The Parks of Colorado Springs: Building Community, Preserving a Legacy - Tapa blanda

When General William Jackson Palmer founded the city of Colorado Springs in 1871, he envisioned a spacious and inviting urban park system for the city's residents, modeled on the magnificent urban parks being built across the nation in the late nineteenth century. The Parks of Colorado Springs describes the evolution of that system over the next 140 years. This book details the remarkable challenges, difficulties, growth, successes, setbacks, and progress of the Colorado Springs parks systemfrom the city's inception to 2010, a year of severe financial crises for the community. Throughout, the voices of the people and their individual stories are heard. Featuring hundreds of images, many neverbefore published, The Parks of Colorado Springs delineates the policies and politics of one American city, rooted in the western frontier, that has grown to a major metropolitan area in the twenty-first century. This historical overview of Colorado Springs, expressed through its parks, tells a story of civic commitment, community aspiration, and the challenges of growth and change. It is a tale that mirrors similar growth in urban parks across the country. How the people of Colorado Springs have addressed questions of public policy and urban design is a story from which all can learn. Nancy Lewis, former director of the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department, has made a lifetime commitment to community service and community development. Her personal insight into the story of the Colorado Springs parks, drawn from over forty-five years of service to her city, offers an exciting and inspiring perspective on the possibilities for the community of Colorado Springs.

Nancy Lewis started with the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department in 1966 leading fourth graders on nature hikes. Over the next twenty-seven years, she served as assistant director of the senior center, recreation specialist, recreation supervisor, general recreation manager, and finally director of the department.Following her retirement in 1994, she became president of the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center, as well as president of the Garden of the Gods Foundation. In recognition of her advocacy for parks and her many contributions to the community, the city dedicated Nancy Lewis Park in her honor in 1997. A long-time enthusiastic and respected participant in her community, Lewis has chaired the Penrose-Saint Francis Health Foundation, the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, and Experience Colorado Springs, the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau. She has been recognized with numerous awards for her leadership, wisdom, and vision. Her genuine commitment to the people of Colorado Springs and their parks is unwavering. She is an appreciative gardener and travels widely. The Parks of Colorado Springs: Building Community, Preserving a Legacy is her first book.