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December 3, 2014 VOLU M E 53 | I S S UE 48 | 7 5 ¢
PikesPeakCourier.net T E L L E R C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
BLM and Fort Carson schedule public meeting Meeting to talk about helicopter training missions in Four Mile By Pat Hill
phill@coloradocommunitymedia.com In a place where elk and wild turkeys roam, where stunning rock formations and lush hillsides cast a pastoral setting, helicopters from Fort Carson are disturbing the peace in the Four Mile area. Reaching sounds up to 92 decibels, the helicopters are part of a training mission for Fort Carson which seeks mountain terrain equal to conditions in Afghanistan. “I was in my yard about five days ago and the helicopter came right over my head,” said K.C. Jones, who lives in Lakemoor West. Jones, Steve and Sandi Witcher, David and Joy Adams, have become activists to halt the missions in their neighborhood as well as in Navajo Mountain Mesa and Bear Trap. “At first they (Fort Carson pilots) were training their own people, which is why we see them occasionally when they fly by,” Sandi Witcher said. “But now they’ve expanded it to all Armed Forces. That shows the whole scope of things.” According to the Plan of Development for Fort Carson and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the use of public land in Fremont, Park and Teller counties is necessary
FOR MORE INFORMATION A release from the BLM and Fort Carson announces
a public meeting from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Cripple Creek Heritage Center. “Comments concerning the proposed action, alternatives and identification of environmental issues are most helpful,” states the release. The scoping period for training sites will run from Nov. 19 to Dec. 19.
to ensure that the High Altitude Mountain Environment Training (HAMET) exposes pilots to a wide variety of situations and challenges. The development plan is based on the BLM providing 43 landing zones in Teller, Fremont and Park counties. Six of them encompass Lakemoor West while 37 proposed landing zones contain only three houses within the 1,000 meter radius targeted by the BLM. Another type of training, titled “nontenant training,” that is, military not stationed at Fort Carson, is expected to land up 1,440 times per year in each zone - according to the development plan. Training on BLM land is a change from previous missions which took place on U.S. Forest Service land. “The fire danger is one of the main reasons the Forest Service is taking away landing zones,” Joy Adams said. The controversy escalated when BLM granted the Army a casual-use permit to conduct the missions. “The contract has
The neighbors in Four Mile, seated, from left, Sandi Witcher, David Adams, Joy Adams; standing, from left, K.C. Jones and Steve Witcher. Photo by Pat Hill not been signed yet,” Joy Adams said. In addition to the fear of wildfire in the drought-stricken area, the neighbors are concerned about decreasing property values. “We’ve got a lot of retired people here in their 70s and early 80s; they’re going to want to sell eventually - you have helicopters flying around all day, nobody’s going to come in here and buy any kind of a house,” Steve Witcher said.
Because the program is still subject to casual use, the landings are sporadic. As a result, one of the neighbors in Lakemoor recently bought property and is building a home that happens to be 425 feet away from a landing zone, Steve Witcher said. While the development plan states that Meeting continues on Page 7
WP Council chooses primary Aquatic Center site Approves budget on first reading, sets final budget hearing for Dec. 4 POSTAL ADDRESS
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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. Legal: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 10 a.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
By Norma Engelberg Contributing writer
Because Teller County Waste’s permit requests and site-plan review took up most of the Nov. 6 Woodland Park City Council meeting, several other agenda items were postponed to the Nov. 20 meeting. This seriously lengthened the Nov. 20 meeting but council was able to deal with most of the agenda items. Before getting to the discussion item that filled council chambers with speakers and spectators, council took up the cases that were previously postponed. These included the approval of two conditional use permit ordinances. The first was a request from Bill Page to add seven apartments to his Gold Hill Square North property. The second was from Garland “Mac” McClung, owner of Bad Rock Automotive, to construct a 15,022 square-foot parking lot on his property that will be used for employee parking, and vehicle sales and service. Neighbors Helga and Kenneth Kacir complained that the lot would obstruct their view. Councilmembers sympathized but explained that homowners knew the property was zoned community commercial when they built their home. Later in the meeting, Council approved on first reading two ordinances pertaining to the city’s 2015 budget and set the public hearing for Dec. 4. The subject everyone was waiting for was choosing the location for the Woodland Aquatic Center approved by voters on Nov. 4. Sites included Woodland Station,
These Woodland Park and Teller County citizens crowded into the Woodland Park Council Chambers on Nov. 20 to help councilmembers decide the best place to build the city’s newly approved Aquatic Center. Photo by Norma Engelberg Meadow Wood Sports Complex and Stoneridge property owned by Dana Duncan. City Manager David Buttery said there also is a site near the high school that might work. He added that council’s goal was to pick a primary building site and a back-up site. Local residents Curt Grina and Bill Nein represented those proposing the Meadow Wood location. They said the land there already belongs to the city and that, while the center might eliminate some of the amenities that are part of the park’s master plan, free land might mean more amenities for the center. Buttery said the complex is a feasible site but then used the park’s master plan map to show what might be lost if it’s built there. Grina countered that Duncan’s land could be used for the Aquatic Center or to expand the park and replace Little League and soccer fields that might be lost.
Duncan said during his presentation that he would be willing to do whatever it takes to build the center and/or help the sports complex. Grina said the Woodland Station site in the Downtown Development Authority district doesn’t have as much recreational potential as the Meadow Wood site and that the site is “dangerous,” explaining that it would compromise the Aquatic Center’s main goal of improving the community’s quality of life. He cited traffic issues and congestion. He said he asked 10 or so downtown business owners about building the pool in Woodland Station and they said they didn’t want it there but didn’t want to say so publicly. He also asked “who puts an aquatic center in the middle of a downtown?” Several members of the authority board at the meeting took exception to Grina’s use of the word “dangerous,” saying that having
the pool in Woodland Station would be good for the citizens and for the city. Authority board member Jon DeVaux said he owns a business downtown and he wants the pool there. “It would be good for my business,” he said. He also named other Colorado cities that have pools in or near their downtowns. “From September to May, who is going to be having picnics and playing ball at Meadow Wood?” he asked, adding, “The pool they’re proposing doesn’t even have the six lanes required for use by highschool swim teams.” DeVaux said Grina named some good reasons for choosing Meadow Wood but the site has limited potential for generating sales taxes and economic development. “If someone wants to build a restaurant or retail business near the pool, they can’t do that at Meadow Wood,” he said. Woodland Aquatic Project President Gerry Simon said, “We think building the center anywhere in Woodland Park is better than building it nowhere. … I love Meadow Wood, I watched my kids grow up there, but we don’t feel that it’s the right place for the Aquatic Center.” Former Woodland Park Mayor Steve Randolph said he thought when he voted to support the center that its location in Woodland Station was already set. After all the discussion, councilmembers agreed that Woodland Station was still the best choice as the center’s primary location. They cited its nearness to the schools, to Memorial Park and to downtown dining, shopping and entertainment opportunities. Mayor Neil Levy didn’t express a preference but joined the rest of council in choosing the site unanimously. Because of the lateness of the hour, council put choosing the back-up location on hold.