Several recent grants from different state and federal agencies totaling $545,000 are flowing to Cuchara Mountain Park southwest of Walsenburg.
That includes a $195,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs that will help get a long unused ski lift running again and repair key buildings at the park. The nonprofit Panadero Ski Corporation currently operates the park under a contract with Huerfano County, which owns the property. Panadero built a sled-like trailer with seating pulled by snowcat, called the ski bus, to provide uphill slope access at the once dormant ski area that closed more than two decades ago.
During a Huerfano County meeting in late February, community members expressed worries about rumors regarding the possibility of a developer building a tiny home project at the park or even the possibility that the county would sell the park outright.
Many also sent letters to the county commissioners, including the Cuchara Foundation which originally purchased the park and donated it to the county.
The letter from the foundation said in part:
“In December 2024, representatives from the Cuchara Foundation met with Buckhorn Ridge Outfitters, during which the development plan was shared with our Board. We were dismayed to learn of the proposal to construct 20 tiny home lodging units and other commercial amenities within the park. This plan directly contradicts the original intent of maintaining the park as a public space free from commercial exploitation…It has come to our attention that the Huerfano County Commissioners are now attempting to finalize a lease agreement with the developer without opening the process for public comment.”
At the commissioners’ meeting, county resident Jessica Loveless said she and others are concerned about how a new development might affect the small Cuchara community, but, like the county commissioners, she also wants to see economic development in the area.
“I've always loved Cuchara,” she said. “I grew up coming here every year and now we live here. I agree with you. I'm all for someone investing into the community and growth and development.”
Loveless said the community simply wants to know what’s going on.
In response, Commissioner Karl Sporleder said there’d been a lot of rumors and misinformation about the development.
“There's nothing that has been set in stone,” he said. “We do not have contracts to sell anything.”
Sporleder said before any kind of commercial development were to happen, there would be public discussion. He said the county wants the community, Panadero, Buckhorn and other interested parties to work together to come up with a plan.
Other local residents spoke about their concerns at the meeting, while others said they supported the idea of a private developer’s involvement in the park.
Meanwhile, two grants from other agencies totaling $350,000 are helping to fund park operations, as well as ski and bike programs for children from Huerfano and Las Animas counties. These grants are in addition to the grant supporting getting the ski lift running and other repairs.
Ken Clayton, a volunteer with the Panadero Ski Corporation, said they expect to have the lift open for skiers and snowboarders in time for next winter.
But he also said that the ski bus has been pretty popular. “We won’t send it back to the scrap yard,” he said. “I would imagine that there will be days every season where we bust out the ski bus and let people have some fun on it.”
A long term contract between the county and Panadero Ski Corporation to continue running the park has been pending since last year as various details are worked out. Meanwhile, an effort last year to transfer ownership of the park from the county back to the Cuchara Foundation was never finalized.
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