The La Plata County Fairgrounds is restricting foot traffic through its property following increased incidents of littering, vandalism, theft, speeding, graffiti and loitering around the buildings – incidents county staff say are largely caused by Durango High School students.
The fairgrounds provides paid overflow parking when the high school’s main lot fills up, and hundreds of students pass through the area each school day.
Fairgrounds Manager Emily Spencer estimated that 200 to 300 students use the area as a hang out during lunch and free periods.
But Spencer said that use must stop to preserve the property.
The littering and property damage “is just impossible to measure, because it’s constant,” Spencer said.
With a small staff, restricting access will help conserve time and resources currently spent addressing those problems, Spencer said.
The other day, she watched a student pick a lock leading to a courtyard – an area closed off to protect grass the staff has been working to rehabilitate.
Additionally, Spencer said few students who purchase fairgrounds parking passes follow instructions to park in the designated flea market lot and walk along Main Avenue to reach campus. Instead, many cut through the courtyard and patio, causing further damage to the grass.
“If they just walk straight out of the school and then take a right up Main (Avenue), then they won’t be scaling my fences that can be broken, and my gates that can be unhinged,” she said. “I’m just trying to protect this property, and really keep it nice for the users.”
The closure has not been well received by high school students.
After the changes were implemented earlier this week, some students eschewed the locked gates by clambering over and under them.
Spencer said she expected that would happen; what she didn’t expect was the level of vandalism that followed.
“I knew it would be a difficult change, but I didn't expect the level of damage that’s now been done to the property in response,” Spencer said.
One student, upset by the restricted access, reportedly ripped open the fence, damaging it.
“This is why, sadly, we are trying to limit access just from Main Avenue,” she said. “A few bad apples shouldn’t spoil the barrel. But I just don’t have the time to figure out the good kids versus the ones who are picking locks and tearing gates apart.”
Now, according to a county news release sent Thursday, all northbound pedestrian access into the fairgrounds from the Animas River Trail, Durango High School and Senior Center will be permanently routed to Main Avenue.
Gates into the patio and courtyard have been locked, with signage directing pedestrians to the Main Avenue walkway.
In a written statement to The Durango Herald, Durango School District spokeswoman Karla Sluis acknowledged the county’s concerns but said school officials were not made aware of specific complaints prior to the closure.
From the district’s perspective, the incident that triggered the change appeared to have involved two young people – only one of whom was a DHS student – rather than a broader pattern of misconduct.
“We regret the situation, and we are ready to address any issues directly,” Sluis said.
District administrators say their priority is maintaining a respectful relationship with the fairgrounds staff. They are arranging a meeting with county officials to discuss the issue and plan to reinforce behavioral expectations with students.
“We’re confident that, through open communication, we can find solutions that serve both DHS students and the county fairgrounds team,” she said.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
