Author: Pam Zubeck
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There’s more to the city’s communications team than press releases
Colorado Springs’ city government has a lock on firefighting, traffic tickets and development fees. No companies do that work. Why, then, does the city need a stable of spin doctors to promote its cause – a stable that costs taxpayers more than a half-million dollars a year? Answer:…
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No jumping through hoops to get this business done
Record timeIt took the Colorado Springs City Council just 192 hours to race the U.S. Olympic Committee’s five-ring logo onto business cards and stationery.After voting Tuesday to allocate $1.5 million from reserves – the first of $27 million taxpayers will pay to keep the USOC here for 25 years – the council got its cards.…
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THE SPYGLASS: No jumping through hoops to get this business done
Record timeIt took the Colorado Springs City Council just 192 hours to race the U.S. Olympic Committee’s five-ring logo onto business cards and stationery.After voting Tuesday to allocate $1.5 million from reserves – the first of $27 million taxpayers will pay to keep the USOC here for 25 years – the council got its cards.…
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The cost of Utilities’ bonus program falls
Changes in Colorado Springs Utilities’ bonus program lowered the cost only slightly, falling far short of predictions that it would be cut by more than a third.Utilities today will pay $9.6 million to its employees in performance pay for 2007, a drop of less than a million from last year’s $10.3 million payout for 2006.The…
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City’s alternative water plan takes step forward
Fremont County has agreed to ground rules for consideration of Colorado Springs’ $1 billion Southern Delivery System being built through its land. That’s key to giving the city an option if Pueblo County blocks the city from drawing water from Pueblo Reservoir, the city’s preferred alternative. Fremont County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to…
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Funding set aside for a third national cemetery in Colorado
The Veterans Administration confirmed today that funding has been allocated for a third national cemetery in Colorado that has been long-sought by area veterans.Sen. Wayne Allard’s spokesman, Steve Wymer, said the commitment came from Veterans Administration Undersecretary William Tuerk.”They did not promise where it would be located, but the undersecretary said, ‘I am well aware…
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City to study parking needs
The last time Colorado Springs analyzed downtown parking needs, Bill Clinton was in office, gasoline sold for $1.29 a gallon and England was mourning the death of Princess Diana. That was 1997. Lots has happened since then, so parking officials want to find out how to make the most of…
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Utilities customers could choose green
Renewable-energy advocates can put their money where their mouth is starting this summer if the City Council adopts a proposal to support alternatives to fossil fuels. As part of Colorado Springs Utilities’ electric rate case to be filed this week, the agency proposes to offer customers a chance to buy Renewable Energy Certificates, or…
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Only 2 percent of alarms that police check are legit
Of the 10,667 burglar alarms triggered at Colorado Springs homes and businesses last year, only 2 percent were legit.For the other 10,454 alarms, cops made dry runs, burning time they could have been spent on real needs.The problem of false alarms – caused by equipment malfunctions, poor installation or user error – is so great…
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The Spyglass: Area colleges aren’t so rah-rah over everything
Reporter Brian Newsome has worn a path in the carpet from his newsroom mailbox to the recycle bin from tossing a profusion of announcements from the higher education beat.He explains why:After nearly two decades of child-rearing, parents are understandably proud when a son or daughter succeeds in college.But the general public? Not so much. Newspapers…