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

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Articles from Vol. 24 No. 3 - March 2, 2024

El Paso County Planning Commission, Feb. 1 – Positive feedback from county commissioners

By Helen Walklett

At the Feb. 1 El Paso County Planning Commission meeting, Chair Tom Bailey reported that he and Commissioner Jay Carlson had met with County Commissioners Stan VanderWerf and Cammie Bremer to work toward a meeting between the full Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Planning Commission.

Bailey said, “They’re very happy with what we’re giving them, so thank you all for that. Your participation in these discussions, in these deliberations, the questions that you ask, the points that we get onto the record gives the [county] commissioners a very solid foundation to make their final decision.”

Carlson said the commissioners had commented, “We want you guys to function independently. We’re not looking for you to think ‘What would the Board of County Commissioners do or think.’ He added, “The other thing that both commissioners mentioned in our conversations with them is that they do read all our minutes and that they really pay attention to the dissenting votes, if there are any, and see if there’s something they might have missed in their look at things. So, it’s important to get our thoughts on the record.”

It is hoped that the meeting between the BOCC and the Planning Commission will take place in the next several weeks. Members of the public can comment on any application on the agenda at a Planning Commission hearing and can also raise a matter not on the agenda at the start of a meeting.

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me

Other El Paso County Planning Commission articles

Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District, Feb. 21 – New tender truck issues discussed; properties included

By Janet Sellers

NOTE: This reporter was unable to make a recording or attend in person and attended via an online Zoom meeting. This article was based on the agenda available online at www.BFFire.org and her notes from the meeting. This reporter was unable to enter the Zoom meeting until 20 minutes had passed, and some details from the meeting were unavailable to her at this writing.

At the Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District (BFFRPD) meeting on Feb. 21, the board discussed the financial management plan, the budget execution, costs and delivery issues for the new fire tender truck, and authority regarding policies and procedures.

There was a discussion between the board and Chief P.J. Langmaid regarding policies and proposals as well as implementation of the policies as procedures. The board approved the stated contract expenditure for the tender truck at delivery and reserved conversation to a later time regarding any further fees from issues regarding a timely delivery.

Inclusion of properties to the district were requested and adopted at this meeting. There were no comments on workshops, and a resident asking about plans for more equipment was told that it’s in the long-term plan.

Chief Langmaid requested a public executive session with the board, and it was held at 8:50 p.m. The discussion centered on clarification for the chief and board duties of the district as an elite force and other terminology for policies and for terms on which the board requested clarification. Members of the board suggested that they address these issues later and not in this board meeting as the board members were not in agreement regarding the nature of the issues. They decided to announce a special meeting to clarify for all board members and when all board members are present. These comments ended the executive session.

Upon return to the regular meeting there were no more issues, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:27 p.m.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Wednesday of the month at Station 1, 11445 Teachout Road, Colorado Springs. Meetings are open to the public in person or via Zoom. The next regular meeting is scheduled for March 20 at 7 p.m. For joining instructions, updates, agendas, minutes, and reports, visit www.bffir.org or contact Director of Public Relations Brooke Reid at Admin@bffire.org or call 719-495-4300.

Janet Sellers may be reached at JanetSellers@ocn.me.

Other Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District,= articles

Monument Fire District, Feb. 28 – Board meeting held after OCN went to press

By Natalie Barszcz

The Monument Fire District (MFD) board met on Feb. 28, which was after this issue of Our Community News had gone to press. Coverage of that meeting will be included in our April 6 issue.

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Meetings are usually held on the fourth Wednesday of the month. A special meeting/public hearing for the inclusion/exclusion of property related to the merger with Donald Wescott Fire Protection District will be held via Zoom and in person on March 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Station 1, 18650 Highway 105. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. For Zoom meeting joining instructions, agendas, minutes, and updates, visit www.monumentfire.org or contact Director of Administration Jennifer Martin at 719-484-9011.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

Other Monument Fire District articles

Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, Jan 8 – Safe Routes to School trail approved

By James Howald

In February, the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board discussed and approved an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Lewis-Palmer School District 38 (LPSD). The board allocated additional funds to the Highway 105 construction project. It also heard operational reports. The meeting ended with an executive session.

