At its regular meeting held on June 6, the Combined Parks and Recreation Advisory Board heard a report from Pagosa Springs Parks and Recreation Director Darren Lewis.
Lewis informed the board that he had been working on a new bocce ball court located in Yamaguchi Park near the pickleball courts.
According to backyardbocce.com, “Bocce is played with eight large balls and one smaller target or object ball called a pallina. There are four balls per team and they are made of a different color or pattern to distinguish the balls of one team from those of the other team.”
Lewis explained that he had not planned on building a bocce ball court this summer, but was approached by “multiple seniors” in the community about having one built.
He mentioned that he took this project on himself, noting it took “very little expense” and just some of his time to be able to construct the court.
“That’s not a big deal, putting in a little extra time like that to build something,” he said.
Lewis explained the court consists of a 12-foot-by-6-foot area lined with lumber pieces.
The area consists of a rock layer with drainage that has a layer of sand placed on top, with a top layer of turf. The perimeter is lined with 6-inch-by-6-inch timber, Lewis explained.
Lewis added that that area of Yamaguchi Park is “pretty tough” to work with in terms of soil in the area, but he hopes that section will cater more toward seniors with parking nearby and the proximity to the pickleball courts.
Lewis clarified that the Town of Pagosa Springs will not be providing the balls needed to play bocce.
Lewis indicated that there is very minimal maintenance required for the court, and that it’s “not a big deal” if it ends up needing to be removed.
In an email to The SUN on June 18, Lewis confirmed the bocce ball court is now completed.
During the meeting, Lewis also informed the board that he has been working with Echo IT to get Wi-Fi put in place at the town’s parks.
“We’re working on some Wi-Fi in our parks, as well,” he said.
Lewis mentioned that the town council would like to have Wi-Fi in the parks “for the community to use.”
He mentioned that he is working to have Wi-Fi set up at Yamaguchi Park, South Pagosa Park and the Town Park athletic field.
Lewis explained that, currently, for Wi-Fi to be used at a park, the town has to set up an “antenna,” which is used for events and does not allow for public access.
He mentioned he hopes to find a more permanent solution and have a stronger, private network set up to help run events and a separate network established solely for public use.
He noted that it would not be a very strong network, but “at least there’d be some access.”
In an email to The SUN, Lewis indicated that limited Wi-Fi in the parks will “hopefully” be available by July 1.
