Parks

Adopt a Park or Greenbelt

The Adopt a Park or Greenbelt Program is a great way for individuals and all types of organizations – homeowners associations, religious organizations, schools, private businesses, non-profits and corporations – to adopt an area within our community that needs care and attention. By committing your valuable time and energy, you will help support cleaner, safer and more beautiful parks, trails, and greenbelts.

Each area will have different needs such as sweeping, litter removal, flower bed maintenance, and general clean-up. Occasional painting, small maintenance projects, and plantings may be needed on a less continuous basis. A little time and elbow grease are all that are needed for you to help make our District properties more inviting and safer. If you have any questions, please contact Richard Plack at richardp@kcranch.org.

Memorial Tree Program

Park Maintenance

Report a Problem

The Parks Department is responsible for maintaining the parks and facilities located on Ken-Caryl Ranch. If you see a problem (broken sprinklers or irrigation pipe, damaged fences, landscape lights that are out, tree damage, etc.) or feel that a situation needs to be brought to the attention of the parks staff, please contact Richard Plack at richardp@kcranch.org 720-599-3280. If the situation needs immediate attention and cannot wait until the following business day, you can call after hours at 720-599-3282.

Snow Removal

Snow removal for most roadways within Ken-Caryl Ranch is provided by the Jefferson County Road and Bridge Department. You may reach Jefferson County Road and Bridge at 303-271-5200. The Ken-Caryl Ranch Metropolitan District Parks Department is responsible for snow removal on Ranch-owned property. If you have any questions or you feel an area has not been addressed according to the following plan please contact Richard Plack at richardp@kcranch.org or 720-599-3280.

Sprinkler System Repair

The Metropolitan District Parks Department operates and maintains the sprinkler system that provides water to approximately 110 acres of parks and greenbelts that make up the parks system in Ken-Caryl Ranch. The irrigation crew inspects each valve and head on the system on a two-week schedule and makes any needed adjustments or repairs at that time.

We incorporate three different styles of sprinkler heads on the system. For the park areas, gear driven or impact style heads are used. These are large radius and high volume sprinklers that provide even distribution over a large area. For the smaller and narrower turf sites, the more common and recognizable spray heads are used. These sprinklers are spaced closer together, are adjustable from 20 degrees to 360 degrees, and produce a fan spray. The third style and perhaps the least known are the drip/bubbler emitters. These are used in gardens, small planting sites and areas that are not conducive to the overhead watering styles. This system discharges the water very slowly and applies it directly to the base of the plant eliminating wind drift and over-spray.

The goal is to have the system work as efficiently as possible but, with anything that is mechanical, failures do occur. We appreciate any observations that you make regarding the operation of the sprinkler system since the potential for failure is in the evening hours when the sprinklers are programmed to run. For more information, please contact Richard Plack at richardp@kcranch.org or 720-599-3280.

Playing Field Maintenance

The Metropolitan District currently maintains nine soccer fields and three baseball fields. Eight soccer fields and two baseball fields are located in the Community Park on Sangre de Cristo Rd. north of Chatfield Ave. At the Ranch House you will find one soccer field and the third baseball field.

The Parks Department maintains all of these fields on a year-round schedule. The fields are aerated and fertilized twice each year, once in the spring and also in the fall. The grass is mowed weekly to a height of 3 inches and watered as frequently as the current water restrictions will allow. Because of the space provided at the Community Park we are able to reconfigure the fields each season to minimize wear as much as possible.

The baseball fields are comprised of skinned infields with backstops and fenced dugout areas. Each field is graded and leveled in the spring before scheduled play begins. Maintenance and dragging fields is performed 6 days per week.

Vandalism

Stay alert for signs and sounds of vandalism in your local park and on pathways. If you see someone vandalizing your park, athletic fields or playground equipment, please call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department immediately at 303-277-0211. If you notice park property or playground equipment has been broken or vandalized, please contact Richard Plack at richardp@kcranch.org or 720-599-3280.

For the community’s sake, report vandalism when you see it. You will be helping reduce needless destruction of property and, at the same time, putting your money to work where it is needed. The Ken-Caryl Ranch Metropolitan District offers a reward of $100 for information leading to the arrest of perpetrators.

Parks & Maintenance Shop

The Ken-Caryl Ranch Maintenance Shop is the home of the Metro District’s Parks Department. Located in the Business Center at 8391 S. Continental Divide Road, the 5,700 square foot facility provides office and storage space, inside work areas, and fleet maintenance areas for the 15 full-time and as many as 12 seasonal Parks employees. After occupying a small building at the Equestrian Center for many years, the Parks crew moved into this facility in the fall of 2000. The acre-and-a-half facility includes parking space for the department’s fleet of vehicles and equipment, commodity bins for wood mulch, topsoil and crushed rocks, a diesel tank for tractor fueling and covered storage for lumber, hand tools, and sprinkler pipe. The landscaping was designed and installed by Parks employees and demonstrates how beautiful water-wise gardening can be.