Walking trail for students approved

District Manager Jessie Shaffer asked the board to approve an IGA between WWSD and LPSD allowing the school district to use a portion of WWSD’s land for a Safe Routes to School walking trail to be used by students. The IGA had been a long time in the making, Shaffer said, and would permit the school district to use WWSD’s lower lake access road, which runs along the southwestern edge of Lake Woodmoor, as a trail students could use to walk to school. Shaffer said a second IGA would be needed to address the construction of a bridge across the spillway at the southern edge of Lake Woodmoor.

The IGA notes that the school district has obtained a Safe Routes to School grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund construction of the trail. It makes LPSD responsible for the maintenance of the trail and specifies that LPSD will install two double-leaf vehicle gates at the north and south ends of the access road and will also install a fence along the western edge of the lake. LPSD will be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the gates, the fence, and signs at the trailhead. The IGA also indemnifies WWSD against any liability for use of the trail and insures WWSD against claims up to $2 million.

Director Tom Roddam said he was opposed to the IGA, arguing that the indemnification in the IGA would not prevent WWSD from being sued. “It’s not worth a hill of beans,” Roddam said.

Board President Brian Bush said WWSD has “passively acknowledged this plan for a lot of years.” (Our Community News first reported on the plan in 2017.)

Roddam suggested tabling the IGA until the plan for the bridge across the spillway was complete.

Shaffer said that prior WWSD boards had agreed to the plan, and it would be hard to renege on those commitments now. He said they could do so now but “it would be tough.”

Director Dan Beley expressed some reservations about the IGA. Director Bill Clewe and Treasurer Roy Martinez said they did not have a problem with the terms of the IGA.

The board voted to approve the IGA. Beley, Bush, Clewe and Martinez voted in favor; Roddam voted against.

Additional funds for Highway 105 allocated

Richard Hood, of JVA Inc., the company managing WWSD’s portion of El Paso County’s project to widen Highway 105 between Jackson Creek Parkway and Lake Woodmoor Dr., gave the board an update on that project and asked the board to approve some additional funds.

Hood explained that Wildcat Construction has completed about 60% of the work for which WWSD is responsible. Improvements on Knollwood Boulevard and the Maguire property west of Knollwood are complete, Hood said. Service lines have been moved as required. The remaining portion of the work is on the south side of Highway 105 on Morning Canyon Road and adjacent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Hood said there are $143,000 in pending cost changes on the project. During the bid process, two mistakes were made: A pipe specification was changed from 8-inch to 6-inch and not properly accounted for and the costs of asphalt removal and replacement were underestimated. The pipe change will cost $76,500, the additional asphalt costs will be $33,026, and another $34,000 is required by unexpected conditions such as needing to change the depth of some pipes, undocumented utility conflicts, and pipe diameters that differed from historical records. Hood pointed out that even with these additional costs, the total for the work was still $200,000 less than the next higher bid.

Shaffer said the board had already approved change orders up to 5% of the value of the contract, which would be $50,000. He said the pending cost changes exceeded that amount, requiring the board to take action.

The board voted unanimously to approve another $150,000 for the project.

Details of operational reports

  • In his treasurer’s report, Martinez said water sales were higher than expected in January, up by 4.9% over the target. Sewer fees were as expected. WWSD purchased two new trucks, so equipment and vehicle costs were 90% of the budgeted amount.
  • Shaffer said that Sackett vs. the Environmental Protection Agency, a 2023 case before the Supreme Court, had changed the regulations concerning wetlands under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The decision may complicate WWSD’s costs for permits, consultants, construction, and mitigation.
  • Operations Superintendent Dan LaFontaine reported a 16% water loss in January due to five main breaks. He said the district’s water meter replacement project was just under 50% complete. The effort to refill Lake Woodmoor was a bit behind schedule, with the lake refilling about 1.5 feet per day.
  • In his review of upcoming development, Bush said he believed the proposed Waterside development, which would include 44 units on the west side of Lake Woodmoor adjacent to the Barn, after a delay, was now proceeding.

