Courier View Pikes Peak
Teller County, Colorado • Volume 51, Issue 45
November 7, 2012
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourtellercountynews.com
Fleer hits town By Pat Hill
phill@ourcoloradonews.com
Woodland Park High School art students of Stacia Adamson, Lindsay Orellana and Kathleen Lisi, front row, from left, Megan Roghen, Emma Hill and Charlie Dickson; Kelsey Weatherford and Alana Dillinger. Photos by Pat Hill
Students pitch in By Pat Hill
phill@ourcoloradonews.com In the spirit of helping others, students in the art classes in the RE-2 School District combine craftsmanship and philanthropy while maintaining tradition. “Our students have been making bowls since the first day of school,” said Stacia (Ray) Adamson, who teaches art at the Woodland Park High School. A fundraiser for the Community Cupboard, Empty Bowls Night features a gallery of artistry, of bowls crafted of clay, papier mache, gourd and handmade paper. “They’re beautiful,” Adamson said. The bowls are the catalyst for uniting the community in a social gathering for the larger purpose of helping others. For $10 a bowl, partici-
pants have a collector’s item as well as a memento of an event that showcases the culinary talent in the area. “The Swiss Chalet is just awesome to us; they always organize all the local restaurants to donate soup,” Adamson said, referring to the Chalet’s Neil and Paula Levy. As an accompaniment to the soup, the bread and utensils are also donated to the fundraiser by City Market, Subway, Wendy’s and Safeway. “It’s huge, it’s community,” Adamson said. “All the money goes to the Cupboard for families to get turkeys and other foods for Thanksgiving.” With a silent auction and a slice of pie at $1 apiece, the fundraiser is a time for reflection and a time to give thanks. Empty Bowls Night is from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Ute Pass Cultural Center
Stacia Ray Adamson, art teacher at the Woodland Park High School, designed and crafted this pottery for the silent auction at Empty Bowls Night Nov. 15.
WP Council amends distance requirements Without action by Woodland Park City Council to change the rules, any business located within 500 feet of this building at Old Church Square would be restricted from seeking a new liquor license or special events liquor license because it is now the home of a small Christian school. Photo by Norma Engelberg
By Norma Engelberg
nengelberg@ourcoloradonews.com The state requires all purveyors of alcohol to be at least 500 feet from schools but that rule will no longer apply to downtown Woodland Park. At its Nov. 1 meeting, Woodland Park City Council approved an amendment to the minimum distance rule that would make the distance zero feet in a limited area of
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the city’s downtown. Council is making the change because of a new, small school opening in the city’s downtown that because of its location would have kept any businesses nearby from seeking new or special event liquor licenses. Council approved the opening of the school as a conditional use with the knowledge that home-rule cities can amend certain state rules. Two councilmembers, Gary Brovetto and Carrol Harvey, wanted to remove the distance restrictions for the entire town, which would ultimately allow liquor licenses to be granted to any applicant opening a business in any commercial zone in the city. “If we’re lifting the restrictions to encourage business then let’s lift them citywide,” Council continues on Page 4
Roaring back with a list of goals, Brian Fleer returns to Woodland Park this week as the city’s executive director of economic and downtown development. Former director of the city’s community and economic affairs from 1992 to 1996, Fleer was instrumental in designing the Woodland Park Master Plan. While the economy Brian Fleer may have cratered since then, Fleer’s 120-day plan begins this week with a focus on Woodland Station. “There will be a coordinated effort, either through design or construction to facilitate new development entities into Woodland Station,” Fleer said. “That is definitely going to be a focal point.” Fleer, one of 50 applicants for the position, replaces Beth Kosley, who resigned earlier this year due to illness. “I wasn’t looking for a position like this, but the opening was very compelling, because of my history with the town, everybody I knew and everything that was going on,” he said. “I think people felt comfortable with a known commodity coming in the door.” Fleer views his office as a business assistance center, a one-stop shop for assessment, retention and support for existing businesses. “We’re going to send out a survey to every business in Woodland Park,” he said. “Businesses in the community are investors and need to be treated as investors who can make or break the financial viability of a community. I look at them as stockholders.” Concerned about the empty storefronts around Woodland Park, Fleer has a game plan intended to halt the number of shuttered doors. “Mom-and-pops often invest everything they have; unfortunately, half of them fail,” he said. “When they make that decision to come in to our office, we need to give them the best information possible about making a final decision, which relates to market.” In a harsh time for the economy, Fleer acknowledges that every business has a cash-flow. “One of the things I’d like to explore is a loan program from $2,500 to $10,000 that doesn’t have all these restraints but maybe four or five basic metrics,” he said. “It’s kind of a revolving loan that is paid back relatively quickly. It may help somebody pay the light bill, get them through the winter months, or upgrade software. There are categories as to how to use this money.” For the new director, tracking economic development in Woodland Park includes assessing new as well as existing businesses. “We need that line-in the sand assessment, where businesses are at various levels, everywhere from the small mom-and-pop up to the Walmart big-box stores, the national tenants,” he said. With the periodic assessments, in addition to responses to the survey, Fleer intends to issue a regular state-of-theeconomy report that includes updates on Freer continues on Page 5