The Projects and Planning Division is responsible for the planning, design, rehabilitation and inspection of Thornton parks and open space capital projects. Each year, the city receives requests from residents for improvements throughout the city. During the annual budget cycle, an ongoing list is updated and reviewed for consideration. All requests received during the current year, and requests from past years that have not been funded, compete for annual funding along with other city needs for roads, water/sewer, traffic, parks maintenance and repairs.
Take the Carpenter Playground and Splash Pad Redesign Survey
Current Capital Improvement Projects
In 2007, City Council endorsed a Heritage Trail system whose purpose is to convey Thornton’s spirit, character and uniqueness by integrating a diverse spectrum of themes, or stories, along trail loops within the regional and neighborhood trail system. Heritage Trail story nodes and amenity areas feature information that bring specific arts, history, education and environmental experiences to trail visitors and help create a sense of Thornton’s cultural identity. Click below to see the Heritage Trail Linkage Plan.
Heritage Trail Linkage Plan [PDF/13.2MB]
Design is complete for the Grandview Ponds Angler Heritage Trail story nodes that will be located along the ponds’ loop trail. Construction is anticipated to begin mid-summer 2025. With seating areas and a nature explore area by the existing large pavilion, the fishing ponds will introduce residents to Angler Heritage Trail concepts via its story node signage. Click the Project Overview for a view of the ponds’ story node locations. Contact Paula Schulte at 303-255-7844 or email Paula.Schulte@ThorntonCO.gov for more information.
This project is broken down into three main phases. Phase 1 includes infrastructure and utility work at the site. Phase 1 construction was completed in early-2025. Phase 2 includes the construction of the Anythink Nature Library building and parking lots. Library construction is underway and is anticipated to conclude in late 2026. Phase 3, which includes installing open space trails and amenities, including a nature discovery area, is planned to break ground in early 2026. Phase 3 improvements are anticipated to open to the public in late 2026.
For more information, please contact Kendrick Wyman at Kendrick.Wyman@ThorntonCO.Gov.
The city was awarded a $75,000 Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) planning grant to help fund the Big Dry Creek Recreation and Floodplain Restoration Master Plan and it is complete! Click on Master Plan Executive Summary below to read the highlights or click on Big Dry Creek Master Plan to read the entire plan. Floodplain restoration to reconnect the channel to its historic floodplain and improve channel stability, water quality, wildlife habitat and ecosystem health is complete at the Pilot Project identified in the Master Plan - between East 152nd Parkway and E-470, west of York Street.
Project History:
Just as the South Platte River on our eastern edge and Niver Creek and its tributaries in our southwestern area, the Big Dry Creek corridor provides outstanding opportunities in the northwest portion of the city for open space preservation and enhancement as a passive recreation and wildlife habitat area. Big Dry Creek is the premier ecosystem in the northwest area of the city with opportunities for year-round passive recreation while protecting, restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat and the creek's floodplain function.
Thornton voters in 1997 and again in 2013 passed a ballot initiative allowing for a .25% sale and use tax increase for parks and open space acquisition and development. Using these funds, and along with Adams County, almost 300 acres of open land along the corridor in Thornton has been preserved, mostly as natural stream bordered by undeveloped floodplain. The city owns one park facility, Thorncreek Golf Course of which approximately 44 acres are in the corridor, plus five open space parcels along Big Dry Creek totaling over 247 acres. Adams County owns two open space parcels totaling over 49 acres. While development intent for the corridor is to remain natural and be used primarily as open space with passive recreation, areas of the creek have been degraded and channelized from stream bank erosion, with resulting loss of riparian values, general floodplain functionality and valuable wildlife habitat.
Project Scope:
The Big Dry Creek Trail is being extended from approximately 148th Avenue to 156th Avenue to meet the existing trail up to Highway 7. A pedestrian underpass, partially funded through Adams County open space grant funding, is included in the York Street construction project with the remaining trail sections planned to begin construction later this year. A trailhead at 152nd Parkway & York Street is currently in design that includes parking, shade gathering space, Heritage Trail story nodes and a nature explore natural area. Trailhead construction is anticipated for 2026. Contact Paula Schulte at 303-255-7844 or email Paula.Schulte@ThorntonCO.gov for more information.
The project entails replacing the existing aging and deteriorating irrigation system, removing a small retaining wall, and implementing a series of park enhancements. Planned improvements include the installation of a soft-surface walking path, fitness equipment stations, a three-point basketball court, drainage upgrades, water-wise landscaping in designated areas, and small seating areas. Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2025 and is expected to be completed by early 2026.
For more information, please contact Kendrick Wyman at Kendrick.Wyman@ThorntonCO.gov.
The design phase for this full renovation kicked off in February 2026, and phase 1 construction is anticipated in 2027-2028.
