Good morning.

Welcome to the City of Color Springs Work Session meeting Monday, November 10th, 2025.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Bless you.

Councilmember Bailey.

Here.

Councilmember Crow Iverson.

Here.

Councilmember Donaldson.

Here.

Councilmember Gold.

In roots.

Councilmember Hendram.

In route.

Councilmember Williams.

Here.

Councilmember Lyon Weber.

In root.

Councilmember Rainey.

In root.

Councilmember Risley.

Here.

All nine here are in route.

We're going to start our work session with the invocation in the pledge this morning since it's both work session and a councilman meeting today.

Um having Veterans Day as a holiday tomorrow.

So we are honored to have Pastor Stan Lightfoot of Restick Hills Baptist Church here this morning.

Welcome.

Thank you very much.

Good morning, all.

And before we pray, I want to open this meeting, or I want to open this meeting with prayer, but briefly first pause to pay tribute to the Marine Corps.

Today marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Marines.

I didn't serve, but my brother did in Vietnam as force recon.

He is now in his 80s, and as is true of all Marines I've ever known.

He never says I used to be a Marine or I'm an ex-Marine.

He says I am a Marine, and he still looks the part.

And that he still lives by the Marine Corps values of honor, courage, and commitment.

President Reagan once famously said some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference.

The Marines don't have that problem.

It's my honor to wish the Marine Corps a happy 250th birthday and to thank them for standing in the gap for those two and a half centuries.

Let's pray.

So please stand for the invocation.

Father, thank you for giving us people who serve, who stand up for us, who defend us against those who would do us harm.

Thank you for the men and women who stand in the gap, defend our liberties, represent us, and provide us with the continuing blessings of freedom.

Some of those servants are sitting here this morning, ready to tackle the responsibilities of civil government.

We lift our city council to you this morning, asking that you give them wisdom during this meeting, that you direct their thoughts and discussion, that you help them serve us as you intend for them to do.

Help them to see our city through your eyes and be a blessing to us, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Please join us for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.

Thank you.

Moving on to item three.

Any changes to the agenda for today?

I see none.

We're moving on to regular meeting comments.

Are there any changes to the regular meeting at the conclusion of work session?

Seeing none, we'll move on to item five, review of previous minutes.

Will the clerk please read item 5A into the record?

City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes, October 27, 2025.

Are there any changes to the previous minutes?

Seeing none, we'll move on to item six.

Item seven, staff and appointee reports.

Will the clerk please read item 7A into the record?

Agenda, planner, review.

Does anyone have any questions or changes to the agenda planner review?

Seeing none, there are no changes to the agenda planner.

Items eight for introduction.

Will the clerk please read item 8A and 8B into the record?

Resolution authorizing acquisition of approximately 130 acres identified at the CMSP extension through Trails Open Space Parks program.

Good morning, Guana.

And a B an ordinary an ordinance admitting budget ordinance 24 1 of our 2025 budget appropriation ordinance for supplemental appropriation to the Trails Open Space Parks funds up to 4.150 million, completing the acquisition of approximately 130 acres of property at Ed Fatish and Mountain State Park extension for the purpose of public open space and trails.

Good morning, Lana Thielen, Trails Open Space and Parks Program Manager here today to present to you the Shine Mountain State Park extension.

This is a very exciting project for us.

We are looking at a three-party collaboration.

The City of Colorado Springs, along with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, CPW, and Trust for Public Lands are partnering together to purchase approximately 480 acres.

I did want to mention that I have representatives from Trust for Public Land.

I have Jim Peterson and Charlie O'Leary here this morning with me, as well as representatives from CPW, Jason Hagen is here this morning as well.

They will be available for any questions that you'd like to ask them during or after the presentation.

The acquisition today is just north of Shine Mountain State Park, west of Highway 115, and across the road from Fort Carson.

There are two parcels shown on your screen.

The South Parcel, which is in blue, is about 350 acres.

That is the parcel that's proposed to be purchased by CPW.

And then the north parcel, it's about 130 acres, is uh shown in yellow on your screen and is proposed to be purchased by the city of Colorado Springs.

