Courier View Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak 10.23.13
Teller County, Colorado • Volume 52, Issue 43
October 23, 2013
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourtellercountynews.com
Town set to roll out new building department By Norma Engelberg Contributing writer
With Teller County canceling its agreement with Woodland Park to provide building permits and construction inspections, the city planning department is working with the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department in Colorado Springs to provide these services. “An ad hoc advisory committee is meeting weekly during the transition,” Planning
Director Sally Riley told the Woodland Park City Council at its Oct. 17 meeting. “We’ll need to adopt the 2009 International Building Codes with some modifications for regional differences, set a fee resolution and approve a memorandum of understanding.” The city is trying to make sure no contractor or developer, who has already paid fees to the county for services that weren’t rendered, will be stuck paying double fees and the planning department is also setting up an appeals process giving the council the
ultimate say during disputes between builders and regional building. “I can see issues developing,” said Woodland Park Mayor Pro Tem Eric Smith, whose Trail Ridge Apartments project is ready to break ground. “We’re working on the nuances,” said City Manager David Buttery. “We don’t want to make mountains out of molehills but we need to make sure all the molehills are covered.” He said the cost of the transition will be
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small, with the city footing the bill for new software and office equipment. Fees received should cover the rest of the cost. The new building department office will be squeezed into the city’s planning department, Riley said. City residents, developers and contractors will be able to meet Pikes Peak Regional Building Department personnel, including the 20 hours per week building inspector assigned to the city, at a meetand-greet set for 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 at the Ute Pass Cultural Center.
Council starts 2014 budget hearings County’s motions denied to reconsider Southwest Valley annexation By Norma Engelberg Contributing writer
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep on the Highway 67 corridor between Divide and Cripple Creek around mile markers 60 through 58. The small herd of 30-40 sheep seen along Hwy. 67 is part of what is known to state biologists as the Pike’s Peak Dome Rock herd. Photo by Sonja Oliver
Bighorn sheep along Highway 67 photogenic Animals have migrated to lower elevation By Sonja Oliver
Contributing writer Travelers along the Highway 67 corridor between Divide and Cripple Creek may need to slow down at around mile markers 60 through 58 to watch out for other travelers who have stopped to view and photograph a local herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The small herd of 30 to 40 sheep seen along Highway 67 are comprised of what is known to state biologists as the Pikes Peak Dome Rock herd. They are part of an estimated total population of 135 in the area, according to the official POSTAL ADDRESS
count taken in 2012. Julie Stiver, a biologist for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife office in Colorado Springs said the numbers have stabilized during the past five years following a sharp decrease in 2005 which diminished the population by one-half. Stiver said that although the sheep are well-adapted for the cold weather conditions and high elevations, they are susceptible to a form of pneumonia that has caused bighorn sheep populations to fall throughout the entire western United States. During the summer months, the herd spends their time above the treeline on Pikes Peak and then migrate to lower elevations in the late fall to winter over at the Dome Rock State Wildlife Area. They are often seen
traversing along the road on Highway 67 because they are attracted to the salt that has been used for de-icing the road. The sheep are more active during the daytime and can be seen grazing in open meadows, woodlands and tundra as they feed on grasses and alpine foods. Their sure-footedness is displayed as they are often seen on a steep slope or on top of a rock or craggy peak. The mating season, or rut, occurs in the autumn months with males fighting each other for dominance and hierarchy in gaining access to the ewes. The ewes (females) are often mistaken for goats because of their brownishgrey coloring and long, slender horns. They weigh 120 to 200 pounds. The males (rams) are easily distinguished by their stocky build and classic curled horns. Rams weigh in at an average 150 to 250 pounds and stand at 3 feet high. A full-grown ram’s horns can Printed on recycled weigh up to 20 percent of their entire newsprint. Please body weight. recycle this copy. The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep is the official state animal of Colorado and population numbers for the entire state are estimated at 7,000 with 70 herds located throughout the Rocky Mountain region.
It’s all about the timing. For Teller County, the timing was a bit off. Jay Baker, owner of Teller County Waste, and the former owners of two county lots on Teller County Road 231 started a process last March to get Woodland Park to annex the lots so that he can build a new facility for his business. That process was successfully completed on Aug. 15. The council approved the annexation and rezoned the land as community commercial. The Southwest Valley annexation ordinance took effect on Sept. 4. Teller County officials filed two motions, one for each lot, on Sept. 20, requesting that the city council reconsider its annexation decisions. The county’s motions listed a number of objections, including questions of the properties’ contiguity with city limits, the timing of hearings, the way the county was notified of the hearings (by certified mail instead of registered mail), typographical errors in some of the annexation documents and a belief that some of those documents didn’t have all of their required signatures. At the Oct. 17 Woodland Park City Council meeting, City Attorney Erin Smith suggested in a memorandum that council deny the county’s motions because they were filed seven days too late. According to state statute, such motions need to be filed within 10 days of the effective date of the annexation ordinance, a period that ran out on Sept. 13; the 10th day was a Saturday. She stated: “Even if the Motions had been filed on time, they raise no new issues and the record reflects that the Council considered all of the points raised by Teller County in its Motions for Reconsideration during the proceedings and hearings on the annexation and was not persuaded by them.” Baker, who now owns the two properties outright, is asking the council to approve a conditional-use permit, a specialuse permit and a site-plan review for the property. The council approved the usepermits’ ordinance on first reading and set the public hearing for Nov. 7. The council also took another step toward the construction of a Tractor Supply Council continues on Page 18