OCN

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

OCN > 2305 > Snapshots of Our Community

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 lots within Forest View Estates were limited to residential use. The initial excavation began in the summer and fall of 2022. During the winter of 2022-23, work on the property was tabled while laying of pipeline started and is ongoing along residential roads in Forest View Estates, Red Rock Ranch, Highway 105, and residential streets in downtown Monument. Photo by Sharon Williams.

Donations to Literacy Center

Above: The Palmer Ridge Key Club (PRKC) and Monument Hill Kiwanis Club (MHKC) donated more than 300 books and $650 for Tri-Lakes Children’s Literacy Center (CLC) on March 20. The money was raised during sponsorship nights at Arlene’s Beans in Monument and Mod Pizza in Colorado Springs. The Lewis-Palmer Middle School Builders Club (LPMSBC) and PRKC made another donation of more than 100 books to CLC. Many young children end up reading below their age level because they have no books of their own at home. CLC works with families and the community to provide an effective literacy program for struggling readers in grades 1-3. Each student gets personalized one-on-one tutoring. To donate or become a tutor, contact Tri-Lakes Senior Center Coordinator Rachel Morin at 610-246-1047. In the photo, Morin thanks PRKC President Todd Osborn and Elliot Beagley of Lewis-Palmer Middle School Bear Creek for their contributions. Photo by Dean Snow.

TLWC named Non-Profit of the Year

Above: Tri-Lakes Women’s Club (TLWC) has been named Non-Profit of the Year by the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce. TLWC was honored by the chamber at its annual awards dinner on April 14. TLWC earned the honor for its accomplishments and contributions to the Tri-Lakes community. Accepting the award were members Charlie Ann Hayes, left, and Ann Cook. Photo courtesy of Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce.

Emergency Preparedness

Above: Students at Palmer Ridge High School helped organize an Emergency Preparedness Symposium on April 8. Several organizations that deal with emergencies like wildfires and disasters that might call for evacuation or “shelter in place” described the parameters for deciding proper responses. Christopher Gonzales, commander of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, has responded to many types of emergencies in our county. He described how decisions are made about addressing various emergencies, including traffic flow, first responder access, reverse 911 calls, and more. He suggested all county residents sign up for the reverse 911 service by logging into “Peak Alerts” at https://www.elpasoteller911.org/246/Peak-Alerts. A presentation by Lisa Hatfield and André Mouton of the Tri-Lakes United Methodist Church Emergency Preparedness Group (EPG) described how the group has helped Tri-Lakes residents “harden” their homes against wildfires. The process includes removing flammable materials from within 5 feet of your home, eliminating “laddering” vegetation, e.g., tall grass to Gambel oak to pines, preventing an ember storm from entering through vents in the eaves of your home, and other preventive measures. Photo by Steve Pate.

Cotton wins PLAG scholarship

Above: Each year, the Palmer Lake Art Group awards Art Scholarships to District 38 graduating seniors who have demonstrated serious commitment to art, intend to continue art studies, and plan for a profession with the visual arts. Isabelle Cotton, graduating senior at Palmer Ridge High School, was awarded the 2023 art scholarship of $2,500. Isabelle will attend Temple University, Japan Campus in the fall. Photo provided by the Palmer Lake Arts Group.

Gleneagle Egg Hunt

Above: On April 8, the Antelope Trails Elementary (ATE) School field was filled with Easter colors as over 6,000 plastic eggs were spread across it for the Gleneagle Easter Egg Hunt. The plastic eggs contained hard candy, bubble gum, bouncy balls, and other treats. Blair Dinkins, who lives adjacent to ATE, coordinated the hunt in partnership with the school. She is a realtor with the Colorado Team, a residential real estate agency that sponsored the event. She and other agency employees set up and conducted the event. Dinkins said, “We (the agency) wanted to bring something fun to the neighborhood for Easter.” The children were divided into three age groups with each assigned a different part of the field and then, at the sound of a horn, proceeded with the egg gathering simultaneously. There were also giveaways, food and coffee trucks, and free donuts. Photo by David Futey.

Lewis-Palmer HS Concert

Above: In preparation for the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) band competition, Lewis-Palmer High School (LPHS) presented its Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, and Small Ensemble concert on April 11. Tom Chapman, who directed the Symphonic Band, will leave LPHS after this academic year and will direct a final concert on May 9. The Small Ensemble included flutes, clarinets, trumpets, low brass, percussion, a woodwind choir, double woodwind quintet, and a brass choir. The small ensembles performed “on their own” without direction. Photo by Steve Pate.

