May 20, 2015 VO LUM E 54 | IS S U E 20 | 75¢
PikesPeakCourier.net T E L L E R C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Mitigation is working Closures still in the picture on U.S. 24
By Pat Hill phill@coloradocommunitymedia.com Rocks, floods, rain, hail, snow, cascades of water, Ute Pass is filled with potential danger. “Mitigation has not eliminated the risk,” said R.C. Smith, El Paso County Recovery Manager. “We’re going to be dealing with this for the next 5 to 8 years; it takes the forest that long to regenerate to hold the water.” Smith was one of several officials speaking to more than 100 Ute Pass residents May 12 at the elementary school in Chipita Park. “Once the burn scar materialized we dedicated one forecaster to look at the radar just for the burn scar,” said Tom Magnuson, with the National Weather Service. “Our goal is to provide minutes of lead time - that’s all you’re going to get.” On a gloomy note, Magnuson predicted above-average rainfall for June, July and August. “It could be a rough summer,” he said.
Since the fire of 2012, whose cause has never been determined, the Waldo Canyon Recovery Group meets once a month. “We get updates from all of the partners,” said El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark, who moderated the meeting. “We’ve probably spent $50 million on U.S. 24, with all the different resources.”
Ken Quintana, Colorado Department of Transportation
As of May 1, CDOT is monitoring the rain gauges on U.S. 24. “As soon as the gauges hit a one-inch accumulation in a five-day period, that will enact our monitors,” Quintana said. A flash-flood warning, however, triggers the monitors, even without the oneinch reading, he added. CDOT will not close the highway unless sediment or debris threatens to block traffic, Quintana said. The good news is that mitigation is working, he said. Granted, CDOT closed the highway for a short period of time during the three-day storm in May but that was due to hail. “We got a little over 4 inches of rain and didn’t have any issues,” he said.
Heavy rains took a good-sized chunk out of the embankment, and dragged mature trees with it, near Cascade early last week Photo by Rob Carrigan “But Fern Gulch is still a problem, that’s our biggest concern.”
roadway. “At that point, you have no clue how deep the water is; rushing water can
What if there’s a flood on the highway?
• Don’t drive through a washed-out
Mitigation continues on Page 23
PROFILE
Jensen hired for Main Street By Pat Hill phill@coloradocommunitymedia.com
A
POSTAL ADDRESS
PIKES PEAK COURIER (USPS 654-460)
OFFICE: 1200 E. Highway 24 Woodland Park, CO 80863 PHONE: 719-687-3006 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Teller County, Colorado, the Pikes Peak Courier is published weekly on Wednesday by Colorado Community Media, 1200 E. Highway 24, Woodland Park, CO 80863. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WOODLAND PARK, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 10 a.m.
PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
s the new coordinator for the Main Street program, Darlene Jensen is bursting with ideas to enhance the city of Woodland Park. Hired by the Main Street board, whose members secured the designation, Jensen is writing grants and hatching plans. “City Above the Clouds is our slogan but give us a theme to wrap our hands around so when people drive through town they go, ‘I want to be part of this,’” she said, adding that the theme could be Western or one that capitalizes on the history of the Midland Railroad, for instance. To highlight the city’s offerings, Jensen envisions effective signage and a set of kiosks around downtown, particularly in Woodland Station. Raring to get started, Jensen is ready for the next step. “I’ll be going out to businesses, asking their opinions and reporting to the board and the various committees,” she said. “There are so many impassioned people here, all bringing their desire to be here to the table.” To address the gaps in retail, the empty buildings downtown and closure rate of new businesses, Jensen plans discussions about what needs to happen for businesses to flourish. “In other words, is there a better location and is the time right for that type of business, so it’s not just hit or miss.” The costs of closures impact the community, she said. “The goal is to help the landlords and investors define the best retail tenant, there’s no question about that,” she added. “To have a vacant building downtown is an absolute negative.” Along with the board, Jensen envisions the discussions as a collaboration of the chamber and the city’s economic development office. “I’d love to see young business investors because they have young families,” she said. “With the aquatic center, that’s a catalyst for the expansion of not just Woodland Station but for our city.”
Darlene Jensen has been hired as the coordinator of the Main Street Program in Woodland Park, one of 14 cities to be designated in the state. Photo by Pat Hill
What is Main Street?
Who is Darlene Jensen?
The Main Street Program is made up of volunteers on four committees: • Organization: handles development of bylaws. • Economic restructuring: includes efforts to revitalize the retail sector downtown • Promotion: education and collaboration with other entities. To begin the education piece, the board distributes the brochure, “Shop Dine & Unwind,” which features shops, restaurants and activities. “But I don’t want to limit Main Street support strictly in retail but include medical services, realtors, businesses that have established themselves in downtown,” Jensen said. “We’ve discussed featuring a business in our monthly newsletter.” • Design and historic preservation: “My job is to bring in resources to the program - I’m currently working on a mini-grant application to the Department of Local Affairs,” she said, referring to the Colorado division that administers the program. If successful, the grant would be used to support the historic mural, a project of the Woodland Park Arts Alliance, and the aquatic center. Both projects align with the goals of the Main Street program, to expand jobs and preserve history.
Jensen graduated from DePauw University in Indiana with a degree in the areas of economics/business and environmental science. After graduating, she went on to legal studies at Denver Career College with a focus on legal research and legal writing. After receiving a position with the County of DuPage in the Chicago region (comprised of 750,000 residents), she worked in the public works and zoning departments, and assisted the state attorney’s office in contract development and management and ordinance modifications. She then returned to Colorado “so my children would have the opportunity to grow up in the Pikes Peak Region,” she said. “I was fortunate to work with El Pomar Foundation in support of the work of El Pomar’s Legal Counsel and Director of Operations.” Along the way, Jensen served was the director of Colorado Association of Conservation Districts, executive director of the Catamount Institute and volunteered with the nonprofit Green Cities Coalition.