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D-11, D-2 lead in misbehavior

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District official: Colorado numbers tough to gauge because reporting isn’t standardized by Debbie Kelley debbie.kelley@gazette.com —

Two Pikes Peak region school districts lead the state in expulsion and suspension CHANCE OF RAIN rates, a ranking they hope to change. The area’s largest district, Colorado Springs School District 11, expelled CHANCE SNOW last school year — the 182OFstudents

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most of any district in the state. Also in a No. 1 spot for 2012-13, under the category of “classroom suspensions,” was Harrison School District 2, with 997. The numbers, compiled by the Colorado Department of Education, don’t tell the whole story, local school officials say. And they expect this year’s

statistics to improve, based on recent adjustments to conduct policies and new procedures for handling misbehavior. Part of the problem, D-11 spokeswoman Devra Ashby said, is that the reporting of behavior and consequences is not standardized or audited. School district boards establish their

code-of-conduct policies based on statewide definitions as to what data must be reported, said Megan McDermott, assistant director of communications for the Colorado Department of Education. “How that is interpreted beyond —

see sCHOOLs • page 18

part 1 of a two-day series

A closer look at Champions

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Springs might be willing to back plan if there is ‘a very well-defined investment’

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RAIN Alaska peewee hockey team member Jacob Kosinski, 12, of Chugiak, Alaska, looks at pictures last week of USA Wrestling’s Wall of Olympic and RAIN a3 naTIon & woRLd World Champions at the Olympic Training Center. A downtown Olympic Museum is part of the City for Champions proposal. B1 LoCaL & STaTe B5 oBITUaRIeS SNOW SNOW by Rich laden C1 SpoRTS area residents have a track record of port investments if they know exactly rich.laden@gazette.com coming d1 LIfe & TRaVeL — questioning major public policy initia- what it is, if there are clear boundarSNOW AND RAIN e1 BUSIneSS monday ince Colorado Springs civic tives — from a plan that took shape in ies around what that is and if it’s a SNOW AND RAIN Sunday f1 mILITaRy leaders unveiled their City for the 1980s to build an airport, to the very well-defined investment,” said What if visitor and STORMS

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Champions tourism proposal last summer, the enthusiasm displayed by the plan’s supporters has been matched only by the skepticism voiced by its critics. That shouldn’t be a surprise. Springs-

lease of the city’s hospital system to University of Colorado Health OK’d by the voting public in 2012. They want to know what they’re being asked to support, why and how it will affect them. “The community is willing to sup-

Les Gruen, head of the Urban Strategies planning firm and a 30-year resident. “But there are many areas where there’s just not that blind willingness —

financial projections fall short, or city and county governments don’t approve their part in the plan?

see champions • page 20

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CHAMPIONS

The Gazette will continue to answer subscribers’ questions about the City for Champions projects. If you have a question, send it to: CforC Questions, The Gazette, 30 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. You can also send questions to staff writer Rich Laden at rich. laden@gazette.com. We’ll seek answers to your questions and others in upcoming editions.

from page 1 —

Q. Why was it proposed?

• The City for Champions organizers are planning monthly town hall meetings to give updates on each of the four proposed tourism projects. The first meeting is 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Pikes Peak Regional Development Center, 2880 International Circle. • The City Council will host a town hall meeting for residents to discuss the proposed City for Champions projects 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 27 in City Hall, 107 N. Nevada Ave. Mason Trinca, The GazeTTe

A. Colorado’s Regional Tourism Act makes state sales tax funds available for development of local tourism projects. After Pueblo and Aurora successfully applied for state funds in 2012, Springs’ leaders last year asked, “Why not us?” Q. What’s the price tag? A. A preliminary financial plan, which supporters say will change, estimates the cost at $250.6 million: $59.4 million for the museum; $92.7 million for the sports and event center; $20.5 million for the academy visitors center; and $27 million for UCCS’ sports medicine center. Southwest downtown improvements would cost an additional $51 million, with the biggest piece being

$29.5 million for the garage. Q. How will they be financed? A. The financial plan, which proponents say will evolve after it receives more scrutiny, has several moving parts. The Regional Tourism Act provides funding through a mechanism known as tax increment financing or TIF. That money is calculated as a percentage of increased state sales tax revenue expected to be generated by out-of-state tourists who come here because of the new venues. In December, the Colorado Economic Development Commission awarded the proposal 13.08 percent of increased state sales tax revenue that’s to be collected across a large

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portion of Colorado Springs over 30 years. The amount is projected to add up to $120.5 million for City for Champions over the 30 years, based on an estimate of 513,000 out-of-state tourists who will come to visit the four venues each year and spend money on lodging, meals and the like. The money will be collected in a TIF zone covering roughly two-thirds of Colorado Springs — an area meant to capture tourism spending at most hotels, restaurants and stores. According to the preliminary financial plan, the $120.5 million will be used to pay off a bond issue of $47.5 million, whose proceeds will help fund the projects and downtown upgrades. Q. What about the rest of the $250.6 million? A. Just as the state agreed to earmark a percentage of its increased sales tax revenue for City for Champions, the financial plan proposes that the Springs and El Paso County do the same thing. The two governments would take 13.08 percent of their increased sales tax revenue in the TIF zone over 30 years and designate it for City for Champions. The city and county money, however, would be used only to help build the sports and event center. It’s estimated that the city would capture $83.1 million in sales tax revenue and use it to support a $32.5 million bond issue; the county’s sales tax would generate $41.6 million for $16.8 million in bonds. Meanwhile, the plan proposes that the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority (URA) do the same thing in

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a broader fashion — capture sales and property tax revenue from development taking place in southwest downtown. The financial plan proposes the URA use those revenues to support a $48.7 million bond issue for the downtown projects. Q. What about private money? A. Project supporters expect private donations to pay for $48.2 million of the overall cost; $28 million of that figure would be earmarked for the museum, $15.3 million would go to the visitors center and $5 million to UCCS, the preliminary financial plan shows. Organizers have not yet announced private commitments. Other major funding sources: the city’s Parking Enterprise Fund — fed by fees from meters and garages — would pay for the parking garage; UCCS expects to help fund its project with $13.9 million from revenues and lease payments generated by its facility; the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority would chip in $2.1 million for the pedestrian bridge; and new market tax credits — a federal program designed to spur reinvestment in blighted areas — would account for $10 million more. Q. What will be the total interest payments over the life of the bonds? A. City Councilman Joel Miller, a City for Champions critic, says the long-term principal and interest payments would be $350 million, which represents the proposal’s true cost — not $250.6 million. Bob Cope, senior business climate specialist with the

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city’s Economic Vitality Division, says a figure on the bond payments over 30 years isn’t available at this time. That figure will be based on several factors still to be determined, such as the amounts to be borrowed and interest rates, Cope said. In turn, he said, the amount of bonds to be issued could change for several reasons, such as if private donations are higher than expected or if a corporation pays a fee to put its name on the sports and event center. Q. Paying off the bonds will depend on sales tax revenue projections meeting estimates. What if the 513,000 tourists fail to show up, and revenue projections fall short? A. City for Champions supporters have proposed that the bonds be repaid by tourism-related revenues the projects generate. In that scenario, proposal backers say bond buyers would assume risk; the venues wouldn’t serve as collateral to back the bonds, and no general fund revenues would be used to support the borrowing. In other words, they say, taxpayers won’t be on the hook. Miller, in posts on his website, questions whether the increased sales taxes collected in the TIF zone truly would be generated only by new visitors to the state. If not, he says, sales taxes collected on everyday purchases by local residents in the TIF zone would be funneled to the City for Champions’ projects instead of going for police, fire and other city services. The proposal’s backers counter that the 13.08 percent of increased state sales tax revenue was calculated to capture only the hotel, restaurant and other spending by new, out-of-state visitors coming to town for the four venues. Miller also said he rejects the idea that bond purchasers should assume all the risk. Q. How do City for Champions supporters respond to such concerns? A. Chris Jenkins, president of Nor’wood Development Group and a City for Champions proponent, said the due diligence that’s required on the part of bond buyers and the risks they assume are routine in the world of municipal finance. The City for Champions projects would be no exception, he said. “Those that are supportive of the City for Champions proposal have a lot at stake in our entire community if something that’s done is not viable, if a financing structure is put together that is not viable,” Jenkins said. El Paso County commissioners plan to hire a consultant to produce their financial analysis, said Amy Lathen, the commission’s vice chairwoman, and the city might join in that effort, Cope said. “If a third party, independent analyst comes back and says, ‘I don’t know where they came up with that number, but we’re looking at 100,000 people (visitors),’ well, obviously, we’re going to take a step back and go, ‘What was missed? What happened here?’ And do more analysis,” Lathen said.

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Question: What is City for Champions? Answer: Four proposed tourism projects for Colorado Springs — a downtown Olympic Museum; a downtown sports and event center; a new Air Force Academy visitors center; and a sports medicine and performance center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In addition, City for Champions includes several southwest downtown public improvements, including a 1,500-space parking garage and a 500-foot pedestrian bridge to link America the Beautiful Park to the rest of southwest downtown.

tOwn hAll meetings

to move forward.” So it’s no surprise that a multitude of questions have surrounded the project since it was announced. Here are some of the recurring ones that have come up. Today’s story focuses on questions over anticipated funding. Monday’s story addresses some of the “what ifs” — what if visitor and financial projections fall short, or city and county governments don’t OK their part in the plan? And will voters be allowed to weigh in?

Tourists file out of the olympic Training center last week. a downtown olympic Museum is one of four projects in the proposed city for champions.

Our COntinuing Q&A series

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monday, february 17, 2014

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Drake debate fires up again

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City Council will consider costs of keeping the downtown coal-fired power plant open by monica mendoza

Look ahead

monica.mendoza@gazette.com

Public debate is about to heat up again over the fate of Martin Drake Power Plant as the City Council begins deliberating the financial and environmental costs of keeping the plant open. The council, sitting as the board of directors for Colorado Springs Utilities, will consider such things as the cost to bring Drake up to federal emission standards against the cost of closing the plant and building an alternative power source. It also will consider more difficult-to-

It’s history, by George David Wallace, who makes presentations as Gen. George Washington, spoke to Evangelical Christian Academy students recently. D1

A glimpse at the options for the downtown Martin Drake Power Plant. A6

quantify costs such as environmental and social, which a consultant’s report refers to a sustainable return on investment. It will hear from national coal energy experts on upcoming federal regulations and it will consider the Utilities’ Energy Vision plan, which sets goals on the use of renewable energy and electric consumption. By summer’s end, the board could make a decision on whether to keep

Drake open for the next 30 years, decommission it within six years or some version in between, said Val Snider, member of council and the Drake Task Force. The Utilities board will hear 12 options for Drake’s future Wednesday at its monthly meeting. Anticipating community interest, the meeting will be at City Hall instead of in the utilities board room at Plaza of the Rockies. “The consultant will walk us through the Drake study and talk about the —

utilities board meets Colorado Springs City Council, sitting as the Colorado Springs Utilities Board, will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall, 107 N. Nevada Ave. A consultant will outline 12 options on the possible decommissioning of Martin Drake Power Plant.

see plant • page 6

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Champions funding has some ‘what ifs’

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Sunday’s Gazette took an initial look at some key quesSNOW tions surrounding the City for Champions proposal for four tourism projects: a downtown stadium and event center, a SNOW AND RAIN downtown Olympic museum, a new Air Force Academy visi-

tors center, and a sports medicine and performance center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The initiative has ignited community debate, with critics questioning its viability, and supporters touting its potential to boost the economy and create jobs.

Monday’s questions look at what has happened elsewhere and some of the “what ifs” that are being asked about the projects. Question: Where have projects similar to City for Champions done well, and where have they struggled?

Answer: Many cities attempt major public improvements or tourism-related projects, with varying degrees of success and failure. Generally speaking, Oklahoma City, Okla., Omaha, Neb., and Denver are examples of cities that have enjoyed success. In part, this happened when

they parlayed private investments on the part of major employers to go with several big-ticket, taxpayer-supported initiatives — hundreds of millions of public dollars spent on downtown stadiums, civic arenas, museums and other —

see champions • page 4

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A 4 ❘ the gazette ❘ Monday, February 17, 2014

local

CHAMPIONS

Tourists admire the entrance of the Olympic Shooting Center at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs last week. A downtown Olympic museum is part of the City for Champions proposal.

from page 1 —

attractions. Officials in those municipalities have credited such projects with drawing tourists and infusing life into their economies. However, every city has its unique urban and economic characteristics and what works in one community doesn’t guarantee success in another. Case in point: Fresno, Calif., and Reno, Nev., built downtown minor-league baseball stadiums with hopes that they’d inject life into their urban cores. But attendance at Fresno’s stadium — competing with other venues and tourist attractions — has withered and the city’s downtown hasn’t seen the spin-off development it expected. Reno’s stadium, meanwhile, has had financial problems. Q. Have the Colorado Springs City Council and El Paso County Commission signed off on the use of their future sales tax dollars, as envisioned under the preliminary financial plan? A. No; those decisions likely are months down the road, but loom as major hurdles for City for Champions, since those revenues would pay for a little more than half of the sports and event center cost. The City Council also likely would have to amend a current urban renewal plan for southwest downtown, or create a new one for the area, which would put the Urban Renewal Authority in a position to issue bonds for its portion of City for Champions. Q. What happens if the council or county commission reject their roles in the funding plan? A. Bob Cope of the city’s Economic Vitality Division said he wouldn’t speculate on what would happen next. But El Paso County Commissioner Amy Lathen said a lack of funding obviously would make it tougher to build the

Dan Danielson

mASOn TrinCA, The gAzeTTe

Our COntinuing Q&A series

The Gazette will continue to answer subscribers’ questions about the City for Champions projects. If you have a question, send it to: CforC Questions, The Gazette, 30 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903. You can also send questions to staff writer Rich Laden at rich.laden@gazette. com. We’ll seek answers to your questions and others in upcoming editions.

sports and event center. Q. Would the city or county use general fund revenues to offset a shortfall in sales tax revenue? A. Bonds would be backed only by revenues from the venues themselves, and bondholders would have to deal with any shortfall, City for Champions supporters reiterated. Nothing in the preliminary financial plan contemplates the use of city or county general funds to support the projects, Cope said. Q. City for Champions backers say the venues would operate on their own, each run by independent entities. But

what if the venues operate in the red? Will the city or county have to make up that shortfall? A. That’s not part of the preliminary financial plan, Cope said. El Paso County Administrator Jeff Greene, meanwhile, said the state’s tax limitation law prevents the elected officials from committing future county commissions and city councils to such a funding requirement. “There is no additional subsidy that would come from the general fund revenues,” Greene said, “nor has there been a request (from supporters) for additional subsidies

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tOwn hAll meetings

with general fund revenues.” Q. What about using general obligation bonds to build the venues instead of revenue bonds? A. City Council President Keith King, a former state senator, says he supports general obligation bonds because they’d be backed by a broader array of revenue sources. As a result, investors would have less risk and they’d agree to accept a much lower interest rate on the bonds — slashing tens of millions of dollars in interest payments over 30 years. Using general obligation bonds hasn’t been considered, Cope said. If another financing plan were used, it would have its own “trade-offs and risks and rewards” that would need to be vetted. Q. Does the City for Champions financing plan or the overall concept require a public vote? A. Not as proposed. The plan designates the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority as the financing entity; the Colorado Economic Development Commission signed off on that designation when it approved $120.5 million in state funding in December. Supporters envision that intergovernmental agreements would be enacted among the city, county and the Urban Renewal Authority; the authority would issue bonds and use the state, city and county TIF revenues to repay them. The authority’s ability to issue bonds doesn’t require a public vote. But a general obligation bond issue, such as the one proposed by King, would need a vote. Some City Council mem-

bers — including critic Joel Miller, Andy Pico and Don Knight — have said there should be a public vote on City for Champions, although it’s not yet clear what might go on the ballot. Lathen said it’s premature to talk about a vote; there’s much more analysis needed of the financing plan. “To go out and ask the public to vote on the concept without the fundamentals, without more due diligence with the finances, I think would be irresponsible,” Lathen said. “It doesn’t mean that we’re saying we’re not going to ask the people. We don’t have enough information yet, and it’s not fair to the process to have this discussion about this kind of vague vote when we don’t even have a question to ask.” Q. Is a tax increase part of the financing plan? A. Supporters say there are no plans to seek a tax hike. If one were sought, it would require a public vote, under the state’s tax-limitation law. Q. Why does there seem to be such a divide between supporters and critics of City for Champions? A. Welcome to Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region. In general, the area can be described as a politically, fiscally and socially conservative community. As such, it has had a history of viewing major public policy initiatives put forth by elected officials, business people and civic leaders with suspicion — particularly if such proposals rely on public money. Over the years, elected officials and business and civic leaders have come up with several proposals they say would ex-

pand the economy, create jobs and the like. On the one hand, residents have supported several taxpayer supported, quality-of-life initiatives. Yet, they’ve rejected proposals they feel are vague and fail to show what they’ll get for their money. What’s more, when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars, members of the public have demonstrated they’ll get behind what former Gazette columnist Barry Noreen would call essential, meatand-potato projects. But, as Noreen said, they’ll reject French pastry — things they consider frivolous. City voters rejected downtown convention center proposals three times in the 1970s and a downtown municipal arena in 1989. After a revived convention center proposal flopped in 2004, Colorado Springs voters the next year overwhelmingly passed a City Charter amendment that bars the city from planning or building a convention center without first getting the public’s OK. And in 2009, voters deep-sixed a plan to spend about $50 million over 15 years on economic development efforts. And yet, over the last 25 years, voters also have supported a new airport, a tax for open space acquisitions, a capital improvements bond issue, public safety tax hikes for both the city and county and a tax increase for road projects. City for Champions supporters say they’ve come up with what Mayor Steve Bach has called a game-changer for the local economy — tourism projects that will attract thousands, add jobs, spur spin-off development and boost the local economy. Yet, judging from critical letters to the editor and social media comments, it’s safe to say that some members of the public don’t think they have enough information and are leery of spending public money on the proposal — something that some no doubt view as French pastry. Q. Who will oversee funding decisions related to the venues? A. That’s another point of contention. As part of its approval of the $120.5 million, the Economic Development Commission agreed with City for Champions proponents that a Regional Tourism Advisory Board should be created to oversee funding allocation decisions among the four venues. Mayor Bach has proposed the board be composed of the mayor (himself or his successor), the chairperson of the El Paso County Commission and the City Council president. Each of the four venues would have a representative on the board, as well. And, Bach said, there should be several community members who might have expertise in financial matters or other areas. However, the City Council has asked the City Attorney’s office to provide a legal

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received excellent support during his encounter and said “It was a wonderful experience. I was well cared for by many, many dedicated people.” As part of the recovery process Cardiac rehab was another step Danielson came to appreciate. “They really slowed me down and kept the recovery under control.” he said. “If I had been left to my own devices, I would have just tried to go fast and get though it.” The cardiac rehab program at Penrose-St. Francis includes exercise training, heart-health education, and counseling to help reduce stress so

patients can return to an active life. The post-operative phase is essential for patients recovering after a heart attack or heart surgery to prevent future heart problems and to address risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, being overweight or obese, diabetes, smoking, lack of physical activity, as well as depression, and other emotional health concerns. “I really appreciate everything they’ve done for me,” Danielson said. “I am very hopeful that this surgery takes care of all my heart related issues for some time.”