You'll see between the north and the south parcel is Norrad Road, and that winds into Shine Mountain Space Force Station.

You'll also see Fishers Canyon located on the screen, just a little bit north and west of the parcel.

I did want to pause here for a moment and just mention that we have reached out to both of our military bases, Fort Carson as well as Shine Mountain Space Force Station.

Do you have a letter in your packet of figure one, which is a letter for Shine from Fort Carson?

And then just this morning, you should have received an email from Keith Klain, who is with the Colorado Defense Alliance.

He's the chairman of that committee.

And that letter does state that they endorse the acquisition, as well as that they support the conservation of the property to create a buffer of military bases.

While we understand that is not a letter directly from Shine Mountain Space Forest Station, we are still working with the government shutdown.

It's been a little bit difficult to get that letter, but we are working to get a letter from them and hope to get that by your formal meeting on November 25th.

So there are three main things that I wanted to mention today that this acquisition does.

First, it is a conservation of property that could be developed for 95 single family homes.

Secondly, it is protection of land for those bases, both Shine Mountain Space Force Station as well as Fort Carson.

And then it does give us connectivity through Fishers Canyon into Shine Mountain State Park through the Chamberlain Trail Extension.

We look to the 2014 Park System Master Plan for our guidance, and that does show candidate open spaces.

They are shown on your screen on blue and green.

If you look on the south portion of the screen, just north of Shine Mountain State Park, you'll see that there is green in that area as well as blue, showing that those are candidate open space areas.

And I do want to mention that both parcels are within that candidate open space area.

So it does recommend that we expand open space networks by filling in gaps, which we are intending to do, as well as continue to pursue partnerships.

And we have done that today with CPW as well as TPL.

Another document that we look to is the Trails Open Space and Parks Policies and Procedures Manual.

This does look to uh acquire land that has wildlife and habitat corridor, water resources, and significant vegetation.

I will show you some images later that show you that that is present on site, as well as have scene equalities.

There are some amazing views from this property.

It also looks to acquire land that has high and immediate development opportunity.

As mentioned, this one could be developed into 95 single family homes.

And it looks to support community partnership.

Again, we have community support as well as a partnership with TPL and CPW.

Just wanted to mention some of the initial foundations of Shine Mountain State Park.

Back in 2000, the same group of people, TPL, CPW, and the city worked to acquire the original Shine Mountain State Park.

The images shown on your screen show blue, that is property that the city owns, as well as green, which is property that CPW owns.

As you can see, about 60% of Shine Mountain State Park is owned by the City of Colorado Springs.

We currently have a memorandum of understanding or an MOU between CPW and the city in order for the CPW to provide management and maintenance of our property.

We intend to extend that same partnership forward as we look at these two properties.

The TOPS program through the city has great strengths in being able to acquire property.

And CPW has a great strength in being able to manage and maintain property.

So we look to continue that partnership in the future.

This shows what would happen if we were unable to acquire the property.

There are is a proposal and an active approved development plan for 95 single family homes.

The plotting is in progress and has paused so that we're able to work through this acquisition process.

As you can see, there is about 37 acres of land that would have been dedicated to the city for open space.

However, again, that would have allowed development of homes.

What we will see with this acquisition of the entire property is the ability to conserve that open space for the trail connection of Chamberlain as well as other trail connections on site.

On the uh screen image, you'll see a yellow line running down the west side of our mountain backdrop.

That is the Chamberlain Trail location.

This trail is proposed to be about 32 miles in length.

A large portion of this trail has already been constructed, but we have some gaps along the way.

This is one of those connections through uh Fishers Canyon through the residential development and then into our northern parcel and then down into the southern parcel would be that connection uh to allow connection from the Air Force Academy all the way down into Shine Mountain State Park.

Just a couple images of Chamberlain Trail as it stands today.

As you can see, it has that beautiful western backdrop trail location and very inviting for users to use.

This just shows an aerial image of the properties shown in yellow and green to match what we've shown you before.

We are uh at the top of Shine Canyon Open Space, kind of a bird's eye view looking down onto the properties uh on the right side of the screen is Shine Mountain Space Force Station in the forefront or sorry, Shine Mountain State Park on the right side.

