|
|
|
Monument Board of Trustees, May 4:New summer event narrowly approvedBy Jim Kendrick On May 4, the Monument Board of Trustees held its last meeting in "old" Town Hall on Second Street before the staff moved to the "new" Town Hall and Police Department building on Beacon Lite Road near the Highway 105 intersection. The board heard a presentation on regional water negotiation strategy, approved three new continuing services contracts with consultant engineering firms, and narrowly approved event and liquor license permits for the first Summer "Soul"stice event that is being organized by downtown merchants.
Monument Board of Trustees, May 18:First board meeting held in new Town HallClick here or on the photos to zoom in Below (L to R): At the May 18 Board of Trustees meeting, Richard and Linda Pankratz receive the Jim Moore Award from Town Manager Cathy Green for their long and distinguished contributions to Downtown Monument as artists, entrepreneurs, and founding members of the Historic Monument Merchants Association. Photo by Jim Kendrick.
Below (L to R): During the May 18 Board of Trustees meeting, Director of Development Services Tom Kassawara, Town Inspector Greg Maggard, and Town Treasurer Pamela Smith were presented Certificates of Appreciation, a new town award, for their tireless leadership, commitment, and dedication to the town over the past year, and in particular their contributions to the successful construction of the new Town Hall and Police Department Building . Kassawara noted that Chris Alexander, president of Alexandher Building Company was also important to completing the project on time and within budget. Photo by Jim Kendrick.
By Jim Kendrick The evening started early on May 18 for the members of the Monument Board of Trustees with a tour of the new Town Hall and Police Department building at 645 Beacon Lite Road, on the southwest corner of the intersection with Highway 105. Then Mayor Byron Glenn and all six trustees took their places at the new dais in new director chairs, a design that is the mirror image of the layout used by the Board of County Commissioners, and quite literally a step up from the previous era of folding utility tables and plastic stackable chairs. The room had already hosted its first municipal court session, in the same joint-use fashion as at the old Town Hall, which will continue to serve as the site for twice-weekly senior meals, monthly meetings of the Monument Homemakers, and the office of Vicki Mynhier, the downtown development director. The festive spirit continued as Town Manager Cathy Green presented the second Jim Moore Award to Richard and Linda Pankratz as well as three awards to members of the town staff who were key figures in working with general contractor Alexandher Construction Co. to promptly complete construction of the new building. Second Jim Moore Award artfully presented: Green gave a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the Pankratzes’artistic pottery manufacturing business, former art gallery (now the Second Street Art Market), and several of their influences and artwork they have contributed to the downtown area. Some of the contributions that Green cited were:
This is only the second time the award has been given. Jim Moore was the first recipient a few years ago. (See www.ourcommunitynews.org/v7n6.htm#bot521 for details.) Green presented the Jim Moore Urban Achievement Award to the couple along with a dozen roses. Three certificates of appreciation presentedGreen presented a certificate of appreciation to Town Engineering Inspector Greg Maggard for his dedication, commitment, efforts, and scrupulous attention to details during the construction and completion of the new Town Hall and Police Department building. She also gave him a hard hat signed by the members of the town staff and awarded him an administrative day off. Green presented a certificate of appreciation to Tom Kassawara, director of Development Services, for his dedication and effort in the construction and creation of the new Town Hall and Police Department building. Green said his dedication, commitment, attention to details and outstanding project management resulted in tremendous cost savings and the timely completion of the new Town Hall. Green also presented him with a hard hat signed by town staff. Kassawara noted the excellent leadership and commitment provided by general contractor Chris Alexander—"a good, honest, hard-working individual with a good company"—in completing the project on time and within budget. Green presented a certificate of appreciation to Pamela Smith, town treasurer, for her dedication, commitment, and extended efforts in the transition into the new Town Hall and Police Department building, and her simultaneous takeover of financial management of Triview Metropolitan District. Green explained that Smith coordinated the phone and IT Systems as well as the move of all items from the Police Department, Finance, and Administration. She put in long hours, and the transition went very well due to her efforts. Green also presented Smith a bouquet of flowers and thanked her for all her heartfelt work.
Monument Planning Commission, May 13:Rod Smith Business Park approvedClick here or on the photo to zoom in Below: Chad Kusbek of Westworks Engineering, describes the Rod Smith Business Park. Photo by Jim Kendrick.
