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WMMI Family Days, July 15 and Aug. 12
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Monument Academy School Board, June 27 – MA holds town hall on navigating gender issues
By Jackie Burhans The Monument Academy (MA) board held a special meeting June 27, after the publication deadline for the July issue of Our Community News, on navigating gender issues. The Town Hall was attended by all seated board members except for outgoing board member Michael Geers. Also in attendance were the interim Chief Operating…
Monument Town Council, July 17 – Annexation of Monument Ridge fails
By Chris Jeub One Monument Town Council meeting was held in July, but it was as long as two as heated exchanges among developers, councilmembers, and neighbors lasted late into the night. The debate surrounded two subdivisions known as Monument Ridge West and East, 161 acres at the southwest and southeast corners of I-25 and…
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OCN switches to larger format
OCN switches to larger format By John Heiser, Publisher, OCN Starting with our November 2001 issue, Our Community News has been printed on pages that are about 11 inches wide by about 17 inches long. This month, our pages are 11 inches wide by 21 inches long. Why the change? Since 2016, OCN has been…
Monument Planning Commission, June 28 – Town Planning Commission recommends approval of Monument Ridge 1 and 2 despite community concerns
By Leslie Hanks The June 28 Monument Planning Commission hearing on Monument Ridge 1 and 2 was standing room only, with many people forced to stand in the hallway and listen to the hearing over the internet on their phones. Chairperson Martin Trujillo, Vice Chairperson Danny Ours and Commissioners Nicholson, Greg Collins, Sean Zernickow, and…
Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, June 26 – Enhancement of audio systems, curriculum, policies approved
By Harriet Halbig Due to the lateness of the June meeting of the Board of Education, only a brief notice was included in the July issue. Following is a more detailed description. Enhancement of audio systems The board discussed investing in enhancement of audio capability in the schools. This enhancement will include microphones, classroom speakers,…
Monument Academy School Board, July 13 – Board organizes, approves before and after care contract
By Jackie Burhans The Monument Academy (MA) board held its July 13 meeting at The Platinum Group offices in Colorado Springs, which is the office of board President Ryan Graham. The board handled several organizational matters, agreed to a contract for before and after care, and heard committee and administrator updates. The regular meeting was…
Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, July 12, 13, and 27 – Water rates to rise 5% annually
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans The Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) met three times in July: regular board meetings were held on July 13 and 27 and a workshop was held on July 12. The board continued its work on water rates, the future of the Elephant Rock property, and how to regulate…
Donald Wescott Fire Protection District, July 26 – Election called to dissolve subdistrict and complete merger
By Natalie Barszcz At the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District (DWFPD) meeting on July 26, the board approved a resolution calling for a coordinated election on Nov. 7, approved a joint resolution of advocacy, a joint factual summary for the election process, and approved funds for the district and subdistrict elections with assistance from Special…
Monument Fire District, June 28 and July 26 – Mt. Herman Rd. fire suppressed; 2022 budget amended
By Natalie Barszcz At the Monument Fire District (MFD) meeting on June 28, the board heard about the retirement of Battalion Chief Mike Dooley, received the 2022 audit presentation, and approved an extension to the Collaborative Working Agreement (CBA). At the July 26 meeting, the board heard about a fire on Mount Herman Road and…
Black Forest Fire/Rescue Fire Protection District, July 19 – Virtual meeting unavailable
By Natalie Barszcz An article on the Black Forest Fire Rescue Protection District (BFFRPD) board meeting for this edition was not possible because this reporter was unable to join the meeting via Zoom due to a password availability issue. After reaching out to the BFFRPD staff to request a password to join the meeting, a…
Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, July 17 and 25 – Board president resigns; board reorganizes
By James Howald The Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board met twice in July. At the regularly scheduled meeting, board President Barrie Town resigned, citing health reasons, which led to a special meeting on July 25 to fill the vacated seat and reorganize the board. The board heard a presentation on Per- and polyfluoroalkyl…
Monument Sanitation District, July 19 – Good news on Highway 105 sewer repair
By Jackie Burhans and James Howald At its July meeting, the Monument Sanitation District (MSD) board heard an operational report and a financial report from General Manager Mark Parker and briefly discussed two issues that were tabled until the next board meeting. Manager’s report Parker updated the board on a repair needed on a sewer…
Continue Reading Monument Sanitation District, July 19 – Good news on Highway 105 sewer repair
Triview Metropolitan District, July 20 – Stonewall Springs Reservoir operational; Conexus Subdistrict dissolved; 2022 budget amended
By Natalie Barszcz At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on July 20, the board heard about the Stonewall Springs Reservoir operations, approved the dissolution of Subdistrict B, amended the 2022 budget, received a presentation on the 2022 audit, received multiple updates, and held an executive session to receive legal advice on water and property…
El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority
By James Howald At its July meeting, the El Paso County Loop Regional Water Authority (EPCRLWA) board executed a contract with Merrick and Co. to receive project management and workflow services. The board heard the results of water quality testing and voted to send a representative to the Colorado Water Conference (CWC). The EPCRLWA was…
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Donala Water and Sanitation District, July 20 – Board honors Judd, changes sewer billing
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans At its July meeting, the Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board honored previous board member Ken Judd for his long service to the district. It launched a usage-based billing system for sewer service. General Manager Jeff Hodge detailed water sales over the last 10 years and discussed the…
