By Freda Miklin
Governmental Reporter
On Saturday morning, June 26, Cherry Hills Village held a grand opening celebration for John Meade Park and Alan Hutto Memorial Commons at 2450 E. Quincy Avenue, adjacent to CHV City Hall. Although the area was completed and opened to the public last September, the official grand opening was delayed because of the pandemic.
John Meade Park contains a picnic shelter and a play area with a saucer swing and hammock, along with a tree climber and an observation tower. There are also public restrooms. Two ponds in the park both have fishing piers and there is a movable boardwalk that goes through the wetlands area. The play area was designed by members of the city’s parks, trails, and recreation commission. There were 125 new trees planted as part of the construction of the park that will grow and provide lots of shade. The adjacent Alan Hutto Memorial Commons contains a terraced grass amphitheater, pathways, and a concrete performance area.
The land for the Alan Hutto Memorial Commons was donated to the city by Frank and Holly Hutto and Peter and Linda Niederman in memory of the Huttos’ son, Alan, who passed away at the age of nine-and-a-half. At the celebration on June 26, Niederman told The Villager, “Frank and I had come up with the idea to buy that land and we were going to develop it, put a house on there. I remember, I was on my way to see my mother in Chicago when Frank called me and said, “I’ve got an idea. I’d like to donate this piece of ground and I’d like to do it on behalf of my son that I lost.” I said, “You got it. It was the right thing to do.” Dr. Stewart added, “It’s such a blessing because it gives this huge buffer and creates this wonderful space.” As Hutto watched the children enjoying the area, he told us that this was exactly what he had in mind when he began the project nine years ago. Mayor Stewart pointed out that the project first began to take shape when RTD Commissioner Doug Tisdale was CHV’s mayor.
fmiklin.villager@gmail.com
