City officials announced Friday that they will close bathrooms in 10 neighborhood parks and reduce landscaping on municipal property as park facilities feel the pinch from budget cuts this summer.

The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department’s funding from the general fund dropped from $19 million to $17 million in the current budget after the city didn’t see the growth in sales tax revenue it expected during the previous budget cycle.

“Our staff tried to minimize and spread out the impact as much as possible, while recognizing we have a budget shortfall and we need to contribute to meeting the gap,” acting Parks Department Director Kim King said.

In addition to closing bathrooms in city parks, the department will restrict portable bathrooms to permitted events and sports programs.

Eric Becker, the city’s park operations manager, said the parks were chosen because they largely served neighborhoods and that most visitors were within a short walk of their home.

“When you look at the standards of design and development in our parks, a lot of the ones similar to the ones where we’re closing these restrooms don’t have restrooms to begin with,” Becker said.

Becker estimated the bathroom closures would save the city around $100,000 from the reduced staff time to clean and repair them. The 10 neighborhood parks that will be affected are:

• Bonforte Park (Monroe Street and Wahsatch Avenue)
• Boulder Park (Boulder Street and Hancock Avenue)
• Dublin Park (between Dublin Boulevard and Roundtop Drive)
• Ford Frick Park (Union Boulevard and Lexington Drive)
• Golden Hills Park (off Delmonico Drive)
• Piñon Valley Park (Mule Creek and Bourke drives)
• Sandstone Park (near Peterson and Pring Ranch roads)
• Thorndale Park (24th and Uintah streets)
• Wasson Park (Constitution Avenue and Circle Drive)
• Westmoor Park (Water Street and Chambers Drive)

The largest chunk of the cuts announced Friday come from reducing what the city spends on lawn mowing, fertilizer and the maintenance of medians. By reducing the frequency of visits and moving the work that does take place in-house instead of being contracted out, Becker estimated the city would save about $500,000.

Julie Penrose Fountain in America the Beautiful Park will not run this summer because the staff who monitor the water feature will be moved to other areas.

The park funds set aside for reducing vandalism and repairing pothole damage in parking lots were both cut in half for 2026.

Colorado Springs made similar cuts to the parks operations around 2010, when the city’s budget struggled during the Great Recession. King and Becker said the changes announced for this year should be temporary and less dramatic from the cuts made then.

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