By Jim Kendrick On May 13, the Monument Planning Commission unanimously approved the Rod Smith Business Park, which is to be built on the former concrete batch plant site on the northeast corner of the intersection of Highway 105 and Washington Street. Demolition and removal of all abandoned concrete batch plant structures have already been completed. The town staff has examined the environmental assessment study that was conducted after the demolition to ensure that there are no significant problems remaining on the site. The Planning Commission also narrowly approved a revision of the sketch plan for the Hull subdivision development on the vacant city block between Grace Best Elementary School, on Adams Street, and Old Denver Highway to allow for construction of a hotel with up to 60 rooms on the east side of the property.
Palmer Lake Town Council, May 14:Scout does his part to improve town parkBy David Futey A Boy Scout who headed a project to upgrade the benches in Centennial Park gave a presentation to the Palmer Lake Town Council on May 14. Eagle Scout projectBlake Chambers of Boy Scout Troop 17 delivered a presentation on his Eagle Scout project. The goal of the Eagle Scout projects are to give back to the community the scout lives in. Chambers said that he has enjoyed living in Palmer Lake his entire life and wanted to make Palmer Lake a better place to live. He noted that Centennial Park has new activities available, but the benches were in disrepair. With assistance from others, he replaced all the old wood on the benches and, while doing the repairs, found slats that had engravings dating back to 1901. The bench repairs took four days, and he organized 12 people that assisted him for a total of 43 hours. He constructed six benches, and a few were placed around the lake. Since this is an all-volunteer project, Chambers needed to seek donations for the needed materials. He received donations from Lazy MC Enterprises, the Town of Palmer Lake, Home Depot, King Soopers, Monument Hill Sertoma, and Pizza Hut. In all, he raised $760 and returned $25 he didn’t spend to Palmer Lake.
Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility Joint Use Committee, May 12: Smith takes over as JUC presidentBy Jim Kendrick Palmer Lake Sanitation District appointed Director Dale Smith as its new primary representative to the Joint Use Committee (JUC) of the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility to replace former primary representative Dale Platt, who continues to be the president of the Palmer Lake board. The other members of the JUC, Vice President Lowell Morgan from Monument and Secretary-Treasurer Benny Nasser from Woodmoor, voted Smith in as JUC president, as it is Palmer Lake’s turn to hold the rotating presidency during 2009. Palmer Lake Director Virgil Watkins will continue to be the district’s alternate JUC representative. The Tri-Lakes facility operates as a separate public utility and is jointly owned, in equal one-third shares, by Monument Sanitation District, Palmer Lake Sanitation District, and Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District.
Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority, May 20:Authority pursues connection to Colorado Spring UtilitiesBy John Heiser At the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority’s (PPRWA) regular monthly meeting May 20, a major topic was potential use by PPRWA members of Colorado Springs Utilities’ (CSU) planned Southern Delivery System (SDS) pipeline. After six years of sometimes-bitter disagreements, on April 14, by an 8-to-1 vote, the Colorado Springs City Council approved the conditions set by Pueblo County to build the $1.1 billion SDS pipeline north from Pueblo Reservoir. A week later, the Pueblo County commissioners approved and signed a permit for the pipeline. There is SDS information at www.sdswater.org. The members of the PPRWA are the Cherokee Metropolitan District, the City of Fountain, the Donala Water and Sanitation District, the Town of Monument, the Town of Palmer Lake, and the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District. At the April 15 PPRWA meeting, authority manager Gary Barber made a presentation called "Pikeview Protocol Process" regarding how a PPRWA/CSU connection making use of SDS might be developed. Barber said he feels the climate is right for a regional approach and encouraged each of the members of the PPRWA to assess their board of directors’ level of commitment to making such a connection. Dana Duthie, general manager of the Donala district, reported that during a conversation with Gary Bostrom, chief water planner for CSU, Bostrom said that CSU is not interested in the current version of Barber’s Pikeview protocol and will be working the regional issue through CSU’s Utility Policy Advisory Committee (UPAC), which provides recommendations to the Colorado Springs Utilities Board (UB). There is information on UPAC at www.csu.org/about/upac and information on the UB at www.csu.org/about/ub. Concerns in the 1990s that providing water to areas outside Colorado Springs would encourage development in those areas and thereby erode the city’s potential tax base led the UB to adopt Executive Limitation 13, which has had the effect of greatly restricting CSU’s participation in regional projects. The UPAC is now reassessing Executive Limitation 13 in light of the fact that development outside the city is occurring even without access to CSU’s services and that regional water planning is becoming increasingly important to address watershed problems, water project costs, and environmental issues. The UPAC is planning a series of meetings over the next six months with the goal of providing a recommendation to the UB in December regarding possible changes to Executive Limitation 13. Kip Peterson, manager of the Cherokee district and president of the PPRWA, said, "Times have changed. Some type of participation will be allowed. The question is how much at what cost." Barber said he expects a decision in July regarding the route of the SDS pipeline. The group agreed that the PPRWA must voice its support for regionalism. Barber was directed to draw up a scope of work and get bids from public relations firms to aid in getting out the message.
