Contents

This page contains only the text of the articles and columns in this issue. To see the photos and captions including the Snapshots of Our Community section, view the on-line version above or download the PDFs whose links follow this table of contents.

• Monument Board of Trustees, June 2: Lake of the Rockies rezone, replat, and final site plan approved
• Palmer Lake Town Council, June 12: Recreational marijuana issue sparks conflict
• Monument Board of Trustees, June 16: Stormwater task force briefing gets cool reception
• Palmer Lake Town Council Workshop, June 5: Retail marijuana discussion continues
• Donala Water and Sanitation District, June 19: Water agreement with Springs utilities approved
• Triview water rights purchase, mouse permit finalized
• Monument Sanitation District, June 19: District, Tri-Lakes facility audits for 2013 approved
• Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, June 12: District hopes to improve communication
• Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department’s Future, June 7: Committee explains problems, provides options and solicits community input
• Donald Wescott Fire Department District, June 17: 2013 audit given clean bill of health
• PLHS gives presentation on fires, Revolutionary War
• My house is on fire; now what?
• Lewis-Palmer D-38 Board of Education, June 19: Board approves new curricula, budget
• Board of County Commissioners, June 17, 19: Embattled sheriff disputes accusations
• Letters to Our Community
• Thanks for support in cancer battle
• Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore: Celebrating Colorado
• HANG - High Altitude Natural Gardens: Plant warmer-season vegetables in July
• Art Matters: Art group honors four; sculptures installed
• Snapshots of Our Community
• Gleneagle Cousins Bring Home the Gold
• Local authors booksigning, June 7
• Museum gem show draws 1,400
• Harvard professor speaks on Civil War
• Legacy Sertoma presents awards
• Fishing Derby reels in hundreds of kids
• Military appreciation golf tournament
• John Adams at TLCA, June 13
• MOMS Club of Monument
• Woodmoor Firewise, June 21
• June and July library events: Great participation in Summer Reading
• Our Community Notices
• Our Community Calendar
• OCN Needs You

the PDF file. This is a 19.6 Mbyte high-resolution file with color photos.

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Monument Board of Trustees, June 2: Lake of the Rockies rezone, replat, and final site plan approved

On June 2, the Monument Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the proposed rezone, preliminary/final plat, and preliminary/final planned development (PD) site plan from landowner BK-LOR LLC of Colorado Springs for the Lake of the Rockies detached single-family residential development. The 60.5-acre property is bordered by Mitchell Avenue to the east, the Monument Lake access road to the north, Monument Lake and open space to the west, and West Oak Ridge Subdivision to the south.

The board also approved a letter of participation with El Paso County for assistance with obtaining federal Community Development Block Grants, and tentatively decided not to become a member of the proposed Pikes Peak Regional Drainage Authority.

BK-LOR proposed approval of 156 home lots as well as several dedicated platted tracts for open space, two interior parks, and additional right-of-way for Mitchell Avenue turn lanes, as well as a large tract dedication of protected Preble’s mouse habitat below the Monument Lake dam to the town for additional trails.

The Board of Trustees donated an acre-foot of town water rights to BK-LOR at no charge to make up for the lack of sufficient water under the 60.5-acre parcel for all 156 houses.

Details of the three proposals are available for reference in the June 2 BOT meeting board packet at: http://monumenttownco.minutesondemand.com/ by clicking on the "Board of Trustees" then "BOT Packets" and "2014" drop-down buttons in turn.

The Board of Trustees unanimously approved a BK-LOR sketch plan to change the Lake of the Rockies parcel from a campground to a single-family home planned development on April 3, 2006 with no conditions. No citizen spoke in opposition to the conceptual sketch plan during the open portion of this public hearing.

During the 2006 negotiations between BK-LOR and the town staff prior to the sketch plan hearing, the number of homes was reduced from the initially proposed figure of 196 to 163. Dwelling unit densities along the south perimeter of the parcel were reduced to more closely match the existing housing densities in West Oak Ridge to the south and the various developments to the east across the railroad tracks. The density in the north end of the sketch plan remained unchanged at five to six dwelling units per acre.

A sketch plan typically only specifies general locations within the development for houses, parks, and open space with none of the specific information regarding roads, infrastructure, lots, or tracts that is clearly specified in a plat and site plan.

See www.ocn.me/v6n5.htm#0403

for details of the approved 2006 sketch plan.

Since that sketch plan was approved and the campground infrastructure was removed, the parcel has been used primarily for livestock grazing to avoid undeveloped residential property taxes. The parcel was also the site for the Charlie Daniels concert on Aug. 31.

Tom Kassawara, director of Development Services, stated that the parcel’s existing planned commercial development (PCD) zoning for the previous campground use is now obsolete. The still-existing planned industrial development (PID) and planned heavy industrial development (PHID) designations in the town code are also obsolete. All three categories are superseded, when a parcel is rezoned, by the very general planned development (PD) zone designation. Each new PD development has its own specific unique set of allowed uses, restrictions/limitations, and exclusions that are individually negotiated with the landowner and developer by Kassawara prior to presentation to the Planning Commission and Board of Trustees.

Kassawara reported that the requested PD zoning designation for the Lake of the Rockies project would allow for uses including, but not limited to:

Kassawara also noted that on Jan. 21, the Board of Trustees approved an annexation and rezone to PD for two small BK-LOR county parcels that are adjacent to the proposed Lake of the Rockies development.

Parcel A is a thin 0.47-acre sliver that lies along the western boundary of the large already annexed parcel. The middle of this narrow strip is adjacent to the east side of the Monument Lake Dam.

Parcel B is a 3.10-acre strip adjacent to the west side of the railroad tracks that extends south of the intersection of Mitchell Avenue and the access road to Monument Lake. It was previously owned by the railroad and will be deeded by BK-LOR to the town as right-of-way for Mitchell Avenue.

Previously, this separate annexation and rezone was unanimously recommended for approval by the Monument Planning Commission during its Dec. 17 public hearing. See ocn.me/v14n1.htm#monpc1217 for more details.

See www.ocn.me/v14n2.htm#bot0121

for more details regarding the Jan. 21 BOT annexation and rezone approval.

Kassawara stated how that the rezone request conformed to the various principles and policies for mixed use development in the Town of Monument comprehensive plan, the town code, and the town’s future land use map. He proposed no conditions of approval for the rezone application. Siebert gave additional details regarding the rezone from the landowner’s perspective and answered board questions.

There were no public comments for or against the proposed rezone during the open portion of this public rezone hearing.

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the rezone on May 14 with no conditions.

The board unanimously approved changing the original planned commercial development (PCD) zoning to PD zoning.

Some of the specific proposed plat items noted by the staff and Siebert were:

A waiver was granted from the requirement that cul-de-sac lengths cannot exceed 500 feet in length—Lake Side Drive is 700 linear feet and Lake Overlook Court is 634 linear feet. Tri-Lakes/Monument Fire Protection District was reported to have no issues with these two waivers.

Kassawara reported that the town’s water attorney, Bob Krassa of Krassa & Miller LLC, and the town’s water engineer, Bruce Lytle of Lytle Water Associates LLC, had determined that there was an inadequate supply of water on the parcel to serve all of the proposed development’s water demand of 78.0 acre-feet per year. He recommended that the board formally "credit" the Lake of the Rockies property with 1.0 acre-foot (325,851 gallons) of water per year from the "prior appropriation of a small portion of the Town of Monument’s well No. 3 water right."

BK-LOR proposed a dedication of Tract E to the town as open space that would be available for low-impact recreational uses. This 14.2-acre tract lies within a 100-year floodplain and protected Preble’s mouse habitat just below the Monument Lake dam, so it is not suitable for building homes. Kassawara reported that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is requiring that deed restrictions be placed upon Tract E to limit future activity to public use of the existing trails and roads within the tract and their maintenance.

The town will be responsible for this USFWS compliance once the tract is dedicated to the town. The public will be allowed to use the roads and trails as walking paths. New development is not permitted in Tract E, including but not limited to buildings, structures, park facilities, and new trails and roads. The existing roads and trails may be used as is. The old bathroom facility within Tract E will be removed, and the property will have to be cleaned up by the landowner to the satisfaction of the Public Works Department. Spraying and mowing for noxious weeds is permitted by the deed restrictions.

Kassawara explained how the BK-LOR plat application conforms to the town’s final plat criteria in the municipal zoning code as well as the town’s subdivision regulations. He proposed the following conditions of approval for the proposed plat:

There were no public comments for or against the proposed plat during the open portion of this public plat hearing.

The Planning Commission recommended approval of the proposed plat on May 14 by a 6-1 vote with the same three conditions noted above.

The board unanimously approved the proposed preliminary/final plat with these conditions and the proposed donation by the town of an acre-foot of town water rights to BK-LOR.

Kassawara reported that several accommodations were made to make a smooth transition along the southern boundary of the Lake of the Rockies with the adjacent homes in the West Oak Ridge subdivision. A 6-foot wood privacy fence will be maintained along the full width of this boundary.

The gross housing density for the proposed plat was 2.58 dwelling units per acre. Gross density is the total area of the subdivision divided by the number of lots. The net density was 5.19 dwelling units per acre. Net density is the total area of the subdivision minus rights-of-way, tracts for open space, parks, and drainage facilities, divided by the number of lots.

West Oak Ridge has no parks, trails, or open space. The gross and net densities of the adjacent West Oak Ridge subdivision are 2.61 dwelling units per acre and 4.5 dwelling units per acre respectively.

West Oak Ridge is zoned R-2 (single-family residential medium density), with lots sizes ranging from 8,400 square feet to 18,300 square feet. Setbacks for this zone district are 25 feet for the front yard, 7.5 feet for the side yard, and 25 feet for the rear yard.

BK-LOR proposed lot sizes with a minimum lot width of 80 feet along the south boundary of the property, with an average lot size of 11,678 square feet. Setbacks for these lots were 20 feet for the front yard, 7.5 feet for the side yard, and 25 feet for the rear yard. Four of the lots (Nos. 18-21) will be restricted to ranch homes with walk-out basements due to a significant topographic change between the two subdivisions on these four lots.

The single-family homes to the east (across Mitchell Avenue and the railroad tracks) are located in the specific zone called Downtown Area, a type of R-2 zone (established single-family neighborhood low-density overlay zone district.) These downtown lot sizes range from 7,200 square feet to 15,500 square feet. Minimum setbacks for this zone district are 25 feet for the front yard, 5 feet for the side yards, and 25 feet for the rear yard.

In general, the layout for the proposed Lake of the Rockies subdivision shows larger lots proposed on the south and west sides, with smaller lots on the east side and interior areas of the subdivision. The remainder of the BK-LOR development provides a variety of lot sizes interspersed with parks and open space tracts.

Kassawara explained how the BK-LOR plat application conforms to the town’s final PD site plan criteria in town code. He proposed the following conditions of approval for the proposed plat:

There were several comments during the open portion of this public PD site plan hearing.

Downtown business owner Maggie Williamson said she was in favor of the proposal.

Resident Patrick Daugharty spoke against the proposal. Some of his comments were:

Resident Greg Fay also spoke against the proposal. Some of his comments were:

Some of the items traffic engineer Jeff Hodsdon, of LSC Consulting, addressed regarding his consultant traffic analysis for the project along Second Street and Mitchell Avenue were:

Land planner Tim Siebert of NES Inc. stated that the development is dedicating additional right of way to the town for future widening of Mitchell Avenue. He stated that the 10-foot side setbacks being proposed are the minimum side setbacks for lots adjacent to West Oak Ridge. The specific positioning of various models of homes to be built on the various individual lots will produce different side and rear setbacks.

The Planning Commission recommended approval of the proposed PD site plan on May 14 by a 6-1 vote with the four conditions noted above.

The board unanimously approved the proposed preliminary/final PD site plan with the four conditions

The board unanimously approved a change to Section 17.52.040 in the town landscaping code that:

At its April 9 meeting, the Planning Commission had tabled this municipal code revision for further discussion and for staff to provide additional language. The Planning Commission recommended approval of this code revision 5 to 2 on May 14.