It's not too late for YOU to guide the design by sharing your experiences, ideas, and hopes for the future of this well-loved play space. Make your mark on your favorite park!
Progress Notes:
February 20, 2026 - Adams 12 STEM Lab – 5th Grade Design Workshop
Thornton kicked off the Margaret Carpenter Playground design phase with three 5th grade classes from the Adams 12 STEM Lab. Using a guided storytelling framework, students were invited to help adults understand how children experience play.
The workshop walked students through a progressive series of imagined environments: an open field, a hill, a looping path, towering trees, and elevated connections in the air. At each stage, students were asked how they would play in that setting and how the space might change the way friends gather, move, and interact.
This narrative approach encouraged students to think beyond specific equipment and instead focus on play affordances – features that invite and support play, acting a spark for imagination, movement and social connection. As the environments became more complex, students explored how play changes when there are multiple levels, shared paths, and vertical movement.
The workshop concluded with a critical question about inclusion: What would help someone who is playing alone feel welcome and able to join the group?
Students offered thoughtful ideas about visibility, shared goals, cooperative challenges, and features that make it easy to enter play at different comfort levels. Their insights will directly inform the design by emphasizing accessibility, multi-level engagement, and social connection.
This youth-led kickoff ensured that the design process began with authentic voices and grounded the project in real play behaviors rather than assumptions.
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Get Project Updates and Give Feedback at the Following Events:
Representatives will be holding mid-morning pop up events to interview parents on the following Mondays: March 9, 16, 23 and April 6, 13, 20.
April 2 • 6-7:30 p.m.
Ward 1 Community Meeting | Community Connections, 9471 Dorothy Blvd.
April 4 • 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Eggcessible Eggstravaganza | Community Park, 2141 E 95th Ave.
April 25 • 8:00 –11:00 a.m.
Arbor Day Tree Sale | Carpenter Recreation Center, 11151 Colorado Blvd.
April 30 • 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Ward 2 Community Meeting | Active Adult Center, 11181 Colorado Blvd.
June 6 • 10:00 AM–9:15 PM
Thorntonfest | Carpenter Park Fields, 108th Ave & Colorado Blvd.
Take the Carpenter Playground and Splash Pad Redesign Survey
This project includes the replacement of the aged irrigation system at Cherry Park. The project is currently in design with construction expected to begin late summer 2025. Contact Paula Schulte at 303-255-7844 or email Paula.Schulte@ThorntonCO.gov for more information.
Project:
This study will inventory facilities and identify potential improvements to multiuse trail networks and connectivity through a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of Thornton’s current bicycle/pedestrian trail infrastructure. The study will culminate in a Master Plan that identifies and prioritizes trail system improvements based on technical date, experiential data and community input and an update of the Trails Users Map. We will map how trail visitors recreate and use the trail and identify all existing amenity locations (e.g. benches or restrooms), popular destinations reached by trails and more to suggest and prioritize desired amenity updates and additions. Questions? Contact Paula Schulte, Project Manager: Paula.Schulte@ThorntonCO.gov | 303-255-7844.
This project entails the replacement of an aged irrigation system and renovation of the landscape in the right-of-way areas along Colorado Blvd between 106th Avenue and Muriel Drive. The landscape renovations include removal of existing, deteriorating modular block walls, and installation of updated hardscapes, landscape boulders and water-wise plantings. Project is anticipated to break ground in Q2 of 2025.
For more information, please contact Kendrick Wyman at Kendrick.Wyman@ThorntonCO.gov.
Project:
A shade shelter with solar powered lighting will be installed in place of the existing children’s playground just to the east of the Thomas J. Slocum Memorial Skatepark, at 2211 Eppinger Boulevard. The project will include new benches, picnic tables, and a seat wall. Completion is expected in early 2024. For more information, please contact Bob Kees at Bob.Kees@ThorntonCO.gov.
Project [PDF/10.6MB]:
Welcome to the newly renovated Grange Creek Park. The park and the trails are now open to the public. There is still some minor work occurring in the Non-Potable Irrigation Pump House, so please be understanding of the current contractor and their employees. You can expect to see the final touches placed on this park during the winter months and in the Spring of 2025. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Bob Kees at bob.kees@thorntonco.gov.
The McAllister Park Master Plan was initiated in 2024 to explore opportunities for adding new amenities to the city-owned, undeveloped parkland on the west side of the park located at Huron Street and 96th Avenue. Preliminary concept designs were shared with the community during the Día de los Muertos event held at McAllister Park in November 2024.
Additional public engagement occurred in mid-2025, when the design team presented two conceptual site plans to community members. Feedback was collected through an in-person meeting on June 18, 2025, and via an online survey that was available through early July. Based on the input received from the community, the design team is currently developing a final master plan for the park, which the city anticipates approving in late 2025.
