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Monument water storage tank excavation in Forest View Estates
Photo by Sharon Williams.
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El Paso Board of County Commissioners, March 28, April 4 & 18 – Overlook Estates rezone denied
By Helen Walklett At the April 18 El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) land use meeting, the commissioners voted to deny a request to rezone to 2.5 acres a 5-acre property in the Overlook Estates neighborhood to the north of Old North Gate Road. At the same meeting, the commissioners heard a variance of…
Monument Fire District, April 26 – Potential Gleneagle annexation ignites concern; Hayes recognized
By Natalie Barszcz At the Monument Fire District (MFD) meeting on April 26, the board heard about the potential annexation of neighboring residents, recognized Director Terri Hayes for her years of service to the district, and approved an extension to the Meet and Confer plus agreement with L4319. Secretary Mike Smaldino was excused. Potential Annexation…
Monument Town Council, April – Land use bill, investigation loom
By Chris Jeub The Monument Town Council meetings in April discussed enterprise zones and town investments as well as the looming state Senate Bill 23-213 that would undermine Monument’s permitting and zoning laws. But the majority of April was spent dealing with the independent investigation report presented Dec. 28, 2022, by the former Board of…
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El Paso County Planning Commission, April 20 – Plans for three commercial multi-tenant buildings recommended for approval
By Helen Walklett At the April 20 El Paso County Planning Commission meeting, the commissioners heard a request for approval of a preliminary plan for a proposed development called Cathedral Rock Commons Commercial to create commercial lots on property directly south of the Big R store off Struthers Road in Monument. Cathedral Rock Commons Commercial…
Monument Academy School Board, April 13 – MA selects board members, makes progress on finances
By Jackie Burhans At its April 13 regular meeting, the Monument Academy board selected the sole two candidates as board members, heard positive updates from its interim finance director, and discussed how to handle snow days for the remainder of the school year. The board also heard committee updates. Board members selected Vice President Lindsay…
Lewis-Palmer D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, April 11 – Bear Creek Elementary, Portrait of a Graduate and Educator, wellness policy discussed
By Harriet Halbig The Lewis-Palmer D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee (formerly District Accountability Advisory Committee) discussed a number of subjects at its final meeting of the school year on April 11. Bear Creek Elementary presentation Bear Creek Elementary (BCES) Principal Peggy Parsley, who will retire at the end of the school year, offered a…
Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, April 17 – New director sworn in; board reorganization; Safe and Welcoming Schools discussion
Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, April 17 – New director sworn in; board reorganization; Safe and Welcoming Schools discussion By Harriet Halbig The Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education welcomed a new director and reorganized during its April 17 meeting. Additional business included a report on safe, healthy and welcoming schools (priority 1 in the strategic…
Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, April 10 – Trail agreement with school district approved
By James Howald The Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board approved an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Lewis-Palmer School District 38 allowing the school district to use a maintenance road adjacent to Woodmoor Lake as part of its Safe Routes to School (SRTS) trail system. District Manager Jessie Shaffer updated the board on the status…
Monument Sanitation District, April 20 – Focus on infrastructure
By Jackie Burhans and James Howald Infrastructure—sewer and network—was the main topic of discussion at the Monument Sanitation District’s (MSD) April meeting. District Manager Mark Parker briefed the board on repairs to three lift stations. He also filled the board in on a proposed upgrade to the network infrastructure in the MSD headquarters building. The…
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Donala Water and Sanitation District, April 20 – Waste treatment plant debate continues
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans The Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board continued to discuss wastewater treatment strategies at its April meeting. Currently, DWSD shares the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (UMCRWWTF) with three other water and sanitation districts: Academy Water and Sanitation District (AWSD), Forest Lake Metropolitan District (FLMD), and…
El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, April 16 – Acquisition policies approved
By James Howald At its April meeting, the El Paso County Loop Regional Water Authority (EPCRLWA) board continued to draft procurement policies that meet the guidelines required by American Recovery Plan Act funding. A service for bidding and requests for proposals (RFPs) was selected. The board heard a brief financial report and made changes to…
Triview Metropolitan District, April 20 – Northern Delivery System pipeline installation begins
By Natalie Barszcz At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on April 20, the four-member board heard about the Northern Delivery System (NDS) pipeline project timeline, approved the fourth amendment to a contract and an infrastructure agreement, and held an executive session to discuss negotiations regarding multiple projects, acquisitions, and negotiations. Northern Delivery System District…
Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, April 13 – Direction for water system and stormwater unclear