All trees removed that are greater than 2 inches in diameter shall be replaced by trees of an equal caliper to the tree removed on a 2:1 basis. Trees that are listed as noxious by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Colorado Department of Agriculture can be removed without complying with the requirements of this section.

The Gambel oak shrub is not considered noxious or a tree, though it is considered a wildfire hazard due to its extreme persistent flammability. (www.cyberwest.com/cw20/mesa_verde_fires.html)

Landscaping plans are to be submitted for approval by the town before work is carried out. These plans shall include an irrigation plan pursuant to town requirements. In cases where a water source is not available to a site, the property owner must state that manual watering will be conducted until landscaping is established, and provide a schedule for manual watering.

Citizens can now remove sod now and replace it with xeriscape, but they must obtain a landscape permit for doing so from the town staff in Town Hall. Failure to maintain landscaping is a town code issue, and citations can be issued for not complying with approved landscaping plans.

Turf areas may consist of bluegrass or drought-tolerant improved tall fescue (e.g., rhizomatous tall fescue or approved alternate) varieties, which may cover a maximum of 25 percent of the lot’s pervious area.

No turf grasses of any kind are permitted for any new non-residential properties. For all landscaped areas in non-residential developments, a combination of wood and/or decorative rock mulch, trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses, and ground cover shall be installed. Non-irrigated native grasses may be considered, provided they cover a maximum of 25 percent of a nonresidential site’s pervious area and as long as the grass areas are initially irrigated to establish the grasses, and the species of grasses are demonstrated to be able to survive without irrigation after the initial establishment period.

The director of Development Services, in certain situations, may allow areas of turf grass where it is desired for certain uses, provided that there is adequate water to serve the site under the town’s water demand regulations. Otherwise, drip irrigation systems will be used for all of the xeriscape areas. Drip irrigation uses about one-tenth the water that rotor and spray heads use to irrigate sodded areas.

The maximum percentage of turf grass allowed in Lake of the Rockies is still 33 percent because the landowner applied for the PD site plan before this ordinance revising the landscaping code was approved.

The board unanimously approved a resolution to limit town park reservation fees to the Lavalett Park Band Shell and the Dirty Woman Creek Park Pavilion and grills on the north side of the pavilion and the Sports Field. The total annual revenue loss from those types of reservations being removed from the fee schedule will be $610 for Limbach Park and $145 for Dirty Woman Creek Park. Parking will now be for the general use of the public and no longer reserved for any party.

Ron Brown, president of the Pikes Peak Range Riders, briefed the board on this year’s annual ride in Custer County from June 18 to 22.

Scott Stuart, Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo board vice president, announced a new format for the rodeo called "shootout." Corliss Palmer, director of Girls of the West and Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo board member, described the rodeo’s Girls of the West program. Kate Watson, 2014 Girl of the West, barrel racer, and a student at the Art Institute of Denver, and her aide Rachel Braaten, gave a carefully coordinated presentation on this year’s rodeo scheduled for July 9-12. Rodeo events and pricing information can be found at www.pikespeakorbust.org.

Community Development Senior Analyst Crystal LaTier, of the El Paso County Economic Development Division, presented information to the board regarding the county’s pursuit of federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funding for decent housing and suitable living environments, along with the expansion of economic opportunities.

At least 70 percent of this funding must benefit low- and moderate-income persons. The categories for grants are public services, public facilities, infrastructure, and housing. Although the CDBG program began in 1974 to meet urgent needs within these categories as well as reduce slums and blight, El Paso County was first designated as a CDBG community in 2009.

LaTier explained how Monument could apply for CDBG for blighted areas of town if it created an urban renewal authority like the City of Fountain’s authority did in 2008. The county’s first such grant for blight was awarded to Fountain in 2014.

LaTier reviewed the complete list of county-wide CDBG funding for 2009 through 2014. In 2014, a total of $932,816 in these block grants was awarded to the county. Some of the recent municipal participants are Palmer Lake, Calhan, Ramah, Fountain, and Green Mountain Falls. She noted that local nonprofit Tri-Lakes Cares received a 2014 community assistance block grant of $13,922 for subsistence payments (rental and utility assistance) through a Town of Palmer Lake grant application, since the Town of Monument was not a participant.

LaTier said that federal funding for 2015 for public service projects is expected to be similar to the amount for 2014 (an estimated $139,922) and would be available to grantees during the 12-month period from April 2015 through March 2016. If Monument were to participate in this program during this upcoming three-year period, the town would be eligible to apply for CDBG grants, within the 70 percent constraint for low- to moderate-income residents noted above, for these activities:

LaTier noted that any proposed project must meet HUD criteria and address a local need identified in the county’s consolidated CDBG plan, and must meet a national objective. The following are ineligible for a CDBG grant:

Nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and institutions of higher education also can apply.

LaTier noted that by applying for CDBG through El Paso County, the town is now restricted from applying for CDBG grants through the state. The town received a CDBG in 2006 that was used for construction of stormwater infrastructure during the $1.3 million Third Street improvement project. (www.ocn.me/v7n7.htm#botjune4)

Town Manager Pamela Smith discussed how the county had assisted her hometown of Ramah in securing CDBG funding, substantially reducing the amount of staff time required to apply and preferable to seeking CDBG funding through the state.

The board unanimously approved a motion to have Mayor Rafael Dominguez sign the previously prepared commitment letter to LaTier requesting that the Town of Monument be included in the county’s Community Block Development Grant program for the next three federal fiscal years, 2015 through 2017. The deadline for applying was June 9.

LaTier will coordinate creation of an intergovernmental agreement that will be signed by all the numerous participants in the next three-year program. The town board will select a representative to attend and participate in six bi-monthly county CDBG board meetings per year for the next three years.

The board and staff discussed their concerns about a proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) for a proposed Pikes Peak Regional Drainage Authority.

Smith expressed several concerns about structure and funding.

The stormwater board would have six members from the Colorado Springs City Council and two county commissioners, while other local municipalities like Fountain, Green Mountain Falls, Manitou Springs, and Palmer Lake would split one board member. The requirement for super majority votes, executive committees, and several boards also raises concerns for the small towns with regard to transparency.

The Town of Monument does not have the same type or scale of needs for stormwater drainage as the City of Colorado Springs, Smith said.

The Town of Monument would be limited in being able to impose local stormwater fees when needed if a regional fee is also required. Smith said it was difficult to see the benefit for town membership.

The town already has a stormwater master plan in place, with seven projects costing up to $9.4 million. Some town projects have water implications that can be funded through the 2A water enterprise fund, while a most are funded through separate storm water impact fees.

Smith said the town will also want to seek its own stormwater grants in the future.

The town staff would have to provide a lot of information in an application package by June 10 and does not need another time-consuming task if the town board is not going to approve joining the authority.

Some of Trustee Stan Gingrich’s concerns were:

Trustee Kelly Elliott asked who the financial auditors would be.

Some of Trustee Jeff Kaiser’s concerns were:

Trustee Jeff Bornstein’s said the town would have limited input and that all the benefits would go to entities that are farther south.

Some of Trustee Becki Tooley’s concerns were:

Some of Trustee John Howe’s concerns were:

Some of Mayor Rafael Dominguez’s concerns were:

Smith asked for direction from the board on whether to provide the requested report of town stormwater resources, infrastructure, and documentation that was due to the organizers of the authority on June 10. Trustee Gingrich recommended that Smith not use staff resources to respond to the report at this time and simply send an email that the town is reviewing the IGA. There was consensus on Gingrich’s proposed response.

Trustee Tooley thanked Trustee Howe and Town Gardener Sharon Williams for their work in organizing and conducting the Memorial Day Ceremony at the town cemetery. Tooley also read a "well done" letter she had received from Army Col. Paul Taylor praising "the care, feeling, and pride I witnessed yesterday" at the ceremony. Mayor Dominguez noted that a Native American World War II veteran who attended had been a bugler for over 1,000 veteran funerals.

The board went into executive session at 9:52 p.m. to discuss the purchase, acquisition, lease, transfer, or sale of any real, personal, or other property interest with Town Attorney Gary Shupp, Town Water Attorney Bob Krassa, Town Water Engineer Bruce Lytle, and Town Water Purchase Consultant Gary Barber. The board came out of executive session and immediately adjourned at 11:25 p.m.

Palmer Lake Town Council, June 12: Recreational marijuana issue sparks conflict

The topic of recreational marijuana sales provoked an angry exchange between lawyer Duncan Bremer and a Palmer Lake resident at the June 12 Town Council meeting. Citizen representative Judith Harrington updated the council on funding for the town’s fire mitigation project. The council also moved forward on the sale of the Vaile house, appointed new Planning Commission members, and addressed several items related to local businesses.

Resident Chris Amenson and Bremer, a former El Paso County commissioner, asked for guidance from the council on the process to place an initiative banning retail marijuana sales on the November ballot. The initiative proposed by Amenson would ban such sales for three years and require a vote by residents to reverse the ban. The existing ban put in place by the council could be removed simply by a vote of the council, with no need for the question to go before voters.

After the council clarified the process for initiatives to get on the ballot, another resident who was not identified asked Bremer what impact the initiative would have on tax revenue, if passed. Not hearing a clear answer to his question in Bremer’s response, he asked the question a second time, at which point Bremer reacted angrily before conceding that the initiative would take away any possibility the town could receive revenue from retail sales of marijuana. The council took no action on the proposed initiative, because citizens are responsible for it.

At another point in the meeting, Mayor Nikki McDonald apologized to Dino Salvatori, owner of Palmer Lake Wellness, a medical marijuana dispensary, for remarks made by Roads Trustee John Russell at the Town Council workshop session June 5. At that meeting, Russell pointed out, during a discussion of Salvatori’s plan for his business, that if a business had complaints made against it, its license would not automatically be renewed, but renewal would require a vote of the council. Following McDonald’s statement, Trustee Trisha Flake remarked that no complaints had ever been made concerning Palmer Lake Wellness. For details on the workshop session, see the article on page 16.

Harrington reported that Palmer Lake’s fire fuel mitigation project will receive $30,000 from the Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP), about half the amount the town requested. Harrington believes funding from CUSP may be increased to $50,000. Property owned by the town will be the first to receive mitigation through the project, but funds are available to help reimburse private property owners for their own mitigation efforts. Nine properties have been mitigated through the project. Contact her for further details at 719-229-9636. Forms and information relating to the project are available on the Palmer Lake website (www.ci.palmer-lake.co.us).

McDonald and Harrington want to coordinate Palmer Lake’s mitigation efforts with the Forest Service’s Upper Monument Creek Project, which plans to build a shaded firebreak along 25,000 acres over three years to help prevent fires from reaching Palmer Lake. Details about the Upper Monument Creek project can be found online (www.fs.usda.gov/detail/psicc/news-events/?cid=STELPRD3801388 ). The council encouraged residents to make use of the comment process for this project.

The Town of Palmer Lake now holds the deed for the Vaile house and is trying to sell the property. The Vaile house lacks a bath tub or shower, making it difficult for prospective buyers to find financing. The council unanimously passed a motion to authorize Trustee Flake to handle marketing and selling the property. Flake will not take a commission on the sale.

The council appointed Karen Stuth, Mitch Davis, Bill Fisher, David Cooper, Vic Brown, Mark Bruce, and Nathan Liljestrand to the Planning Commission.

Trustee Jen Martin reported on her outreach to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), a state agency that works with small towns to provide financial and technical assistance through grant and loan programs and help with budgeting, general government administration, and water management. DOLA provides workshops, publications, consultation, and online resources to the communities it assists. Martin asked the council to draft a letter of intent that is required to begin a relationship with DOLA. A motion to draft the letter was unanimously approved.

The council approved two requests for new business licenses. Business owner Joe Crivello asked for a license for Great America Floors Inc., also doing business as Ameridri and Restoration Colorado Roofing. Crivello intends to open a warehouse at 780 Highway 105, Suite A. The warehouse would store materials and equipment used by the business on jobs in Douglas County and Denver and would not be used as a retail space. Business owners Kathy Crivello and Cecelia Dunlap requested a license for Yarn Bird Fibers, a retail yarn store, at 790 Highway 105, Suite C.

