Colorado Springs will borrow money to build two fire stations and a new north-side regional park, despite not having enough money for staffing one fire station and maintaining the park.The City Council indicated at its informal meeting Monday that it supports the plan and could give formal approval next month.”Why are we building a fire station if we can’t afford to put the people out there?” Mayor Lionel Rivera asked, referring to the planned Fire Station 21 on the city’s northeast side.City Manager Penelope Culbreth-Graft said the station is needed to protect property and lives, adding, “It becomes a priority in the budget going forward.”Once the council gives its OK, the city will issue $20.1 million in Certificates of Participation, or COPs, which courts have upheld as legal despite tax limitation laws requiring voter approval of government debt.To sidestep that requirement, the debt is issued by an agency set up for that purpose, which then leases the facilities to the city until they’re paid for and become city-owned.The financing deal would include $11.2 million to build a new Fire Station 1 downtown and add Station 21 at Peterson Road and Dublin Boulevard.The four-tenths of 1 percent Public Safety Sales Tax, approved by voters in 2001, hasn’t raised enough to fund both right away. Since the stations are needed soon, city fire and finance officials recommended borrowing against the future tax revenue.The other $8.9 million will pay for development of 30 acres of Venezia Park, at Briargate Parkway and Union Boulevard. Developer John Venezia dedicated 110 acres as part of Briargate’s development requirements. Eighty acres will remain open space.The 30-acre park will contain a playground, a “sprayground” of runthrough fountains, picnic pavilions and several artificial turf playing fields to accommodate heavier use and a shorter growing season than that of parks on the city’s south side.The city wants to develop the park, because the northeast has been shorted a fair share of the one-tenth of 1 percent Trails, Open Space and Parks tax money since it was approved by voters about a decade ago. The west side has gotten $29.2 million, while the northeast has received $1.8 million.The city will use the public safety tax to pay off the fire stations’ debt in 25 annual payments of $965,000, making the total bill $24.1 million.Parks will use Trails, Open Space and Parks sales tax money to pay off the park debt in 17 annual payments of $868,000, bringing the total cost to $14.7 million.Fire Chief Manny Navarro admitted there is no public safety tax money to staff Station 21, and Chris Lieber, a parks manager of design and development, said maintaining Venezia Park would require taking a portion of the $225,000 maintenance cost from other park needs, such as replacing broken or missing sidewalks and picnic tables.The fire stations and park will be built in the next 18 months.-CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazettedev.gazette.com

Lee and Kari Martin put in their backyard pond with waterfall in 1998 of their home off Vickers Drive. They will be a part of the upcoming Water Garden Society Tour. They said last the last tour brought about 1,000 visitors. Photo by Carol Lawrence, The Gazette