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans The Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) held an executive session before its regular board meeting on April 13 to discuss leasing proposals at the Elephant Rock property and an annexation request. The regular meeting opened with a presentation from CORE Electric Cooperative on its project to rebuild the…
Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, April 27 Strategies for water and drainage take shape
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans The Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) held a workshop to discuss water rates before opening its regular meeting on April 27. At the board meeting following the workshop, it voted on a resolution to formally accept a preliminary engineering report on the town’s water system. The board continued…
Woodmoor Improvement Association, April 26 – Board considers common area concerns
By Jackie Burhans At its April meeting, the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) board considered parking and rodent concerns at its newest common area as well as a request to purchase a portion of one of its common areas. The board heard about leveraging a county portal to report on roadwork needs and other operational reports.…
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April Weather Wrap
By Bill Kappel April was a “back to normal” month around the region, with temperatures just a little cooler than normal overall and precipitation, including snowfall, right about where we would expect. But as always during this time of the year, the transition from winter to spring never goes smoothly. This meant the path to…
Letters to Our Community – Monument Town Council opposes bill
As duly elected representatives of the citizens of the Town of Monument, Colo., we want to fervently declare our opposition to Senate Bill 23-213, regarding land use authority. When it comes to matters that should be of local concern—specifically related to land use authority, SB23-213 has been characterized as an attempt to provide affordable housing…
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Letters to Our Community – Animals and humans in danger from wildfires
Letters to Our Community – Animals and humans in danger from wildfires Animals and humans in danger from wildfires The wildfire burning in Park County, near Florissant, is a reminder that it is not just humans’ lives and homes that are threatened by wildfires. Deer, bears, birds, fish, reptiles, and other animals are killed or…
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Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – Reading the West
By the staff at Covered Treasures “Courage is being scared to death … and standling up anyway.”—John Wayne Westerns are part of our history and center on courage, strength, and justice. Here’s a sampling of outstanding fiction and nonfiction Western reads: Where Coyotes Howl By Sandra Dallas (St. Martin’s Press) $27.99 It’s 1916. The two-street…
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May Library Events – Preparations for summer reading underway
By Harriet Halbig The library’s Summer Adventure summer reading program will begin on June 1. Would you like to be involved? The library is seeking teen volunteers to help with the program, registering participants, awarding prizes, and helping with special programs and with the activities that keep the library running during this busy time. To…
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Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 20 – Pikes Peak Library District holds wealth of history
By Marlene Brown At its April 20 meeting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) hosted Brett Lobello, director of the Regional History and Genealogy Department of the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD). Lobello explained how the PPLD houses several papers and collections from area families and noted influential personalities…
High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – No mow May; planting in our mountain forest climes
By Janet Sellers Habitat loss: bulldozers or lawns? Lawns represent the single largest irrigated crop grown in the U.S. and are actually harmful to our ecosystem. Use of pesticides, herbicides, and toxins aside, monoculture lawns lack floral and nesting resources to support important myriad bees (the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5,700 species of bees).…
Art Matters – Contemporary art prints and artist handmade books
By Janet Sellers What is contemporary art? Contemporary art is art made by living artists and encompasses a wide range of materials from the precious to everyday objects or materials, and includes electronic media and ephemera (typically, written, or printed items of collectible memorabilia). The aesthetic value resides in the intention or purpose of the…
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Snapshots of Our Community
Monument water storage tank excavation in Forest View Estates Above: Excavation resumed during April to prepare for installation of a 2-million-gallon water storage tank for the town of Monument. The town acquired the site by eminent domain in 2016, although the location in Forest View Estates had recorded restrictive covenants stating the property and other…
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. Student community garden volunteers…
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…
Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District, April 19 – Board approves wage compensation schedule; wildland technicians hired
By Natalie Barszcz At the Black Forest Fire Rescue Protection District (BFFRPD) meeting on April 19, the board held an executive session to discuss a wage compensation schedule and heard about the recently hired five seasonal wildland technicians and the ongoing preparations to combat wildland fires. Executive session The board moved into an executive session…