The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m.

**********

The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. July 10 in Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent. Meetings are normally held on the second Thursday of the month. Information: 481-2953.

Monument Board of Trustees, June 16: Stormwater task force briefing gets cool reception

On June 16, the Monument Board of Trustees (BOT) continued discussions begun at the June 2 BOT meeting about the recommendation of the Pikes Peak Regional Stormwater Task Force to approve the task force’s proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) for creation of the Pikes Peak Regional Drainage Authority (PPRDA).

The consensus of the five BOT members present after a very technical presentation by representatives of the Pikes Peak Stormwater Task Force (www.pikespeakstormwater.org) was to not sign the proposed draft PPRDA IGA.

The board also unanimously approved two liquor license applications and cancellation of the regular board meeting scheduled for Monday, July 7.

Trustees Kelly Elliott and Becki Tooley did not attend this BOT meeting.

David Munger, co-chair of the Pikes Peak Stormwater Task Force, introduced his task force colleagues in attendance: consultant Kevin Walker of the Greenway Fund (www.greenwayfund.org), task force media contact Rachel Beck, and task force co-chair Brian Risley (a member of the Tri-Lakes Economic Development Committee board (www.trilakesedc.com/trilakes-edc/about-us.) They gave a briefing endorsing the PPRDA IGA and recommended approval by the BOT.

The stormwater task force was formed in 2012 by the Colorado Springs City Council, the El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU.)

The current estimate for cost of stormwater improvements within the region is about $708 million. An estimated $48 million in fee revenues per year for 25 years would be required. Construction completion time is estimated at 30 to 40 years. However, as proposed, the special fund dedicated to drainage and flood control capital improvements at 55 percent of net revenues would sunset 20 years after the effective date of the agreement. The impervious surface fees collected by PPRDA would also drop by 55 percent for all categories of property against which the fee is imposed.

Any funds remaining in the capital improvement fund following sunset may be used to complete remaining listed drainage and flood control capital improvement projects or those identified as high priority through subsequent planning or determined to be a flood-related emergency need until such funds are depleted or until the authority is terminated, whichever occurs first.

At the time of sunset, the parties to the agreement could go to the voters to extend the capital construction part of whatever project they choose. The other parts of the program will continue indefinitely until the authority is dissolved.

Administrative expenses are proposed to be capped at 1 percent. Net revenues (total revenue minus admin expenses) would be 99 percent of total revenues. The average fee for an average residential lot is expected to be about $10 per month. Munger added that the average fees for various types of businesses were unknown at this time. He estimated that a typical Walmart store would probably be capped at about $2,000 per month.

The draft PPRDA IGA is available for review at www.monumenttownco.minutesondemand.com by clicking on "BOT Packets", then "2014", then "June 02, 2014". The 18-page draft PPRDA IGA starts on page 12 of the 229-page June 2 BOT packet PDF file.

Some of the items of note in the IGA that were briefed by Munger and Walker are listed below.

The founding members of the PPRDA were listed as El Paso County; the cities of Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, and Fountain; and the towns of Green Mountain Falls, Monument, and Palmer Lake. The new drainage authority would establish a separate governmental entity to develop drainage facilities as a water activity enterprise.

The purpose of the PPRDA is to effect the efficient and effective development of drainage and flood control facilities, including drainage and flood control capital improvements, maintenance and operations, master planning, and flood-related emergency needs within the authority for the benefit of the parties to the IGA or other government entities at the discretion of the drainage authority’s Board of Directors.

The PPRDA would be a separate state political subdivision and possess all the duties, privileges, immunities, rights, liabilities, and disabilities of a state public body.

PPRDA adinistrative expenses, which are to be limited to no more than 1 percent of PPRDA fee revenues, are defined to include, but are not limited to, office administration, overhead, and supervising projects. Administrative expenses would not include costs directly tied to the procurement, design, or construction of capital improvements, the operation and maintenance of infrastructure, long- or short-term drainage or flood control, planning, responses to flood-related emergencies or any costs of fee collection, including but not limited to costs imposed by the El Paso County treasurer.

The PPRDA master plan would provide information to facilitate efficient and effective use of existing drainage and flood control facilities; the development, maintenance, and operation of existing and future drainage and flood control facilities, the development of appropriate rates, and the identification and prioritization of capital project needs.

Funds are to be spent within the areas where they are collected based on a five-year rolling average of fee revenues, with exceptions for municipalities that elect to participate in regional projects and for emergency allocations.

The initial PPRDA board would consist of 13 directors, all of which must be elected officials from the parties’ respective jurisdictions. The PPRDA board would consist of:

A supermajority vote of PPRDA directors would require a simple majority of a quorum of the PPRDA board and at least four votes of directors appointed by the City of Colorado Springs, at least one vote from a director appointed by the BOCC, and at least one vote from a director appointed by another of the parties. The requirement for representatives from Colorado Springs, BOCC, and one other party to constitute a supermajority would remain in place unless Colorado Springs or the BOCC withdraws from the PPRDA. In that case a supermajority would require a two-thirds vote of the PPRDA directors, subject to the requirements of this paragraph, with the withdrawing party removed from the supermajority requirement.

A supermajority vote would be required for the following:

Flood-related emergency events would be determined by a supermajority vote of the PPRDA Board of Directors.

Each of the parties would determine its own annual operation and maintenance needs to be funded, which may be within or outside the authority as allowed by law.

Directors would not be subject to term limits, but under no circumstances would an individual who is not an elected official serve as a voting director.

Each director would be allowed one vote. In the event an appointed director designates someone who is not an elected official to attend on their behalf, such designee would participate only as an ex officio director. Ex officio directors would not be entitled to vote.

All PPRDA board directors would serve without compensation.

Directors would disqualify themselves from voting on any issue with respect to which the director has a conflict of interest, unless the director has disclosed the conflict of interest in compliance with state statutes. Any signatory to this agreement may name an alternate director who may vote in place of any disqualified director.

The chairperson and vice chairperson positions would not be held by directors appointed by the same governmental body.

The PPRDA board would appoint an executive committee made up of five directors, two of which would be the board chair and vice chair. The executive committee would have general responsibility for the affairs of the board between its regular meetings, make recommendations to the Board of Directors, and would perform other duties as authorized by the Board of Directors. The executive committee would be subject to the direction of the Board of Directors, and none of its decisions would conflict with actions taken by the board.

A majority of the board, which must include at least two representatives from Colorado Springs, one from the BOCC, and one of the other parties, would constitute a quorum. No official action would be taken by the PPRDA board unless a quorum is present at a meeting. Any action taken would be approved by a simple majority of directors present and voting, except for matters requiring a supermajority.

The PPRDA board would appoint a Citizens Review Board (CRB) composed of citizens residing within the PPRDA boundaries. The PPRDA board would also appoint a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) composed of individuals with technical expertise in drainage and/or flood control..

The PPRDA board may also form other advisory committees as may be reasonable and necessary to perform its mission.

The CRB will, by majority vote of its members, make recommendations to the PPRDA board regarding any changes to the master plan and the PPRDA’s annual budget. The CRB may also make other recommendations on matters within the purview of the PRPDA board as the CRB deems fit.

The PPRDA board would provide for an annual financial audit.

The PPRDA would have powers to fix and maintain a fee for service on all properties within its boundaries based upon the amount or percentage of impervious surface located on each individual property. The fee would be based upon a calculation methodology determined by the PPRDA board.

The PPRDA will re-assess impervious surface for each party at least once every five years.

Any property owner will, upon written request, have access to the information and data utilized in the impervious surface calculation for his/her property, to promptly establish a process to appeal the accuracy of a calculation, and to hear appeals of property owners regarding the accuracy of a calculation. To the extent that any errors in the calculation are found, they would be immediately corrected and any past overpayment would be refunded or credited, within 30 days, to the property owner.

The PPRDA board would establish criteria for granting fee credits for any property owner who invests, after the creation of the authority, in drainage control activities beyond those which are required by law, thereby reducing the amount of potential stormwater run-off from his/her property. Such owner may petition the authority board for a credit against current or future fees due.

The PPRDA board would employ agents and employees as necessary to carry out the following limited duties, for the following purposes:

The agreement may be terminated and the authority dissolved upon the decision of each of the parties’ governing bodies, or in the event withdrawal of parties leaves only one Party remaining in the PPRDA.

Any party may withdraw from this agreement by official action of its governing body, and such withdrawal would not constitute termination of this IGA. To withdraw, however, a party must give at least 180 days’ written notice to the PPRDA board. A withdrawing party would retain ownership of, and ongoing maintenance responsibility for, any real property interest or fixtures to real property resulting from this agreement.

If a party withdraws, special fees charged to citizens within that party’s jurisdiction would cease upon the effective date of the withdrawal. Any unexpended funds obtained through special fees charged to citizens within that jurisdiction would be deposited into a special fund in the name of the withdrawing jurisdiction and would be used in a manner that maintains their status as special fees.

A withdrawing party would retain ownership of, and operation/maintenance responsibility for any capital improvements placed in its jurisdiction through PPRDA funds.

The project list and ballot language are expected to be completed by the end of July.

Mayor Rafael Dominguez summarized the reasons why the board was not in favor of joining PPRDA. Some of the biggest objections were:

Munger asked the board and mayor to send him any questions the board may have.

Sky Hall of Tri-Lakes Views gave his annual pictorial presentation to the board on the history of town displays of public art in west Monument as well as the display changes underway for the coming year, and the expansion of the Tri-Lakes Views brochure to include the new art pieces.

Hall noted that the sculpture 1306 by artist Randy Curry has been donated to the town’s permanent collection of public art, increasing the town’s total to five pieces. The piece is valued at $5,500. The sculpture will be permanently placed on one of the new pedestals at the Santa Fe Trailhead Park on Third Street, which the county has deeded to the town. Hall said that when the town obtains the county parkland surrounding the 30-foot trail right-of-way north of Third Street, Tri-Lakes Views would like to set up a "kid friendly" art park there.

Trustee Jeff Bornstein inquired about displays of art on the Triview side of Monument. Hall said Tri-Lakes Views has not yet received support from any developers in Triview or the Woodmoor Improvement Association to obtain a pedestal or location for installing an annual or permanent sculpture. Mayor Dominguez asked Hall to provide him the east Monument contacts Tri-Lakes Views has tried in the past so that he could pursue additional east side contacts. The cost of a pedestal is about $1,000.

Trustee Jeff Kaiser, who is also the 2014 president the Baptist Road Rural Transportation Authority, asked if Hall had contracted the authority regarding a display of art along West Baptist Road. Hall replied that Tri-Lakes Views has been in contact and work is underway.

The board held a liquor hearing regarding changes requested for the liquor license by 366 Beacon LLC, the owner of the DeVine Restaurant at 366 Beacon Lite Road Unit D. Town Clerk Cynthia Sirochman said a liquor violation was filed with the secretary of state in regards to the licensee allowing liquor to be served in the patio portion of the establishment, which is not part of the original liquor license application diagram. Criminal investigator Marcus Woodward placed the establishment on formal notice on May 13.

The applicant filed the permit application and report of changes the next day and stated that he was "unaware" his original diagram did not include the patio or that he could not serve alcohol on the patio. A local liquor hearing is required to accept the changes due to a violation in order to be processed by the state.

Steve Rice, one of the listed DeVine owners and the registered manager of the restaurant, stated that he had briefed the BOT and staff on all benefits and safeguards regarding serving alcohol in his patio area at the BOT hearing for his new liquor license and had assumed that the patio had always been part of the liquor license. He stated that the loss of liquor service until his license could be re-approved by the state had cost him $3,500 per week in revenue and had forced him to lay off four members of the service staff. He said he had never had a violation before.

"We’re not sure we can save the restaurant at this time," Rice said, because the summer will be over before the state issues him the amended license. "I put $100,000 into this project and I’m seeing it all evaporate."

During public comments, local resident Maggie Williamson stated she sees no issues with liquor being served outside. No one spoke against re-issuance of the DeVine liquor license.