Station 4 Push-In Ceremony

Above: Above: Monument Fire District staff and residents “push-in” the new Pierce Engine 514 at Station 4 in Gleneagle on April 29. Monument Mayor Mitch LaKind, Monument Fire District staff, board directors and residents gathered at the station on Gleneagle Drive to push in the 2023 Pierce Engine 514 and squad car 575, the first of its kind in the district. The ceremony of “pushing-in” apparatus harkens back to the 1800s, when fire departments used horse-drawn steamer engines to put out fires. After fighting the fire, crews would ready the horses in the stable for the next call, but because horses will not walk backward when they are under load, crews would push the apparatus back into narrow station bays. The time-honored tradition continues nationwide, whenever a department is lucky to receive new apparatus. Photo By Natalie Barszcz.

FOMP Trail Night

Above: About 50 people showed up for the first Friends of Monument Preserve (FOMP) Trail Night of the season on April 11. Participation was greater than normal due to local concern about recent wildfire mitigation by the Pikes Peak Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service in the Monument Preserve. Many trails were covered by debris from the “mastication” of Gambel oak groves and most vegetation under 6 inches in diameter. Brian Mullin, FOMP president, split the participants into small groups to clear debris from trails. Future trail nights will be on the second Tuesday of each month May through September, 6-8 p.m., and 5-7 p.m. the second Tuesday in October. Anyone is welcome to help build and maintain trails on these dates by simply showing up or by checking the FOMP website, www.fomp.org, for more details and other workdays. On a hike through the preserve a week later, April 18, the trails were in good shape—at least visible—and hikers and mountain bikers were out enjoying a nice day. Photo by Steve Pate.

Friends of Fox Run Park

Above: Members of Friends of Fox Run Park (FoFRP) helped clean the roadsides April 13 in Fox Run Park Regional Park near the dog park for Earth Day Week. Pictured from left are Dave Futey, Steve Jeroslow, and Linda Davies. There are several days scheduled to work with the park employees to clean up and help work on projects such as trail maintenance and fence repair. Contact FoFRP at friendsoffoxrunpark@gmail.com for more information. Photo by Julie Haverluk.

Sertoma fallen officer donation

Above: Gleneagle Sertoma Club donated $10,000 to the family of fallen Fountain police officer Julian Becerra (pictured in the background) on March 22. Becerra died after falling off a bridge while chasing a carjacking suspect on Feb. 2. Club President Larry Oliver presented the check to, from left, Fountain police officer John Kay, Colorado Springs Police Protective Association/Southern Colorado Law Enforcement Foundation Executive Director Sherryl Dillon, and Colorado Springs police officer Patrick David. Sertoma member Pete Peterson paid a moving tribute to Becerra and all first responders at the club’s recent Business and Pleasure event at Beasts and Brews in Colorado Springs. Photo by Dr. Vicki Wynn.

Eric Elison at TLCA

Above: On April 15, the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts (TLCA) hosted singer/songwriter Eric Elison and his Gordon Lightfoot Tribute Band. Elison, known as The Lightfoot of the Rockies, captivated the audience at this sold-out show with known and lesser-known Lightfoot songs along with a few of his originals. They performed Lightfoot songs included Early Morning Rain, a song that Lightfoot said was his “first best song,” If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Song for a Winter’s Night written in Cleveland in the summer, Carefree Highway and Christian Island. The band also performed Elison’s Worthy of You, a tribute to his wife of 44 years. Elison, playing six- and 12-string guitars, was accompanied by highly accomplished musicians Frank Sanchez (electric bass), Matt Podschweit (keyboard), Dina Hollingsworth (flute) and KJ Braithwaite (lead guitar). Note: This concert happened two weeks before Lightfoot’s death at age 84. He died May 1. Information on upcoming events at the TLCA is at trilakesarts.org. Photo by David Futey.

TLWC donates to first responders

Above: Members of Tri-Lakes Women’s Club (TLWC) delivered over $800 worth of gift cards to area fire, police, and EMS workers to thank them for all of the work they do to keep our community safe. TLWC members also delivered the gift cards and baked goods to the Pike Interagency Hotshot Crew on April 15. From left are TLWC member Judy Sawyer, Monument Police Sgt. Michael Case, and TLWC member Sandra Sciadini. Photo by Deborah Braun.

