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More than 230 Tri-Lakes area residents attended the October 28 meeting sponsored by the Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority (BRRTA) and El Paso County. The purpose of the meeting was to report on progress on BRRTA’s Baptist Road improvement design project. The goal of the project is to design upgrades to Baptist Road to improve safety, traffic operations, and traffic capacity from Tari Drive near Fox Run to the railroad tracks west of I-25. Two concept plans were presented and residents’ reactions were collected.

John Clack of the county department of transportation and Conner Shepherd, BRRTA project manager, opened the meeting. Shepherd noted that BRRTA was the first rural transportation authority in Colorado. He said two or three more have been formed since then.

Shepherd explained that although voters within the authority could approve a sales tax of up to 0.4% to apply to all retail businesses within the authority, currently all funds for BRRTA and this project come from impact fees on new residential and commercial buildings. There is a $500 BRRTA impact fee for each new single-family residence. BRRTA and Lewis-Palmer School District 38 are in a dispute over a $60,000 to $100,000 fee BRRTA has demanded based on construction of Creekside Middle School in Jackson Creek. Shepherd noted that without a steady income such as would be provided by a sales tax, BRRTA is unable to issue bonds for constructing improvements to Baptist Road. A sales tax ballot measure failed several years ago.

Peter Loris, President of Loris and Associates, the project engineering firm overseeing the design work, introduced the other presenters including Keith Scoggins of Loris, Susan Watkins of Kazziah-Watkins, a public relations firm, and Bob Ball of Transplan, a transportation planning company that performed the traffic analysis. Maryam Babaki, former project manager for Loris, is now a consultant on the project.

Loris said that using public input obtained at the March 18, 2002 meeting, two concept plans were prepared. Concept A is based on serving the projected traffic resulting from full build-out assuming existing zoning. Concept B is a scaled down plan to minimize right-of-way acquisition costs and environmental impact.

Concept A is estimated to require 17 acres of right-of-way and cost $8.2 million whereas Concept B would require 12 acres of right-of-way and cost $5.3 million.

Traffic engineer Ball said the traffic analysis assumed Baptist Road would be connected east to Highway 83 at Hodgen Road, Jackson Creek Parkway-Struthers Road would be built north to Higby and south to Northgate, and Wal-Mart or some other significant commercial center would be built on the southeast corner of Baptist Road and Jackson Creek Parkway.

Ball described the Level of Service (LOS) rating system from the Highway Capacity Manual. The classification ranges from A, representing freely flowing traffic, to F, representing the worst conditions with heavily congested flow characterized by stop-and-go waves, poor travel time, low driver comfort and convenience, and increased accident exposure. Ball said that according to their model, Concept A would achieve full build-out peak traffic level of service (LOS) B or C at all intersections. Concept B, the scaled back plan, at full build-out would have LOS E or F at all the major intersections: Old Denver Highway, Jackson Creek Parkway, Leather Chaps, and Gleneagle Drive.

Loris’ Scoggins described the road design. He said the design is based on a posted speed limit of 35 MPH. He added, "Almost every intersection has something that needs to be taken care of." The hill just west of Tari Road currently has a 14% slope. Scoggins said the two proposed concept plans would reduce that to 10%. It was noted that county requirements for a major arterial, such as Baptist Road is projected to become, is 5%. The limit for minor arterials is 6%.

Both concept plans incorporate 10’ sidewalks on both sides of the road separated from the traffic lanes by a 6’ landscaping strip. Both designs also incorporate curb and gutter and a storm water drainage system. In both cases, the entire section from the Total station on the west to beyond Jackson Creek Parkway is under the control of the Colorado Department of Transportation as part of the Baptist Road interchange redesign project.

Comparing the two plans, Concept A adds landscaped medians, includes two through lanes in each direction throughout, more turn lanes, a greatly expanded Old Denver Highway intersection, and adds a potential full intersection at the existing right-in/right-out access at the eastern edge of the King Soopers shopping center. Concept B does not include sidewalks west of the Total station.

The residents worked in small groups to review the concept plans and provide comments.

Concept A was generally favored as being safer and more attractive with the landscaped medians; however, there were concerns about the increased cost and greater environmental impact. Some people said Concept A would bring the roadway too close to existing homes. Others expressed safety and traffic congestion concerns about inclusion of a full intersection ¼ mile east of Jackson Creek Parkway. Minimum intersection spacing on a major arterial is one mile.

Several people said that designing for 35 MPH is not realistic. Some remarked that having four through lanes as included in Concept A would result in increased speeds, more noise, more severe accidents, and would lead to greater commercial development.

Some said that Concept A would create bottlenecks at the east and west edges where the two outermost through lanes would have to merge to align with the existing two lanes.

Several groups expressed the view that it was inefficient to implement Concept B and then have to redo it later at greater cost.

It was noted that access to the Family of Christ Church and the adjacent houses was not addressed by either plan and that neither plan met the county’s maximum 5% slope.

Some said the bike and pedestrian areas should be separated using two sidewalks each 5’ wide. It was suggested that having the sidewalk on only one side of the road would reduce the amount of right-of-way needed. Concerns were raised about maintenance of the sidewalks and the landscaping. Use of xeriscape was encouraged.

Loris emphasized that these concept plans are just for discussion and nothing has been decided. The plans will be refined using comments at this meeting and presented to the county staff, the board of county commissioners, and the BRRTA board. From that process, a recommended design will be determined. The recommended design will be presented in another public meeting early in 2003.

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To get more information and provide comments on this project, contact Peter Loris, Loris and Associates, 303-444-2013 x20, ploris@lorisandassociates.com, Conner.Shepherd, BRRTA Project Manager, 303-779-4525, connershepherd@cliftoncpa.com, or John Clack, El Paso County Department of Transportation, 520-6851, johnclack@elpasoco.com.

View photos of the meeting

On October 8, Wal-Mart submitted to the El Paso County Planning Department the missing portions of their application for a supercenter to be built on the 30-acre parcel on the south side of Baptist Road directly across from the King Soopers. The parcel is just south and west of the limits of the Town of Monument.

The proposal is for a 24-hour per day supercenter with a 186,245 square foot (4.3 acres) store encompassing a grocery store, garden shop, and tire-lube-tune-up express. There would be parking for about 960 cars. As shown on the site plan, the store would be at the eastern part of the parcel with the parking lot to the west. It would occupy Lot 1 (22.9 acres).

The plan includes two additional lots for satellite retail businesses. Lot 2 (1.5 acres) on the northwest corner is proposed to be a Wal-Mart gas station. Anticipated uses for Lot 3 (0.98 acres), just to the east of Lot 2, could be used for a fast-food restaurant or bank with drive-through lanes. 

There are proposed to be three points of access to the store. At the western edge of the proposed development, Jackson Creek Parkway is already a full-motion intersection with a traffic signal. The plan calls for two entrances off the extension of Jackson Creek Parkway south of Baptist Road. The third access to the store would be a right-in/right-out directly onto Baptist Road toward the mid-point of parcel. It would be about 250’ west of the right-in/right-out access to the King Soopers shopping center.

Drainage from the approximately 25 acres of impervious area would be collected in Lot 4, a roughly 2.5-acre snow storage and run-off detention area on the southeast corner of the parcel. Passive systems including gravel and a perforated standpipe are proposed to address water quality issues including contamination with petroleum products from the lube facility, gas station, and vehicles on the parking lot. Those pollutants would be carried into the detention area by storm water. The outflow from the detention area would flow west into a drainage ditch and from there into nearby Jackson Creek and the associated wetlands. 

The parcel was zoned about 20 years ago as R-4. The commercial form of the now obsolete R-4 zone is equivalent to the county’s current Planned Business Park (PBP) zone district. PBP is defined in the county’s Land Development Code as being for retail sales and service businesses that "primarily serve an adjoining neighborhood or neighborhoods."

At the April 23, 2001 pre-application conference, Carl Schueler, Assistant Director of the EL Paso County Planning Department, noted that the required zone for a supercenter Wal-Mart is Planned Business Center (PBC). PBC is the most intense commercial zone in the Land Development Code and is two steps more intense and a significant departure from the existing R-4 equivalent PBP. As defined in the code, the purpose of PBC is for "regional centers" that are expected to draw customers from significant distances.

In a surprise move, instead of requesting PBC zoning, Wal-Mart has requested rezoning the parcel as a Planned Unit Development (PUD). In their letter of intent, Wal-Mart says their use of the PUD zoning "encompasses land uses similar to the R-4 zone." Based on the materials submitted, the planned use is not similar to the R-4/PBP zone but is a regional center requiring PBC zoning as stated by Schueler.

The authorizing legislation for the PUD zone district, the Planned Unit Development Act of 1972 (CRS 24-67-101), was primarily intended to accommodate innovative approaches to clustered residential designs and designs that combine light retail and residential within one plan while encouraging creative development of parks, recreation areas, and open space. The proposed Wal-Mart plan includes no housing, parks, or recreation areas, and almost no open space. The statute states "Planned unit development means an area of land…the plan for which does not correspond in lot size, bulk, or type of use, density, lot coverage, open space, or other restriction to the existing land use regulations." In fact, the county’s Land Development Code contains appropriate provisions that relate to the proposed development under the Planned Business Center (PBC) zone district.

The traffic impact analysis submitted with the application is dated April 2002. According to Schueler, the county planning department and the county department of transportation have identified several significant deficiencies with the study:

1. It is based on obsolete traffic counts.

2. It does not model traffic resulting from completing the connection of Jackson Creek Parkway-Struthers Road south to connect with Northgate Road. That traffic could have a significant impact on the turning movements for access to the store.

3. It does not model any access to the church and adjoining houses to the east of the project.

Schueler said the county has requested a revised traffic study that corrects these deficiencies.

According to the minutes from the April 23, 2001 pre-application meeting, "Carl Schueler stated that staffs have a strong position to the effect that a full north/south connection of Struthers Road needs to be guaranteed in conjunction with this project. There was discussion over the physical logistics, timing and affected property owners (Struthers Ranch, Millers and Forest Lakes). The important consideration to staff is that a connection be ultimately guaranteed." The plans show no improvements to Jackson Creek Parkway-Struthers Road beyond those needed to provide access to the store. The plans show a concrete barrier at the southern property line.

The improvements to Baptist Road shown on the plans consist of a 120’ (plus taper) right turn lane on eastbound Baptist to southbound Jackson Creek Parkway, an additional right-turn lane and acceleration lane from northbound Jackson Creek Parkway onto Baptist Road; the extension of that lane to serve as the acceleration/deceleration lane for the right-in/right-out access to the store; an access lane off Baptist Road for the church and adjoining houses; turn lanes at Leather Chaps; and a median that extends to Leather Chaps.

No improvements are proposed for the two-lane area with grades up to 9% where Baptist Road crosses the Jackson Creek drainage way west of Jackson Creek Parkway.

Since Wal-Mart is considered a "magnet store," a significant portion of the increased traffic attributable to the store can be expected to be between I-25 and Jackson Creek Parkway. Wal-Mart proposes almost no improvements in that area. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is currently preparing a design for an improved interchange design to address existing and anticipated traffic. Those improvements are expected to extend from the Total station on the west to several hundred feet east of Jackson Creek Parkway. The construction cost has been estimated at approximately $30 million and is currently not funded. According to Schueler, construction of the changes is not included in the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) Traffic Improvement Plan that extends through 2007. Noting that CDOT "tends to run roughshod over the PPACG process," Schueler said the project could be made a priority but it is still very unlikely to be funded in less than three years. He said that given the current state budget crisis, a longer delay seems quite likely.

At the June 1 meeting of the Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Associations (NEPCO), Schueler stated that traffic at the Baptist interchange is expected to reach Level of Service (LOS) F, the worst there is, sometime before the rework is completed. He said, "If Wal-Mart is approved, the day it opens, the Baptist interchange will go to LOS F. No matter how much Wal-Mart contributes to Baptist Road improvements, the day it goes in it would kill the interchange."

Inconsistencies in the submittals give the impression they were prepared hurriedly or without much care. The letter of intent states the store size as 188,245 square feet whereas the plans show 186,245 square feet and the traffic study lists the store as 184,400 square feet. Some places on the plans and in the letter of intent the size of Lot 2 is shown as 1.4 acres or 61,041 square feet while in other places it is shown as 1.51 acres or 65,677 square feet. Sometimes both numbers are shown on the same sheet of the plans.

According to Schueler, a minimum of 60 days will be required for agency review prior to holding a planning commission hearing on the rezoning and preliminary plan. After the planning commission renders a recommendation, there must be a minimum 30-day notice prior to holding a hearing before the board of county commissioners. That would mean the board of county commissioners hearing could come as early as January.

Future issues of OCN will look at a variety of issues including projected traffic impact, potential environmental impacts, and likely impact on local businesses and the Monument tax base.

The Coalition of Tri-Lakes Communities is holding a community meeting to discuss the project on Saturday, November 16, 1 pm, at Antelope Trails Elementary School, one block south of Baptist Road on Gleneagle Drive.

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For more information on this project and to provide comments, contact Carl Schueler, Assistant Director, El Paso County Planning Department, 520-6300, CarlSchueler@elpasoco.com. Mail comments and questions to the El Paso County Planning Department, 27 E. Vermijo, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903-2208.

