 | November 19, 2001: At the Monument Board of Trustees meeting:
 | The Carriages at Jackson Creek preliminary plat, preliminary site
plan, and zoning amendment (PRD-4 to PRD-6) were unanimously
approved. Formerly proposed as duplex townhouses, this project is
now 23 lots of detached single family houses. To preserve views from
adjacent houses, all lots in the Carriages will be limited to ranch
style houses. Thanks to the sloped terrain, nine of the lots will
have walk-out basements. It was reported that the Colorado
Department of Transportation (CDOT) is expected to withdraw their
request for monetary participation in the cost of signals at Baptist
and I-25. |
| Questions were raised about the development schedule and
maintenance of the trails and open space in the Jackson Creek
development. This issue is to be addressed with the Triview Metro
District. |
| A motion passed unanimously to deny the request from the Air Force
Academy to buy or lease augmentation water from the Town. The motion
included the intention to continue to work with the USAFA on water
issues. |
| It was decided to use spare funds on the 2nd Street extension
project to increase the depth of the asphalt on the temporary
connection to the existing 105 bridge, assist CDOT with the cost of
the new signals at 105 and 2nd Street, and to add 8' paved shoulders
for bike and pedestrian use. The extra width will allow for a center
turn lane when warranted by development of the surrounding parcels. |
|
| November 17, 2001: The Gazette reported that funding has been
found for renovation of the I-25 interchange at Highway 105 and the
extension of Powers Blvd. to InterQuest Parkway. The State
Transportation Commission agreed to take money from the state's regional
projects and the resurfacing program to fund the roadwork. The 105/I-25
interchange renovation is estimated to cost $29 million. |
| November 10, 2001: In a special Saturday meeting, the Monument
Board of Trustees approved a contract for construction of the extension
of 2nd Street to Highway 105 and voted to proceed for immediate
possession of the easements needed for the repair of the Monument Dam.
At this meeting, it was also learned that the Wolf
Business Park has decided to proceed with the original
approved plan rather than the more recent revised and more intense
land use plan. |
| November 7, 2001: The Gazette reported Governor Owens signed
four growth-oriented bills:
|
| November 6, 2001: At the Coalition's Wal-Mart Committee meeting, it
was learned that Pinetree, owners of some parcels in the Regency
Park/Jackson Creek development have reportedly approached Wal-Mart
headquarters in Arkansas with a proposal for a Wal-Mart store south of
Highway 105 and east of I-25. |
| November 6, 2001: At a special meeting, the Town of Palmer Lake and
the boards of the Tri-Lakes Fire Protection District and the Woodmoor-Monument
Fire Protection District approved an
agreement to conduct a joint planning study and to restore automatic
mutual aid. |
| October 23, 2001: The Gazette reported:
| "Colorado Springs had the second-highest violent crime rate
among Colorado's large population centers in 2000, surpassing even
Denver." |
| "Among the state's largest population centers, the Grand
Junction area had the lowest rate of violent crimes at about 201 per
100,000 people, followed by Fort Collins-Loveland at 233, Greeley at
350, Denver at 356, Colorado Springs at 391, and Pueblo at 702." |
| "The lowest rate of property crimes among the population
centers was 3,352 in Fort Collins-Loveland, followed by Pueblo at
3,668, Grand Junction at 3,709, Colorado Springs at 3,802, Denver at
3,917 and Greeley at 4,131." |
| "The lowest murder rate among those areas was 1.6 in Fort
Collins-Loveland, followed by 2.3 in Greeley, 3.6 in Colorado
Springs, 3.8 in Denver, 4.1 in Pueblo and 4.9 in Grand Junction." |
|
| October 18, 2001: The Gazette reported that Lewis-Palmer High
School enrollment, currently at 1,400, up from 500 in 1980, will
overwhelm the present facility by 2006. Various alternatives including
building a second high school or expanding the current campus are being
considered by the District 38 School Board. |
| October 16, 2001: The El Paso County Planning Commission approved (7
yes, 2 no) the Misty Acres
Filing #1 Preliminary Plan that calls for 49 half-acres lots for
single family houses and five lots for higher densities. Approximately
30 acres remain to be platted in Filing #2. The developer is now
anticipating a total of 444 dwelling units (128 single family and 316
multi-family). This exceeds the 407 dwelling units (137 single family
and 270 multi-family) approved as part of the Planned
Unit Development (PUD) rezoning but less than the 507 dwelling units
density approved with the earlier sketch
plan. Another PUD rezoning will be required to change the number of
dwelling units from 407 to 444. |
| October 15, 2001: At the Monument Board of Trustees meeting:
| Katy Page and Christopher Perry were appointed to fill the two
remaining vacancies on the Board created by the September 11th
recall election. |
| Bonnie Butler and Skip Morgan were appointed to the two vacancies
on the Monument Planning Commission. |
| Earlier in the meeting, the Board voted (3 yes, 2 no) to use eminent
domain to acquire the easements needed for access to Monument Lake
for repairs to the dam and for permanent public access. The vote
came following expressions of concern that the proposed negotiated
contract to purchase easements for $60,000 contained too many
constraints on the Town and too many possibilities for future legal
action against the Town by the property owner, Ernie Biggs. |
| Jackson Creek Filing #4 (9 lots) was approved with conditions. |
|
| October 12, 2001: Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Kirk S.