—

see champions • page 6

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PLANT

OPTIONS

Here are the options that consider financial return on investment and compared to sustainable return on investment, starting with the base scenario. Base case — 20-year Drake operation with Neumann Systems Group’s scrubber technology and considering potential new requirements on nitrogen oxides. It would cost about $5.2 billion in capital costs, fixed operating costs, operations and maintenance costs and fuel costs to operate Drake until 2033. Early Drake retirement, by 2019, with new gas generation replacement would cost $242 million more than the base case. However, under sustainable considerations, Utilities would avoid spending $753 million, which is the monetized value of the repercussions of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental and social costs. 15-year Drake operation with Neumann scrubber and potential new requirements on nitrogen oxides and no site remediation would cost $133 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, Utilities would avoid spending $148 million. 15-year Drake operation with Neumann scrubber technology and potential new requirements on nitrogen oxides with moderate site remediation would cost $135 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, Utilities avoids spending $149 million. 15-year Drake operation with Neumann scrubber technology and potential new requirements on nitrogen oxides with high site remediation would cost $138 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, Utilities avoids spending $151

from page 1 —

trade-offs,” Snider said. HDR engineering and consulting firm was asked by the task force to attach financial and environmental costs to each option, but not to make a recommendation on how the board should proceed, Snider said. “It was the conscious intention of the Drake Task Force for the consultant not to come forward with a recommendation,” Snider said. “We didn’t want a local contractor to get bogged down in politics, and we wanted the community to weigh in.” Drake became a focal point of contentious debate in spring 2012 when questions surfaced about whether the city should get out of the utilities business. It became a key campaign issue during the 2013 City Council elections. Along the way, the community debate turned to Drake and whether the coal-fired plant should be decommissioned, said Steve Durham, a member of the Drake Task Force. That came on the heels of a Utilities’ approved contract to spend $121 million on Neumann Systems Group’s NeuStream scrubber technology for emission control at the 50-year-old plant. The installation of the scrubber system has risen to an estimated $131 million due to higher than expected construction costs, a spokesman for Utilities said. Communities across the country are debating the cost of upgrading aging coal-fired plants. They are weighing aging plants with the cost of renewable energy, construction costs and natural gas costs, according to the Energy Information Administration’s December report. Coal-fired electricity fell from nearly 50 percent of U.S. generation in 2008 to 37 percent in 2012, the report says.

While Colorado Springs Utilities has a second coalfired plant, Ray Nixon near Fountain, Drake drew the most conversation and criticism because of its age and its downtown location, Snider said.

million. 9-year Drake operation with Neumann scrubber would cost $190 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, Utilities avoids spending $483 million. 30-year Drake operation with Neumann scrubber technology and potential new requirements on nitrogen oxides has the best financial return on investment of $216 million, compared to the base case. Under sustainable considerations, it would cost $151 million more than base case. 3-year Drake operation — shutdown upon emissions compliance date, would cost $224 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, Utilities would avoid spending $434 million. 9-year Drake operation with 150 megawatts of wind generation added upon retirement would cost $272 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, Utilities avoids spending $562 million. 20-year Drake operation and work to reduce electricity consumption by 4 percent would cost $324 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, it would cost $618 million more than base case. Drake operating on coal until 2022 and on natural gas from 2023 through 2033 would cost $208 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, Utilities avoids spending $362 million. 9-year Drake operation and then replace with 200 megawatts of engine generators on Drake site would cost $230 million more than base case. Under sustainable considerations, Utilities avoids spending $449 million. SOURCE: HDR. To read the full report go to draketaskforce. nethdr_studycq

Drake was built in three phases in 1964, 1968 and 1974 and supplies about a third of electricity used by the community. If it were decommissioned, Utilities would need to build some other power plant or

buy power from other power companies. The 12 options the board will consider were compared and contrasted to the base case, which is to keep Drake open for the next 20 years. The report details each option with a financial return on investment and sustainable return on investment compared to the 20-year plan. Meanwhile, the upgrade work at Drake has begun. Utilities expects to spend $251 million on Drake and Nixon to meet the 2017 deadline for the federal emission control guidelines. In November, the City Council approved a 3.4 percent electricity rate increase, which is expected to generate $12 million in 2014 to help pay for the emissions control project. The HDR study factors in the $131 million being spent to upgrade Drake, even in the scenario that says Drake could be decommissioned by 2019. If Drake is decommissioned, one of the Utilities board considerations will be timing and whether Utilities could take on more debt to build a new power source. Utilities has $2.4 billion in debt now, mostly due to the Southern Delivery System project, a 53-mile pipeline from Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs. About 16 percent of ratepayers’ monthly bill goes to paying off debt. Snider said the Utilities board will consider the Utilities Energy Vision plan, which sets a goal of using 20 percent renewable energy by 2020. It also has a goal to reduce the average electric consumption by 10 percent by 2020 and it wants to maintain rates 20 percent below three Front Range energy competitors. “One thing I hope we reach Wednesday is how to go forward with a town hall,” Snider said. “I hope we can boil it down enough to get things that people can talk about.”

CHAMPIONS from page 4 —

opinion on who should appoint the members. Meanwhile, King said in an interview last week that the advisory board should be just that — an advisory panel, but not a decision-making entity. Instead, he believes the city and county — via an intergovernmental agreement — should create a governance board that would oversee the key financing decisions related to the four venues. Q. Who will be responsible for the construction and operation of the four venues? A. As spelled out in the EDC’s approval of state funding, the city of Colorado Springs, via the Urban Renewal Authority, would partner with a nonprofit corporation to build and run the museum (a nonprofit has been established to raise money for the project) and a still-to-be established stadium authority to build and operate the sports and event center. The city, via the Urban Renewal Authority, also would partner with UCCS and the academy on the construction and operation of their projects. Q. How many jobs would be created as a result of City for Champions? A. Based on projections by Summit Economics of Colorado Springs, supporters say nearly 5,100 jobs would be created — 2,215 construction jobs and 2,865 permanent jobs. Q. What types of permanent jobs would the community see? A. According to Summit, 480 jobs would be directly associated with the venues; 1,690 jobs would be added primarily in tourism-related industries, including lodging, entertainment, restaurants and retail; and 695 spin-off jobs would be cre-

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ated in industries servicing the venues, the tourism industry and their employees. Those spin-off jobs would run the gamut across the economy, Summit says — such as banking, automotive, housing, medical, insurance, utilities and government, and include positions from entry-level jobs to management. Some skeptics have questioned if the permanent jobs would be lower-paid, service-sector positions — “peanut and popcorn” jobs, as one attendee called them at a City for Champions forum last month. A wage analysis must be completed, Cope said. For now, he expects the jobs would pay a range of salaries, and believes all of them would be critical for the economy — including the temporary and permanent positions. “The permanent jobs, those are still going to run the spectrum,” Cope said. “There’s going to be managerial and professional jobs throughout. So we would expect to have a range of salaries, from six figures and yes, all the way down to some of the lower paying retail jobs.” Q. What happens if private donations fall short of the $48.2 million? A. Other funding sources would be sought, Cope said. Q. What are some of the next key steps? A. The city must submit a phasing plan to the Office of Economic Development and International Trade by March 16; that office oversees the state’s Regional Tourism Act program. By April 16, details of the Economic Development Commission’s approval for funding will be put together in contract form between the city and the Office of Economic Development and International Trade. —

Contact Rich Laden: 636-0228 Twitter @richladen

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the future of downtown: Part 1 of 3

Is time right for renaissance? After decades of plans, some pushing for action by Rich laden

consultants along the way. rich.laden@gazette.com — “If you ask me, the process It seems like you’d need a file is that we study until we’re cabinet to hold all the revi- blue in the face,” said Contalization plans proposed for cept Restaurants co-owner CHANCE OF RAINDave Lux, who opened Jose downtown Colorado Springs over the past 40 years. Muldoon’s in 1974 as his comThere was an early redevel- pany’s first downtown restauopment blueprint in 1971; at rant. “We have 10 of them on CHANCE OF SNOW least five unsuccessful con- the shelf.” vention center and arena proThat might be an exaggeraposals; and several studies by tion, but it underscores the citizen panels CLOUDY and national frustration of Lux and others. COLD

Any progress made on downtown revitalization over the years has been overshadowed by the area’s continued shortcomings, they say. Downtown has seen new restaurants, office buildings, a hotel, a city park, street and sidewalk improvements and a performing arts center, among other enhancements. —

about this series

This is the first of a three-day series on the future of downtown, leading up to a Community Conversation on the topic Tuesday. Monday: Could the downtown makeover in Omaha, Neb., serve as a model for Colorado Springs as it wrestles with how to make its urban core more attractive to local residents, families and young professionals? Tuesday: A downtown sports arena is part of the City for

Champions proposal that supporters say would bring tourists to the city and help revitalize the urban core. Community Conversation: The Gazette and Colorado College have teamed with the nonprofit Food for Thought to hold the Community Conversation on “The Future of

Downtown,” 6 to 8:15 p.m. Tuesday at Colorado College’s Armstrong Hall. It is free and open to the public and will focus on recent efforts to revitalize the downtown area. A panel discussion will be 6 to 7:15 p.m., followed by small-group discussions at 7:15 p.m.

see dOWNTOWN • page 4

More rescued as flood spreads

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Vol. 142 /// No. 176

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see ResCUe • page 10

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the future of downtown

cities compared to colorado springs colorado springs

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

Colorado Springs continues to struggle with how to transform its downtown, according to interviews with businesspeople, civic leaders and elected officials.

omaha, neb.

denver

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS fIlE

COURTESy Of GREATER OMAHA CHAMbER

Omaha has been working on transforming its downtown for decades.

WAHSATCH AVE.

CACHE LA POUDRE ST.

MONUMENT ST.

Business Improvement District

WEBER ST.

DALE ST.

Downtown Development Authority

WILLAMETTE AVE.

ST. VRAIN ST.

PLATTE AVE. BIJOU ST. KIOWA ST.

EL PASO ST.

NEVADA AVE.

BOULDER ST.

CASCADE AVE.

PIKES PEAK AVE.

COLORADO AVE. CUCHARRAS ST.

TEJON ST.

—

Yet, it still needs more housing, major employers, traditional retailers and entertainment venues, some say. Those problems have been recurring themes in every revitalization plan or consultant’s study over the years. At a time when other cities — including Denver, Omaha, Neb., and Oklahoma City — enjoy the results of revitalization efforts that began years ago, Colorado Springs still wrestles with how to transform its downtown, according to interviews with more than a dozen businesspeople, civic leaders and current and former elected officials. Overcoming obstacles that have prevented downtown from becoming the live-work-play environment that supporters envision still won’t be easy, they say. A combination of factors stalled major downtown efforts in the past and no single strategy will solve the area’s problems going forward, some supporters concede. In any case, some say the time is right to focus again on downtown. The economy is better. Springs Mayor Steve Bach has made a downtown renaissance a theme of his administration. The Downtown Partnership, the area’s principal advocacy group, has new leadership. Downtown also is in the spotlight after Bach and other groups applied for state tourism money in July to help fund new attractions for the area — a U.S. Olympic museum and a multiuse baseball stadium that would be home to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, concerts, trade shows and other events. They’re part of a package of four tourism projects, called City for Champions; proponents will learn in December if the city will receive $82.1 million in state funding to help pay the proposal’s $218.6 million cost. City for Champions, or some other project, could be a tipping point to launch a broader downtown improvement effort, said Sam Eppley, the Downtown Partnership’s board chairman and owner of Sparrow Hawk Cookware downtown. “We were almost there, right before this past recession, in that there were a lot of things getting pretty far down the road to coming out of the

The boundaries of the Downtown Development Authority show the area that's generally considered to encompass downtown Colorado Springs, running roughly from Cache La Poudre Street on the north, to Fountain Boulevard on the south, to El Paso Street on the east and Interstate 25 on the west. The Greater Downtown Colorado Springs Business Improvement District is a smaller area that includes downtown's core.

SAHWATCH ST.

from page 1

SIERRA MADRE ST.

DOWNTOWN

Downtown Colorado Springs

VERMIJO AVE. COSTILLAS ST. CIMARRON ST.

MORENO AVE. RIO GRANDE ST. LAS ANIMAS ST. FOUNTAIN BLVD.

Sources: Downtown Development Authority; Greater Downtown Colorado Springs BID

ground,” Eppley said. “And then the economy just tanked, and that put everything on hold.” Lux said he has heard that talk before. But after years of downtown investments — Concept Restaurants also owns the Ritz Grill and MacKenzie’s Chop House — his company’s last two restaurants were a second Jose

Muldoon’s on the Springs’ northeast side and Flatirons on the south side. “If you were to ask me right now would I do something else downtown, the answer would be ‘no,’ ” Lux said.

Recession dealt blow to efforts

Take your pick of the reasons downtown hasn’t realized its poten-

Denver is among cities benefiting from the results of downtown revitalization efforts. tial, supporters say. The area has lost major department stores, smaller retailers, restaurants and other businesses that closed up shop or fled to fast-growing suburban areas. In recent years, the 2007 recession prompted some developers to walk away from big-ticket projects and discouraged others from beginning. Nor’wood Development Group, one of the Springs’ biggest real estate companies, postponed a residential and commercial tower of at least 20 stories at Pikes Peak and Nevada avenues, for example. The Downtown Development Authority, approved by area property owners and businesspeople in 2006, was created to encourage development in the area. Using revenue from a property tax within its boundaries, the authority so far has issued $1.3 million in grants for projects and activities, such as helping businesses upgrade building facades and funding costs associated with events like USA Pro Challenge cycling race stages that were held in the city in recent years. But another DDA funding initiative that was counted on to be a catalyst for downtown projects — such as new housing, attractions and public space upgrades — hasn’t taken off. As land values increased within the authority’s boundaries and redevelopment projects were launched, the DDA expected to collect millions in additional property taxes over many years. Land values have risen in recent years, but most of the additional money the DDA expected to capture would have come from redevelopment — projects delayed when the economy nose-dived, said Susan Edmondson, president and CEO of the Downtown Partnership, which oversees the DDA’s operation. “It’s delayed what we hoped would happen,” she said. A lack of housing — especially affordable rental and sale units — has been a longtime downtown problem, and yet only a handful of residential projects have been added over the years, supporters say. Downtown real estate is pricey because of its limited supply, the high cost of upgrading utilities and the regulatory hurdles required to remodel older buildings. Dan Robertson, who has remod-

eled portions of three buildings, constructed a fourth and developed three dozen lofts in downtown Colorado Springs since 2001, said land values in the area are at, or near, those in Denver. Yet he can’t command the same sale prices or lease rates that developers get in Denver — a disincentive to residential projects, he said. Profit margins, Robertson said, “are pretty skinny. I think it would be hard to get a large developer who has a lot of stockholders, or whoever in there, to look at these deals because they are so skinny and the margins are so much better in other areas.”

‘We’ve come a long ways’

Downtown’s problems parallel those in other cities, and the concerns of downtown supporters in the Springs are the same: Any city that wants to attract employers, add jobs, hold on to its young people and provide a great quality of life needs a healthy and vibrant downtown. “Show me any city that people talk about and are excited about and want to go to. It’s got a great downtown,” said Buck Blessing, CEO of downtown real estate company Griffis/Blessing Inc. and who has served as board president of the Downtown Partnership advocacy group. How far downtown must go to become a live-work-play environment is a matter of debate. Jerry Rutledge, whose Rutledge’s men’s clothing store is marking 47 years in the heart of downtown, is bullish on the area’s fortunes. Some empty downtown storefronts have been filled by restaurants and nightclubs, he said. Upper floors of a handful of buildings have been remodeled into stylish lofts. The Mining Exchange, A Wyndham Grand Hotel, opened in the remodeled Mining Exchange office building. Rutledge said he doesn’t know if downtown is where it should be. Still, “we’ve come a long ways,” he said. “Perhaps it (revitalization) hasn’t been achieved to the nth degree to the way we want it,” Rutledge said. “But the fact is we do have a performing arts center (the Pikes Peak Center), we have the (Colorado Springs) Fine Arts Center, which is —

see DOWNTOWN • page 5

Sunday, September 15, 2013 ❘ the gazette ❘ A 5

the future of downtown PLANNING FOR DOWNTOWN COLORADO SPRINGS Revitalizing downtown Colorado Springs has been a goal of civic and business leaders for decades. Here’s a look at some downtown improvement plans and other initiatives:

• 1971: A San Francisco consultant recommends building a civic center/ convention center complex, converting Tejon Street to a pedestrian shopping mall and constructing a performing arts center and parking garages, among other improvements. The Pikes Peak Center and downtown parking garages were built, but voters rejected taxpayer-supported civic center/convention center ballot measures later that year and in 1974 and 1976. JeRiLee Bennett, the Gazette

“we’re certainly moving in the right direction,” Jerry Rutledge, owner of Rutledge’s men’s clothing store, says of efforts to revitalize downtown.

DOWNTOWN From page 4 —

greatly enhanced over what it was in 1967. We have residential downtown, of which we had zero. “We’re just on the edge,” Rutledge added. “But we’re certainly moving in the right direction.” Others, however, say downtown is heading in reverse. “It’s mediocre at best,” said Warren Dean, a real estate developer who was board president in the 1980s of Downtown Colorado Springs Inc., the Downtown Partnership predecessor. “It does nothing to really draw you down, that makes you want to stay there, that makes itself a destination,” Dean said. “I’m talking in terms of offices, in terms of restaurants, in terms of retail, in terms of residential. It really doesn’t draw you down in any of those ‘sub-fields’. And I wish it would.”

