake Recreation Area, and we need community participation for ideas on what the future of these areas could be for the City, and the wider region. 

2. The City of Rocky Ford is working with designers and industry experts including Downtown Colorado, Inc. to host an interactive open house on Saturday, March 11, 2023 from 11am-3pm at the 4 H Event Center located at the Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds. There will be several engaging activities and free food. You can come by any time. 

3. The City of Rocky Ford is also working with a citizen advisory committee throughout this process, and they have prepared an online survey which we encourage everyone to take. You can share your thoughts on what you think the future of the fairgrounds and Crystal Lake Recreation Area should look like. You can take the survey at “bit (dot) ly (forward slash) rockyfordsurvey (all one word)”

Major Info Points 

• The community has been meeting and working on this project since August, 2022 with and applied to the Great Outdoors Colorado Centennial Program for “once in a generation” projects looking to dramatically improve the Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds and Crystal Lake Recreation Area with resident-led initiatives.

(“once in a generation”, resident-led initiatives comes straight from the GOCO website)

• Through the Great Outdoors Colorado Centennial Grant process, the City has already been awarded a planning grant to conduct significant community outreach efforts, help develop a concept plan, and a proposed budget for the desired improvements. This is the stage we are in right now.

 • A draft proposal of the community vision, concept plan, and proposed budget will be submitted to Great Outdoors Colorado by August 1st for consideration of significant funding to help achieve the catalytic vision. 

• Great Outdoors Colorado has budgeted up to $50 million to award through this process.

•We are dreaming big with this effort, and dreaming big means dreaming with lots of partners. We have gained and continue to actively look for additional support and participation from several other foundations, charitable organizations, and community groups around the six-county area to really make this effort the best it can be.

• There are no predetermined outcomes at the moment. We are trying to reach as many people as we can to hear what matters most to you. During the next several months, we will work to refine these community suggestions into a cohesive plan.

• We are looking for your thoughts on how to use the fairgrounds site, Crystal Lake Recreation Area, and the nearby facilities all year round to promote community, recreation, health, and well-being. 

• There will be online engagement tools and several more opportunities to participate in this process before the draft plan is developed. 

• It is important to us that residents near the fairgrounds especially have the opportunity to be heard and to provide their own suggestions. 

• We welcome everyone’s input! This includes residents of Rocky Ford, local businesses, those who travel and visit the Arkansas Valley Fair, people who recreate at Crystal Lake, folks who live in nearby communities. We want this site to serve the entire region.

The 4-H Events Center is located at the Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds in Rocky Ford

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