CREEDE— Over the last several months city officials have been working with a park committee to prepare the area of Basham Park on Main Street for some changes that will be coming in the near future. In the regular meeting of the city board of trustees on Sept. 6, of 2016, board officials voted to begin the process of revitalizing Basham Park and the gazebo located next to the museum. Creede City Clerk Randi Snead presented the board with an initial plan of action that her and Ben Davis, maintenance supervisor, put together. The idea was first presented to the board several years ago, as a means to spruce up the little park and make the gazebo more user-friendly.
The history of the gazebo is unclear at this time, but some residents recall it being built during the park’s centennial year which was in 1976. During research of the project, Snead was only able to confirm that a previous board began discussing the idea of repainting and repairing the gazebo in 1992. One thing board members agreed on in a meeting held in July was that the structure was in dire need of repair or to be reconstructed completely.
In the preliminary plan presented by Snead, it explains the desire to revamp the structure completely and recreate a user-friendly, handicap-accessible outdoor community structure in its place. The idea behind the proposed structure is to create a place where people could utilize the area for several activities like an outdoor venue for weddings, concerts, picnics and more. Snead also proposed building it in such a way that would allow a clearer view of the museum that sits directly behind the current structure.
In addition to rebuilding the gazebo, the proposed plan also included redoing the paths around the park. The current pathways are covered in what Snead referred to as “unattractive gravel” and cause drainage issues as well as damage to the grass in the park. The plan proposes to replace the gravel with imitation stone pavers or something similar. The entire project would help the town with an economic development grant, should the town choose to pursue one in the future.
The entire project is estimated to cost $60,000. The Basham Park Steering Committee recently released a brief description of who they are, what their goals are for the new park project and how the community can be involved along the way. According to spokesman for the committee Randi Snead, “It’s been a flurry of activity on Main Street at Basham Park this summer and we’ve tried our best to capitalize on an outburst of interest and energy in the space, make some immediate changes and some long-term plans to try to figure out what the best possible use of this piece of land might be.”  
In a statement made recently Snead wrapped up the activity that has been happening at the park, stating, “We’ve cleared the middle of Basham Park out to increase open space and improve visibility of the historic depot as proposed earlier this summer. We are working on helping the Historical Society librarians reorganize and unpack down at the library’s new location north of the Days of ’92 Arena. An exact location was finalized Oct. 3, 2017. Construction drawing finalization is taking place between the contractor and the architect for the gazebo, and construction will commence as soon as a few final details are hammered out and will be completed by the end of 2017. The city will complete the landscaping surrounding the pavilion in the spring of 2018, and the Park Master Plan Committee will continue its work identifying and implementing future improvements.”
The library was moved during the week of Sept. 14. “It was a substantial collaborative effort, and the Committee would especially like to thank Ciello powered by SLVREC, Mineral County, the Creede Historical Society, the City of Creede, Elks Lodge #506, Days of ’92, Tomkins Hardware, Frank Freer Construction, and the many volunteers who have been involved with the move, especially librarians Jan Jacobs and Johanna Grey,” finished Snead.