Courier View Pikes Peak 9-25-2013
Pikes Peak
Teller County, Colorado • Volume 52, Issue 39
September 25, 2013
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourtellercountynews.com
council amends outdoor storage code Group starts lining up items for budget talks By Norma Engelberg Contributing writer
A proposal to build a 20,000-square-foot Tractor Supply Co. retail facility in Woodland Park uncovered a barrier in the city’s zoning matrix. The farm and ranch equipment supplier is planning to build its retail facility in a service commercial zone, where it is permitted unconditionally but the current code excludes the outdoor storage of farm and ranch materials. A code-amendment ordinance approved by the Woodland Park City Council on Sept. 19 will treat farm and ranch equipment businesses the same way the code treats lumber and building materials businesses. These are allowed to store materials outside as a conditional use in most commercial zones, as long as they are screened from
public view. The ordinance will allow outdoor storage of farm and ranch equipment as a conditional use in all commercial zones except Neighborhood Commercial. It also sets design standards for screening and fencing that surrounds the outside storage area. “Conditional use” means that council will have to approve any outdoor storage area associated with a farm, garden and ranch retail businesses. Jon DeVaux, Woodland Park Planning Commission chairman, told council that the commissioners decided against making these storage areas a permitted use. “If this became a permitted use, a bigbox (store) could come in without any Woodland Park City Council input … we wanted to give people the chance to give input,” he said. Mayor Pro Tem Eric Smith, who was filling in for Mayor Dave Turley, disagreed. He said he favored fewer hoops for local business owners, not more. “Service commercial is a heavy use (zone),” he added. “If this isn’t permitted
there, should it be permitted anywhere?” Councilmember Gary Brovetto agreed. “They would still have to meet our standards. That’s why we have a planning department,” he said. When the ordinance came up for a vote, Smith and Brovetto voted no. Councilmember Bob Carlsen agreed with them but voted to approve anyway, avoiding a tie, which would have tabled the ordinance to the next meeting. At a later date, Howard Hix, Tractor Supply Co. developer, will also ask council to change the parking space requirements for the retail facility. Planning Director Sally Riley said current regulations allow applicants to ask for changes in the parking requirements if they can prove a smaller (or larger) number of spaces would be adequate. Also at the council meeting, Woodland Park RE-2 School District Superintendent Jed Bowman asked council to consider adding a second school resource officer. The single resource officer covers both RE-2 and Woodland Park’s Colorado Springs
Christian School campus. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December in Newtown, Conn., RE-2 officials met with city officials to review the district’s security and safety procedures. The group suggested adding another resource officer at that time, but no money was available. “We’ve had to cut $5.2 million out of our budget over the past four years,” Bowman said. “But sometimes we get one-time money. We want to use some of this money to pay the start-up costs for a second officer.” If the district gains revenue over the next few years, it might be able to pay as much as half of the ongoing costs and, eventually, perhaps all of the costs for a second resource officer, Bowman said. Woodland Park Police Chief Bob Larson said start-up costs are about $6,000 and that adding an officer could cost $60,000 a year. Councilmembers agreed to add Bowman’s request to its lineup when they begin deliberations on the 2014 budget next month.
cripple creek council votes in support of Goco grant
Erosion corrosion
Mountain View City Park to benefit By Sonja Oliver Three items were acted on at the Sept. 18 Cripple Creek City Council meeting; a resolution in support of application for a planning grant from the Great Outdoors Colorado trust fund for Mountain View City Park; changes to the municipal code relating to water and sewer and meter rates; and the certification of past-due water and sewer accounts to the Teller County Treasurer.
Mountain View City Park
The beginnings of a local “Grand Canyon” progresses near the edge of the Waldo Canyon burn scar on U.S. Highway 24 below Cascade. See story on Page 9 Photo by Rob Carrigan
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The city’s Mountain View City Park is a 60 acre piece of property southwest of town, across the street from the city’s public works department. Currently, the park has a BMX track, pond and spectacular views. The ambitious plans for further development of the park’s potential includes 21 possible amenity components such as trails for biking, hiking, horseback riding, ice skating rink, picnic shelter, tennis courts, driving range, campground, dog park, cross-country skiing, fishing and many more enumerated ways for people to recreate. The city’s parks and recreation director, Connie Dodrill said the city is in need of more places “to take kids” and development of the park would “create that uniqueness from a marketing standpoint. And from an economic standpoint, it would be a real boon,” Dodrill said. Dodrill introduced management and marketing consultant Bruce Swope of Swope and Associates, who is a professor of economics and reportedly has a good track record in obtaining grants for projects such as the proposed park. Swope said he charges $35 per hour for his services which, according to Swope, is much lower than the $75 to $180 fee that are usually charged for this type of consulting. The $75,000 planning grant will allow the city to move forward towards further study of the project and design concepts. Swope said the natural geography of the site lends itself to the aforementioned diversity of possible user groups. In order to receive the grant, the city must commit 5 percent of the $75,000, which amounts to $3,750. Development of the park fits with the
‘We spent all that time and money to have a master plan; now it’s time to use it.’ Mayor Bruce Brown city’s master plan and Swope believes the city has a good chance at getting the initial GOCO grant. Swope said once the grant is submitted, the city should hear back by February. “We have a master plan. We spent all that time and money to have a master plan; now it’s time to use it,” Mayor Bruce Brown said. The council voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.
City water and sewer fee changes, definitions
The council also approved an ordinance making certain amendments to the municipal code regarding the definition of multiple dwelling residential units as they apply to sewer and water rates. The water rates at multiple dwelling residential units that are served by a common meter will be charged “the residential rate including base rate, usage rate and capital improvement fund fee.” The ordinance also stipulated that the additional charge for water customers outside city limits will be raised from $7.50 to $15 along with an additional $5 monthly charge which will go toward the city’s water and sewer capital improvement fund.
Council certifies 17 past due water and sewer accounts
City Clerk Debra Blevins informed the city council that 17 properties needed their certification in order for the fees to be added onto Teller County property taxes. The accounts were more than three months in arrears and the water has been turned off. Blevins said the procedure “is exactly like a lien” and allows the city a way to recoup their loss. Seven of the 17 accounts belong to either mortgage companies or property management companies.