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Monument tree lighting, Dec 3
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Monument Board of Trustees/Town Council, December 2022 – Special investigator claims Home Rule Charter void in report alleging illegal electioneering by Monument staff
By Chris Jeub In November, following the election that passed the Home Rule Charter and replaced the sitting Board of Trustees with mostly new councilmembers, Monument’s town manager was granted the cancellation of December’s board meetings for his staff to enjoy the holidays. However, allegations of election campaign fraud brought the interim board back together…
Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 1 and 8 – Board launches fundraising campaign; CFO resigns
By Jackie Burhans At a Dec. 1 special meeting, the Monument Academy (MA) board launched its annual fundraising campaign. At its regular meeting on Dec. 8, the board accepted the resignation of its chief financial officer (CFO), introduced its interim chief operating officer (COO), and reviewed the amended budget and its financial challenges. Fundraising campaign…
Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, Dec. 12 – Results of calendar survey discussed; mid-year compensation action approved
By Harriet Halbig The Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education had lengthy discussions on budget matters, the district calendar, and bus purchases at its Dec. 12 meeting. District calendar survey Following the defeat of the proposed mill levy override in November, the district sought to find ways to compensate teachers other than through salary increases. One…
Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, Dec. 8 and 15 – New leadership takes the helm
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans December saw a newly elected mayor and three newly elected trustees seated in Palmer Lake. Following an election in November that legalized the sale of adult use cannabis, the board addressed some of the details of how to proceed with those sales. The board adopted a budget for 2023,…
Continue Reading Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, Dec. 8 and 15 – New leadership takes the helm
Forest Lakes Metropolitan District & Pinon Pines Metropolitan Districts 1, 2 and 3, Dec. 5 – Rate increases for residents; 2023 budgets and mill levies adopted
By Natalie Barszcz The Pinon Pines Metropolitan District (PPMD) 1 board met via teleconference on Dec. 5 to adopt and approve the 2023 budget and set the mill levy. The PPMD 1 meeting was followed by the Forest Lakes Metropolitan District (FLMD) and Pinon Pines Metropolitan Districts 2 and 3 meeting where the board approved…
Donala Water and Sanitation District, Dec. 12 – Rate increases approved for 2023
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans At its December meeting, the Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board increased some rates, leaving the majority unchanged. The board also set mill levies as they are required to do annually. A resolution calling for a district election and appointing a Designated Election Official was approved. Finally, the…
Continue Reading Donala Water and Sanitation District, Dec. 12 – Rate increases approved for 2023
Triview Metropolitan District, Dec. 13 – 2023 budget approved; NDS timeline
By Natalie Barszcz At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on Dec. 13, the board held a public hearing, approved the 2023 budget and set the mill levy; approved a staff pay raise; and revealed the final details of the Northern Delivery System (NDS) pipeline project. The board also heard about the potential for future…
Continue Reading Triview Metropolitan District, Dec. 13 – 2023 budget approved; NDS timeline
Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, Dec. 21 – Board approves rate increases for 2023
By James Howald Correction In the article on WWSD in the Dec. 3 issue of OCN, I attributed a comment about raising tap fees to Jim Wyss. Wyss left the board earlier in 2022. In fact, it was Director Bill Clewe who said he believed raising tap fees would not discourage development in the WWSD…
Monument Sanitation District, Dec.21 – Employees get 9% pay increase
By Jackie Burhans and James Howald At its December meeting, the Monument Sanitation District (MSD) board approved raises for MSD staff. The board made plans for an election in May that will fill three board seats. A yearly resolution documenting procedural issues was also passed, and the board heard operational reports. MSD staff gets 9%…
Continue Reading Monument Sanitation District, Dec.21 – Employees get 9% pay increase
Monument Fire District, Dec 7 – Meet and confer plus agreement exte3nded; employee handbook revised
By Natalie Barszcz At the Monument Fire District (MFD) meeting on Dec. 7, the board approved a meet and confer plus agreement and the 2023 employee handbook was approved with the 2022 revisions. The board also heard about the new mission, vision, and values, and received multiple updates. An executive session was held to discuss…
Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District, Dec. 7 – 2023 budget approved, mill levy certified
By Natalie Barszcz At the Black Forest Fire Rescue Protection District (BFFRPD) meeting on Dec. 7, the board approved the 2023 budget and certified the mill levy; approved the 2023 election for the directors, appointing a designated election official; and witnessed two firefighters take the oath of office. The board also received multiple updates. 2023…
Donald Wescott Fire Protection District, Dec. 7 – 2023 budget hearing; staff member departure
