El Paso County has a new steward for its sprawling network of parks, trails, and open spaces. Since starting this summer as executive director of the El Paso County Parks Department, Janna Tidwell has kept a pair of hiking boots in her car. The habit speaks to an early priority: getting to know the terrain she now manages.
The county's holdings range from the wetlands and plains of Fountain to the south, to the hills running north of Palmer Lake and west of Manitou Springs, to the pines of Black Forest and the colorful rock formations of Paint Mines Interpretive Park far to the east. Tidwell has noted the variety presents distinct challenges. "The natural resources in each of these areas are extremely different," she said. "And also, the demographics of who lives around them and their needs are also very different. So something I feel that's very important is to be mindful of that and engage those communities."
Tidwell came to the role with nearly three decades of parks and landscape work behind her. She earned a master's degree in landscape architecture from Texas Tech University, and spent about 20 years as a consultant designing community gathering places. She most recently served as parks director in Addison, Texas, where she spent the last nine years. She described that post as "extremely different than El Paso County" — "almost dead center in the DFW metro," she said, calling it "very urban, very dense, very built out" — and said she had been missing the natural resources component of her earlier work as a landscape architect.
One of her first major administrative tasks is a county-directed audit of the department's physical holdings. County commissioners have ordered a "comprehensive asset inventory and condition assessment" — a computerized view of the Parks Department's trails, nature centers, playgrounds, sports fields, courts, and other infrastructure. The idea, Tidwell said, is "to make data-informed decisions" that will guide how the department cares for existing assets before adding new ones.
Beyond the inventory, Tidwell is inheriting a list of active capital and planning initiatives. Those include advancing Paint Mines' 2024 master plan, which calls for geology-protecting barriers, new parking, signage, and more. The department also intends to expand the Ute Pass Regional Trail, with a new segment out of Cascade announced earlier this year. Improving accessibility at Rainbow Falls in Manitou Springs — currently reached by paid, privately operated shuttles amid ongoing parking concerns — is also on the agenda.
Around Black Forest, the proposed Fox Run Nature Center has drawn concern; the multimillion-dollar project was put on hold last year. Tidwell indicated the path forward requires broader input. "Was the timing appropriate? And have we done our due diligence in hearing from the community?" she asked, expecting more conversations to follow.
She identified "improving our communication" as "a big opportunity," saying the department has resources that many residents do not know exist. The Fox Run project's status, the Rainbow Falls access plan, and the timeline for completing the asset assessment are all expected to develop in the months ahead.