Additional information is available at www.ourcommunitynews.org/top_stories.htm#wal-mart and www.CoalitionTLC.org/wal-mart.htm or by calling John Heiser at 488-9031.

View the Wal-Mart Plan

View the proposed access to four properties east of the site

View photos of Baptist Road and the proposed Wal-Mart Site

In the course of reviewing the Wal-Mart application to El Paso County to build a supercenter on Baptist Road across from King Soopers, Our Community News has uncovered some interesting questions: Why did some local review agencies receive only a small portion of the application? Why was it mailed to them 10 days after it was mailed to other agencies?

The county relies on review of applications by a variety of county departments and external agencies. Some of the county agencies include the county attorney’s office, department of transportation, parks department, health department, environmental services, and the major thoroughfare task force. According to an October 11 letter from Carl Schueler, Assistant Director of County Planning, comprehensive planning was not noted as needing to review the application.

State agencies noted were the Water Engineer, Division of Wildlife, Highway Department, and the State Geologist.

The local agencies to receive the application were the Town of Monument, Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority, Academy School District #20, Donald Wescott Fire Protection District, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Chaparral Hills Homeowners Association, the Triview Metropolitan District, and two local land use groups: The Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Associations (NEPCO) and the Tri-Lakes Land Use Committee (TLLUC). NEPCO membership includes more than twenty local homeowners associations. TLLUC is composed of local residents who participated in developing the Tri-Lakes Comprehensive Plan completed in 1999.

During a phone conversation with Schueler, he said the review packages were to be mailed October 11; however, the packages received by NEPCO and TLLUC were postmarked October 21. The reviewers were asked to provide their comments by November 8.

The NEPCO and TLLUC packages lacked copies of the traffic impact analysis report, drainage study, water resource report (the one Triview spent $15,000 of district residents’ money to produce for Wal-Mart’s application), and documentation on the proposed Public Improvement Corporation (PIC) authorized in August by the Triview district. While the Town of Monument received the traffic report, according to Assistant Town Manager-Town Planner Mike Davenport, the drainage study, water resource report, and documentation on the PIC were missing from that package as well.

Since traffic impact, drainage, and the complex legal issues surrounding the PIC are central issues to this project, the omissions are particularly surprising.

When asked about it, Schueler said the county lacks any written information on the PIC. The details on that would be resolved later in the process. He said the present traffic report is based on obsolete data and needs to be updated. He noted that the water resource report is being reviewed by the State Water Engineer’s office, and the drainage study and traffic reports are being reviewed by the County Department of Transportation.

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For more information on these and other projects within the county, contact the planning department at 520-6300 or visit www.elpasoco.com/planning.

October 15: The El Paso County Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the revised Struthers Ranch sketch plan calling for significantly increased density. In a separate action, the commission unanimously approved a proposal by Mountain View Electric and Tri-State Generation to upgrade an existing 69 kV electric transmission line to 115 kV. The line connects the substation at the corner of Higby and Roller Coaster Road to the Gresham, Black Squirrel, and Black Forest substations

The 107-acre property is east of I-25 about 0.75 miles south of Baptist Road, adjacent to Chaparral Hills, Gleneagle and Falcon’s Nest. The zoning for the property is RR-2 (rural residential with minimum 2.5 acre lots). A zoning change to PUD (planned unit development) will be required to accommodate the revised plan.

On November 21, 2000, the county planning commission recommended conditional approval of the prior sketch plan. One condition required that any residential lots on the north boundary be at least one acre and include a setback of at least 100 feet from lots in Chaparral Hills. The board of county commissioners later approved that sketch plan with the added condition that the lots on the north side could not be developed until the northbound connection of Struthers Road to Baptist Road was completed.

The approved prior plan was for 75 town homes in the southeast portion of the development and 50 single-family homes in the northwest portion. The amended sketch plan proposes 75 single-family homes instead of the 75 town homes and 113 single-family homes instead of the 50 previously approved for the northwest portion. The total of 188 dwelling units is up from 125 in the approved sketch plan. For comparison, a maximum of 42 units would be allowed on the parcel with the existing RR-2 zoning. In the amended plan, the average lot size is 6,000 square feet on the south side and 7,000 square feet on the north. The new proposal no longer shows the 100-foot setback from the Chaparral Hills lots.

Representing Struthers Ranch Development, LLC, land planner David Jones presented computer-generated views of the proposed subdivision as it would appear from several of the adjacent lots. He argued that using the terrain and limiting some lots to single story houses, the increased density would not significantly impact views from adjacent lots.

Jones said the economics of the project would not work with less than 110-113 lots because the developer will be required to participate in the cost of construction of one mile of Jackson Creek Parkway-Struthers Road.

Jones’ calculation of the number of lots needed was based on an assumption that the county will pay for a bridge over the Black Forest Creek drainage swale and mouse habitat that bisects the parcel. That bridge is estimated to cost in excess of $1 million. According to County Planning Department Assistant Director Carl Schueler, the funding request to cover the bridge will be considered in 2003. In a phone conversation, Schueler said approval of the bridge construction is unlikely unless Jackson Creek Parkway-Struthers Road is built south to Struthers Ranch. Construction of that road segment is likely to be linked to the proposed Wal-Mart project.

Numerous opponents of the project appeared before the planning commission.

Chaparral Hills resident Dana Kwist said the prior plan got the camel’s head into the tent. "Now the developer has the rest of the camel coming through here." Adjoining lot owner Larry Owensby said, "We moved here to be in the country. All of a sudden, you aren’t in the country anymore." Chris Anderson, also a Chaparral Hills lot owner, summarized the concerns of many on the northern side of the project when he criticized the lack of an adequate transition from five-acre lots to a density of six lots per acre. He suggested the plan is being redone "because their profit margin can’t be high enough."

Gleneagle resident Susanne Dempsey said, "I will have homes directly in my backyard." She said the lots to the east of the project are a minimum of 15,000 sq. ft. compared to the proposed 6,000 sq. ft. lots in Struthers Ranch. She also expressed concern about the impact on the Donala Water and Sanitation District’s water supply.

Jay Lambdon spoke of the loss of wildlife that now includes foxes, raccoons, and coyotes. He said, "The pristine habitat will be gone – no more wildlife." He said when he bought his lot two years ago, he was told Struthers Ranch would be 2 ½ acre lots.

Steve Sery, a member of the planning commission and owner of an adjoining Chaparral Hills lot abstained from the vote but spoke against the project. He noted that the developer does not own the property and suggested that to make the economics work with fewer lots, they offer less money for the parcel.

The county planning department recommended denial of the project due to concerns about the compatibility of the proposal with the five-acre Chaparral Hills lots.

The planning commission unanimously voted to recommend denial of the revised sketch plan. Commissioner Joe Salute said, "There is inadequate density transition." Planning commission chair Terry Bernstein took a conciliatory tone saying, "I think you can still work on this to make something everyone can live with."

The planning commission recommendation will be forwarded to the board of county commissioners for a final decision.

Mountain View Electric Association and its wholesale electric supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association presented a proposal to replace an existing 40-year old 69 kV power line with 115 kV. The existing line uses "H" frame structures. The new lines will be on single poles that will be 10’-15’ taller and carry three lines. The new poles will be about 450’ to 500’ apart and will not have guy wires. Where the line changes direction, steel poles will be used. The other poles will be wood.

Jack Wolf, General Counsel for Mountain View, gave as an example of the change the corner of Shoup and Vollmer Road where the line comes from the east along Shoup and splits into the north and south lines along Vollmer. Currently, there are three poles in the southwest corner, each handling one line. Each of the three poles is guy-wired. A single pole will replace the three poles.

Wolf explained that the upgrade is needed to provide a reliable electrical supply to handle growth in the Black Forest area including Meridian Ranch (at Meridian Road and Woodman Road) and areas to the northwest near the station at Roller Coaster and Higby Roads. Without the increased transmission capability, Wolf said the area might be exposed to brownouts or rolling blackouts.

243 residents along the route were notified. About 10% registered objections to the project. Concerns included health hazards from electric and magnetic fields, property devaluation, tree cutting, and blocked driveways during construction.

Dr. Robert Pearson, Vice President, Utility Practice, CH2M Hill in Denver, responded to residents’ concerns about health effects. Citing a report at www.niehs.nih.gov/emfrapid, Pearson said that while some studies have shown health effects from the electromagnetic fields produced by power lines, other studies have not.

Pearson presented the results of modeling the fields near the existing and proposed power lines. He said field strength is the result of current flow. At higher voltage, a lower current is used to transmit the same amount of power. The model indicated fields directly under the lines would be reduced by 2/3. He said that elsewhere the fields would be cut in half.

In response to suggestions that the line be run underground, Wolf cited a 10-fold increase in installation cost, difficulty making repairs, shorter operating life, and greater environmental impact during construction.

Among the alternatives explored by Mountain View, additional power could be brought in from other areas but that would require construction of new lines and acquisition of additional right-of-way.

The planning commission unanimously approved the proposed upgrade. As an approval of location of facilities by the planning commission, this is the final action on the proposal. The board of county commissioners will not hear it. If the planning commission had denied the proposal, Mountain View and Tri-State could appeal the decision to the board

.Construction is set to begin in the summer of 2003 and will be completed in one year.

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For more information on these and other projects within the county, contact the planning department at 520-6300 or visit www.elpasoco.com/planning.

More information on the power line project is available from David Waldner, engineering manager, Mountain View Electric Association, at 719-495-2283 or 1-800-388-9881.

View map of powerline route and photos of existing and proposed pole designs

View a photo of the Struthers Ranch Drainage Swale

TLFPD to build second fire station at Roller Coaster Road and Highway 105

At their regular meeting October 17, the Tri-Lakes Fire Protection District (TLFPD) Board of Directors announced plans to build a second fire station near the intersection of Highway 105 and Roller Coaster Road.

According to TLFPD board president Charlie Pocock, the future station will be designated Station 2 and will replace the existing unmanned station at that site. It will be a neighborhood station planned to house an urban interface fire engine that is a high water capacity vehicle combining the capabilities of a structural pumper truck and a wildland-fire truck. A water tanker truck and an ambulance also will be based at the station. According to Chief Robert Denboske, the district is seeking a grant for a large 3,500-gallon, $173,000 water tanker truck that could be kept at Station 2. For large-scale emergencies, personnel and equipment from TLFPD Station 1 and other districts will reinforce the crew and equipment at Station 2 through mutual aid agreements.

Pocock says the new station is needed for quicker response to the rapidly growing eastern portion of the district including such subdivisions as Arrowwood, Bent Tree, Canterbury, Cherry Creek Crossing, Happy Landing Estates, Hawk Ridge, Higby Estates, King’s Deer, Peaceful Pines, Tall Pines Ranch, The Ridge at Fox Run, and Walden. He says the station will also provide better fire and ambulance response to Highway 83, where traffic accidents tend to be severe. Pocock added, "Station 2 will also be an immense benefit to the Black Forest area especially since the Black Forest Fire Protection District station will be moved further to the south and east."

The proposed Station 2 will incorporate residential units on the second floor. The firefighters will live at the station instead of just spending the night. Pocock says this concept is meeting with success at several Colorado communities including Avon and Aspen. Because of difficulty finding affordable rental housing near Station 2, several paid and volunteer firefighters have expressed interest in living at the new station.

Barnes Architects is designing the new fire station and will manage the construction contract. The style of building will match that of the surrounding neighborhoods and will incorporate fire resistive concepts recommended for rural and suburban homes. Cost of the station is estimated at $700,000 with financing provided by Wells Fargo Bank.

Pocock noted, "When we went to 7 mills [property tax], we made a commitment to build another station to serve the people in the east."

The motion to accept the contract from Barnes Architects and provide an initial funding increment of $7,003 was unanimously approved with director Rick Barnes, head of Barnes Architects, abstaining.

Barnes added that he will seek suggestions from station personnel for inclusion in the design. Once the design is complete, construction bids will be solicited. The goal is for construction to begin in spring 2003 and be completed by early 2004.

Chief Denboske reported the district has handled 60 responses since the September 17 board meeting for a total of 728 responses so far this year. That is 21% more than the same period last year. Twelve probationary volunteers and seven explorer scouts have been added to the roster bringing total personnel to 67.

The chief reported that seven of the ten attendees at the Firefighter I training conducted in Palmer Lake passed the written test. The remaining three will take the test again. All will participate in a live burn at Fort Carson. The planned Firefighter II training with be jointly conducted with the Black Forest district and Castle Rock.

Denboske reported that district personnel worked with 446 youngsters during Fire Prevention Week.

Chief Denboske named Eran Denzler the recipient of the Chief’s Good Show Award. Noting that Denzler has helped develop the volunteer training program and worked with the explorer scout program, Denboske said, "He has been a valuable asset to us." On December 8, Denzler will start a six-month rotation with the U.S. Air Force.

Emergency Medical Services Manager Ron Thompson reported that after evaluating various software systems to automate EMS billing and report writing, he has concluded that a product by Amazon Software is "one of the best on the market." Numerous other districts including the Woodland Park fire department use the product. The board unanimously approved the purchase. There is an April 2003 deadline for electronic billing to Medicare.

Thompson also reported on bids for a computer system to host the Amazon software. He recommended the bid from local company, J&L Computers. That bid was unanimously approved. Thompson said, "We will be ready to go January first."

