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The quality of life in Palmer Lake was rated as:
Stuth said, based on the results, "people are incredibly happy to live in Palmer Lake." She said it was the highest community satisfaction survey she had ever seen. Overall, the respondents were very satisfied with the Palmer Lake Police Department and Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department (PLVFD). The only measure for the PLVFD that scored somewhat low in the community was for wildfire mitigation. A satisfaction level of 37 percent for the town’s administration is high, as this number is 10 percent in most community surveys. The Palmer Lake Town Council received 35 percent in satisfaction. Stuth said "people are very, very concerned about drinking water" and are generally concerned about the availability of water. The town’s married people are more concerned than others about water. Stuth said 72 percent think it is important to keep Palmer Lake filled and that this was especially true for relatively new residents. Control of noxious weeds was a concern for 46 percent of those surveyed. The majority of people who responded to the survey feel safe, with the main safety concerns being speeding and speed limits not being maintained, concern for wild animals, and the need for full police protection. Regarding roads, the major concerns are the paving of roads, dust control, and drainage. The following is a sampling of other results:
When survey respondents were asked to rank the importance of items to their personal quality of life, the future supply of drinking water (84 percent), the fire department and medical services, the condition of roads, neighborhood safety, and keeping the lake filled were at the top of the list. Stuth offered the following recommendations based on the survey results:
Stuth concluded that the small town dynamic is integral and a fundamental reason why people "love to be in Palmer Lake" and that overall this was "an incredibly positive survey" relative to other communities she has studied.
Monument Board of Trustees, March 1:Change in staffing for Triview requestedClick here or on the photos to zoom in Below: Chief Jake Shirk of the Monument Police Department introduced the town’s newest police officer, Bob Steine, and his family to the Monument Board of Trustees on Feb. 1. Photo by Jim Kendrick.
Below: At the Feb. 1 Monument Board of Trustees meeting, Monument Police Chief Jake Shirk announced that he is running for El Paso County Sheriff. At the Mar. 1 board meeting, Shirk said he appreciated all the support he has gotten for his campaign. He also noted that a Monument police officer has completed all required truck inspection training and will start checking heavy trucks on Monument roads. Photo by Jim Kendrick
By Jim Kendrick On March 1, Town Manager Cathy Green requested that the Monument Board of Trustees consider having Triview Metropolitan District hire a management employee to relieve some of the work she, Town Treasurer Pamela Smith, and Public Works Director Rich Landreth are doing for the metro district. All trustees were present at the meeting. Green first reviewed the history of the town staff’s takeover of staff responsibilities for Triview. Triview could not turn in a balanced budget in December 2008. Triview closed its office building, and Green, Smith, and Landreth took over district management. The town added three full-time staff employees to town staff, but they are still paid by Triview. The Triview district manager was terminated and his assistant resigned. The district’s consultant attorney was terminated. The district’s $47.6 million debt was refinanced to 30-year fixed-rate bonds, lowering interest payments considerably. A working group consisting of two directors from each board worked with a third-party attorney to draft an intergovernmental agreement for having the town operate Triview, but had no success in reaching a final draft. The staff had expected its workload to drop more than it has and Triview meetings to be down to once a quarter by 2010. This has not happened. The department heads cannot devote full attention to their primary town responsibilities. Both boards understand this situation and want a change. Green proposed that Triview hire a district manager to act as a liaison between the town and district staff members and that Triview financial matters be outsourced to a CPA. Triview has asked that the working group of subcommittees be restored. Mayor Travis Easton and Trustee Rafael Dominguez volunteered for the town subcommittee. Trustee Jeff Kaiser volunteered to be an alternate member.
Joint Use Committee, Feb. 9:Tighter effluent restriction limits remain a concernBy Jim Kendrick On Feb. 9, the Joint Use Committee (JUC) of the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility took a step toward becoming a more prominent voice for Colorado’s small treatment facilities at regulatory hearings and meetings held by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment regarding the state’s water quality programs. Monument District Manager Mike Wicklund reported that on Jan. 27, the Upper Monument Water Quality Management Association had unanimously approved a contribution of $500 to the Colorado Wastewater Utility Council to help pay for a $10,000 study conducted by consultant Tim Moore on errors in chronic sublethal whole effluent toxicity (WET) tests and to become a member of CWWUC. The members of the Upper Monument association are:
The Wastewater Council (http://cwwuc.org) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Its mission is to professionally and responsibly promote environmental protection by supporting legislation and regulations that achieve well-defined environmental benefits while maintaining local flexibility. The following are some of the council’s current activities:
Woodmoor Water and Sanitation Board, Feb. 11:Board votes to join wastewater council; Nasser honoredClick here or on the photo to zoom in Below: Benny Nasser, president of the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation Board, receives an award from the Joint Use Committee for his work on updating their organizational agreement. Presenters are Bill Burks of the Tri-Lakes Water Treatment Plant and Dale Smith, chair of the JUC. Photo by Harriet Halbig
By Harriet Halbig At the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation Board meeting Feb. 11, President Benny Nasser received an award from the Joint Use Committee (JUC) for participating in the review and updating of that committee’s organizational document. The award was presented by Bill Burks, executive director of the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment facility, and Dale Smith, chairman of JUC.
