Manitou Springs City Council voted unanimously to end the city’s mask mandate, effective immediately, at a special meeting Tuesday, Feb. 8.
The city issued a press release the next day stating, in part,
“We are still strongly encouraging the use of face coverings in public spaces and urging our residents and visitors to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The decision to require face coverings continues to be available to our individual businesses, and we are strongly urging our residents and visitors to respect their rules and guidelines.”
Manitou Springs School District 14 Superintendent Elizabeth Domangue requested that the mandate be lifted, noting that school districts 11, 12 and 20 have dropped their mandates or will soon do so. She thanked City Council for its partnership in combatting COVID-19.
“It comes down to monitoring symptoms and staying home if you’re sick,” Domangue said.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Leslie Lewis told council that the business community overwhelmingly favored lifting the mandate.
Mayor John Graham polled city councilors to determine if they wished to drop the mandate through the entire city, which they did. Council also decided to lift the order immediately, rather than waiting until March 1.
Council retained the emergency decree giving them the power to impose the mandate, given the disease’s unpredictability.
Councilor Julie Wolfe moved to lift the mandate immediately and Mayor Pro Tem John Shada seconded the motion.
Councilor Nancy Fortuin urged residents to continue wearing masks and Shada thanked her.
Manitou library patrons can be unmasked at their discretion, although library staff will continue wearing masks.
During the regularly scheduled council work session, Fire Chief John Forsett briefed City Council on the city’s evacuation preparedness.
Potential causes for evacuations include wildfires and floods — the most serious threats — as well as traffic situations on U.S. Highway 24 and the storage of fuels and other volatile substances in town. Active shooters and bomb threats can also trigger evacuations or shelter in place orders, Forsett said. Evacuation and shelter in place orders can be city-wide or more local, down to addresses, streets, blocks and neighborhoods.
The city is divided into evacuation zones and this information is shared with El Paso County and the Office of Emergency Management. The Pikes Peak Office of Regional Management has described Manitou’s evacuation plan as “solid.”
The city’s police, fire and public works departments and the public information office are all part of the city’s evacuation team.
Forsett urged residents to be prepared to evacuate, listing pets, valuable documents and communication with neighbors as key details.
“You need to be ready and that’s your responsibility,” Forsett said, adding that “evacuate means now,” and, “have a plan.”
Graham noted the current very dry weather, despite recent snowfalls, and how this situation adds to the likelihood of evacuations.
Forsett provided information sources concerning emergencies and evacuations. Individuals and their cell phones can be registered with peakalerts.org and 3,269 Manitou residents have done so. The Everbridge Public Warning platform emergency notification app is national and can be downloaded and signed up for at www.everbridge.com.
“With today’s technology, you should be aware of what’s happening around you at all times,” Forsett said.
Council was briefed on the possibility of issuing permits to residents for recreational outdoor fires. The fire department has prepared guidelines for outdoor recreational fires and will provide copies, as well as free inspections, to those who request them.
A future ordinance is a distinct possibility, with Forsett and several councilors favoring one, along with a free permitting process and education.
Shada asked what other communities do concerning recreational fires and staff was instructed to research the question.
Council then discussed special events in the city’s parks that involve 200 or more people. Parks and Recreation Director Skyler Beck told council that the parks’ long-term sustainability was the primary concern. He presented a proposed resolution establishing a Special Events Use Guide, which has been prepared by staff and which details requirements and procedures.
Shada was critical of such events, referring to them as “junk events.”
“Parks ought to be open to all people at all times,” he said.
Shada noted that set-up and take-down time added to the time that parks are unavailable to citizens. Councilor Judith Chandler said that she largely agreed with Shada, noting that most special events are not resident-driven. Wolfe wanted to know the economic impact the events, including those smaller than 200 people, have on the city. Wolfe and others felt that the resolution was premature.
Event coordinator Meghan Weiss told council that for 2022 the events were fully booked and that requirements concerning set-up and take-down had been strengthened.
Graham instructed Beck to re-work the resolution and to include input from the business community.
Water and Sewer Division Director Russ Mills, joined by Beck and Public Information Officer Alex Trefry, presented a history and description of the city’s water system.
Manitou’s 720-acre foot reservoir is on Pikes Peak. The water comes from snowmelt and natural springs, making Manitou residents the primary first-time users. That means the water has not been previously treated, consumed or recycled.
In addition, French Creek provides 100 acre-feet per month, which meets the city’s needs. The city typically demands 660 acre-feet of water per year. An acre-foot is a one-foot depth of water, 660 feet by 66 feet.
City staff recommends adopting the Water Wise practices that Colorado Springs uses. Key features of Water Wise include watering no more than three days weekly and only before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. from May 1 to Oct. 15, not letting water pool on hard surfaces or flow down gutters, repairing leaking sprinkler systems within 10 days, using a shut-off nozzle when washing anything with a hose and cleaning hard surfaces (such as driveways, sidewalks and patios) with water only if there is a public health and safety concern.
Fortuin said that adopting Water Wise was a “no brainer” and Graham said that it could be done by resolution; he asked staff to prepare such a resolution.
Mills is implementing a comprehensive water conservation plan in the city parks. The city’s Finance Office will give residents conservation-friendly shower heads and tablets to detect leaky toilets.
City Administrator Denise Howell announced that the city’s website now has illustrations of proposals for remodeling City Hall.
The City Council meeting of Tuesday, Feb. 15 will begin at 5:30 p.m. to accommodate police chief candidate interviews. Only one is currently scheduled, with Interim Police Chief Bill Otto.