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Tri-Lakes honors Memorial Day
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Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, May 22 – Pay schedule approved, board roles revised, funding detailed
By Harriet Halbig Principal Parsley retiresAbove: Bear Creek Elementary School students didn’t want retiring Principal Peggy Parsley to leave without showing how much she meant to them. On May 8, student officers of the Kiwanis K-Kids Club gave Parsley a binder of letters written by club members. The students wrote the letters and then copied…
MA School Board, May 11, 25 – MA addresses gender issues, budgets
By Jackie Burhans At its May 11 regular meeting, the Monument Academy board heard from its community about a gender restroom issue and heard committee highlights. At a special meeting on May 25, the board approved budgets, including changes to job descriptions and organizational structures. MA addresses gender issues again During citizen comments, mother and…
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El Paso Board of County Commissioners, May 2, 9, and 16 – Approval of three commercial multi-tenant buildings off Struthers Road
By Helen Walklett At the May 16 El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) land use meeting, the commissioners voted to approve a preliminary plan for the Cathedral Rock Commons Commercial development, which will create three commercial lots on property directly south of the Big R store off Struthers Road in Monument. Cathedral Rock Commons…
El Paso County Planning Commission, May 4 and 18 – Townhome development off Woodmoor Drive recommended for approval
By Helen Walklett At the May 18 El Paso County Planning Commission meeting, the commissioners heard a rezone and preliminary plan request for a 7.53-acre property on the east side of Woodmoor Drive where 52 townhomes would be built. The commissioners also heard a rezone and a minor subdivision request for Black Forest properties during…
Monument Town Council, May 1 and 15 – Midtown Collection of Monument Junction approved on 5-2 vote
By Chris Jeub A newly appointed Monument chief of police was sworn in on May 15. The Midtown Collection at Monument Junction West Filing No. 1, a controversial Planned Unit Development (PUD) project, was approved on a split vote. A technical glitch led to the failure of the May 15 Town Council meeting to be…
Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, May 3, 11, and 25 – Board considers water issues and Elephant Rock
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans In May, the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) continued to grapple with water rates, urgently needed improvements to the town’s water system, stormwater drainage, and the future of the Elephant Rock property. The board has worked on these issues in some cases for years. The water system improvements,…
Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District, May 17 – Directors elected; ambulance sale approved
By Natalie Barszcz At the Black Forest Fire Rescue Protection District (BFFRPD) meeting on May 17, the board elected two directors, approved the sale of a surplus ambulance, and heard about a mass casualty incident (MCI) drill and the development of a regional training consortium. Directors elected Chairman Nate Dowden administered the oath of office…
Donald Wescott Fire Protection District, May 24 – Gleneagle annexation timeline unknown; merger process continues
By Natalie Barszcz At the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District (DWFPD) meeting on May 24, the board discussed the timeline for the annexation of Gleneagle, received an update on the dissolution of the sub-district, held an election to determine board director positions, heard about the potential for revenue loss, and received updates on station remodels…
Monument Fire District, May 24 – Board director positions change; contractor hiring flexibility approved
By Natalie Barszcz At the Monument Fire District (MFD) meeting on May 24, the board held an election to determine board positions; approved a resolution to allow flexibility in selecting contractors for the remodeling of Stations 2, 4, and 5; received multiple updates; and was introduced to the fire technician. Directors Randall Estes, Tom Tharnish,…
Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, May 8 – Board reorganized; request for supplemental water considered
By James Howald The Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board opened its May meeting with an election of board officers. The board heard a request for supplemental water from Lake Woodmoor Development Inc., (LWD) and briefly considered a request to host a sheepherder on its Woodmoor Ranch property. It decided how to disburse a…
Donala Water and Sanitation District, May 18 – Board reorganizes; aquifer storage and recovery study presented
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans The Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board swore in newly elected board members and reorganized at its May meeting. It heard the results of a study of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) and a report from its auditor on its 2022 finances. The board discussed a template for…
Monument Sanitation District, May 17 – New board members sworn in
By Jackie Burhans and James Howald Three board members took their oaths of office at Monument Sanitation District’s (MSD) May meeting. Once its new members were sworn in, the board reorganized. A resolution authorizing an upgrade to the district’s internet service was passed. The board planned for a public celebration of its 60th anniversary serving…
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Triview Metropolitan District, May 18 – Former directors recognized; new directors sworn in
By Natalie Barszcz At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on May 18, the board recognized outgoing directors Marco Fiorito and James Otis for their eight years of service on the board, administered the oath of office to the new directors, approved a license to construct and operate a pump house, and discussed a request…