Monument Sanitation District, Feb. 18:Wakonda Hills tap fees will increase Oct. 1By Jim Kendrick On Feb. 18, the Monument Sanitation District approved an increase in tap fees for Wakonda Hills properties that are not included in the district by Sept. 30. Brannan Construction Co. is expected to have completed Phase 2 of the district’s sanitary sewer collection system expansion between July and October. The size of the Oct. 1 increase will be determined at a future board meeting. Tap fees for the approximately 40 properties that have not yet been included in the district will remain at a fixed $5,500 until Sept. 30. The district will credit up to $1,000 of the property owner’s cost for installing a sewer service line toward the fixed tap fee. For example, if installation of a service line costs the property owner $1,500, the district will give a $1,000 credit toward tap fees, leaving a $4,500 balance. The balance can be financed through the district with no interest for 15 years. For example, a balance of $4,500 would require 180 monthly payments of $25. Once connected, monthly user fees will apply. If a property owner wishes to pay off the financed tap fees early, there is no pre-payment charge. If a property owner sells the property, the balance due on the amount financed by the district must be paid off at closing.
Triview Metropolitan District, Feb. 23:Board election cancelledBy Jim Kendrick On Feb. 23, Monument Town Manager Cathy Green announced that no one had applied to run against incumbent Triview Metropolitan District board members Steve Cox, Bob Eskridge, and Steve Hurd, whose terms were to expire in May. After the meeting, OCN confirmed that no one else had applied before the deadline and that the election had been cancelled. These incumbents will serve additional four-year terms. Robert Fisher’s and Steve Remington’s terms expire in May 2012. Robert Fisher chaired the meeting. President Robert Eskridge and Steve Remington were out of town and excused. Dana Duthie, district manager of Donala Water and Sanitation District, and engineering consultant Roger Sams of GMS Inc. briefed the board on operations at Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility. Donala board member Bill George also attended. Some of the topics in their presentation were:
After the hour-long discussion, Duthie and Monument Public Works Director Rich Landreth noted that re-deeding of the facility is required to adjust the percentages of facility capacity that the districts own to correctly reflect the capital improvements that have been made to the facility:
Donala will hold 6.7 percent of Triview’s share of ownership in escrow until Donala’s loan of $1,076,354 to Triview on Jan. 8, 2009, is paid off. The loan helped pay Triview’s share of the facility expansion cost.
Donala Water and Sanitation District, Feb. 24:Board approves debt and mill levy questions for ballotBy John Heiser At the Feb. 24 meeting of the Donala Water and Sanitation District Board of Directors, the board unanimously approved placing on the upcoming mail ballot election measures to increase district debt up to $20 million and increase property taxes up to 5 mills as needed to help repay the additional debt. A primary purpose of the measures is to fund the infrastructure changes needed to connect to Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) for access to renewable water. The mill levy could potentially yield additional annual revenue of up to $412,000. The district currently has $7 million in debt used to fund the recently completed wastewater treatment plant expansion. The loan repayment costs on that debt run about $500,000 per year. The current property tax mill levy paid by owners of property receiving water and sewer service from the district is 16 mills, which yields annual revenue of about $1.2 million. If voters approve the ballot measures and the board approves applying the additional 5 mills, the property tax paid by owners of property in the district would be 21 mills, which would yield annual revenue of about $1.6 million. Board President Dennis Daugherty noted that the district currently has $6 million in cash and is "nowhere near the point where we need to be borrowing money." He added that the board is focused on minimizing expenses and has no intention of borrowing more than is needed or approving an increase in the mill levy if the debt can be repaid from other sources of revenue. Dana Duthie, Donala’s general manager, reported on the schedule leading to the election. Pro and con comments on the ballot measures must be submitted to the district by March 19. The district will mail summaries of those comments to the voters April 2. Ballots will be mailed to voters between April 12 and April 16. Ballots must be received at the district no later than May 4. Now that the ballot measures have been approved, the district is prevented from advocating passage of the measures. All information on the election and related projects has been removed from the district’s Web site. District residents, including some former board members, have formed a committee called Water for the Future to support passage of the measures. Information on the committee and its views is posted at www.donalawaterfuture.webs.com. Potential effects of initiatives 60 and 61 discussedDuthie reported on an analysis of what would happen if state ballot initiatives 60 and 61 were to be approved by voters in November.