Samelson issued a ruling on the suit brought against El Paso County by
the Friends of Black Forest Regional Park to block the proposed
extension of Milam Road through the park to provide access to the 161
lot Cathedral Pines project proposed by Kings Deer developer Dan Potter.
| "The proposed extension of Milam Road through the park
property for access to the King's Deer development ... is prohibited." |
| In 1999, the County acquired an 80-acre tract of land from the
federal government subject to a federal law called the Sisk Act,
that allows federal land to be conveyed to state, county or city
government only if its use doesn't change. The deed required the County
to use the property as a recreational park. |
| "The court finds that the primary purpose for the proposed
Milam Road extension through the park property would be for access
to the King's Deer development. As such, the proposed road would not
be utilizing the park property for purposes for which the park was
being used prior to ... 1999." |
| The Friends of Black Forest Regional Park may seek $100,000 in
legal fees. The King's Deer developer, Dan Potter, and the County
are considering possible appeals of the Judge's ruling. |
|
| October 12, 2001: The Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority (BRRTA)
Board passed a motion to authorize up to $20,000 to pay for County
construction of a deceleration/right turn lane on westbound Baptist Rd.
at Leather Chaps.
| While County Commissioner Chuck Brown expressed the view that the
Jackson Creek developer should pay for this to accommodate the
traffic generated by the development, Monument Trustee Byron Glenn
contended that the Town was powerless to compel the developer to
implement this important safety measure. |
| In the end, the BRRTA Board took the action due to concern that
this situation has persisted for years and the parties seem to be
deadlocked. |
| The traffic through the intersection currently does not warrant
installation of a traffic signal. |
|
| October 4, 2001: At a meeting of El Paso County Fire Chiefs, a
resolution was passed to support termination of automatic mutual aid
agreements with the Tri-Lakes Fire Protection District.
| The action came following a decision September 24th by the Woodmoor-Monument Fire Protection board to terminate their automatic
mutual aid agreement with the Tri-Lakes District. |
| Automatic mutual aid means that surrounding districts
automatically dispatch firefighters and equipment when a 911 call is
received regarding an incident within the Tri-Lakes District. In the
absence of an automatic mutual aid agreement, aid from the other
districts will be dispatched only if the Tri-Lakes District
specifically requests it. |
| Termination of automatic mutual aid agreements may result in
increased response times and increased fire insurance premiums for
homeowners and businesses. |
| The action by the Woodmoor-Monument FPD Board and at the meeting
of fire chiefs was reportedly due to refusal by the Tri-Lakes FPD to
participate in joint training exercises and a joint planning study
that would look at area-wide needs and the possibilities for
combining some of the districts in northern El Paso County. |
|
| October 4, 2001: The Gazette reported that, so far, the list of
applicants for the two vacancies on the Monument Board of Trustees is as
follows: George Bell, George Brown, Bonnie Butler, Roy Getchell, Katy
Page, Christopher Perry, and Douglas Warner. Anyone interested in
applying must submit a a letter expressing their interest
and describing their background no later than noon on October 12th. Address the letter to Rick
Sonnenburg, Town Manager,
166 2nd St., Monument, CO 80132. For further information contact
Rick at 481-2954. |
| September 30, 2001: The Gazette reported that, due to $267
million shortfall due to the slowing economy, several major road
projects have been put on hold including the improvements
to the I-25 interchange at State Highway 105. The Federal Highway
Administration called the 105 bridge over I-25 obsolete. From 56,000
vehicles per day ten years ago, the number of vehicles crossing the
bridge has risen to 66,800 per day. In 20 years, the number is projected
to be 86,800 vehicles. The Gazette reported that "On a
recent evening, vehicles waited for 30 minutes to turn onto Highway 105
and head across the Monument Bridge to merge onto the interstate." |
| September 27, 2001: Triview Metro District Board meeting:
| Wal-Mart
 | The District will prepare the water
resource engineering report needed for Wal-Mart's County application even
though Goldberg Properties, the Wal-Mart developer, has refused
to pay the estimated $15,000 fee up front. A letter of intent
from Goldberg was expected that day. In the event the project is
not approved by the County, the District and its rate payers in
Jackson Creek may have to absorb the cost of the study. The
study will take 4 to 6 weeks to complete. That means the project
could appear before the County Planning Commission December 19th
and the Board of County Commissioners in January 2002. |
| Goldberg has completed negotiations with the landowner.
Several other potential sites have been discussed with Goldberg but they
remain committed to using the parcel across from King Soopers
because of its visibility from I-25 and proximity to the proposed
Jackson Creek Parkway, planned to be a major north-south
arterial. |
| Someone from the Town of Monument approached Goldberg
regarding renewing its suspended application and was rebuffed.
Goldberg says it plans to pursue an application with the County. |
| The District's Attorney, Peter Susemihl, will be working with
Goldberg to refine the an agreement for a Public Improvement
Corporation (PIC) to use a 1.5% retail sales fee from the store
to build infrastructure improvements. |
|
| The Jackson Creek project is preparing a revised zoning map
showing the approved projects and latest plans. The Monument Board
of Trustees will hold a hearing on the revised zoning map. |
| $2.5 million of additional bonds at 9% interest were approved.
