“It is heart warming that the community sees the value of this part of our Reservoir Hill development. It appears this exhibit is going to be a high quality addition to Pagosa’s Town Park system.” – Norm Vance, Editor of Pagosasprings.com
By Muriel Eason
The Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation (PSCDC) proposed a joint crowdfunding project with Christine Funk and the Friends of Reservoir Hill to help them raise funds to complete an Observation Deck at the highest point on Reservoir Hill. It is a low impact community amenity that will provide a destination for tourists and community members alike to hike to, reflect and enjoy nature. This project has already been approved by Town Council for spring 2014. We set up the project on Citizinvestor.com with a goal of $5,400.
By partnering with the CDC, donated funds were tax deductible and donations of $300 or more were eligible for Enhanced Rural Enterprise Zone Colorado state tax credits of 25%. This allowed investor dollars to go much further.
SUCCESS! As of December 24th, we went over our goal of $5,400 and have actually raised a bit more money, as the full project budget is $18,000. The Levine Family Trust has also agreed to match the funds that were raised on Citizinvestor.com. Further contributions are still welcome. Just send a check to Pagosa Springs CDC, PO Box 1183, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147.
Showing true community spirit, other locals have joined in with in-kind donations. Architectural design of the structure was donated by Jess Wilton. Timbers are being prepared for construction in the spring by local craftsman, David Schanzenbaker. Ken Levine paid for the trails to the site to be cleared and widened slightly to allow transport of building materials in the spring. Local Norm Vance has been working to acquire panoramic photographs from John Mathis, a local photographer for exhibit panels to educate visitors on the local landscape. This is a true community effort.
Crowdfunding is a new way for our community to fund projects that we collectively want to see completed. Whether it is infrastructure for parks, bike racks for downtown, trash receptacles, toilet facilities or sun shades for parks or anything else that the “crowd” would be willing to fund. All that is required is a great idea, a plan and Town or County approvals if needed. This is a great new tool all citizens can use to improve our community.