Uh and the forefront of your screen is Sarin Mountain Space Forest Station, and then to the north is Fort Carson.

You can see the uh residential properties uh that surround this parcel, um, and then you can see how this parcel will just flow into Shine Mountain State Park across Norad Road.

Just wanted to uh let your experience what the property looks like.

It's got some beautiful existing vegetation on it, um some amazing um abilities to walk through it.

There are some trails on there right now, um, but you can see the uh beautiful spaces that are there.

And then this just gives you an image of some of the waterways that are flowing through the site, um, and then some of those scenic views back to uh Fishers Canyon as well as the Space Force Station.

The appraisal was done in June of this year, and the property appraised for $31,000 per acre.

Um again, there's a three-way partnership.

The Trust for Public Lands is going to purchase the property from the ownership group, and then they will subsequently sell with two individual sales, the northern parcel to the city of Colorado Springs, and then the southern parcel to CPW.

Funding that we have for this property through the Trails Open Space category is about 12 million dollars coming forward from our 2024 fund balance.

And then we have about $4 million up into quarter two of 2025 of this year, which gives us an available balance of $16 million.

Withholding 1.6 billion uh back for reserve funds, that gives us a little over $14 million for this purchase.

This purchase is about $4.15 million, so as a portion of that acquisition.

Timeline so far, we've um already presented this through the TOPS working committee, and they have given us approval on this property.

And then we are working with the Parks Advisory Board.

We have presented it to them and intend to go back to them on Thursday for the recommendation and action on this.

And then we are before you today with the council work session, and then we would come back before you November 25th and December 9th for recommended approval on this.

We intend to close in spring of next year.

The two motions that we will ask at your next meeting are a supplemental appropriation of 4.15 million, and then also a resolution authorizing the acquisition of the property.

With that, I'm available for any questions, and again, I have TPL and CPW representatives if you'd like to ask them questions as well.

Lenna don't see any questions at this time.

Um is this something that you want on consent.

Uh I guess the only reason we would want it on uh regular agenda is just to make sure that everyone is available of this amazing acquisition that we were looking to do, but it is up to you if you'd want it on consent or not.

Okay, I guess we do have a um question from Councilman Hindum.

Well, actually, not a question at all, just uh uh uh definitely not on consent.

I think this is super um incredible.

It's spending our tops dollars for acquiring more open space, and it's magnificent work, and I think we need to make sure the public is aware, and uh, we have a presentation and vote on it.

And um, yeah, so thank you for all your work.

Um, really appreciate it.

I know each of us think you've met with us prior, so maybe that's why there's no questions right now, but definitely not on consent from my perspective.

Thank you.

Councilman Rainey.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, I would definitely say uh I I would recommend that this is not put on consent, uh, not for the reasons that my colleague just mentioned, which are great reasons, but um I'm very adamant that I want to see a letter from Cheyenne Mountain Leadership.

We've been on his road before with a couple of other land use items, and we got to make sure that we are in sound communication, whether Shine Mountain leadership or their senior leadership, which is located at Peterson's Space Force Base.

We need to have a document.

I highly recommend getting that in place.

I appreciate Key Klein's letter, but it carries no level of authority.

So I want to make sure that we have something that is in clear communication with military leadership around that area.

Understand?

And we've already had that conversation.

Thank you.

So this will not be on consistent, so be prepared for another presentation.

Yes.

Um, for the next meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Moving on to 8C.

Will the clerk please read item 8C into the record?

Resolution approving the issuance of debt by the old ranch metropolitan district of the privately placed revenue bond series 2025, an estimated principal aggregate amount of 40 million.

Good morning, Allison.

Good morning.

Allison Stocker, senior planner with the land use review division.

This morning we're going to talk about the old ranch metropolitan district and the requested bond issuance.

So today they're requesting a 40 million dollar privately placed revenue bond that would be used to acquire land and build a new recreation center that would serve the Wolf Ranch community.

This district is located southwest of the old ranch road and Black Forest Road.

It's located in district two.

So this district was created in 2002.

It had a service plan amendment in 2006.

Um the old ranch metropolitan district acts as kind of an operating district on behalf of the upper Cottonwood Creek districts.