Executive session

The board held an executive session to receive legal advice concerning potential agreements with JV Ranches LLC, Monument Ridge West LLC, Enerfin Renewables LLC, El Paso County, and the members of the El Paso Regional Loop Water Authority.

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The next meeting is scheduled for March 11 at 1 p.m. Meetings are usually held on the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. at the district office at 1845 Woodmoor Drive; please see www.woodmoorwater.com or call 719-488-2525 to verify meeting times and locations.

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

Other Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District articles

Donala Water and Sanitation District, Feb. 15 – Board considers request to extend service area

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

At its February meeting, the Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board discussed a request to extend its service area to include a portion of the Falcon Commerce Center. It extended an existing water lease. The board also heard operational reports.

Request for sewer service raises questions

General Manager Jeff Hodge told the board that he had received a request from the Forest Lakes Metropolitan District (FLMD) to provide sewer service to a proposed development in the southern end of the Falcon Commerce Center. The center is west of I-25 and south of Baptist Rd., and its northern portion is home to the Pilot Travel Center, QuikTrip, and the United Parcel Service Customer Center. FLMD requested DWSD to allow future development in the southern end of the center to connect to a 24-inch sewer line owned by DWSD, Hodge said. FLMD currently receives sewer service from Triview Metropolitan District (TMD).

In response to a question from board President Wayne Vanderschuere, Hodge speculated that FLMD was requesting service from DWSD rather than from TMD because it would be cheaper than using TMD’s infrastructure. Hodge said he would prefer that FLMD install a lift station that would allow the flow to be metered. Vanderschuere pointed out that, if the connection were allowed, DWSD would need to account for an additional return flow.

Hodge said any future development in the Falcon Commerce Center would not be allowed to impinge on DWSD’s easement for the sewer line.

Vanderschuere pointed out that granting access to the sewer line would raise accounting issues.

Hodge said it was not decided how the property in question would be developed; it could be commercial or residential. Vanderschuere said the property was just east of the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (UMCRWWTF) and that any residential development should not be able to complain about the odor from the facility. He also pointed out that, if access was approved, the price would need to be beneficial to DWSD’s core customers. He added that the Northern Monument Creek Interceptor project, the future of which is not clear, could also complicate this issue.

The board did not act on the request. Hodge said he would meet with representative of FLMD later in February.

Water lease renewed

Hodge asked the board to renew an agreement between the district and Martin Marietta that allows the company to lease up to 135 acre-feet per year of treated effluent from the Upper Monument Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. According to the lease agreement, Martin Marietta needs the water to replace evaporative depletions and to support gravel mining operations at the Rich Pit in Pueblo County. Martin Marietta will pay DWSD $300 per acre-foot of water.

The board voted unanimously to renew the lease for a two-year term.

Operational reports

In his manager’s report, Hodge gave the board an update on progress made by the El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, known as the Loop, which is working to build the infrastructure needed to capture effluent discharged by treatment plants in the northern part of the county from Fountain Creek, treat it, and return it to customers in the four participating water districts.

Hodge said the Loop is discussing governance issues with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU). The loop is considering using CSU’s Edward Bailey Water Treatment Plant rather than building its own treatment plant. Hodge said he was concerned that upper management at CSU does not have a clear strategy for water reuse projects. He said that if CSU management did not buy into the Loop’s plan, the Loop would return to its original plan to build its own treatment facility. Hodge said the Loop would meet with CSU in March to try to resolve outstanding issues.

Water Operator Ronny Wright told the board that scheduled rehabilitation of the district’s water tanks was scheduled to begin on May 1. He said Well 16A should be operational in the next few months and available for use by summer.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 21 at 1:30 p.m. Generally, board meetings are held the third Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. and include online access; call (719) 488-3603 or access www.donalawater.org to receive up-to-date meeting information. The district office is located at 15850 Holbein Drive, Colorado Springs.

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

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

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