Colorado Springs has opened the process for future operators to make their pitch to take over the former Meadows Park Community Center.

Meadows Park, on the Springs’ south side, was closed in October as one of the most notable budget cuts the city made heading into 2026 in response to lower sales tax revenue. The closure outraged many of the neighbors in the Stratton Hills area who attended events at the center and left the city with three community centers run by the city parks department.

Colorado Springs will accept online requests for proposals to purchase or operate the building through March 26. A city review board will go through the proposals and work toward an agreement by the end of the spring, depending on the volume and complexity of the applications.

“Future use of the site is expected to reflect this community-centered role and provide clear public value to the surrounding neighborhood,” the city stated in the application paperwork on its website.

A few weeks after the closure, Mayor Yemi Mobolade created a 15-person “solutions team” to figure out the next steps for the building. The team was split between city staff, neighbors from the Stratton Meadows area, and leaders from other community groups and similar projects.

Mayoral adviser Thomas Thompson said the solutions team also leaned on the comments the city received in October during a community meeting at Meadows Park. Dozens of people attended the meeting to talk about the impact of losing the senior events food donations and youth programs that had been hosted there.

One of the leaders on the solutions team was Kelly Bull, executive director of the Hey Neighbor community outreach nonprofit and a Stratton Meadows resident. Bull said the community center was in the heart of the neighborhood and it should serve the residents within walking distance.

“It was interesting to see the process of what meets the needs of the city and what meets the needs of the neighbors and how you bring the two together. It makes me wonder how often neighbors get brought into the process like this,” Bull said.

u003ca href=u0022https://gazettedev.gazette.com/2025/10/23/neighbors-of-meadows-park-community-center-tell-colorado-springs-leaders-what-they-want-to-see-return-to-the-building/u0022u003eNeighbors of Meadows Park Community Center tell Colorado Springs leaders what they want to see return to the building – Colorado Springs Gazetteu003c/au003e: Colorado Springs accepting proposals for future uses of Meadows Park Community Center u003ca href=u0022https://gazettedev.gazette.com/2025/09/18/closing-colorado-springs-community-center-unnecessary-and-really-bad-business-former-manager-says-0fd81d60-5de0-4dc1-a169-d478858f491e/u0022u003eClosing Colorado Springs community center ‘unnecessary and really bad business,’ former manager says – Colorado Springs Gazetteu003c/au003e: Colorado Springs accepting proposals for future uses of Meadows Park Community Center

The applications states that the city would prioritize applicants with a strong track record who can “creatively incorporate one or more commercial and community benefits” to the Stratton Meadows neighborhood. Some of the suggested priorities for the area include youth activities, food access, art and community-gathering spaces.

Thompson said the city was hoping for “creative” applications from large operators or smaller groups that would partner together to run the building. Colorado Springs is accepting bids to either buy the property from the city or lease the building to operate new programs.

The latter approach would be similar to when the Center for Strategic Ministry operated the Westside Community Center between 2010 and 2022, or the current lease at the City Auditorium.

Bull said she would prefer to see the building remain a community gathering space with the ability to host events. Nikki Fetterhoff, a 20-year resident of Stratton Meadows and another member of the solutions team, had a few businesses she hoped would not be interested but said there were a lot of local needs to meet.

“Whatever its future is, I hope that it keeps building community in a positive way, that it helps children grow up to be good adults and that it’s compassionate enough to help people in need,” Fetterhoff said.

Colorado Springs will hold a special conference at Meadows Park on Feb. 20 for interested applicants to learn more about the building.