A sweeping enterprise that launched in February to re-envision the Pikes Peak region based on what residents say they want to see has released a survey for people in El Paso and Teller counties to fill out.

The research is part of the new visioning project called Our Spacious Skies, which is determining collective values and aspirations for the communities.

The work is taking “deep dives” into hot-button issues such as education from birth to death, housing affordability and availability, infrastructure needs and desires, and the topic of open spaces, said Margaret Dolan, CEO of Pikes Peak Community Foundation.

“It’s important we understand people’s priorities,” she said. “Imagine what it would be like if city and county governments, the business community and nonprofit partners were all aligned, doing the work residents told us matter the most.”

The survey is available in English and Spanish at TellOSS.org.

Two versions will be available through mid-September: a basic community survey that takes about 20 minutes to complete and an in-depth scientific survey that will take a little longer.

Organizers hope to receive at least 700 responses for the scientific survey and expect thousands of responses to the basic survey.

Pikes Peak Community Foundation, which invests donors’ money in collective community efforts, is leading the work with the help of a consulting group.

Since announcing the project four months ago, a 30-member steering committee of high-profile community leaders has been busy, Dolan said.

Interviews with 14 key leaders from El Paso and Teller counties have been completed, and 75 people participated in three different focus groups “to get their thoughts on what was positively or negatively affecting their quality of life,” she said.

The feedback from those sessions led to a weeklong session with 66 people and the consultants’ group from the two counties going into more detail about positives and negatives about pertinent issues in the communities.

Information from that work produced the questions for the surveys, Dolan said. The surveys also include proposed solutions, and whether respondents agree or disagree with those conclusions.

“We think the process of going through the surveys helps educate people for possibilities about solutions for things they’re concerned about,” Dolan said.

The foundation has aligned with 50 community organizations to talk up the survey and promote its distribution, she said.

Foundation staff also are setting up booths at events such as this weekend’s Donkey Derby Days in Cripple Creek, the Fourth of July celebration in Woodland Park and the El Paso County Fair in Calhan. They’ve already made appearances at the Pride Festival and the Western Street Breakfast in Colorado Springs.

“We’re making ourselves present to imagine what our community could be like and to forge solutions,” Dolan said. “We thank the community for taking the time to share their views with us.”

A sweeping enterprise that launched in February to re-envision the Pikes Peak region based on what residents say they want to see has released a survey for people in El Paso and Teller counties to fill out.

The research is part of the new visioning project called Our Spacious Skies, which is determining collective values and aspirations for the communities.

The work is taking “deep dives” into hot-button issues such as education from birth to death, housing affordability and availability, infrastructure needs and desires, and the topic of open spaces, said Margaret Dolan, CEO of Pikes Peak Community Foundation.

“It’s important we understand people’s priorities,” she said. “Imagine what it would be like if city and county governments, the business community and nonprofit partners were all aligned, doing the work residents told us matter the most.”

The survey is available in English and Spanish at TellOSS.org.

Two versions will be available through mid-September: a basic community survey that takes about 20 minutes to complete and an in-depth scientific survey that will take a little longer.

Organizers hope to receive at least 700 responses for the scientific survey and expect thousands of responses to the basic survey.

Pikes Peak Community Foundation, which invests donors’ money in collective community efforts, is leading the work with the help of a consulting group.

Since announcing the project four months ago, a 30-member steering committee of high-profile community leaders has been busy, Dolan said.

Interviews with 14 key leaders from El Paso and Teller counties have been completed, and 75 people participated in three different focus groups “to get their thoughts on what was positively or negatively affecting their quality of life,” she said.

The feedback from those sessions led to a weeklong session with 66 people and the consultants’ group from the two counties going into more detail about positives and negatives about pertinent issues in the communities.

Information from that work produced the questions for the surveys, Dolan said.

The surveys also include proposed solutions, and whether respondents agree or disagree with those conclusions.

“We think the process of going through the surveys helps educate people for possibilities about solutions for things they’re concerned about,” Dolan said.

The foundation has aligned with 50 community organizations to talk up the survey and promote its distribution, she said.

Foundation staff also are setting up booths at events such as this weekend’s Donkey Derby Days in Cripple Creek, the Fourth of July celebration in Woodland Park and the El Paso County Fair in Calhan. They’ve already made appearances at the Pride Festival and the Western Street Breakfast in Colorado Springs.

“We’re making ourselves present to imagine what our community could be like and to forge solutions,” Dolan said. “We thank the community for taking the time to share their views with us.”