Total outstanding debt for the District exceeds $12 million. |
| Water and sewer tap fees stand at $8,550 per house. That was
described as $3,000
to $4,000 lower than other local jurisdictions. |
| Classic Homes will redo the trail though the Heights in Jackson
Creek. |
| The County Department of Transportation held a meeting Sept. 17th
on plans to improve Baptist Road.
| The County has agreed to take responsibility for adding a deceleration
lane at Leather Chaps. |
| The area of focus from I-25 toward the west has been reduced
from Mitchell Avenue to Old Denver Highway. This ignores
problems with the railroad and creek crossings. |
| Seven alternative conceptual designs for the interchange at
Baptist and I-25 have been developed. Some of them show the
bridge moved far south and have considerable impact on the
Forest Lakes commercial properties. Colorado DOT plans to
complete an Environmental and mouse habitat assessment by March
2002. |
| As an aside, Ron Simpson, Triview Manager, said the money for
the changes to the 105/I-25 interchange were withdrawn by the
Governor as part of the political bickering in connection with
the special session. Several projects including the 105
interchange got caught in the cross-fire. CDOT is hoping funding
will be restored in the next few weeks but no guarantees. |
|
| Regarding the issue of whether Lewis-Palmer School District 38
should pay a $100K+ fee to the Baptist Road Rural Transportation
Authority, Peter Susemihl noted that the new districts for
improvements to Woodman and Meridian roads are structured around
mill levies, permit fees, and plan review fees and so schools are
exempt from paying any fees directly. Ron Simpson was still in favor
of a fee but felt the amount could be negotiated. |
| There will be budget work session at the October 25th meeting.
Topics include reducing dependence on the Denala District, funding
the mouse habitat conservation program, and alternative scenarios
with and without Wal-Mart. |
|
| September 22, 2001: The Gazette reported that the "Nimda"
computer virus struck Colorado state government’s computer systems,
and computers at Colorado State University, Front Range Community
College’s Larimer Campus, and the University of Northern Colorado in
Greeley. For info on the Nimda worm and how to protect your on-line
privacy and security, see our Links page. |
| September 12, 2001: Here is a link to resources for terrorist attack
victim assistance: Colorado
Organization for Victim Assistance. |
| September 12, 2001: The certified results of the September 11th recall election are
as follows:
| Recalled:
| Mayor Leon Tenney (321 yes, 220 no) |
| Trustee Lowell W. (Skip) Morgan (298 yes, 233 no) |
| Trustee Kristi Schutz (266 yes, 265 no) [After recount 267
yes, 266 no] |
| Trustee Steve Wilcox (281 yes, 240 no) |
|
| Not Recalled:
| Trustee Ed DeLaney (166 yes, 364 no) |
| Trustee Glenda Smith (257 yes, 271 no) |
|
| Elected:
| Mayor Betty Konarski |
| Trustee Byron Glenn |
|
|
| September 9, 2001: Gazette article
"Group tries to preserve mesa." Good coverage of this
local effort to keep Ben Lomond Mountain near Palmer Lake forever free
from sprawl. To help with this effort, attend the Friends of Ben Lomond
meeting September 27th. |
| September 9, 2001: Gazette
article "Reclaiming a quarry" by Deb Acord reported on two
quarries operated in Colorado Springs by Castle Concrete, parent company of Transit-Mix
Concrete, which
has unsuccessfully tried three times to site a concrete batch plant in
the Tri-Lakes area.
| Queens Quarry, closed in 1989, was on a diamond shaped
mountainside above Garden of the Gods. Grass, wildflowers, and
nearly 6,000 trees now grow where limestone was removed from the
nearly horizontal section of the mountain. The reclamation was done
by Castle Concrete, the Colorado Mountain Reclamation Foundation,
and hundreds of volunteers. Although the article cites it as a
successful example of restoration, many feel the end result is a far
cry from the natural state of the mountain. |
| Pikeview Quarry, another construction rock quarry operated by
Castle, is on the front face of the Rampart Range above Rockrimmon
and Mountain Shadows. Despite attempts at reclaiming sections that
are no longer being mined, it remains a mountainside of sharp
boulders and ragged cliffs. The latest proposed reclamation effort
involves cutting the quarry farther into the mountain so a road can
be built and topsoil brought in to support planting of trees,
grasses and flowers. That proposal awaits approval from the Pike and
San Isabel National Forest district office. |
|
| September 8, 2001: Forest Lakes Residential
project is expected to submit the last portions of its application
to the County on Monday, September 10th. Following review, the project
will be heard by the Planning Commission, possibly as soon as October
16th. |
| September 8, 2001: Rocky Mountain News
article "Tax foe raises red flag again." Tax critic
Douglas Bruce claims November ballot issue violates the state
constitution's ban on state debt. The ballot issue, if approved, would
permit Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to borrow up to $115 million to
purchase open space. |
| September 7, 2001: Gazette
article "Democrats plan to change focus for growth limits to
smaller bills" reported that Colorado State Senate Democrats agreed to set
aside their demands for tough growth limits outside urban boundaries and
concentrate on a dozen smaller bills for the special session that begins
in two weeks. The legislature has been deadlocked on how to address
growth issues. Having dropped demands for strict urban growth
boundaries, the Senate Democrats are now focusing on mass transit,
revenue sharing among local governments, affordable housing, and
enterprise zones to help rural areas that want growth. Supporters of the
responsible growth initiative that failed to gain approval in November
vowed to have another ballot initiative in 2002 if the results of the
upcoming special session are not satisfactory. |
| September 7, 2001: Gazette
article "County drops vote on tax hike, cites full ballot" by
Pam Zubeck reported that El Paso County Commissioners voted unanimously
to drop plans to ask voters for an increase
in the road and bridge property tax mill levy to help pay for the infrastructure backlog.
