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Volunteers reporting on community issues in Monument, Palmer Lake, and the surrounding Tri-Lakes area

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Allen Alchian

El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Sept. 21. Board approves outreach to contractors

By James Howald

At its September meeting, the El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority (EPCRLWA) board heard a plan from its recently hired Project Planning and Workflow Manager (PPWM) to advertise the project. The board heard results from the most recent water quality tests. The board also set a date for a public hearing on its budget. The meeting ended with an executive session.

The EPCRLWA was formed in November 2022 by an Intergovernmental Agreement between Cherokee Metropolitan District (CMD), Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD), the Town of Monument (TOM), and Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) to build infrastructure that would allow water, including treated effluent, that is flowing south in Monument and Fountain Creeks to be stored at Calhan Reservoir at Woodmoor Ranch and then pumped back north to be used by customers of the participating districts.

Letter of interest to be drafted

John Kuosman, a water practice leader with Merrick and Co., recently hired by EPCRLWA to serve as the project’s PPWM, told the board he saw lots of interest in the project on the part of consultants, contractors, and engineers who might be interested in providing services to the project as it moves forward. In previous meetings, the board decided to outsource as many tasks as possible to keep the number of staff members low as a way of reducing costs. Kuosman said he was drafting a letter of interest that service providers would use to demonstrate their interest in the project.

The regulations governing the use of American Recovery Plan Act funds allow EPCRLWA to pre-approve contractors so that they can be deployed quickly when needed. Kuosman said he planned to circulate the letter by email through his contacts in the industry and to post it on Bidnet, an online service that advertises government projects.

The board did not vote, but approved Kuosman’s plans to advertise the project.

Water quality tests proceed

Richard Hood, of JVA Inc., the company EPCRLWA has hired to assess water quality and design the water treatment aspects of the project, reported to the board on the latest water quality tests. Hood said a second sample of water from the Chilcott Ditch, which conveys water from Fountain Creek to the Calhan reservoir, was taken on Aug. 8. The testing results were in line with previous tests, Hood said, noting pH measurements were a little higher in the newer sample. Hood said Total Organic Carbon was relatively high compared to previous samples and Total Dissolved Solids were lower. The “forever chemicals” PFOA and PFOS, which have maximum contaminant levels of four parts per trillion, were both above that level at 12 and 17 parts per trillion respectively.

Hood said the Chilcott Ditch was due to be turned off for the year in October and he planned to take one more set of water samples from it before that time to check for seasonal variations.

Budget hearing set

The board scheduled a public hearing on its budget for Nov. 16.

Executive session

The board adjourned the regular meeting and went into executive session to receive legal advice regarding items that are subject to negotiations. No action was taken following the executive session.

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The next regular meeting is scheduled for Oct. 19 at 9 a.m. Regular meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Monument Town Hall at 645 Beacon Lite Road. Workshop meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Cherokee Metropolitan District offices at 6250 Palmer Park Blvd., Colorado Springs. Please see loopwater.org or call 719-488-3603 to verify meeting times and locations.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Other El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority articles

NEPCO, Sept. 9. Monument Fire Department, Planning Commission visit NEPCO.

By Marlene Brown

The Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Associations (NEPCO) general membership heard presentations on Sept. 9 by staff members of the Town of Monument Planning Commission (MPC) and Monument Fire District (MFD) Chief Andy Kovacs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Donald Wescott Fire Protection District (DWFPD) Mark Gunderman.

Gunderman and Kovacs explain timeline for fire district merger.

Gunderman and Kovacs said the legal untangling of the merger of MFD and DWFPD should take another six months to a year to complete. DWFPD created the Northern Subdistrict and, should the ballot issue pass in the November’s election, the subdistrict will be dissolved and the two districts will merge into one fire district. Please see more information on November’s ballot issues 6A and 6B on MFD’s website at https://www.monumentfire.org/_files/ugd/799ff1_16524d0042504539b024b6d9caf8f1ff.pdf.

Planning Commission presentation.

Two MPC staff members, Rey Medina and Jeff Lijegren, spoke to the membership on planning and land development. What are MPC’s duties? The process of the Planning Commission is identifying, evaluating, and acting upon land use alternatives and public requests. Community involvement is essential. What is land use planning? It includes community goals, guiding documents, master plans, and visionary goals. Current planning includes zoning maps and regulations, subdivision regulations, development review, subdivision design standards, and enforcement. The MPC looks for citizen participation, asking questions and offering solutions. The applicant needs to learn regulations and processes and communicate issues and concerns. The staff offers technical guidance, provides the information, researches applications, and then reports to the public.

Land use decisions made by the MPC include community goals and growth management. Land lots can include residential, single-family detached and residential attached, mixed use, commercial, light industrial, and parks and open space. The development review process includes annexation, plat, zoning, site plan, construction documents and building permits.