Proposal aims to transform area

Supporters expect an improving economy to position downtown for the future. But if downtown is to become the activity center supporters envision, the community must make changes, some say. Lux disagrees with people who say there’s nothing to do downtown; there are plenty of quality restaurants, museums and the like, he said. But panhandlers, unsafe conditions and a lack of close-in parking, whether those problems are real or perceived, discourage people from coming, he said. “Our downtown has an aura of too many homeless, too many beggars, too many people approaching you,” Lux said. Despite revitalization plans, downtown has failed to become a “craveable” place, he said, using a restaurant industry term. Just as diners can choose where to eat, local residents have options on where to go for entertainment. Downtown needs to have activities and energy that set it apart, Lux said. That’s what Denver did with the addition of Coors Field and the Pepsi Center, among other attractions, he said. “Because of all the desirable activities, you force the undesirables out,” Lux said. Broadmoor hotel President and CEO Steve Bartolin said any changes for downtown must be made with families in mind — giving them an incentive to come to the area and make a day out of visiting entertainment venues, restaurants and the like. The Broadmoor, on the Springs’ southwest side, is owned by the Denver-based Anschutz Corp., whose Clarity Media owns The Gazette. Oklahoma City, where Bartolin traveled often while a board member of the company that previously owned the hotel, made hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades to its downtown starting with a voter-approved sales tax increase in 1993, he said. Among improvements financed with that tax hike and subsequent voter-approved extensions: a minor-league baseball stadium, civic arena and convention center. Bartolin said he doesn’t know if a similar taxpayer-supported plan would be right for Colorado Springs. But the success of Oklahoma City’s initial measure 20 years ago generated economic benefits and development that the public could see, which made future ballot measures easier to

ChRiStian MuRDoCK, the Gazette

Concept Restaurants co-owner Dave Lux sits inside one of the company’s downtown restaurants, the Ritz Grill, with a 1920s picture of downtown Colorado Springs behind him.

Speaking up

What former Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera and others say about downtown. Page 6

pass, he said. “Oklahoma City was revitalized and reinvented,” said Bartolin, who supports City for Champions and believes baseball, car shows and other events at a multiuse stadium would attract families downtown. “Not only its downtown, but it’s changed the entire image of the city. Their unemployment rate is low. Their economy is up. It’s a city on the move.” Bach, who has emerged as the point man in support of City for Champions, said the proposal has the potential to do some of the same things for Colorado Springs’ downtown. In addition to the city, the proposal is sponsored by the DDA, the Springs-based El Pomar Foundation and the Denver-based Anschutz Foundation. “We have a plan on the table for the first time in my memory,” Bach said of City for Champions. “We really have a concrete plan. It’s not perfect, necessarily, but it certainly could propel us into the future in so many different ways.” Whether a stadium or other projects are the right initiatives for downtown, the city needs stronger leadership if the area is going to improve, some say. Former Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace was a councilwoman when the citizenproduced Downtown Action Plan was put in place in 1992. She said she remembers some public officials doubting the plan’s objectives, while others didn’t embrace it. The plan proposed a convention center that never happened and envisioned more housing that’s still in short supply. But it served as impetus for street and sidewalk upgrades, a two-way Tejon Street and other changes. “There were pooh-poohers (among city leadership) then,” Makepeace said. “How are you going to leverage a good plan if you don’t have support from your leaders?” “We never really said as a communi-

ty — our leaders and our community — that ‘this (the plan) is important, this will make a difference, this will improve our downtown,’ ” Makepeace said. Community leaders also failed to promote downtown’s value in relation to the rest of the community — touting it as a center for government offices, culture, business and entertainment, said Les Gruen, owner of the Urban Strategies planning firm and a Downtown Partnership board member. “There was a lot of lip service paid to that, but the actions that were undertaken really didn’t focus things on downtown over a long period of time,” Gruen said. A lack of leadership — a scenario that has changed now that Bach and other local businesspeople are involved — led to missed opportunities for downtown, Blessing said. The Colorado Springs World Arena? Built on the city’s south side after voters rejected a downtown venue. A minor league baseball stadium for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox? Constructed on what was then city-owned land on the northeast side. A convention center? Never built at all because of community opposition. “Those three venues would bring so much vibrancy and excitement and people to the core of the city,” Blessing said.

Can-do attitude needed, mayor says

Stronger leadership is one thing, but the city also must develop a vision that includes all segments of the community, not just politicians and businesspeople, some say. “Everybody should be at the table,” said former City Councilwoman Mary Ellen McNally, a longtime downtown advocate. “The people who did those (past revitalization) plans and also elected officials. It’s got to be a collaboration. That’s why we don’t get anything done here. There isn’t a collaborative environment.” Getting some members of the public to buy into downtown revitalization, however, will be a challenge, several people said.

As in other cities, some Colorado Springs residents rarely, if ever, venture downtown — because of perceived crime or parking problems or because they have plenty of dining and shopping options in newer parts of town. Then there are segments of the community who don’t want leaders to lead, Lux said. Sometimes, he said, elected officials need to take action without a public vote. “We don’t need to ask for an ordinance to clean the homeless up out of downtown,” Lux said. “We just need to make it happen. There are ways to do it without an ordinance. Go ask Denver. Go ask Chicago. Go ask New York City.” Others, like Bach, said he’s weary of criticisms from so-called community naysayers. Up to now, “a lot of parochial interests in the community” and negativity have prevented Colorado Springs from a unified approach on downtown improvements, Bach said. “Let me put this in general terms,” Bach said. “We’ve allowed the naysayers to carry the day for far too long. And I really mean that.” Colorado Springs Together, the citywide effort that focused on rebuilding homes in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood after last year’s Waldo Canyon fire, should serve as a model for a can-do attitude the public needs to adopt when it comes to improving downtown — whether it’s through City for Champions or anything else up for consideration, Bach said. Even so, don’t expect that everybody will get on board, Makepeace said. “Whatever the leadership proposes, someone will be against it,” Makepeace said. “Probably lots of people will be against it. But people who are in leadership positions need to be convinced of their own vision, and then gather other people who believe in their vision or persuade people to believe in their vision, and move forward. We can’t let the naysayers, and I think we do that a lot in this community, we let the naysayers take the lead.” —

Contact Rich Laden: 636-0228 Twitter @richladen Facebook Rich Laden

• 1988: Another San Francisco consultant recommends construction of a multiuse civic arena as well as creation of a special downtown taxing district to fund street and sidewalk repairs and maintenance, along with other projects. City voters overwhelmingly reject the arena in 1989. In 1994 and 1996, downtown businesses and property owners create special improvement districts; the current Greater Downtown Colorado Springs Business Improvement District is put in place in 2001. • 1992: The Downtown Action Plan envisions improvements such as a convention center, a continuous trail around downtown for biking and jogging, a trolley and wider sidewalks. It serves as the impetus for various streetscape improvements. A convention center was never built, but America the Beautiful Park — later built by the city — was part of the Downtown Action Plan vision. • 2004: A convention center proposal resurfaces and is studied and debated for months. By early 2005, the idea dies when the City Council decides against putting a tax hike before voters that would have paid for the project. At the same time, a citizens group — supported financially by The Broadmoor hotel, among others — collects petition signatures and successfully gets a question on the ballot to restrict the city’s ability to plan or build a convention center. Voters approve that measure in 2005. • 2006: Downtown businesspeople and property owners approve creation of a Downtown Development Authority, which is designed to provide funding for downtown improvements projects. • 2007: Imagine Downtown essentially updates the 1992 Downtown Action Plan and talks about many of the same types of goals and needs for the area. • 2012: An Urban Land Institute advisory panel recommends a series of downtown improvements, including a baseball stadium, a 200-room full-service hotel and convention center, more housing and completion of a trail system ringing the area. SouRCe: Gazette ReSeaRCh; Downtown PaRtneRShiP

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the future of downtown: Part 2 of 3

Other cities attain goals Omaha’s resurgence could be a model by Rich laden rich.laden@gazette.com —

For decades, Colorado Springs has had a string of plans to revitalize its downpHoToS By JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE town, similar to ones that A man looked out the window of his truck after it stalled in rising water near Circle Drive and Fountain Boulevard on Sunday. Many streets were Denver, Oklahoma City and flooded during several heavy thunderstorms. Visit gazette.com to view a photo gallery. other communities came up with in an attempt to revive their urban cores. The difference: Denver, Oklahoma City and many of the others have carried out much of what they envisioned, and are enjoying an influx of housing, restaurants, stores and attractions in their downtowns. As Colorado Springs continues to grapple with what to do to inject life into its downby andrea sinclair town, other communities’ sucandrea.sinclair@gazette.com inside — cesses could provide lessons • The state rundown: DevastatColorado Springs got very little for the city. ing toll of Sunday’s storms. A9CHANCE OF RAINOne of the more successful breathing room from rainfall over • Unbelievable storm, historic the weekend. After a relatively qui— flooding: A look at the elements et Saturday, the skies turned dark see downtown • page 5 that created this unlikely stategray Sunday afternoon and dropped CHANCE OF SNOW wide storm. A6 up to 3.5 inches of rain over central CHANCE OF RAIN community parts of the city, according to the • Rescue: A portrait of the conversation National Weather Service. CHANCE OF RAIN 24-member unit trained to deal The Gazette and ColoraCLOUDY “The largest amount of rain fell with nightmare scenarios. B3 do College have teamed CHANCE OF SNOW over Academy Boulevard: We got with the nonprofit Food reports of flooded intersections, CHANCE OF SNOW for Thought to hold the stalled vehicles and water rescues and Dale Street, Colorado Springs COLD Community Conversation of stranded drivers,” said meteorolfire rescued a couple from the back CLOUDY on “The Future of Downogist Makoto Moore. of a pickup that got stranded in town” fromCLOUDY 6 to 8:15 p.m. A line of storms moved east at a rushing waters from an overflowFOG Tuesday at Colorado glacial pace of 5 mph, having plenty ing creek. A nearby sign warned COLDCollege’s Armstrong Hall. of time to soak the already saturatdrivers to avoid the intersection COLD It is free and open to the ed area and prompting the weather during rainfall. public, and will focus on JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE service to issue a flash flood warn“This spot floods every time it HOT FOG recent efforts to revitaling that was in effect until 5:30 Crews work to get an intersection reopened on Manitou Avenue at U.S. rains. That’s why we’ve got the sign ize the downtown area. A FOG p.m., when favorable weather con- 24 on Sunday afternoon after rainstorms deluged many streets. up,” said an El Paso County Sherpanel discussion will be 6 ditions prompted its cancellation. iff ’s Office deputy, who watched the to 7:15 p.m., followed by All lanes of southbound Powers ist and requiring Colorado Springs water was rushing over sidewalks intersection to keep drivers MOSTLY and CLOUDY HOT the small-group discusBoulevard were closed at Barnes police to reroute traffic, adding to and splashing on the hoods of slow- onlookers out. “If this creek doesn’t HOT sions led by Food for Road around 2 p.m. as more than a traffic woes for drivers. moving vehicles. have a name by now, they should Thought at 7:15 p.m. foot and a half of water flooded the Just down the road, on Tutt BouOff Austin Bluffs Parkway, at the — NEED LOGO intersection, stranding one motor- levard and North Carefree Circle, intersection of Siferd Boulevard see FLOOD • page 9 MOSTLY CLOUDY MOSTLY CLOUDY

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A 4 ❘ the gazette ❘ Monday, SepteMber 16, 2013

the future of downtown

DOWNTOWN SUCCESSES denver • population 634,265 (2012 estimate) Sources: Tamara Door, president and CEO, Downtown Denver Partnership; Rich Grant, spokesman for Visit Denver by WAyNe heILMAN wayneh@gazette.com —

Q: What are your key downtown developments? A: The 16th Street Mall, Colorado Convention Center, Coors Field, Elitch Gardens, Pepsi Center, Sports Authority Field at Mile High (formerly Invesco Field at Mile High). Q: Was there an overriding strategy or philosophy that guided your actions? A: One thing Denver has done extremely well and gotten us to the point where we are today is that we are great at creating plans and creating the culture to focus on achieving those plans. Our last 20-year plan was created in 2007. These plans include five vision elements, seven transformative projects — such as revitalizing the Civic Center — and 1,000 small steps. ... When we move forward, we don’t have to ask at every step of the way whether this is the next big project. The plan doesn’t dictate the course, just the goal. Q: What problems did you identify in your downtown?

DOWNTOWN DeNver ParTNershIP

A: In 1979, downtown Denver had seven department stores, several big theaters, the Top of the Rockies restaurant and the area was doing great. Then you had the oil bust and the second-most overbuilt office market in the country after Houston. Q: What key projects contributed to your downtown’s revitalization? A: It is never just one project. There are key projects

that are highly visible, and their impact has been tenfold when you look at the secondary economic benefits. We committed to building a convention center and headquarters hotel. That set the stage for bringing more people to the community. When people visit, more will decide to move their company here. The 16th Street Mall, Coors Field and Invesco (Field at Mile High, now

Sports Authority Field at Mile High) were game changers. We also have attracted more entertainment and cultural facilities to the central city, and we made sure to develop around those facilities. You don’t just build facilities, you have to make sure successful businesses are built around them. It has been said that downtown development is a three-legged stool: You need public buildings, stadiums

and museums, you need private investment, shops and nightclubs and you also need residents. Q: What did it take to achieve your goals? A: We had a framework on our (20-year) plan that was so solid, it stood the test of time. You have to be committed to the vision, be unified in that vision and think big. Q: What kind of funding sources were used?

A: More than a dozen times, people voted for tax increases to help Denver become a better city, including special sales taxes to build Coors Field and Invesco Field at Mile High, a new public library, an art museum and to expand light rail. The state appropriated money to build the convention center, which was later expanded, and the Pepsi Center was privately funded. Altogether, the investments in the projects exceed $2 billion. Q: What obstacles did you encounter and how did you overcome them? A: Absolutely there have been obstacles and resistance, but if you engage the community — the public, private and nonprofit sections — you will be able to break down barriers if people believe they are part of it. You want to enable a wide variety of ideas and debate them. The more stakeholders you have at the table that are part of the process, the greater the likelihood that (the elements of the plan) will happen.

oklahoma city • population 555,199 (2012 estimate) Source: A. J. Kirkpatrick, director of operations, Downtown OKC, Inc.

DOWNTOWN OKC INC. by Ned huNter ned.hunter@gazette.com —

Q: What are some of your key downtown developments and attractions? A: The arena that houses the NBA Thunder, the civic center and an area called Brick Town, which is just east of downtown, that is now an entertainment district. It was old warehouses turned into bars, nightclubs and restaurants, much like LoDo in Denver.

Q: What did the city do to revitalize its downtown? A: Oklahoma City has traditionally had three pillars of its economy: oil and gas, state government and agriculture, but the Chamber of Commerce has been proactive in trying to diversify the economic base. We have been very successful in developing a top-notch health sciences center in the area between downtown and the state government sector of the city,

and more recently we have seen major aviation job gains, thanks in large part to the presence of Tinker AFB. Our current mayor, Mick Cornett, had a background in sports broadcasting and was wellpositioned to attract the NBA after we successfully hosted the Hornets for two seasons following Hurricane Katrina. Q: What problems did your downtown have to overcome? A: Oklahoma City experienced over a decade of

decline starting with the 1982 oil bust. Our downtown office vacancy rate spiked to 35 percent and several of our major banks failed throughout the 1980s. Oklahoma City suffered from many problems: transit was poor, we had several decades of disinvestment in the core, people of wealth left for the suburbs and retail followed them, and the public no longer trusted the school board and had failed to pass several school

bond initiatives. Q: What role has private investment played in your downtown’s recovery? A: Devon (an oil and gas company) recently completed its $800 million headquarters and asked that $150 million of tax funding generated by the company be used to carry out a reconstruction of almost all of the streets in our central business district. Q: Where did the city get the money to rebuild downtown?

A: A special voter-approved, one-cent citywide tax, which is used to maintain many of the original public investments each year; and federal funding, including Community Development Block Grants. Q: Has downtown’s growth created any problems? A: As we have seen major employment growth over the past years, parking is starting to become a bigger issue and we are working to build three different garages.

pueblo • population 107,772 (2012 estimate) Sources: Christopher Markuson, director of economic development, Pueblo County; Jim Munch, executive director, Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo; Rod Slyhoff, president, Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce by gArrIsoN WeLLs The Gazette —

Q: What problems did you identify in your downtown? A: The size of our downtown. Pueblo’s downtown is as long as the 16th Street Mall in Denver. With the development of the Pueblo Mall in 1976 and the additional strip development along Highway 50 west, retail business had slowly left the downtown. Our biggest challenge was to create enough critical mass to spark new investment in the downtown. Q: What key projects contributed to your downtown’s revitalization? A: Major private sector investment include the Professional Bull Riders World headquarters and the AT&T Service Center, along with a number of other new buildings along the Riverwalk, and redevelopment of a number of historic buildings

COurTesy Of The GreaTer PueblO Chamber

within the Union Avenue Historic District and along Main Street. Others included Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, Pueblo Convention Center, El Pueblo History Museum, Riverwalk, Rawlings Library, downtown transit center, Riverwalk parking garage,

Municipal Justice Center and the AT&T complex. Q: Was there an overriding strategy or philosophy that guided your actions? A: Downtown’s redevelopment strategy was guided by the “Downtown Framework Plan.” This document

discussed the proposed form and character of downtown, key amenities to build, and key assets to protect. Nearly every component of the plan has been implemented, and we’re working to begin the process of creating the next framework plan.

Q: What did it take to achieve your goals? A: We put together a stakeholder group to develop the Framework plan. We made them all sign a pledge that they would meet for a 10- or 12-week period at 7 a.m. every Friday morning to prepare the plan. Each represented a different constituency and each had a particular goal or project they wanted to accomplish. Q: What kind of funding sources were used? The Riverwalk, pictured, was supported by Pueblo voters in 1995, providing $12.85 million in bond money to start the project. Fundraising done by the Riverwalk’s foundation raised over $17 Million to further enhance the project. Urban Renewal Authority of Pueblo helped through use of Tax Increment Financing Federal and State grants to improve infrastructure.

Q: What obstacles did you encounter? A: Our crisis was the loss of 4,000-5,000 jobs at the steel mill, with a resulting 20 percent unemployment rate. The biggest problem any community needs to overcome is complacency, and overcoming entropy continues to be a problem. Q: Are you done? A: No, and our intent is to never be done. We received the (Regional Tourism Act) award from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade in 2012, which will help fund the expansion of our Convention Center. We have plans to extend the Riverwalk to Runyon Lake-Arkansas River, and continue to field questions from business who want to relocate to the Riverwalk. We are working with CDOT to begin improvements to I-25 through the downtown.

Monday, SepteMber 16, 2013 ❘ the gazette ❘ A 5

the future of downtown

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

Lone pedestrians race across Pikes Peak Avenue in downtown Colorado Springs to beat the rain in August. The City for Champions proposal looks to boost the downtown.