According to the district’s administrative assistant Paula Abrahamson, the district has obtained a one-year extension to October 16, 2003 for compliance with the Health Information Protection Act (HIPA). The act mandates privacy of medical patient information.

Thompson reported that he attended a course on bio-terrorism sponsored by state and federal agencies. Representatives from four other counties participated in the training.

According to Thompson, changes are being made in the procedures for EMS personnel. Intermediate level personnel will be permitted to use some drugs previously reserved for paramedics. The changes will increase advanced life support capabilities in rural areas.

Thompson described the district’s response to a four-car traffic accident October 5. Eight to ten district personnel including six volunteers responded and there were still three people at the station to handle additional calls. Describing it as a superb performance, Pocock said, "It was our volunteers that gave us the overwhelming number of people [to respond to the call]."

Chip Fleming reported that twenty-three people attended the orientation class October 5. He said, "I was extremely gratified with the class. I don’t know of any fire district that has put together a program like this for new volunteers." He added that just about every member of the paid staff is teaching some portion of the classes.

Director and Treasurer John Hildebrandt reported that the district’s expenses are running about 3% under budget as of the end of September.

Hidebrandt went over the key items in the proposed 2003 budget. He noted that it includes funding for two additional full-time personnel and a part-time paramedic. The proposed budget was unanimously approved.

Pocock reported that the working group, composed of two representatives each from the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department, the Tri-Lakes district, and the Woodmoor-Monument Fire Protection District (WMFPD), has continued to hold frequent meetings and is close to announcing selection of a law firm to help explore unification alternatives. Representatives of the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District that serves areas south of Baptist Road and the Black Forest Fire Protection District have been attending the unification working group meetings as observers.

Pocock recounted some of the events that led to a financial crisis in the Wescott district. Southern portions of the district, including some large commercial areas, are being taxed for Colorado Springs fire service and for the Wescott district. A court has ordered that those properties be excluded from the Wescott district. To recoup some of the lost revenue, the district has put forth a ballot measure to increase the property tax mill levy from 1.94 mills to 7 mills. That would bring the mill rate into alignment with the mill rate in the TLFPD. Hildebrandt added, "They are just coming up to the mill rate they need to protect the type of property they are protecting."

The board unanimously endorsed the Wescott district mill levy ballot measure.

Chief Denboske reported that the operational committee is looking into use of a common EMS physician advisor and alignment of medical protocols. Treasurer Hildebrandt added that the TLFPD and the WMFPD will implement the new common chart of accounts on January 1.

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The Tri-Lakes Fire Protection District board normally meets at 7 pm on the third Thursday of each month at the district firehouse, 18650 Highway 105 (near the bowling alley). The next meeting will be held November 21.

For more information, call Chief Denboske at 481-2312.

View a photo of the site for TLFPD Station 2

The Triview Metropolitan District Board of Directors held its regular monthly meeting October 23. In addition to directors Martha Gurnick and Linda Jones, there was one other Jackson Creek resident in attendance.

Triview District Manager Ron Simpson said the two concept plans developed by Loris Associates "contain many inconsistencies." He noted that the plans interfere with the New Santa Fe Trail, do not function with the proposed commercial properties west of I-25, show the access to the Total station in the wrong place, and do not match CDOT plans for the interchange. He concluded, "Its disappointing."

District engineer Chuck Ritter of Nolte and Associates reported that the district’s application for a permit to start work on the railroad crossing for access to the wastewater treatment plant has been submitted.

Installation of the Supervisor Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to control drinking Water Treatment Plant-B will begin in early November and should be completed by the end of November.

The state permit for reuse water irrigation at Creekside Middle School has continued to be delayed. The Donala Water and Sanitation District’s request for reuse water irrigation of the Gleneagle golf course has been combined with the Triview application. The recent change in the operator of the Gleneagle golf course raised questions as to who is authorized to sign the application.

Simpson noted that as reported on page 2 of this issue, Wal-Mart has submitted the missing portions of their application to build a supercenter across from King Soopers.

Simpson said there are several issues. In particular, the traffic impact report needs to be updated. Triview is awaiting payment of a review and comment fee to cover the costs of reviewing the plans and providing comments to the county planning department.

Peter Susemihl, attorney for the district, added that he met with the county attorney’s office to brief them on the legal issues surrounding the Wal-Mart Public Improvement Corporation (PIC). He said, "I think they are satisfied that [the county is] not guaranteeing or issuing any debt."

Simpson reported that a meeting is scheduled between Triview, landowners, and the Monument Planning Department to discuss issues with the comprehensive plan revisions. Simpson said meetings of the comprehensive plan advisory committee are expected to resume in November.

Simpson said he is looking at how the district can get reimbursed for the cost of the signs warning people not to trespass on the Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse habitat.

Triview is planning to submit an application to Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for a lottery funds grant to improve the Heights Trail and trickle channel landscaping. Simpson said support letters from residents would be very helpful in improving the odds that Triview would obtain a grant. Simpson said the application will be submitted about November 20.

Simpson said the district received a review and comment fee for an 89-lot development north of King Soopers. He said the district will not issue any more "will serve" letters without a commitment to drill a new well.

Chris Doherty of Ayres Associates in Fort Collins presented an update to the drainage study for Triview. Ayres has prepared the update under an $82,000 contract with the district. Copies of the drainage report were distributed on paper and will be provided in electronic form.

Doherty said a major challenge in the effort was to restrict downstream flows to historic levels while making minimal changes to the drainage ways that are part of the mouse habitat. He said the plan is for a combination of on-site detention within the developments and some regional detention facilities.

Doherty said, "My greatest concern is the safety of the three dams." One of the dams is 30’ high the other two are 15’ high. He said that none of them meet state dam criteria. Doherty said, "They are not engineered to current standards. If they were to fail in a major storm, it would be a threat to public safety." He noted that the Baptist Road crossing of Jackson Creek would be one of the downstream areas at risk.

To reduce the hazard, Doherty recommended "bringing [the dams] down to manageable heights. The 30’ dam be reduced to 10’ high and the two 15’ dams be reduced to 5’."

Simpson said, "We take this seriously. We are responsible for drainage in the district."

Simpson said, "We will work with the northern water providers including Woodmoor, Donala, Monument, and Palmer Lake on local efforts on water supply and delivery. We will work through the [El Paso County Water] Authority or some other structure."

Simpson said, "There is no good solution for private well owners. They are primarily dependent on the Dawson aquifer. I don’t see a trans-mountain diversion anytime in the next 10 to 20 years."

Simpson and Jackson Creek Vision Development Company representative Rick Blevins reported that Lewis-Palmer School District 38 is researching expansion of the high school across Higby Road. The school district is interested in 34 acres currently zoned PRD10 (planned residential district, 10 dwelling units per acre) and PID (planned industrial district). Blevins said the lost tap fees, water use fees, and property taxes would mean millions of dollars in potential bonding would be lost to the district. They are looking at ways Triview could be compensated for the lost revenue. Possibilities suggested include participation in the cost of construction of Jackson Creek Parkway or realignment of Higby Road. Addressing possible alternatives, Blevins said, "Nobody wants 100 acres of three-story apartment buildings."

Simpson distributed copies of a revised draft 2003 budget. He said he succeeded in persuading Dana Duthie, manager of the Donala district, to itemize billing costs. Triview can save $90,000 per year ($188,000 instead of $276,000 per year) by taking over that task. Triview would need to be equipped to set meter transponders, would need access to a portable interrogator to read the transponders, and would need to be prepared to investigate anomalous readings. There are also some billing software issues that must be resolved.

Simpson said, "[Taking over the billing function] gives us more time to prepare for the [full] transition [from Donala]." He added, "I feel really good about where we are with Donala."

The budget will be further discussed at the November 20 board meeting and then revised to reflect the county assessor’s office November 30 report of assessed values in the district. It is expected that the budget will be approved at the board meeting December 11.

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The Triview Metropolitan District Board of Directors meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month, 6:30 pm, at the district offices, 174 North Washington St. The next meeting will be on November 20. The last meeting of the year will be held December 11.

For further information, contact the Triview Metropolitan District at 488-6868

Melissa Wetzig, of Rothberg, Tamburini & Windor, reported on the El Paso County Water Authority Master Plan. She recommended for political reasons the town join a water conservancy district, and appoint a representative.

Roads: Trustee Randy Jones reported that the roads department applied dust control product while the roads were moist from rain. Applying the substance without water didn’t yield the full benefit of the product. Bob Radosevich, Roads Superintendent, reported that Don Chismar of Cheyenne Mountain Bank, which owns seven lots by the lake, wanted to complete road construction of the loop from the lower side of Starview Circle, Lake Avenue, and Grant Avenue. The developers requested a variance from the town’s Douglas County road standards that require asphalt, curb, and gutter. They want to construct gravel roads with culverts instead. The expense of maintaining asphalt roads compared to gravel roads was discussed. Approval to construct gravel roads was granted at the October 10 town council meeting. The bank gave the town a check for $8,000 to cover the cost of dust mitigation for three years.

Parks: Trustee Cindy Allen warned about the ongoing presence of bears, and urged people to drive slowly near park areas where children play. Trustee Allen discussed the benefits of owning a chipper rather than renting one. They could take the chipper to neighborhoods and have people bring their slash and brush to the road. This would encourage people to reduce brush for fire mitigation. The doghouse built and donated by Ed and Cindy Smith will be auctioned off at the chili supper and starlighting at the Town Hall on November 30. Water: Trustee Chuck Cornell reported that the reservoir was down approximately 63 inches, leaving less than 95 acre feet of usable water, or 45% of capacity. He noted that every time he visits the reservoir, he sees dogs swimming there. The town was not pumping the Denver aquifer well. Mayor Nikki McDonald informed the trustees that it cost the town $1300 in electricity to test the Arapahoe well for two days in August. There is an automatic charge of $932 each month the well is switched on.

Police: Trustee Eddie Kinney reported the new officer, Rob Hamilton, has written numerous traffic citations.

Fire: Trustee Scott Russell reported the fire department received $35,000 in donations this year. The

women’s branch of the Masons, Eastern Star #8, donated $10,000 after the Hayman fire, El Pomar Foundation donated $20,000 and Intel donated $5,000. The department has lifted some of the restrictions on burning. Charcoal grills are allowed at homes, but not at parks.

Community Development: Trustee Susan Miner reported that 280 people attended the 2nd annual Railroad Festival, up from 54 attendees last year. The town advertised for a special events coordinator to promote the use of the Town Hall.

Mayor’s Report: Mayor McDonald noted that budget time is approaching, and invited citizens to "come and see how little money they have to work with."

GIS (Global Information Systems): Former trustee Alan Bockhaus reported on the aerial photography of the area, available for $25 per square mile. The photography was done in May of this year.

Petition for annexation; Cornuke Subdivision: Bob Cornuke requested a single lot minor subdivision of the property located at the intersection of Forest View and Douglas Roads, and sought annexation of the new parcel. Town Clerk Della Gins explained that in a letter to Cornuke one year ago, the town promised a water tap when annexation was complete. El Paso County required assurance that the town would annex Cornuke into Palmer Lake and would provide a tap. Trustees Cornell and Allen objected because the council has denied taps to people already in the town. Gary Coleman, a member of the planning commission, suggested the town look into the situation.

T & D Satellite Consulting--Satellite TV receivers and dishes, home theater systems. Thomas Ditter will be a consultant for a dish network, making service calls to install equipment. The town will receive sales tax revenue from equipment sold in Palmer Lake.

Edward Jones Investments--mobile, door-to-door investments and insurance. Jerald Edwards will represent the fourth largest investment firm, based in St. Louis. He plans to eventually open an office in Palmer Lake. Both business licenses were approved at the October 10 Town Council meeting.

Request for a minor subdivision/vacation and replat of prior plats and easements in the Sun Ridge Subdivision

Surveyor Bill Baker performed an extended survey to settle a dispute about the south boundary line of the subdivison. Previously, even after four surveys, descriptions of the parcels did not match what is on the ground and utilities were not in easements. Baker’s survey found that lots 4 and 3 had some land of lots 1, 2, and 5.The request was unanimously approved at the October 10 Town Council meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm.

Updated committee reports

Community Development: Trustee Susan Miner reported that a committee would be interviewing all applicants for the event coordinator position. Judith Bergquist, of the Colorado Center for Community Development (CCCD) of the University of Colorado at Denver, notified Trustee Miner that she would donate 200 hours of student consultant time to the town, as students must be committed to 200 hours of work before the end of the year. One project the students could work on for next year involves a study of the feasibility of putting a building near the gazebo by the lake. The project would require matching funds from the town of $3,000 to $5,000, which the town does not have. Trustee Miner will try to get contributions from interested entities toward a feasibility study of activities that could take place around the lake.

Police: Trustee Eddie Kinney noted that 133 traffic citations and 20 warnings were issued in September.

Water: Trustee Chuck Cornell reported on water usage. September 2001 the town used 7,500,000 gallons of water compared to 4,836,000 gallons in September 2002. "Monument Creek is bone dry; there isn’t a drop in it," Cornell noted. In recent newspaper articles, Cornell read that in 8 out of 10 El Niño years, Colorado experiences below normal precipitation during the winter, with more in spring. Palmer Lake needs precipitation by March 15, as they can only keep the water received in the reservoir by that date.

