Horsetooth Reservoir information center was years in the making

The Coloradoan

Larimer County employees, elected officials and guests mingle before the start of the grand opening of the new Horsetooth Area Information Center at the reservoir's South Bay Wednesday evening. The new information center, which opened in late September, features such things as a flat-screen television showing up-to-date conditions along the reservoir, and permit and camping prices for guests to see.

Behind every impressive building stand the people who made it that way.

Such is the case with Larimer County’s new Horsetooth Area Information Center located in the South Bay section of Horsetooth Reservoir.

The shining facility is designed to be a one-stop shop for visitors seeking information about the reservoir, which is a county park, and other nearby recreation and natural areas. It’s meant to be a regional resource.

County officials celebrated the grand opening of the center Wednesday, although it’s been open since September. Visitors enjoyed snacks and conversation while admiring a stunning view of the reservoir from the deck.

The “longest soft opening ever,” as one official described it, happened to allow time for the installation of a variety of informational displays in the building’s lobby. The displays include a 3-D map of the park.

Got a question about water conditions, camping, trails or the weather? You’ll find answers at the center.

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A large video screen behind the reception desk displays a steady of stream of words and graphics. The display can be changed if something big comes up, such as a forest fire.

The building is the final piece of a 10-year master plan that directed millions of dollars toward improvements aimed at making the park a more enjoyable place to visit.

Horsetooth District Manager Mark Caughlan gets a little choked up while holding a picture of Elton Collins and Tuck Howell, who together started the recreation department, and for whom the Eltuck Coves at the reservoir are named for.

Directing much of that work was Mark Caughlan, Horsetooth district manager. Caughlan was project manager for the building and other facilities built at the reservoir.

Caughlan joked that the building was a “typical low-bid government job” in that it was 63 years in the making. But he was entirely kidding.

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Larimer County began managing recreation at reservoirs connected to the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which carries water from the Western Slope to the Front Range, in 1954.

Through its partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns Horsetooth Reservoir, the county has built improvements when funding allowed it. It wasn’t that long ago that county officials were excited about providing showers and flush toilets at the South Bay campground.

And now it has this information center, which cost $3.9 million. That includes the building and all that makes it functional, such as the parking lot and water, sewer and fiber optics connections.

It’s a combination visitors center and base of operations for the park’s staff. The top floor includes office spaces; the lower level has locker rooms and storage space.

Caughlan, who has worked 23 years with Larimer County Natural Resources, oversaw every detail of the building and made due with the funding that was available.

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Caughlan told me he wanted to make sure the facility provided a professional setting for the park’s staff as well as a top-notch experience for visitors.

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Gone are the days of park rangers sharing space with mice in cramped, drafty modular buildings. Between employees and volunteers, about 60 people work at the park.

County officials honored Caughlan for all the effort he put into the project. Larimer County Commissioner Steve Johnson said he enjoys hearing Caughlan make presentations about Horsetooth Reservoir Park because he takes so much pride in it.

“He treats these properties like they’re his back yard … he really loves this park; he knows every square inch of this park,” Johnson said.

So far, more than 1,400 people have visited the center in June. Hundreds more have called for information.

Johnson said Larimer County is fortunate to have employees who are so dedicated to making its parks the best they can be.

Visitors to county parks, whose numbers increase every year, are fortunate as well.

Kevin Duggan is a Coloradoan senior reporter. Follow him on Twitter @coloradoan_dugg and on Facebook at Coloradoan Kevin Duggan.

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