Welcome - Denver Parks and Recreation Welcome to Denver, Colorado where our parks and recreation facilities are unrivaled in the Rocky Mountain West. Denver enjoys one of the most diverse, expansive, and historic parks and recreation systems in the nation.     Mission: As stewards of Denver's legacy, the Department of Parks and Recreation is dedicated to customer satisfaction and enhancing lives by providing innovative programs and safe, beautiful, sustainable places. Vision: To be a nationally recognized leader providing model programs and dynamic public spaces.   What's New at Denver Parks and Recreation Want to know what's happening at your local recreation center or keep on top of events at your neighborhood park?  Sign up for Denver Parks and Recreation's free eNewsletter.

News and Events Civic Center Design Guidelines Denver Parks and Recreation is seeking citizen input for the draft Park Design Guidelines for Civic Center.  An advisory committee and several public meetings held since February, 2008 helped to develop the draft guidelines based on 2005 Civic Center Park Master Plan.  These guidelines will direct the implementation of $9.5 million of the Better Denver Bond funding to restore the Greek Theater, Voorhies Memorial, Broadway Terrace, park walkways and balustrades.  The guidelines will also become a basis for other park improvement projects that may be funded in the future.    Tina Bishop, Mundus Bishop Design, has been contracted to prepare the guidelines.  The guidelines will provide parameters for materials, park structures such as kiosks, benches and signage, mass and scale for new features, guidance on level of restoration of historic features and other improvements so these are consistent with the historic character and experience of the park landscape.  The objective is to finalize the guidelines to be formally adopted by Denver Parks and Recreation, the Landmark Preservation Commission and City Council in the Fall, 2008.   Cover and Table of Contents Chapters 1-3 Chapter 4 Chapters 5-10 Back Cover   The guidelines will be on review for a period of 60 days from June 30 through August 28, 2008. Please send comments to: Please send comments to: Mark.Bernstein@denvergov.org   For questions, please call Mark Bernstein at (720) 913-0632. Off the Wall Community Fair in Swansea Neighborhood Join Councilwoman Judy Montero and Swansea Recreation Center on Saturday, July 12 for the Swansea Neighborhood Project.  The days events include live mural painting, basketball games, bouncy castle, face painting and much, much more.  For more information, click here Submissions Sought for Buffalo Bill Museum RFQ “The Buffalo Bill Gravesite and Museum and Pahaska Tepee (the historic lodge that formerly housed the museum) are key attractions within the Denver Mountain Park system, located on Lookout Mountain. No historical figure, both in fact and in perception, has captured the allure, the realities, the ironies, and the mythology of the American West as Buffalo Bill Cody.  Denver Parks and Recreation seeks a consultant to help the city-owned and managed Buffalo Bill Museum transition to a more independent cultural institution, with its own Board of Directors. We’re publishing this Request for Qualifications to select a consultant to help the Buffalo Bill Museum and Denver Parks and Recreation with: Recommendation of the best governance model for Buffalo Bill Museum within the City structure. Increased community awareness of and advocacy for Buffalo Bill Museum A preliminary Board of Trustees identified, recruited, and trained.   Submissions will be taken until July 31, 2008.  Click here, or the RFQ . For information, call Museum Director, Steve Friesen, at 303.526.0744 or steve.friesen@denvergov.org. Game On!- Denver Waives Youth Rec Center Fees for Summer Mayor John Hickenlooper and Denver Parks and Recreation Acting Manager Scott Robson today announced that Denver youth age 17 and younger may use City recreation centers, including swimming pools, for free this summer.  Free admission begins Monday, June 2 - the day City swimming pools open - and will run thorugh Saturday, August 16.  Standard fees will continue to apply for programs and activities that typically are offered at an additional charge.  read more  Movies in the Parks Movies in the Parks provides community residents with free, outdoor film entertainment in neighborhood parks. The program helps to strengthen Denver communities by bringing neighbors together for a local celebration. Read More       Colorado Get Outdoors Day at Sloan's Lake June is Great Outdoors Month in Colorado and President Bush has proclaimed June 14th as National Get Outdoors Day.  Denver's celebration will be a signature event highlighting the importance of enjoying our amazing outdoor recreation opportunities. read more        Public Meeting - Denver Police Athletic League, Denver Parks and Recreation Proposed Partnership Councilman Chris Nevitt and Denver Parks and Recreation invite you to a public meeting to learn about an exciting new partnership between Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the Denver Police Athletic League (PAL).  This meeting will take place at 6:00pm on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at the Rose of Lima church located at 1320 W Nevada Place (one block South of Alameda between Pecos and Navajo Streets). Through this partnership:  * PAL will invest approximately $5 million in athletic field improvements at no cost to the City * PAL will utilize these fields, at no cost to PAL, based on their current field usage (which has a monetary value significantly less than their $5 million investment).  Any additional use by PAL will be at normal rental rates.  * The city will be able to provide Tier 1, lighted, athletic fields to other user groups which will enhance the city’s athletic field inventory and athletic field revenues.  Councilman Nevitt, DPR, and PAL hope you will join us on Thursday, July 31, 2008 to learn more about this exciting development in our relationship. Natural Resources Division Accepting Proposals Denver Parks and Recreation is inviting outstanding communicators to submit a proposal for a project to develop Natural Area Standards, Guidelines, and Training Materials for the over 3,000 urban and 14,000 mountain natural areas within the parks system. The consultant(s) will work with a team of experts in creating the tools and trainings that will help Parks and Recreation staff to restore and manage these diverse native landscapes. The project is funded by a Denver Department of Environmental Health Seed Capital Grant. Proposals are due by 2/29/08. For more information, click here. Daniels Park Master Plan    A jewel in the crown of the Denver Mountain Parks System in Douglas County will receive some well-deserved tender loving care through a proposed Master Plan for the historical park that culminates three years of collaborative efforts between two local governments and surrounding neighbors who share a mutual desire for park improvements.  Read More   Update on Road Closures -   Olde Happy Canyon Road, also known as Castle Pines Parkway, from Buffalo Trail west to Daniels Park Road and south on Daniels Park Road to the existing end of the pavement will be closed begining June 16, 2008. The closure is expected to last approximately five weeks and is being done to facilitate work by Xcel Energy s it relocates existing gas lines.