The board unanimously approved the requested change of premises in DeVine’s permit to include the restaurant’s fully enclosed patio as an addition to the approved liquor service area of the restaurant. The final step for restoration of the DeVine liquor service is state approval of the proposed modification/change of premises for liquor service.

The board unanimously approved a special event liquor permit for the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce Fourth of July Street Fair and Dance to be held in Limbach Park from 4 to 9 p.m.

The board also unanimously a temporary street closure from 4 to 10 p.m. on July 4 for a short portion of Front Street just south of Second Street for food and beverage truck parking.

Terri Hayes, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said the dance was being organized to replace the firework for the evening of July 4. The liquor permit is for 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for set-up purposes, and the dance event will start at about 4 p.m.

Police Chief Jake Shirk stated that no Monument Police Department officers would be available for the dance portion of this event due to the department providing traffic control and security for the parade and street fair. Four private uniformed security officers will be on scene for the chamber’s event and will be identifiable to the public.

Public Works Director Tom Tharnish said sidewalk survey results for the west side of Monument showed that the cost to the town for repairing all damaged sidewalk sections ranged from an estimated $76,409 to a high of $96,119 spread out over a few years. Currently, sidewalk repairs are the responsibility of property owners as they are nationwide. The worst sidewalk problem is in the West Oak Ridge subdivision.

The board and staff revisited the already discussed pros and cons of the town taking over responsibility of sidewalk repairs and maintenance. The problem has grown over many years and has not been a focus of town code enforcement. Infrastructure maintenance on the east side of I-25 is the responsibility of Triview Metropolitan District, but sidewalk maintenance is not part of Triview’s service plan either.

A decision on this matter was deferred by Dominguez until the next BOT meeting, which will be held on July 21.

The board unanimously approved five disbursements over $5,000:

Town Treasurer Monica Harder asked the board for a special board meeting on June 30 for approval of the 2013 audit. It was scheduled for June 30 at 5:30 p.m. pending verification of the availability of a quorum on that date.

Tharnish gave a 37-minute training briefing on the mission of Public Works, designed for new trustees.

The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m.

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The next meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on July 21 at Town Hall, 845 Beacon Lite Road. Information: 884-8017.

Palmer Lake Town Council Workshop, June 5: Retail marijuana discussion continues

The Palmer Lake Town Council held a workshop session on June 5 to work on issues tabled during its monthly meetings, and marijuana policy once again took center stage. Trustees discussed a proposed ballot initiative to ban retail marijuana sales and halted an amendment from Trustee Paul Banta to ban medical marijuana sales in the M1 (light manufacturing) zone of Palmer Lake. The council also formulated its response to the Colorado Mountain Club’s proposal to classify land above the town’s reservoirs as a wilderness area and discussed the investigation of Battlefield Colorado’s request to lease city land.

Resident Chris Amenson sought guidance from the council concerning the process to place a resolution on the ballot for the Nov. 4 election. His resolution would prohibit sales of recreational marijuana in Palmer Lake for three years. Mayor Nikki McDonald said 5 percent of the city’s 1,941 registered voters, at least 98 voters, would need to sign the initiative for it to be placed on the ballot, and that Larry Gaddis, the town’s attorney, who was not present at the workshop, would need to validate the language of the initiative. McDonald emphasized that the initiative process is citizen-driven, and the council has little role in it.

The council returned to its discussion of the amendment to Ordinance 4 2010 proposed by Trustee Banta in a previous meeting. It would prohibit sales of medical marijuana from the light manufacturing zone that surrounds County Line Road. Resident Tammy Huling questioned the reason for the amendment. Banta replied that he intended the amendment to clarify the future of medical marijuana in the community, to provide a way of limiting retail marijuana shops, and not to prohibit marijuana growing.

Trustees John Russell and Jennifer Martin said the amendment unfairly favored property owners in the north end of town at the expense of those to the south, whose property values could decline due to their proximity to marijuana businesses. Trustee Richard Kuehster indicated he would not vote for the amendment. Concluding the amendment would not pass, Banta withdrew it from consideration.

Dino Salvatori announced that he would move his medical marijuana grow business to the building on Highway 105 that previously was a bowling alley. He plans to move his dispensary to the new location as well, and estimates that he may employ up to 50 people.

The Colorado Mountain Club recently held an open house in the Palmer Lake Town Hall to get feedback from the community concerning the club’s efforts to have land north of the town’s reservoirs classified as a wilderness area. Wilderness areas allow hikers and horse riders but do not allow motorized vehicles or mountain bikes. Mayor McDonald noted many in the audience at the open house were hostile to the club’s proposal, and Trustee Kuehster commented that most of the attendees were from the "motorized community." Kuehster also raised concerns about the club’s work on Ice Cave Creek Trail, which he felt made the trail unusable by mountain bikers.

Resident Tom Allen commented that he believed the Colorado Mountain Club had played a role in the closure of Cap’n Jack’s Trail, which angered mountain bikers and ATV riders. Allen also criticized the club’s work on a trail adjacent to the Palmer Lake reservoirs, arguing that it made the trail suitable for hiking only, with switchbacks too sharp to accommodate biking. McDonald decided she would send the club a letter expressing the council’s concerns with the club’s work.

Trustees Banta, Allen, and Russell and Mayor McDonald visited the site of the proposed Battlefield Colorado lease, along with representatives of Battlefield, and were favorably impressed with the company’s presentation and plan for the site. McDonald said she would contact Mark Smith of Battlefield to discuss next steps. Battlefield Colorado, which wants to use the land for an outdoor lasertag site, is considering other sites besides Palmer Lake and has not yet decided where to move its business.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Donala Water and Sanitation District, June 19: Water agreement with Springs utilities approved

On June 19, the Donala Water and Sanitation District board approved a short-term water agreement with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) and a water lease for effluent credits between Donala and the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, received updates on 2013 costs of service, and discussed regional stormwater issues that may be addressed by a ballot issue in November.

General Manager Kip Petersen and Board President Bill George congratulated Director Bill Nance on his 90th birthday on June 13. Office Manager Betsy Bray presented a birthday cake to Nance before the meeting started to celebrate his birthday. Nance drew laughter when he observed that he was born on a Friday the 13th and his 90th birthday was also on Friday the 13th so maybe it isn’t as unlucky a day as people think it is. A plaque on the Donala district office building states that it is the William Nance Building, commemorating his long history in guiding Donala.

George stated that three Donala water operators had received "rave reviews" from a Donala customer for solving a replacement meter issue: Ronny Wright, Joe Lopez, and Mark Parker. Petersen added that the district would provide a service next summer, time permitting, for curb stop cleanouts at a nominal fee. Emergency curb stop cleanout will continue to be provided at the current higher fee.

Petersen noted that Donala resident Mark Connell and his daughter Anna sought assistance from Donala for her science fair project called "From Ashes to Water" that would examine development of a filter medium to clean up wildfire burn scar stormwater run-off. Her project took second place in the state Junior Division Environmental Sciences competition for her strict compliance with the scientific method. She received an award of $200.

Petersen and the board joined Anna in thanking Donala water operators Parker and Wright for their technical support, guidance, and training of Anna during this project.

Petersen recommend approval of a second addendum to the current short-term water service agreement with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) to "wheel, treat, and deliver" Donala’s renewable water from Willow Creek Ranch to a connection with the Donala water distribution system at the south end of the district for one additional year.

The original short-term agreement with CSU was signed on May 1, 2011 and ran through Dec. 31, 2013. The first addendum extended the short-term agreement though Dec. 31, 2014. The second addendum extends agreement again through Dec. 31, 2015. In all three documents, CSU "is obligated to provide the district with up to 1,000 acre feet of water per year." An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.

Donala’s decreed renewable water right from Donala’s Willow Springs Ranch, located near Mount Massive and Leadville, flows from the ranch down the Arkansas River and is stored in the Pueblo Reservoir through an annual agreement with the federal Bureau of Reclamation. CSU transports Donala’s water from the Pueblo Reservoir during high demand periods through a CSU pipe to a CSU water treatment plant.

After treatment of Donala’s water, CSU delivers Donala’s now-treated potable water by another CSU pipe to a connection with Donala’s distribution system at the south end of the district for direct delivery to Donala customers. Donala does not have to further treat this Willow Creek Ranch renewable water after CSU treats it. CSU does not provide any of its water rights to Donala.

Petersen said CSU charges 150 percent of its "blended rate" for this transport and treatment for customers outside of its service area, or outside of the city of Colorado Springs That amounts to 80 percent of the residential CSU water rate plus 20 percent of the higher CSU commercial water rate for delivery of CSU potable water to a CSU customer. Petersen noted that Donala’s commercial percentage is much lower than 20 percent. Also, Donala pays about $250,000 per year to CSU for a water investment fee to pay for use of CSU’s infrastructure.

Petersen stated that Donala itself charges 150 percent of its standard fees for delivery of water outside of the Donala service area on a permanent basis. However, Donala is providing its own treated water, not treating another entity’s water and delivering it as is the case with CSU. He said the next negotiation would be for transport of water through the Southern Delivery System when it becomes operational, and he will do his best to negotiate a lower rate or policy cost.

Petersen said the CSU cost is "disproportionate" since CSU provides none of its water to Donala but "this has been CSU’s policy for years." He said he would try to arrange some meetings between board members and Colorado Springs City Council members to provide more information to the council about Donala’s agreement with CSU.

Director Ken Judd asked Petersen to obtain a cost breakdown of the various actual costs incurred by CSU that includes the savings to CSU for not having to provide any of its own water to Donala.

Bray said the current CSU bill has three parts: an infrastructure fee, a charge for the amount of water that is delivered, and fee increases minus credits. Each month the staff cross-checks the CSU invoiced water volume figures with the amount measured by Donala’s meters.

There was consensus from the board that the CSU policy is expensive but better than placing a heavier load on Donala’s groundwater wells during the high demand summer irrigation season. The board unanimously approved the second addendum with CSU.

Petersen recommended approval of a proposed six-month lease of Donala’s treated effluent to the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, which he said is the umbrella organization that operates Venetucci Farms. The lease starts on July 1 and would allow Venetucci to pump its shallow alluvial wells along Fountain Creek by replacing the pumped alluvial water with water credits (minus the transit loss for evaporation and absorption) for Donala’s effluent that flows south from the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility discharge pipe to the alluvial well location on Fountain Creek. The price for Donala’s effluent credits is $125 per acre-foot.

There was consensus from board members that they were happy to support Venetucci’s philanthropic Pumpkins for Kids program. Petersen said he would seek renewals of this agreement as long as they didn’t interfere with Donala’s internal district needs.

On a separate matter, Petersen reported that one of Forest Lakes Metropolitan District’s Denver aquifer augmentation wells had failed. Forest Lakes was using that well to sell untreated water to Kiewit Construction for its I-25 highway expansion project. Petersen advised the board that he had agreed to sell Forest Lakes some of Donala’s excess effluent credits at a rate of 0.52 acre-foot per day for $125 per acre-feet to help Forest Lakes meet its augmentation requirements. Forest Lakes is a co-owner with Donala and Triview Metropolitan District of the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Petersen presented his 2013 cost of service analysis to the board for review as information only. He noted that the various data on providing service to single- and multi-family residential and various types of commercial customers are difficult to correlate into simple patterns or rules of thumb due to the number of pervasive uncontrollable external factors, such as weather, that affect district operations.

Donala, like other special districts, has flat residential and commercial fees for different kinds of customers. Wastewater costs are far less variable than drinking water costs because wastewater flows are steadier, largely due to not being affected by summer irrigation surges. Bray reviewed the history of the district’s various loans, property tax ballots, and tax revenue allocations for the board.

Petersen noted that preliminary negotiations have resumed with two directors of the Academy Water and Sanitation District board regarding treatment of Academy’s sanitary sewer flows using a small portion of Donala’s owned flow and treatment capacity at the Upper Monument Creek facility. Donala is unlikely to need all of its owned flow and treatment capacity in the future because the district is about 98 percent built out at this time.