Roads: Trustee Randy Jones asked the council if the town should buy the chipper now, or wait until spring. The consensus was that if it’s a dry winter, the chipper could be used during the winter months to reduce fire danger next summer.

Safety concerns about the crossing at Palmer Lake Elementary School: Crystal Gemeinhardt and Eileen Facinelli, both mothers of students at the school, expressed concern about lack of crossing guards, crosswalk, and stop sign at the corner of High Street and Upper Glenway. The women had observed numerous occasions when drivers did not pay attention to children crossing. They noted that vehicles stopping to pick up children from school made it difficult to see children waiting to cross the street. Police Chief Dale Smith agreed that in the afternoon, 30 to 35 cars might be stacked outside to pick up children. He wanted professional advice for the area around the school; his department regards it as a high priority issue. Gemeinhardt and Facinelli understood that one reason there was no stop sign there was that in winter, if cars stop at the intersection, they might not make it up the hill of High Street. However, they were asking for a stop sign at the intersection for the sake of the children’s safety. The council unanimously approved a motion to do a study, and to install a stop sign immediately as an interim measure.

Blockage of access to Upper Glenway: Charlie Ihlenfeld of 400 Upper Glenway explained how his neighbors, Elizabeth Kawczyski (a member of Palmer Lake’s Variance Board) and Bob Polito, had begun to block one side of the street with logs, a wheelbarrow, a cement mixer, and a load of rocks and boulders placed in front of his property. While Ihlenfeld was out of town, Kawczyski and Polito allegedly moved his trailer down the street and placed more items where the trailer had been. When Ihlenfeld asked Polito what was going on, Polito allegedly told him to "move your crap or else" and threatened to block all access to Ihlenfeld’s home and destroy his log entry to his driveway. Ihlenfeld asked the town to take legal action to stop Kawczyski and Polito from blocking access to a public street, his home, and parking. Kawczyski, who owns lots 1 and 9 in Baby Shoe Rock subdivision, thinks she owns 25 feet of the street, according to Ihlenfeld. The town had maintained the street for over 20 years, thereby establishing legal ownership of the street and any disputed portion thereof, claims Ihlenfeld. He further requested the town remove Kawczyski from her position on the Variance Board, as her actions were not in the best interests of the town. Town Attorney Larry Gaddis commented that the town needs to determine whether the road in question does belong to the town. The question is still being investigated.

Petition for annexation, Cornuke Subdivision; a one parcel annexation, zoning R1E (Estate Zone) creating a single lot minor subdivision located at the intersection of Forest View and Douglas Roads. Jim Fitzgerald, owner of the property in question, appeared for Bob Cornuke. Last spring he agreed to sell 2 ½ acres to Cornuke. He asked the town, which agreed in March to provide a water tap to the lot if it is annexed into Palmer Lake. Attorney Gaddis noted the town is committed to serve every lot in the town with water, if they have it, on a first come first served basis. Fitzgerald added the county recorded on the plat that the lot would get water from the town. Trustee Cornell remarked the Colorado statutes require publishing public notice for 4 consecutive weeks; this issue was only published for two weeks. Gaddis added that notice has to be published 30 days before a hearing. A motion to accept the petition passed unanimously and the hearing date was set for November 14.

Request for a fire line by Allen Fritts for the Inn at Palmer Divide: The Inn is required to have a sprinkler system, so Allen Fritts requested to extend the existing fire line (a water line for fire protection only) 2/10 mile east on State Highway 105, with hydrants every 400 feet, at a cost of $75,000. This would eliminate the need to have on-site water storage. Because the water must meet potable standards, the line must be flushed on an average of once per month to reduce chlorine accumulation. Mayor McDonald noted that they flushed the equivalent of a household’s monthly water usage every month, and twice in July. The town could use the flush water for dust control on the streets and the sanitation district could purchase some. Trustee Cornell noted the request had come before the council before, and the council sent it back to the planning commission, which denied it. He questioned why Fritts was bringing the request to this meeting instead of to a workshop first.

Kurt Ehrhardt, the contractor for Missionary Training International (MTI) and the Inn at Palmer Divide, explained why he chose not to include a line item for underground water storage, which would cost close to $500,000. He had assumed the town would be eager to have the fire line extend eastward. Flushing 200,000 gallons per year (between MTI and the Inn) would give them fire protection. He urged the town to look at extension of the fire line as being a value to the community. The trustees wanted to know why the planning commission denied the request. The issue was tabled.

The meeting adjourned at 9:45 pm.

Trustee Frank Orten suggested holding off on filling committee vacancies until the board could discuss the future of committees, in accordance with what the trustees talked about at the retreat on September 28. Trustee Christopher Perry noted the Police Advisory Committee might change a bit, but would still exist, and Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) is beyond the control of the board of trustees, so they might as well fill those vacancies.

Former Monument mayor Leon Tenney was accepted unanimously to serve on the Citizens Advisory Committee of PPACG until someone else comes forward to fill the vacancy. Steve Eubanks applied for the vacant position on the Police Advisory Committee, but did not attend the meeting, so no action was taken.

Monument Dam repairs status report: Ed Toms of Boyle Engineering reported all construction is complete. The major issues to be addressed within the next thirty days are final approval from the state engineer’s office; ASI-RCC, Inc. retainage; amended biological assessment with modified Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (PMJM) habitat mitigation plan from Smith Environmental; consultation with USCOE and US Fish and Wildlife; completion by Smith Environmental of the PMJM mitigation design.

Trustee Glenda Smith asked about the upgrade of the dam, and whether that decision had been given in writing. Mayor Konarski replied it had not been, but would be.

Agreement with GMS, Inc. to design Second Street sidewalk

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) awarded the Town an Enhancement Grant for a sidewalk on the north side of Second Street from Beacon Lite Road east to State Highway 105. The total project cost is $143,643. This item was postponed from the September 16 meeting to allow Trustee Byron Glenn to study the situation. Meanwhile, CDOT agreed to build the sidewalk as part of their I-25/S.H. 105 project, reducing GMS’s scope of work to design this project. The revised agreement with GMS has a not-to-exceed price of $12,268, down from $28,800.00. Trustee Glenn questioned GMS’s fee for construction administration. Roger Sams of GMS explained that they give the plan to CDOT and also handle preconstruction activities, such as permits and documents. The design-only agreement passed unanimously.

Status of Lake of the Rockies Master Plan Application

Mayor Konarski explained that at the trustees’ retreat the board discussed being more responsive to citizen concerns. Residents of West Oak Ridge had questions about nearby Lake of the Rockies. In response to their questions, Town Planner Mike Davenport reported on the campground. Berms and trees had been placed along the southern and eastern edges of the site. The application to amend the approved development plan for the campground had not yet been signed. A boundary survey has not yet been accepted. Two different surveys have been done.

The current code allows only for a maximum lift thickness (for a layer of asphalt) of two inches. The amended code allows three-inch lifts. Roger Sams of GMS explained that allowing three-inch lifts would reduce cost due to reduced use of equipment, since a six-inch lift could be obtained using two layers of three inches each instead of having to use three layers of two-inch thickness. The motion passed unanimously by roll-call vote.

The board agreed on December 2 for the public hearing.

The checks presented for approval were Transplan Associates, $12,352.02 (Tri-Lakes Travel Study – Sept.); and Transplan Associates $11,141.84 (Tri-Lakes Travel Study – Aug.); and Benefit Design Services, $10,434.38 (October medical and dental).

Both were approved unanimously.

Cell phone use

An officer hit a curb, blowing out two tires, while handling an incoming police call on a cell phone. The resulting standard operating procedures policy is designed to reduce the chance of an accident while operating a town-owned vehicle and using a cell phone. Employees will use the hands-free mode using an earpiece or speaker. If neither is available, the employee shall pull off to the side of the road and answer the phone. If necessary, the employee may answer the phone and tell the caller to wait until it is possible to safely pull over and carry on a conversation. The motion to approve the SOP passed unanimously.

Trustee Glenn reported on growth statistics from the Pikes Peak Building Commission. Charts of growth are similar to last year’s, but growth is expected to drop off.

Town Manager Rick Sonnenburg reported the odd/even watering restrictions ended automatically September 30, 2002. Trustee Smith suggested clarifying the watering restrictions to include the time of day for watering.

The meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.

Members of Boy Scout Troop #514, the Challenger Flag Troop, and troop leader Don Andreasen attended the meeting.

Peter Smith of Smith Environmental, Inc. (SEI) addressed the additional impacts, temporary and permanent, to potential Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (PMJM) habitat that occurred during dam repairs. The permanent impact is to 0.38 acre and the temporary impact is to 0.21 acre. ASI-RCC, the contractor for the repair work and the mouse corridor, caused temporary impact to 0.1 acre, southwest of the dam. Inadvertently, during construction ASI went outside the construction area, causing about 48% of the temporary impacts and 17% of the total impacts. The total additional impacts translate into a mitigation need of 1.15 acres of created habitat and 0.32 acre to 1.0 acre of enhanced habitat, depending upon the overall benefit of the enhanced habitat. Smith recommended the least expensive mitigation alternative acceptable to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, at a cost of $44,000. The created habitat would be the north shore mitigation area, and the town’s portion of the old north access road to the reservoir, which would be revegetated and reestablished as PMJM habitat. The enhanced habitat would be on the north side of Dirty Woman Creek Park, 20-30 feet south of the creek, westward from the bridge. The town would give up some of the usable area of the park, but it would produce a wider riparian corridor. Mayor Betty Konarski noted that the town was exploring having ASI pay for 17% of land the town purchased for mouse mitigation, since their error would cause the town to lose the use of some land it already owned. A motion to use town land for PMJM mitigation as recommended by Smith Environmental passed unanimously.

The town is getting a much-needed new phone system, with 15 lines, 21 handsets, and flexibility to grow.

Trustee Glenda Smith brought forward this action by the previous board because she wanted to know the view of the new board members about the resolution. In the resolution, the previous board of trustees stated that the school district should not be subject to the $100,000 impact fee assessed by BRRTA. The previous trustees urged BRRTA to waive, exempt, or restructure retroactively the $100,000 special assessment on non-profit organizations including Creekside Middle School.

Trustee Smith noted that the two trustees who sat on the BRRTA board at the time, Kristi Schutz and Steve Wilcox, abstained from voting on resolution 13-2001. She asked that Mayor Konarski and Trustee Byron Glenn, the two current BRRTA board members, not respond to the issue at this meeting. The other board members seemed to support the resolution against the impact fee assessment for the school district. Trustee Smith also commented that BRRTA representatives from Monument should look after the interests of Monument, that the county wasn’t going to do that. She requested that the BRRTA representatives report to the board on the activities of BRRTA.

The proposed site for a Wal-Mart Supercenter store is on the south side of Baptist Road across from King Soopers, an area outside the Monument town limits. El Paso County has sent the town a copy of the Wal-Mart application for comment. These comments must be received by the county by November 8. The trustees will prepare their comments during the next board meeting on Monday, November 4. Mayor Konarski noted, "We need to look at the impact a Wal-Mart being there [on Baptist Road] would have on Baptist Road and on us." Trustee Frank Orten suggested getting input from other directors concerning the impact [of a Wal-Mart] on their department.

School Board request: Mike Davenport reported the chairman of the school board asked the town to work with Jackson Creek Land Company regarding questions concerning the dedication of public land. There is a question about how much land Jackson Creek Land Company is required to provide for schools. The school board thinks they are owed more land, and Jackson Creek Land Company thinks they have already met their obligation.

The planning commission continued the following from the October 9 meeting to the November 11 meeting:

Also scheduled for November 11:

Parks & Landscape Committee, at its November 12 meeting, will consider:

Jackson Creek Filing 5 application was received September 26, 2002 for 89 single family lots immediately north of King Soopers.

Triview Metro District (TMD) board at its September 26 meeting decided to not provide water service to any additional development until another well is brought into service. Wal-Mart is the last project for which TMD has water available from current wells. Future developers will have to pay for a new well. Jackson Creek Filing 5 does not have water availability at this time.

Public Works Department Budget Recommendations: Capital improvement projects for the water system infrastructure, funding for prioritized Asphalt Maintenance Program projects/activities, purchase or lease of a truck equipped for snow removal and sanding, addition of a street/parks technician and an administrative support person for the department, and renovation of the public works site and development of the semi-centralized treatment facility at the current well #8 site to incorporate administrative facilities.

Water use restrictions automatically expired at the end of September. Total water use for the month of September decreased to 9 million gallons from 12-13 million gallons used in August.

Vandalism of the skate park, including graffiti, continues to be a problem. Fence sections bent away indicate that people were playing on the fence, or possibly trying to enter the park after hours. Trustees discussed various solutions, including keeping the park open in the evening. Tom Wall explained that the fence and the park hours exist because the park is not lit at night due to the nearby apartment complex. Police Chief Joe Kissell added that the town has a curfew, so they do not want young people using the park after curfew. Mayor Konarski suggested that town staff meet with the volunteers who put up the park to hear their ideas and suggestions.

Tommie Plank, of the Historic Monument Merchants Association (HMMA), submitted an application for a grant from the Economic Community Development fund for a welcome/directional sign at the intersection of 2nd Street and Beacon Lite Road. This will be the fifth such sign the HMMA has installed.

The meeting adjourned at 9:07 pm.

