Author: Daniel Chac
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City Council shoots down mayor’s request to curb FREX
FREX has dodged another bullet. The FrontRange Express was on the chopping block again, but a City Council majority on Tuesday shot down Mayor Steve Bach’s request to discontinue the commuter bus service between Colorado Springs and Denver. Instead, the council voted 6-3 to continue the service at least through 2012. Council members Merv Bennett,…
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Pueblo Co. wants Springs to pony up for stormwater improvements
Pueblo County is threatening to suspend a permit for the Southern Delivery System water pipeline unless Colorado Springs spends more money on stormwater improvements next year. A condition of the so-called 1041 permit requires Colorado Springs to have an adequate stormwater management plan, Pueblo County Attorney Dan Kogovsek said Thursday. The storm that pounded Colorado…
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Council members rate Bach on his first year
On the year anniversary of his first year in office, The Gazette asked City Councilmembers to assess Mayor Steve Bach. “I think it’s been a learning curve for everyone involved: the Mayor, the Council, the City staff, and citizens. But even though I think we may disagree on some issues, I truly believe we are…
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Springs battalion chief on unpaid administrative leave
The Fire Department’s most senior firefighter is still on administrative leave. But R.C. Smith Jr. is no longer collecting a paycheck from taxpayers. Smith was placed on paid administrative leave in February pending an unspecified investigation. On Tuesday, Tommy Smith, the fire department’s deputy chief of support services, said his status has changed to “unpaid…
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Mysteries surrounding massive severance could endure
As Colorado Springs tries to reconcile how the former CEO of Memorial Health System walked away with a $1.15 million separation package that city officials tried to block amid public outrage, one of the biggest mysteries is who knew what and when.The whole story may never come out.But City Council President Scott Hente and President…
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Melcher: No double payment for McEvoy
Severance pay that city-owned Memorial Health System has already paid to former CEO Dr. Larry McEvoy will be subtracted from a new $1.15 million separation package that city officials reluctantly decided to honor Monday. Memorial issued a check Thursday to McEvoy that included six months severance, or about $335,000, under the terms of his 2008…
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Council quits fight, Memorial boss gets $1.15 million severance
The city of Colorado Springs will honor the terms of a $1.15 million separation package for the former CEO of Memorial Health System rather than battle it out in court.After an hours-long closed legal session Monday, City Council President Scott Hente said the council came to a “consensus” to direct the City Attorney’s Office not…
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Councilman attacked, injured by feral cat
A feral cat attacked Councilman Tim Leigh at his home Wednesday night. Leigh said he was sitting on his deck and enjoying the beautiful evening with his wife and his granddaughter as well as their “two crippled dogs” and a cat named Annie. “I live in an open space, and this big gray and white…
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Memorial board chair inked $1.15M severance before ouster
Even as Mayor Steve Bach and other city officials were sounding the alarm on a $1.15 million separation package for the former CEO of Memorial Health System, the chairman of Memorial’s board quietly inked the deal. James Moore, chairman of Memorial’s Board of Trustees, signed the formal severance agreement the night before the City Council…
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City pools set to open Memorial Day weekend
How does Memorial Day weekend at the beach sound? Thanks to a new partnership between the city of Colorado Springs and the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, it sounds sure-enough. On May 26, right before the unofficial start of summer, the Y will open the manmade beach at Memorial Park as well as the…