The City of Golden has temporarily closed Ulysses Park this winter for an extensive redevelopment project. The initiative will include the addition of multi-use sports fields, a new skate park, upgrades to parking facilities, playgrounds, restrooms, shelters, and a 25,000-square-foot dog park (approximately 6,500-square-feet bigger than the previous one).
These changes coincide with the end of the city's 20-year lease of the Rooney Road Sports Complex, which will expire in 2026. The complex has been decommissioned due to safety concerns caused by the fact that the fields were constructed on top of a landfill. Officials decided not to renew the lease in early 2023 and instead opted for the development of new multi-use fields at Ulysses Park, choosing natural grass over artificial turf.
These fields will accommodate a wide range of sports including soccer, football, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, baseball, and softball. The dog park will also be relocated away from the fields to a section of the park that is embedded in nature.
According to a City Council memo, $9.1 million has been allocated to the project from the Open Space Capital Project Fund. The redevelopment contract was given to Golden Triangle Construction.
Construction began on November 25, 2024, with some areas of the park completely closed and others offering limited access. Construction is being carried out in phases to minimize disruption.
The skate park is scheduled to reopen first, in mid-February. Then, the ball diamonds, north parking lot, and dog park are projected to reopen this spring. The south parking lot, buildings, and playground will reopen in December 2025. Finally, the new athletic fields are projected to be playable in spring 2026.
Chad Meinert, Golden’s deputy director of land and facilities, urges park users to respect the areas that are closed off with construction fencing. “It’s important for people to stay out during construction because it is a dangerous area,” he said.
Meinert also emphasized that the construction schedule is weather-dependent and may be subject to change. Despite this, he said “the city is super excited to have everything staying close to the timeline given the existing weather challenges.”
He encouraged community members to look on guidinggolden.com for any updates.