By Natalie Barszcz On Dec. 7, the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District (DWFPD) board held a “special meeting” for the 2023 budget public hearing to establish a notice posting location for future board meetings and to approve the 2023 meeting dates, times, and locations. The board also heard about a departing member of the staff.…
El Paso Board of County Commissioners, Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and 20 – Approval for RV storage special use at Highway 83 property
By Helen Walklett At the Dec. 6 El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) land use meeting, the commissioners heard a special use application to legalize the operation of an existing RV storage business at a Highway 83 property. The commissioners also approved the 2023 budget during December. Highway 83 RV storage special use approved…
December Weather Wrap
By Bill Kappel December turned out to be about normal after all the numbers were added up, but of course the path to get there was anything but normal. We had some wild swings of weather and some late-month record cold. Fortunately, we also received a good amount of moisture, with the month ending with…
Letters to Our Community – Monument historic red barn gets a new home
In reference to the pictures and caption about the Sibells’ barn that read “Historic Barn Razed” (OCN, December 3, 2022, page < 28 >), I thought I would share the correct story of what happened to it and the horse picture. The good news is the barn was donated to a military vet moving back…
Continue Reading Letters to Our Community – Monument historic red barn gets a new home
Letters to Our Community – Trail rebuild—thank you
Forestry work was conducted north of the Palmer Lake reservoirs during October and November. Due to the heavy machinery involved, several hiking trails were pretty much demolished. After the machinery demobilized in mid-November, several groups of concerned citizens went into the forest and rebuilt the damaged trails. To these volunteers: Thank you for your hard…
Continue Reading Letters to Our Community – Trail rebuild—thank you
Letters to Our Community – The County Master Plan is a sham
The recent Flying Horse North approval shows the El Paso County Master Plan does not apply to developers or our elected officials. This vital plan took two years to produce and cost us nearly a million dollars. Its purpose is to promote responsible growth while maintaining quality of life. However, when put to the test…
Continue Reading Letters to Our Community – The County Master Plan is a sham
Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – Get cooking in the new year
By the staff at Covered Treasures “I love to take something ordinary and make it really special.”—Ina Garten The new year is a wonderful time to get cooking whether it’s on your own or with kids. Here are some splendid places to start. Kid Chef Junior Every Day: My First Easy Kids’ Cookbook By Yaffi…
Continue Reading Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – Get cooking in the new year
January Library Events – Explore the resources at your library
By Harriet Halbig As we start a new year, come to the library or check online at ppld.org to see some of the resources available. If you click on Research on the home page and open the list of data bases, you’ll find such possibilities as language instruction through Mango, genealogy resources, and such consumer…
Continue Reading January Library Events – Explore the resources at your library
High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Lords of the rings: our magnificent, ponderous pines
By Janet Sellers “There is fairly robust evidence that plant cells can perceive and respond to pressure waves, like the kind that are generated by sound in the environment and touch—like, say someone walking up to a tree and hugging it.”— Ask Sam, the NHPR report by Sam Evans-Brown. Pine trees are smart engineers. Pine…
Art Matters – Who buys art and why?
By Janet Sellers People buy things they want. Collectors want inspiration. Artists, venues, and art lovers are glad to know art collectors buy art because they like it and want to be near it. Artists make imagination real in ways most could not on their own. Making something tangible from imagination brings ideas to physical…
Snapshots of Our Community
Monument tree lighting, Dec. 3 The Monument holiday tree lighting event was held Dec. 3 at the Limbach Park. Hundreds of onlookers enjoyed music and conviviality in the afternoon, and just as the sun set, the park was lit up with holiday lights. Many people were wearing Santa hats, but Santa himself was also in…
An important message for our readers – OCN needs your help!
Our Community News is an all-volunteer organization. For the past 20 years, our volunteers have provided unbiased reporting on important local issues, including real estate development, fire departments, school districts, and water availability. We have provided a very favorable platform for advertising local businesses. We have published letters to the editor to allow you to…
Continue Reading An important message for our readers – OCN needs your help!
Our Community Notices
By Janet Sellers 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 information number for that event. Please notify us if your event listing needs to be updated. D38 free and reduced…
Our Community Calendar
By Janet Sellers 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. Please contact calendar@ocn.me with changes and additions. GOVERNMENTAL BODIES Forest Lakes Metropolitan District, Pinon Pines…