The commissioners said that amid worsening economic times, there is
little public support for the tax increase which would have raised $160
million over 10 years to be shared with the cities and towns within the
county. Robert ("Rocky") Scott, president of the Economic
Development Corp. (EDC), told the commissioners that roads are priority
one according to a recent independent survey funded by the EDC, Springs
Chamber of Commerce, Home Builders Association, and the Pikes Peak
Association of Realtors. |
| September 6, 2001: Gazette article
"Judge lets school stay in rec center" reported that 4th
Judicial District Judge Kirk Samelson refused to stop Monument Academy Charter
classes for grades 5, 7, 8, and 9 being held in the Tri-Lakes Recreation
Center. The ruling came despite a pending lawsuit from an adjoining property
owner claiming that the school's use of the rec center is a
violation of covenants and that the traffic and noise associated with
students will drive down lease rates and drive away tenants. |
| September 6, 2001: Gazette article
"Give wayward bears breathing space, wildlife officials urge"
reported that bear sightings this summer are the most in two decades.
Bears encounters are also adding up in towns along the southern Front
Range. A late frost killed berries and acorns and left the bears
scrambling for food to prepare for hibernation. Throngs of onlookers are
making it difficult for wildlife officers to herd wayward bears back
into the foothills. |
| September 5, 2001: Denver
Post article
"Business takes on growth." Boulder venture
capitalist Brad Feld and others form the Front Range Alliance to tackle
sprawl. Their website is http://www.frontrangealliance.com. |
| September 5, 2001: Gazette article "Developments on the 'Sprawl of
Shame'" by Tom Ragan reported that two housing developments in El
Paso County had the dubious distinction of being included on the Top 10
"Sprawl of Shame" list compiled by the Colorado
Public Interest Group (CoPIRG). The
Cathedral Pines development adjacent to Black Forest Regional Park was
included because the proposed primary access is by cutting a
road through the park. Also included on the list were a handful of
houses built on active landslides on the southwest side of Colorado
Springs.
|
| September 5, 2001: Gazette article
"Voters get choice in school election" by Danielle Nieves and
Pam Zubeck reported that 86 candidates will vie for
48 seats. In Lewis-Palmer District 38, incumbent Bob Manning and
Elizabeth Hacker are competing for a district seat. |
| September 3, 2001: Gazette article
"City studies growth fees" by Ed Sealover reported that Colorado Springs is pondering
imposition of impact fees.
| Currently, new roads, parks and police are largely financed by
taxes paid by everyone in Colorado Springs. In recent years, the
city has shifted some of the cost of growth to developers, requiring
them in some cases to donate land for schools and parks in their
subdivisions. Also, new fees for city planning services have been
enacted. |
| Impact fees would require developers, and ultimately new
homeowners, to pay extra for additional infrastructure required to
serve new houses, apartments, stores and offices that replace vacant
land. |
| Top city planner Ira Joseph is preparing a plan under which the
fees would be on a per-household basis and offset the cost of
police, fire, parks and roads. The proposed impact fees would
generate an additional $2,973 per single-family household. |
| Developers now build roads and drainage within the boundaries of
the communities they set up. The impact fee revenue would pay for
additional projects and personnel outside the new neighborhood. The
argument is that such items are needed only because of the growth,
so the people in those new homes should pay extra. |
| A March 2001 survey by Denver-based polling firm Ridder/Braden
Inc. found that 71 percent of state residents said houses are being
built too fast in their communities. Sixty-five percent said the
current pace of development benefits a narrow group of developers
and related industries. |
| Alternatives to the impact fees include requiring that developers
build off-site improvements or imposing an excise tax that would not
be constrained only for infrastructure improvements. |
| Developers argue that they are doing enough already and that
impact fees or other charges would make houses less affordable. |
|
| August 31, 2001: Gazette article
"Transportation plan may come at cost" by Kyle Henley reported
that Governor Owens has proposed a $887 million increase in
transportation spending over the next
four years. The money would come from cuts in other construction
projects such as UCCS building plans. The proposal will be addressed
during the special legislative session that begins September 20th.
Senate President Stan Matsunaka, D-Loveland, said the proposal doesn't
address the state's long-term transportation needs estimated at $62 billion
over the next 20
years. Matsunaka has proposed raising the gasoline tax 10 cents per
gallon. |
| August 31, 2001: Gazette article:
"County joins crowd asking for more cash" by Pam Zubeck
reported that El Paso County Commissioners voted to submit two issues
for the November ballot. The measures will request relief from the Tax
Payor Bill of Rights (TABOR) and other revenue caps. Both measures are
opposed by TABOR's author, Doug Bruce. The ballot measures request
authorization to:
| Keep and spend $8.8 million collected in 2000 above TABOR caps.
This is $7.2 million in sales excess tax and $1.6 million in
interest earnings. The money would be shared with eight cities and
towns in the county based on the population of each. If defeated,
approximately $43 would be refunded to each of the County's 204,000
property taxpayers. |
| Exempt money the County receives from other governmental entities
starting next year. Part of the issue here is that instead of paying
road building contractors directly as they used to do, the state now
transfers money to counties that, in turn, pay the bills. Had the
measure been in place in 2000, the County could have exempted $29.8
million from revenue caps. |
|
| August 31, 2001: Gazette article
"Resignation accepted." Monument Academy Charter School Board accepted Principal James Garvin's
resignation. |
| August 30, 2001: Gazette article
"Transit Mix pulls request" by Anslee Willett reported
that Transit Mix Concrete Co. withdrew its revised request to build a
concrete batch plant in Palmer Lake. The action came after the Palmer
Lake Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial of the
proposal. Concerns voiced by residents included decreased property
values and increased noise and traffic. |
| August 30, 2001: Gazette article:
"Way sought to let non-internet users sign up for no-call
list." The Public Utilities Commission is writing rules to
implement a no-call list mandated by legislation passed earlier this
year. Under the new law, solicitors who make three or more calls a month
to numbers on the no-call list could be fined. The PUC plans to set up a
toll-free number for people who cannot sign up by sending an e-mail.