So in the high right hand corner, you'll see a little cutout where the actual district is located.

However, all of the upper Cottonwood Creek uh districts are in yellow.

So per their IGA, the old ranch metropolitan district kind of acts in kind of coordinating and collaborating for community-wide projects of things like recreation.

Um that way, everything is a little bit more organized.

The recreation center itself is going to be at the future intersection of Wolf Valley Drive and Briar Bay Parkway.

So it is kind of further west into the um Wolf Ranch area.

The actual recreation center itself has already been approved by planning and is going through construction review at the moment.

It will be approximately 30,000 square feet of community center.

It will include pools, splash pads, pickleball and volleyball courts, other outdoor spaces, playgrounds, and an amphitheater area.

The maximum debt for this district, the old ranch district, is 7 million.

There was a typo, unfortunately, in the memo, so it is 7 million.

Um the district does not have any other general obligation debt available.

However, the debt for this project will be issued through the Air Enterprise.

So they created an old ranch parks and recreation activity enterprise, which operates similar to all of our enterprises here in the city.

Um funds for the district.

The fees will all be paid through landowner fees that are part of the covenants and restrictions within the community.

So there is a um kind of set and expected um revenue that will come from the community to help pay down these bonds.

Um every month, the HOA will take in those fees and then transfer those to the old ranch metro district um per their IGA.

The project costs are broken down here on the screen.

They're expecting about 1.5 million for land, about 28 million in hard cost, as well as other costs for fixtures and equipment, design and engineering, um contingency fees and developer fees.

Here we have the preliminary plan of finance.

This is with the idea that about $36 million is taken out through the bonds.

The cost of issuance is expected to be about $65,000 of that.

The yearly total for fees that are anticipated from each single family detached homeowner is about $3,600, as well as about $1,800 for multifamily projects.

The project the bond has a maturation date of about $36 years with an interest rate of six percent.

With this project, um we did get a number of supporting materials, including the district's cover memo, um the board's draft resolution, which will be signed once we receive um approval for the project, as well as board meeting minutes that show that the district board members are in favor of this amount and are requesting um approval from council, as well as other bond forms, opinion letters and other financial documents to support the project.

Um this item would be scheduled for the 25th.

Um, and we can put that on consent, or we can talk about it again then, and I can take any questions, but we also have the district representative here as well.

Councilman Hindum.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh, will this pool be open and available to the public, or will it be restricted to people uh just people who live in the district and are paying the mills?

That is a question I'll need to direct to our district rep.

Okay, I'd love to have an answer to that then.

Good morning.

Nicole Paykop on behalf of the old ranch metropolitan district.

Um, thank you, Councilmember Henjam.

The recreation center will be open to the general public um in addition to the community members.

That's great.

Um and I think uh how will the general public be aware of the availability of this pool through the district's website, and there's also a website for the Wolf Ranch community, and so that will be displayed on those websites, and then there'll there will likely be a um probably a sign on the recreation center, noting that it's open to the public.

Okay, nothing um on our parks website at all.

We can discuss that.

Um, I would really appreciate a conversation about that.

So I recognize and understand that this is how we develop our city now through these metro districts, and they have additional money and additional mills to be able to create amenities like this.

And I think it's fantastic.

It's certainly fantastic.

We need more pools in our city, period.

Um, and as many people probably know, I think we maybe have one functioning, maybe two functioning pools in our city parks department right now.

And in the parts of our city where um pools have really um basically um not working anymore for a variety of reasons, we don't have the funds in our parks department to um be able to make those available to the public.

So um, short of actually creating special districts within the city where we don't have metro districts.

Um, I think it's really important that these amenities that are um available to the public, uh, that the public be made aware.

So I would really request and appreciate a conversation with uh with the board and our parks department um to talk about what it might look like to at least make it known that this pool is available to anyone uh who lives in the city.

Yes, we we'd be happy to do that as well.

Thank you very much.

Councilman Bailey.

Thank you, Madam President.

I just have a question to remind me, I couldn't find it in here.

The notification about the details of this specific aspect of the uh uh the the bond issuance.

I know that the uh homeowners in the HOA are aware of the process and that this is a possibility.