El Paso County Planning Commission, July 6 – Request to split Woodmoor property into four lots recommended for approval
El Paso County Planning Commission, July 6 – Request to split Woodmoor property into four lots recommended for approval By Marlene Brown and Helen Walklett At the July 6 meeting, the El Paso County Planning Commission heard a replat application to return a single lot property in Woodmoor to four lots. They also heard final…
El Paso Board of County Commissioners, June 27, July 11 and 18 – Board receives Monument annexation impact report
By Marlene Brown and Helen Walklett At the July 11 El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, the commissioners received an annexation impact report from the Town of Monument concerning land south of County Line Road. Monument Ridge East and West annexation An annexation impact report from the Town of Monument was received by…
Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Organizations, July 22 – NEPCO hears about renewable water projects
By Jackie Burhans The Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Organizations (NEPCO) held its general membership bi-monthly meeting on July 22 at the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) Barn community center. NEPCO has 49 member associations representing over 10,000 homes and 20,000 registered voters within its focus area, which extends from the foothills to the…
Woodmoor Improvement Association, July 5 and 26 – Board questioned by residents, hears input on common areas
By Jackie Burhans At its July 5 meeting, the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) board president, Brian Bush apologized for rescheduling its June meeting, explaining that there had not been enough board members to form a quorum. In addition to directors’ reports, the board addressed a resident’s concern about its operations. At its July 26 meeting,…
July Weather Wrap
July Weather Wrap By Bill Kappel It was back to normal in July after a couple months of record cold and wet conditions. Temperatures averaged right at normal for the month with a mix of below and above normal conditions. Precipitation was slightly below average, but we are well above normal for the year overall.…
Letters to Our Community – Thank you, School District 38
On behalf of the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club, I want to thank Lewis-Palmer School District 38 for the contribution of time and efforts to help make the Monument Hill Kiwanis 2023 Fourth of July Parade a huge success. Specifically, I would like to thank D38 Transportation Supervisor Julie Abeyta and district drivers David McDaniel, Tom…
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Letters to Our Community – Kudos to Monument board and management for Artsites 2023
Since 2003, the not-for-profit group Tri-Lakes Views has brought the arts to Monument. With the cooperation of the town and the Lewis-Palmer School District board, that became an annual rotating display of sculpture along with a permanent collection of public art. That relationship is again being exhibited on the multiple pedestals throughout our community. I…
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Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – All-time great children’s reads
By the staff at Covered Treasures “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”—Walt Disney These award-winning books are full of treasure, have stood the test of time, and are still some of the best to foster the love of reading in a child. The Phantom Tollbooth By…
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August Library Events – Summer Adventure ends, All Pikes Peak Reads announced
By Harriet Halbig The library district’s Summer Adventure program ended on July 31 with a tremendous number of participants. Thank you for joining us. The Monument Library will sponsor three family-friendly concerts in Limbach Park on Aug. 11, 18, and 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The park is located at 151 Front St. in…
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Palmer Lake Historical Society – Take a walk through history
By Marlene Brown In lieu of the regular meeting in July, the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) took a walk through historical Monument. Led by Jim Sawatzki, past president of PLHS and filmmaker and owner of Palmer Divide Productions. His research is rich, showing that Monument is still standing strong. Many of the little houses…
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High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Will Vogl: father, firefighter, and farmer
By Janet Sellers “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”— Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S. president 1933-45) in a letter to state governors in 1937. I recently visited Will Vogl’s Black Forest farm where he shared his “living soil” restoration projects: hugelkultur (moist mound culture farming) and pastureland reclamation using age-old farming methods. The rich,…
Art Matters – Fine art and the making of worlds
By Janet Sellers “Science discovers, design invents. Where science works to uncover an objective world, design brings forth multiple worlds simultaneously …”— Andrea Mignolo, The Design of Things. I recently attended an artists’ roundtable discussion with the brilliant James Bradburne, general director of Milan, Italy’s Pinacoteca di Brera. He brought up many points about art,…
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Snapshots of Our Community
WMMI Family Days, July 15 and Aug. 12 Neighborhood Watch, Jun. 29 Above: Brent Ambuehl, coordinator of Crime Prevention for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, presented an informal report to about 45 people on how to protect against various types of criminal activity at a Neighborhood Watch event on June 29 at Wesley Owens…
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…
Other issues
- Vol. 25 No. 1 – January 4, 2025
- Vol. 24 No. 12 – December 7, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 11 – November 2, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 10 – October 5, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 9 – September 7, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 8 – August 3, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 7 – July 6, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 6 – June 1, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 5 – May 4, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 4 – April 6, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 3 – March 2, 2024
- Vol. 24 No. 2 – February 3, 2024