Pueblo City Council hears preferred Arkansas River master plan focused on access, safety and phased projects

City staff and outside consultants presented a preferred master plan on Feb. 9 that aims to connect City Park to Waterworks Park and improve access along the Arkansas River corridor, emphasizing safety, trail connections and phased implementation tied to funding opportunities.

Stephen Meyer, a city presenter, said the plan grew out of recent Board of Water Works work on river structures that "really created a boatable river all the way from the reservoir down to Runyon Lake," and that the city needed a framework to manage increased recreation use. Consultant Chad Hurd described a yearlong engagement that included a charrette, an open house and an online comment site; the public’s most frequent priority, he said, was improved access to Waterworks Park.

The preferred concept shown to council includes safer pedestrian trails and switchbacks to bridge the elevation from City Park down to Waterworks Park, a layered northern park edge with an event green and a potential pedestrian “event street,” concealed parking and overflow lots, restroom and concession facilities at Waterworks Park, and targeted improvements at the nature center and Runyon Lake focused on fishing access and drainage fixes. Hurd said the consultants modeled visual scenarios and prioritized safety features and wayfinding that would help emergency response and visitor navigation.

Councilors pressed on cost, timing and next steps. Hurd said a full buildout of every element on the plan could be in the “$50,000,000 range” if the city pursued all components, but that the project list is intended to be fluid: items will move forward as funding partners and grants become available. Meyer said the county is evaluating a north-side access tied to a RAiSE grant and that the city has set aside lottery funds described in the presentation as "a half $1,000,000" to start some improvements; he said the city is also seeking state trails grants to leverage those funds.

Councilor Latino and President Alix emphasized making the City Park–Waterworks connection the immediate priority; Latino suggested a cable car as a tourism idea and Alix proposed interim shuttle service to handle summer demand. Meyer cautioned that portions of the south-side road are privately owned by the Board of Water Works and that the city would need to negotiate access and partner responsibilities before building permanent south-side auto access.

Meyer told the council he would return a resolution for the council’s consideration that would express the city’s support for the conceptual master plan and allow the city to pursue identified next steps, including engineering, grant applications and partner agreements. The council moved on to the next agenda item after the presentation.