What kind of notification have we done for the specifics for of this?

Yes, um, for the specific residents and in particular the homeowners, which are the ones that are obligated to pay these fees.

There are the covenants and the charter that are recorded against all of the property within the Wolf Ranch community.

And among those covenants, there are also supplements that provide notification to any potential and current homeowners that these obligations will exist and do currently existing.

But there hasn't been any specific notification about this the implications of this.

Obviously, everybody's waiting for the community center to be built.

But the uh when when the bill comes due, I just want I'm curious as if people are aware that that's coming soon.

Yes.

There the supplement that's been recorded against the property notifies the homeowners that the that there is a fee that is charged against each home, and that those fees will the current fees that are in place will increase once this new construction begins.

And so each homeowner is notified through the supplement that's recorded against the property that come appears on title when they purchase the property that these fees are due and knowing.

But existing homeowners, if there's a new you talk about when it's recorded on the title for new homeowners.

What about the people that are there already?

Good morning, Council members.

Tim Seibert with Nowward Development Group, um, and also president of the old ranch metropolitan district board.

Um a little history, this has gone back a number of years when we first proposed this recreation center.

Um we made it clear sort of how the funding was going to operate for this project.

Um we update we and actually in two weeks we have our annual HOA meeting um in which I will be presenting uh developer update.

This will be one of those items.

Um the we so we've been talking about this for about three years uh with residents and keeping them up to date on what what is happening.

And so um we the way we've always communicated it on update is part of just spending any money.

We we will notify the entire community 100% what's going on.

We are updating them on the steps.

This is one step in that process before we start charging the fee.

That is obligating under this bond to be paid back through those revenues.

So it's a it's a step-by-step process that we're going through to get this authorization to issue the bonds is the next closest step.

Once we get a building permit and have a construction schedule, that's when we make formal notification that uh any additional fees, if applicable, will start being charged to the residents.

So we are in pretty pretty good communication and we up do we also have quarterly HOA meetings and that gets notified there as well.

Great, thank you.

We we just often hear that we didn't know.

You know, people come to us that we didn't know, and I just want to be sure that they are following the right procedures to let people have the opportunity to be aware of what's going on.

Yeah, well, and thank you for that question.

We're trying to keep everybody up to date on what's occurring.

So thank you.

And happy to answer any of the questions you may have while I'm here.

Councilman Henjam.

Yes.

Hey, good morning, Tim.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um so uh again, I I actually I'm just curious to know if you could tell me um, and I know you all do incredible developments of planned communities, why you think a community center is important.

Well, that's a complicated question.

Um this ultimately is a community that will have over 6,800 residents uh in it.

Um, you know, for we have a small existing recreation center today that was built probably I think in 2010.

Um it's 3,000 square feet, so this is 10 times larger.

Um and so we are looking at how to meet the needs of a community long term.

Uh obviously it adds value to the residents that use it and and creates a sense of community.

That's something that we actually actively work on uh within our master plans is to try to uh ensure residents are connected and um we think a recreation center is a is a good way to do that.

Yeah.

Well, you absolutely do, and you just named uh actually, I think beautifully why community centers are so important in a city and in uh neighborhood areas.

And as we all know, we are closing a community center um in Colorado Springs, uh, a community that doesn't have these kinds of resources.

And I think, you know, generally speaking, um, we are a city that maybe doesn't necessarily believe that it is government's responsibility to provide those services to a to a neighborhood.

Um but I I just want to highlight that we do have them and you you see the value of them.

And I know you've actually been to this council to talk about what are some ways that we can address that inequality in our city, that inequity that's developing as as we grow um with these areas and neighborhoods that have more resources to be able to provide these kind of amenities to the city.

Um you've talked about creating maybe a special parks district or some things like that.

So um whatever it is going to take for us to be able to provide community centers in all of the neighborhoods in our city, I think those are things that we really need to be working on and um look forward to more conversations.

I'm certainly very supportive of this and have no objection whatsoever.

I just want for people to be aware that as our city grows, it grows with these metropolitan districts, these special districts, in which the residents of those districts pay additional taxes more than what I do where I live, where I don't I'm not a part of a special district, or the people in the Cragmore Pape Town neighborhood who don't pay extra uh taxes.