Following plan approval, city staff will pursue supplemental funding and grant opportunities to support project implementation. The construction timeline for these improvements has not yet been determined and will depend on a variety of factors including final project costs and available budget.
For more information, please contact Kendrick Wyman at Kendrick.Wyman@ThorntonCO.Gov.
Project:
Niver Open Space has been under construction since 2021 for the Mile High Flood District Tributary M project. This project included an underpass at Huron Street, regarding of the creek to correct severe erosion, and revegetation. In September 2023, construction began on additional open space amenities including a lighted trailhead parking lot off 88th Avenue, playground facilities, trail improvements, Niver Nature Heritage Trail signage and amenities, irrigated plantings, and changes to the intersection at 88th Avenue and Conifer Road. Project completion is planned for spring 2024. For more information, please contact Bob Kees at Bob.Kees@ThorntonCO.gov.
Huron Street Underpass:
A new box culvert under Huron Street at Niver Creek Tributary M with a pedestrian underpass will address flooding concerns as well as allow safe access for pedestrians and cyclists to Niver Open Space. This project is nearing completion in fall 2022.
Niver Creek Tributary M Improvements (west and east of Huron Street):
MHFD is constructing a channel stabilization and realignment project from approximately Thornton Parkway east to where Niver Tributary M meets Niver Creek on the east side of Niver Open Space. The purpose of the project is to protect underground utility pipes from erosion, reduce the slope of steep banks to create a more natural creek bed and to promote access to the water. The areas west of Huron Street were completed in fall 2022. The areas east of Huron Street will be under construction from October 2022 through Spring 2023.
Niver Open Space Dam Outlet at 88th Avenue:
A new dam outlet structure and forebay with maintenance access has been completed. This will improve the function of the dam outlet and make it easier to maintain.
Niver Nature Heritage Trail Improvements in Niver Open Space:
In 2020, Thornton completed a design to add improvements along the Niver Nature Heritage Trail in Niver Open Space. Public meetings were held to solicit input. The proposed design includes two nature play areas (over 5,000 SF) with benches, informal seating and room for children to play on boulders, huge logs and colorful concrete animals ( a snake and a turtle). The design also includes three Heritage Trail story node areas that will feature seating and educational signage about local natural history and Niver Open Space ecosystems. Construction will be coordinated with other projects managed by MHFD, beginning in 2022.
Niver Open Space Improvements:
Open space improvements will be constructed that were authorized and funded by City Council in 2017 and 2021, and with an Adams County Open Space grant award. Passive recreational improvements include soft surface trails, additional site furniture, nature play areas, educational signage, trailhead parking off 88th Avenue and small gathering spaces to activate the open space and improve accessibility. Please feel free to contact Bob Kees at Bob.Kees@ThorntonCO.gov or 303-255-7707 for more information.
Project:
The City of Thornton has a tentative depreciation schedule that includes 75+ playgrounds organized into priority groups that guide the allocation of limited resources to maintain safe, enjoyable play spaces. Commercial playground equipment is meant to have a lifespan of about 20 years before the wear and tear become more difficult and costly to repair than to replace. The City considers the relative age and condition of facilities and also accounts for special circumstances that it learns from residents. Help the city to improve your neighborhood park by taking our Park Survey and providing your input.
Scheduled Renovations:
- Liberty Hills Park: Started March 11, 2025 with an estimated completion of March 31, 2025. Includes expanded play area for swings, new play equipment and furnishings, concrete “wavy walk” around playground with additional seating, picnic tables and filtered shade.
- Eastlake Shore: Starting Spring 2025. Includes repairs to turf damaged during construction.
- Marshall Lake: Starting Summer 2025. Includes replacement of panels on the main play structure.
- Cherrywood Park: Starting Winter 2025. Includes articulation of the ground plane, inclusive play equipment, shaded play mounds, hillside slide, sensory play area with natural materials and shaded performance platforms with natural seating.
Next In Queue:
- Margaret Carpenter Park: Starting Fall 2026. The City will begin public outreach in 2025 as part of the design phase. Anticipated components include an articulated ground plane with play mounds and accessible travel paths, inclusive play equipment including features for individuals of varying ages, abilities and interests, sensory play and shade.
Project:
Passive open space improvements will be incorporated into the approximate 9.4-acre Skylake Ranch Open Land at 119th Avenue and Holly Street. Additional plantings, trails, nature play, shade and site furniture are planned based on public input and budget. Sidewalk and Union Ditch Trail connectivity will be addressed. Design is completed a construction contractor has been selected with construction beginning the end of February. An Adams County Open Space grant and funds from the sale of the Denver Broncos are helping to fund the construction. Don't hesitate to contact Paula Schulte at Paula.Schulte@ThorntonCO.gov or 303-255-7844 with questions or concerns.