El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, May 18 – Water quality tests look promising
By James Howald The El Paso County Loop Regional Water Authority (EPCRLWA) board heard more detailed results of water quality testing at its May 18 meeting. President Jessie Shaffer updated the board on progress filling the project manager position the authority has advertised. Kevin Brown asked the board for direction on how to specify the…
Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Organizations (NEPCO) – Wildfires drive up insurance costs in county
By Dave Betzler The good news is that Colorado has earned another top three recognition. The not-so-great news is that this somewhat smoke-obscured national ranking is for Colorado’s wildfire risk. May was Wildfire Awareness month, providing an opportunity to look at wildfire risks and rising insurance costs facing individual homeowners. The recent catastrophic East Troublesome…
Woodmoor Improvement Association, May 24 – Board hears about new regulation regarding vegetable gardens
By Jackie Burhans At its April meeting, the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) board heard an update from the Northern El Paso Coalition of Community Organizations (NEPCO) meeting regarding legislation around homeowner association (HOA) rules for vegetable gardens. It also heard residents’ concerns about trashcans and email communication and heard director reports. HOA legislation on vegetable…
May Weather Wrap
By Bill Kappel Near record monthly precipitation occurred during May with total precipitation exceeding 5 inches for all of us and some areas receiving nearly 10 inches. This was the wettest May since 2015. Unlike that year, almost everything fell as rainfall this month, with just a little snow on the Palmer Divide. This was…
Letters to Our Community – More demonstrable lies from D38
While you’re looking at your exploding tax bill, take a few minutes to think about the additional taxes District 38 wanted you to have to pay on top of what your new tax bill has become. Last year, they put a 7.45-mill increase on the ballot. They claimed they needed the $5.5 million for teacher…
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Letters to Our Community – LPHS After Prom thanks
Thanks to our great community of parents, Lewis-Palmer High School staff, and students, After Prom 2023 was a huge success! We had approximately 430 students attend the event. Many school districts do not offer an After Prom, as the planning and coordination involved take a substantial amount of parent involvement and resources. District 38 high…
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Letters to Our Community – No Mafia in Monument
Through an open-record request to the Town of Monument, it was discovered that the town illegally engaged in electioneering with taxpayer dollars to promote passing the Town Charter. Fearing if voters found out about this illegal activity, they might potentially lose, the town manager and most on the Charter commission hid the illegal activity from…
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Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – Explore nature and the outdoors Explore nature and the outdoors
By the staff at Covered Treasures “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”—Albert Einstein This is a glorious time to get outside in Colorado. Here’s a sampling of books to learn more about plants, wildlife, and getting outside. Colorado Off the Beaten Path: Discover Your Fun By Christine Loomis (Globe Pequot…
June Library Events – Join us for a Summer Adventure
By Harriet Halbig It’s time again for the Summer Adventure summer learning program. Summer Adventure is open to those up to age 18 and runs from June 1 to July 31 this year. Come to the library to register on June 1 or later, or register online via the website ppld.org. Upon registration, each participant…
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Palmer Lake Historical Society, May 18 – Authors show ways to find history on hikes
By Marlene Brown At the May 18 meeting of the Palmer Lake Historical Society, authors Rocky Shockley and T. Duren Jones presented a lively PowerPoint on the book Easy Hikes to the Hidden Past. Their book describes many hikes in the Pikes Peak Region, including along the Palmer Divide, the Monument Preserve, and Palmer Lake…
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On the Trail (in memory of Tim Watkins) – Storms damage trails and roads, fill reservoirs
By Steve Pate With the recent torrential rains, many local trails have been damaged. After being closed briefly for storm damage repairs, the Palmer Lake reservoir road was reopened and is passable for hikers and mountain bikers. Both Palmer Lake reservoirs are full. On a hike around the Ice Cave Creek Trail (ICCT) loop on…
High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Very good plants, harmful invaders
By Janet Sellers Is June too late to plant summer flowers and crops in our area? With moisture from heavy May rains and hot dry summers, we can still plant some greens easily in pots or in the ground, planning waterings to protect against moisture loss. We started kale, lettuces, and sunflowers at the Tri-Lakes…
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Art Matters – Art spaces for our creative spirit
By Janet Sellers A new creative venue is in the historic 1880 building, the original Monument post office. Located at the corner of Second and Washington Streets, El Santo Vaquero is an art gallery with decor, handicrafts, and apparel imbued with Southern and Mexican influences and local Colorado artists and artisans’ works from around the…
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Snapshots of Our Community
Tri-Lakes honors Memorial Day Above: It was warm and sunny on May 29 when about 200 people attended a Memorial Day ceremony in Monument Cemetery. The red, white, and blue American flag and the black POW/MIA flag were raised, then lowered to half-staff as an honor guard made up of members of St. Peter Church…
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. Student community volunteers Many…
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…