November 24, 2022 Vol. 22, No. 1 Serving Manitou Springs, Old Colorado City and Lower Ute Pass
EAT
$100
lasagna!
Jackson the turkey, who lives with Tammila and Erick Wright in Manitou Springs, isn’t worried about being the main course on Thanksgiving. The 10-year-old tom, which they took in about eight years ago, has his own room and is careful about where he “goes.” Jackson loves to have visitors, especially young ones, Tammila Wright said. Photo by Rhonda Van Pelt
Progress being made on La Fun Motel property future By William J. Dagendesh The La Fun Motel continues to generate derision for its shoddy appearance in what residents regard as a family-oriented community. Built in 1937, the motel at 123 Manitou Ave. (1.3 miles from the center of town) has been abandoned since the city revoked its business license due to criminal activity there. The property is an eyesore, and criminals and/or transients break in, vandalize or set fire to the property. A fence sporting a developer’s sign now surrounds the property. Outside of a couple of the
newer hotels, marijuana outlets and a couple of restaurants, the area is run-down and aesthetically uninviting for tourists. Residents want to know what is being done about the property. Formed in 2006, the Manitou Springs Urban Renewal Authority seeks to revitalize and cure blight in the corridor just east of Highway 24 in Manitou Springs. Its funding mechanism is sales tax revenues but wasn’t effectively funded until Manitou legalized recreational marijuana. MSURA Board Chair Debbie Sagen first learned about the motel’s activity from her
daughter, whose classmate at Manitou Springs Elementary School and her family (three children, four adults) lived in one room at the motel. “By the time I joined the MSURA board in 2019, this illegal short-term rental activity at the motel was on the rise and the city began taking enforcement action within a year. While the owners were trying to comply with city codes, they could not do so successfully, so the motel was shut down after losing their license to operate,” Sagen said. See LA FUN MOTEL/page 2
INSIDE CROWD GATHERS TO HONOR SEN. PETE LEE..........PAGE 3 STUDENTS GO UP, UP AND AWAY WITH AFA.............PAGE 4 BASKETBALL, SWIMMING PREVIEWS.............. PAGES 10, 11