Note: Facility co-owner Forest Lakes already owns all the flow and treatment capacity it will need. Co-owner Triview is forecast to run out of owned treatment capacity as more vacant land in its service area is developed. At that point, Triview would have to pay all costs for further expansion of the Upper Monument Creek facility on its own.

Talks between Donala and Academy lapsed in 2012 while Academy explored a direct gravity connection with CSU’s wastewater system that might be less expensive to construct and operate. It now appears that Academy’s costs for obtaining sewer service from CSU would be substantially higher than initially estimated due to the complexity of obtaining easements for gravity flow from its plant to CSU’s collection system at Northgate Boulevard.

The Academy board was scheduled to visit the Donala board meeting on June 26. There was Donala board consensus to schedule a special board meeting on July 22 for further discussions with Academy.

Academy will need to have an election in November to seek voter approval for financing of a new wastewater treatment system.

Some of the preliminary information previously presented by Donala to Academy in a May 18, 2012 board-to-board letter was:

Petersen reported that the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority received a presentation on June 4 by the citizen stormwater group, led by Dave Munger, which is proposing a ballot question in November to establish the Pikes Peak Regional Drainage Authority and impose an impervious service fee on every property owner––up to $10 per month per residential property. Nonprofits like Donala and churches would not be exempt from fees they would also be charged based on the square footage of their roof and driveway.

This fee would be charged to all county properties, because the county is responsible for all its stormwater drainage infrastructure regardless of which water body the stormwater drains into. This stormwater fee would not apply solely to properties that drain through Fountain Creek.

The Munger group is making the same presentation to seven county municipalities (including Monument and Palmer Lake) seeking signatures on an intergovernmental agreement that will set the stage for a county-wide approach toward solving stormwater management issues. Petersen noted that he was surprised that the Monument mayor was opposed to this initiative.

The total amount being sought for all proposed county stormwater projects is about $800 million. The Munger proposal would generate an estimated $48 million to $50 million per year in "fee" revenue. The proposal calls for administrative costs to be "capped" at 1 percent. The Munger group will need to collect 84,000 valid signatures for this ballot question.

The authority won’t meet again until September.

Authority proposes ballot issue on stormwater fees

Petersen reported that the Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority received a presentation on June 4 by the citizen stormwater group, led by Dave Munger, which is proposing a ballot question in November to establish the Pikes Peak Regional Drainage Authority and impose an impervious service fee on every property owner––up to $10 per month per residential property. Nonprofits like Donala and churches would not be exempt from fees they would also be charged based on the square footage of their roof and driveway.

This fee would be charged to all county properties, because the county is responsible for all its stormwater drainage infrastructure regardless of which water body the stormwater drains into. This stormwater fee would not apply solely to properties that drain through Fountain Creek.

The Munger group is making the same presentation to seven county municipalities (including Monument and Palmer Lake) seeking signatures on an intergovernmental agreement that will set the stage for a county-wide approach toward solving stormwater management issues. Petersen noted that he was surprised that the Monument mayor was opposed to this initiative.

The total amount being sought for all proposed county stormwater projects is about $800 million. The Munger proposal would generate an estimated $48 million to $50 million per year in "fee" revenue. The proposal calls for administrative costs to be "capped" at 1 percent. The Munger group will need to collect 84,000 valid signatures for this ballot question.

The authority won’t meet again until September.

During the board’s review of the financial reports for May, Petersen noted that the state may allow small water districts to post their annual water quality reports for consumers on the district website rather than mailing it, which would save about $4,300 per year in printing and postage. The state already allows large districts to post the reports on their websites.

Petersen reviewed current policies on how many signatures are required for various sizes and types of district checks and who signs payment checks for each category of disbursement. He also reviewed what types of credit cards are used by the district staff, which employees are authorized to use them, and control policies for their availability to employees. No changes were made in any of these policies.

Petersen noted that the district had received the final investment statement from Davidson Fixed Income Management (www.davidsoncompanies.com). On May 14 the board accepted a proposal from Chandler Asset Management (www.chandlerasset.com) to manage the district investment accounts after Donala’s long-term advisor Scott Prickett and his investment team moved from Davidson to Chandler.

For more information, see www.ocn.me/v14n6.htm#DWSD0515.

Triview paid Donala $18,000 for 12 tap fees received in May under the management agreement for Donala assistance in financing the Upper Monument Creek expansion. Triview’s remaining balance to Donala is $688,469, which was estimated to equal the contribution from about 470 more tap fees, not counting interest. Triview currently has about 1,270 single-family homes and anticipates a total of 2,800 at build out.

The May financial reports were accepted as presented.

The board held the first of several general discussions related to future activities of the district. This discussion focused on the scope of the discussions and prioritization of long-term issues to be analyzed.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m.

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The next meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. on July 17 in the district conference room at 15850 Holbein Drive. Meetings are normally held on the third Thursday of the month. Information: 488-3603.

Triview water rights purchase, mouse permit finalized

Valerie Remington, district manager of the Triview Metropolitan District, provided clarifications to OCN regarding OCN’s article on the May 19 Monument Board of Trustees meeting (http://www.ocn.me/v14n6.htm#MBoT0519.)

She noted that there was additional information that citizens would be interested to know regarding the intergovernmental agreement for the district’s purchase of groundwater rights from Jackson Creek Land Co. and purchase of Triview water storage rights in Monument Lake from the Town of Monument, including potential use of the town’s Beaver Creek surface water rights for Triview augmentation.

After the Monument Board of Trustees approved this intergovernmental agreement at its April 7 regular board meeting (http://www.ocn.me/v14n5.htm#bot0407), the Triview board approved the intergovernmental agreement purchase of all of Jackson Creek Land Co.’s water rights at the regular April 8 Triview board meeting, as shown in the agenda and minutes for that meeting available on the Triview home page at www.triviewmetro.com.

Jackson Creek Land Co. paid the $675,000 fee to the Town of Monument for Triview’s storage rights and use of Beaver Creek water for augmentation.

Triview will use these water rights to drill a new groundwater well near the Mountain View Electric Association substation on Jackson Creek Parkway north of the Leather Chaps Drive intersection.

Also, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given Triview final approval of Triview’s 404 protected mouse habitat permit for full use of all of the land in the Creekside Commercial Development on the east side of Jackson Creek Parkway south of the Leather Chaps Drive intersection for the ongoing grading for construction of the new Goodwill and Colorado Springs Health Partners buildings.

Remington said both of these actions are important milestones for Triview.

Monument Sanitation District, June 19: District, Tri-Lakes facility audits for 2013 approved

District auditor Derek Watada of Bauerle & Co. reported at the June 19 Monument Sanitation District board meeting that his draft 2013 audit contained an unqualified, or "clean" opinion, with no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies found in staff or board management controls.

During 2013, about $190,000 of "paper loss" infrastructure depreciation was partially offset by the $5 monthly fee increase charged to district customers starting in April 2013. This fee increase was needed to pay off the new district loan debt of $400,000 created in December for the district’s share of construction costs for new phosphate removal equipment at the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility. The actual amount of district cash on hand began to increase slightly after the fee increase.

Matada reported that a few new line items were added to the 2013 district budget to account for the district’s new loan of $400,000 in December for its one-third share of the $2.08 million expense of designing and installing new phosphate removal equipment at the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility over the next two years. There will also be related new line items in subsequent Monument district budgets and Tri-Lakes facility budgets.

The district will be partially reimbursed for its one-third share of the $2.08 million design and construction cost from its one-third share of two state three-year nutrient grants. Monument, Woodmoor, and Palmer Lake each received a $360,000 share of a state $80,000 planning grant and a state $1 million construction grant to the Tri-Lakes facility for a total of $1.08 million.

Matada recommended that the district add a new budget item to reflect the district’s actual liability for accrued vacation and sick leave payouts to the district’s full-time employees as they approach retirement age within the next several years. He recommended adding a liability of $15,000 per year, starting with a change in the audited 2013 budget, until the total in the liability line equals the actual amount due to the employees upon retirement, a long-term total of about $75,000.

Wicklund noted that the district’s minimal staffing of two full-time employees and one part-time employee with no benefits makes it difficult for the full-time employees to take any vacation because they must be available for hazardous materials emergencies on a 24-hour basis as well as regular office hours.

The board unanimously approved the draft 2013 audit as presented and amended with some minor changes in terminology, further simplification of the audit’s footnotes regarding the nutrient loan and state grants, and the successful TABOR waiver election in November 2013 that allowed the district to accept $360,000 in state grants. The final audit is due to the state by July 31.

District Manager Mike Wicklund asked Watada to also include any minor changes that may be made to the related 2013 Tri-Lakes facility audit performed by auditor Christy Reeves of audit firm John Cutler and Associates. Wicklund noted that the Tri-Lakes draft 2013 audit also contained an unqualified, or "clean" opinion, and was unanimously approved as presented and amended by the facility’s Joint Use Committee (JUC) on June 10. The facility’s final 2013 audit is also due to the state by July 31.

Note: The Tri-Lakes facility operates as a separate public utility and is jointly owned, in equal one-third shares, by Monument Sanitation District, Palmer Lake Sanitation District, and Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District. The three-member JUC acts as the board of the facility and consists of one director from each of the three owner districts’ boards: President Don Smith of Monument, Vice President Jim Taylor of Woodmoor, and Secretary/Treasurer Ken Smith of Palmer Lake.

The Monument board approved a contract with Insituform Technologies LLC of Littleton to reline deteriorating vitreous clay collection pipes in the alley west of Washington Street. The total cost for equipment mobilization and doing cured-in place pipe relining for 517 feet of 6-inch clay pipes and 843 feet of 8-inch clay pipe is $42,305.

Wicklund noted that Insituform is a felt tube soaked in resins that is pulled through the collection line from manhole to manhole, then inflated and cured in place with steam. The cured resins transform the felt tube into a form-fitting solid pipe that lines the inside the original pipe. The cured liner has a life-span of over 100 years. This method is far more cost-effective and less disruptive than digging up old vitreous clay pipes and installing new state of the art PVC lines.

Insituform is a national multi-billion-dollar company with excellent reliability and warranty service.

The board unanimously approved the inclusion of four lots into the district: three residential lots in Wakonda Hills and the commercial lot for the Colorado Sports Center Ice Skating Rink on Old Denver Highway.

The board unanimously accepted the treasurer’s report as presented.

In other matters, Wicklund noted that the contractor that operates and maintains the Colorado State Internet Portal Authority had changed. The authority operates and maintains the district website. The authority’s new contractor is adding a button to the district’s home page that will allow district customers to pay their bills by credit card. People who use this credit card payment option will have to pay a transaction service charge in addition to the amount owed to the district to cover the cost of the authority operating the district’s website at no charge to the district.

The meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.

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The date of the next regular JUC meeting has been changed from Tuesday, July 8 to Thursday, July 10.

The July 10 JUC meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the at the Tri-Lakes facility’s conference room, 16510 Mitchell Ave. JUC meetings are normally held on the second Tuesday of the month. Information for these meetings is available at 481-4053.

The next regular Monument Sanitation District meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on July 17 in the district conference room at 130 Second St. Monument Sanitation District meetings are normally held on the third Thursday of the month. Information: 481-4886.

Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, June 12: District hopes to improve communication

At the June 12 Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board meeting, District Manager Jessie Shaffer asked the board for input on WWSD’s publication, The Pipeline, and sought ways for the board and staff to improve communication with district residents.

Director Beth Courrau suggested using Internet-based software to allow written questions and answers to be communicated between the district board and staff and WWSD residents. Courrau said she is already using Internet software among Woodmoor communities to successfully communicate community information.

Other suggestions from the board and Shaffer included holding classroom seminars, maintaining a booth at the Monument Farmers Market, organizing events at local high schools, and organizing a barbecue event for district residents. No motions or votes were taken on this topic.

Significant income sources to WWSD for May include the renewable water investment fee, which generated $163, 802. Water and sewer taps generated $93,894 of income, the water use fees generated $139,691 of income and sewer use fees generated $93,388 of income. Total operating income received in May is $498,281.

