Author: Billie Stanton Anleu
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Colorado Springs council applauds new fire chief, bids airport director farewell
Ted Collas, a 31-year employee of the Colorado Springs Fire Department, got a standing ovation Tuesday when the City Council unanimously confirmed his appointment to fire chief. Mayor John Suthers nominated Collas, who has been serving as interim chief since former Chief Christopher P. Riley was given $80,000 in a six-month severance package in March.…
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Pikes Peak Summit House plans nearing finish line
The new Summit House to top Pikes Peak is progressing steadily, with an environmental study to be done by December and the final architectural design expected in February, project leaders advised the City Council on Monday. Meanwhile, another public meeting is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 18 at the City Auditorium to further…
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Colorado Springs Utilities takes charge of Drake scrubbers
Colorado Springs Utilities took full control Monday of the NeuStream scrubber system used to remove sulfur dioxide emissions from the coal-fired Martin Drake Power Plant. Neumann Systems Group Inc., which designed the system, had been completing installation and testing of the scrubbers. Now, with new federal SO2 emissions standards kicking into gear in December 2017,…
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Pikes Peak Observatory would further solar science, education
A new scientific endeavor in Colorado Springs could help safeguard the nation’s electric grid, satellites, aircraft, spacecraft and radio transmissions and save hundreds of billions of dollars. The first step is a biggie at 14,115 feet. It requires putting an observatory atop Pikes Peak – perhaps the only high-altitude site in the world with year-round…
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1 down, 2 to go: Drake power plant units’ demise being planned
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify and correct some details. Unit 5 is pretty much history at the coal-fired Martin Drake Power Plant, and the next issue is how soon Unit 6 can be decommissioned, too, Colorado Springs Utilities managers reported Wednesday. The three-unit downtown plant is to close completely by 2035,…
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Colorado Springs parks, turf and trees’ thirst requires more water money
Colorado Springs’ parks, grass and trees need more water. About $450,000 worth of water. And they need it soon, a parks manager told the Utilities Board on Wednesday. Water costs paid to Utilities have escalated, said Kurt Schroeder, park operations and development manager. While the Parks Recreation and Cultural Services’ budget was slashed by 80…
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Nine cannabis clubs ordered to ‘cease and desist’
Nine Colorado Springs cannabis consumption clubs received cease-and-desist letters from the City Clerk’s Office last week in the first crackdown under a ban on the clubs enacted by the City Council on March 22. The clubs sprang up after Amendment 64 was passed in 2012 legalizing adult use and sales of recreational marijuana but banning…
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Lawsuit planned against Colorado Springs Utilities over scrubbing technology
Two downtown attorneys have filed a notice of intent to sue over a “breach of fiduciary duty” by Colorado Springs Utilities in signing a sole-source, noncompetitive contract for Neumann Systems Group Inc. to install emissions scrubbing systems in the coal-fired Martin Drake Power Plant downtown. Robert J. Frank and Perry R. Sanders Jr., representing clean…
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Disputed Colorado Springs metro district to get reconsideration
Colorado Springs City Councilman Keith King’s change of heart and Councilman Tom Strand’s return to town combined Monday to ensure reconsideration of a new metro district the council nixed last month. The district for Tuscan Foothills Village would finance public improvements for 2.3 acres of apartments and 14.82 acres of townhomes planned along the west…
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Some developers might cash in if Colorado Springs stormwater fund resurfaces
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the difference between the stormwater enterprise and the drainage basin fund and to clarify Mayor John Suthers’ intention during an interview Friday. Mayor John Suthers doesn’t expect the terminated stormwater enterprise fund to be revived before the April City Council elections. But when and if it is,…