From Suburbia to the Moon in One Step

The city finally changed the name of Suburbia Park to the name it has been called by residents for years: Moon Park.

The renaming was symbolic of the city’s commitment to keeping the park’s distinguishing feature, a domed, cement replica of the moon’s surface, despite urging by some residents to tear it down.

Some Mesa Verde residents said they feared the sculpture honoring the 1969 moon landing was a public safety hazard because children climb on it and because it could act as a hiding place for criminals.

But the council voted against destroying the monument because it has never been the site of a serious injury or criminal act.

Instead, they voted to build benches around it, at a cost of about $5,000, in the hope they will deter children from climbing it.