Group monitors issues facing well ownersBy David Futey On May 11, the Protect Our Wells (POW) organization met to discuss issues pertaining to wells and water use in El Paso County and elect new officials. POW is a nonprofit, citizen-based organization that focuses on water and its availability from four aquifers—the Dawson, Denver, Arapahoe, and Laramie-Fox Hills—within the Denver Basin. These aquifers serve as a water resource for the majority of the Tri-Lakes area as well as for other areas in northern El Paso County. Of the 50,000 private wells that tap into the Denver Basin aquifers, 27,000 are in El Paso County. POW presently has a membership of 225. POW monitors and, when appropriate, responds to water-related legislation or action by various entities and organizations. This monitoring occurs at the state level, with the El Paso Board of County Commissioners, the Arkansas Basin Roundtable, and various planning commissions.
Monument Sanitation District Board, May 21:Stimulus funding recommended for Wakonda HillsBy Jim Kendrick District Manager Mike Wicklund announced at the Monument Sanitation District Board meeting on May 21 that the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment had recommended approval of the district’s application for a $2 million "forgivable" federal stimulus program loan for its "shovel ready" project to install the remaining two phases of its wastewater collection project throughout the western portion of the Wakonda Hills development. Under the "principal forgiveness" clause of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the district will not have to repay this loan of up to $2 million due to the very high priority given to the Wakonda Hills individual septic disposal system replacement project by the state and county health departments. The district also received a separate state grant of $10,000 that helped pay for the $23,000 cost of having engineering consultant firm GMS Inc. prepare the preliminary engineering report, which the district submitted in March to start the stimulus grant application process. All board members were present. Currently only 15 other state projects are also recommended for funding in the same top-rated category as the Monument project and "shovel ready." Wicklund noted that the district’s application had been recommended in sixth place for the approximately $30 million in stimulus funding available in Colorado for wastewater projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Hundreds of other projects that have been submitted for State Revolving Fund loans in recent years have not yet been funded. The Wakonda Hills project was given a Category 1 rating because the new Monument Sanitation District collection lines will "remediate a public health hazard." Failing individual septic systems throughout the development are allowing wastewater and waste solids to flow across the surface of numerous individual one-acre lots to adjacent unprotected well heads. This would eventually lead to bacterial and nitrate contamination of the Dawson tributary aquifer, which all the Wakonda Hills residential wells use. If the aquifer becomes contaminated, Wakonda Hills wells would have to be shut down and the residents would have to obtain water by other means, such as annexing into the town of Monument for municipal water service—a very expensive proposition.
Triview Metropolitan District board, May 27:Board appoints new district manager and financial directorBy Jim Kendrick The Triview Metropolitan District board completed its transition to operational management by the Town of Monument by unanimously approving a resolution on April 22 that appointed Town Manager Cathy Green as district manager and Town Treasurer Pamela Smith as district financial director. The Triview board also held its first meeting at the new Town Hall and Police Department building, having terminated the lease to its building at 174 N. Washington St. as of May 15. All the Triview directors were present. The board unanimously approved a motion to have Smith operate district financial payments in the same way she does for the town. Smith will pay all invoices under $5,000 when received as long as they are routine and within the annual budget. Otherwise, she will bring payments that may cause a problem or be controversial to the Triview board for approval along with any payments over $5,000. Until now, the board has always had to individually approve every check issued, regardless of the amount, as it did for the last time at this meeting.
Academy Water and Sanitation District, June 3:Expenses, past-due accounts dominate discussionBy Susan Hindman Academy Water and Sanitation District Treasurer Walter Reiss reported that the district has a year-to-date decrease in revenue of $11,930 and is over budget by $30,000 from the cost of cleaning the lagoons. Engineering expenses of $8,515 have already exceeded the budgeted amount for the year as well. "I recommend looking at opportunities to cut expenses," Reiss said at the June 3 meeting. He also said the district is owed more than $10,000 in past-due accounts. About $4,000 is owed by homeowners in bankruptcy or foreclosure, and $6,759 is owed by others. The board decided that the $4,000 would no longer be included in the past-due list with the other collections, because those debts are being handled in court. The board authorized operator Anthony Pastorello to begin shutting off water to homes with significant past-due accounts. "All those we can shut off should be shut off," said Richard DuPont, board president. Customers working with the district on their payments wouldn’t be affected. Pastorello said he has been putting shut-off notices on doors of homes where residents are 90 days behind on their bill.
Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board, May 21:Parents give varied opinions on preschool programBy Harriet Halbig Parents of preschoolers expressed their opinions and offered suggestions to improve the preschool program at the May 21 meeting of the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education. Although most parents felt that the program is a valuable addition to the district, some felt that the idea of combining preschool with day-care services is undesirable. Another felt that some parents stressed academics over socialization as the primary concern of the preschool, and another was dissatisfied that a single principal had responsibility for the entire program. Board President Dee Dee Eaton commented that the goal of the program was to provide learning though activities. From the positive side, parents said that the preschool program prepared their children well for kindergarten and were pleased that special-needs students were integrated into the classroom. One mother, who adopted two 3-year-old children and was required by the court to enroll them in preschool, was especially appreciative of the advice offered by the staff and the program’s ability to prepare them for kindergarten. The subject of funding for the program was discussed at length. When the program was created, it was decided that it should be self-supporting. For this reason, in order for funding to increase, the student population must rise, fees must increase, or an alternate funding source must be identified. District Superintendent Ray Blanch said that the number of students in the program rose from 75 to 160 over the past year, with two locations added, and that a waiting list exists for participation. He said that research has proven that funding for this age group is worthwhile and regretted that the Colorado Department of Education does not stress this more. One parent suggested that the program be operated "in the red" in order to attract additional students, including those who may come from outside the district and then decide to stay to complete their education. Blanch commented that the board’s initial decision to make the program self-funded must stand until changed by the board, and that diverting funding from elsewhere in the district would harm other programs. He said he hoped that funding issues will ease once the economy recovers. Another parent suggested that the district should make a greater effort to publicize the program, perhaps through library programs for the age group, or through the YMCA. Click here or on the photo to zoom in Below: Superintendent Ray Blanch with (L to R) Ryan Nitcher (7th grade, Creekside Middle School), Megan Nunez (4th grade, Kilmer Elementary School), Angelo Donisi (1st grade, Grace Best Elementary School), Keiran Berry (Kindergarten, Prairie Winds Elementary School), Sean Duncan (3rd grade, Palmer Lake Elementary School), Lara McWhorter (5th grade, Lewis-Palmer Elementary School), Jenna Lewis (3rd grade, Lewis-Palmer Elementary School), Megan Barnhouse (2nd grade, Palmer Lake Elementary School), Rilyn Rivera (1st grade, Prairie Winds Elementary School). All of these students were first place winners in their grade division. Additionally, Lara McWhorter won Best of Elementary Level and Ryan Nitcher won Best of Middle School Level. Photo by John Heiser.
Lundeen retiresClick here or on the photo to zoom in Below: The student assembly and retirement ceremony May 20 for Monument Academy Principal/Senior Administrator Jane Lundeen. Lundeen started work at MA as a teacher in 1999 and was promoted to Senior Administrator in 2005. A slide show showed several important moments from each year in Lundeen’s tenure. Recent highlights of Lundeen’s career include the opening of the new school building last September and another enrollment expansion of an additional 100 students in the coming school year. Photo by Jim Kendrick.
Lewis-Palmer School District 38 District Accountability Advisory Committee, May 12:School panel looks back at year’s issuesBy Harriet Halbig At its final meeting of the 2008-09 school year, the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 District Accountability Advisory Committee discussed its achievements of the year and plans for the upcoming school term.
Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Special Education Advisory Committee, May 8:Panel evaluates achievements, changes meeting formatClick here or on the photo to zoom in Below: Special Education Director Julie O’Brien, Someone Who Cares coordinator Suzanne Faber, award recipient Ilanit Bennaim, and SEAC Chair Brent Byrnes selebrate Ilanit’s award. Photo by Harriet Halbig.
By Harriet Halbig The Special Education Advisory Committee of Lewis-Palmer School District 38 held its last meeting of the 2008-09 academic year on May 8.