Trustees want Monument "Open for Business"

The Monument board of trustees met to craft a shared vision of the future of Monument in an all-day workshop on September 28, at the Garden of the Gods Visitors Center in Colorado Springs. All the trustees were present. Clay Brown, from the Department of Local Affairs, acted as facilitator of the workshop.

"What direction do you think the town is going, should be going…?" Clay asked the trustees. It soon became clear that the vision of Monument for most, if not all, of the trustees featured Monument growing its commercial base to provide jobs for residents, including high school students, and to provide tax revenue for the town to provide a higher level of services than it is currently able. Affordable housing was identified as a priority. Promoting development and events to attract people to the downtown area was also a priority for some of the trustees. Next, the trustees developed goals--what they need to do to get where they want to go. Later, the trustees shared their new goals with Monument’s department heads who joined them for the afternoon session.

A central issue was how to dispel the perceived attitude of some developers that Monument is hard to deal with, that the development process here is arduous and slow. Mayor Betty Konarski suggested that the best way to let developers know Monument is open for business is to streamline the development process. Considerable discussion focused on the current committees that developers must go through before going to the planning commission and the board of trustees. Mayor Konarski’s view was, "All those committees were created by boards, and they were created to stop the process."

Near the end of the afternoon session, the trustees decided to meet with Goldberg Property Associates to try to woo Wal-Mart back to Monument.

The Trustees’ Views of Present and Future Monument

Trustee Byron Glenn noted that a lot of people came to Monument for the small-town atmosphere, it’s not cluttered like Academy Boulevard or Fillmore; and also for the open space, the views, and the community appeal. Existing businesses want to develop their business and not be run out of town by big corporations. People want parks and open space, but the town does not have the funds to maintain the current parks to an acceptable level. To provide services, the town needs money. "The town needs to grow on a retail base, the town needs to grow on a business level. I think our job is to make sure that the planning goes in the right direction; that we don’t achieve an Academy Boulevard, that we don’t achieve a Commerce City type of atmosphere. It’s got to be a well-planned community that incorporates everybody’s thoughts, desires; retail, business, and open space…To get a labor force, we need affordable housing," Glenn said. He saw a need to educate the public on what it would take to get the services they want, and to show them that Monument can have attractive affordable housing. Also, he saw a need for more employment opportunities for young people, high school students.

Mayor Konarski agreed on the importance of an employment base. "That really talks about the kind of future you want; if you want to be a bedroom community or do you want your own employment base. I’m hearing you say that you believe we should have our own employment base."

Trustee Christopher Perry added, "We’re going to need one if we want to raise the kind of funds to have nice parks and services."

Trustee Doug Warner said that his vision was along the lines of Glenn’s. "I think Monument has, basically, a diamond in the rough. We have a good historic downtown that we can develop and enhance through sidewalks, curbs, and gutters, and the streets. We’ve got the parks…we can build those up, do more with them…we’ve got the lake that we can develop into an area that people are going to want to visit, and as they go to the lake, they’re going to go through downtown, through all the small shops and unique area." Revenue was an issue for Warner, too. "How do we keep the tax dollars of our citizens in Monument, and how do we draw people from outlying communities into Monument spending their tax dollars here? Because too many of us are going down to Colorado Springs and spending our money. We’re giving Colorado Springs our tax money, and we’re not getting these other people coming into our town spending their money here." He noted that Palmer Lake has unique, high-end restaurants that attract people from all over the area; he would like to see more unique shops and restaurants in Monument. He was enthusiastic about the possibilities of Monument Lake, noting that people will pay to get in if they have access to picnic tables, recreational facilities around the lake such as hiking and biking trails, canoes on the lake, nice restrooms, and areas for kids to play. "That’s going to be a huge draw in bringing people through the downtown…." Also important to Warner was preserving the old town environment of downtown Monument, which is one of the reasons he moved here. "We have so many resources in the area that we could develop if we have the revenue to develop them….We’ve got to look at the long-term picture; how do we develop that revenue so that we don’t have to cut budgets?"

Trustee Perry agreed. "We need to find an employment base to fuel the retail and economic growth; to fuel the sales tax and the commercial property tax income; it’s a cycle that we need to start somewhere and start getting it in here." He added that the trail is one of the town’s biggest assets.

Trustee George Brown noted there are going to be some very exclusive shops at the north end of Colorado Springs, which is going to make the commute less for people in the Tri-Lakes area to get to some nice restaurants. Monument’s downtown area has nice little shops and restaurants, but he didn’t think there were enough to draw people from outside the area. He suggested looking at ways to keep families entertained in the downtown area. "First we want to draw people from the Tri-Lakes area. We want to start selling our town to the Tri-Lakes area…I think we should be a combined Tri-Lakes area, with us being the hub." Other trustees agreed with that idea, commenting on all the districts in the area. Mayor Konarski noted that they could do some intergovernmental agreements (IGAs). Brown suggested partnering with Palmer Lake. He added, "The Planning Commission, we need to make sure that they’re in sync with us and then we can trust what’s going through there…. There’re some good people; I sat through. I think there’s a disconnect; we need to connect to make sure these committees understand our vision and what we’re looking for." Brown said that in towns he’d been in before, developers have to give something back, such as a contribution toward parks, or something like that.

Trustee Smith felt it was important to educate people in the area, to build trust. Trustee Perry remarked that the concerts in park during the summer were a good start at bringing the community together at a local park, realizing the facility that we have. Building a band shell and a stage will attract more people. Trustee Smith also noted the community traditions that Palmer Lake has, such as the Yule Log; she said she would like to see Monument have something. Mayor Konarski told about an annual art month some of the community is working on; something to bring the communities together around a function that would bring outside people here.

Trustee Frank Orten said that when he first saw the agenda item about the view of Monument in the future, "…some of the things that came to my mind are the hypocrisy of the isolationist attitude we’ve had in the past. In order to make our community a viable community, we need to be a complete community from top to bottom…[The mission statement] is very unwieldy; a mission statement that can’t be used. And that’s the kind of things we’ve all been handed here, whether it be us recently since last April, or even before Glenda’s been on; this is the red tape and the thick ordinances that we’ve been handed, that have been developed to attack and to stop isolated incidents that people--specific people--get on their high horse to stop. That’s one of the biggest hindrances of government, I think, people getting on their horses and dragging amendments to our constitution, that prohibit someone speaking a second language." He went on to describe his view of Monument. "We need a total community, and a total community is one that has base workers and a place for them to live, work, and enjoy their lives; from a minimum wage point of view all the way up to multimillion dollar houses with multimillion dollar businesses going out of there; from top to bottom. If we all continue the past of putting our own personal agendas on things, that’s what’s going to continue the opinion of what has been stated in the past about Monument, that we’re not open for business." He noted that people could not get everything they need within Monument, and emphasized the need to create a well-rounded community where people could buy everything they need instead of driving to Colorado Springs or Castle Rock.

Trustee Perry asked, "Are we open for business?" Trustee Warner said that Wal-Mart was a big issue when he was campaigning, and that no one wanted a Wal-Mart in their back yard. He added that a company like Wal-Mart has more financial resources than our town, and that to try to fight that would be a losing battle. Wal-Mart put in an application to the county. Now they just have to meet the county’s requirements for landscaping and infrastructure. They’re still there, but Monument ends up losing because they don’t get the tax revenue, don’t get it looking the way they’d like to see it look, and don’t get the infrastructure developed the way the town wants. "Just by turning them away, that’s what we’ve caused," said Warner. Trustee Orten, who worked in Castle Rock previously, said that Wal-Mart there hadn’t hindered downtown Castle Rock at all; in fact it’s enhanced it. "The way retail works," Mayor Konarski stated, based on her experience in the business, "is, you are not competing with the guy across the street, you’re competing with his drive somewhere else…. Retail works, we together draw them here and then they shop here and they’re not shopping at the guy 20 miles away."

Trustee Smith admonished the trustees, "You have to keep an open mind….You’re not supposed to prejudge anything that comes before the board. You have to wait until the project comes before you and you look at what is at hand."

Trustee Orten replied, "I agree totally with you, Glenda, and that’s what I’m saying is we have to keep an open mind. Because if we as a board start dictating to people who own certain pieces of property what they can and cannot do on it then all we’re doing is opening ourselves to a very nasty bag of snakes that’s going to eventually poison and kill us."

Trustee Perry responded, "That’s true, but with a comprehensive plan we can more or less protect ourselves." Orten asked, "Does the comprehensive plan change any of the zoning authority?" Perry replied, "It doesn’t change the zoning, but it gives us a pretty valid reason for denying development that doesn’t fit the comprehensive plan. Whether it’s zoned or not, there’re a hundred different uses for the land. The specific use that the developer wants used--doesn’t mean we have to approve that…."

Mayor Konarski said, "My contention is that we’ve got the land, but developers--right now, and for the last three years--won’t come because they’re nervous they can’t get anything through. It takes them anywhere from six months to two years to get a project through, and they don’t trust the council that once they get it up to the council, that they can get it passed. And I’ve been flat-out told that by several developers." (Other trustees added that they had heard the same thing.) "The last three years or more have created such a negative sense of trust. So to me one of our jobs is to rebuild the trust." Trustee Perry added, "And to communicate to them that we’re definitely willing to look at developments." Trustee Smith said, "I have another look at that; sitting on the board as long as I have, there have been developers who’ve come up who don’t want to spend the money they need to spend in making improvements that they need to do when they come to make a development--with the roads and the infrastructure…. There have been a lot of things that have been promised to people that have not been brought to a board situation. The mayor or one trustee has made certain promises to certain people…The whole idea is to come together as one body and make these decisions, and not as individuals." Mayor Konarski added, "That is a factor that needs to be up in front of us, that trust is a factor."

Trustee Warner asked, "So, what direction can we go to change that?" Mayor Konarski replied, "I think we’re moving in the right direction. Number one, we’ve got the planning commission looking at some changes. What has occurred is that a ton of the rules that we’ve got are just ridiculous; they’re just totally ridiculous. They came from old rules from Castle Rock, way before Castle Rock got enlightened and changed their rules. So we are in the process now of having to revise our ordinances and our municipal codes and things, because they’re very, very old and they’re very, very regressive. And nonflexible."

Trustee Smith said, "We have to look at how what comes into our community is going to effect our community. There are certain things we can’t ignore about going through the process. We need a process--maybe we need to cut it down--but we still need a process…."

Mayor Konarski: "The trust in the community is vital to our being able to attract the kind of people we want."

Trustee Glenn recounted his experience meeting Grant Nelson of Goldberg Property Associates, the land acquisition firm for Wal-Mart. Nelson told him how he personally was treated by individuals from the town, and how difficult Monument was to deal with. Trustee Perry said, "This board is very, very new and we need to communicate that to the developers and everyone out there, that--look, there’s a new board…and we want to play fair." Mayor Konarski added, "And we will do that by changing some of our structures. One of the overt ways that we can do that is to change some of our structures. I think we have to do that carefully, but it’s a potential way to do it."

Trustee Warner said about the planning process, "You’ve got all these different boards--landscape, planning, our board--the processes all have to go through and be approved. What’s the problem with structuring our meetings so that a person can get this thing through in two weeks instead of three months?" Mayor Konarski replied, "We’ll talk about that a little more this afternoon. All those committees were created by boards, and they were created to stop the process." Trustee Smith said, "I have to disagree with you about these committees; you’re looking at the negative aspects of these committees that this stuff goes through. It depends on who’s sitting on these committees, but they’re not all bad." Mayor Konarski responded, "I didn’t say they were…Let’s talk about what we want our committees to do this afternoon."

Town Planner Mike Davenport recommended creating a business plan for the town; "Here’s what we’re going to provide and here’s how we’re going to pay for it. What realistically are our revenue opportunities, what are the responsibilities we’re going to take on and what are the responsibilities we’re not going to take on as a community." Davenport pointed out the need to analyze the long-term financial commitment involved with different capital projects, to understand if the town can really afford to do that or will they have to cut something else five years out to be able to sustain this new venture. I’ve worked at five jurisdictions; I’ve never seen people plan beyond two years. Occasionally, people may look at five years out, but it’s rare to see anyone do any financial planning more than two years out," Mike said.

Mayor Konarski asked if all the committees should report to the board directly, or should they be reporting to the department, or should they be reporting to the planning commission?

Police Chief Joe Kissell replied that he would prefer the Police Advisory Committee coming to him, then he would go to the board to explain what was going on.

Mayor Konarski said that according to Tom Wall, having the public works committee report directly to the board wasn’t serving him at all; it was not supporting him or his department. "It was created as a filter and we all know why it was created as a filter," said Konarski.

Trustee Smith said that it wasn’t always that way. The committee used to do a lot of the legwork for the trustees, such as looking into ordinances, researching, looking at the wells, the streets, looking at what to project for the town’s future needs. Mayor Konarski, replied, "But I’m saying that’s where it is. And yet, statutorily, the only committee we really have to have is the planning committee. So the question becomes should these groups report to planning, do we need the filters? What’s the purpose of the filters? We need to ask, what’s the purpose of these committees? Because if time is an issue, then we need to step back and say, why do we have them?"

Chief Kissell saw two possible focuses for the Police Advisory Committee; for community input and as a review committee to hear complaints against the police department, for example. Mayor Konarski asked Mike Davenport about his sense of Public Works, Parks, and Planning; what relationship he thought would be the most valuable.

