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Remembering Jim Maguire
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Remembering Jim Maguire
By Michael Weinfeld To call Jim Maguire a collector would be an understatement. A collector might fill a curio cabinet with a few dozen figurines. Maguire, who died last month at age 96, filled two barns covering 8,400 square feet with antiques he’d collected since the ‘80s. They include a couple of tuberculosis quarantine huts,…
Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education, May 19 – Whetstine named superintendent; board receives annual committee reports
By Harriet Halbig The Lewis-Palmer D38 Board of Education approved the hiring of Amber Whetstine as its superintendent effective July 1. Whetstine has served as interim superintendent for several months and served as assistant superintendent from 2021. Whetstine was praised for her leadership and actions in regard to the new Career and Innovation Center as…
Monument Town Council, May 5 and 19 – VanDenHoek sworn in as town manager
By Chris Jeub After months of consideration, the Monument Town Council finalized the selection of a new town manager on May 19. Madeline VanDenHoek was unanimously appointed as the official Town Manager. VanDenHoek had been serving as interim town manager since June 2024 following the removal of the previous Town Manager Mike Foreman. Councilmembers emphasized…
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Discover new ways to engage with Our Community!
By John Heiser, Publisher, OCN At Our Community News (OCN), we are thrilled to introduce new ways to help you connect better with our vibrant Tri-Lakes community. Interactive website features Our website lets you post questions and comments on articles, columns, and podcasts. Share your thoughts. Join the conversation. Enjoy two audio options for news…
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Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue
By Jackie Burhans The Monument Academy (MA) School Board met on May 8 to review the 2025-26 budget, advisory committee recommendations, curriculum, and policies. The board held a special meeting on May 9 to approve its adjusted budget and hear about its Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) claim and hold an executive session. Budget At…
D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee, May 13 – Budget priorities, 2025-26 committee goals discussed
By Harriet Halbig The Lewis-Palmer D38 Parent and Community Advisory Committee (PCAC) held a special meeting on May 13 to discuss budget matters. The meeting was needed because information on the School Finance Act for the 2025-26 school year, which was unavailable at the time of the April meeting, had been received. Chief Business Officer…
Monument Planning Commission, May 14 – Commission recommends approval of 30-acre commercial development
By Janet Sellers At the Monument Planning Commission meeting on May 14, the focus was on two projects that needed recommendations for approval by the commission. Commissioners present were Vice Chair Chad Smith, Ray Egly, Cathy Green, Danny Ours, Corey Peterson, Donna Hatch, Planner 1 Rey Medina, and Planning Director Dan Ungerleider. Chair Martin Trujillo…
Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, May 5, 8, 22, and 29 – Revised Buc-ee’s annexation eligibility petition approved
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans In May, the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) took up a second, revised petition to annex a 24-acre plot of land south of County Line Road and west of I-25, which is the proposed site of a 74,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s travel center. The site is about 1.8 miles east…
Monument Fire District, May 28 – Lease/purchase agreement revised; board secretary recognized; board vacancy
By Natalie Barszcz At the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District dba Monument Fire District (MFD) meeting on May 28, the board recognized Secretary Jason Buckingham for serving nine years as a board director, welcomed Director Cody Peterson, allocated the board positions, and discussed filling the seat vacated by Buckingham. The board approved revised financing terms…
Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, April 28, May 6 and 12 – Board awards well drilling contract, elects officers
By James Howald At a special board meeting on April 28, the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board approved a design for well 12R and awarded a drilling contract to Hydro Resources. The board held a second special meeting on May 6 to swear in two board members and elect board officers. At its…
Donala Water and Sanitation District, May 5 – Directors sworn in; district offices temporarily closed
By James Howald and Jackie Burhans The Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board met in May at the Fairfield Inn to swear in directors and appoint officers of the board. The meeting was relocated due to the temporary closure of the district’s offices. The board considered changes to the method used to calculate sanitation…
El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, May 15 – Board officers elected
By James Howald The May meeting of the El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority (EPCRLWA, or the Loop) board was the first held following a change to the authority’s charter that requires each participating district to name two representatives to the Loop board when there are three or fewer districts participating in the project.…
