News Jan 28, 2015

  • City Council votes down SCIP Bonds.
  • Contact El Paso County Commissioners: keep wind farm 1.5 miles away from Paint Mines.
  • Fountain Creek Regional Trail closure at Carson St bridge.
  • Results of Ute Valley Park Master Plan update Jan 27.
  • Falcon Regional Park meeting Jan 28.
  • Super half marathon and Game Day 5K Feb 1.
  • Upcoming events.
TOSC logo Horiz grn

NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 28, 2015
City Council votes down SCIP Bonds.
Council acknowledges input from Parks supporters.
City Council voted Jan 27th not to place the SCIP bonds issue on the April ballot, effectively scrapping $10M in planned parks projects.
TOSC had reached out to all the Colorado Springs City Council Members, and many of you also called and sent emails–Council said they received hundreds of emails from Parks supporters–thank you! Our Executive Director spoke at the Council meeting, reinforcing the need for funding for parks projects.
With the failure of this measure, we call on City Council to participate in a larger community conversation about the future of money for parks. Where will it come from? How do we address critical infrastructure and public safety needs without robbing parks of much-needed funding? How do we start chipping away at the $180M backlog of unfunded parks projects? TOSC intends to continue pressing for real, long-term solutions that will give our community stable funding for parks, and involve the public in a conversation to help set priorities.
Contact EPC Commissioners: Paint Mines.
Proposed wind farm changes could detract from public space.

NextEra is proposing to erect a wind farm on 23,000 acres east of the Paint Mines near Calhan. The wind farm company had offered to pay parks $200,000 if it were allowed to place turbines 2300 feet (less than half a mile) from the Paint Mines. TOSC does not oppose the construction of the wind farm, but maintains that in order to ensure the conservation values of Paint Mines, El Paso County should require that the company place turbines at least one and a half miles away from the park. County Commissioners can and should make protecting Paint Mines a condition of approval for this project.
Please contact El Paso County Commissioners beforeFebruary 5th and let them know that you too want the wind company to abide by the 1.5 mile requirement to preserve the tranquility of the Paint Mines. No amount of money will “mitigate” the damage to the user experience that close-in turbines would create.
See the post on our website for more information and contact info for EPC Commissioners.

Carson St bridge closure Feb 2-mid March.
Fountain Creek Regional Trail bridge to open weekends.
Colorado Springs Utilities will be overseeing repair work to the Carson Street Pedestrian Bridge in the Security – Widefield area beginning Monday, February 2, through mid-March.  The bridge is used by Fountain Creek Regional Trail users to provide access over Fountain Creek.
The bridge will be closed while the repair work is being completed.  It is anticipated the bridge will be re-opened on weekends.
For further information, please contact El Paso County Parks at 719-520-7529.
Ute Valley Park Master Plan results.
Highlights of proposed plan.
Ute Valley biker

70 people attended the last of three public master plan meetings Jan 27th.
Some of the draft plan highlights:

  • A 3.1 mile regional tier 3 trail (not paved, 4-8′ wide) connecting the western end of the park with the Pikes Peak Greenway. Alignment is still to be determined.
  • Two or three sustainable downhill bike trails.
  • New riparian trail. Preservation of the area next to the creek is a priority.
  • There are no plans for a dog park or disc golf in the master plan.

See the draft master plan at this link.

Falcon Regional Park Meeting Jan 28.
Review of draft Master Plan for new park.
El Paso County Parks is hosting a public meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, January 28, to review the draft master plan for the development and future use of the 215-acre site that is Falcon Regional Park. The park is located west of Eastonville Road and north of Falcon High School. This is the third of three public meetings designed to engage citizens and other stakeholders in the master planning process. The Park Advisory Board and the Board of County Commissioners will review the plan at public hearings in February.
The January 28 meeting will be held at the Meridian Ranch Recreation Center, 10301 Angeles Road, Peyton, CO 80831. The agenda will include a summary of the three concept alternatives for the park presented at the January 7 meeting along with citizen input received, a presentation of the final plan for the park, and a recap of next steps. Attendees will be encouraged to share their observations on the master plan. Maps will be on display.
To keep in touch with the master planning process for the Falcon Regional Park, go to this link.
Big running events on SuperbowlSunday!
Half marathon and 5K downtown Feb 1.
On Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 1) more than 1,000 runners will race in downtown Colorado Springs in the Fourth Annual Super Half Marathon and Game Day 5K.  The Woodland Park High School’s band, ensemble and cheerleaders will also be there to ramp up the festivities.
The event is a fundraiser for Pikes Peak Roadrunners and PikespeakSports.us, organizations that work to promote running, racing and healthful living in Colorado Springs. Both organizations partner with TOSC on events benefiting trails and open space.
Pick your race, burn some calories, celebrate your accomplishment with your friends, then head home and catch the big game!
Lots of information, and registration links, at this link.
Upcoming Events
Save the dates.
Jan 28th (Wed)–Falcon Regional Park Master Plan meeting, 6 pm Meridian Ranch Recreation Center. See article.
Feb 1st (Sun)–Superbowl half marathon and game day 5K. See article.
Feb 5th (Thurs)–El Paso County Commissioners to consider plan to place wind turbines near Paint Mines. See article, and contact the Commissioners!
Feb 7 (Sat)–Guardians of Palmer Park’s monthly park volunteer day, 9 am. See listing at our volunteer website,www.openspacevolunteers.org.
Feb 7 (Sat)–Active Adults Nature Club Trail Talk, 11 am, Bear Creek Nature Center. Our Executive Director Susan Davies will speak about some of the popular and the lesser-known trails in the Pikes Peak Region, covering trail distance, difficulty, elevation gain, amenities, best time of year or day to hike, and much more. Bring your questions! $3 per member, $4 non-member. Reservations required, 520-6387.
Free presentations, all at Mountain Chalet downtown:
February 11th (Wed)–the Colorado Avalanche Information Center will give an Avalanche 101 presentation.
February 18th (Wed)–Fritz Sperry will do a slide show and book signing for his latest title for back country skiers,Skiing the Front Range.
February 25th (Wed)–Vince Cloward will present “Rafting the Grand Canyon,” a compilation of images from his three trips down the river.
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