Davenport replied that the Public Works Committee traditionally has been the body that has been most adamant about saying the rules are not up for negotiation, you comply or you don’t comply. The planning commission, by its nature, is more of a body that lends itself toward negotiating or looking at a broader range of possibilities. In that sense, he thought public works was fulfilling its responsibility of evaluating if applications comply. But, he noted that they have changed their approach where they spend very little time now reviewing applications. Trustees Perry and Warner suggested that the Park and Landscapes Committee could be a community committee that organizes park clean-up days or beautification projects, where the community gets out to work together to help take care of the parks.

Mayor Konarski said, "Maybe the direction we can give to staff is we’re hearing the committee structures that are existing today really aren’t functioning according to the goals we’re setting up now and we would like to have the staff come back and give us some recommendations that are more in line with our goals about our committees."

Regarding the process, and the time it takes, Mike Davenport said, "What we have is an extra step that I don’t know of anyone else having, which is these three committees. All our major applications have to go through these three committees; I don’t know of any other community that has a requirement like this, and I always have to explain that to a new developer coming into this because they’ve never encountered a situation like this where they have a technical review and they have a hearing review but then they also have three citizen committees they need to appear before they get to planning commission." Clay noted that the committee system was used mostly in smaller communities without a manager or without a staff, but not typically in towns the size of Monument.

Hotel/Motel tax: Mayor Konarski reported on the plan on the table for Wolf Business Park on north Beacon Lite Road, about 300 feet north of Monument Meadows Mobile Home Park. They are planning to have a motel, restaurants, and a light industrial complex. The new hotel will have 68 rooms, and it will be something with a brand name and typical of what is on Wolfensberger Road in Castle Rock, according to Mike Davenport. They’ll do a survey of nearby towns to figure out how much hotel/motel tax to charge. Trustee Perry asked about a food and beverage tax--can the town have one; should they look at that? Clay suggested that might be one of the conversations they could have concerning home rule; what other opportunities does home rule present to the town regarding taxes.

Wal-Mart: The trustees discussed going to Wal-Mart and telling them the town is interested in them coming back. They discussed annexation, whether the county would approve it. Mike Davenport said that if there were a fight between the city and the county on an annexation, in almost all the cases, the city will ultimately win. The state law favors cities on annexation questions. After more annexation talk, Christopher Perry said, "I think we should get back to the topic at hand. Do we want to see if we can direct someone to go to Wal-Mart with our hat in our hand, and do we want to look into annexing that property? Two decisions that we can’t make at this meeting, but…" Mayor Konarski interrupted, "We can make the decision to direct someone to go; that we can do."

Mike Davenport advised talking to the town’s attorney about how to approach Triview, "because it looks as though Triview is basing a whole lot of its future upon its agreement that it has with Wal-Mart. They’ve now gone and made their own agreement [to provide water and sewer service]…and they have done a lot of planning based upon the deal they think they have. If you want to approach Wal-Mart, it probably would be good to look into this Triview question first to make sure we understand what Triview might do."

After more discussion, Mike Davenport explained, "We cannot force annex them; we can enter into a voluntary agreement. There used to be a 3/4 rule that was taken out of the statutes, so right now you have to completely surround the property to annex it against their will."

Trustee Glenn: "Okay now, again, it’s not Wal-Mart that’s the owner, it’s the actual property owner that has to approve the annexation, right?… I say shoot; nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Rick Sonnenburg: "Okay, so make the call?" "Yeah," replied several trustees. Mayor Konarski asked, "And you are indicating that you do not want me there? The reason I ask that question is, our consultant is Mr. Goldberg’s neighbor and agreed a long time ago to set up a meeting with Rick and I with Goldberg at any point that we want to. So we have that entrée any time we want to."

Trustee Perry: "I think as a figurehead of the town, if you can be there, you should to show the support of the concept." Rick Sonnenburg agreed, "If legally you can be there I think you should be, as well."

Mayor Konarski: "And the rest of you?" Trustee Smith replied, "If it’s legal, it’s fine." Trustee Brown asked, "And pursue the annexation?"

Mayor Konarski said, "All right. I hear that direction."

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According to Rick Sonnenburg, around October 14, Mayor Konarski contacted Mark Goldberg of Goldberg Property Associates. Goldberg said they feel they were treated rudely in their dealings with Monument in mid-2000. Konarski told Goldberg that the new board is not like that and did not want to have that reputation. Konarski reported that Goldberg was cordial and said he was pleased she called but made it clear that his company was pretty well vested in their deal with the county. She said he seemed pleased that the town wanted to be good neighbors.

David Dilley presented his letter of resignation as assistant superintendent, effective July 31, 2003. He came to District 38 from Cheyenne Mountain School District in 1995, serving as Director of Student Services for former Superintendent Dallas Strawn. He was named Director of Personnel Services and Assistant Superintendent when Dwight (Ted) Bauman became superintendent in 1998. Mr. Dilley spoke of Lewis-Palmer as "a jewel of a school district," and expressed his appreciation for working with "such a fine organization." Board members expressed their appreciation to Mr. Dilley for his years of service, noting his innovations in several areas, his recruiting skills in bringing quality staff to the district, and his strong work ethic. This is the second such notice in two months; Mr. Bauman made public his retirement intentions at the September meeting.

A special presentation was made to Mrs. Avis Cook, who retired from teaching this past summer. A clock to commend her for her twenty-seven years of dedication to the students of Lewis-Palmer School District was given to her, along with the thanks of an appreciative board and administrators.

Lewis-Palmer High School student Mike Ketels was recognized for the unsolicited attention he has given to one of the district’s special education students. By befriending the middle school student and going out of his way to make him feel special, the younger student’s parents say Mike has had a tremendous impact on their son, giving him greater enthusiasm for school.

The district has won an award from the Council of Educational Facility Planners International for outstanding architectural design and programming of Prairie Winds Elementary School. Superintendent Ted Bauman and architects Leland Reece and Brian Risley, of Christiansen & Reece and Partners, accepted the award in Phoenix October 19. The school, located in the King’s Deer development, opened in fall of 2001.

More information was presented as the board continues to gather data on a future high school. This discussion addressed the availability of land, costs associated with land purchase, utilities, infrastructure and road access to the two options being considered: expansion of the current high school site, creating a campus-type setting; or building a second high school on land the district owns at the intersection of Highway 83 and Walker Road. At the November meeting the board will consider program costs for running two high schools versus one large school, and how each scenario will impact class offerings. Discussions will continue at the December meeting. The board hopes to make this decision by January 2003, and will then plan when to go to voters for approval of bonds to design and build the high school facility.

The board decided that the district would remain a full member of the Pikes Peak Board of Cooperative Services (PP-BOCES). It will, however, transfer BOCES employees who work only in District 38 to district employees. They will bring with them their years of service as well as their accumulated sick leave. Itinerant BOCES employees working in multiple districts will remain under the auspices of BOCES.

The district will build a new transportation facility on district property to the south of the current bus barn and parking area. After a presentation by local architect Rick Barnes and Hal Garland, District Director of Transportation, the board voted to approve the building of the facility, and retained Barnes Architects for the project. The building will cost between $1.5 million and $1.8 million, and will utilize reserve funds. This will still leave District 38 with about 20% in reserves, more than most Colorado districts, and well above the 3% required by state constitutional requirement as a result of the TABOR amendment.

Letters to Our Community

Water and growth are at odds

We are fortunate to be able to live in such a wonderful area. However, our paradise is under attack from developers and pro-growth government officials.

On October 2nd, I and 250 of our neighbors, attended a presentation at Lewis-Palmer High School by the El Paso County Water Authority. At that meeting we were told that unrestricted growth in El Paso County will not be able to continue unless two things happen. First, the current residents of El Paso County must agree to significantly limit their water usage. Second, El Paso County needs to steal water from other parts of the State.

The citizens at the meeting were outraged by these proposals and asked the government officials why we can’t solve the problem by limiting growth. The Water Authority explained that they were not asked to consider that option.

Our current County Commissioner, Duncan Bremer, who is a decent enough guy, acted like people were commies for even considering limiting growth. Wayne Williams, who is going to replace Mr. Bremer as county commissioner, does not appear overly concerned about our belief that our quality of life matters more than do developers’ desires to line their pockets.

In order to maintain our slice of heaven, we have to work for it. Wal-Mart is gearing up to build a monstrosity across the street from King Soopers. Our county commissioners will decide if that should happen. Commissioner Bremer can be contacted at 520-6444 or DuncanBremer@elpasoco.com. Mr. Williams can be contacted at 260-1724 or WayneWWill@aol.com.

What’s the latest on the Pine Hills fire?

I have a suggestion on something you might want to check on and report. On May 4th of this year, there was a large grass fire in the Pine Hills area that threatened a number of houses. It started in the valley to the south and rapidly burned to the NW. In addition to fire crews, there were at least two aerial tankers called in. The next week it was announced that two teenage girls were under investigation for deliberately starting the fire. To my knowledge, no further news came out. The only "good" thing that might come out of this fire is publicity of what happened and any penalty the girls may have paid. Could you look into this?

Why a recreation, trails, and open space district?

Why vote to keep our Tri-Lakes Recreation District? Many people feel it is unnecessary and should be gotten rid of because of its failure to pass mill levies to pay for a community fitness facility. Yes, the last election was to have the community decide between having the YMCA or this district build the central recreation district near the high school. The issues over who should do this project has been decided by that vote. Certainly, those of us who support the concept of this district doing good in our community and improving the quality of life for all of us, non-supporters as well as supporters, were a little disheartened. However, over-development of all vacant lands could be a result without some community focal point to do those quality of life steps to make our community nicer for all.

What would be the new purpose of this recreation district? First, it would operate on a shoestring. It would receive around $50,000 a year from the state, without our local taxes being increased at all. This money would not be enough for any major projects, but could be used as seed money to focus local volunteer efforts to build trails along roads or to interconnect parks. Second, it would have to partner with other government entities or private homeowners associations. Only those projects or trail connections that are truly wanted would be done.

Many times people move into our area because of its natural beauty. How is it to remain that way? We need some way to focus our energies to fight the rapacious development that is coming our way, since we are the next development bubble along I-25 between Colorado Springs and Denver. An example of one proposal that could impact negatively on our quality of life is the current proposal to place a Wal-Mart near the Jackson Creek Shopping Center. This project proposes to place a 20-foot high steep slope adjacent to Baptist Road and possibly would cut into the existing right-of-way. Whether you are for or against Wal-Mart, such a taking of space in a road corridor limits its expandability and possibly creates unsafe traffic conditions. Also, this space takes away the area along Baptist Road to put a pedestrian walking/jogging/bike path at some decent distance from the automobile traffic. A contrasting example of a positive development could be a pedestrian, jogging and bike path along the new Jackson Creek Parkway. If such a path comes into existence, then young people could ride their bikes to the high school without being endangered along the sides of existing roads. Track teams at the high school could use this new trail to interconnect with the Santa Fe Trail and maybe the Tri-Lakes, for which our area is named. Another example is trying to save Ben Lomond Mountain as open space without having a housing development spoiling the natural skyline.

This recreation district is one way to balance additional development with maintaining quality of life. Often those quality of life issues about open space and trails (remember, the YMCA is going to do our recreation center.) get lost in the shuffle of other pressing needs concerning housing and roads and water, when you only rely on the county, towns, or other metro districts. This recreation district only deals in such arenas and therefore will continually focus on these quality of life issues.

Such a recreation district adds value to our community. However, when you look at the criteria of need and ask the question: Is it a necessity, like the school district or fire protection districts? The answer may be that it is not. But remember, most of the things that set us apart from other forms of animal life are, strictly speaking, unnecessary. Are fine paintings necessary? Are concerts needed? Are houses with more bedrooms than residents necessary? Is eating more than 2,000 calories a day necessary? What we are talking about are those things that make for a higher standard of living and make our Tri-Lakes area a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family. These things come to us in many ways. One of these ways is this recreation district. I urge you to consider all these things and vote to keep it.

At their regular meeting on October 17, 2002 the Tri-Lakes Fire Protection District (TLFPD) Board of Directors unanimously passed a motion of support urging the residents of the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District (DWFPD) to vote in favor of increasing their mill levy from 1.944 mills to 7.0 mills.

Baptist Road is the common border between the TLFPD and DWFPD and the two districts have a long record of supporting each other through mutual aid agreements. Now, the DWFPD is being squeezed from the south by the expansion of Colorado Springs and will soon lose the commercial tax base of most of the property south of the Interquest Parkway. Without the revenue from the increased mill levy, fire and emergency medical services provided by the DWFPD to the citizens between Interquest Parkway and Baptist Road could be significantly diminished. Approval of the mill levy would mean the DWFPD fire station on Gleneagle Drive, near Baptist Road, could be expanded and manned to provide fire and emergency medical service 24 hours per day and seven days a week. In addition to being of enormous benefit to the citizens of Gleneagle, the TLFPD residents of Jackson Creek and west Baptist Road would receive increased coverage because of our mutual aid agreements with the DWFPD.

There is an ongoing effort to merge the fire protection districts in northwestern El Paso County to provide better service for all residents. Approval of the increased mill levy for the DWFPD would permit them to participate in this unification, should they desire to do so.