Many Coloradans have placed their telephone numbers and ZIP codes on an
unofficial no-call database. The web site is http://www.coloradonocall.org/
The PUC will decide whether that list can be incorporated into the new
program.
This service is only for Colorado residents. |
| August 30, 2001: Gazette article
"Coloradans warned to beware of mail theft" by Jeremy
Meyer reported that mail theft has been increasing throughout the state
as part of the wave of identify theft. Recommendations:
| Don't use mail boxes for outgoing mail |
| Remove incoming mail as soon as possible after it is delivered |
| Report incidents of mail theft or fraud to the Postal Inspection
Service at 570-5349. |
|
| August 28, 2001: PBS
broadcast "Store Wars" about Ashland, Virginia's struggle
over a proposed Wal-Mart. View some of the many
interesting items that came out during the program or are posted on their web
site.  |
| August 28, 2001: Gazette article
"D-20 bond OK would raise taxes" by Danielle Nieves
reported that a $163 million bond issue on the November ballot for
Academy School District 20 would be used over four years to build a
middle school, four elementary schools, and a high school and improve
existing facilities. The property tax increase would add about $19 per
$100,000 of assessed value. |
| August 28, 2001: Rocky Mountain News:
" Light Rail: The little train that shouldn't?" suggests
that buses may be a better mass-trans\it solution. |
| August 26, 2001: Gazette article
"Future water supply a concern" by Barry Noreen cited
escalating water use and concerns about adequate supply beyond 2020.
| While some conservation measures are being pursued, "There
has been a significant drawdown of the groundwater level because of
concentrated pumping 'along the I-25 corridor in north El Paso
County.'" |
| The groundwater recharges much more slowly than the rate it is
being extracted. |
| A related item: During the course of the September 19, 2000 County
Planning Commission hearing on the Struthers
Ranch project, Dana
Duthie, Manager of the Donala District that serves Gleneagle, stated that the District may have as
little as 30 years and probably no more than 156 years of water
available to be pumped. |
|
| August 25, 2001: Gazette item "Trustee candidate drops out of Monument
race" reported that Steve Koops, a 7th grade teacher who had
planned to run for trustee in the September 11th special recall
election, has decided to drop out of the race. It was subsequently
learned that some of the signatures on Koops' candidacy petition had
been gathered by Dorothy Sibell, wife of former Mayor Si Sibell. Koops
signed an affidavit on the petition swearing he had gathered all the
signatures. There was not sufficient time before the deadline to
circulate another petition. Koops has indicated interest in running for
Trustee in the regular election in April 2002. |
| August 24, 2001: Gazette article:
"3 challenge trustees in Monument recall vote" by Barry
Bortnick listed Betty Konarski, former chair of the Monument Planning
Commission, as candidate for alternative mayor and alternative trustee
candidates Byron Glenn, a civil engineer [and newly appointed Planning
Commission member] and Steven Koops, a 7th grade teacher. |
| August 23, 2001: Gazette article
"Town keeps eyes on road" by Barry Bortnick is about the Monument Board of
Trustees' interest in annexing a portion of Baptist road.
| The section of interest is from Old Denver Highway on the west to
Leather Chaps on the west. |
| The road is currently owned by the County. |
| The Town's stated purpose is to enhance public safety, improve
police protection, litter cleanup, snow removal, and storm drainage.
It would also give the Town more control over road future road
improvements such as those included as part of the Wal-Mart
proposal. |
| Traffic on the road is rapidly increasing with expansion of the Jackson
Creek development and opening of Creekside
Middle School. |
| Costs for maintenance and improvements to the road are being
studied. |
|
| August 20, 2001: It was learned that Transit Mix had withdrawn its application
to build a concrete batch plant in Palmer Lake. |
| August 15, 2001: After listening to the concerns of numerous residents, the
Palmer Lake Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial of
the proposed Transit Mix concrete batch plant.
By letter, Transit Mix had requested another continuance of the Planning
Commission hearing. That request for continuance was unanimously denied.
Representatives of Transit Mix did not attend the hearing. |
| August 10, 2001: The district court judge denied the request for an
injunction in the appeal of the recall of Monument Trustees Schutz, Smith,
and Wilcox. Baring further action in this case, this means the Monument
Mayor and five of the Trustees will be on the ballot for the special recall
election September 11th. |
| August 9, 2001: The Palmer Lake Town Council voted 5-1 to remove heavy
manufacturing as a conditional use in the M-1 (industrial) zone. Any
future applications for a concrete batch plant would not comply with the
zoning within the Town of Palmer Lake. |
| August 6, 2001: After a lengthy hearing, the Monument Board of Trustees
approved (7-2) the St. Peter's Catholic Church special use request for a
parish education center. |
| August 1, 2001: Gazette article: "County bids to purchase
Section 16" by Pam Zubeck reported that El Paso County wants to buy
approximately one square mile of land south of Manitou Springs from the
State Land Board. The County has leased the land for decades, most
recently for $3,500 per year. "The 640-acre tract laced with hiking
trails has come to be considered an unofficial park by outdoor enthusiastic." The property is adjacent to land targeted for
development by Zydeco, a Santa Fe, NM-based development company. That
could drive the purchase price far beyond the appraisal done several
years ago of $1.28 million to $3.4 million. The Land Board would order a
new appraisal. By using Conservation Trust money from the state lottery,
the County says it could afford up to $2.5 million. [Note that some of
monies set aside for the
purchase of Ben Lomond may be redirected to purchase Section 16.] July 16: New Monument Police Chief Joseph Kissell was sworn in. Read
the Palmer Divide.com story. |
| July 13: At a special meeting, the audit of the Monument Police
Department was released. Read
the full text on Palmer Divide.com. |
| July 4: The Coalition's booth at the Monument Street Fair was a great
success with 855 petition signatures, hundreds of flyers distributed,
almost $180 in donations with most of that earmarked for the Friend of
Ben Lomond, and 26 new families added to our contact list. |
| July: Monument Trustees Schutz, Smith, and Wilcox filed a legal appeal
to the recall. Read
the Palmer Divide.com story. |
| July 2, 2001: At the Monument Board of Trustees meeting, Faye Elbaum was
appointed to fill the seat vacated by Nick Leibovitz. The following were
appointed as the six members of the Planning Commission: Bob Burgess, Tom
Donnellan, Byron Glenn, Joe Martin, David Mertz, and Kathy Spence. |
| June 29, 2001: At the Heritage Grant meeting, it was decided to allocated
$5,000 to aid fire district consolidation and $45,000 for a regional
transportation study. |
| June 28, 2001: The Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the
PUD rezoning for the Misty Acres development.