Total operating expenses for the same period were $997,756. Significant expenses for WWSD for the month included a bond interest expense of $627,781 and construction, costing $79,151.

Assistant Manager Randy Gillette said the telemetry equipment is installed at Chilcott Ditch, but until the accuracy of the equipment can be proven, WWSD will continue to receive manual readouts of the water measured into JV Ranch.

Gillette expects WWSD will incur the cost of realigning several manhole covers along County Line Road to the proper depth as the road is expected to undergo a two-year construction project.

The monthly water report showed 2.8 million gallons of unaccounted water between April 30 and May 30, representing 11 percent of water billed. Total potable water billed for the same period was 24.0 million gallons. Shaffer reported that additional meters will be installed to track down leaks in the water delivery system between the start and end points of the system.

Gillette reported to the board that WWSD sent out an email blast to about 1,265 people to announce that WWSD is now providing Lake Woodmoor water to district customers.

WWSD’s new representative to the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility’s Joint Use Committee will be Director Rich Strom. Current representative Director Jim Taylor reported that the facility is running normally.

The board voted unanimously to go into executive session.

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The next meeting is currently scheduled for Thursday, July 10, at 1 p.m. at 1846 Woodmoor Drive. Please call 719-488-2530, or visit www.woodmoorwater.com for more information.

Nancy Wilkins can be reached at nancywilkins@ocn.me.

Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department’s Future, June 7: Committee explains problems, provides options and solicits community input

The Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department (PLVFD) Future Committee held a community meeting June 7 to talk about PLVFD’s status and future. Members of the Palmer Lake Town Council, PLVFD volunteers, and 35 residents attended the meeting.

The committee provided a questionnaire to solicit community input on the following options which, except for the last option, would increase taxes to pay for bond and operating costs:

Town Trustee Richard Kuehster noted that the PLVFD budget has been declining each year. The current budget is $99,000, of which $47,000 is restricted funds that come from the town’s 1-cent sales tax that it shares with the Police Department. The budget is down 10 percent due to lower property values and declining sales tax due to loss of businesses under the recession. Insurance costs continue to rise and consume half of the unrestricted budget funds.

Kuehster indicated that the Fire Department’s building is falling down and equipment is not being maintained. Medical calls now represent over 90 percent of the calls and provide first responders to residents, often before the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Department can respond. He stated that, besides life and property protection, the Fire Department is one of the glues that hold the community together.

Palmer Lake Fire Chief Margo Humes spoke about the volunteers, four of whom live in the district. The remaining 23 live elsewhere and come to service the community. Volunteers require training to be certified. They pay for training and uniforms from their own pockets unless it comes from a donation. Everyone in the department has gone through wildland fire training and sawyer training and all have been wildland certified. Keeping the community safe requires fire mitigation on residents’ part, she said.

Humes reiterated the rundown condition of the building and the deferred maintenance on the equipment resulting in bald tires on the brush truck. She asked for support for daily 24-hour staffing, including on Christmas, to guarantee quick responses to fire and medical emergencies with qualified structure firefighters and EMT support. She would like to send the volunteers on deployments that bring in revenue for use of the brush truck and provide pay and experience.

Committee member Bill Fisher detailed the first four options noted on the survey, including the need for wider truck bays, a storage/gear room, a laundry room with a washer-extractor, offices, and secure storage for medical supplies. The facility needs a day room with kitchen/dining/living room space, a training classroom, a bunk room and separate bathrooms for men and women, he said.

The building needs an estimated 4,800 square feet, Fisher said, and group members have worked with contractors to come up with an estimated cost of $190 per square foot. To build a public safety building to include the Police Department would add an additional 2,500 square feet.

Resident feedback included comments, questions, and responses from the committee on the following topics:

Committee members addressed these questions. Residents expressed both concern and support for increasing taxes. Several speakers gave testimonials on service they have received from the PLVFD. Judith Harrington thanked the volunteers on the committee and encouraged others to volunteer and help them.

Kuehster invited attendees to visit the PLVFD station. The committee needs to decide by July 22 which option, if any, to put on the November ballot and will have another community meeting on Saturday, July 12 at Town Hall.

Donald Wescott Fire Department District, June 17: 2013 audit given clean bill of health

At the June 17 Donald Wescott Fire Protection District (DWFPD) board meeting, Thomas Sistare of Hoelting & Co. said the 2013 audit received an "unmodified" or "clean" opinion.

Directors Joyce Hartung, John Fredell, and Fire Chief Vinny Burns were excused from the meeting.

The 2013 audit for the general fund shows a net increase of $24,991 being added to the fund balance. The total ending balance for the general fund, after adding $24,991, is recorded as $1,292 for Dec. 31. The auditing process performed by Hoelting & Co. includes the use of DWFPD’s 2013 budget previously submitted to Colorado’s Department of Local Government.

According to the 2013 audit, DWFPD received a $6,000 grant from the El Pomar Foundation. With these funds, DWFPD purchased wildland firefighting supplies; tents, shelter packs, protective gear, and hose to replace equipment used in fighting six wildland fires in Colorado and surrounding states.

Sistare’s suggestions for DWFPD include establishing a budget and trial balance for the volunteer firefighters’ pension fund and making these reports routinely available. Sistare said ideally separate financial statements should be produced for the volunteer firefighters pension fund.

The 2013 audit was accepted by the board by unanimous vote. It contains an invitation on page "v" for district residents to contact Fire Chief Vinny Burns if there are any questions.

Administrative Assistant Stacy Popovich said that as of May 31 the district’s bank balances amounted to: Peoples National Bank $46,948, PNP Colorado Peak Fund $108,012, Colorado Trust $439,389, and Wells Fargo Public trust $971,980, for a total of 1.6 million.

Expenses from Jan. 1 through May 14 amounted to $795,712, or 25.92 percent of the annual budgeted amount. General property tax revenues received through May 14 amounted to $1 million.

DWFPD received 184 emergency-related calls in May. Ninety calls were for emergency medical assistance. Total calls were up 5 percent compared to 176 calls in May 2013.

For upcoming July 4 events, DWFPD will be in the Monument parade and at the Black Forest fireworks. Assistant Chief Scott Ridings referred to the unincorporated El Paso County fire ban ordnance 02-02 restricting open fires and limiting fireworks. This ordinance can be viewed at http://car.elpasoco.com/clerktotheboard/Documents/022.pdf.

Ridings also said DWFPD is still offering a wood chipping service to district residents to help with fire mitigation.

The meeting adjourned at 7:47 p.m.

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The DWFPD board meets at 7 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month at 15415 Gleneagle Dr. The next scheduled meeting is July 15. Please call 488-8680, a non-emergency number, or visit www.wescottfire.org for more information.

Nancy Wilkins can be reached at nancywilkins@ocn.me.

PLHS gives presentation on fires, Revolutionary War

John Putnam answered the horrible question of "My House Was Destroyed in the Fire— Now What?" on June 10, telling those at the Palmer Lake Historical Society-sponsored meeting about the organizations set up in El Paso County to assist homeowners. (See article below)

At the regular Historical Society meeting on June 19, Brent Brown displayed his original and, in some cases, reproduction firearms and edged weapons as he introduced the audience to the Dragoons and Cavalry units of the Revolutionary War. Audience members brought their own collections of firearms from the period. Brown later visited the Vaile Museum where he indentified all of the swords and edged weapons for use in descriptions of the society’s collection.

The society also celebrated Fathers’ Day on June 15 with its traditional Ice Cream Social—an afternoon of music and free Rock House Ice Cream on the Village Green.

On July 17 at 7 p.m., Mel McFarland will present "Stories You May Not Have Heard" at the Palmer Lake Town Hill, as this famed author and storyteller returns for another evening of great tales of the Pikes Peak Region.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 19, the society will join hands and heart with One Nation Walking Together for the Annual Colorado Springs Native American InterTribal Powwow at the Freedom Financial Services Expo Center, 3650 N. Nevada Ave. in the Springs. Adults pay a $2 fee, and Native Americans in full regalia and all kids are admitted free.

My house is on fire; now what?

Based upon the recent lessons learned from the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest wildfires, folks living in or near the wildland urban interface (WUI) should take certain steps now to prepare for the potential of a wildfire. John Putnam presented these steps at a June 10 meeting sponsored by the Palmer Lake Historical Society.

Just like life’s many endeavors, a good offense is a good defense, Putnam said. With the increased probability of wildfire in Colorado’s WUI, he offered three suggestions for strong offense in preparing for a possible wildfire.

First, and most critical, it is essential that your insurance program provides adequate coverage to assist with any (wildfire or other covered) post-loss recoveries. The cornerstone of your insurance planning is to make certain your dwelling coverage is sufficient to replace/rebuild your home as it currently exists—original costs plus any added upgrades. Homeowners should not just rely on what their insurance companies suggest but be actively engaged in coming up with this estimated cost and then insure for that figure. Once the correct Coverage A has been established, homeowners should assess with their agent or insurance company the following additional coverage:

Clearly, it is important to have a seasoned insurance professional help you navigate through these important insurance questions.

Secondly, good insurance and disaster preparedness practices suggest certain activities to minimize the impacts of any potential wildfire losses. One of the more stressful activities following a wildfire loss is preparing an inventory of your personal property. Best practices suggest making this list before purchasing insurance protection so you know how much coverage to purchase and to facilitate any post-loss recovery. There are many methods for preparing these lists, but they are an essential part of each homeowner’s preparedness regardless of whether you live in the WUI.

If you do live in the WUI, you should consult with your local fire department to develop a plan of vegetation mitigation and structure hardening that will assist them in defending your home if a wildfire occurs. You should develop and practice an evacuation plan to "get out" if a natural catastrophe occurs and make sure this includes scenarios for all family members wherever they might be when a loss occurs. Finally, some thought should be given to identifying/preparing the documents and items that you will evacuate on a moment’s notice if a catastrophe should occur, which may include either backing up valuable items/photographs prior to any disaster.

Finally, both wildfires suggest the importance of "community" in the post-disaster environment. While each survivor must oversee his or her own recovery, the collective activity of a neighborhood or community will greatly accelerate a post-disaster recovery. In both local wildfires, community connections were developed after the disaster rather than before. For residents who live in the WUI, it is very important to start the formation of "community" groups pre-loss rather than awaiting a disaster to start this process. These groups should have a social component as well as a disaster preparation component.

As Coloradans face the "new reality" of an increased wildfire risk, it is important to make proactive changes in our lives that will pay great dividends should a natural disaster strike any one of us.

Lewis-Palmer D-38 Board of Education, June 19: Board approves new curricula, budget

The Board of Education of Lewis-Palmer School District 38 approved a number of new curricula at its June 19 meeting. Two of these are pilot projects involving the use of eBooks and technology as well as physical textbooks. In each case, 15 computers will be provided to each classroom for student use.

Director of Assessment and Gifted Education Lori Benton explained the anatomy/physiology curriculum by demonstrating the use of video to show CT scans and X-rays that would be viewed and analyzed by students. She also demonstrated how the terminology is presented and explained that students would have access to the materials from home and from media centers in the schools. Practice tests with feedback are also included.

Participation in the curriculum requires a six-year license that includes updates to the materials. The license will make it possible to use a book on 45 devices. A conventional textbook in this subject would cost $135, while the virtual materials would cost $175 and include the additional materials.

Astronomy teacher Mary Gregory of Lewis-Palmer High School explained the astronomy curriculum. She said that students can receive credit at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) upon completion of the curriculum by paying a portion of the usual tuition cost.

She stressed that it is useful to encourage students to participate in many aspects of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Gregory explained that the e-curriculum is particularly appropriate in the field of astronomy because of the rate of discovery in the field. Today’s students are of the generation that will explore deep space and perhaps visit Mars and other planets. For this reason, Gregory said, it is imperative to encourage interest in the field. She demonstrated that video included in the software would show real-time images and explain various aspects of the solar system and universe.

She said that the Ranger Legacy Fund has donated funds for the purchase of several Dell tablets for use in the class. Other grants are being sought.

Gregory said that her goal is to create a model for this curriculum that would invite corporate sponsorship from such sources as Lockheed-Martin.