Recently, the Town of Monument (TOM) received a request for a public meeting regarding the possible annexation of Gleneagle into the TOM. A public meeting was held Aug. 29 and after a question-and-answer session and discussion with the TOM officials, it was noted this meeting was strictly preliminary and any annexation would require 51% of voter approval. The majority of the residents at the meeting were opposed to the annexation. The TOM said it would not pursue any further action. See TOM article on page < 12 >.

NEPCO has requested member HOAs in the area to join NEPCO’s Land Use Committee. No experience is needed and training and guidance would be provided. Please contact retiring Land Use Chair Bob Mooney at bobmooney01@msn.com or any board member at boardposition@nepco.org.

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NEPCO normally meets at the Woodmoor Barn every other month on the second Saturday. The next regular member meeting will be on Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, go to nepco.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

Other NEPCO articles

Woodmoor Improvement Association, Sept. 27. Board hears concerns about development next to common area.

By Jackie Burhans

At its September meeting, the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) board heard from residents concerned about a developer’s impact on drainage near one of its common areas. Board directors provided reports on their areas of responsibility.

  • Residents voice concern about development and drainage.

Residents voice concern about development and drainage

The WIA board heard from residents concerned about a home being built on Four Winds Way next to the common area known as The Point. According to the WIA website at https://woodmoor.org/common-areas/, The Point is one of the smaller common areas and is surrounded by private property, except for the access point on Four Winds Way.

One resident, who had been exchanging emails with WIA, noted that development had been ongoing for 2½ years, and the home was almost complete except for water and sewage lines. He requested three things: an approved drainage plan, vetted width on ingress/egress to the common area, and a list of all concerns, issues, and complaints against the builder. The resident said he felt an obligation to make these issues known. He was concerned about safety, saying that a dump truck and a cement truck had gone off the driveway in good weather. He said he’d had to call the builder about silt fences and dump trucks delivering dirt after midnight without watering down the driveway. The driveway is huge, he said, with a parking lot at the bottom exceeding the approved width of 15 feet and impinging on the common area. He cited the lack of property markers, making pushing the dirt into the right location impossible. If we get a major rain, he said, it will clog up the ditch, soak into the ground, and mess with the water table. He did say that the homeowner was great to work with, and his complaints were with the builder.

Board President Brian Bush said that the WIA board members are volunteers with limited authority. If Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (PPRBD) approves a plan, it will come out and inspect it, he said, suggesting asking a supervisor to come out early to confirm the builder is following the plan. Bush said WIA could provide general information about previous complaints but had no ability to ban builders, though it could let PPRBD know of its concerns.

Bush noted that he had personally approved a one-time off-hours delivery of dirt by the contractor working on the Highway 105 project, given the challenges that the project is facing with traffic. He encouraged the resident to call Woodmoor Public Safety (WPS) if trucks show up from now on during off hours. Bush said that WIA’s common area would not be infringed upon at the end of the day, though he expected things could get chaotic during construction. He noted that Steve Cutler, director of common areas, and Bob Pearsall, common areas administrator, were the contacts for any concerns or suggestions about common area changes.

Another neighboring resident reported that her basement had flooded twice due to the creation of the driveway, with the dirt from the drainage clogging her sump pump. The property owner has been open about what they can do to reconcile that damage, she said, but she would be following up with PPRBD about the drainage issue.

Board reports

  • Bush provided the treasurer report in the absence of Connie Brown, saying that expenses are at 66% of the budget and revenue was down from homeowners’ association (HOA) check fees, but substantially up from interest income after moving money to higher performing instruments. WIA expects administrative fee revenue from the Cloverleaf development, which he recommends go into reserve funds for 2024 on a one-time basis. HOA administrator Denise Cagliaro is developing the 2024 budget, which will be presented in November to the board for approval. He said it was too early to tell if WIA would have a surplus.
  • Covenants Director Per Suhr reminded residents that trash cans must be stowed out of site on the same day as pickup, tall grass and weeds need to be cut, and trailers and RVs cannot be on lots for more than 72 hours without a variance. Residents who are out of compliance may be issued notices. Bush commended Covenants Administrator Justin Gates and Pearsall for achieving a higher degree of compliance than in the past.
  • Public Safety Director Brad Gleason asked residents to be extra careful when driving due to earlier sunsets, school being in session, and extensive construction. Bush shared that residents should be careful not to hit the orange road dividers in construction zones.
  • Architectural Control Director Ed Miller said WIA has had 401 projects submitted year to date, which is down only 11% from last year’s 451 projects. The increase in projects so far this year has primarily been roof work due to recent hailstorms.
  • Gates, who also serves as Forestry administrator, said there is only $30,000 left in the Wildfire Mitigation Grant, which he wants to spend quickly so he can apply for additional funds. He also said that now is a perfect time to look for mountain pine beetles (MPB) and to have them removed. For more information on having your lot evaluated for MPB, see https://woodmoor.org/forestry-firewise/.
  • Common Areas Director Steve Cutler reported that the sprinkler system around The Barn would be shut down by the second week of October, common area fire mitigation is ongoing, and trail and common area maintenance during October would see the removal of grass from the trail base.
  • Pearsall reported working with a prototype computer, loading and testing all the software he uses. Once his computer is working, the new computers can be rolled out to other staff members.