And their pool is basically inoperable, has been for well over 10 years, and we're struggling to find money to see if that pool could be rebuilt.

So this is just a reality of Tabor and a reality of how we've grown.

And I I very much appreciate the the kind of development that Norwood does, that you clearly are thinking holistically about the kinds of developments that you create and how you spend these extra mills.

So very, very supportive and appreciative.

I just want to take the opportunity to make sure that the public is aware of how there we're we're creating unintentionally, but there's there's an equity that's happening as our city is developing.

Well, thank you.

We are proud of the communities that we develop and in all aspects uh throughout the city, but it does cost a lot.

You can see it in the numbers here.

They they these and and this is all this is this capital stack.

That's all it takes to build the project.

It's not ongoing operations, and so we have we have other resources that we're working to make sure that those that that the long-term maintenance of this type of facility is is done.

So building a city is hard and complicated.

Yes, and expensive.

This is a step that we're taking, what we think is is good for for our residents and the region.

Um, and thank you for for your your support on that.

And we we hope to um well we hopefully we'll see you here soon and and uh be able to get started on this exciting project.

Great.

Thank you to thank you very much.

Allison, I don't see any of the questions at this time.

Great, thank you.

You're welcome.

Moving on to item 11A, we have an open session.

Will the clerk please read item 11a into the record Patricia Sanderson versus Derek Boeinkey and the city of Colorado Springs, 2025's CV 31724.

Good morning.

Tracy Lasig with the City Attorney's Office.

Um, this is an open item when city employees are sued for actions that occurred within the course and scope of their employment.

The city is required to provide a defense under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act and the Police Officers Liability Act.

This is a police officer, and we are here to acknowledge our obligation to provide that defense.

Um, and we always retain the right to not pay punitive damages.

I don't see any questions at this time, Tracy.

Thank you.

Welcome.

Moving on to council reports.

Are there any council members that have any reports this morning?

Councilman Henjam.

Uh thank you, Madam President.

Yeah, I'd like to um it's it's not very often that when we do these reports, we actually have people in the audience by the by the time we get to these on a work session.

Um so I'm gonna take advantage of the fact that there's people here listening and uh share that um a few things that that I would like to highlight of the last couple of weeks.

Yesterday at Colorado College, um the Youth Documentary Academy, which is a uh now 12-year-old um academy in Colorado Springs, founded by Tom Shepherd, um, had their premiere yesterday at Colorado College.

It was sold out, actually, 11 films by youth in Colorado Springs, um, all throughout the region.

Um they go through uh over the summer program, they are selected and are able to learn how to produce documentary films.

And they learn more than just filmmaking.

They learn about themselves, they tell their stories, um, they learn how to work with other people, they learn all kinds of skills, and then when the film is done, and even before the premiere, uh they bring these films back into the schools and share it with their students.

And many of them are focused on things that are related to mental health and well-being and connection and self-esteem.

And it is a remarkable, remarkable um institute uh uh that they um the academy.

And uh now that we have Sundance coming into Colorado, um, and I think there's more and more attention paid to film.

I I just want to share with you, it was so remarkable, these films.

These stories were um very, very powerful.

And I just commend you to pay attention and next year look for the Youth Documentary Academy uh premiere.

Actually, last year's uh one of last year's um students went to New York and won first prize in documentary filmmaking for the nation for youth documentary and ended up getting an over a hundred and thirty thousand dollar scholarship for his work um right here from Colorado Springs in Palmer High School.

Connor Strange was his name.

Tom Shepherd is a nationally known documentary filmmaker.

He's amazing.

Um this institute, this academy was born right here in Colorado Springs, and it's something to watch out for.

So I commend that to you.

Also, on um uh Saturday afternoon, uh, the senior resource council.

We'd actually, the uh last meeting we had, we did a proclamation, a joint proclamation with this council and the mayor's office for the senior resource council's annual holiday dinner dance.

And there had to be, I don't know, 350 seniors there receiving a free meal.

There was about a 25-piece um swing band playing, and they were cutting a rug.

