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February 11, 2015 VOLU M E 5 0 | I S S UE 6 | 7 5 ¢
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The Inn at Palmer Divide likely to be sold Advanced Recovery Systems possibly taking over By Danny Summers
dsummers @coloradocommunitymedia.com Advanced Recovery Systems, a drug, alcohol and eating disorder company with its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is expected to take over the Inn at Palmer Divide and will convert the grounds into a rehabilitation center. The sale is expected to be completed as early as the middle of February, according to multiple sources close to the Tri-Lakes Tribune. Al Fritts is the managing partner of The Inn. He was unavailable for comment. On Jan. 20, Advanced Recovery Systems posted job advertisements at several online sites, including Career Builder, looking for a facility maintenance specialist, housekeeping, food services director, healthcare registered dietician, and more at its Palmer Lake facility. On Jan. 22, two representatives from Advanced Recovery addressed the Palmer Lake Town Council and Tri-Lakes area citizens that were at the meeting. “A big concern of the council and
While final details of the sale are being worked out, it appears to be business as usual at The Inn, which includes Mosaic Restaurant. Photos by Rob Carrigan the people at the meeting was that we’re inviting drug addicts into our town,” said Palmer Lake Councilman Paul Banta. “That doesn’t feel god. That feels scary.”
Banta added that concerns were put at ease when it was explained that Advanced Recovery has “highend clients,” paying as much as $50,000 to complete the program,
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Advanced Recovery Systems, a Florida-based company is reportedly in negotiations to acquire the The Inn at Palmer Divide.
which lasts about six weeks. While more jobs could be created, Banta said it is unclear how much revenue the town will make from hotel tax. “The hotel tax is like $2 a day per room or person,” Banta said. “I believe if you stay somewhere in town 31 days or more the hotel tax does not apply. Since most of (Advanced Recovery’s) clients would be staying longer than 31 days, we asked (the representatives) if they would object to us possibly restructuring our current ordinance. They said they had no problem with that.” While final details of the sale are being worked out, it appears to be business as usual at The Inn, which includes Mosaic Restaurant. “I don’t have many details,” said Terri Hayes, executive director of the
Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce. “We have a chamber event at The Inn Feb. 12.” According to The Inn’s website, business is running as usual. It is even planning a special Valentine’s Day event on Feb. 14. Telephone and emails left for Advanced Recovery Systems have not yet been returned. According to the Advanced Recovery Systems website, it is an integrated healthcare management company for substance abuse, alcoholism, addictions, eating disorders and related mental health treatment programs and centers. The center is designed for outpatient and residential programs. Lewis Gold, MD, and Mitchell Eisenberg, MD, are the company’s co-CEO’s and co-chairmen.
Monument and Palmer Lake avoid water court — for time being Tentative deal reached hours before case was to go to court TRI-LAKES TRIBUNE (USPS 418-960)
OFFICE: 325 Second Street, Suite R Monument, CO 80132 PHONE: 719-687-3006 A legal newspaper of general circulation in El Paso County, Colorado, the Tri-Lakes Tribune is published weekly on Wednesday by Colorado Community Media, 1200 E. Highway 24, Woodland Park, CO 80863. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT MONUMENT, 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 Danny Summers
dsummers@coloradocommunitymedia.com The towns of Monument and Palmer Lake have avoided water court - for now - and are in continued negotiations for a settlement agreement that would benefit both Tri-Lakes communities. “The last thing I saw was that the trial will be continued until Feb. 17 so both towns can formulate an (Inter-governmental agreement) with the settlement details,” said Pam Smith, the town of Monument town manager. “It appears, with both Town Boards approval of the IGA, we will have this settled.” An eleventh-hour agreement was reached on Feb. 2 to not take the fight to water court in Denver (scheduled for Feb. 3-5). “We have been in negotiations with Palmer Lake — not the Awake the Lake Committee, but the Town government — non-stop for a couple of weeks,” Smith said. “We are extremely close to having an agreement. I hope we can come to an agreement and put this thing to bed.” The towns have been fighting over an old railroad water right, which Monument claims Palmer Lake abandoned. Palmer Lake hopes to convert the right into water that can be used to fill its nearly empty lake — except for a few springs that pop up in the desert-type landscape. Monument has long maintained that Palmer Lake had abandoned the water right after years of incorrect use to fill its lake, rather than for industrial use.
An eleventh-hour agreement was reached on Feb. 2 to not take the fight to water court in Denver (scheduled for Feb. 3-5). Photo by Rob Carrigan The towns are basically in a gridlock over 21.8 million gallons of water. Each side has given reasons for water rights. Residents from both communities have addressed the Monument Town Trustees to settle the fight so the lake can be filled. The town of Palmer Lake has been dealing with the state and other water districts in the Tri-Lakes area since December 2013. That was when it asked to convert an old railroad water right into a source
that could fill the nearly dry lake to pre-2005 levels. The railroad water right has gone unused since the late 1950s, when Colorado’s railroads stopped running steam engines. Representatives with the town of Monument have said that losing 67-acre feet of water could have a serious impact on Monument Lake. An acre foot of water is enough to cover a football field in a foot of water.