They also approved a request for a special use request for an equine
veterinary clinic, stables, and riding academy on the corner of Higby and
Happy Landing Drive. This approval came despite considerable opposition from
the neighbors. |
| June 18, 2001: The Monument Board scheduled the special recall election for
Tuesday, September 11th. |
| June 11, 2001: Hearing Officer ruled petitions sufficient to proceed to a
Monument recall election. |
| June 7, 2001: Colorado Springs
Independent: Wal-Mart Battle
Looms. |
| May 24, 2001: The Tri-Lakes Tribune published John
Heiser's letter defending the Coalition. |
| May 22, 2001: By a vote of 8-1, the County Planning Commission approved the
location of an extension of Milam road through a portion of Black Forest
Regional Park. A restraining order will prevent construction of the road
until a court case brought by the Friends of the Black Forest Park is
resolved. |
| May 21, 2001: Nick Leibovitz resigned from the Monument Board of
Trustees.
He has accepted a job in California. The vacancy on the Board will be
filled by appointment. |
| May 21, 2001: The Monument Board voted to change the start time for their
meetings to 6:30 pm. |
| May 19, 2001: The Coalition's Community
Meeting on Wal-Mart was attended by about 250 people and was covered
on TV
channels 11, 5/30,
and 13. View
the presentation on-line or download it. |
| May 18, 2001: TK posted on
the KOAA web site a concise
summary of many of the arguments against the proposed Wal-Mart. |
| May 18, 2001: A restraining order was granted preventing construction of an
extension of Milam Road through Black Forest Regional Park. |
| May 9, 2001: The Colorado Legislature conference committee was unable to
develop a satisfactory compromise version of House
Bill 1225. The Governor has threatened to call a special session to
continue work on a growth management bill. |
| May 8, 2001: Colorado Springs TV
Channel 11 News reported the results of a study based on 1999 data by
the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI)
at Texas A&M University: Colorado Springs has the Nation's worst
traffic among cities of fewer than a half million people. The head of a
Colorado Springs economic development agency says road construction hasn't
kept up with the City's exploding growth. Additional Study findings:
| Colorado Springs' congested traffic results in loss of personal time
and $330 per person in wages and fuel costs. |
| The cost of traffic congestion nationwide totaled $78 billion,
representing the cost of 4.5 billion hours of extra travel time and 6.8
billion gallons of fuel wasted while sitting in traffic. |
| The 68 urban areas in this report range from New York City down to
those with 100,000 population. All of the size categories show more
severe congestion that lasts longer and affects more of the
transportation network in 1999 than in 1982. |
| The average delay is 36 hours per person per year up from 11 hours per
person per year in 1982. |
| The average rush hour trip takes 32 percent more time than the same
trip taken during non-rush hour conditions. |
| In many of the nation’s most congested corridors there doesn’t
seem to be the space, money and public approval to add enough road space
to create an acceptable condition. |
| The average annual delay per person climbed from 11 hours in 1982 to
36 hours in 1999. And delay over the same period quintupled in areas
with less than 1 million people. |
The Surface
Transportation Policy Project has a companion study which takes the TTI
analysis and pairs it with data on the choices available to commuters in
different communities to create Congestion Burden Index (CBI) ranking. The
CBI is based on the idea that the same level of congestion has greater
impact on people's daily lives if they have no choice but to get in their
car and suffer through the traffic jams than if they have commuting
alternatives which allow them to avoid the direct impacts. Transit
use nationwide has grown by 21 percent in the last five years, far outpacing
the growth in driving. A variety of public opinion polls show people want
more opportunities to take transit, walk, or bicycle, and are less
interested in new roads and road widenings. The findings of this analysis
indicate that officials seeking to ease the burden of congestion should
emphasize providing transportation choice over providing more road space.
Of the 68 cities studied, three are in Colorado:
| Denver has the 12th worst congestion index out of the 68 cities |
| Colorado Springs has the 46th worst congestion index out of the 68
cities |
| Boulder has the 68th worst congestion index out of the 68 cities |
|
| May 7, 2001: At the Monument Board of Trustees meeting:
| Chaparral Hills homeowners submitted a petition for annexation
election. The homeowners are seeking a stronger voice in the
political process determining the future development of the area.
The desire of the Chaparral Hills residents to take this step was
precipitated by the anticipated Wal-Mart proposal reportedly to be
submitted to the County Planning Department in the near future. The
proposed Wal-Mart would be on a parcel adjacent to Chaparral Hills.
