In the early 1970s Wonderland Lake was acquired by Wonderland Hill Development Company as part of a 240-acre parcel in Boulder County owned by Mary Moore, who had lived with her husband Walt in the only home on the lake. Walt built the dam and made the lake partially as an amenity for his home.

When we acquired the acreage with the lake we had visions of annexing it to the city and creating a breakthrough new planned residential development with a variety of housing types in clusters and common facilities, parks and open space between them. The lake would be a central feature with a village center and recreational uses, including a marina on the lake.

Soon after we acquired the lake the state of Colorado condemned the dam and required that the dam either be removed and the lake be drained or the dam rebuilt at a cost estimated to be $100,000 or more (about $1 million equivalent today).

The city did not like the idea of making the lake into a recreation center with boats and other activities and preferred it be designated as a natural area. This was a time in the 1970s when the director of the city’s open space program, Jim Crain, was aggressively pursuing key parcels for the open space network.

We worked out a deal with Crain to sell the city about 100 acres of the area west and north of the lake allowing for the open space connection all the way north and south to Lee Hill Road and Linden Avenue, and east of the lake to Broadway. The city bought that land at our cost of about $3,000 per acre, not including the 23-acre lake, which we donated in exchange for the city taking on the repair of the dam.

The final vision that we all shared for the lake and surrounds was a combination of a natural area around the lake that would support wildlife with an active city park adjacent to it and a system of native short grass prairie open space linkages with waking trails linking the new Wonderland Hill developments and future neighborhoods to the north. The intent was to create a major public open space and park amenity for North Boulder, which is fairly much what it has evolved into over the past 40 years through the good stewardship of the city, the Wonderland neighbors, and others.

Our family lived in Wonderland for 40 years and consider many of the neighbors to be old friends. It should be clear to Wonderland neighbors that the lake and its surrounds were intended from the beginning to be a major public amenity for all of Boulder and not just for the residents of Wonderland Hill. The lake was intended to be a natural area with reasonable public access in an urbanizing area.

The number of visitors to the lake and users of the open space trails has increased significantly over the years and is destined to grow a lot more due to its location within the city its size and attractiveness. I believe that the city parks and open space departments have managed the whole facility very well and have the experience, knowledge, and skills to plan for its evolving future.

In considering the various proposals the parks department is making to improve the experience of visiting the lake and open space, neighbors of the lake should not just look to the impacts to themselves, but also to the original vision for Wonderland Lake, and to the benefit of all the citizens of Boulder.

We love our privacy and the American dream of owning and protecting our land and home, but it is the connection with others and with nature that makes us alive and vibrant. Perhaps experiencing a few extra kids interacting with the natural environment of the lake is better than having a marina in your backyard.

James W. Leach is president of Wonderland Hill Development Company.