Alpine Essentials Ribbon-Cutting

Above: Members of the Woodward family attended a ribbon-cutting in front of their marijuana dispensary Alpine Essentials in Palmer Lake on April 19. Brother and sister co-owners Melissa and Tyler Woodward, their mother and co-owner Brenda and Tyler’s wife, Sarah, who manages the shop, were at the ceremony sponsored by the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce. Melissa said the ceremony was part of a “great journey” the family has been on. “It feels incredible,” she said. The Woodward family has been in Palmer Lake for four generations. Alpine Essentials first opened as a medical dispensary eight years ago. They officially added recreational sales on April 1. Their shop is one of two recreational dispensaries in Palmer Lake. The other is Dead Flowers, which also sells medical marijuana. Voters passed recreational sales last November by 55% to 45% in an effort to alleviate the town’s financial troubles. In the photo are, from left, starting with Melissa Woodward in yellow, Brenda, Brenda’s daughter-in law Sarah, and Sarah’s husband Tyler. Photo by Michael Weinfeld.

D20 Community Garden

Above: Some of the D20 Community Garden volunteers engaged in the spring cleanup of the D20 Community Garden on a sunny Saturday morning April 29 at Antelope Trails Elementary School. Tia Guillan of Academy District 20 led a team of about 30 volunteers from Antelope Trails Elementary fifth-grade student leadership, I Love Colorado Springs-City Serve, Woodmen Valley Chapel members, Discovery Canyon Campus High School National Honor Society, staff members, and families. The students annually plant strawberries, pumpkins, and sunflowers to line the fence in late summer, and each grade level tends a planter with a variety of plants throughout the growing season. The large team of volunteers prepares the community garden and the landscaping features in both spring and fall. Photo by Natalie Barszcz.

TLC appreciates MHKC

Above: Tri-Lakes Cares (TLC) has shown its appreciation for the help it’s gotten from the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club (MHKC). From left, MHKC President Greg Bielanski accepted a certificate of appreciation from TLC Development Specialist Christine Bucher and Executive Director Haley Chapin on April 15. Each year, MHKC conducts three major events that benefit TLC. They are Empty Bowls, with support from D38, in October, Harvest of Love, planned and executed by Service Leadership Programs in all D38 Schools in November, and the North Pole Craft Fair in December. These events raise more than $20,000 and about six tons of food each year. Photo by Warren Gerig.

100+ Women Who Care

Above: At the bi-annual meeting of the 100+ Women Who Care Tri-Lakes, three presentations were given by local nonprofits Tri-Lakes Cares, Friends of Fox Run Park, and Monument Warriors as to why they should be voted on and awarded a grant from the group. Each woman member writes a $100 check to the nonprofit that was voted to win. Monument Warriors, pictured, won the spring event on April 19. With over 45 women in attendance, over $4,500 was given to the Monument Warriors that night, and the other women could mail a check to the winner. Photo by Marlene Brown.

DCC Concert

Above: On April 25, the Discovery Canyon Campus (DCC) high school bands and orchestras of the Instrumental Music Program performed a Spring Concert for a capacity audience of parents and friends in the DCC high school theater. Among the music performed, Instrumental Music Teacher Kevin Whitelaw directed the Jazz Ensemble performing Blue Monk by Thelonious Monk, the String Orchestra performing Rhythmos by Kathryn Griesinger, and the Symphonic Band with music from How to Train Your Dragon. The Concert Band, directed by Jack Yonce, performed Renaissance Suite by Tielman Susato. For the finale, Whitelaw directed the combined bands and orchestras for music from The Incredibles by Michael Giacchino. Before the performance, the program held its end-of-year banquet, where Outstanding Classman, Hemiola, National Band, orchestra and jazz awards were announced. Photo by David Futey.

Tri-Lakes Cares Garden

Above: Students from Palmer Ridge High School have been helping with the Tri-Lakes Cares (TLC) fresh food garden. Volunteers are welcome throughout the growing season, which is especially important through the summer. Contact JanetSellers@ocn.me for more information. Photo provided by Janet Sellers.

Other Snapshots of Our Community articles