The much-anticipated Tava House took another step towards its opening after the Woodland Park City Council approved a new hotel and restaurant liquor license during its meeting on Feb. 5.

“We look forward to seeing everybody there when we open,” said Mary Sekowski on behalf of Tava House LLC.

Tava, which is expected to be open for business this spring, will have a brewpub-type restaurant on the ground level, complete with 20 beers on tap in a “beer wall.” Upstairs will be Firebrand Steakhouse, a fine dining restaurant with views of Pikes Peak’s north face and balcony seating.

The menu is being built by award-winning chef Victor Matthews, who also runs the Black Bear Distillery in Green Mountain Falls. Brad Beck has been hired as the general manager.

In a December Courier article, Woodland Park Mayor Kellie Case said she believes Tava will spark more projects.

“It will actually just kind of be a catalyst for things to grow out of it,” Case said, adding she hopes to see more places to have a meal, shop and explore. “We’ve got some open space; we’ve got some development space in the business corridor that could respond. We have one area that still would even accommodate a big box (store).”

That’s exactly what Tava CEO Derek Waggoner wants to accomplish.

“I am hell bent on making this town a destination of entertainment, music, food, whatever,” he said. “I think this is the first pebble in the pond for it.”

Encouraging statistics

Woodland Park Police Chief Chris Deisler gave council a sneak peek into some of the key findings in this year’s crime statistics report, which will be released soon by the agency.

“I’m proud to announce that again, and I don’t know how we keep doing this, but we’re going to see about a 22% reduction in overall crime from last year,” Deisler said.

He also reported that traffic crashes were down 24%. He attributed the outstanding performance to aggressive enforcement and high visibility.

“That’s not an ‘everybody gets a ticket’ mentality versus a visibility component, drive the criminal element down, keep people safe on the roadways,” he said.

Committee appointment

Amy Moore was appointed to the Keep Woodland Park Beautiful Committee.

Moore is a relative newcomer to Woodland Park (6 months) who is a member of Kiwanis and a volunteer at faithful hearts equine learning center.

“I see this as a great way to get more connected, contribute, and learn more about the community while offering a fresh perspective,” she said in her application. “I’m excited about the opportunity to give back and support efforts that make our parks and shared spaces enjoyable for everyone.”

Courier/Gazette reporters Alexander Edwards and Pat Hill contributed to this report.