DOWNTOWN From page 1 —

cities during the last 25 years: Omaha, Neb., which Springs civic and business leaders visited this year to glean ideas and business development strategies. Long known for steakhouses, billionaire Warren Buffett and the College World Series, Omaha has garnered national recognition for its resurgent downtown. From new corporate headquarters for Fortune 500 giants Union Pacific Corp. and ConAgra Foods Inc., to thousands of residences, to a baseball stadium, performing arts center and convention center/ civic arena complex, downtown Omaha has undergone a $3 billion renaissance since the late 1980s, according to the city’s chamber and economic development officials. Downtown Omaha’s revitalization resulted from years of planning and input, not just by a core group of movers and shakers, but by a swath of city, civic and business leaders and the public. It was a key to Omaha’s success, city officials say, because all sectors of the community needed to buy into the vision. Public money was spent, bond issues were approved and financial incentives were dangled to spur private development. Area businesses invested hundreds of millions of dollars on their own; the city, state and federal governments constructed buildings; and philanthropists stepped up with contributions. Changes didn’t take place without controversy or problems, yet Omaha officials say remaining committed to their long-term goals was crucial to their success. “There’s been this ongoing commitment to changing our downtown and bringing more people to live in downtown, trying to maintain jobs in downtown, trying to create more entertainment options in downtown,” said Steve Jensen, Omaha’s retired planning director and a planner for nearly 40 years.

Many parallels

In some ways, Omaha parallels Colorado Springs. Offutt Air Force Base, south of town and home of U.S. Strategic Command, gives Omaha a strong military presence. The city’s electric and gas utilities are publicly owned. Its metro-area population of about 925,000 is roughly one-third larger than the Springs. Omaha’s economy, however, is more diverse and its downtown benefits from several well-known businesses, higher educational institutions and government offices. Besides ConAgra and Union

about this series

This is the second of a three-day series on the future of downtown, leading up to a Community Conversation on the topic Tuesday. Sunday: Colorado Springs has had several downtown improvement plans over the years, but little has come of them. Why? Monday: Could the downtown makeover in Omaha, Neb., serve as a model for Colorado Springs as it wrestles with how to make its urban core more attractive to local residents, families and young professionals? Tuesday: A downtown sports arena is part of the City for Champions proposal that supports say would bring tourists to the city and help revitalize the urban core.

Pacific, Omaha is home to insurance giant Mutual of Omaha, Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway holding company and global contractor Kiewit Corp. — all with offices just west of downtown. International research firm Gallup Inc.’s corporate headquarters, Creighton University and the Creighton University Medical Center are north of downtown’s core. The state and federal governments have office buildings in the area. Like Colorado Springs, Omaha has been working on transforming its downtown for decades. An early improvement plan, known as “back to the river,” proposed turning Omaha’s faltering industrial riverfront into an amenity with parks or other uses, Jensen said. The industrial area stood between downtown’s core and the Missouri River. The back-to-the-river idea was followed by a 1974 master plan that proposed a series of downtown improvements. One of the basic concepts of that plan, Jensen said: The city must maintain downtown as a home for major employers and government institutions, even as business and retail losses would likely continue. About the same time these plans were getting underway, brainstorming workshops were taking place among Omaha businesses. Those sessions produced more downtown ideas, Jensen said, but they also had another longterm benefit: Young architects, engineers and other professionals who were participating in the discussions embraced a vision for a better downtown and carried it with them as they moved into front

deciding for future

The board of the El Paso County Commissioners unanimously supports the proposed City for Champions. Page B1

office positions with their companies, Jensen said. “These ideas really became embedded in the young professionals,” he said. “When they became head of the corporation, they supported the idea of improving downtown, being downtown and living downtown.”

A ripple effect

Several critical amenities and attractions grew out of Omaha’s early plans. A city park — with water features and pedestrian walkways — was built downtown. That project was controversial; it was funded by city and federal funds, but some residents argued the federal money should have been used to upgrade older neighborhoods. City officials stuck with the park, which had a ripple effect. A city library, state office building and Northwestern Bell office building were constructed on streets fronting the new city park — decisions made by those parties with the idea of contributing to the fledgling downtown revitalization effort, Jensen said. Another early 1970s redevelopment effort took place in the Old Market, downtown Omaha’s warehouse district. An Omaha family that owned and controlled a few Old Market properties saw the potential of converting the buildings’ upper floors into lofts and ground floors into shops, restaurants and art galleries. Even as some local residents questioned the idea of rehabbing an old warehouse district, city officials came on board — changing building and zoning codes to encourage residential uses and adding flowers, trees and street lights to Old Market intersections, Jensen said. Those projects were just the beginning. ConAgra, already based downtown, was poised to move to another part of town or bolt Nebraska. The state offered tax incentives for the company to stay. And, in a highly controversial action protested by preservationists, the city razed a historic district of more than 20 riverfront warehouses to make way for what would become a 30-acre, five-building ConAgra office campus and research facility that opened in 1989. A series of private-sector projects followed over the next 10 to 15 years. Among

them: First National Bank of Omaha constructed a 40-story office tower in 2002, which is connected by tunnels to a company data center. Gallup opened a riverfront complex in 2003 and expanded it six years later. Union Pacific opened a 19-story headquarters in 2004, which followed construction of a downtown dispatch center. As corporations cemented their presence in downtown with thousands of employees, it created a ripple effect for development, including: • The 31-acre Heartland of America Park, which opened in 1990 along the Missouri River. The park includes waterfalls, a park fountain with a 300-foot water jet and light show and Lewis & Clark interpretive exhibits. • A, $300 million 18,300-seat arena and 194,000-square-foot convention center exhibition hall, funded by a bond issue that Omaha voters approved by 63 percent in 2000; private donations and an increase in the city’s hotel-motel tax were part of the financing package. • The 24,000-seat TD Ameritrade Park, built to accommodate the College World Series, opened in 2011. • A $94 million performing arts center, which opened in 2005, includes a 2,000-seat concert hall and 450-seat recital hall, and was funded almost entirely by donations. • At least a dozen hotels that opened following the launch of the arena/convention center complex. • About 3,100 lofts, condominiums, apartments and row houses.

Make downtown the spot to be

The entertainment venues, in particular, have made downtown a place where people want to live, work and visit round-the-clock, said David Brown, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. “These community investments could have happened anywhere in town, but the intent was to make all of this cultural and sports activity happen in the downtown, which would keep traffic driving into the downtown area — particularly after hours,” Brown said. “You’ve got to make sure your downtown isn’t just a nine-to-five kind of an asset. It’s got to be something that is open all the time.” Several private sector projects were aided by tax-increment financing — increased property tax revenue generated by new development, which was earmarked to pay for nearby street, sidewalk and other public improvements. It’s a tool that serves as an incentive for private businesses and developers to build, but one which Colorado Springs’ Downtown Development Authority hasn’t yet been able to use. Because no significant redevelopment projects have taken place in the Springs’ downtown in recent years, there’s been no increase in property tax revenue for the city’s DDA to capture and no money to use on major downtown improvements. Even with tax-increment financing serving as an incentive, investment in downtown Omaha and the jobs brought to the area wouldn’t have

happened without a commitment on the part of “civicminded citizens,” said Joe Gudenrath, executive director of the Omaha Downtown Improvement District. More than 40,000 people work in the area, economic development officials estimate. “It was the community, community leaders, the public sector investing in downtown, which created the jobs,” he added. Jobs, in turn, have attracted young professionals to the area, and created the demand for entertainment venues, housing, retail, restaurants and the like, he said. Colorado Springs officials years ago identified the need to attract and retain young professionals. “The downtown lifestyle truly fits this generation of young professionals that don’t want cars and want to live a very sustainable lifestyle and enjoy entertainment options nearby,” Gudenrath said. Omaha’s success, he added, resulted from a combination of factors — from the planning efforts, to the public and private sector investments, to the philanthropic contributions, Gudenrath said. That’s a lesson for the Springs or any other city. “If Colorado Springs is looking for that silver bullet to make it happen, I personally don’t think that it exists,” Gudenrath said. “I think you have to have a number of factors that need to fall in place.” —

Contact Rich Laden: 636-0228 Twitter @richladen Facebook Rich Laden

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A 4 ❘ the gazette ❘ tuesday, september 17, 2013

the future of downtown

COurTeSy OmAhA COnvenTiOn & viSiTOrS bureAu

Omaha’s downtown TD Ameritrade Park opened in 2011 and hosts the annual College World Series.

stadiums in other cities Here are six recent examples of downtown baseball stadiums and how they were funded: Birmingham, Ala. Regions Field Cost: $64 million Capacity: 8,500 Opened: 2013 Team: Birmingham Barons, Southern League (AA) Financing: Birmingham raised its lodging tax 3.5 percent. Charlotte, N.C. BB&T Ballpark Cost: $54 million Capacity: 10,000 Opening: 2014 Team: Charlotte Knights, International League (AAA) Financing: The city and county each gave the Knights $8 million from hotel/motel tax revenues apiece. The county leases the land to the franchise for $1 a year. The rest will be paid by the franchise. Columbus, Ohio Huntington Park Cost: $56 million Capacity: 10,000 Opened: 2009 Team: Columbus Clippers, International League (AAA) Financing: Franklin County owns both the stadium and the Clippers. It sold revenue bonds to be repaid with ticket and concession sales. A $7 million state grant, corporate sponsorships and proceeds from the $3.3 million sale of the Clippers’ former home, Cooper Stadium, also were used to pay off debt. El Paso, Texas Unnamed stadium for relocated Tucson Padres Cost: $60.8 million Capacity: 9,500 Opening: 2014 Team: To be announced, Pacific Coast League (AAA) Financing: The city sold bonds that will be repaid with hotel occupancy taxes, a $400,000 annual lease payments by the owner, ticket surcharges and parking fees. Memphis, Tenn. AutoZone Park Cost: $80.5 million Capacity: 14,200 Opened: 2000 Team: Memphis Redbirds, Pacific Coast League (AAA) Financing: Sale of $72 million in tax-exempt bonds, which are being repaid with a sales tax rebate for items sold in the ballpark; Memphis and Shelby County each chipped in $4.25 million to buy the land and clear utilities. Oklahoma City Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark Cost: $39.9 million Capacity: 13,066 Opened: 1998 Team: Oklahoma City RedHawks, Pacific Coast League (AAA) Financing: The ballpark was the first of nine entertainment and sports facilities included in the Metropolitan Area Projects revitalization effort. MAPS was funded by a temporary onecent sales tax approved by city voters in December 1993 which expired on July 1, 1999. The tax generated $364 million, including $54 million in interest. SOurCeS: miLb.COm, vAriOuS neWSPAPerS

community conversations The Gazette and Colorado College have teamed with the nonprofit Food for Thought to hold the Community Conversations on “The Future of Downtown” from 6 to 8:15 p.m. Tuesday at Colorado College’s Armstrong Hall. It is free and open to the public, and will focus on recent efforts to revitalize the downtown area. A panel discussion will be 6 to 7:15 p.m., followed by the small-group discussions led by Food for Thought at 7:15 p.m.

BALLPARKS

about the project

from page 1 —

and whether it’s part of a larger plan that has broad support. Colorado Springs’ plan to build a downtown multiuse stadium for Sky Sox baseball games seems to follow the more successful model. It’s part of a larger package of four tourismrelated projects, known as the City for Champions, and would be financed with public money and private funds. But a public-private partnership doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, and a publicly funded project doesn’t always mean failure. Branch Rickey III, president of the Pacific Coast League, cites Oklahoma City‘s Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark as an example of how a publicly funded ballpark, in conjunction with other developments, can regenerate an area — in this case, a site that had one restaurant surrounded by empty warehouses in 1990. The stadium and a number of other projects were funded by a temporary 1 percent sales tax increase. “I don’t think there is a cookie cutter,” said Rickey. If the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade approves the City for Champions proposal and gives the city $82.1 million in state tourism grants, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox would be the eighth Triple-A franchise to move into a new ballpark since 1990. At least five are stadiums built downtown to replace existing facilities, or to lure a franchise to their city. Last week, Nashville announced an $80 million ballpark development project — $40 million for a stadium, $10 million for parking and $30 million for a residential development. The project depends on the private money coming in, including contributions from the Nashville Sounds’ owners. “If you can get up to half (of the cost) between the Sounds and corporate partners, then I think it’s a really digestible amount for capital,” City Councilman Anthony Davis told The Tennessean, Nashville’s daily newspaper. Colorado Springs also can look at what four other cities have done. Charlotte, N.C., and the surrounding county subsidized the Triple-A Charlotte Knights’ future stadium, scheduled to open next spring at a cost of $54 million, for $8 million apiece. The owners agreed to pay the rest. The financing package drew the Knights back to the city’s already resurgent downtown after 25 years in nearby Fort Mill, S.C. In Memphis, the Redbirds receive sales tax money from items sold in AutoZone Park to use toward their debt on the $80.5 million facility. The city and county chipped in $4.25 million apiece to buy the land. While public-private financing combinations are the norm, Fresno, Oklahoma City and Reno relied mostly on public money to finance the stadiums. It worked out well in Oklahoma, but it’s been more of a struggle for Fresno and Reno. Fresno, operating with a $16 million budget deficit this year, is liable for the loans for its 12,500-seat venue, which drew an average of 6,771 fans this season. “Given what we’ve gone through and with hindsight being 20-20, we

COURTESY OF RTA

A sketch of the proposed downtown stadium in Colorado Springs. The ballpark would be part of the City for Champions proposal. probably would not have built the size of the stadium and the type of stadium that we built,” new Fresno city manager Bruce Rudd has said. A nearby downtown parking lot, expected to generate revenue for the city’s loan payments, is often empty on game nights, said Kate Borders, president of the Downtown Fresno Partnership. Instead, she said, most fans park in lots between the highway and stadium, avoiding downtown. “It has not been a major attraction and not the outcome that was hoped for,” she said. “The community leaders at the time believed the stadium would do all that was needed to revitalize the area.” Other development expected to spring up as a result of the stadium never materialized, and voters are skeptical of other investment downtown, she said. The Fresno stadium also did little for tourism. Nearby Yosemite and Sequoia national parks draw tourists. Baseball does not. “Proximity to Pikes Peak might bring some people to the games, but I don’t think we got more than a few fans traveling in during my time with the team,” said investment advisor Rick Roush, who was part of the Fresno ownership group from 1997 to 2005. Fresno Grizzlies president Chris Cummings said attendance was high when the downtown stadium opened but soon declined. A downtown needs more, he said. “Attendance typically goes down after the first three to four years,” Cummings said. “You see that around the country. We are doing our part. We have 72 home games, eight (minor league) soccer games and other events that bring people downtown, but we are only part of the puzzle.” Plans to book concerts regularly at the ballpark failed, in part because Fresno State University added a concert hall. Better community cooperation could have avoided that, Roush said. “There was a real lack of cohesiveness,” he said. “I am glad to hear Colorado Springs is trying to do something with grants. I hope they learn from our experience.”

Reno’s Aces Ballpark, which opened in April 2009, had the potential to be a downtown success story, with the stadium part of a long-term plan dating to the 1990s. But the recession caught city leaders off guard and left them unable to pay $1 million a year in property tax revenue promised to the owners to cover their $55 million in construction loans. A recent deal to refinance the loans improved the situation, Rickey said. Overall, though, the 9,100-seat stadium has helped Reno’s economy. According to a University of NevadaReno study, 472 direct jobs, 119 indirect jobs, 143 temporary construction jobs, and $28.8 million in total economic impact can be traced to the ballpark. Businesses sprang up before the stadium opened, and many remain, although average game attendance is only 4,921. There’s a sports bar, a pub and a lounge connected to the ballpark, along with a large outdoor square that includes a dance floor and stage. It was packed when the stadium set a new single-game attendance record of 10,135 for the TripleA All-Star Game in July. “I highly recommend the idea of a downtown ballpark,” Aces general manager Rick Parr said. “It was a great decision by Reno to bring in this family-friendly alternative.” In January, the Reno City Council approved $1 million in annual general fund money, to be approved yearly, for the next 30 years so the owners could refinance the construction loan, which was due in December. The county will consider a similar proposal for $15 million over 30 years. Colorado Springs could learn from Fresno’s mistakes and Reno’s bad luck to become one of the success stories, Rickey said. The Sky Sox need to consider the benefits of moving into a new downtown facility compared with staying in a growing residential and commercial area around Security Service Field, where the franchise has enjoyed better attendance in recent years, he added. The franchise has said it will consider a move downtown.

Earlier this year, the city of Colorado Springs submitted a proposal to the state for grant money to fund four tourismrelated projects, including a baseball/multiuse stadium and Olympics museum for downtown. The proposal is only part of a broader conversation about ways to breath new life into downtown — a conversation that has been going on for decades. Why has so little come of the parade of downtown revitalization plans? Why have other cities been able to accomplish so much more for their downtowns? Those questions sparked a three-day project on the future of downtown that will culminate with a Community Conversations on the topic Tuesday evening. Sunday: A combination of factors has stalled major downtown efforts in the past, and no single strategy will solve the area’s problems going forward, some supporters say. But those who see downtown as a key to the city’s overall economic health say the time is right to focus again on the area. Monday: Omaha, Neb., is just one city that has managed to carry out plans to revitalize its downtown. Talk to civic leaders, and they’ll tell you a number of factors contributed to their successes, including public funding. Tuesday: A downtown sports arena is part of the “City for Champions” proposal that supports say would bring tourists to the city and help revitalize the urban core. A look at stadium projects in other cities suggests that the most successful ones are funded by a combination of private and public money.

city eyes state grant The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade is considering the city’s $218.6 million City for Champions proposal to develop four tourism-related projects, including a downtown baseball multiuse stadium, a U.S. Olympic museum, a UCCS sports medicine and performance center, and a new Air Force Academy visitors center. Of the four, the stadium has been the most controversial because some people like the location of the current stadium, which is near Powers Boulevard and Barnes Road, and don’t think it would benefit downtown. If the proposal is approved, the city could get $82.1 million in state tourism grants. The remaining bill would be covered by $61 million in private donations and about $74 million in public money. The state is not expected to announce its decision on the proposal until December.

