WALDO CANYON FIRE RECOVERY A MARATHON JOURNEY FOR REGION



The Waldo Canyon fire may have been over a year ago, but the remnants of last year remain and continue to threaten our community. The recent flash flood events in Manitou Springs and up Ute Pass are enough to demonstrate that we're not out of danger related to post-fire impacts. And, I consistently am asked as I meet with folks what's being done to help prevent the flash flooding that destroyed homes and businesses and created an unsafe situation for motorists up Highway 24 west, resulting in the untimely death of one Teller County resident. So I want to share with you, some of the emergency watershed projects that are taking place up above the City of Manitou Springs and the downhill communities of Cascade and Chipita Park, both located in unincorporated areas of El Paso County.

  Recently, I participated in a media tour of the work that continues in the upper watersheds of the Waldo Canyon fire burn scar.  We were able to provide information on detention basins, mulching, and hillside stabilization projects that help protect the lower parts of the canyons as Mother Nature heals herself through regrowth of vegetation.  The group was able to visit a series of detention basins being constructed in the canyons that slow the water down and spread it out; lessening the destruction downstream.  Estimates indicate these basins kept over 11,900 tons of debris from entering the lower parts of the canyons in the past week.  As with any large issue, this effort takes cooperation.  And we have plenty of that in El Paso and Teller Counties.  There has been a huge collective effort since the fire that involves private partners, non-profit groups, and City, County, State and Federal governmental agencies.  Together, our Waldo Canyon Fire Regional

Recovery Group (WCRRG) has garnered over $30 million of combined funding that is being utilized this year.   It is a big job that will continue for many years.  We are all in this together, and are in it for the “long haul”.   While we can’t be certain how much rain will fall and where, we can be absolutely assured that we will work together to continue to move forward.

Here are some useful Links from the media tour. In addition, I'll be working to update you on being prepared for flooding, flood clean up and more about what's being done by various entities to protect our downhill communities by reducing sediment and flows from the burn scar damage resulting from the Waldo Canyon Fire which took place in 2012.

Channel 9 News

KOAA Channel 5

KKTV Channel 11

KRDO Channel 13

Fox 21 KXRM

Colorado Springs Gazette

Fox YouTube

FOR DISASTER AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION, vist www.ElPasoCO.com 

POST DISASTER INSURANCE INFORMATION: www.UPHELP.org

Colorado Commissioner Sallie Clark elected as officer & 2nd VP to National Association of Counties (NACo)

On July 22, 2013 in Tarrant County, Texas, Commissioner Sallie Clark was elected to serve as Second Vice President of NACo at the annual summer conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Elected officials representing counties from all over the United States chose El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark to serve as 2nd VP of the National Association of Counties (NACo).  NACo is the official organization representing approximately 3000 counties in Washington D.C.  Placing her name in nomination for the NACo office, Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks of Tarrant County Texas told conference delegates, “Sallie Clark is a woman who has been tested by fire.  Her county like many communities across our nation has had a devastating natural disaster this year. Over 700 homes and thousands of acres were destroyed by 2 wildfires and through it all, Sallie has been strong and worked hard to help her community recover.”  As her main nominator, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe added, “Sallie Clark is a great representative for El Paso County and Colorado and she will be a great representative for all of us working to maintain local control for critical county services.”  Commissioner Sally Heyman from Miami-Dade Florida added, “We come from different parts of the country and different political parties but we share a common passion for public service and helping others.”

 

"This gives me the opportunity to ensure that Colorado concerns are heard clearly in Washington,” Commissioner Clark commented. ”Colorado citizens know why it is so important for the federal government to adopt responsible management practices that reduce the risk of wildfires and why it is critical to maintain our roads and bridges.  Our leaders on Capitol Hill must also be aware of the need to support our military and veterans and understand the importance of maintaining local control over the services that directly impact the lives of our citizens.  These are the kinds of issues that we work on at NACo everyday and I look forward to making a difference as we address these and many other issues during my years as an officer in NACo leadership.”   Because NACo leadership is structured as a “straight line of succession,”  Commissioner Clark will serve a one year term as 2nd Vice President, moving up to 1st Vice President at the NACo conference next summer and will become President of NACo in 2015.”We’re excited to have Sallie representing Colorado in NACo leadership,” noted Commissioner Dennis Hisey, Chair of the El Paso County Board.  ”There were four good candidates for this important office.  Sallie worked hard on her campaign.  She had a lot of help and support from Commissioners all over Colorado as well as all over the country who have come to see her as a creative problem solver who will make things happen.”