The petition will now be reviewed by Town staff and scheduled for
consideration by the Board at their next meeting. |
| Supporters and friends of former Police Chief Al Sharon submitted
a petition calling for his reinstatement. According to Trustee Skip
Morgan, with exception of the last sheet which was added at the
meeting, there were approximately 572 signatures of which about 118
were Monument residents. Less than 100 of those are registered
Monument voters. This is important because the separate recall
petition being circulated requires about 75 signatures of registered
Monument voters. That petition was not submitted at the meeting. |
| There was considerable criticism expressed regarding the negative
and one-sided reporting of Sharon's firing and the recall effort by
the Tri-Lakes Tribune and the Eye on Monument. Trustee
Nick Leibovitz said he was ashamed of the media which he said should
report and not make the news. |
| Regarding the recall, Trustee Leibovitz stated that he had not
seen the people on the recall committee at any of the Board
meetings. He then raised questions about the source and accuracy of
the information on which the recall effort is based. |
| Trustee Leibovitz also noted that he would not favor reinstating
Al Sharon because that would place the Chief in an "untouchable
position". |
|
| May 4, 2001: The Colorado Senate passed House
Bill 1225 with numerous amendments including some taken from Senate
Bill 148. The House did not concur with the amendments so a
conference committee will be convened. |
| May 3, 2001: The Tri-Lakes Tribune published John
Heiser's letter to the Tribune regarding the proposed recall of the
Monument Mayor and five of the Trustees. |
| May 2, 2001: The 18th and last in the Senate Majority's series of town hall
meeting on growth was held in El Paso County. Colorado Senate President
Sam Matsunaka reported that the Senate is developing a compromise bill
based on House
Bill 1225 and Senate
Bill 148. More than fifteen amendments are scheduled to be debated
on May 3rd. Midnight May 9th is the deadline to pass a growth bill this
session. View the
Senate Majority Caucus' Principles for Responsible Growth. |
| April 26, 2001: At the Tri-View
Metro District Board meeting:
| If the County Commissioners approve the Wal-Mart
project, Tri-View is considering creating a Public Improvement
(non-profit) Corporation (PIC). The PIC would receive 3% sales tax from
the Wal-Mart store. Tri-View is currently thinking that the PIC could
take on responsibility for funding a variety of infrastructure tasks
including changes to Baptist Road and development of Jackson Creek
Parkway from 105 south to Struthers Ranch.
This would open up to development the commercial areas of the Regency Park Development/Zoning Plan
plan east of I-25. |
| It was announced that the Carriages
at Jackson Creek builder has
decided to abandon the PRD-10 rezoning request and build single family houses
instead instead of multi-family. This resulted in a net reduction of two
units. Due to the increased price for single family houses, the profit
to the developer is expected to be about the same. |
| The current Jackson Creek Middle School
design calls for 64 irrigation stations for the playing fields and
landscaping. 18 acres of Kentucky Blue Grass are planned. This type of
lawn is very water intensive. It requires about 36" of water per
year. The school is projected to use 90,000 gallons of water per day. If
the Tri-View District can get permission from the County Health
Department, they plan to bring treated water from the sewage treatment
plant to the school site for irrigation. |
| Current Jackson Creek water consumption
per house averages about .6 acre-feet (196,111 gallons) per year or
537 gallons per day. For comparison, the Woodman Hills development in
Falcon uses about .3 acre-feet per year per house. The very high rate of
consumption in Jackson Creek may be partially explained by the number of
new lawns being started and inclusion of the Texaco car wash water
consumption in the total. Although consumption figures for the car wash
were not disclosed, at a Monument meeting about a year ago, it was
reported that the Conoco car wash uses about 500,000 gallons per
month. |
| Due to the terrain and mouse habitat, a
$29K sewage lift station was to be used for the Middle School; however,
a horizontal drilling technique has been used to create a gravity sewer
with about a 1% slope. Unfortunately, there are currently two sags in
the alignment of the pipe which must be corrected by the contractor,
Corecon. Since the lift station was ordered and partially completed, the
termination cost would be about $14.5K.The Tri-View District will
determine whether to pay the termination cost or take delivery and try
to find another use for the lift station. |
|
| April 23, 2001: The County Planning Department held a Pre-Application
Conference with the developer of the proposed Baptist Road Wal-Mart. |
| April 23, 2001: The Gazette ran a series of articles on the
results of the latest census. A few highlights:
| Colorado's growth rate during the '90s was 30.6 %. Colorado grew faster than all other states except Nevada and Arizona.
Eighty percent of the state's population remains along the 10-county
Front Range, from Pueblo to Fort Collins. |
| The population of the Colorado Springs metropolitan area jumped 30
percent in a decade to more than 517,000, meaning the boundaries of
local state House and Senate districts stand to change dramatically. The
state's population jumped enough that it gained a seventh seat in
Congress. |
| In 10 years, U.S. Congressional District 5 (Rep. Joel Hefley) ballooned
to become the largest district in the state with 810,423 residents. Because
the size of a congressional district should be about 614,466 people,
District 5 will have to shrink to make room for the seventh seat.
Governor Bill Owens figures that District 5 will lose parts of
fast-growing Douglas and Arapahoe counties, areas that could be combined
into a new seventh seat. |
| The population of El Paso is 516,929 residents, El Paso County grew by
an average of 33 people per day throughout the decade adding 119,915
people. The County is the third largest county behind Denver County (554,636)
and Jefferson County (527,056). El Paso County is growing the fastest at
30.2% vs. 18.6% for Denver County and 20.2% for Jefferson County. At the
present rate of growth, within the next decade, El Paso County will have
the highest population of any County in the state. |
|
| April 18, 2001: The Colorado Senate Public Policy and
Planning Committee added more stringent provisions to House
Bill 1225 (also known as the "Developer's Bill of Rights")
that is the last major piece of growth-related legislation. The
Senate-preferred language would require all governments to adopt binding
master plans. It also would require regional land-use planning. The
Committee delayed further action until next week to give legislators
time to work on compromises for amendments. |
| April 17: High County News ran an article on vacant superstores.
