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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Colorado Springs isn't known for its beach front property, but one city councilmember has plans to turn a part of the Springs into a mini Cancun.

Councilmember Tim Leigh wants to bring back the beach that was closed at Prospect Lake inside Memorial Park due to budget cuts.

He also wants to improve the area, turning it into a more popular attraction like a restaurant or wedding venue.

Leigh added that his real goal behind the project is to make Colorado Springs more attractive to young people, which would boost the local economy.

Currently the beach at Prospect Lake sits abandoned, along with the empty beach house, both of which are owned by the city.

"It's a boarded up piece of real estate owned by the city, and it's managed by the park service, and it's producing no income, and in fact it's a liability," Leigh said.

Leigh said his plan is simple.

"I want to get a private vendor in here that will pay the city money every month, and we can take that money and we can apply it to the cost of opening and operating this beach," Leigh said.

Leigh said he envisioned a restaurant moving into the vacant lot, something parkgoers said they would be excited about.

"I think it's better than just having an empty building sit here," Rodney Vanningen, who visits Memorial Park with his grandchildren often, said.

He said he and his wife would both visit a restaurant on the lake.

"I think it would be a nice attraction. I've always enjoyed looking over the lake when I had lunch or dinner," Vanningen said.

In addition to the plus of having the beach reopened Leigh said the property would also bring money into the city.

"The income you would get would be from rent obviously, and then the building would go on the tax roll so we would collect real estate property tax, and then they would sell stuff so we would collect sales tax," Leigh said.

Leigh said by creating an environment that a young, creative class wants to live in, employers would be drawn to the area as well.

"What do they need? It's Cancun, Colorado," Leigh pointing at the beach said. "The city gets a retreat away from the humdrum of daily life. You know, you're at work and the boss is yelling at you, and you're having a bad day, and you go home and the dog bites you, you can come and hang on the beach. It's paradise in Colorado Springs," he said.

The beach house is just one of Leigh's ideas for the Prospect Lake area. He also wants to build an amphitheatre.

He said the final say is up to the park district, not him or city council.

"This is not something that will require city council approval officially, but it is something we'll probably want to have city council weigh in on, because it's an important asset, and it plays a vital role in the community," he said.

He added it probably wouldn't come to a vote, but it is something he wants to have council and Mayor Steve Bach on board with. He said both senior city staff and Mayor Bach have said they endorse the project heartily.

Leigh is setting his goals high too. He said he plans on having the beach open for swimming next spring.