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Monument Sanitation District, May 21 – Manhole overflow threatens Monument Lake
By Jackie Burhans and James Howald In his Manager’s Report at the Monument Sanitation District (MSD) meeting in May, District Manager Mark Parker spoke about a wastewater release that required an emergency response from the district and led to a discussion about ownership of the manhole in question. The board heard comments from its auditor…
Continue Reading Monument Sanitation District, May 21 – Manhole overflow threatens Monument Lake
Triview Metropolitan District, May 22 – Bond passes; new board directors welcomed
By Natalie Barszcz At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) meeting on May 22, the board approved a resolution to reimburse the district for expenses incurred before the approved $12.6 million bond is issued for the Higby Road widening project. The board heard a traffic study was in progress, and that the consumer confidence water study…
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Woodmoor Improvement Association, May 28 – Board announces fire education
By Jackie Burhans The Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) board met on May 28 to discuss fire education and mitigation efforts and upcoming changes to rules and regulations, and to revisit prairie dog infestation. Fire education Director of Forestry Jason Hann announced the first education seminar, hosted by the Monument Fire Department, on June 14 from…
Continue Reading Woodmoor Improvement Association, May 28 – Board announces fire education
Letters to Our Community – Thank you to the outgoing board members
Over the past eight years, Triview Metropolitan District has been transformed from a region facing critical water shortages with limited preparation for the future to one with sufficient renewable and reuseable water resources for our grandchildren and beyond. This would not have been possible without the leadership and vision of the outgoing members of the…
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Letters to Our Community – Tri-Lakes Women’s Club gets thanks
Thank you to the Tri-Lakes Women’s Club for granting the money to purchase a box set of 10 Bouncy Bands. The Bouncy Band chair bands slide onto the legs of student desks or chairs and allow students to fidget quietly using their feet and stay focused without distracting other students. Studies have shown that students…
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A Perspective on Our Community – Flying Horse North change of plans
By Terry Stokka Reprinted by permission of the New Falcon Herald It isn’t often that a developer spends a lot of money designing a residential development that is approved and then completely changes his mind and spends a lot more money designing a totally different development that is also approved and then changes his mind…
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Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – Let’s get cooking!
By the staff at Covered Treasures “The secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”—Mark Twain Start the summer off with some fun cookbooks! Whether you are cooking for one person or for the whole family, here are some you will want to explore.…
Continue Reading Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – Let’s get cooking!
June Library Events – Summer Adventure reading program begins, special programs offered
By Harriet Halbig The annual Summer Adventure presented by Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District began on June 2 and will continue until July 31. This year, all ages including adults are welcome to participate with a variety of exciting grand prizes and registration prizes. This year’s theme is Color Our World. Upon registration,…
Palmer Lake Historical Society, May 15 – Author recounts life of Nikola Tesla
By Marlene Brown At the May 15 meeting of the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS), the topic of the evening was Nikola Tesla and Why He Chose Colorado Springs by author and historian Patric Ryan, who moved to Colorado Springs seven years ago and has been researching Tesla. He is writing a book series and…
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High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Enjoying nature in summer, high altitude landscaping, and weed control
By Janet Sellers “We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we’ve lost our connection to ourselves.”—Andy Goldsworthy With recent much-needed rains, many landscapes—especially at our high altitudes—are flourishing, along with an abundance of weedy grasses. Controlling…
Art Matters – On being a sketchy person in the art and cultural sector
By Janet Sellers “Art in schools shouldn’t be sidelined… it should be right there right up in the front because I think art teaches you to deal with the world around you. It is the oxygen that makes all the other subjects breathe.” —Alan Parker, filmmaker Much of art learning includes sketching, the ability to…
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Snapshots of Our Community
Bearbotics at World Championships Above: Monument’s robotics team (in photo) made it to the World Championships in April. Coach Eric VanDenHoek says the Bearbotics team had never made it that far. Their performance “exceeded our season goals.” Bearbotics traveled to Oklahoma to compete against 48 other teams. Their showing earned them a trip to Houston…
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. Black Forest slash /mulch…
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 Academy Water and Sanitation District board…