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

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Snapshots of Our Community

Monument Play Park plans, Mar. 10

Above: Thirty people attended a public meeting March 10 to give feedback and get more information on the proposed Heart of Monument Play Park. The park will be next to the Monument Community Presbyterian Church, which is donating the land. It’ll be for people of all ages and those with physical and emotional disabilities. NES Inc. will use the input from the meeting attendants as well as comments gathered by Monument Hill Kiwanis Club and the Heart of Monument Steering Committee to finalize the design of the park. NES says the design could be ready by June. It’s hoped the park will be open this summer or fall. From left, Roberta Ross, Monument Mayor Mitch LaKind, and Tri-Lakes Cares Executive Director Haley Chapin look at the project plans. Photo by Bob Harrigan.

TLC thanks Kiwanis, Mar. 30

Above: Tri-Lakes Cares (TLC) has thanked Monument Hill Kiwanis Club for its contributions to TLC. Kiwanis President Scott Ross was given a certificate of appreciation on March 30. Kiwanis raises money for TLC with Empty Bowls, D38’s Harvest of Love, the Giving Tree, the North Pole Craft Fair, and food distribution during the holidays. From left are TLC Director of Operations Julie Keim, Executive Director Haley Chapin, Development Specialist Christine Bucher, and Ross. Photo by Warren Gerig.

Tri-Lakes Chamber awards, Apr. 12

Below: The Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce gave out its annual awards on April 12. Sheri Miller of Mountain Wings Management was named Volunteer of the Year. Amber Jack of Edward Jones was awarded Ambassador of the Year. The honor of Businesspersons of the Year went to Shannon and Rich Schur of the Schur Success Group. The top Non-Profit award was given to Owen Schoolsky of Tri-Lakes Dynamic Rotary Club while Julie and Steven Hart of Geneva Technologies went home with the Economic Development Business award. Photos by Hannah Yeomans.

100+ Women Who Care, Apr. 17

Above: On April 17, 100+ Women Who Care Tri-Lakes gathered at the Woodmoor Barn to hear from two nominees for its bi-annual grant. The nominees included Trinity Community Park, an accessible park on the east side of I-25, and Heart of Monument Park, an all-ages, universally accessible park in the works through a partnership of the Town of Monument and the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club. The group selected Trinity Community Park for its award. Trinity Community Park is Monument’s first Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliant community park. It is a playground for everyone at every stage of life, with equipment for all abilities and every body type. For more information, see https://trinitymonument.org/trinity-community-park. Photo by Jackie Burhans.

Earth Day tree planting, Apr. 21

Above: Volunteers from Trinity Lutheran Church and the surrounding community planted 50 Douglas fir saplings at Trinity Community Park on a cold, foggy Earth Day April 21. The saplings were donated by Neighborhood Forest, a national group that gives free trees to kids to plant every Earth Day. This year, it gave away 67,000 trees. Pictured (L to R): Tamara Schwarz, Aida Richardson, Don Richardson, 101-year-old WWII vet Marie West, Patsy Janeba, and John Janeba. Photo by Tamara Schwarz.

TLWC helps charity, Apr. 15

Above: Members of the Tri-Lakes Women’s Club (TLWC) sorted children’s clothing by size and gender on April 15 so it can be donated to needy families. The donations will be handled by Catholic Charities Social Services. From left are TLWC members Cindy Beley, Sandy Mangiarelli, and Sandra Sciadini. Photo by Maureen Morgan.

Chamber After Hours, Apr. 16

Above: The monthly Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event was held April 16 at Lolley’s Tasting Room. The room at 174 Washington St. is an annex to Lolley’s Ice Cream on Second Street. It can be reserved for any kind of party or get-together and holds about 75 people. The event space was packed with networking Chamber members and their guests eating food and sampling Lolley’s ice cream. Photo by Michael Weinfeld.

Fox Run Nature Center meeting

Above: Close to one hundred people met with executives of the El Paso County Parks and Community Services Department at Pikes Peak Brewery April 18, a rescheduled date from March 14 due to weather. Many people went to learn about the details of the proposed Fox Run Nature Center. There have been discussions about dropping the number of parking places from 60 to 30 and downsizing the canopy walk. Engineering has mapped most of the trees in the park and has looked for the least vulnerable spot for trees, plant life and wildlife, where the nature center will be built. For more information about the nature center, go to www.communityservices.elpasoco.com/nature-centers/fox-run-nature-center/. Caption by Marlene Brown. Photo by Mike Thomas.

Students win PLAG scholarships

Above: Palmer Ridge High School student Cavan Porter (left) has been awarded the top scholarship of $1,500 from the Palmer Lake Art Group (PLAG). The second-place scholarship of $1,000 went to Palmer Ridge student Marian Griffiths (right). Lewis-Palmer High School student Ella Davis was awarded a $500 scholarship. Since 1977, PLAG has awarded about $87,000 in scholarships to graduating D38 seniors planning to continue their study of the arts. A small number of artists formed the group in 1965. It now has members throughout the Pikes Peak region. Photos courtesy of PLAG.

Arbor Day in Monument, Apr. 26

Above: On April 26, people gathered near the Third Street Santa Fe Trail trailhead to celebrate Arbor Day and learn about tips for successful planting of trees in our high desert mountain clime. Town Gardener Cassie Olgren led a talk about proper planting and after-care tasks. Then visitors were given free plants to take home and put in their gardens. Photo by Janet Sellers.

Tim Watkins Trail sign reinstalled

Above: Last year, before the National Forest Service wildfire mitigation work in the Monument Preserve north of Mount Herman Road, Brian Mullin, president of Friends of Monument Preserve (FOMP), removed and stored the sign which marked the Tim Watkins Memorial Trail. The sign has been reinstalled about three-fourths mile in from the Red Rocks Road parking lot. FOMP built and maintains this trail as it does for many trails through the preserve. Watkins, a well-known part of the Tri-Lakes mountain-biking community, was killed while riding in the Mount Herman area in 2017, and his killer has not been identified. If you have any information regarding this unsolved murder, please contact the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. FOMP “trail nights” to maintain trails in the preserve are scheduled the second Thursday of May through October at 5 p.m. Meet at the Red Rocks Road parking lot just north of Mount Herman Road if you can help. Photo by Brian Mullin

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