Following a morning hike, Dawn Grabow and her companion paused near a parking lot to consider a proposal by a local businessman to build an aerial adventure park in Fox Run Regional Park.

At first, the two women liked the idea of an Indiana Jones-style obstacle course, with wobbly suspension bridges and plunging zip lines, located high in the trees.

Then they looked around at the forest and listened to the profound silence. Maybe not, they said. “My concern would be it would impact the serenity that we enjoy now,” said Grabow.

Like the two hikers, residents and park users in northern El Paso County have responded with mixed emotions to a proposal by Monument businessman Chris DeCicco.

The proposed park could generate thousands of dollars a year in additional income for El Paso County, attract more tourists, and provide a new recreational activity for outdoor types who have conquered their fear of heights, or would like to.

But the proposal has raised complex questions about the nature and purpose of large regional parks and whether private businesses should be allowed to reap profits from publicly owned property.

“I’ve been to parks like this in other places and would like to build one in my own community,” said DeCicco, who has a background in sales and marketing.

County officials said the potential site for the aerial park is a 10- to 15-acre parcel adjacent to a trailhead in the middle of Fox Run. The 412-acre park, east of Interstate 25, is bounded by Baptist Road on the north, Roller Coaster Road on the west, and Stella Drive on the south.

In April, DeCicco presented his proposal to the county’s Advisory Park Board.  A public meeting was held July 15 in Fox Run, and last week Tim Wolken, director of the county’s Community Services Department, presented an overview to the El Paso County commissioners.

The commissioners were generally supportive of the idea. In the coming weeks and months, county staffers will do more research on the concept and additional public meetings probably will be held, Wolken said.

Although there’s nothing new about the county renting out its facilities to private individuals and groups, Wolken conceded the aerial adventure park would be “unique.”

The operator would construct hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of infrastructure on public property. For that reason, an aerial park would require a longterm commitment in comparison to the short-term arrangements that the county enters into with private entities who want to use its soccer fields, picnic facilities or other amenities.Commissioner Wayne Williams, who represents the district in which the proposed park would be located, said before the county gives the green light, officials must determine whether the revenues paid to the county would be sufficient  to mitigate the impact of the commercial venture on county roads, as well as the park itself.

“Our parks are supposed to be used. The question is, Is this an appropriate use? And can the effects be addressed appropriately?” Williams added.

DeCicco said he has assembled a group of local investors to get the facility built. “You could spend anywhere from $200,000 to $300,000 to up to $1 million depending on how big you want to build it,” he said.

DeCicco said he has not determined the price of admission, but typically the cost ranges from $20 to $40 per person.

If the concept gets approval, the county would go through a competitive bidding process because another company has expressed interest. Then a contract would stipulate how much the county would receive from the operation through lease payments, as well as a percentage of the profits.

In an exit survey done after the July 15 public meeting attended by about 30 people, most said they didn’t think the aerial park would be an asset and didn’t want the county to continue discussions on the proposal.

Among other things, the residents were concerned about additional traffic and dust, the over-use of open space and potential damage to the trees.

Several said they didn’t like the idea of a private entity making money off publicly owned property. “I don’t think we should privatize a public park,” wrote Steve Waldman.

Wolken told commissioners that he believed residents would be more receptive if the number of visitors were limited to, say, 200 people a day and a certain percentage of the revenues were churned back into improvements at Fox Run.

 “When we approach citizens,” he said, “there’s an inherent conflict between those who come in and use the park and those who live around it.”

—Call the writer at 476-4825.

Hikers walked through Fox Run Regional Park recently in northern El Paso County. Photo by EILEEN WELSOME, THE GAZETTE