Durango Mesa Park Progress Picks up Steam 

Durango Mesa Park begins the most important summer of its development. You're watching the "Local News Network," brought to you by San Juan Regional Medical Center and Dunkin' Donuts. I'm Connor Shreve. Park Program and Construction Development Director, Hogan Koesis, says the first major project of 2025 is a new road and entrance. You'll notice the progress off of Highway 3.

We have a, you know, our road construction and improvement to get to the actual park. It will happen by the end of the year. We have already reestablished an upper wellhead. We have a lower wellhead that will help us do some of the construction that's going to occur within the park.

He's targeted an opening date of spring 2027. Durango Mesa Park Foundation Executive Director, Moira Montrose Compton, says the next two years of development are the result of the foundation that was created by the public-private partnership. Durango City Council finalized last December, one of, if not the only one of its kind, across the country.

In '24, we completed annexation of the project, we built our emergency egress road, and we completed the demonstration trail hub. This was an exciting year. We were able to accomplish a lot, and it led us to what will come in 2025.

You'll be able to enjoy the first development of 2025 in just a couple of months,

We will have a connector from the existing demonstration hub over to the the middle zone, what's considered the middle zone, and we will complete the upper zone, which is one part of four in the bike park, and that will be done by July. So, everyone can have exciting times this summer sessioning new trails.

Durango Mesa Park also will soon be home to the city's only hiking-specific trail. The park will not host any events this season as it sets the stage for major work next year.

We'll have the upper zone completed, we will have the grading done in the lower bike park area, and we will immediately begin on the amenities that support the lower park area. And in the lower park area, we have planned infrastructure for walking paths that are multi-use. Obviously, the multi-use paths will be kind of like a perimeter trail.

USA BMX and the city will develop a new BMX course. In addition to the bike park, Durango Mesa Park will feature an amphitheater, dog park, camping area, disc golf course, and playground among other features.

We have a lot of inclusive areas that are programmed, from tiny little two to three-year-olds, all the way up to adults that are, you know, seasoned cyclists per se. With a heavy emphasis on inclusion and diversity of accommodating people who may not be your normal cyclists for like AMTB or people who are transitioning from a new injury at a wheelchair and looking at adaptive mountain bikes as a potential recreational outlet.

You can track park developments and see plans at durangomesapark.org. Find more information about this and other stories at durangolocal.news. Thanks for watching this edition of the "Local News Network." I'm Connor Shreve.