El Paso County Planning Commission, May 19:Palomino, Gleneagle proposals advanceBy Steve Sery It had been a long time since the El Paso County Planning Commission had dealt with an issue concerning the Tri-Lakes area, but there were two such items on the May 19 agenda. Palomino Reserve final plat approvedThe proposed Palomino Reserve subdivision is located southwest of the intersection of Highway 83 and County Line Road. It is very straightforward, 88 acres, zoned residential/rural being subdivided into 15 single-family lots with a minimum lot size of 5 acres. This was a consent item, meaning little or no discussion. It was approved unanimously. Gleneagle amended sketch plan and rezone approvedThe commission considered a request to convert 10.35 acres of the 103.78-acre Gleneagle Golf Course to accommodate 47 town/patio homes. The 10.35 acres is currently the driving range. The applicant claimed to have lost $100 million-plus for at least the past three years and needed this development to create new revenue and increase club membership. A large group of Gleneagle residents was present in opposition. The residents gave a very professional presentation, basing their opposition mainly on incompatibility with the County Master Plan and the Tri-Lakes sub-area plan. The applicant and county staff believed it to be compatible with both plans. The applicant’s options, if this plan were not approved, are to close the golf course (not an unlikely option as over 120 courses closed last year and 75 so far this year in the U.S.) or to develop the entire golf course as currently zoned, RR5. Many other issues were raised, for and against. Of particular concern to some of the commissioners were the safety of the homes that would line both sides of hole 6, and traffic issues. After a five-hour session, the proposals were approved 6-1 with at least two commissioners indicating that unless the safety issues were better addressed at the preliminary plan stage, they might not vote in favor. Note: The sole no vote was cast by Eddie Bracken. The project will now be scheduled for a hearing before the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC will make the final decision regarding the project subject only to legal challenge in district court.
Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority, May 22:Merrifield casts deciding committee vote to eliminate state funds for widening I-25Below: I-25 Baptist Road Interchange expansion project manager Bob Torres and El Paso County Engineer Andre Brackin present the BRRTA construction update on May 22 in Monument’s new Town Hall meeting room. Torres reported that the interchange project is on time and cost. Brackin reported that the Baptist Road widening project and the Struthers Road extension project are very close to completion. Photo by Jim Kendrick.
By Jim Kendrick On May 22, County Commissioner Wayne Williams explained why he had to hang up on the previous Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority (BRRTA) meeting that he was "attending" via cell phone while he was waiting to testify at the State House in Denver on April 23. Williams had to go testify at a House Transportation Committee hearing, where he spoke in opposition to proposed revisions to House Bill 09-1310 that cut state road improvement funding for El Paso County. When Williams hung up, the quorum for the April 23 BRRTA meeting was lost and several unaddressed agenda items were continued to the May 22 meeting, the first to be held in Monument’s new Town Hall and Police Department building. County Commissioner Amy Lathen was absent from the May 22 session. Williams stated that District 18 State Rep. Mike Merrifield of Colorado Springs cast the deciding vote to move the bill out of the House Transportation Committee "on a 6-5 party line vote." The revision eliminated the long-standing "funding source" of internally transferring state general fund revenues to road construction and repairs and "completely eliminates all money for strategic projects in our community." The resulting cuts in state funding for the Monument-Colorado Springs area totaled $600 million, including the planned sources of revenue for:
House Bill 09-1310 and Senate Bill 1 eliminated the source for a total of $14 billion from the $40 billion Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) long-range budget plan for 28 strategic state corridors through 2035. The bills were subsequently passed and signed by Gov. Bill Ritter. About 20 percent of that long-range plan funding is for projects in the Monument-Colorado Springs area, Williams added. CDOT still intends to repay BRRTA $15 million for the bond principal when funding becomes available, but it will be much harder for subsequent legislatures and CDOT to "find the funding" for the repayment. (See www.ourcommunitynews.org/v9n5.htm#brrta for details of the April 23 meeting.) This budget cut does not affect the expansion of the I-25 Baptist Road interchange. The $21.5 million in revenue bonds used to pay for the interchange project are funded by a temporary 20-year 1-cent sales tax imposed within BRRTA’s geographical boundaries. This sales tax revenue is sufficient to pay off the bonds in 20 years if CDOT never pays back BRRTA for the bond principal as previously promised. (See www.ourcommunitynews.org/v7n6.htm#brrta for more details of BRRTA’s financing of the interchange expansion.) The construction costs for the widening of Baptist Road from the Jackson Creek Parkway eastward past Desiree Drive was paid for by revenues from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) temporary 10-year sales tax. BRRTA road use fees covered the cost of the widening project’s engineering design. The project for widening and realigning Struthers Road to connect to the Jackson Creek Parkway intersection was also paid for by PPRTA funds. Neither project was affected by the CDOT funding cut Williams discussed.
To be notified automatically by ChangeDetection.com whenever this page changes:
Disclaimer
Web site statistics: 668 pages, 3,756,752 words |
|
Contact us at (719) 488-3455, ads@ourcommunitynews.org, editor@ourcommunitynews.org, or P.O. Box 1742, Monument, Colorado 80132-1742. This page was last modified on June 27, 2009. Home page: www.ourcommunitynews.org. Copyright © 2001-2009 Our Community News, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