 

Commissioner Clark represents El Paso County Commissioner District 3 on the Board of County Commissioners.  Her district includes all of the Westside of Colorado Springs as well as Manitou Springs and the Ute Pass area extending to the Teller County line.   She was appointed last year to serve on the NACo Board of Directors last year by President Chris Rodgers from Douglas County, Nebraska.  She also serves on numerous NACo steering committees and policy groups.

 

For more information on Commissioner Sallie Clark, visit www.SallieClarkCommissioner.com or  www.ElPasoCO.com

Federal Sequestration: Cutting some programs won't result in real savings

Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments

by Sallie Clark, 2011-2012 Chair of Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments and Guy Dutra-Silveira, Director of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging

The headlines are full of dire warnings about what will happen if sequestration — across-the-board spending cuts to domestic and military programs — is triggered by the failure of Congress and the President to reach a bipartisan budget compromise by the end of the year. With the 11th hour fast approaching, we can only hope that in the scramble to crunch the numbers, our leaders don’t lose sight of the fact that every program cut will not necessarily produce a cost-savings.

Cuts in discretionary spending for programs that support our seniors and caregivers will actually drive up spending on the flip side. Mandated under the Older Americans Act, these vital programs include services for people over the age of 60 that enable them to continue to live largely independent lives within their communities.

Services provided include home-delivered meals, transportation, help with home safety improvements and classes designed to promote health. With the help of these resources, older Americans are able to take care of themselves longer, and in so doing, delay or eliminate the need to live in costly nursing homes or assisted living facilities. This is a cost that often falls to federal and state government — and thereby the taxpayer — through the Medicaid program. Let’s make fiscal sense. Continue to fund programs that allow an aging parent or friend to live an independent life at a relatively affordable cost of $200-$700 per month, rather than spending between $2,000-$7,000 per month for care in a facility.

Some would say that it is the responsibility of families and friends to shoulder the burden alone. But as anyone who has served as a caregiver for an aging parent knows too well, this care comes at a great personal and monetary cost. Caregivers— particularly women — provide over 75 percent of care giving support in the United States. In 2007, the estimated economic value of family caregivers’ unpaid contributions was at least $375 billion. Unpaid caregivers personally lose about $659,139 over a lifetime: $25,494 in Social Security benefits; $67,202 in pension benefits; and $566,443 in forgone wages. This heavy financial burden impacts their families, their children, the business for whom they work and the amount of taxes they pay.

Given the crucial role that families and friends play in caring for seniors, programs that provide caregiver support are essential to keep these individuals healthy, engaged and effective. These services make it possible for a family member to run personal errands, attend their child’s sporting event, or receive counseling to help them make informed decisions about a parent’s medical or financial future. In other words, these programs allow caregivers to continue to thrive in their multiple roles as parents, spouses, friends and employees.

Bottom-line, these programs don’t just support the elderly and the family and friends who given them care. They are strategically designed using a common sense approach which reduces both private and public health care costs while increasing the quality of life for seniors.

View the 2012 PPACG Annual Report YouTube Video (below) to learn more about the many ways in which the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments impacts our community.

COMMISSIONERS EXPAND RECYCLING OPPORTUNITIES BY RECOGNIZING EARTH MONTH 2012

Colorado Springs, Wednesday, March 28, 2012 – At its March 27 meeting, the El Paso County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution declaring April 2012 as “Earth Month” and April 22 as “Earth Day.” “We all can help raise awareness and encourage our community…to voice their appreciation for the planet, to promote its protection, and to conserve our resources to make El Paso County a better place to live,” Commissioner Dennis Hisey said as he read the resolution into the record.

El Paso County Commissioners Sallie Clark, Dennis Hisey
Amy Lathen, Peggy Littleon and Darryl Glenn recognize
the importance of Earth Month 2012 and encourage
residents to recycle through the County's facility.

