Recent Additional Park Measures
Here are some new measures that should be looked at and are taken straight from the Denver Parks & Recreation website. Below is a paragraph from their website about the changes, what the changes are and also a link to further explanation. In an effort to address the increased use of Washington Park, Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) has committed to a variety of measures aimed to protect one of Denver’s much-treasured urban parks. The goals of these measures are to help DPR better manage the park’s natural resources, allow for a wider variety of uses in the park and lessen the impact on surrounding neighborhoods.
New Added Measures
DPR will manage the implementation of the following changes, which begin April 1, 2015. Ongoing monitoring and periodic consultation with park neighbors and patrons will be used to assess the effectiveness of the changes and make any necessary adjustments or implement additional measures:
- Usage of the great meadow on weekends and holidays, from April 1st through September 30th will be divided into active (for team sports) and passive usage.
- The dividing line is Kentucky Ave. from Franklin to Downing and will be marked by the park rangers.
- Active and passive usage will alternate every other weekend between north and south sides of the great meadow. This will hopefully help to minimize any turf damage associated with active usage. This will also be marked by park rangers.
- Areas of the park outside the great meadow will have no usage restriction.
- These usage restrictions will eliminate the previously used permit system for volleyball nets.
- Increased signage around the park will remind patrons that no glass containers and only 3.2 beer is permitted in the park, except for permits obtained by first contacting Denver Parks and Recreation. This applies to all Colorado parks.
- There is planned to be increase and better signage and lane repainting to improve loop road safety. Other, more major, improvements to the loop road are hoped to occur in 2016.
- There will be 2 Park Rangers on the weekends during peak daytimes and evenings, and 1 Ranger during the week.
- New equipment has been purchased for the Rangers, allowing better communication using tablet computers, and better monitoring of bicycle speed using lidar guns (radar guns with laser technology).
- Â Park Rangers will emphasize education, with enforcement, as needed using warnings and citations.
Park Management
Goals for Denver Parks & Recreation:
- Protect the park’s natural resources, to allow for a wider variety of uses in the park and to lessen the impact on surrounding neighborhoods
- Manage the volume of park patrons within a designated area in order to allow DPR to properly protect the wear and tear of the terrain
- Balance the many uses in the meadow at Washington Park, such as small family picnics, an impromptu game of Frisbee, or other leisurely activities during the weekends
See the City’s Park Rules, Regulations and Public Policy
History of Washington Park
Located near the central downtown area Washington Park, familiarly referred to at Wash Park, is one of the most visited and well known parks in Denver. Situated in the middle of residential neighborhoods it is both a regional and community park. The original concept of the park was designed by architect Reinhard Schuetze in 1899. As the park developed other architects, landscape architects and artists added their design for specific areas still following Schuetze’s basic concept for the park. For more detailed information and resources about Washington Park click below for the Washington Park Cultural Landscape Assessment and Preservation Plan (90 pages) funded by a grant from the Colorado Historical Society’s State Historical Fund and developed by the Mundus Bishop Design, Inc. 2003.
Washington Park Cultural Landscape Assessment and Preservation Plan
Friends and Neighbors of Washington Park (FANS)
FANS is an advocacy group that is working to keep Washington Park beautiful. FANS meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. in the VOC Bathhouse on the north side of the north lake.  Contact: FANSofWashingtonPark@comcast.net.
If you have any other questions or concerns about Washington Park related issues, feel free to email us at: parkissues@washparkeast.org