GOCO Board awards $155K grant to City of Lamar for Recreation Master Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 3/15/24
Contacts:
Diane Metzger, GOCO Communications Manager
303.226.4507, dmetzger@goco.org
Anthony LaTour, City of Lamar Director of Parks, Recreation, and Cemeteries
719.336.8088, anthony.latour@ci.lamar.co.us
GOCO board awards $155K grant to the City of Lamar for Recreation Master Plan

DENVER – The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) board awarded $155,000 to the City of Lamar for the development of a multi-year recreation master plan informed and guided by the local community.

This grant is part of GOCO’s Planning and Capacity program, which invests in projects that address opportunities, explore issues, engage communities, and examine outdoor trends.

The City of Lamar has completed its previous recreation master plan and is ready for the next iteration to continue and further recreation development. With this funding, the City will hire a planning consultant to conduct activities and events in the next 14 to 24 months to gather input from its diverse community members. Data captured during this time will guide the plan that will provide recreation programming and implementation recommendations for the next five to ten years.

“We are grateful to GOCO for this generous grant to engage Lamar residents of all ages, from tots to seniors, to plan for Lamar’s recreational needs,” said Lamar Parks & Recreation Director Anthony LaTour. “The timing is opportune, as it will continue the planning effort that the City’s comprehensive plan is beginning. By providing transformative recreational activities designed for everyone’s benefit, we
seek to enhance the quality of life for all Lamar residents. A new recreation plan also gives us an opportunity to consider how our parks and recreation offerings can make the town more attractive for visitors and longer-term economic development, setting in motion a new sense of optimism and community pride.”

The City and its consultant will partner with paid college and high school student interns and youth-serving organizations and host multiple gatherings for further community participation in the process, including a Cinco de Mayo celebration, school kickoff events, local sporting events, and activities at the Sand & Sage Fair. This project aims to engage the diverse demographic groups of Lamar and community partners to ensure the master plan is sustainable, relevant, equitable, and community-centered.

To date, GOCO has invested more than $4.2 million in Prowers County and has partnered to conserve 1,440 acres of land there. GOCO funding has supported the Lamar Ballpark and Sports Complexes, the Lamar Loop Trail, Wheels Park, and the Prowers County Open Air Pavilion in recent years. Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and
enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,700 projects in all 64 counties of Colorado without any tax dollar support.

Visit GOCO.org for more information.

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