Kathy Andrew, Environmental Division Manager, announced that as part of Earth Month, El Paso County will begin offering a free porcelain recycling program, giving residents an environmentally friendly way to dispose of old toilets and sinks. The items will be crushed and used in road maintenance. Porcelain will be added April 2, 2012 to a long list of items ranging from motor oil and electronics to fertilizer and paint which are accepted for recycling at no cost at the County’s Household Hazardous Waste Disposal facility.   To make it even more convenient for County residents to do the right thing, in addition to its regular schedule, the facility at 3255 Akers Drive will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. three Saturdays in April; the 14th, 21st, and 28th.

Commissioner Hisey, who remembers the first Earth Day, mostly because his high school canceled a bon fire to prevent air pollution, said, conservation, is not new. “Not everybody is or has been wasteful. Previous generations were aware of their limited resources. They had less and made due with less. I think we can learn a lot by looking backwards.”

Commissioners at the El Paso County Household
Chemical Waste Collection Facility off of Akers Dr.

Board Vice Chair, Commissioner Sallie Clark, said, “Like Commissioner Hisey said, conservation is not a new thing, the products we have invented over the years have created part of the trash and the waste, like electronic equipment, we just throw it away. We don’t want to reuse a computer. That’s what’s different; the products we now use are creating some of our landfill issues and the County's facility offers a voluntary alternative for proper and safe disposal.”

Allison Plute and Megan Andreozzi of Pikes Peak Earth Day told Commissioners of many activities the organization has planned in April, including a presentation by Dennis Hayes, the organizer of the first Earth Day in 1970. A list of Pikes Peak Earth Day activities is available at: www.pikespeakearthday.org

For more information on the El Paso County’s recycling programs and events call 520-7878 or check out the Environment Division’s page on the website.

*El Paso County Public Information

EL PASO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVE IGA WITH STATE FOR "NO MAN'S LAND" TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS

The El Paso County Board of Commissioners (BoCC) approved an important Intergovernmental Agreement between El Paso County and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to begin development of an improvement plan for Colorado Avenue as it passes from the Westside of Colorado Springs through unincorporated El Paso County and continues into Manitou Springs. 

Highway Advisory Commission
members receive a briefing by
Commissioner Sallie Clark on
the Westside project.

Commissioners Clark and Lathen
discuss transportation issues onsite
near the "No Man's Land" area.

This section of Colorado Avenue has been given the nickname “No Man’s Land,” because offers jurisdictional challenges and location between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs with a portion in unincorporated El Paso County. Known as Business Route 24, the roadway itself is maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation and a variety of safety improvements are badly needed within the CDOT right-of-way to accommodate vehicle and pedestrian traffic, to correct long-standing problems with drainage and bridge improvements, as well as to address utility challenges.Safety and infrastructure concerns have existed for many years, but it wasn’t until last year the County and City staff members, working together with Commissioner Sallie Clark and the various partner agencies, were able to secure $300,000 in funds through a CDOT grant to begin the planning and assessment process.

Preliminary studies conducted by City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County transportation engineers indicate that a lot of work will be needed to make the area safe and convenient. The bridge over Fountain Creek at Columbia Road is too narrow and badly deteriorated. City and County Engineer staffs have also identified needs ranging from inadequate drainage systems and street lighting to improved pedestrian and vehicular safety.

Neighborhood and business leaders,
Commissioners and Councilwoman Lisa
Czelatdko show the IGA with the
Colorado Department of Transportation

The County will take the lead in contracting the planning services but the project will be co-managed by representatives from Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and CDOT. The first phase will be to gather input from citizens; residents, business owners, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are all stakeholders in the Colorado Avenue corridor. “Throughout the years, the cooperation of former and current elected officials—Colorado Springs City Council members Heimlicher, Small and Czelatdko and Manitou Springs mayors Morrison, Drummond and Snyder—were critical participants in moving this project forward today.” Clark said. “This is an important gateway from Old Colorado City to Manitou Springs. We envision the future connection as a vibrant area of commerce and economic development, joining these two historic destinations together while improving the basic infrastructure needs of the area.”