Several years ago the TLFPD voters approved a similar measure to increase their mill levy to seven mills and now they enjoy the benefits of 24/7 paid fire and ambulance protection, backed up by a very strong cadre of volunteers. The TLFPD has been-there-and-done-that and our citizens believed in us and supported us. So now, the Tri-Lakes Board of Directors strongly recommends that our friends and neighbors of the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District do the same thing and approve a similar mill levy increase on their November ballot.

Charles L. Pocock
President, Board of Directors
Tri-Lakes Fire Protection District

Having attended both meetings of BRRTA at Lewis Palmer High School, I remain distressed that the charge given their engineer is unrealistic. It has produced schemes for improving safety in a section of Baptist Road without regard for what happens at either end. It also ignores the physical impact on adjacent properties.

That the driving force is to accommodate commercial development is obvious. The history of finding ways to improve the road to support development goes back many years before Gleneagle was sold to Bethesda. The result was that nothing was done. Promises to have development at the north end of Gleneagle’s transition to the five-acre lots across Baptist Road were forgotten, thus exacerbating the traffic problem.

Those attending the last meeting on 28 October 02 were shown two options for improving safety. Both depict only the plan-metric consequence of the proposed changes; the changes to topography, which are significant, are ignored. The computer-aided design technology exists to show the true picture of what happens to grades along the right of way in views that are pictorial in character, showing relief. That this was not done is perhaps because to do so would reveal the dramatic impact on adjacent property.

Perhaps most grievous is that the changes contemplated are without regard to the State interchange or what happens to Baptist Road to the east. If considered, it was not shown to the public at the meeting. When asked, a representative of the engineer firm, Loris, said that they were charged with only the stretch of road shown. That stretch is consistent with the support to development that was to pay the cost of improvements. Yet, after aborted attempts to develop a financing mechanism for improvements, it remains unclear where the money is to come from to design the road, let alone build it.

There is more at stake than just the issues of an improved section of road that starts nowhere and ends up nowhere in terms of a cogent and logical plan of development. The other issues include disregard for wildlife. They include the missed opportunities to tie Fox Run Park with the Santa Fe Trail with trails compatible with the rural setting. But road improvements also beg the issue of support to development with water. The concept that if shallow wells run dry, one only has to drill deeper wells does not consider that the aquifers are connected and all depend on recharge from rain falling on the Black Forest.

This is not a diatribe against development. It is a condemnation of failure to insure the infrastructure is in place before the demands on it exist and that the demand recognizes that density does have an upper limit. BRRTA needs to step back and look where they are going and how they are going to get there. It is not clear and the public deserves to know.

I am baffled by the amount of "anti" signage regarding the Tri-Rec district and Ben Lomond Mountain. I for one, am glad to have the outdoor spaces, scenery, trails, and clean air that we enjoy here in the Tri-Lakes region, and don’t mind paying the small price to preserve it. Organizations such as the Trails and Open Spaces Coalition, El Paso County Parks, and Friends of Ben Lomond exist to help conserve and maintain some of our surrounding landscape and the beauty that attracted many of us to stay here in the region. The goal of these various groups is to, through public and private donations, preserve and provide natural open spaces so that our region does not become another overbuilt Denver/Dallas/LA/Chicago sprawl and ghetto. In addition, trails and wildlife are conserved for the use and enjoyment of all. Ben Lomond Mountain, for instance, has had trails to its summit for years – these have been enjoyed (with the permission of the owners) by the citizens of Palmer Lake and others who respect the land as it is. We have many trails in the region that are regularly used by the local citizens and guests. Efforts to link these trails to additional sites such as Ben Lomond Mountain should be applauded. Why does it seem that some individuals persist in attempting to model our region after some less desirable pattern? I think that these open spaces can be for the good of us all, our health and well being and we should thank those who have gone to the trouble of creating and conserving these wonderful spaces. These open spaces are not created by condemning land, but by the joint partnerships of the owners, The Trust for Public Lands, the State of Colorado’s Lotto funded GOCO, the El Paso County, the Conservation Trust Fund, and others.

Continuing with our series on code enforcement, this month we are examining vehicle violations--specifically, the inoperable and unregistered vehicles sitting in yards, parked in the street, or on private property. The first part of the article examines the wording taken from the current Monument codes. The last part of the article summarizes what the code means to Monument residents.

Residents are encouraged to contact the police department if they would like a potential code violation looked into or if they want their situation looked at to determine if there is a violation. Taking a proactive approach to the situation prevents complaints, neighbor disputes and potential court appearances related to violations.

Chapter 8.12 of the Monument Municipal Code addresses "Junk and Abandoned Vehicles as Nuisances." The Code declares a nuisance as follows: "All places used or maintained as junkyards, or dumping grounds, or for the wrecking or disassembling of automobiles, trucks, tractors, or machinery of any kind, or for the storing or leaving of worn out, wrecked or abandoned automobiles, trucks, tractors, trailers, boats and house trailers, or machinery of any kind, or of any of the parts thereof, or for storing or leaving of any machinery or equipment used by contractors or builders or by other persons, which places are kept in such a manner as to essentially interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property by others, are declared to be a nuisance."

The code defines "Storage outdoors unlawful-Nuisance" under the following conditions: "No vehicle, including but not limited to, automobiles, trucks, tractors, travel trailers, fifth wheel trailers, horse trailers, motor homes, campers (whether or not mounted on motor vehicles), buses, boats, or any of the parts thereof, which is inoperable, dismantled, wrecked, discarded, or is without valid licensing tags or a valid Colorado Motor Vehicle Inspections sticker shall be kept outdoors on any property zoned residential within the municipal limits of the Town, except as provided in this chapter. Such vehicle(s) shall be deemed a public nuisance and as such shall be abated in accordance with the rules in this title governing nuisances."

There are exceptions to the code. Automobiles or trucks that would otherwise be deemed a nuisance (under the previous paragraph) may be maintained outdoors upon a parcel of residential property if the vehicle is a "collector’s item" as defined by Colorado Revised Statute 42-12-101. In order "to qualify as a collector’s item, an automobile or truck must be at least twenty-five (25) years old or recognized by the Executive Director of the State Department of Revenue as being antique or having unique interest or historic value or be a "parts car" as defined by Colorado Revised Statute 42-12-101. The automobile must be titled and registered as required under Colorado Revised Statute 42-12-102 and the property owner bears the burden of proving the vehicle is a collector’s item.

Automobiles or trucks that would otherwise be deemed a nuisance under this code may be maintained outdoors upon residential property if such automobile or truck is actively being made operable and able to license, and is made operable within one hundred eighty (180) days of receipt of notice that the automobile or truck is deemed a nuisance.

The code goes on to say an automobile or truck meeting an exception under this code must be maintained in such a manner that it does not constitute a health, safety or fire hazard. Also you can have no more than five (5) automobiles or trucks meeting these exceptions on your property.

In summary, you cannot store a vehicle outdoors on the property unless the vehicle is titled and registered. Otherwise it must be stored indoors. The property owner is responsible for proving the vehicle is a collector’s item. The code is very clear on the fact the car must be at least 25 years old, titled and registered per state law.

You may keep the vehicle outdoors if you are actively working on the vehicle to make it drivable and licensable; however, you must complete the process within 180 days of being notified the vehicle was deemed a nuisance.

The code is designed to prevent neighbors, residents and visitors from having to look at rusted, old vehicles that are not useful and to prevent lower property values because of unsightly appearances. Abiding by the code creates a pleasant appearance, maintains property values and makes us good neighbors and residents.

The staff at Covered Treasures Bookstore has been excitedly perusing the new publisher catalogues. Cookbooks are a favorite subject here! One thing we certainly know is that we have come a long way since "Betty Crocker." Thumbing through our new arrivals is no longer just an exercise in "imaginary cooking," but also a visual feast. The photographs are as enticing as the recipes. This season promises to provide many terrific cookbook choices … for the collector and the gift giver.

Colorado Colore
A Palate of Tastes
The Junior League of Denver, $29.95

Never buying a book for its cover may work for all books except this one. The cover is flat out stunning. As it says in the promotional material …"you will find recipes as visually exciting as they are appetizing, from salads dotted with illuminating colors of a Colorado wildflower meadow to sauces as deeply smokey as a watercolor-striped canyon." Fourth in a series of extremely popular cookbooks, we know Santa will be putting these in his pack.

Collection from Ryland, Peters and Small, $12.95

Another beautifully photographed series of books that focus on one special dish or one style of cooking:

Wok: Dishes From China, Japan and SE Asia – Expert recipes for this easy, healthful and company-pleasing cuisine.

Easy Sushi – The how-to’s and recipes for making your own sushi

Chocolate – "You can never have too much chocolate"

Pasta – From the simple to the simply yummy

Soup – Soups from around the world for all occasions

Fondue – Rediscovering the social meal. .. "Blue Cheese Fondue with Walnut Grissini," anyone?

Fingerfood – Over 100 recipes for all your entertaining needs.

Kitchen Crafts Collection
From the Cookbook Cupboard Collection, $3.95

There is nothing fancy about this fun set of mini books. They make perfect stocking stuffers and a great idea source for holiday food giving and family holiday craft projects:

Slow Cooker Suppers for the Cookingly Challenged: "These recipes require practically no preparation on your part."

Peanut Butter Plain and Fancy: Peanut butter lovers take note. I challenge you to find more ideas for peanut butter than are between these two covers. There are desserts, soups, edible playdough and even "peanut butter fried chicken."

"Mixes" books: For edible holiday giving ideas: Gift Mixes, Cookies in a Jar, Muffins in a Jar, Mixes for Cocoas, Teas, and Cappuccinos, Soup Mixes in Jars, Mixes in Jars for Kids

"Craft" books: There are several to choose from–all with complete and easy-to-follow instructions – Cinnamon Scented, Play Dough, and Decorated Spoonsful.

From the Graphic Arts Center Publishers, $18.95

Gorgeous photographs complement the wonders of Italian cuisine and the more unusual food from the Pacific Rim.

Savour the Pacific: As you would expect, this book features seafood and tropical fruit. It might be just the thing to get us from November through March. Who could resist mango salsa or soy and ginger salmon skewers?

Savour Italy: "At the table no one grows old" is an Italian proverb that could reflect many of our feelings about Italian food. From ‘morning espresso’ to ‘indulgent desserts’ we can get newly excited by one of the most inspiring world cuisines. Check out the prosciutto-wrapped chicken in harvest vegetable sauce or Umbrian ragu.

The Can Opener Gourmet, $16.95

Maybe including gourmet and can opener in the same title is oxymoronic, but this book is filled with pantry-friendly recipes for those days when we just can’t make it all come out even. And if you did some thoughtful shopping in advance, you too could have olive walnut tapenade, lemon rice or pineapple-ginger upside-down cake in a jiff.

The Healthy Kitchen
Andrew Weil, M.D. and Rosie Daley, $24.95

Dr. Andrew Weil says in his introduction that "each time we eat we have an opportunity to nourish the body, delight the senses and calm the mind." He goes on to say that it is a shame to waste those opportunities by eating food that is neither healthful nor delicious… I am buying this book! In an easy manner, this book conveys nutritional information with side by side scrumptious recipes (Rosie calls it spa cuisine). A good choice for those wanting healthy and tasty delights.

As we get cozy for our approaching winter months, there is nothing like the call of a covey of cookbooks. Bon appetit!

View the cover for Colorado Colore: A Palate of Tastes

By Woody Woodworth, High Country Feed and Garden

Consider the following factors when selecting a feeder for your backyard.

Tired of the squirrel getting into the feeder? Even though there is no sure way to "Squirrel Proof" your bird feeder we have some suggestions we hope will be useful in thwarting their efforts. If you have a post mounted feeder, be sure to locate it well away from tree branches or other places from which a squirrel might jump. Installing a baffle between the post and the feeder should keep squirrels from getting to the seed. Or you can try a metal cylinder baffle (or five pound coffee tin) just below the feeder. (If you use a coffee tin, be sure the open end of the can facing the ground is not sharp.)

For hanging feeders install a large baffle above the feeder. For a more elaborate arrangement, hang the feeder from wire or rope that you string between two trees or posts; then place baffles mid-way between the feeders and the ends of the wire. Old 33 rpm vinyl records are ideal as baffles on such a line. Also, the plastic containers for 35mm camera film or plastic soda bottles can be strung on the line on each side of the feeder. Make certain the wire is high enough from the ground so the squirrels can’t jump up onto your feeder or the wire.

Finally if squirrel problems persist, you may want to consider putting out a "diversion" feeder, a feeder just for the squirrels, filled with peanuts, cracked corn or their favorite, sunflower seeds (striped or black-oil). This food should be easily accessible to them. Perhaps with their own supply of food they will leave your feeders to the birds. Be sure any diversion feeder is placed away from the bird feeders and always in the same place.

Sometimes you don’t want smaller birds being scared away by bigger birds. To discourage bluejays, we suggest a diversion feeder, away from your other feeders, customized just for them: fill it with striped sunflower seed and crushed eggshell (they crave the calcium readily available in eggshell). They also love peanuts in the shell. A few good words for bluejays: They warn other birds and animals of danger, and most birds feel very secure when there is a jay around. To discourage blackbirds: Do not feed corn, bakery products, or most seeds, including sunflower. Instead feed thistle seed and fruits. If you do not want to stop feeding other seeds, then distract blackbirds with baked goods put out in an onion bag away from other feeders. To discourage starlings: Feed thistle seed, sunflower hearts, and fruits only. Stop feeding sunflower seed in the shell, suets and all mixed seeds. Starlings will not stay around long if they are not getting the foods they like from your feeders. However, if you want to divert them away from your feeders, then set out a suet feeder away from your main feeding area.