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Proponents ‘100 percent confident’ about addressing consultant’s concerns by Rich laden rich.laden@gazette.com —

Online business? Teen nails it Veronica Malkin is following a family penchant for entrepreneurship by selling online kits for water marbling, a nail-polishing technique. D1

Four tourism projects that make up Colorado Springs’ City for Champions proposal would draw thousands fewer new visitors to Colorado than proponents estimate, accord-

Review findings Page A6

ing to a report by an economic consultant hired by the state. As a result, City for Champions would be eligible for less than half of the state sales tax

money that proponents have requested from Colorado officials to help pay for development of the projects, the report says. Doug Price, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bu-

reau and a City for Champions spokesman, said Sunday that supporters are “100 percent confident” they’ll adequately address concerns raised by Economic & Planning Systems. At the same time, backers

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Food stamp cuts putting demand on area pantries

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Residents struggling to put food on table during tough times

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WINDOn Friday, the federal food stamp pro-

gram was cut by more than $5 billion per WIND year because the 2009 economic stimulus index increase ran out. PARTLY CLOUDY The program provides about $80 billion a a3 naTIon RAIN & worLd year in aid to about 47 million people, or 14 B1 LocaL & sTaTe percent of U.S. households, including about B5 oBITUarIes PM STORM a half million people in Colorado. B6 crIme sToppers SNOW When Jessica O’Neil of Fountain heard c1 sporTs the news, she broke into tears. Daily d1 FamILy The $20 she will lose each month might RAIN SNOW AND RAIN not sound like much to some people — maybe a few lattes or a new blouse or some movie tickets. SNOW But for those barely getting by — the elSTORMS derly on fixed incomes, children in impoverished families, single mothers, the workSNOW AND RAIN Vol. 142 /// No. 226 /// copyright © 2013 ing poor — it can mean the difference SUNNY

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Trim ranks, base closures suggested

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weren’t surprised the report questioned their visitor estimates, Price said. The same consultant came up with similar critical findings last year when it was hired by the state to analyze a separate round of requests for state tour-

Air Force chief has own ideas for cuts

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between a modest meal or going hungry. “I worry that I might not have enough for my son,” O’Neil said. “I just can’t imagine what families with more children will do.” Meals have revolved around macaroni and cheese, hamburger casseroles and ramen. With no car, she only occasionally can get a ride to a food pantry. “Food has gone up,” she said. “A dozen eggs are $2 and something, and he can eat three eggs at a time.” She wants to ensure her son has the best nutrition because he had a serious illness awhile back. Now he is playing sports at school, and like most teen boys he’s always hungry despite the free breakfast and lunch he gets under a federal school lunch program.

Food ResouRces

Colorado Hunger Free Hotline: (855) 855-4626. A multilanguage toll-free number that connects callers to geographically based private and public food assistance programs. Where to donate: Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado careandshare.org 2605 Preamble Point, Colorado Springs 528-1247 Silver Key Senior Services 2250 Bott Ave., Colorado Springs 884-2300 www.silverkey.org

The Air Force’s top general wants Congress to examine closing bases and grant him the authority to trim the ranks. Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh met with the service’s top brass during a weeklong conference at the Air Force Academy that ended Saturday. Facing $1 trillion in Pentagon budget cuts over a decade, Gen. Mark he wants the Welsh tools used by corporate America to weather the downturn. “We need help in planning for the future,” Welsh said in an interview. “We can adjust to any reality once we have a reality.” While the military has a year left of warfare in Afghanistan, cuts won’t wait. The first set of cuts, about $500 billion, was devised in 2008 by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a way to trim the wartime fat from the military over a decade. The second set — the ones worrying Welsh — were ordered by Congress under the sequestration budget deal. The deficit slashing plan requires the Pentagon to make $500 billion in across-the-board cuts over 10 years, with no leeway to tailor what is trimmed. “It’s a bad business model,” Welsh said.

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see welsh • page 7

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local CITY FOR CHAMPIONS: AT A GLANCE The program: Colorado’s Regional Tourism Act created a program by which communities could compete for state sales tax funds for projects that draw new visitors into the state. Local governments applying for funding must provide economic data that show how their projects would attract out-ofstate tourism. The Colorado Economic Development Commission can approve up to two such projects in fiscal year 2014. For this fiscal year, Colorado Springs’ City for Champions’ proposal was the lone applicant for state tourism funds. City for Champions proposes four tourism projects and related improvements, totaling $218.6 million: a downtown U.S. Olympic museum dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympics movements; a downtown 10,000-seat minor league baseball stadium and events center; a sports medicine and performance center on the campus of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; and an Air Force Academy visitors center. That $218.6 million project cost includes $167.5 million for the four venues and $51 million for a series of downtown public improvements. Supporters applied in July to the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade for $82.1 million in state tourism money to help fund the projects. What’s new: An independent economic analysis by a state-hired consultant examined the proposal in a report that was released Friday. Supporters have until this Friday to respond to the findings. What’s next: Backers say they’re scheduled to make a formal presentation to the Colorado Economic Development Commission on Dec. 4; the panel is expected to make a decision Dec. 16. Who’s involved: A consortium of civic leaders brought the City for Champions idea to Springs Mayor Steve Bach, who submitted the application to state officials. The proposal, according to Bach’s office, was co-sponsored by the city, the Springs-based El Pomar Foundation, the Downtown Development Authority and the Anschutz Foundation. The Denver-based Anschutz Corp. owns Clarity Media Group, which purchased The Gazette last year. Source: Gazette research; Economic & Planning Systems Inc.

REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

From page 1 —

ism funding by other cities, he said. The 58-page report, prepared by the Denver office of Economic & Planning Systems Inc., will be used by the Colorado Economic Development Commission when it decides in December whether to help fund City for Champions by using tax money available under the state’s Regional Tourism Act. The report, released late Friday by the state in response to an open records request by The Gazette, isn’t final. City for Champions proponents, who received their copy Oct. 28, have until Friday to respond and request that Economic & Planning Systems’ revise its findings. The company has until Nov. 22 to update its analysis if warranted. City for Champions calls for development of a U.S. Olympic museum and a combined baseball stadium/events center in southwest downtown. Also, it proposes a new Air Force Academy visitors center and a sports medicine center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Springs Mayor Steve Bach submitted an application in July to the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade seeking $82.1 million in state tourism money to pay for a little more than one-third of the City for Champions’ $218.6 million cost. As part of the funding process under Colorado’s Regional Tourism Act, the state hires an independent analyst to examine funding applications. Economic & Planning Systems’ report on City for Champions examined only three of the four projects; UCCS’ sports medicine center wasn’t “defined clearly enough or far enough along in the development process” to be evaluated, the consultant said. Price said applicants are working with UCCS as well as Air Force Academy

CouRtesy of City foR Champions pRoposaL

a downtown baseball/multiuse stadium is one of four projects included in the City for Champions proposal. officials to provide more information to the analysts. The report’s key findings suggest that new visitors coming to Colorado as a result of the museum, stadium and visitors center would total 214,243 a year, down almost 44 percent from the applicants’ estimate of 521,493. The report agreed with the number of new visitors the stadium would draw. But based in part on its research of how many out-of-staters visit museums for other sports, Economic & Planning Systems lowered the estimate of new visitors to an Olympic museum. “The Olympics, while popular, do not have the same mass market appeal as professional sports such as baseball, football, basketball or NASCAR,” the report said. Also, the report lowered the number of new visitors projected to come to the academy visitors center. Some of those people would come for other academy events, not solely to the center, the report said. Fewer visitors mean less spending by tourists for hotel rooms, restaurant meals, rental cars and the like. As a result, the

state wouldn’t capture as much increased sales tax revenue from the venues, which, under the state’s Regional Tourism Act, can be made available for development of tourism venues. The report estimates that the city would be eligible for $31.4 million in sales tax funding over 30 years for the three projects, down from the $82.1 million sought for the full City for Champions proposal. The report also said the City for Champions’ application lacked several key pieces of data. State tourism money is intended to serve as the final piece of funding for projects that have money committed from other sources, the report says. None of the four projects have such commitments in hand, the company said. Price countered that the four projects are, in effect, notfor-profit venues and City for Champions proponents should be able to use state money as a vehicle to help them gain funding commitments from donors. —

Contact Rich Laden: 636-0228 Twitter @richladen Facebook Rich Laden

The Denver office of Economic & Planning Systems Inc. was hired by the state of Colorado to independently review the City for Champions proposal. Among its key findings: • City for Champions’ supporters estimated that a downtown multipurpose baseball stadium and U.S. Olympic museum, a new Air Force Academy visitors center and a sports medicine and performance center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs would draw 521,493 new visitors to the state of Colorado each year. Economic & Planning Systems, however, deleted the UCCS project from its report, saying not enough information was submitted to support it. For the other three projects, the company estimates that new visitors to the state would total 214,243 a year. The report supported City for Champions’ estimate that a new stadium would draw 51,093 new visitors to the state to go along with annual attendance of 672,271. However, the report estimates that a new Air Force Academy visitors center would attract only 88,150 new visitors to the state, down from the applicants’ estimate of 288,000. And, the report suggests an Olympic museum would generate only 75,000 new visitors, not 157,500 as applicants say. • Because it expects fewer tourists would visit the City for Champions’ venues, the company calculates the city would be eligible to receive $31.4 million in sales tax funding over 30 years to help fund development of the projects. That’s down from the $82.1 million being sought by City for Champions supporters. • State sales tax revenue for tourism projects is supposed to bridge the gap between funding committed to a tourism project and the money that applicants say they need to ensure it gets built. However, the report faults City for Champions applicants for failing to show they have such funding in hand. “None of the four project components have met either the financial need or development readiness criteria. No firm funding commitments, letters of interest, letters of intent, or other evidence, have been provided by the applicant. The funding and financing plan described in the application only notes ‘high levels of interest’ from potential project funders. In addition, the applicant does not own or have an option or contract to purchase or otherwise acquire the land needed for the museum or stadium. For the USAFA project, it is EPS’ opinion that additional clarification is needed on the need for any permits or other approvals from the federal government or Air Force Academy, since the visitors center would be on federal government property.” Source: Economic & Planning Systems Inc.

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Seeking more for Champions Revised proposal asks for $120.5 million from state for four tourism projects by Rich laden rich.laden@gazette.com —

City for Champions supporters say major revisions they’ve made to their proposal to develop four tourism projects in Colorado Springs

will add to the cost, but bring in even more visitors than first projected. Now they want $120.5 million from the state — a nearly $40 million boost from their original request.

Backers revised their plan in response to an independent consultant’s critical review of their initial application for state funding. In that first application, City for Champions backers sought $82.1 million in

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state funds to pay for the projects, which carried an original price tag of $218.6 million. The consultant said the projects should qualify for —

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Family worried before boy died Authorities checked on youth’s welfare

in sports • C1

Students write next chapter

by lisa Walton and Jakob RodgeRs The Gazette —

Two days before firefighters found 5-year-old Jude Murray-Gomez’s body wrapped in a smoldering blanket, El Paso County sheriff ’s deputies searched his mother’s apartment — concerned she was violating a custody order. They left thinking she Shannon had moved Dodson was arrested on out. Details of suspicion of Jude’s last murder. week alive began to emerge Wednesday, signaling growing concern among family and law enforcement officers for the boy’s welfare, because his mother, Shannon Dodson, violated a custody order by not returning him to his father Nov. 3. Dodson was arrested Satur—

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CHAMPIONS from page 1 —

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only $31.4 million. The revisions made by City for Champions backers, and their responses to the consultant’s review, were submitted to state officials last Friday and released Wednesday. The revised submission is the next step in the process in which City for Champions backers are seeking state money to help pay for a downtown sports facility, a downtown Olympic museum, a new Air Force Academy visitors center and a sports medicine and performance center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. A decision by a state commission on whether City for Champions will receive funding is due in December. Highlights of the City for Champions response, and changes to the original proposal, include: • Redesign of a 10,000-seat downtown baseball stadium and multipurpose event center, which has increased the project cost. The Colorado Sports and Event Center, as the venue is now being called, would become a site for Olympic and amateur sporting events and all but eliminate the original plan to make it a baseball stadium. Backers say they’re “olympicizing” the venue to cement ties with the Springsbased U.S. Olympic Committee, the city’s Olympic Training Center and 23 Olympic national governing bodies that have their headquarters here. At the same time, a 3,000seat indoor venue — including a half-dozen basketball courts, locker rooms, training facilities and other amenities — would be added. As a result, the project’s cost would increase to $92.7 million from the original figure of $60.7 million. That, in turn, would drive up the overall City for Champions price tag to nearly $251 million. • A one-third increase in the number of people expect to visit a downtown U.S. Olympic Museum. Backers now say the museum would draw 350,000 visitors in 2020 after

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day on suspicion of first-degree murder and remained in the El Paso County jail Wednesday, held without bond. On Nov. 8, after neighbors noticed smoke coming from her apartment, firefighters entered and found her sitting naked and wet in a closet at the apartment. Jude and Dodson were taken to Memorial Hospital Central, where the child was pronounced dead. When Colorado Springs police went to the hospital Saturday to confront Dodson, she became emotional and had just one thing to say. “I killed my son,” said Dodson, according to an arrest affidavit. While investigating the blaze, firefighters tossed a flaming mattress out a window only to find Jude lying lifeless and wrapped in a blanket near the box spring, a court document said. The door to the apartment had been barricaded from the inside, the affidavit said, and the bathtub was full of water and burned wooden matches were found near the box spring. One firefighter took the boy outside and began pumping his chest. The affidavit said “water was coming from Jude’s mouth” during the chest compressions. An autopsy by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office later determined that Jude drowned. It appears that Jude was never supposed to be with Dodson in the days leading up to his death, according to court documents and law enforcement officials. The child’s father, who is also named Jude Gomez, and

what’s next? • Nov. 22: Deadline for the consultant to revise its analysis, if it believes changes are warranted. • Dec. 13: Ken Lund, executive director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, makes a recommendation on City for Champions to the Economic Development Commission. • Dec. 16: The Economic Development Commission decides whether to award state sales tax funds.

it’s been up and running for a few years. That’s roughly three times as many as the consultant’s estimate. City for Champions supporters said the consultant’s review underestimated the drawing power of the Olympic brand. The consultant compared the Olympics to baseball, basketball and NASCAR, but City for Champions backers and one of their own consultants said the Olympics have a broader appeal. An Olympic museum would have a similar draw to national venues such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the National WW II Museum in New Orleans and the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., supporters say. • The addition of a “champions plaza,” which would connect the Sports and Event Center and the U.S. Olympic Museum to the heart of downtown. • A contention that the economic impact of the overall City for Champions proposal was shortchanged by the statehired consultant. Backers say the consultant failed to take into account the economic benefits that will flow into the state’s economy from several additional sources, such as income taxes on wages paid to employees whose secondary jobs were created as a result of the new venues, and sales tax collections on building materials used to construct new facilities. • Additional information about the scope of a proposed sports medicine and performance center at UCCS. Back-

“I understand they have a lot of questions as to, of course you know, could it have possibly been prevented?” Felix Gomez, the boy’s grandfather who lives in Kentucky his grandmother had successfully battled Dodson since December for custody of the boy, citing Dodson’s neglect and suspected drug abuse, the affidavit said. Dodson could only have custody of Jude on weekends, the affidavit said. On Nov. 3, when Jude was supposed to have returned home, Jude’s father and grandmother went to Dodson’s apartment, but no one answered the door, the affidavit said. Colorado Springs police responded to Dodson’s apartment on a welfare check requested by his grandmother. But police said they were not able to contact anyone but a neighbor, who reported seeing Jude and Dodson earlier that day. The neighbor told police that they both appeared to be fine. On Nov. 6, sheriff ’s deputies searched the apartment on a court order and found the apartment empty but for a few pieces of furniture. “Most of the personal belongings were gone,” sheriff ’s deputy spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said. “There was a lot of information on scene to suggest the family had moved out.” That included a notice on the door to vacate within three days. On Nov. 7, after following up

ers say it would draw 26,400 new visitors a year by 2020, and would be comparable to facilities at Duke University in North Carolina and to facilities in Texas and Pennsylvania. To counter the consultant’s criticism that City for Champions lacked financial support from locals, proponents also submitted letters indicating the proposal has backing from the city of Colorado Springs, El Paso County, the Springs-based El Pomar Foundation, UCCS and the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority. In addition, Springs real estate company Nor’wood Development Group, which owns 21 acres in southwest downtown, said in a letter that it has committed to “sell, lease, ‘condominiumize’ or otherwise partner/convey” land for the sports venue and museum. In July, City for Champions backers — including Mayor Steve Bach and a handful of civic and business groups — submitted their application for state funding to the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. The funds are available under Colorado’s Regional Tourism Act, which allows communities to vie for sales tax revenue to help pay for tourism projects that would attract out-of-state visitors. As part of the process to determine whether City for Champions qualifies for funding, the state hired Economic & Planning Systems Inc. in Denver to analyze the proposal. That review criticized City for Champions in several areas, saying the project would generate less than half of the new visitors that backers estimated. Doug Price, a project spokesman and president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, said backers will conduct a media briefing at 1:30 p.m. Friday to discuss their latest plans. For now, he said, backers are “very optimistic and upbeat” in their responses to the consultant and some of the revisions they’ve made. —

Contact Rich Laden: 636-0228 Twitter @richladen

on two additional addresses and a phone number provided by family members, deputies still had no leads and asked family members to call them if they came across additional information, Kramer said. That night, however, a neighbor outside the apartment saw Dodson standing inside her home, “smiling and looking down talking to someone,” the affidavit said. The next day, firefighters responded to Dodson’s burning apartment and found Jude dead. Dodson’s daughter, Miranda Garver, told police that her mother said Nov. 3 that she did not want to return the boy to his father. Casey Poe, another one of Dodson’s daughters, told detectives that her mother spoke with her Nov. 4 and said she “wanted to die and would kill Jude and kill herself.” The affidavit noted that Dodson later said she would not do it. Dodson took the boy once before without staying in touch with family members, the affidavit said. When Jude was 6 months old, she moved with him to Pennsylvania until October 2012, police wrote in the affidavit. Felix Gomez, the boy’s grandfather who lives in Kentucky, said he has been receiving updates from his son, the boy’s father, since the fire. “I understand they have a lot of questions as to, of course you know, could it have possibly been prevented?” Felix Gomez said. “Had the police been a little more thorough in searching. … But these are things we’ll never know.” Dodson will have her first appearance in 4th Judicial District Court on Friday. —

Gazette reporter Matt Steiner contributed to this story.

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Drivers may pay toll for open roads User fees eyed to ease congestion and pay for new projects by Garrison Wells garrison.wells@gazette.com —

Drivers on Colorado roads who are willing to pay for a less congested lane will likely have more opportunities to do so in the coming years.

