Pikes peak courier 0611

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June 11, 2014

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Teller County, Colorado Volume 53, Issue 23

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WP Aquatic project moves ahead Council gives initial approval to place bond question on November ballot By Norma Engelberg Contributing writer Woodland Park voters will likely have an opportunity in November to approve the bonds needed to build the Woodland Park Aquatic Center and two other city projects,

construction of a new Fleet Maintenance Building and renovations at Memorial Park. At a special Woodland Park City Council meeting on June 3, City Manager David Buttery assured council that the city’s current revenue streams can service the debt for a 20-year bond to pay for construction of these three projects without raising taxes or cutting city services. Council voted unanimously to direct Buttery to send out requests for proposals for the aquatic center.

These “RFPs” will be sent out within a week or so of approval. Bob Carlsen, council liaison to the Woodland Aquatic Project board of directors, said proposals covering the concept design and construction of the center should come back in about 3-4 weeks. “We’ll conduct interviews and choose the contractor that best fits our needs,” he said. “The city will pay between $40,000 and $80,000 for the concept design. This will tell us exactly how much we can expect to pay for constructing the center.”

Tornado bypasses Teller

Exact numbers are needed to make sure the amount requested in the bond question will cover costs for all three projects. According to documents submitted at the special meeting, the best estimate for the Fleet Maintenance Building is $1.08 million with 46 percent coming out of the general fund and the rest coming out of the city’s 410, 510 and 520 funds that cover such items as streets and drainage projects. Project continues on Page 11

WP council reviews wildfire response Mixed-use development ordinance sent back for revision By Norma Engelberg Contributing writer

Denise Kelly of Lake George photographed this tornado about 12:30 Sunday, June 8, near Lake George. Photo by Denise Kelly

By Pat Hill

phill@colorado communitymedia.com Residents in the Lutheran Valley and Turkey Rock area received warning at 1:18 p.m. June 8 to take shelter from a possible tornado heading their way. As the funnel cloud passed over the Florissant area, people in the RV park near Lake George in Park County weren’t so lucky. According to a report in the June 9 edition of the Gazette, the tornado touched down and destroyed six motor

homes in the park. Denise Kelly, a resident who lives nearby caught photos of the funnel cloud and sent copies to The Courier that afternoon. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was one of seven that touched down in Colorado Sunday afternoon, including one north of Palmer Lake. Marc Dettenrieder, who lives in Florissant, was on his way to Hayden Divide Park to take a run with his dogs about 12:15 p.m. when he received a warning about severe weather in Douglas County. He figured he still had time.

“Three minutes after I let the dogs out of the car this funnel cloud appeared,” he said. “I snapped some photos while the cloud grew substantially.” Forget the run - Dettenrieder gathered up the dogs and headed home. By then, he had received numerous warnings on his cell phone from Teller County. Surprisingly enough, the area didn’t receive much rain. But the incident definitely got his attention “I had never seen a funnel cloud in my life,” said Dettenrieder, whose day job is Teller County commissioner.

Until the very end, the June 5 Woodland Park City Council meeting was business as usual. Councilmember Ken Matthews was away at a conference but the rest of council and Mayor Dave Turley spent most of the meeting hearing updates of wildfire detection and talking about changes to the city’s disaster response. Northeast Teller Country Fire Protection District Chief Tyler Lambert provided information about wild land fire detection and new state-funded programs that will start this summer. “An early-detection study has determined that it’s just too expensive to implement in the Colorado Springs area wild land urban interface,” Lambert said. “The U.S. Forest Service worked with the U.S. Department of Defense but I don’t know all the details. We’re continuing to rely on citizens to be our eyes and ears.” The state has created a new Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control to coordinate wildfire events. There is now a state engine program and a $19-million Colorado Firefighting Air Corps, complete with an expanded single-engine air tanker fleet and fixed wing aircraft equipped with infrared sensors that can help ground crews find fires. Once these aircraft are deployed, they can be over the site of a potential fire within 60 minutes, Lambert said. He also talked about an update to the local wildfire disaster plan. “We’re making 30 Type I engines available within 90 minutes and we’re learning what it takes to mobilize large amounts of equipment in a short period of time,” he Wildfire continues on Page 11

POSTAL ADDRESS

PIKES PEAK COURIER (USPS 654-460) OFFICE: 1200 E. Highway 24, Woodland Park, CO 80863 | PHONE: 719-687-3006 MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 340, Woodland Park, CO 80866 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. 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. 12 p.m.

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