The Manitou Springs Urban Renewal Authority (URA) oversees an area generally located north of Highway 24 on both sides of Manitou Avenue from the east gateway arch to the U.S. Highway 24 interchange. City Council created it in 2006 with goals of removing blight and encouraging development and redevelopment. By realizing these goals, the city’s […]
If you ever need a textbook example of how small-town local government should NOT work, look no further than August 2022 right here in Manitou Springs. Tuesday night at Memorial Hall, the Manitou Springs City Council put the final touch on this chaotic month, voting to cut off sales tax funding to the Manitou Springs […]
The following comments and opinions are those of the author only. They do not represent an official position for the city of Manitou Springs or City Council. Given the city’s many needs and uncertain financial future, should we continue to restrict public funds that could be used elsewhere in the city? Many Manitou Springs residents […]
In November, Colorado Springs citizens will vote on whether to legalize recreational marijuana sales. If that passes, the effect on the Manitou Springs city budget will be traumatic. Manitou is the only El Paso County jurisdiction that allows recreational marijuana sales. Marijuana is big money and Manitou Springs has come to depend upon it. City […]
The grandparents of my grandparents were around 150 years ago. The grandchildren of my grandchildren will be around in 150 years. What was it like in 1872? What will it be like in 2172? Today is just our moment in history. I would like to suggest we are at a difficult historical time of transition […]
To the editor: Thank you to City Administrator Denise Howell and the Manitou Springs Finance Department for their efforts in signing an agreement with the state Low-Income Energy Assistance Office to become a qualified water vendor. This enables residents with overdue water bills to obtain financial assistance through the Low-Income Household Water and Wastewater Assistance […]
To the editor: Recalling the summer of 2012, residents of Manitou Springs experienced the worst wildfire in recent history. I’ve lived in Manitou for 34 years and cannot remember another event when the city was completely evacuated. A year after the Waldo Canyon Fire, the burn scar caused significant flooding to the north side of […]
On Tuesday, June 7, during our Manitou Springs City Council meeting, Mayor John Graham stated that Juneteenth and Pride Month celebrations equated to “reverse discrimination.” He stated, “I would be happy to do a proclamation about (how) everyone is equal regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual preference, and so forth.” When we see things as equal, […]
To the editor: One of the best qualities of Manitou Springs is our amazing parks, open spaces and downtown area. We feel that residents deserve the right to visit these places without paying for parking. In addition, per the 2021 Community Survey, the predominant mobility-specific request was for free residential parking for downtown and our […]
To the editor: We just found out that your longtime staffer Jack Elder died in March, and we wish to relay our belated condolences. From what we have heard, to call Jack a “staffer” doesn’t begin to do justice to what he did for the Bulletin. We live in Philadelphia and got to know Jack […]
Sometimes the best way to learn more about Manitou Springs is simply to notice how others react when they come to visit. Every day, in the course of our personal lives, we see and encounter everything our city has to offer, and often as a result we take Manitou’s uniqueness for granted. We think we […]
To the editor: We would like to thank Manitou Springs city government for offering additional Chipper Days at the Public Works yard this past weekend! We truly appreciate the extra hours and work that city employees put into helping to clean up broken limbs around the community after the storm. It really was appreciated. Thank […]
In early March, I was sitting next to Manitou boys basketball coach Brian Vecchio and telling him something that was very relevant at the time. “The squad has taken some heavy losses this year.” I wasn’t talking about Vecchio’s basketball team or even a Manitou team in general. I was talking about us. Our group […]
The superintendent for Manitou Springs School District 14 seems to be under attack, ostensibly for the recent turnover. This is an educational issue. Employees are leaving education nationwide. See tinyurl.com/Schools- Facing-Mass-Exodus. Locally, the percentage of open positions are: • Woodland Park — 14 percent; • MSSD 14 — 13 percent; • D20 — 11 percent; […]
For the past 10 years, since my son started at Manitou Elementary, I have been a member of the Manitou Springs School District 14 community. We chose Manitou for the whole-child philosophy, small-town feel and excellent opportunities for the students. It was Manitou’s reputation and the relationships we had with administrators and teachers that attracted […]
Earlier this month, the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey brought considerable attention to the dire situation women’s health is in, yet again. The League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region (LWVPPR) joined other local groups and citizens at the Bans Off Our […]
It’s 9 o’clock Thursday night. I just spent the last couple of hours at Memorial Park, at the Drum Circle here in Manitou. Luckily for me, that’s just two blocks away from my house, so it’s an easy walk. Tonight’s Drum Circle mattered more to me than most, as I am going through a particularly […]
To the editor: Thanks to a mandatory reporting to the Public Utilities Commission, we now have the figures for the Cog Railway’s first year of operation after the three-year $100 million project to rebuild the tracks and replace and renovate equipment. Revenues increased by about 54 percent from the last previously reported year, from $12.8 […]
Dear readers of our community: As we approach the end of another magical year in Manitou Springs School District 14, we wanted to write this letter of appreciation and celebration of a job well done by our principal, Maria Masone. A longstanding community member, teacher, assistant principal, dean of students and advocate for all learners, […]
Hello, Manitou Springs parents! I’m a sixth grader at Manitou Springs Middle School. Before I start, I just wanted to say thank you to all the parents because parenting is so hard and, although we may not say it, you do a great job for us. As I get older, I am seeing behaviors from […]
