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A large butterfly feature sits in the nature play area with grassland in the background.

drone shot of Coal Creek Park shows the expansive green lawn, pavilion, splash pad, and playgrounds with the mountains in the distance

A large pavilion shades people while kids play on the playground.

Kids play on nature play and swinging play features

parents sit on a turf slope watching their kids on the rope play equipment

A child approaches six musical play features in the form of flowers.

a custom pavilion and concessions building creates an arc canopy over café tables

Families sit on shaded picnic tables as the water park runs behind them.

A drone images at night of a lighted ice rink with hockey players.

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Coal Creek Park

Erie, CO

The thriving Colorado town of Erie renovates a small park in its historic downtown to create a central community gathering hub for residents and visitors.

Over three decades ago, Coal Creek Park was constructed as a youth ball-field complex with informal parking areas and a bermed creek edge. Over the last decade the town of Erie has experienced tremendous growth. Its historic downtown has become a central hub that draws in residents from throughout the more suburban developments for entertainment and community activities. The town desired an improved downtown destination for their modern community needs for recreation, leisure, and festivals while still capturing the historic qualities and small town feel of Erie.

Working with the Town and the community, Wenk Associates led the master plan and design to renovate the 7-acre existing park into flexible event space for performances, festivals, markets, and informal gathering. The final design includes a new splash pad that doubles as a space for a temporary ice rink in the winter months, a new nature-inspired playground with rope elements, inclusive features such as a low disc swing and an experiential musical trail, flexible event space and an open lawn for festivals and informal gatherings, and a custom pavilion designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects. Sitting adjacent to Coal Creek, the park serves as a nexus between the downtown and natural open space.

The playground with its custom-built butterfly structure is dedicated to Maddie McDaniel who was only weeks old when she passed. Erie Parks & Recreation and the design team worked closely with her family and their non-profit, Maddie’s Bows, to create a place to honor her memory and the memory of other children who left the world too early.

Project Team:
Wenk Associates – Lead Consultant, Landscape Architects
AMD Architects – Architecture
JVA, Inc. – Civil & Structural Engineering
Flatirons – Survey
RockSol – Geotechnical Engineering
MDP Engineering Group – MEP Engineering
HydroSystems*KDI – Irrigation

Client

Town of Erie, Colorado

Completion year

2023

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