In answering questions from the board, Benton said that the use of video in these programs is intended to engage rather than entertain students. She said that the district will offer to demonstrate these new curricula to parents before they are implemented.

The board approved the pilot program pending the parent review period.

Teacher Michelle Baxter explained a new Project Lead the Way program in biomedical science. She said that a goal of this curriculum is to allow students to use specialized tools and methods to solve problems in this field and determine whether they wish to pursue a career in this area.

Classes are offered online and accompanied by hands-on activities and open-ended problem solving. The approach in the first level class is to discover a dead body and determine the cause of death through a number of tests and processes of elimination. She said that the course offers several alternate problems so that each class will work with a different set of circumstances.

Baxter said that the level 1 class, Principles of Biomedical Sciences, would be offered in grades 9 through12.

The end-of-course assessment is administered nationally. The school’s university link is with UCCS. Following the level 1 class are three more, for which she will be trained in future years. Some universities offer preferred admittance to those who complete the series.

The board approved participation in this program.

Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Wangeman reported that one change was made to the proposed budget since its first presentation at the May meeting.

After speaking with many local developers, she and interim Superintendent Ted Bauman decided to reduce the projected growth in the student population from 100 new students to 50. This would reduce state revenues by $335,000. Wangeman said that the budget is conservative and reminded the board that state spending on education continues to be lower than expected.

She said that discussions with the developers included such factors as the number and size of new homes and their price range. Her office receives weekly reports on enrollment. She said that the slowdown in growth in the area may be partly due to changes in the military community.

Goals under the budget are to improve the district’s technology infrastructure, address class size, and provide compensation increases for staff.

Wangeman said that as a result of the lowering of expectations, the rate of reserves will fall from 18 percent to 17 percent going into the 2014-15 year. She cautioned that there are many unknowns in future expenditures, including potential changes in utility rates due to unrest in the Middle East.

Board Treasurer John Mann stressed that the budget process is fluid and is revisited a number of times in the course of a school year. He said that the situation will be better known following the official student count in October.

The board approved the budget as presented.

The board voted to retire all of its long-term debt through defeasance of its 2010 Certificates of Participation, which were refinancing debt on its properties. By paying these off, the district will no longer be paying any obligations that involve interest.

Pfoff pointed out that at the time the certificates were issued, the board planned to retire them either this year or in 2015. In doing so, the board will save $300,000.

Wangeman said that the process will be set in motion the following week, with settlement to occur in early August.

The board approved the defeasance of the 2010 certificates of participation.

Superintendent Karen Brofft reported briefly on a recent retreat of members of the board, principals, and administrators. She said that the goal was to discuss the vision and mission of the district.

Planned actions were to go from policy governance to a policy review method of governance, to create goals for political engagement, develop a long-term facilities plan, and develop a professional development plan.

Two building administrators from Edith Wolford Elementary School in Black Forest thanked the board for the efforts of a fifth-grade class from Prairie Winds Elementary School, which planned and planted a garden in an area that had been destroyed by the fire.

The garden was planted in May. They especially thanked Barb Sailer, McCord Garden Center, and R Rock Yard for their contributions.

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The Lewis-Palmer School District board meets at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the district’s Learning Center, 146 Jefferson St., Monument. There will not be a meeting in July. The next meeting will be on Aug. 21.

Harriet Halbig may be reached at harriethalbig@ocn.me.

Board of County Commissioners, June 17, 19: Embattled sheriff disputes accusations

By Lisa Hatfield

On June 17, Sheriff Terry Maketa addressed the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on recent accusations about his command structure and the functioning of the Sheriff’s Office during the current investigation. Some of Maketa’s prepared comments included:

Background: Three commanders in the sheriff’s office sent a complaint letter about Maketa directly to the BOCC on May 12. On May 13, the BOCC met in an executive session with legal counsel, sent a response letter to the sheriff, and began an outside investigation of the Sheriff’s Office. Since the BOCC is the funding agency for all the elected offices, it is obligated to fund the sheriff’s separate legal counsel in any investigation.

On May 29, the commissioners unanimously approved a vote of no confidence in the sheriff and publicly asked him to resign his office. They do not have the authorit to take any employment action on an elected official. Only the resignation of the sheriff or a successful recall petition by the voters could remove him from office before the end of his elected term in January.

On June 19, the sheriff sent out press release MR 14-041, disclosing internal personnel records on Deputy Kerry Linfoot, who alleged low morale in the sheriff’s office in May.

Commissioner Dennis Hisey wrote the following in a letter to Maketa on June 19 that was sent to OCN in a county press release.

"Sheriff Maketa:

Letters to Our Community

Disclamer: The opinions expressed in Letters to Our Community should not be interpreted as the views of OCN even if the letter written is an OCN volunteer.

Dear friends and neighbors,

We, Vicki Gray and her family, would like to thank you for your love and support during Vicki’s battle with cancer. The cards and notes, the personal expressions of concern, the willingness to share memories and stories have brought comfort to us all. We are grateful to be surrounded by such a caring community.

With heartfelt thanks,

Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore: Celebrating Colorado

Aug. 1 is Colorado Day, commemorating the date when Colorado officially became a state, so we thought it would be appropriate to feature some books about our beautiful home. Interspersed with the reviews are some trivia questions; answers can be found at the end of the column.

Just a few hours drive south lies one of our country’s newest national parks. Achieving national park status in 2004, Sand Dunes National Monument has long been an alluring, but almost other-worldly, contrast to our more common evergreen- and aspen-covered mountains. This small book captures the wonder of the dunes: through the four seasons; at sunrise, sunset, and after dark; in grand vistas and intimate close-ups.

In 1873, Isabella Bird, wearing Hawaiian riding dress, rode her horse through the American Wild West, a terrain only newly opened to pioneer settlement. The letters that make up this volume, first published in 1879, tell of magnificent, unspoiled landscapes and abundant wildlife, of encounters with rattlesnakes, wolves, pumas, and grizzly bears, and her reactions to the volatile passions of the miners and pioneer settlers. She deemed it "no region for tourists and women."

In her book about "quirky characters, roadside oddities, and other offbeat stuff," Grout beckons us to venture off the road most traveled, to find the unusual. She says, "… the real beauty of Colorado is in the mindset of the people, in the willingness of Coloradoans to try new things, to step out of the box, to see the world differently than CNN says it is."

John and Eliza Routt first came to Colorado in 1875, when John was appointed territorial governor. By the time they both died in 1907, Colorado had been a state for 31 years. John had served as governor for three terms and as Denver mayor for one term, had become a "Bonanza King" (as those who found wealth in the mining camps were called), and had overseen construction of the new state capitol. Eliza had served as the first woman on the State Board of Agriculture and had the distinction of being the first woman registered to vote in Colorado. Few people embraced Colorado as this pioneering couple did.

Harriet Backus writes about her life as an assayer’s wife and true pioneer of the West with heart-felt emotion and vivid detail. Sharing amusing and often challenging experiences as a new bride in the high San Juan Mountains where the Tomboy Mine operated above Telluride, she paints a poignant picture of the people and their life centered on silver mining.

We’ve all seen the movie, but have you read Michener’s classic saga of trappers, traders, homesteaders, gold seekers, ranchers, and hunters? The last two paragraphs may just sum up for many of us our feelings about living in Colorado: "… because at night, when I’m through workin’ I can jump into my pickup and be up in the Rockies inside of an hour—pitch my tent … up beyond the crud, beside a real stream of water, and wake up with trees in my eyes.… I live [here] because it’s maybe the best spot in America … could even be the best remainin’ spot on earth." It just may be.

Make it a point this summer to get out and experience our wondrous home and to read something about the dramatic events and conflicts, and the courageous men and women who shaped our legendary West. Until next month, happy reading.

HANG - High Altitude Natural Gardens: Plant warmer-season vegetables in July

Did you know there’s still time to start a garden this year? The Monument Community Garden is in demo mode—you can check it out on Beacon Lite Road just south of Monument Town Hall. It’s been the Tri-Lakes Gardening Community (TLGC) project for years, cared for by volunteers who plant, care for, harvest, and share with the Tri-Lakes Cares food bank.

TLGC and a youth group of Ascent Church demonstrated the "crop mob" method of making a hugelkultur raised-bed garden and an African keyhole garden in June. Enormous thanks to them for two amazing work days of creating viable family gardens on top of patches of sand and weeds.

Building these beds provided a model for our home gardeners to learn to succeed at growing food in our dry, high altitude. Thanks to TLGC education, at least six of these home gardens popped up around town in June, and there are surely more to come.

In June 2013, the crop mob and I created my sheet mulch bed at 18 inches high. I planted onions, beans, lettuces, and chard in mid-July, and the harvest began in late August. Now that bed, still fluffy and viable, has composted down to 3 inches high. The triangular hugelkultur raised bed peaks at 3 feet high; we’ll plant into the sides and top of it. It needs irrigation this year but won’t in its subsequent 10 to 30 years, and it doesn’t need tilling or weeding.

TLGC’s tips for July: Water deeply via the "2 knuckles deep" moisture test, either very early or very late in the day to avoid water loss by evaporation. For July hailstorms, protect the garden with netting. My loyal cat chases away birds and other critters, but I still have that net just in case the cat is napping off duty. With July’s warmer night air, seeds and baby plants can include squashes, beans, tomato plants, eggplants, and other items.

In summer, some Tri-Lakes-area gardeners do ad hoc garden walks, so keep an eye open for local flyers as well as notices on these Facebook pages:
www.facebook.com/MonumentCommunityGarden
and
www.facebook.com/pages/Tri-Lakes-Garden-Community/1386155058330111.

Art Matters: Art group honors four; sculptures installed

The Palmer Lake Art Group (PLAG) held its 49th annual Fine Arts Show and Sale on June 20 at the Mountain Community Gallery at the Mountain Mennonite Church. With money from their sales each year, PLAG sponsors annual scholarship awards for outstanding creative achievement of local high school students to support their continued education in the arts.

This year’s award honorees are: Lauren Davis, pursuing animation, illustration and graphic design at the Savannah College of Art and Design; Mikayla Martin, pursuing art education at Eastern Mennonite University; Randi Nielsen, pursuing graphic arts and design at Fort Hayes State University; and Tayanna Todd, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in film and TV production at the University of Southern California.

Honorees Davis and Nielsen said that they had loved art and making things since early childhood and continued throughout the years exploring their art interests.

We talked about how art and design classes support needed skills in so many career choices, and that making art has given them the ability to reach their goals for college. They said that making visual art such as drawing and painting and even animating clay into videos got them ready for their future.

And let’s celebrate the outdoors! Tri-Lakes Views (TLV) installed 11 new public art sculptures from Palmer Lake to Monument on June 19. A celebration of the installations was held at Catriona Wine Cellars in Monument, combining the event with Art Hop. For June, Catriona Cellars had sculptures and artworks throughout by Mark Giovanni, and a white marble sculpture by Ruth Burink greeted guests at the entrance.

TLV leaders, including Sky Hall and Betty Konarski, greeted everyone at the gala after a long day overseeing the installation processes of this season’s public art sculptures. Hall later introduced the artists, TLV officials, and the upcoming fine art bench project for the Monument Sculpture Park.

A site map for the public art on view, sponsored by TLV and local businesses, will be available mid-July at local merchants around town.

The next Monument Art Hop will be on July 17.

Snapshots of Our Community

Click here to view the on-line version. Snapshots of Our Community begins on page 25. Below is the text of the captions and articles that appeared within the Snapshots section:

June and July library events: Great participation in Summer Reading

Registration for the Summer Reading program is at 111 for the baby program, 1,451 for big kids, and 558 for teens just two weeks into the program. Over 60 teen volunteers continue to keep the registration and awards processes running smoothly. We thank them again for their help.

Watch for us as we march in the July 4 parade in Monument.

Children’s programs

Special summer programming continues throughout July.

Monday afternoons from 2:30 to 4 have art and science programs for ages 7 and up. July 7 will be Inkblot Art using tempera paint—wear an old shirt! July 14 is Chemistry—stuff that glows and disappears and is created. July 21 is a program on electricity and magnetism—build your own circuits in our lab.

