Manitou Springs City Council focused on the city’s open fires and burning code and received an update on Hiawatha Gardens during its special meeting Tuesday, May 24.
Councilors voted 6-0 to amend Manitou Springs’ restrictions on open fires and open burning.
“Outdoor smoking of any tobacco product or similar material in cigarettes, cigars or pipes is prohibited, except smoking is permitted within 15 feet of a city-approved disposal receptacle,” said Councilor Natalie Johnson.
“At city-approved locations, discarded cigarettes, cigars or piped tobacco products outdoors other than in city-approved receptacles is also prohibited.”
During a work session May 17, council agreed to postpone a second reading of the ordinance to Tuesday’s meeting.
Council members wanted additional information on locations for potential receptacles where smokers can dispose of their cigars, cigarettes or piped tobacco products properly and wanted recommendations from the fire chief.
Deputy Chief Keith Buckmiller said he and Fire Chief John Forsett learned Manitou has 32 trash and recycle bins throughout the city.
Upon learning this, Buckmiller said he and Public Information Officer Alex Trefry found receptacles to attach to the current bins to help prevent fires from discarded smoking products.
Buckmiller said the most expensive module would cost $2,500 and it could be attached to all trash and recycling bins. On the high end, this would cost Manitou approximately $80,000. A cheaper version costs $875, or $28,000 for 32 units.
“This would make it a lot easier and convenient for people to dispose of their cigarettes,” Buckmiller said.
He also said the city learned that on weekends, around 25 cigarette butts are disposed of in planters. The hope is the receptacles would curb smokers’ urge to leave cigarette butts in the incorrect locations and use the new bins instead.
“I guess the answer is to cancel weekends and we’ll have a great reduction of butts in town,” Buckmiller joked.
“But the other answer would be to give (smokers) another place to put those butts. And that would be what I suggest happens. With that kind of a cost, we’d make it more difficult for them to put it in the wrong place.”
Buckmiller also stressed the importance of the receptacles’ location.
“The one thing that we really care about is that it’s Manitou Avenue,” Buckmiller said. “That’s our best protection … all the things are favorable for us to have an issue on Manitou Avenue versus one on the hillsides. Manitou Avenue has to be the target.”
For the receptacles, Mayor Pro Tem John Shada suggested specific distances rather than certain streets.
“If you purchased one of these city-approved receptacles at your home, if you’re (within) 15 feet of it, or whatever the distance may be, you’re at a safe distance,” Shada said.
“It would give the fire department a lot of flexibility as to where to place these things as staff would see fit, as opposed to coming up with specific streets.”
Councilor Judith Chandler agreed with Shada’s suggestion and provided a personal example about why.
“One of the areas of concern for me is the (Urban Renewal Authority area),” Chandler said. “Having sponsored a planter over there … I check on my planter once a week and people use it as a smoking receptacle.”
Council also listened to an update regarding Hiawatha Gardens.
The Hiawatha Gardens Task Force 3 last met with council in March and, earlier this month, council reinstated Hiawatha Gardens to the Historic District.
Susan Watkins, HGTF3 board member, said that through the board’s research they learned residents wanted to keep the building.
“The overwhelming thing we heard over and over again was, ‘That building would be great for some kind of community use,’” Watkins said.
In September 2021, Watkins said HGTF3 hosted two community tours of the historic dance hall portion of the building.
“People could see the condition of the building and see how it was holding up. Also, to be able to see the historic elements that exist in the building,” Watkins said.
City Engineer Dole Grebenik said the board presented the idea of a parking office at Hiawatha and said, “Consistently, the community felt that was a good idea.”
“The community felt like having the parking office (would provide) accountability to behavior,” Grebenik said.
“There are a lot of people coming and going. It’d be a good resource to ask questions or … it could free up space at City Hall and we could have that space for other uses.
“If I had to go out on a limb, I’d say one of our recommendations would be to include the parking office within the footprint of the Hiawatha site somehow. It seems like that meets a need.”
Chandler praised the progress of studying Hiawatha Gardens but voiced concerns about the parking.
“I think where we are today is just a magnificent leap forward,” Chandler said. “I think a lot of the design ideas have merit.
“I’m very supportive of restoring the original building for community purposes and, in my opinion, having a parking office there does not represent the history of Hiawatha or what I would like to see as the community use of that.”
Council also voted 6-0 in favor of approving a lease-purchase agreement with Clayton Holdings for items including Manitou Springs Police Department equipment and an escrow agreement with UMB Bank.