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The WIA Board of Directors usually meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the Barn at 1691 Woodmoor Drive, Monument. The next meeting will be on Oct. 25.

The WIA calendar can be found at www.woodmoor.org/wia-calendar/. WIA board meeting minutes can be found at www.woodmoor.org/meeting-minutes/ once approved and posted.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Woodmoor Improvement Association articles

September Weather Wrap

By Bill Kappel

Temperatures were above normal most of September, only interrupted by a wet and cold period during the middle of the month. Precipitation ended right about normal, but it all occurred during a four-day period.

The first week of the month was well above normal with high reaching the upper 80s on the 1st and 2nd, then mid-80s on the 3rd and 4th. Skies were clear to mostly clear with afternoon clouds building.

Temperatures cooled back to normal over the next few days with continued mostly sunny skies. Highs were in the mid-70s to mid-80s from the 5th through the 9th. The weather pattern changed on the 10th with a frontal passage late that morning. This brought with it high levels of moisture. Clouds built in and showers and thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening. Cloudy and wet conditions continued into the next day with areas of fog and rain off and on all day. During the period, 1-2 inches of rainfall accumulated in the region. Temperatures were cool as well, with highs in the 50s and 60s. During this time, the first snowfall of the season occurred in the mountains, with several inches accumulating above tree line, a sign of things to come.

Unsettled conditions continued to affect the area over the next couple of days. This included cool temperatures, clouds, more rainfall, and mountain snow. Our coldest day of the month occurred on the 15th, with highs barely reaching 50F and lows in the mid- to upper 30s on the 15th and 16th. The chilly temperatures and clear skies on the morning of the 16th also resulted in the first frost of the season for many of us.

However, after this brief wet and cool period, quiet conditions again moved in. The remainder of the month was right around normal with highs consistently in the mid- to upper 70s and lows in the 40s. Except for the 19th and 20th, every day was dry as well. Even these two days only had brief sprinkles, barely enough to wet the pavement. The coolest day during the period from the 16th through the 30th was the 23rd, when highs held in the upper 60s and the low again touched the upper 30s. The warmest time during this period was the last few days of the month when we were in the upper 70s to low 80s.

A look ahead.

October can be an active weather month for the region with our first snowy conditions often experienced. Most years, we seem to get a good snowfall around Halloween, and after a warm and dry September, we could use a wet and cold storm this year. Snow can be heavy at times during any part of October as when over 20 inches of snow fell on Oct. 9-10 in 2005, and 2006 saw over 24 inches of snow fall in less than 24 hours on Oct. 26.

Of course, the big storm some of us remember occurred during October 1997, when nearly 4 feet of snow and blizzard conditions shut everything down for several days. But we are just as likely to get mild and sunny conditions, so enjoy those sunny days when you can. This fall and winter we are expected to enter an El Niño pattern. If the other teleconnections are supportive, this would normally result in above normal snowfall for the winter and spring, so let’s hope for that.

September 2023 Weather Statistics.

Average High 74.6° (+3.7); 100-year return frequency value max 77.5° min 63.5°

Average Low 44.8° (+3.6); 100-year return frequency value max 46.7° min 36.1°

Monthly Precipitation 1.67” (-0.13”); 100-year return frequency value max 4.34” min 0.40”

Monthly Snowfall 0.0” (-0.4”)

Highest Temperature 89° on the 1st

Lowest Temperature 34° on the 16th

Season to Date Snow 0.0” (-0.4”) (100% below normal) (the snow season is from July 1 to June 30)

Season to Date Precip. 23.85” (+4.08”) (20% above normal) (the precip season is from (Jan 1 to Dec 31)

Heating Degree Days 182 (-153)

Cooling Degree Days 23 (+0)

Bill Kappel is a meteorologist and Tri-Lakes resident. He can be reached at billkappel@ocn.me.

Other Weather Wrap articles

Letters to Our Community – Tom Olmstead – strong candidate for D38 school board

Tom Olmstead is an honest, open, and refreshing candidate for D38. Tom puts parents and students first and his refreshing candor about personally meeting parents in the district brings back much needed trust in our system. There are some haters in our community trying to lie about Tom. He’s had a stellar career as former LAPD, FBI, and lawyer and he wants a school environment where everyone is safe and accepted.

Tom and his wife moved to Monument to be closer to their children and grandchildren who attend D38. He brings a perspective of wisdom and strong family values along with the strength and fortitude to stand up to whatever ideology might threaten those values.

We believe Tom Olmstead will be a blessing to our community and we will be voting for him.

Hilary Brendemuhl
Bill Brendemuhl

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