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October 15, 2014 VOLU M E 49 | I S S UE 39 | 7 5 ¢ SPECIAL SECTION
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Tri-LakesTribune.net
T R I - L A K E S R E G I O N , M O N U M E N T, G L E N E A G L E , B L A C K F O R E S T A N D N O R T H E R N E L P A S O C O U N T Y
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Forest Service opens portion of Waldo burn area Staff Report
A standing-room only crowd of about 125 people crammed the Palmer Lake Town Council chambers Oct. 9 to watch and take part in the great pot debate. Photos by Danny Summers
Voters still hold the fate of legalized pot Palmer Lake town council voted 4 to 2 on Oct. 9 not to repeal Ordinance #2 By Danny Summers
dsummers@coloradocommunitymedia.com
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A dark, wet and windy Oct. 9 night was not about to keep 125-plus Tri-Lakes area residents from jamming the Palmer Lake Town Hall Chambers. The meeting was filled with drama as the main topics of discussion were a “Request to Repeal Ordinance #2, 2014 Sale of Recreational Marijuana,” and whether a measure on the Nov. 4 ballot by an antimarijuana group led by Chris Amenson was even legal. In the end, after the council heard from 28 citizens and discussed things among themselves, the status quo remained intact, thus allowing voters to decide for itself in November. “It is too close to the November vote to not allow people to vote on this again,” said council member Rich Kuester. In April, a ballot measure on whether to allow the sales of legalized recreational marijuana in Palmer Lake lost by 57 votes. “We let the process play out
Dino Salvatori, center with goatee, shares a moment with Chris Amenson, right, after the Palmer Lake Town Hall meeting on Oct. 9. Salvatori is owner of the Palmer Lake Wellness Center and proponent of having legalized sales of marijuana in the town. Amenson and his group are working to keep any measure that has to do with legalized sales of marijuana in the town off the ballot for at least the next three years. Palmer Lake resident Chris Wright, far-left, a pro-marijuana advocate, looks on. and it got changed last November by four people; that was wrong,” said Dino Salvatori, referring to the then Palmer Lake town council to opt out of recreational sales of legalized
marijuana by a 4 to 2 vote. “And then when it went to the other process of a vote in April, there Voters continues on Page 5
The Pike National Forest Ranger District is temporarily opening Forest Service Road (FSR) 300, also known as Rampart Range Road. This popular tourist road is now open between Garden of the Gods and Rampart Reservoir within the Waldo Canyon Burn Area. Forest Order 2014-16 opens the area to day use only. The public may not camp, have campfires or park outside of designated areas. Forest visitors should refer to maps posted at entry points and within the Waldo Burn Area. The restricted area includes the National Forest boundary above Garden of the Gods to Sand Gulch (about 2 miles south of Rampart Reservoir). All of the National Forest System lands between the Highway 24 corridor and Rampart Range Road will remain closed to entry. This closure includes Williams and Waldo canyons and Wellington and Sand gulches. Also closed to entry is an area around Nichols Reservoir in the upper West Monument Creek drainage (below the Rampart Reservoir dam). Most of the area east of Rampart Range Road will be open to public use, but camping and campfires will be prohibited. In that same area, parking will be restricted to designated areas. The U.S. Forest Service has installed signs that identify the designated parking locations and these are generally in locations where use of the adjacent National Forest will not result in resource concerns. There are no designated parking locations between the Garden of the Gods park and the National Forest boundary, and then not until above the closed shooting range. The South Rampart Shooting Range remains closed. Visitors should use extreme caution and expect to encounter falling dead trees and limbs, steep slopes, stump holes and the potential for flooding in this burned area. According to Pikes Peak District Ranger Oscar Martinez, “If you choose to go into the Waldo Canyon area, expect a changed condition. It is not the same forest that many remember prior to the 2012 wildfire. There are many dangers so be very cautious with a plan of escape when the winds increase or it starts to rain. Your safety is our priority.”
Lamborn headlines meet-and-greet 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 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
Several other local politicians attended the fun event By Danny Summers
dsummers@colorado communitymedia.com Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn showed up early and stayed late for his meet-and-greet at the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts on Oct. 8. The former Gleneagle resident and his wife, Jeanie, were the featured guests for the event that was hosted by TLCA president Michael Maddox. “I have such a warm spot in my heart for the Tri-Lakes area,” said Lamborn, who now lives in the Pine Creek area. “This is such a thriving area of (El Paso) County and there are so many interesting people here.” Lamborn maintains three offices in Colorado, as well as his Washington, D.C. office that adjoins the Capitol. When he is in the Tri-Lakes area it is not uncommon for folks to see Lamborn and Jeanie around town. “This is a great tourism area as well,” Lamborn said. “Earlier this week my wife and I were enjoying
the Santa Fe Trail on our bicycles. We started in Monument and came to Palmer Lake, turned around and went back. “I’m hoping the Front Range Trail is eventually extended throughout the full Front Range from Wyoming to New Mexico. That would be fantastic.” As is the style of a meet-andgreet, Lamborn shook hands with his constituents - those for and against him - listened to their concerns and offered his ideas and some solutions. He also addressed the issue of possible legalized sales of marijuana in Palmer Lake. “I was against recreational marijuana two years ago when it was on the ballot and I still feel the same way now,” Lamborn said. “There’s a social cost that comes with it. There are people that don’t handle it well and they go backwards in life when they become so entrenched in their habit of smoking pot. They are not as creative or productive of a person as they can be. “I want to look at the bigger picture. I regret that there are recreational sales in Manitou (Springs) and I hope it doesn’t happen here. I don’t think it helps with our military base. I am not seeing a big Lamborn continues on Page 7
Palmer Lake mayor Nikki McDonald, second from left, is sharing a few laughs with constituents during Congressman Doug Lamborn’s meet-and-greet on Oct. 8. Photos by Danny Summers
Congressman Doug Lamborn, left, shares a moment with Estemere owner Roger Ward, center, and Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts director Michael Maddox during a meet-and-greet Oct. 8 at the TLCA in Palmer Lake.