In its latest round of funding, the Colorado Department of Transportation pegged project money for at least four toll lanes — some pending approval by local governments. The projects have a dual goal: re-

C-470 from Kipling Street to Interstate 25, on I-25 from 120th Avenue to Colorado 7, on I-25 from Highway 7 north and on I-70 eastbound through metro Denver, said Amy Ford, CDOT spokeswoman. I-70 eastbound from Empire Junction to Idaho Springs also will get some temporary congestion help,

duce congestion and raise money for road projects. Under RAMP, or Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnerships, the department approved money for tolled express lanes on

Aztec transition begins

Ford said. A tolled express lane will be built on the shoulder of the highway for peak periods such as on Sunday afternoons and is expected to be completed in 2015. “We are going to pave out the shoulder and turn it on during peak —

see tolls • page 6

No ‘iron-clad’ commitments for Champions

Residents turned out as motel is readied to house recovering moms

But backers are confident in sourcing to nab state funding by Rich laden rich.laden@gazette.com —

Backers of the City for Champions proposal say they are confident they’ll have enough money from Colorado Springs-area sources to nab state money for four tourism projects in their plan, but conceded they don’t have the cash in hand. It could be an important consideration as state economic development officials weigh next month whether to approve the plan, which calls for construction of a multiuse sports center, a U.S. Olympic museum, a new Air Force Academy visitors center and a sports medicine and performance center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. An independent consultant said in a recent report critical of the plan that the state money is to be used to push a project toward completion, not serve CHANCE as seed money. OF RAIN OF RAIN On Friday, Bob Cope of theCHANCE city’s Economic Vitality Division and part of the City for Champions team, acknowledged that the group CHANCE OF SNOW doesn’t have “iron-clad commitments,” CHANCE OF even SNOW though several backers — including the El Pomar Foundation and El Paso County — have CLOUDY submitted letters indicating financial support. CLOUDY El Paso County Commissioner Amy Lathen CHANCE OF RAIN said private sources are “there and ready” as — COLD COLD

MiChAeL CiAgLo, The gAzeTTe

Leeann Schikora comforts her crying son Camrin Schikora, 3, on Friday as they prepare to move out of the Aztec Motel, which is ending a nearly four-year run as a transition house for the homeless. by JAKOb RODGERS

jakob.rodgers@gazette.com —

ears in her eyes, Barbara Jackson left her room at the Aztec Motel bound for an apartment, one she can finally afford. “God opened doors... he did it,” Jackson said. Meanwhile, her neighbor resumed life

on the brink of homelessness. The women were among the last to leave the Aztec on Friday, ending a nearly four-year run for the transitional housing program that had served about 2,350 people since opening in 2010. Homeward Pikes Peak officials decided in late October to shut down the program at 1921 E. Platte Ave. in

see CHAMPIONs • PAge 6

favor of offering housing to mothers receiving substance abuse treatment. The nonprofit will dip into its reserve fund to begin the new program in early January, because no grants have been awarded to run the $300,000-a-year venture, said Bob Holmes, Homeward

CHANCE OF SNOW

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A 6 ❘ the gazette ❘ Saturday, November 16, 2013

local

TOLLS from page 1 —

travel hours,” she said. Meantime, more permanent solutions are being studied. The program to build these toll lanes comes under Colorado High Performance Transportation Enterprise, a branch of CDOT with its own board that is scouting for ways to raise money to fill transportation needs. The enterprise has the power to impose tolls, user fees, issue revenue bonds and enter into contracts with public and private entities to form public-private partnerships. “As a policy, CDOT has determined that looking at toll

Toll ProjecTs

• C-470 from Kipling Street to I-25 • I-25 from 120th Avenue to Colorado 7 • I-25 from Colorado 7 north • I-70 eastbound through metro Denver • I-70 between eastbound between Empire Junction and Idaho Springs

express lanes or managed lanes is a strategy that we’re going to employ as we move forward,” Ford said. Colorado isn’t the only state looking at tolls as a way to raise transportation dollars.

Other states pinched by the decline in federal funds through an 18.4 cents per gallon gas tax are also tolling for money. “It’s a new trend,” Ford said. “You are seeing it happen all around the country. It accelerates projects and puts private resources in the project. The return is they get to collect the tolls.” According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 42 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have some form of tolling authorization or facility. Of those, 28 states and Puerto Rico have toll facilities operated by statewide entities, 14 states have toll facilities operated by regional entities and 20 states and Puerto Rico

have privately operated toll facilities. No toll lanes are being eyed for Colorado Springs or Pueblo, Ford said. “Neither of those corridors is something we are looking at for that level of congestion,” she said. “It’s truly where the congestion is.” But local transportation officials are open to alternative funding measures. “When it comes to something like express toll lanes, our board hasn’t taken a position but I would say they are always open to hearing the options and seeing what they would entail,” said Jason Wilkinson, spokesman for the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments. One project is done.

Tolled Express Lanes in the I-25 HOV lanes opened in June 2006. Those lanes allow solo drivers to drive in existing HOV lanes by paying a toll. Also known as HOT lanes, for High Occupancy Toll, these lanes run 7 miles from downtown Denver to U.S. 36. Among the projects that are underway are a $312 million project to reconstruct and widen 10 miles of U.S. 36 between Federal Boulevard and 88th Street in Louisville. Expansion will include one HOT lane in each direction. It won’t be the first time for tolls on Highway 36. The road between Denver and Boulder opened as a toll road in 1951, according to CDOT. When the construction bonds were paid

off early, the tolls were eliminated in 1968. Tolls for some of the new projects have not been determined, but will be tied to bus fares, Ford said. Toll prices, she said, “will never go below bus fares. We always want to tie it to the bus fares because we want to encourage all modes.” Another measurement for toll prices will be the amount of congestion. “The more congestion, the higher the toll,” Ford said. “So traffic is monitored. “The 36 corridor will be literally dynamic,” Ford said. “It can change every five or 10 minutes, depending on the congestion. “It really is the road of the future.”

“This new approach showcases our true Olympic identity,.” Amy Lathen, El Paso County Commissioner

CHAMPIONS From page 1 —

COuRtESy Of City fOR ChAmpiOnS

An updated City for Champions rendering shows the new 10,000-seat Colorado Sports and Event Center at rear, a 3,000-seat indoor facility at right and a Olympic museum and plaza.

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soon a backers receive state funds, and Cope believes the commitments and other potential funding streams provide “as solid a financing plan as you could have at this stage in the process.” “Once we find out what the award is from the state, then we can begin to drop those numbers, those figures into the spreadsheets and leverage the private funding,” Lathen said. The comments came during a news conference in which City for Champions backers showed off a rendering of a new downtown sports venue, using it as a jumping-off point to tout what they say will be community and economic benefits from the projects. Backers said they expect the revisions they made to their proposal in response to the consultant’s report will help them make a compelling case to the Colorado Economic Development Commission, which will decide in December if they get the money. City for Champions’ biggest change: Transforming what was to be a downtown baseball stadium and multiuse facility into what’s being called the Colorado Sports and Event Center. It would host Olympic and other sporting events and play off the Springs’ Olympic presence. The venue — which appears in the rendering shaped more like a football or soccer stadium — still would seat 10,000 people, but now would include an additional 3,000-seat indoor facility for basketball and other sports. “This new approach showcases our true Olympic identity,” Lathen said. The center, she said, would be “wholly

WHAT’S NEXT?

Nov. 22: Deadline for the consultant to revise its analysis, if it believes changes are warranted. Dec. 4: City for Champions backers present their proposal to the Colorado Economic Development Commission. Dec. 13: Ken Lund, executive director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, makes a recommendation on City for Champions to the Economic Development Commission. Dec. 16: The Economic Development Commission decides whether to award state sales tax funds.

unique” to Colorado — providing a venue for events staged by some of the two dozen Olympic national governing bodies that have headquarters in the Springs. The center also would help the city recruit other amateur sports groups, Lathen said. The upgraded facility, however, will cost $92.7 million compared with the original cost of $60.7 million. The stadium and other projects now carry a price tag of nearly $251 million, up from $218.6 million. At the same time Friday, City for Champions backers clarified the proposal’s finances and the amount of money they say they’re seeking from the state. Despite comments made this week by a project spokesman, City for Champions backers said Friday that they stand to receive less money — not more — from the state than what they originally sought. In July, City for Champions backers submitted an appli-

cation to the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade, seeking funds under the Colorado Regional Tourism Act. That law allows communities to qualify for state sales tax money to help pay for tourism projects, but only if they demonstrate the projects would attract visitors who otherwise wouldn’t come to Colorado. Backers originally estimated their proposal would qualify to receive $173.2 million in state sales tax money over 30 years, which they said would be used to pay off $82.1 million in bonds issued for the projects. But Economic Planning & Systems Inc. of Denver, the consultant hired by the state to analyze City for Champions, questioned attendance figures and other economic projections in the proposal. As a result, the firm said City for Champions should qualify for only $31.4 million in state funds. In turn, the response submitted last week by City for Champions supporters challenged some of the consultant’s findings. Still, City for Champions backers accepted some of the consultant’s conclusions, which lowered the outlook for sales tax revenue that the projects would generate. As a result, City for Champions backers now say their projects would capture $120.5 million in sales tax revenue over 30 years — not the original $173.2 million — which will support a bond issue of less than $82.1 million. How much less? Backers don’t know, Cope said, but will have the figure before they present their proposal to state officials in December. —

Contact Rich Laden: 636-0228 TwiTTer @richladen Facebook Rich Laden

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Councilman says landowners nervous after seeing City for Champions proposals by Monica Mendoza monica.mendoza@gazette.com —

Colorado Springs City Councilman Joel Miller insists that his proposal to limit city’s ability to take private CHANCE OFthe RAIN

CHANCE W.Va. tells folksOF RAIN to trust water

property for public use is not an attempt to block the City for Champions projects. However, he said that property owners in southwest downtown have seen

the City for Champions renderings of a downtown stadium, parking structure and U.S. Olympic museum drawn right over their property. “They are nervous and justifiably

so,” said Miller, who was gauging his colleagues’ interest in such an ordinance during a City Council —

see LIMIT • page 7

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tower crane can’t be missed when driving on Austin Bluffs Parkway near University of Colorado at Colorado SUNNYSprings. The crane is being used in the construction of the Stanton parking garage, which will feature a recreational field atop the four-level structure. The crane can lift loads of up to 22,000 pounds and takes several trucks to transport. STORMS Also under construction at the rapidly growing university is the five-story Academic Office Building. The garage is loWIND cated on the northwest corner of Stanton Road and Regent Circle and is scheduled to open in March. SUNNY

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Share your favorite gameday recipe at gazette.com/ recipe by Jan. 26 for the chance to win a gift card.

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Go to gazette.com for interviews with coach John Fox, wide receiver Eric Decker, running back Knowshon Moreno and lineman Zane Beadles.

New social media rules for teachers

Omaha enjoys Manning’s prime-time shoutouts City hopes to score points off Broncos’ QB By ERIC OLSON The Associated Press —

Peyton Manning can’t stop shouting about Nebraska’s largest city. The Denver Broncos quarterback used the word “Omaha” loudly and often during Sunday’s NFL playoff victory over the San Diego Chargers. OMAHA, Neb. •

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According to an NFL.com video montage, Manning barked “Omaha” before the ball was snapped 44 times during the game. The reason for the word choice, if there is one, is known only to Manning and —

see OMAHA • pAge 10

D-20 policy: Staff can’t be ‘friend’ to students by Debbie Kelley debbie.kelley@gazette.com —

MichAel ciAglo, The gAzeTTe

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning calls a play in Sunday’s game.

Should teachers be connected to students on Facebook, Twitter or other social media? Not if they’re using personal accounts, states an updated Internet and electronic com-

munications policy for Academy School District 20. The new rules, adopted Jan. 1, mandate that “Staff shall not ‘friend’ (or otherwise invite) students to join their —

see policy • page 7

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LIMIT from page 1 —

work session Monday. “This ordinance would strengthen the rights of Colorado Springs citizens against the taking of their private property,” he said. His idea would limit the city’s power to take private property to “traditional public purposes” — like to build streets or highways — and the city could not take property for private economic development or a combination of public and private economic development. “It is a reaffirmation of property rights and the sacrosanct place in our history,” Miller said. “If you are going to invest in a business, you will be less likely to invest in an area where government will come up with an idea to use your land they think is more beneficial.” In December, the state Economic Development Commission awarded the city an estimated $120.5 million over 30 years to help finance the City for Champions — four tourism projects that include a downtown stadium, a U.S. Olympic museum, an Air Force Academy visitors center and a sports medicine facility at UCCS. The stadium and museum would be built in southwest downtown, a mostly light industrial area the City Council declared an urban renewal site in 2001. In addition, a 1,500-space parking garage, a pedestrian bridge and other improvements would be part of the downtown projects. When the city declared the southwest downtown area an urban renewal site, condemnation was controversial and the council imposed several conditions to make it difficult to take private property. Only the City Council can amend the urban renewal plan. That means protections are

JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE

City of Colorado Springs Council President Keith King, left, talks with State Rep. Bob Gardner after a special meeting of the council on Monday morning. After a closed meeting, King announced that the meeting would be postponed. already in place, said council member Jill Gaebler, who questioned the need for such an ordinance. She added that the Regional Tourism Act, the state law created so cities could qualify for state sales tax rebates for tourism projects, does not allow the use of eminent domain. She also worries that such an ordinance would tie the city’s hands in cases when the city would want to take blighted property for development. In the past six years the city has used its power to take private property sparingly, such as for the Southern Delivery System project — a 53-mile pipeline from Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs. Council member Jan Martin said she can recall only one other time in those years that the city took private property.

That case involved the Woodmen Road project, and the city tried to negotiate with the landowner for more than a year, she said. “We take each deal on its own,” Martin said. “We don’t know what options will come to the city in the future. To use this to restrict future development — I don’t support it.” Miller said past councils may have been careful about using power to take private property but there are no guarantees that future councils will feel the same way. “It hasn’t been an issue, but it does not mean it won’t be,” he said. A majority of the council gave Miller an affirmative nod to pursue the ordinance. Miller did not say when he would bring it back for a vote. But council member Merv

Bennett warned that going down this path could be dangerous and have unintended consequences. “There is a whole world of things that could happen,” he said. “We can’t legislate everything that could happen. When we start doing that, we have a potential to start stepping on other rights.”

In other business

• Police Chief Pete Carey asked the council to ban pot from all 139 city buildings. The council also is considering an ordinance to ban pot

from the Colorado Springs Airport. Interim airport director Dan Gallagher already made a rule against it, which went into effect Jan. 10. Although it is legal to possess up to one ounce of pot in Colorado for adults 21 and older, it is still considered illegal under federal law, Gallagher said, and it cannot be taken on commercial aircraft. The Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security agency that screens airline passengers and baggage for weapons and other

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contraband, does not search for drugs, but if TSA agents found pot in checked luggage they would turn it over to Colorado Springs Police. If someone gets the pot on the aircraft, they could face a fine up to $2,500 and 189 days in jail, Carey said. Some council members think those penalties are too high and will consider a tiered penalty system. The issue is expected to come back to the next council work session Jan. 27. • The council will have a special meeting at 11 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the firing of its legislative analyst, George Culpepper. The meeting was scheduled for Monday but was postponed. The council hired Culpepper in December to assist with research for potential city policy. Culpepper, who earned $23.26 per hour, was researching marijuana issues at the Colorado Springs Airport at the direction of the council in preparation of a possible city ordinance that bans marijuana from the airport and details penalties. Mayor Steve Bach fired Culpepper on Jan. 9. The reason for the firing has not been made public. Culpepper had signed a notice of intent to ask council to discuss his firing in public Monday. The council was seated and ready to begin, but Culpepper huddled outside council chambers with a member of the city attorney’s office and the city’s Human Resource director, Mike Sullivan. If Culpepper does not request that Tuesday’s meeting to discuss his employment be held in open, council members will retreat behind closed doors.

RING IN the New yeaR

Safety never felt so good

POLICY from page 1

™

—

The ASSOCIATeD PReSS fIle

The new Academy D-20 policy says teachers can’t use personal social media outlets with students.

Jill Vidmar, who has a 10thgrade student at Rampart High School in D-20, said she can understand why teachers would want to be linked to their students via social media. “If it’s appropriate, I don’t see a big problem with it. I believe teachers should have a relationship with their students, to a certain point. Everything’s about the computer now. I can see how it could be OK, for certain things,” she said. Keith Robertson, the father of a ninth- and 11th-grader at Rampart High, disagrees, saying he likes the new policy. “It makes it black-and-white as to what types of relationships are acceptable between students and teachers. It eliminates any questions,” he said. “Personal connections are not a good idea.” Some districts, including Colorado Springs School District 11, leave the matter up to the individual teacher. “We’ve not said ‘yes’ or ‘no,’” said spokeswoman Devra Ashby. “Some teachers use Facebook; others don’t feel comfortable with that.” D-11’s social media guidelines for staff emphasize the personal responsibility attached to social media interaction and communication and ask that teachers’ personal pages do not reflect thoughts or opinions of their employer, Ashby said.

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all.” Anderson points to the policy for the reason: “Staff members are expected to protect the health, safety and emotional well-being of students and to preserve the integrity of the learning environment,” it says. The policy goes on to say: “Online or electronic conduct that distracts or disrupts the learning environment or other conduct in violation of this or related district policies may form the basis for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal of employment.” In a post to current and former students, Muir wrote on her Facebook page that she is opposed to the policy. “Due to the few people that are pure evil, the rest of us must be penalized,” she posted. “I have not done anything wrong. I have valued getting to know you outside of the ‘professional’ environment. I have loved seeing your interests. I have been sad when you have been sad. I have laughed at some of your awesome pictures and jokes.” D-20 staff members can continue using social media for instructional purposes, the policy says, including communicating with students, parents and the community regarding school-related activities and to supplement classroom instruction. Parents are split on the issue.

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personal social media sites and must not accept ‘friend’ invitations” from students. D-20 staff members who are Facebook friends with students now must ask students to unfriend them, according to communication from teachers that have been appearing on Facebook, which The Gazette obtained. “You might have seen several teachers posting the same message I am required to post. Please unfriend me. I am no longer able to be your ‘friend’ on Facebook if I want to keep my job,” Candus Muir, a lauded middle school science teacher at The Classical Academy wrote Sunday on her Facebook page. By the end of this month, Muir said she will have to unfriend any current or past student attending a D-20 school who has not yet unfriended her. An email sent to staff Jan. 6 said due to the revisions, staff members are being required to review and agree to the new conditions, then reset their passwords by Jan. 31. “Each staff member has to accept this agreement each year, and this year, an additional acceptance was required so that staff members would be aware of the changes in this policy,” said Nanette Anderson, district spokeswoman. Staff members are allowed to establish a “separate, public, professional social media account,” such as a classroom page, according to the policy. Staff members also are prohibited from using “email, text messaging, instant messaging or social networking sites to discuss non-school related issues with students.” No particular incident within D-20 prompted the changes, Anderson said. “It wasn’t any one thing in our district,” she said. “This is something many districts are looking at. Teachers aren’t supposed to friend students at

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In Sports: Peyton Manning is held to a higher standard, David Ramsey says; RB Moreno kicks off AFC title game poster series.

