C
hris and David Jenkins of the development group Norwood will give a presentation to the Manitou City Council at the regular meeting on July 16, starting at 6 p.m. at Memorial Hall, (606 Manitou Avenue).
Manitou Springs Mayor John Graham speculated during the June 4 Manitou City Council meeting that the prominent Colorado Springs-area developers might be behind the survey that arrived via text on many Manitou Springs residents’ phones.
At that meeting, several residents voiced distress that the survey was sent by an unknown source and seemed to have an agenda: pushing hypothetical ballot initiatives for the city to accept a donation of 15 acres of privately owned land and the creation of a Ruxton Avenue access road and a parking lot. (See “Who sent the survey to Manitou Springs residents? City says ‘it wasn’t us'” in the June 7, 2024, Bulletin or at pikespeakbulletin.org).
During the June 18 city council meeting, the mayor said the Jenkins had asked to “present their ideas” in an executive session, and that Graham had forwarded a related email to council members.
Graham said that the city attorney advised doing that in an open meeting and asked if council had any interest. Graham did not elaborate on the legal reasons for keeping the meeting public.
Council members expressed agreement on inviting the Jenkins to make their presentation in a public meeting. Council member Julie Wolfe said she’d like a minimum of two weeks’ notice to give community members ample heads-up.
Graham said it would be a July 16 meeting at the earliest, so two weeks would not be a problem. Wolfe asked if public comment would be allowed; the mayor said the Jenkins would make their presentation, council would have time to ask questions and then there would be an opportunity for public comment.
The city later confirmed that the Jenkins had agreed to do the presentation as part of the July 16 public meeting.
As of press time, no one had taken responsibility for sending the survey, though city officials received the survey results from the third-party survey administration company, Cygnal.
The survey asked about political affiliation, likelihood to vote in the 2024 general election, and for whom, as well as whether “things in Manitou Springs are headed in the right direction or off on the wrong track.”
It then goes on to ask “if Manitou Springs should accept a donation of 15 acres of privately owned land from a local landowner that may only be used for additional open space and trail access to benefit the public, enhanced public safety with new and improved emergency evacuation and emergency access routes, and a public road and parking to be built upon the existing railroad grade to relieve traffic congestion and provide a second road to access Ruxton Avenue, Barr Trail, Manitou Incline, and the Cog Railway, for Manitou residents and local businesses, and agree to return the property in three years if not used for these public purposes.”
Most of the 300 survey respondents answered with “definitely yes” or “probably yes.”
The survey then goes on to ask questions to gage what points in favor of the Ruxton Avenue Access Road ballot initiative are most compelling to voters such as evacuation, fire protection, emergency access, traffic improvement, and easing traffic congestion anticipated to occur with upcoming utility maintenance.
All of those points were found to be compelling by the majority of survey respondents.