Thanks to the folks at Duncraft for these tips on bird feeding.

View a photo of a squirrel-proof birdfeeder

2002 Tri-Lakes Cares Empty Bowl Dinner - Participants and Contributors

Monument Hill Sertoma thanks everyone listed for supporting the Empty Bowl Event and successfully raising approximately $11,000 for Tri-Lakes Cares.

Businesses

Activecare Therapeutics
Active Tails Therapy
Adelphia
Albertson’s Food & Drug
Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurant
Bella Panini
B&E Filling Station Restaurant
Black Forest News
Dr. Michael Boniface, D.D.S.
Broiler Room Steak House
Brookhart’s Building Centers
Burger King
Cactus Rose Restaurant
Dr.Linda Case, D.O.
Colorado General Merchantile
Colo. Institute of Massage Therapy
Columbine Gardens Chinese Restaurant
Conoco Fuel Stop
Cottage on Kiowa
Covered Treasures Bookstore
Cub Foods
Dagny’s Café
Daylight Donuts
Eagle Wine & Spirits
Folk Art Gallery & Custom Framing
Dr.A.J. Gerathy,D.M.D.
Golden West Pawn and Sales
Guadala-Jarra’s Mexican Restaurant
Healing Touch Therapeutic Massage
High Country Feed & Garden
Jackson Creek Chinese Restaurant
Jackson Creek Land Company & Vision Development Incorporated
King Soopers
Kmart
La Baguette (Garden of the Gods)
Longs Drug Store
Mandarin House
Marigold’s Café and Bakery
McDonald’s - Monument
Monument Cork & Bottle
Monument Pharmacy
Monument Pizza Company
Our Community News
Palmer Lake Bowling Alley
Pankratz Studios & Gallery
Pasta di Solazzi
Petal Pushin’
Pure Delights Café & Fine Catering
Rock House Ice Cream & More
Rosie’s Diner
Safeway-Monument
Salon 105
Sam’s Club-Club#6219
Sand Trap Grill
Santa Fe Trail Jewelry
Serrano’s Coffee Company
Subway
Taco Bell
Target
The Depot Restaurant-Food & Spirits
The Office Center
The Tri-Lakes Tribune
The Villa at Palmer Lake
The Wine Seller
Trifles Personal Chef Services
Tri-Lake Liquor
Tri-Lakes Printing
Village Inn Restaurant
Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers
Walgreen Drug Store
Wal-Mart
Wild Oats Community Market
Woodmoor Pines Country Club
Woodmoor Veterinary Hospital
Xpedex Paper Store

Sertoma

Art Kimbrel-Kissing Camels Club
Lewis-Palmer High School Serteen Club
Monument Hill Sertoma Club
Max Williams-LPHS Serteen Club Sertoma Advisor

Individuals

Rebecca Austin
Betsy Beck
Barbara Branum
Barbara Broshous
Don and Mardel Brown
Peggy Brown
Kaye Byers
Barbara Cook
Dian Cram
Shirley Durham
Mary Little Deer
Fran Howard
Tom & Beth Hurford
Larry & Susie Lawrence
Lynn Lybolt
AnnMarie McGuffee
Joan Meyer
Kellie O’Regan
Doris Otto
Liz Schreiber
Kay Scott
Chris Setser
Sy & Dorothy Sibell
Mark Snoddy
Celia Snyder
Bobbie Spearel
Bill & Milly Stevens
Cynthia VanWormer
Kathy Woodworth

Lewis-Palmer School District #38

Mr. Ted Bauman, Superintendent
Dr. Keith Jacobus, LPHS Principal
Mr. Craig Ketels, LPHS Music Dir.
Mr. Mark Swanson and Mrs. Sharon Thompson, Advisors-LPHS Serteen Club
Mr. Ken Emry, LPHS Scheduling
Lewis-Palmer HS Serteen Club
Ms. Donna Link, Dist.38 Food Svcs. Dir. & Staff Volunteers: Laurie Burris, Barbara Cook, Bruce & Janet Pieper, Suzanne Pierce
Mr. Sam Pierce, LPHS Custodial Svcs. Dir. & Staff

Entertainment

Woody Woodworth
Lewis-Palmer High School Brass Quintet

Potters

Bemis Art School Pottery Classes
Susan Blue
Randy Bowen
Sylvia Caron
Ginny Cash
Kaye Caunt
Chifumi
Circle D Ceramics
Colorado Springs Senior Center
Commonwheel Artists
John Ellis
Thad Handrick
Glenda Kleinsasser
LPHS Pottery Classes
Richard Pankratz
Pikes Peak Community College -Centennial Campus
Pottery Co-op
Cindy Rush
Carolyn Saletta
Jennifer Schoonover
Anne Shimek
Anita Smythe
Rondi Stratton
Timberview Middle School Art Club
Eillene Wiley & Friends
Denny Wilson

Churches

Christ the King Anglican Church
Church at Woodmoor
Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints
Crossroads Chapel SBC
Family of Christ Lutheran Church-LCMS
Forestgate Presbyterian Church
Forest Ridge Community Church
Monument Community Presbyterian
Mountain Community Mennonite
Shepherd of the Hills Chapel
St Matthias Episcopal Church
St Peter Catholic Church
Tri Lakes Church of Christ
Tri Lakes United Methodist Church
Trinity Lutheran Church
The Little Log Church

Tri-Lakes Fills Empty Bowls

On a spring morning eleven years ago, Linda Pankratz was leafing through one of her husband Richard’s pottery magazines and noticed an article about a community that sponsored an Empty Bowl dinner to raise funds to feed the needy. Linda said that started her thinking that Richard had a gift and the community had a need. Linda believes there are some ideas that are so strong they take on a life of their own, and are so meaningful they bind a community. Empty Bowl was one of them. The Empty Bowl concept that was first conceived by high school art students in Michigan in 1990 is now held in communities around the world and makes millions of dollars every year to help the needy. The bowl is a symbolic reminder that there are needy in this community and 100 percent of the proceeds from Empty Bowl go to help them.

At 5 pm on October 16, more than 700 people from the Tri-Lakes area lined up in full force to help stamp out hunger in the community, pick out a handcrafted bowl, meet their neighbors, and consume bountiful amounts of delicious appetizers, soups, breads, and desserts. Thanks to local artists, businesses, grocery stores, restaurants, and churches, there were a wealth of beautiful handcrafted bowls and a bounty of gourmet soups and desserts. Although the lines stretched the entire length of the school, they moved rather quickly thanks to the energetic Lewis-Palmer High School Serteen Club. Within two hours, 120 gallons of soup, 800 loaves of bread, 2,000 beverages, and 1500 desserts were served and consumed. All leftovers were donated to the Marian House Soup Kitchen in Colorado Springs that feeds 450 people a day.

Co-organizers Anne Shimek and Sharon Williams continue to be amazed at the enthusiasm the event generates and that more people come each year. Eleven years ago, the event was first held in the Mennonite Church in Monument where 250 people raised $3,000 for Tri-Lakes Cares. Linda Pankratz, Liz Elliot, Nita Gingerich, Anne Shimek, and Sharon Williams first organized the event. After three years, the crowds became so large they moved the event to the high school and the Sertoma Club took on the task of organizing the event and selling tickets. Anne, Linda, and Sharon still organize the handcrafted bowls, although sadly, this will be Sharon’s last year.

There has always been music at the Empty Bowl dinners. In 1991, watercolorist Joe Boehler tickled the ivories and entertained the crowd. This year Woody Woodworth and the melodic reverberations of the Monument Hill Brass Quintet were heard throughout the evening, only breaking to allow Monument Hill Sertoma President Glenn Scott to present a check to Ray Hamilton of Tri-Lakes Cares for $10,000; a $2,800 increase from last year.

The Empty Bowl directly benefits the people in the Tri-Lakes Community and is usually held the second or third Wednesday of October. While Monument was the first community in Colorado to sponsor an Empty Bowl, other communities including Pueblo, Glenwood Springs, Castle Rock and Grand Junction now hold them, too. What a wonderful tradition!

Palmer Lake’s Chili Supper and Star Lighting Nov. 30

The Town of Palmer Lake will be hosting its annual chili supper on Saturday evening, November 30, at the Town Hall. Supper will be followed by the lighting of the star on Sundance Mountain. This event attracts between 400 and 600 people each year, and the money raised goes to the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department for maintenance of the star. Dinner is at 5 pm with tickets available at the door. The star-lighting is between 7 pm and 8 pm. This is a unique, fun event--a wonderful way for people to begin the holiday season. And, in addition to supper and socializing, there will be chances to win exciting prizes.

When you walk in the door, you buy a two-part ticket; one part is for supper, and the other part goes into a fire hat for door prize drawings. This year’s door prizes include a free banana split at the Rock House and a free haircut at a local salon. Inside is the bucket raffle, a display of prizes donated by area businesses, and providers of goods and services. In front of each prize is a fried chicken bucket. You can buy tickets for the bucket raffle for $1 each, or 6 tickets for $5. Then you put your ticket(s) in the bucket(s) of the prize(s) of your choice. This year’s bucket raffle items include a $25 gift certificate for Cork N’ Bottle, and for Bella Panini. There is also a special bucket for a different prize. The winner of this prize will be the one to go up and flip the switch that lights the star. Coincidentally, the same person has won the star-lighting raffle both years this system has been used; Trudy Finan, who runs the Palmer Lake Post Office. Last year she gave away the privilege to a boy. It’s a bit of a steep climb to the electric switch, and perhaps once was enough for Trudy.

Two items will be auctioned off at the chili supper, with the proceeds going toward the new fire truck. One is a custom doghouse built and donated by Ed and Cindy Smith. The other is a beautiful personal prayer altar hand-crafted of wood by Alan Bockhaus of the Knot Shop in Palmer Lake.

Tickets will be available at the door, $6 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. For information about the chili supper or to donate prizes, call the Palmer Lake town office, 481-2953.

The Story of the Palmer Lake Star

By Judy Barnes
From an article by Duane Hanson, 1992, based on information by Faye Bellinger

The Christmas Star that graces Sundance Mountain had its origins in 1934, when several Palmer Lake residents came up with the idea. Byron Medlock, Clarence Rader, and Foyd Bellinger worked on the design. The actual construction was a community project, with the men of Palmer Lake hauling poles, cable, sockets, and light bulbs, while the women provided plenty of food to keep the crew going.

The property on Sundance Mountain where the star was built was owned by Art and Reba Bradley, who donated the land to the Town of Palmer Lake in 1966. When Reba died in 1979, part of her estate was left to the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department for the maintenance of the star. In 1976, as a bicentennial project, the star was completely rebuilt with new cable and steel poles in concrete. The star is illuminated by 91 light bulbs. With the exception of the years during World War II, the star has continued to be lit during the month of December. It has also been lit to mark such occasions as the release of the Iran hostages and the end of Desert Storm.

The fire department continues to maintain the star, using money raised by the annual chili supper and the interest accrued from the $3,000 certificate of deposit donated by Reba Bradley. As we look at the star this winter, let us remember the many dedicated people of Palmer Lake who have donated time and money over the decades so the town can give hope and inspiration to all who see the star on Sundance Mountain.

Friends of Ben Lomond Mountain offer adventures

Friends of Ben Lomond (FOBL) will be offering ADVENTURES FOR FUNdraising beginning in January. These adventures will be in a variety of open space parks throughout El Paso County as well as nearby National Forest areas. The type of adventure will depend on the weather, but the place and leadership will be definite. A limit of 15 people per adventure will support noninvasive use of the environment. Cost will be $10 or $15 with a Save Ben Lomond T-shirt. After the holidays, learn about this beautiful area we live in and get some welcome exercise with hiking, biking, X-country skiing, or snowshoeing. Watch for a full schedule of ADVENTURES FOR FUNdraising in upcoming months.

Ben Lomond Mountain, the long table-top mountain located north of Highway 105 between Palmer Lake and Elephant Rock, has 190 acres of beautiful undisturbed land. It is the last of the undeveloped large parcels of land in the northwest part of the county and would be a perfect addition to county-maintained trails and open spaces. The mountain is privately owned and has been actively sought after by El Paso County Parks and Leisure Department since 1998.The county has been coordinating efforts to buy the land with Palmer Lake and Trust for Public Lands. During the past year and a half, FOBL and Trails and Open Space Coalition have been involved, too. The owner of Ben Lomond is aware of the interest in his property, and when the timing is right for him to sell, Trust For Public Lands will be negotiating with him.

FOBL has accepted the challenge of raising $300,000 towards the purchase of the mountain and has thus far raised about $7,000 through a variety of fundraising efforts. It is evident that funding through grants and private donations are the accepted means of fundraising at this time. To support this venture, please contact Sue Buell at 719-481-2474, suebuell@earthlink.net, or PO Box 654, Monument, 80132.

The Society Page: Riding the Old Colorado Trail by Mule

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