By Jim Mimiaga

U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) has teamed up with the town of Dolores by introducing legislation that would transfer ownership of Joe Rowell Park from the Forest Service back to local citizen control.

The 25-acre park has been managed and maintained by the town under a 10-year special use permit. But because it is owned by the federal government, any improvements to Joe Rowell — even a simple playground — require expensive and time-consuming environmental impact studies. Dolores has already had to endure these bureaucratic hurdles in order to construct its popular soccer fields and lighted softball fields, which cost the town nearly $300,000.

"It simply does not make sense for the Forest Service to have a lighted softball field in its inventory and likewise for the town of Dolores to have to get permission from the Forest Service every time they want to change a light bulb at the park," Allard said.

Senate Bill 1972 would allow park ownership to be conveyed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Town of Dolores, specifying that the land only be used "for open space, park, and recreational purposes." Under Allard’s proposed legislation, it would revert back to the Forest Service if any attempt was made to transfer ownership of any portion.

The scenic piece of land, bordered by the Dolores River and McPhee Reservoir, was originally purchased in 1977 by the Bureau of Reclamation and leveled with fill dirt as a requirement of the McPhee Dam Project. It was then transferred to the Forest Service.

Under the leadership of Park Planning Committee Chair Marianne Mate, the town has in the past two years been looking for ways to regain ownership of Joe Rowell in order to ease cumbersome restrictions for basic park improvements.

"Really, this bill helps the town and benefits the taxpayers because it is expensive for the Forest Service to have to conduct elaborate environmental studies just for, let’s say, a playground," Mate said yesterday. "They don’t want to have to do that, but they are also not allowed to give the land away either, and the town cannot afford to pay the $250,000 appraised value. So we approached Allard’s office about a year ago and he came up with this federal legislation option to solve the problem. It really makes good sense."

Mate explained that the town has also missed out on state funding opportunity for Joe Rowell recreation improvements, such as hefty Greater Outdoors Colorado lottery grants, which require town applicants to have proof of park ownership. Many of those plans have been put on hold, she said, because the town does not want invest any more money under the current special-permit arrangement.

The bill, which could be decided on as early as the spring (but probably not until the fall congressional session) now goes to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which includes U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) who has shown support for the plan.