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Senate passes spending bill

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Obama expected to sign $1.1T measure to avoid interruption in funding By ANDREW TAyLOR The Associated Press —

WASHINGTON • Congress sent President Barack Obama a $1.1 trillion government-wide spending bill Thursday, easing the harshest effects of last year’s

Airport wary of new regs

The Colorado Springs Airport is worried that CHANCE OF RAIN county rules could hurtOF RAIN CHANCE expansion plans. B6

automatic budget cuts after tea party critics chastened by October’s partial shutdown mounted only a faint protest. The Senate voted 72-26 for the measure, which cleared the House a little more than 24 hours

earlier on a similarly lopsided vote. Obama’s signature on the bill was expected in time to prevent interruption in government funding Saturday at midnight. The huge bill funds every agency of government, pairing increases

for NASA and Army Corps of Engineers construction projects with cuts to the Internal Revenue Service and foreign aid. It pays for implementation of Obama’s —

See SpeNdING • pAGe 8

Waiting game

County commissioners to watch if Congress OKs $30M owed for payment in-lieu of taxes on federal land. A8

in nation • a3

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Lamborn questions use of AFA informants Gazette findings focus of advisory board meeting in Washington more oNLINe

To read The Gazette’s December investigation with this story, go to gazette.com.

by Dave PhiliPPs dave.philipps@gazette.com —

Members of Congress this week criticized the Air Force Academy’s use of secret cadet informants, saying it was a contradiction to the academy’s strict honesty oath and questioning the program’s place at an academic institution.

“I’d just like to go on the record as saying I don’t see how being an informant is compatible with living out the honor code,” U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, said in the meeting. Rep. Niki Tsongas, a Democrat from

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see academy • page 10

County OKs Champions payment by Rich laden rich.laden@gazette.com —

As El Paso County government goes, $37,500 isn’t much money — the county’s budget for 2014 is upward of $284 million. So why did county commissioners spend three hours Thursday listening to comments and discussing among themselves whether to write a check for $37,500?

Because the money was earmarked for City for Champions, which has become a lightning rod for community debate over the proposed tourism projects, how they’ll be financed and their potential for success. Commissioners voted 3-2 Thursday to OK the second payment —

see county • page 10

Financial question The full financial picture for City for Champions is being developed, Mayor Bach tells the city and county. A11

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ACADEMY

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn questions the use of cadet informants.

from page 1 —

Massachusetts, also said, “I think we need to take a hard look about whether this is appropriate for an academic institution, because after all, you are an academic institution. This raises to me a lot of questions that are very hard for you to explain.” The comments, reported by USA Today, were made in a meeting Tuesday in Washington, D.C., of the academy’s Board of Visitors, a 15-member civilian advisory group. The board, made up largely of members of Congress and retired Air Force brass, is charged with monitoring the institution and making recommendations.

The meeting’s agenda included a discussion of an investigation that ran in The Gazette in December that revealed how the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations recruited cadets to covertly track misconduct while misleading their peers, professors and commanders about their actions. The Gazette report detailed how the Air Force uses the informant program to go after drug use, sexual assault and other misconduct among cadets. Informants were sometimes recruited through long

Years

The Gazette-El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund provides resources for local health and human service agencies on the front lines of helping people in crisis and assisting others in attaining self-sufficiency. If your health and human service non-profit agency would like to apply for the 2014 –15 campaign, please go to www.gazettecharities.org/stocking.php for the grant application. Application deadline: January 31, 2014

interrogations, then sent to gather evidence, snapping photos, wearing recording devices and filing secret reports. The Gazette detailed how the program resulted in several convictions but that student informants have sometimes been encouraged to break academy rules by their OSI handlers, then disavowed when they got in trouble. The focus of The Gazette report was a cadet named Eric Thomas, who worked on dozens of cases, including highprofile sexual assaults, and was later expelled for misconduct that he says was directed by OSI. On Thursday, Lamborn described the meeting as “very intense.” “There was a lot of disagreement on the program,” among the board, he told The Gazette. “Some felt the Air Force needed it to go after crime. I feel like there are better ways to do it. I just don’t see how asking someone to misrepresent who they are is compatible with the honor code.” The academy’s honor code requires cadets to pledge “We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.” At the meeting, Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the academy’s superintendent, and Brig. Gen. Gregory Lengyel said Thomas, the cadet at the center of the debate, already had enough demerits to be expelled before he was recruited to be an informant, according to USA Today. They also told the board that his expulsion was for disciplinary and academic reasons unrelated to his work as an informant, and they told the board that the Air Force was constrained by privacy laws from defending its actions more vociferously. Text messages published by The Gazette in December contradict this, showing Thomas was encouraged by OSI to sneak off base to attempt to buy drugs from a dealer sup-

plying cadets. He was later punished for doing so. Academy commanders also defended the informant program in the meeting, saying it was used rarely and was always subject to the oversight by the academy’s top brass. Gazette reporting also suggests this may not have been the case. It found that OSI agents were in some cases told by their commanders not to fully reveal details of cadet involvement in the program, and top brass may not have been aware of its scope. Johnson and Lengyel did not respond to requests Thursday for comment. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who also serves on the board, characterized the meeting as productive and said Thursday that he is encouraged by Johnson’s announcement that she will exercise direct oversight of the informant program. The Air Force Inspector General is investigating the program and Thomas’ expulsion. Johnson has said she expects a report by the end of January. Lamborn said the board was told the report may not be ready until February. Lamborn said there seemed to be confusion at the academy over control of the informant program. “Can OSI tell the academy what to do? Can the academy tell OSI what to do? These are questions I think they are struggling with, and questions I have as well,” he said. He said the board would wait for the investigation findings before giving its recommendation on the program. “We can make our opinion very strongly known,” he said. “But we want to have the facts first.” —

Follow Dave Philipps on Twitter: @David_Philipps

COUNTY from page 1 —

to help with costs associated with last year’s City for Champions application. The commission voted 4-0 in October to approve a similar amount. City for Champions proponents submitted a proposal to Colorado economic development officials last year, seeking millions of dollars in state sales tax revenue to fund four tourism projects — a sports and event center, a U.S. Olympic museum, a new Air Force Academy visitors center and a sports medicine and performance center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In December, the Colorado Economic Development Commission awarded an estimated $120.5 million in tax increment financing over 30 years to help pay for City for Champions. Supporters must find other financing to cover the projected $250 million cost of the four projects. But it also cost money to assemble the state application, and that’s why the county chipped in last year. When City for Champions supporters transformed a baseball stadium into a sports and event center that would focus more on Olympic-type sports, they incurred additional application costs and sought more money from the county. The commissioners’ vote, however, became a backdrop for a larger debate on the pros and cons of the project. Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach, one of City for Champions’ leading advocates, urged the county to match the $75,000 that other groups had contributed — the Springs-based El Pomar Foundation, the Downtown Development Authority and the Anschutz Foundation of Denver. “We need a game-changing initiative to get this economy going, to get people back to work, to attract and retain young people that we must

Nominations are in and it’s time to vote!

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To view video of El Paso County commissioners explaining their vote, scan this code or go to gazette.com.

have for our future,” Bach said. Bach said there will be no city tax hike to support City for Champions “if I have anything to say about it.” He also insisted there will be no condemnation of property in southwest downtown, where the sports venue and museum are envisioned. While he supports City for Champions in concept, Bach said more due diligence is needed — such as scrutiny on costs. County officials should be part of that process, and Bach said he has asked Commission Chairman Dennis Hisey to help lead a local governance board that will be created to oversee City for Champions. Other supporters who urged the commissioners to approve the expenditure included Linda Weise of the Colorado Springs Conservatory, the El Pomar Foundation’s Kyle Hybl and Dick Celeste, former president of Colorado College and who had spearheaded the Olympic museum project for months before City for Champions was proposed. “Build something unique” and “brand Colorado Springs as the Olympic city,” Celeste told commissioners. “Lift this city to a new level.” But some citizens said payment now would amount to a commitment of future financial support. Some commissioners responded Thursday that there will be no long-term county financial support until they dig into finances and an intergovernmental agreement is hammered out with the city, which submitted the City for Champions application to the state. Hisey said after Thursday’s meeting that the county plans to hire a consultant to analyze the proposal. —

see county • page 11

Vote for the best local eateries and entertainment in the Pikes Peak Region. Vote for the best doctor and yoga in the city. Vote for the best supermarket, the best daycare, the best place to eat pho and the best place to buy wine. Really, the important stuff in life. You decide and we publish. Results from our readers along with a few staff picks will appear in The Gazette on April 18th in the Best Of The Springs magazine. prizes?! Of course there are prizes. Vote between January 3rd and February 16th in at least 10 categories and you can win a $500 gift certificate to the Best of the Springs business of your choice. Five additional winners will receive $100 gift certificates.

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Friday, January 17, 2014 ❘ the gazette ❘ A 11

local

COUNTY from page 10 —

Kanda Calef, vice president of the Colorado Springs Republican Women, told commissioners that it’s not government’s job to build sports venues. Amy Mitchell, who described herself as a small businesswoman, said economic development efforts should be left to the private sector. “It’s not the job of government to compete with private business like the World Arena and Sky Sox Stadium and determine the economic winners and losers,” said Mitchell, one of about a half-dozen opponents. Hisey, Vice Chairwoman Amy Lathen and Commissioner Sallie Clark supported the $37,500 payment; it was opposed by Commissioners Darryl Glenn and Peggy Littleton, both of whom had supported the first payment in October. Glenn said he wants the Colorado Springs City Council to get behind the project and wasn’t comfortable earmarking county money until the council showed its support, which it has declined to do. “Just because you agree in principle at the beginning, if you’re being told that your partner might have some cold feet, you don’t make a financial investment like that when your other partner is showing a reluctance to do that,” Glenn said after the meeting. “That’s irresponsible.” Littleton said many of her constituents want more answers about the proposal. But Hisey said committing the extra funding was akin to a “second date” — not a marriage. The county will conduct its due diligence before it makes a broader commitment, he said. Lathen echoed Hisey, adding that the money came out of a special economic development fund from contributions to the county’s enterprise zone, not general taxpayer dollars.

Bach: Full picture being developed Champions’ cash, timeline discussed by monica mendoza monica.mendoza@gazette.com —

Concerns that the Colorado Springs City Council cannot get financial information about the City for Champions project should be laid to rest, Mayor Steve Bach said. The full financial picture on four tourism projects is being developed, he told council members and El Paso County commissioners Thursday at the first joint meeting on the City for Champions project. “I know some of you are very concerned about finances,” he said. “We will have to look into the costs of this, particularly the event center.” Bach hosted the meeting to discuss the timeline of the City for Champions project, which includes a downtown U.S. Olympic museum, a downtown 10,000-seat stadium and 3,000-seat events center, a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs sports medicine complex and an Air Force Academy visitors center. In December, the Colorado Economic Development Commission awarded an estimated $120.5 million over 30 years to help finance the project. To get the state tax increment financing — a percentage of the net new sales tax generated in a specified zone — the city must break ground on the projects within five years and complete them within 10 years.

COUrteSy Of City fOr ChAMpiOnS

A December rendering of the City for Champions U.S. Olympic Museum. The city’s first deadline is March 16, when it must submit a phasing plan to the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the office that oversees the state’s Regional Tourism Act program. By April 16, the city should have a contract with that office, said Jason Dunn, an attorney with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck who worked on the city’s application. Dunn and city and county attorneys are working on drafts of the phasing plan and contract that could soon be reviewed by the council and the commissioners. He said the contract between the city and state office will spell out finances, meeting and audit requirements. Another short-term requirement is for the city to

establish an advisory board to oversee the City for Champions project. Bach suggested that he, City Council President Keith King and County Commission Chairman Dennis Hisey could co-chair the advisory board, which also would include a representative from each of the four projects plus some community members. Councilman Joel Miller was disappointed that financial details were not discussed at the joint meeting because of the looming deadlines. The projects’ combined cost, along with a downtown parking garage and other public improvements in the area, would total $250 million. It’s the gap between $120 million in state funds and the $250 million total cost that Miller said has him worried.

Miller said he has repeatedly asked for the financial breakdown from the city’s economic vitality specialist but has not received information. Instead, he filed requests, under Colorado Open Records Act, for the documents that were part of the city’s application to the state. Miller said he worries there will be no public discussion on the projects before the April 16 deadline to sign a contract with the state. “We are giving the impression that we want a robust community conversation, but behind the curtain we’re drawing up construction plans and barreling forward,” he said. Doug Price, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, said there have been at least 40 community presentations on the City for Champions projects. In fact, he said,

it was through those meetings that organizers of the project learned that residents did not want a baseball stadium downtown. That’s when the baseball stadium plan changed into a Olympic-style stadium, he said. Council members said the concept has been well explained. But the council needs financial details because it is responsible for updating the Urban Renewal Plan. “Council has to come up to speed — we have to be educated,” said Councilman Don Knight, who said the only City for Champions document he has is the city’s initial application, which was modified. Bach said financial details would be rolled out in a threehour Jan. 27 City Council meeting, when the city’s economic vitality specialist has time to go through the project. “Let’s consider this a new day,” Bach said.

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Study: $53M for Champions

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Third-party analysis projects tourist numbers below project backers’ estimates

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‘evil twin’ not guilty of crimes Soldier pleads guilty to sex crimes with young girls, dropping his rare DNA-based defense. B1 CHANCE OF RAIN Business CHANCE OF RAIN

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deal of COLD OF SNOW CHANCE COLD OF SNOW CHANCE the day A Marked CLOUDY FOG CLOUDY FOG Improvement Massage Therapy $37 for a 75-minute hot COLD mArk reIS, THe gAzeTTe COLD HOT HOT stone massage and a Construction crews work on the Lane Center for Academic Health Sciences on North Nevada Avenue on Tuesday. It is part of the University of Colorado 30-minute deep tissue at Colorado Springs. Sports medicine would assume a greater presence at UCCS under the City for Champions proposal. massage. $105 value at FOG FOG www.gazette.com/deal MOSTLY CLOUDY MOSTLY CLOUDY By MEGAN SCHRADER or 1-877-216-4689. in July for sales tax subsidies under An analysis conducted by Economic qualified projects to receive a return megan.schrader@gazette.com — the Regional Tourism Act for a mas- & Planning Systems Inc. suggested of state sales tax projected to be genHOT HOT third-party analysis of Colo- sive four-part project named City for the project qualifies for $53.1 mil- erated by the new development. B6 Weather NEED LOGO NEED LOGO rado Springs’ application for Champions. lion over the next 30 years, based on EPS believes the overall project will millions in state economic deThe application was later re- projections of how many out-of-state draw fewer visitors from out of state velopment dollars improved vised, requesting $125.1 million over tourists the projects could draw. than projected by the city’s applicaMOSTLY CLOUDY MOSTLY CLOUDY 56 45 slightly Tuesday but still fell 30 years in incentives for the project, The money would come from tax- tion and that new sales-tax revenue PARTLY CLOUDY PARTLY CLOUDY — — 26 23 below the mark. according to a consultant hired to increment financing. — The city of Colorado Springs applied analyze the project. The Regional Tourism Act allows see project • page 6

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Round 1: City Council makes tweaks to Bach’s budget plan

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10, but the council voted 6-3 on a first reading of a budget that sliced about $400,000 from the police department to pay half the bill to water city parks. The other half of the water bill, about $565,000, will be taken from the city’s 2013 reserve fund. Under Bach’s proposed budget, the police department was slated to receive a $2.8 million increase in 2014 to add 16 —

See COUNCIL • pAGe 5

Supreme Court will take up health law coverage dispute by CHRIS CASTEEL The Oklahoman Washington Bureau —

WASHINGTON • The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to determine whether Hobby Lobby and a Pennsylvania furniture company can deny their employees federally required birth control coverage that violates the religious beliefs of the company owners. The high court justices accepted cases that have received conflicting decisions

in federal appeals courts. Through the cases, the justices could determine whether the for-profit companies have the constitutional right and the leeway under a federal law to reject the birth control mandate that is part of the Affordable Care Act. A decision on the mandate — which has been challenged in dozens of cases nationwide — —

See COURT • pAGe 8

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A 6 ❘ the gazette ❘ Wednesday, november 27, 2013

local Work is underway Tuesday on the Lane Center for Academic Health Sciences, part of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, on North Nevada Avenue. Supporters of the City for Champions project envision an expansion of the health campus at UCCS beyond the Lane Center.

MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE

PROJECT from page 1 —

generated by the project will not be as high as projected. “The group’s input is helpful,” said Bob Cope, head of economic vitality for the city. “In particular, our response to the EPS report gave us the opportunity to make a great application even better by adding context and detail.” Cope said the application

became stronger through the process and he looks forward to presenting the application to the Colorado Economic Development Commission on Dec. 4. The commission will decide how much financing, if any, the city receives. A decision is expected Dec. 16. The city is proposing $251 million worth of projects: a $59 million Olympic museum in southwest downtown; an adjacent 10,000-seat outdoor arena and 3,000-seat

indoor arena for Olympic and amateur sporting events, with a $92.7 million price tag; a $27 million sports medicine facility at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on North Nevada Avenue; and a $20.5 million visitors center at the U.S. Air Force Academy. An additional $51 million has been budgeted for general infrastructure improvements in downtown Colorado Springs, including a pedestrian bridge, a new monument

HOW WILL YOU FINANCE THE FUTURE?

in America the Beautiful Park and a 1,500-car garage. It’s unclear who would develop and run the proposed facilities, although Mayor Steve Bach said other financing would be needed for the projects. Bach promised that Colorado Springs voters would be asked before the city issued any bonds for the projects. Since the Regional Tourism Act first became law in 2009, only two other projects have been awarded state tax increment financing. Pueblo won the promise of $14.8 million during the next 30 years to help with the development of an expanded

WHAT’S NEXT

Dec. 4: City for Champions backers present their proposal to the Colorado Economic Development Commission during a public hearing at 9 a.m. in the Hershner Room at 1700 Lincoln St. in Denver. Dec. 13: Ken Lund, executive director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, makes a recommendation on City for Champions to the Economic Development Commission Dec. 16: The Economic Development Commission decides whether to award state sales tax funds for the project.

convention center, a new Riverwalk boathouse, a swimming pool and indoor water park and a hotel. The city of Aurora was awarded $81.4 million for a large-scale hotel and confer-

ence center being developed near Denver International Airport. —

Contact Megan Schrader: 719-286-0644 Twitter: @CapitolSchrader

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Mitigation lapses helped fire overwhelm neighbors’ efforts by Megan Schrader

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megan.schrader@gazette.com —

DENVER • Just as a report was released showing that fire mitigation FOG efforts helped save homes during the Black Forest fire, Gov. John

Hickenlooper touted the state’s response to rampant wildfires, including a proposed tax incentive for homeowners who do such things as create defensible space. But questions loom about what

isn’t being done. Hickenlooper highlighted eight bills that will be considered at the state Capitol in 2014. They include —

see WILDFIRe • page 13

Video online

To view video of Gov. John Hickenlooper discussing the fire bills, scan this code or go to gazette.com.

wildfire Bills

Eleven fire-related bills on the legislative agenda include tax incentives and fire bans. A13

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It was a joyous reunion with Boomer, a black Labrador and shar-pei mix, after Ronnie Dodge followed up on a “found dog” Craigslist post. The pair were separated Wednesday when a thief drove off in Dodge’s Pontiac with Boomer inside.