Some highlights:
| Aurora, one of five Colorado communities with abandoned Wal-Marts, has
two, each more than 100,000 sq. ft. |
| "Nationwide, fully half a billion square feet of retail space
sits empty - the equivalent of about 4,000 shopping malls." |
| "Wal-Mart is one of the worst offenders. Nearly 400 of its
stores, many built less than a decade ago, now sit empty. That's more
than 30 million square feet of vacant retail space surrounded by
thousands of acres of asphalt -- the refuse of just one corporation.
Wal-Mart plans to "relocate" another hundred stores this year
as it creates "supercenters" that combine general merchandise
and a supermarket under one giant roof." |
| "Rather than becoming victims of the corporate cannibalization
game, many cities and towns are taking a different approach. Some have
barred construction of new big box stores and zoned new commercial
growth into existing developed areas. Others have shifted tax dollars
that have long subsidized new roads and sewers for sprawling
developments into projects that strengthen downtown businesses." |
|
| April 17, 2001: The County Planning Commission voted (7 yes,
1 no, 1 abstention) to recommend approval of the rezoning of Misty Acres
from RR-3 (5 acre parcels and a maximum of 25 dwelling units) to Planned
Unit Development with up to 407 dwelling units. The rezoning request
will now be scheduled for a hearing by the Board of County
Commissioners. |
| April 16, 2001: The Monument Board of Trustees voted (4 in
favor, 2 opposed, 1 absent) to terminate Police Chief Al Sharon. In
accordance with his employment contract with the Town, the Chief could
be terminated for "cause" or for "no cause". By
exercising the "no cause" clause of his contract the Board
precluded a possible lawsuit in which Mr. Sharon might claim the stated
causes were insufficient. Read
the Palmer Divide.com editorial. |
| April 13, 2001: The Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority
(BRRTA)
decided to review the fee to be paid by Lewis-Palmer School District 38
for the new middle school. This
fee has been estimated as high as $160,000 depending on how one applies the
BRRTA fee of $1 per square for industrial and institutional uses. This will be discussed further July
13th. |
| April 9, 2001: Growth bill SB 148 was killed in committee in
the Colorado House of Representatives. HB 1225 is in committee in the
Senate. |
| April 4, 2001: The Colorado House of Representatives
passed, by a vote of 40 to 25, HB
1225, the so-called "Developer's Bill of Rights". It is viewed
by many as encouraging continued and accelerating growth throughout Colorado
and making a mockery of growth management. Local Representative Lynn Hefley
voted in favor. HB 1225 and SB 148 will now be considered by a conference
committee to see if a compromise bill can be developed. |
| March 30, 2001: The Gazette reported that
Wal-Mart has decided to pursue County approval of its proposed supercenter on
Baptist Rd. across from King Soopers. It is apparently abandoning its
plan to have the Town of Monument annex the parcel. The Tri-View
Metropolitan District that serves Jackson Creek would reportedly provide
water and sewer service in exchange for 1.5% of sales at the store. Many
in the Town
of Monument were under the impression that the Tri-View District would not supply services to the
development unless the parcel was annexed to the Town. Goldberg
Properties seemed to be under the same impression since they spent several
months trying to work out a way to obtain service from the Donala District
that serves Gleneagle. Due to the distances involved, it would have cost
several million dollars to connect to the Donala system. There may also have
been some difficulty in obtaining easements needed for the connections.
Problems obtaining utility service seem to have held up the project for many
months. Recently, the Tri-View District reappeared as the supplier. Their
current position is that there was never any understanding with the Town and
there is no reason that they cannot supply service to the parcel.
View the latest
information on this proposal. |
| March 28, 2001: A
new statewide poll of Colorado voters reveals concerns among residents
about the state's growing population pressures. By a wide margin, Colorado
voters see a deterioration in their quality of life because of
overdevelopment and overpopulation. The poll was conducted by Ridder/Braden,
Inc., a Denver-based polling firm,
for Negative Population Growth (NPG), a Washington-based population policy
organization, from March 6-11, 2001. The poll surveyed 500 registered voters
in Colorado and has a margin of error of 4.38%.
|
Only two percent of voters believe that the state needs
to expand its population at all, yet the state is projected to increase
its population by 67 percent, from 4.3 million today to 6.4 million in
25 years. |
|
78% believe that "the current pace of development
and population growth is overcrowding schools and threatens the quality
of education." |
|
82% believe "the current pace of development and
population growth is a serious threat to Colorado's natural resources
like the Rocky Mountains, our national and state parks, rivers, and open
space." |
|
68% say overpopulation is a major problem in Colorado.
72% say that "the current pace of population growth threatens the
quality of life in Colorado." |
|
Top issues cited as community concerns: Education 29%;
Population growth/overcrowding 19%; Traffic congestion 12% (strong
majorities say traffic has cut into family time); Sprawl/development 8%. |
|
71% describe the rate of new houses being built in their
communities as "much too fast" or "a little too
fast." |
|
64% say that "development and sprawl can never be
controlled if the state's population continues to grow." |
|
Almost seven out of ten voters say that they are
spending more time in traffic and less time with family as a result of
the current pace of development and resulting traffic congestion. |
|
61% want the federal governme | |