Even though Duthie now thinks that an agreement with CSU may not happen this year, in light of the uncertainties regarding ballot initiatives 60 and 61, he is recommending that during 2010 the district borrow an additional $7 million to fund infrastructure changes. He said the current $1.2 million in property tax revenue would cover the loan payoff even if voters do not approve the additional 5 mills in May. Although not sufficient to implement all the proposed changes, the $7 million would cover the immediate capital improvement needs. Board candidates announcedBoard positions currently held by Daugherty, Dick Durham, and Tim Murphy are up for election May 4. Durham has announced his decision not to seek re-election. Daugherty is term-limited and cannot run for re-election. The candidates for the three positions are Warren Gerig Jr., Tim Murphy, William Nance, Gene Pfeffer, and David Powell. For more information on the election, contact Jackie Sipes, the district’s designated election official, at 488-3603.
Academy Water and Sanitation District, March 3:Water rates going upBy Susan Hindman April’s water bills will reflect increased rates approved by the Academy Water and Sanitation District’s board at its March 3 meeting. Although the service fees were raised in the past year, the actual water rates have increased only for those using over 12,000 gallons, said Treasurer Walter Reiss.
Donald Wescott Fire Protection District, Feb. 24:Board accepts bookkeeper’s resignation; staff will manage district finances againBy Jim Kendrick On Feb. 24, the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District board unanimously accepted the unsigned written resignation of former board bookkeeper Angela Morton. The other directors rejected Treasurer Dennis Feltz’s request to hire another bookkeeper so that he could continue to manage the district’s day-to-day finances. They also voted to transfer the management of day-to-day finances back to the district staff due to financial management problems that have continued to occur since Morton was hired on Nov. 1. Some of these problems were incorrect payroll payments, late credit card payments that resulted in the district’s account being frozen, and late filing of some 2009 IRS tax documents. The other directors also directed Feltz to retrieve a computer he had purchased for Morton with district funds without the board’s knowledge or prior approval.
Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District Board, Feb. 24:Subcommittee formed for union liaisonClick here on the photo to zoom in Below (L to R): TLMFPD Chief Denboske congratulates firefighter Mike Keough, Battalion Chief Bryan Jack, firefighter Franz Hankins, and firefighter Rudi for their outstanding performance in the Jaws of Life rescue of a vehicle occupant on Highway 105. Photo by Bernard Minetti.
By Bernard L. Minetti On Feb. 24, the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District Board discussed its proposal to form a subcommittee to deal exclusively with the International Association of Fire Fighters union (IAFF) and to bring matters and concerns to the board for resolution. The resolution proposal document was provided to the board and follows in its entirety:
The proposal was unanimously adopted by the board after a motion by Director Charlie Pocock, seconded by Director Bill Ingram. Directors Pocock, Barbara Kelly and Ingram volunteered for duty on the subcommittee. Only two were needed. A drawing was held and Directors Ingram and Pocock were selected.
Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education, Feb. 18:School Board discusses changes for upcoming school yearBy Harriet Halbig The Board of Education, meeting at Lewis-Palmer High School on Feb. 18, held an extensive conversation regarding changes for the upcoming school year and their influence on morale in the community.
Lewis-Palmer District Accountability Advisory Committee, Feb. 9:Legislators are focus of school funding concernsBy Harriet Halbig The District Accountability Advisory Committee (DAAC) will express its concerns to legislators about school funding.
Lewis-Palmer Special Education Advisory Committee, Feb. 10:Superintendent responds to position statementClick here or on the photo to zoom in Below: District 38 School Superintendent Ray Blanch addresses the committee. Seated on the right is Special Education Director Mary Anne Fleury. Photo by Harriet Halbig.
By Harriet Halbig Chris Amenson was elected chairman of the Special Education Advisory Committee on Feb. 10 following the resignation of Brent Byrnes. Byrnes’ children no longer attend schools in District 38. Dr. Ray Blanch, superintendent of schools, attended the meeting to respond to the committee’s position statement, presented to him during the past month. He said he has received a number of e-mails and phone calls on the subject and wished to address the committee. In the form of a draft improvement plan, he set forth a number of goals to be met in the next three years. The document was divided into sections aligned with the district’s priorities of student achievement, whole child, and community engagement.
Woodmoor Improvement Association Board, Feb. 24:Board holds first meeting, makes changesBy Harriet Halbig The Board of Directors of the Woodmoor Improvement Association held its first meeting of the year at the Barn in Woodmoor. Members-at-large George McFadden and Larry Goad were absent. Paul Lambert attended via cellphone. Jim Hale, Nick Oakley and Lambert were elected to the board in January. McFadden is the former president and Goad is a continuing member at large. McFadden and Goad requested that they be members-at-large with no additional committee responsibilities.
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