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County, state dropout rates fall by Debbie Kelley debbie.kelley@gazette.com —

Colorado’s high school dropout rate is at its lowest point since 2003, and the El Paso County rate is also declining. The state’s beefed-up efforts to keep kids in school and ensure they earn high school di-

plomas appear to be working, according to 2012-13 dropout and graduation statistics released Thursday from the Colorado Department of Education. The latest numbers add up to the best outcome, education leaders say: The state-

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wide dropout rate decreased last school year, and the graduation rate increased. Local districtwide numbers reflect the same pattern. El Paso County’s dropout rate was 2.4 percent for its —

see dropout • page 16

community conversations

Forum broaches Champions pros, cons by Rich laden rich.laden@gazette.com —

The City for Champions tourism initiative will boost the area’s economy, inject life into downtown Colorado Springs and generate sorely needed jobs, supporters said Thursday night during a forum on the proposal and local economic develop-

ment efforts. But if criticism voiced by several forum attendees is any indication of community sentiment, City for Champions supporters have their work cut out for them to convince the public their proposal will be the —

see FORUM • page 6

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A “Community Conversation on Economic Development in the 21st Century and City for Champions” took place Thursday night at Colorado College’s Armstrong Hall.

FORUM from page 1 —

economic engine they claim. About 150 people attended a “Community Conversation on Economic Development in the 21st Century and City for Champions” that took place at Colorado College’s Armstrong Hall. The event was the fourth such conversation designed to examine topics of interest to the Pikes Peak region; it was co-sponsored by The Gazette, Colorado College, UMB Bank and the nonprofit Food for Thought, a program of the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum. The event featured a panel discussion with six community leaders, who shared ideas about economic development and City for Champions — a $250 million package of four tourism venues. They include a downtown U.S. Olympic museum, a 10,000-seat downtown stadium and 3,000-seat arena, a new Air Force Academy visitors center and a sports medicine and performance center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. When it comes to economic development, several panel members agreed Colorado Springs should look to capitalize on its existing assets, which include its tourism industry and its reputation as the center of the nation’s Olympic movement. The U.S. Olympic Committee has its headquarters downtown and the Springs is home to one of the country’s three Olympic Training Centers. “Build on your own strengths” is what community leaders have heard during visits to cities to learn about their economic development efforts, said Doug Price, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau. Joe Raso, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance, said successful communities have vibrant downtowns and have developed strategies to attract young people and talent.

Joe raso, president and CEo of the Colorado springs regional business Alliance, answers questions from the event’s moderator, Colorado College president Jill Tiefenthaler.

Video online

To view video from Thursday night’s Community Conversation, go to gazette.com.

Linda Weise, founder of the Colorado Springs Conservatory, said economic development efforts should include championing opportunity, vitality, diversity and collaboration. Those broad economic development goals aside, however, much of the evening was spent discussing City for Champions. Joey Cheek, a former Olympic medalist, said the proposed museum gives the city an opportunity to cement its ties to the Olympic movement — which he called an underutilized asset — and help make the Springs a destination location. UCCS’ sports medicine center would attract athletes and help make the Springs a “world-class city.” Price touted jobs that would be created and tourism dollars that would flow to the Springs as a result of the City for Champions venues. But City Councilman Andy Pico, another panelist, raised several concerns. He warned of other communities around the country that spent public money on projects only to see economic projections fall far short. Based on what he’s heard in the community, residents and property owners aren’t sold on the proposal because they haven’t seen detailed financial information.

Eventually, Pico said, the public should be given the chance to vote on City for Champions, because public money will be spent. Last month, the Colorado Economic Development Commission awarded $120.5 million in state sales tax revenue over 30 years to help finance the four projects, although the rest of the money must be raised from private and public sources. Panelist Jim Stewart, former Ent Federal Credit Union board chairman, president of Technology Vectors Inc. and an Air Force veteran, said he’s not certain the Air Force Academy is on board with the visitors center. All of the projects, he added, “still need a lot of vetting.” Stewart and Pico were echoed by audience members who complained the public has been shut out of City for Champions discussions up to now. John Edward Hawk, who described himself as a semiretired Colorado Springs School District 11 teacher, said discussions should take place in every City Council district. “What I see is not participatory democracy,” Hawk said. Gregory Olinyk, a venture management consultant, said he loves the City for Champions concept, but feared it would result in creation of low-wage positions. “I see a lot of ‘peanuts and popcorn’ jobs,” Olinyk said. “I don’t see a lot of real jobs.”

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Private donors stepping up Champions’ backers say 3 projects likely won’t need public cash by Monica Mendoza

tourism projects without a dime of public money, they said. Private donors and project organizers have been huddled for weeks working the numbers, said Dennis Hisey, chairman of the El Paso Coun-

monica.mendoza@gazette.com —

Organizers of the City for Champions proposal believe they can raise millions in private funding needed to complete three of the four planned

ty Commission. City for Champions’ four tourism projects, which organizers say could bring 5,100 jobs and $6.5 billion in economic activity to the region, have received a commitment of about

$120.5 million in state sales tax money. That leaves about $130 million to be raised in private or public money to build the four venues. But, in a release given to The Gazette, project organizers said they are confident that private foundations and donors will kick in enough

money — which could be upwards of $60 million — to construct the U.S. Olympic museum, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs sports medicine facility and the Air Force Academy visitors center without city or county tax dollars. —

see champions • page 4

denver broncos mania • super bowl xlviii • game time: 4:25 p.m., fox

Broncos mania hits Broadway more coverage manning named mvp

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the weather

JERiLEE BENNETT, ThE gAzETTE

A Broncos flag is unfurled by worker Michael Conk before being hoisted to the top of a flagpole Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Denver Broncos will face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Times Square transformed into Super Bowl Boulevard before the big game NEW YORK • It is a rare occasion when the governor of Colorado isn’t the most popular figure in a room packed with Broncos fans. Shoot, on Friday night, John

Hickenlooper wasn’t even the most popular John in the room. At a private party inside Jay-Z’s 40/40 nightclub in Manhattan, John Elway shook more hands than a campaigning politician. Super Bowl XLVIII is Sunday.

When it comes to burgers, mom-and-pops, franchises and chains are all vying for diners’ dollars. Business, E1 a3

natIon & WoRLd

—

sEE bRONcOs • pagE 15

deal of the day

Hamburger segment grows

Salute to women A packed house witnessed a celebration of female veterans of the U.S. armed forces. Military, F1

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A 4 ❘ the gazette ❘ Sunday, February 2, 2014

local a rendering of the city for champions’ proposed olympic museum. the museum is estimated to cost $59 million, and champions backers say they think they can raise private money to pay for it.

a rendering of the colorado sports and event center. that project, estimated at more than $92 million, would need tax money from the county and city, said Bob cope, a principal analyst with the city’s economic Vitality division. renderings courtesy of city for champions

CHAMPIONS from page 1 —

“There is a plan to make those commitments happen,” Hisey said. A 60,000-square-foot U.S. Olympic museum is estimated to cost $59 million; a 32,000-square-foot Air Force Academy visitors center is estimated to cost $20 million; and a 77,000-square-foot UCCS sports medicine center is estimated to cost $27 million. There are no checks in the bank and details about who the private donors are and how much each would contribute were not revealed but eventually will be, Hisey said. “The end is not in sight yet,” Hisey said. “We are still putting the pieces together. The questions are good and need to be answered. I don’t know that they need to be answered in the next 48 hours.” The City for Champions plan still leaves the financing for the biggest, and most controversial, project — the downtown event center — to be determined. That project, estimated at more than $92 million, would need tax money from the county and city, said

advisory group

Colorado Springs City Council President Keith King, El Paso County Commission Chair Dennis Hisey and Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach will lead the advisory group that will oversee City for Champions projects. The group will meet at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at UCCS, Heller Center for Arts and Humanities to begin creating a contract with the state for Regional Tourism Act funds.

Bob Cope, a principal analyst with the city’s Economic Vitality Division. City for Champions organizers were reacting late last week to the Colorado Springs City Council’s call for a special meeting Monday to discuss its role in the four tourism projects. But with no city or county dollars spent on three of the projects, which together have an estimated cost of $106 million, the projects can proceed without input from the City Council. “Three of the four projects

don’t need City Council to oversee those projects,” Cope said. Hisey said City for Champions organizers hope to find corporate sponsors and private investors to drive down the cost of the event center, which would include a 10,000seat stadium and 3,000-seat arena, a 1,500-space parking garage and a pedestrian bridge. Private money has been part of the City for Champions financial plan all along, Hisey said. But it had been viewed early on as less than one-third of the $250 million costs for the four projects. In recent weeks, two antiCity for Champions Facebook pages have been created as forums for the growing swell of residents who oppose the projects or question the financial viability of the projects. Some residents fear long-term debt will be more than double the $250 million price tag. Council President Keith King said it would be fantastic if the City for Champions organizers could raise more than $60 million to pay for three of the four tourism projects, but he still questions the finance plan for the downtown event center.

“Obviously they are feeling — with the websites popping up — that they need to change the game plan,” he said. King said the council still would meet Monday to discuss its role in the projects. It still would have oversight of any city and county tax increment financing district, which could be created to pay for the remaining portion of the $92 million event center. “And there is still a bridge and a parking garage and infrastructure costs in their plan,” King said. About a year ago, planning for the City for Champions began with a small circle of influential civic, academic and business leaders including Bill Hybl, El Pomar Foundation chairman and CEO; Lt. Gen. Mike Gould, former U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent; Pam Shockley-Zalabak, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs chancellor; Dick Celeste, former Colorado College president; and Steve Bartolin, The Broadmoor president and CEO. The group — which also includes Doug Price, Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau president and CEO, and Susan Edmondson, Downtown Partnership presi-

dent and CEO — met privately to discuss tourism projects that might have a chance of winning the state dollars under the Regional Tourism Act. The group maintains that the four tourism venues would pump millions into the local economy and make Colorado Springs a real tourist destination. In fact, the state money requires it. State law says the projects must be of “extraordinary and unique nature and contribute significantly to economic development and tourism.” In December, the Colorado Economic Development Commission awarded the city an estimated $120.5 million over the next 30 years to help finance City for Champions. To get the state tax increment financing — a percentage of the net new sales tax generated in a specified zone over the next 30 years — the city must break ground on four projects within five years and complete them within 10 years. But even state officials had questions about how many tourists and how much money would be generated by the four projects. During the city’s application process, state officials recommended the state use more conservative num-

bers to determine the amount of net new sales tax revenue the project should be eligible for over 30 years. A thirdparty analysis recommended $53 million in state sales tax money instead of the awarded $120.5 million. That analysis has been a sticking point with residents who question why the city would continue with its financial projections, King said. “I have been concerned about the financial makeup of how the project goes forward,” he said. “And I want to make sure it’s done in a way that is viable.” A Regional Tourism Advisory board, which includes King and Hisey, will oversee the projects. Its first task is to hammer out a contract by April 16 with the state over RTA funds. Once that’s signed, money will begin accruing in a fund that will be managed by the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority. “The biggest misunderstanding is that people think they will be left holding the bag somehow — that this is going to cost them, that if you are living here today and you live here five years from now you will be paying,” Hisey said. “That is not true.”

Reaching

higher to achieve success.

“I chose UCCS because I wanted to stay close to home. For someone coming out of high school who is looking for strong academic programs, UCCS is a great choice. Students here really want to do more with their lives and I love that the professors want to see you succeed in whatever you choose to do. UCCS is a special place.” — Rhian Sanders, Sophomore in Business Administration

To Reach Higher: www.uccs.edu | 800-990-UCCS (8227)

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See our survivor story in today’s main news.

Attempt to repeal gun law fails Public testimony lasts more than 6 hours, includes store owners, victims’ families by Megan Schrader megan.schrader@gazette.com —

DENVER • Democrats stood behind universal background checks on gun sales as an important public safety measure on Monday as many advo-

cated repeal of legislation they said infringes on the rights of private citizens. Senate Bill 94, proposed by Sen. George Rivera, R-Pueblo, would have repealed requirements that

for all private and online gun sales and gun transfers the buyer undergo a background check through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. It also would have repealed a $10 background check fee.

It failed in the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on a 3-2, party-line vote. Public testimony lasted more than six hours at the Capitol as victims of gun violence testified about the need

for background checks on all gun sales to prevent criminals from getting guns, and those who frequently sell and buy guns testified the background check requirement is too onerous. Slightly more people testi—

sEE GUN LAW • pAGE 9

preview to SoCHi Go to Gazette.Com/olympiCS

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MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE

continues in the mountain venue cluster as well as the coastal village of Sochi. The opening ceremony is Friday.

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Council not privy to details of Champions projects

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monica.mendoza@gazette.com — CLOUDY

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ons projects, but those plans are secret — at least for now. Organizers of each of the four proposed venues — an Air Force Academy visitors center, a university sports medicine complex, an Olympic mu-

seum and a downtown events center — provided operational details in pro forma statements to the state, said Bob Cope, a principal analyst with the city’s Economic Vitality Division. But the City Council has not seen

one of them. The existence of confidential operational plans was revealed Monday during a special City Council meeting when council mem—

see COUNCIL • page 9

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Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, speaks Monday, where she urged lawmakers to not recall her bill that requires background checks on private gun sales.

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A large crowd gathers to hear Sen. George Rivera testify before a Senate Affairs Committee at the Capitol in Denver on Monday.

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fied against the bill than those talking in favor of repealing the checks. Universal background checks and fees were two of five gun bills passed by Democrats during the 2013 legislative session. The other bills outlawed new sales of magazines that hold more than 15 bullets, required in-person training for concealed carry permits and empowered judges to take guns from people accused of domestic abuse. Republicans also want to repeal the ban on high-capacity gun magazines. None of the efforts likely will succeed as Democrats hold the House, the Senate and the governor’s office. But that didn’t deter opponents of background checks who came out in droves Monday to testify. First up was Matt Solomon, owner of Alpine Arms in Eagle, who testified that his federally licensed gun dealership refuses to do background checks for private gun sales and transfers because it is cost prohibitive. “I don’t want firearms in the wrong hands as much as you guys, but I do want to run a compliant business,” Solomon said. “After weighing the risks and costs, we decided we cannot support and will not participate in background checks for private gun sales.” Solomon estimated it would cost his business between $50 and $100 to facilitate a background check during a transaction between two individuals. Current law allows firearms dealers to charge only $10 for the service. Solomon said part of the cost comes from having to maintain the records for five years after a private transaction, a requirement under federal law — and one that opponents of background checks call a “decentralized registry of firearms” because the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives can access

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Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee Senate Bill 94: Would repeal laws passed during 2013 that require background checks on gun sales online or between private parties and charge a fee for all background checks on gun sales. Yes: Sen. Bernie Herpin, R-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch No: Sen. Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, D-Denver, and Sen. Matt Jones, D-Louisville

those records. “These laws have negatively impacted rural Colorado, where it can be tough to find a licensed firearm dealer willing to conduct background checks,” Rivera said, noting that dealers aren’t required to do the checks. Ron Sloan, director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, told lawmakers more than 6,000 background checks have been conducted since July on private sales and of those 104 buyers were denied. Sloan said it’s clear the background check law serves a compelling public interest. Rivera said background checks for private transactions have criminalized common acts such as lending a rifle to a friend. He said the law has made the jobs of law enforcement more difficult as they try to enforce an unenforceable law. Sen. Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, asked Rivera if he was aware there were a number of exemptions in the law that allowed a person to give a gun to any family member without undergoing a background check. Other exemptions allow people to loan a gun to a friend for up to 72 hours, or to let someone use their gun while at a shooting range or

while hunting. “I borrow guns to go hunting. I do that all the time. Is that appropriate?” Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, asked. Gun legislation was prompted last year by the shooting in an Aurora movie theater in July 2012 that killed 12 people and injured 70 and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a few months later where a shooter killed 20 children and six staff members. Among those who testified Monday against the repeal were family members of victims who died or were injured in those two shootings. A father of a student from Arapahoe High School, where a student walked into the school with a shotgun in December and killed himself and a fellow student, testified that the hour he spent trying to contact his son was the most terrifying time in his life. National Rifle Association lobbyist Daniel Carey told lawmakers the law has “no proven ability to curb violent crimes.” He said a similar law in California has not had any impact on the number of gun deaths. —

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bers were set to discuss their role in the City for Champions projects. The council would need to approve a city Tax Increment Finance district and an Intergovernmental Agreement with El Paso County to participate in the TIF, which would collect a certain amount of sales tax specifically to finance debt to pay for the City for Champions projects. Some council members said Monday that they won’t vote to create a TIF without first asking residents if they approve of the projects. And that means all of the financial and operational numbers must be released for voters and the council to make an informed decision, said Councilman Joel Miller. “How do we get information to the public to show it’s viable if the information is classified,” Miller said. “Are we supposed to take everyone’s word on this?” The organizers of the four

venues have signed nondisclosure agreements, Cope said. The pro formas contain proprietary information that could be damaging to the developers and businesses involved if their competition were tipped off, he said. Cope said it might be possible to “sterilize” the pro formas so that the plans could be released to the council and the public. In the meantime, the city would like to set up some type of authority to oversee the proposed $92 million downtown events center project, Cope said. That entity would be responsible for operating the center, he said. The other venues already have leadership to oversee the projects. For example, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs answers to its board of regents. The downtown events center is the only project without an organizing body. Miller noted it is the only one that would be fully publicly funded. City for Champions organizers recently said that they are confident they can raise enough private money to pay for the construction of the vis-

itors center, the UCCS sports medicine facility and Olympic museum so that not a dime of public money will be needed. But the proposed events center would require city and county tax dollars. It would be built downtown, in an area designated for urban renewal. Those areas, including the bonding and financing of projects, are overseen by the Urban Renewal Authority, said council member Jill Gaebler. Under the city’s current process, the Urban Renewal Authority projects don’t need a public vote. “I am not saying we should not go to the people — but we should be thoughtful, create subcommittees, do a deep dive into finances, follow the URA process and not rush to conclusions and throw a bunch of numbers out and provocative language to frighten the public,” Gaebler said. Council President Keith King said the council will set up a series of town hall meetings to let residents speak about the proposed projects. He still is hopeful the council will approve a resolution that outlines its role in the projects.

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