COLORADO SPRINGS — Work to restore the historic ponds in Monument Valley Park is nearing completion.
The Colorado Springs park dates to 1907 and the ponds were showing their age.
The pond called Shadow Lake on the southeast end of the park has been left empty for close to a decade.
“There were several attempts in the past to refill it, but the water would just trickle right through. And what we realized is that we needed a liner in the lake to hold that water in,” said Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Director, Britt Haley.
The pond now has a new liner along with a modern pumping system to better circulate water.
The work requires that modern updates be matched with historical preservation.
“It really is a gem,” said Friends of Monument Valley Park, President, Teri Peisner, “General Palmer gave it to the people of Colorado Springs back in 1907, and actually, the pond that the parks department is restoring was part of the original park.”
Peisner and the friends group have been working for a decade to preserve and restore historic stonework across the entire park.
A $400,000 donation from Lyda Hill Philanthropies along with grant money from the Recovery Act made the large amount of stonework for Shadow Lake possible.
A crew with specialized skills for historic stonework is doing this project.
“When they repair the walls, they have to make sure the mortar matches the original mortar and color, texture, and depth,” said Peisner.
The smaller Duck Lake further north in the park holds water but it turns to a mossy mess late in summer because of poor water circulation.
When Shadow Lake is complete work will shift to Duck Lake.
The transformation is generating excitement among locals who frequent the park.
“I do love it. I love the historic preservation,” said Peisner.
Shadow Lake should be filled and ready to enjoy by the start of summer.
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