Tuesday mornings at 10:30 have programs for a wider span of ages. On July 1 will be Fizz, Boom, Laugh!, including stories, science, and fun. July 8 will be Bruce Black’s Fizz, Boom, Read, a magic show. July 15 will be Meet Kathy’s Kritters, a chance to get close to such animals as sugar gliders, hedgehogs, snakes, and other reptiles. July 22 will be a special program from Science Matters for ages 5 and up.

Each Thursday through July 24 will be a story and craft program for all ages at 2:30.

The Lego Club will meet on Saturday, July 19 from 10 to 11:30.

For teens and tweens, there will be two computer classes during July. In both you will learn to build your own video game. Required materials are your own laptop loaded with Gamemaker software and an optional flash drive with pictures loaded onto it. The classes are on July 9 and July 23 at 4 p.m. The program is for ages 10 to 18, and registration is required.

Adult programs

Two adult computer classes will be held in July. The first, on July 16, is Staying Safe, which teaches about preventing infection by computer viruses. Bring your own laptop if you have one. The second, on July 30, is a general troubleshooting session to ask any questions you may have.

The Monumental Readers will meet from 10 to noon on Friday, July 18 to discuss Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. New members are always welcome to attend this monthly book club.

On the walls during July will be watercolors by Cynthia Wood. In the display case will be a collection of wedding dolls.

Palmer Lake Library events

Special programs will be offered each Wednesday at 10:30. On July 2 will be Fizz, Boom, Candycadabra! Join Scientist Smarties and the Amazing Caramello as they experiment with candy. Is it magic or is it science? Join Denise Gard and her border collie Sienna for Alien Alert on July 9. Meet a beekeeper from the Pikes Peak Beekeepers on July 16. Some bees will be on hand in an enclosed container. Learn about these insects and make a craft (best for ages 4 and up).

On July 23, chickens will abound when Laura Foye brings her Silkie Chickens to the library. Make a little chick to take home. And finally on July 30, come to a Craft Extravaganza and bring your creative urges to life.

The Palmer Lake Book Group normally meets at 9 a.m. on the first Friday of the month. Due to the July 4 holiday, the group will meet on July 11 this year. Please call 481-2587 for the current selection.

Please note that all Pikes Peak Library facilities will be closed on Friday, July 4.

And finally, join us for the 2014 Summer Reading Party, Tuesday, July 29 from 10 to noon at the Palmer Lake Village Green. Bring the whole family to enjoy refreshments, games, face painting, gold panning from the Mining Museum, the Bare Bones Trombone Ensemble, an inflatable obstacle course, and much more.

Rolls and butter are served with each meal except sandwiches. Dessert is also provided.

Lunch is at 11:30 a.m. at 146 Jefferson St., Monument (the School District 38 Administration Building, "Big Red"). $3 voluntary donation. Entertainment follows lunch. For more information, call Judy, 487-9067. An activity of Tri-Lakes Health Advocacy Partnership. Meals are provided by Pinecrest Catering, Palmer Lake; Nikki McDonald, executive chef, 481-3307.

High school coaches are offering sports day camps for elementary and middle school students! See the details on individual team web sites. Students are welcome to attend camps at either school. This month:

For more information, visit www.lewispalmer.org.

National Night Out is an annual event promoting crime prevention and drug prevention in communities across the country. The event’s recurring theme is: "Give neighborhood crime and drugs a going away party."

The concept is to turn on your porch light and come outside to join your neighbors to make a show of solidarity and strength. Residents also can hold a block party, barbecue, neighborhood walk, or other activity to show their participation. The Sheriff’s Office encourages all residents of unincorporated El Paso County to plan an event and let them know about it.

Sheriff’s Office employees will be traveling around the county Aug. 5 to attend the neighborhood celebrations. There will be prize drawings at the registered events. For more information or for tips on planning your event, visit: www.natw.org and click on the "National Night Out" button. For questions, contact Mikel Baker, crime prevention coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office: mikelbaker@elpasoco.com; 520-7151.

United Policyholders reminds all homeowners affected by the 2013 Black Forest wildfire that the one-year anniversary is approaching and there are important deadlines in insurance policies and Colorado law that may come up at this mark that will affect your claims and your rights. If you have not reached an acceptable insurance settlement, communicate with your insurer as soon as possible. For more information, contact 520-7324 or JoelQuevillon@elpasoco.com.

Basketball Camp, July 14-18; Cheerleading Camp, July 21-25; Volleyball Camp, July 28-Aug. 1; Advanced Soccer Camp, Aug. 4-8; Baseball Camp, Aug. 11-15.

Fall sports: flag football, ages 6-12; soccer, ages 3-14; volleyball, grades 1-8. Practices begin the week of Aug. 25; games are Sept. 6-Oct. 11. 17250 Jackson Creek Pkwy., Monument. Financial assistance available. Register at www.ppymca.org /locations/tri-lakes or call 481-8728.

Black Forest Regional Park burned badly in the Black Forest Fire, then heavy rains that followed damaged trails and caused severe erosion. This summer, crews will install log barriers to fight erosion and plant native plants to revegetate the 385-acre park. You can help! Workdays are July 19, 20; Aug. 23, 24; and Sept. 13, 14. To register call the Rocky Mountain Field Institute at 471-7736 or contact Molly at molly@rmfi.org. For other volunteer opportunities in our parks, trails, and open spaces go www.openspacevolunteers.org.

This year’s Kids Summer Reading Program is Fizz Boom Read! Registration began June 1 and the program runs through July 31. Register online, www.ppld.org, or in person at your local library and start reading! Info: 488-2370, www.ppld.org.

Become a CASA volunteer and make a difference in the life of a child involved in a case of abuse or neglect in El Paso and Teller Counties. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) invites you to an informational hour scheduled for July 24, 5:30 p.m., at 701 S. Cascade, Colorado Springs. If you are interested but cannot attend that meeting, contact Kelly, 447-9898, ext. 1033, or visit the website, www.casappr.org, for more information.

The school offers full and half-day preschool, Core Knowledge Curriculum with small class size, Christ-centered education. NCA accredited, state licensed, financial aid available. Call or visit: 124 First St., Monument; 481-1855; www.petertherock.org.

High Plains Helping Hands (HPHH) was recently awarded a grant of $1,500 from the Ent Community Fund of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation. High Plains Helping Hands is a community service agency located in the Black Forest area and is supported by local businesses, individuals, families, service groups, and churches, as well as by foundations throughout Colorado. The nonprofit provides food security for 200-300 families through its food pantry program each month, as well as other services. Several new programs are designed to increase HPHH clients’ long-term health and self-sufficiency, including flu shot clinics, nutritional classes, and budgeting classes. For more information, visit www.hphh.com or email rose@hphh.org.

The Awake Palmer Lake committee is looking for grant writers to help with the next Great Outdoor Colorado (GOCO) grant application to improve the park at Palmer Lake; the grant could be worth $300,000. See http://awakepalmerlake.org for more information or contact Park and Recreation Trustee Mike Patrizi at parks@palmer-lake.org.

The El Paso County Black Forest Slash and Mulch season is here! Slash (tree and brush debris only) will be accepted until Sept. 27. Mulch will be available until Sept. 27 or when mulch runs out. Hours of operation are: Saturdays, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sundays, noon-4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 5-7:30 p.m. The mulch loader schedule is Saturdays only, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. The loader fee is $5 per bucket, about 2 cubic yards. The slash and mulch site is located at the southeast corner of Shoup and Herring Roads in the Black Forest area. For more information visit www.bfslash.org or phone Carolyn Brown, 495-3127; Chuck Lidderdale, 495-8675; Jeff DeWitt, 495-8024; El Paso County Environmental Division, 520-7878

Colorado State University Extension Master Gardeners will meet with you on at your home to coach you and your family in home food production. These one-hour customizable tutorials will provide you with the information you need to grow the garden you want. For more information or to schedule an appointment with a master gardener, call Julie at 520-7690.

Host families are needed for the 2014-15 school year. Create life-changing friendships and see your world through new eyes. For more information, contact Sheryl Ellis, Monument, 321-536-9504; Sheryl.Ellis@EFFoundation.org.

Tri-Lakes residents can sell their used items, trade items, and chat about anything local goings-on at https://www.facebook.com/groups/monumentmarketplace/.

The Colorado Department of Transportation invites citizens to get involved in planning the future of the state’s transportation system by visiting the website, www.coloradotransportationmatters.com.

Senior Safety Handyman Services is a unique program funded by the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging. It is designed to help seniors (age 60 and over) in northwest El Paso County with safety-related handyman projects. Dedicated, paid contractors and volunteers install grab bars, wheelchair ramps, railings, steps, etc., to help seniors to continue to live independently in their own homes. For service, call 488-0076 and leave a message for Cindy Rush. For more information, visit www.TriLakes-mcts-sshs.org.

Mountain Community Transportation for Seniors is a nonprofit, grant-funded organization that provides free transportation to Tri-Lakes seniors 60 years old and over. It is the only transportation service in the Tri-Lakes area to take seniors to medical appointments, the grocery store or pharmacy, the bank, legal appointments, senior lunches, shopping, and to the many activities offered through the senior center and our community. The program needs additional volunteer drivers. For information, email browneyesmlk@hotmail.com or call Mary Ketels, 481-2470, or Faye Brenneman, 481-2527, or leave a message with the dispatcher, 488-0076.

If you have a medical condition or a physical disability, please contact Jennifer at Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District, 484-0911, to register for emergency assistance if evacuation is required.

The Tri-Lakes Health Advocacy Partnership Senior Citizens Center is next to the Lewis-Palmer High School Stadium (across from the YMCA) and is open 1-4 p.m., Tue.-Fri., and earlier for scheduled activities. The facility has a lounge, craft room, game room, and multipurpose room. Programs include pinochle, National Mah-jongg, line dancing, tea time, bingo, and more. Ping-pong, Wii video games, puzzles and board games, refreshments, a lending library, computers with Internet connections, and an information table are also available. For information about programs for seniors, visit www.TriLakesSeniors.org.

Each monthly Senior Beat newsletter is full of information for local seniors, including the daily menu of the senior lunches offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in Monument. It also contains the schedule of the classes and events for the month at the Senior Citizens Center. To subscribe, send an email with your name and mailing address to SeniorBeat@TriLakesSeniors.org. Senior Beat can also be viewed online at www.TriLakesHAP.org.

Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District offers a free senior safety program to all Tri-Lakes seniors. The program includes smoke detector evaluations, home safety assessments, vial of life, and fire prevention. For information call 484-0911 or visit www.tri-lakesfire.com.

El Paso County’s prescription discount program saved 10,000 residents $250,000 in discounted medicines over 18 months at no additional taxpayer cost. People using the card saved an average of 23 percent. There are no eligibility requirements and no strings attached to receive the discounts. You can pick up a free Prescription Discount Card at most county government locations or you can download your own personalized prescription discount card on the county website (bottom of the front page) at www.elpasoco.com. Any county resident without prescription coverage can use this program. Even if you have insurance for prescription medications, the discount card might save you money on prescription medications your existing plan does not cover. For information, visit www.elpasoco.com or call 520-6337 (MEDS).

By Judy Barnes, Community Calendar Editor

Although we strive for accuracy in these listings, dates or times are often changed after publication. Please double-check the time and place of any event you wish to attend by calling the info number for that event.

GOVERNMENTAL BODIES

Note special summer children’s programs at Palmer Lake branch Wednesdays, 10:30-11 a.m.. and at Monument branch instead of Tuesday Storytime. All branches close July 4.

WEEKLY & MONTHLY EVENTS

Our community calendar carries listings on a space-available basis for Tri-Lakes events that are sponsored by local governmental entities and not-for-profit organizations. We include events that are open to the general public and are not religious or self-promotional in nature. If space is available, complimentary calendar listings are included, when requested, for events advertised in the current issue. To have your event listed at no charge in Our Community Calendar, please call (719) 339-7831 or send the information to calendar@ocn.me or P.O. Box 1742, Monument, Colorado 80132.

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