Let me tell you, they get they receive a free meal that the um the uh city hub was decorated so beautifully, and volunteers, probably over 75 volunteers, volunteers from um our police, our fire, our utilities.

We had utilities volunteers there, and then volunteers from um organizations that serve the seniors in our community.

The senior resource council is sort of like a chamber of commerce for the senior community, and it is a growing demographic, by the way.

We had a presentation from Tatiana Bailey last week that was uh very powerful with all kinds of data, but she really highlighted the growth of seniors in our community.

I think we're projected to have somewhere between 25 and 30 percent increase in our senior population in El Paso County in the next 10 years.

So terrific work, it was really beautiful.

And um okay, I feel like I've been talking a lot.

I have more to say, but I'm gonna stop there.

Thank you.

Councilman Gold.

Thank you, Madam President.

I um just want to acknowledge that today is November 10th, and it is the 250th birthday for the United States Marine Corps.

So thank you to all the to all those who have served and looking forward to the resolution that Councilmember Rainey will be doing later today.

Councilman Rainey.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh, just want to highlight a couple of things from uh last week uh that I thought was uh not just interesting, but it shows the mindset, strategic mindset of our city moving forward.

Uh first one was the Colorado Aerospace Defense and Economic Council.

So there is a uh major event over at Catalyst Campus.

Uh well over hundreds of different uh representatives from different uh defense companies was there.

Uh had the opportunity to host uh JP Morgan.

Uh there was a representative there, really talking about what Colorado Springs and the defense industry truly truly looks like when it's partnered with the city of Colorado Springs and how we can thrive and move forward together as one cohesive unit.

Uh so very uh very, very uh well put together event by the chamber.

Uh so kudos to that entire team.

Uh and I definitely look forward to continue to learn as the liaison to this group uh how we are going to uh be in lockstep as we continue to move forward and pair a lot of the city activities with the defense industry.

Also, UCCS had a great event uh I believe it was Thursday uh Thursday night, was it?

Yes, it was Thursday night, where they were hosting some regions, but a lot of the other individuals was there.

Now, why was this event very unique for Colorado Springs?

Well, UCCS is expanding a lot of his academic programming and some of this some of its departments, uh, which I think was uh exciting for a lot of the students that were there, uh tremendous amount of students was there.

But one of the biggest announcements that came out of that event is now here in Colorado Springs, we will have a university that will have a ROTC program where our young folks can now go to that university.

Now I'm a little biased because I'm a CSU grad.

So uh, but the fact that they don't have to travel to Boulder or go up to Fort Collins right here in their own backyard, if they want to serve our nation and on the heels right now of Veterans Day, that they can now go to UCCS and participate in a full-fledged ROTC program.

So that was uh really exciting.

It was great to speak with the the Colonel and a lot of the cadre, but there was well over, I believe, 30 plus students that were there, and I got a chance to engage with a lot of them that are getting ready to uh graduate and take the oath and serve their nation.

So congrats to those all of those young leaders, uh future leaders.

Uh but I thought that was a great announcement for our city is that now if uh young troops want to go into our OTC, it's in their own backyard.

Thank you.

Councilman Hingem.

Uh thank you.

I'm gonna go ahead and say a few more um since we've had a break in voices, but I did want to acknowledge the ribbon cutting of Duck Lake and Monument Valley Park, which is uh that pond has been restored, and uh thanks to the parks department for that.

And as well as I can't remember all the different taxing uh funds that helped to support that, but that was really terrific.

Um also we uh the Pikes Peak Community Foundation did a presentation of their spacious skies um initiative, which is really looking at visioning for uh the future of Colorado Springs.

It was very, very informative and really appreciate their work and uh encourage people to go out and check out um spacious skies and look at that report and some of the um values that emerged for our city, um, some of which I'll probably be referring to later on one of our ordinances.

And then um, and then lastly, I want to thank uh uh deputy chief Travis Easton for coordinating and um hosting a uh a tour for our state legislators.

We had, I think, most of our state House and Senate representatives, along with a number of members of this council um on a bus touring uh different parts of our city where crime and where the impacts of of homelessness are impacting local business.

It was very, very well done.

It was very informative, and I think um started a really important conversation.

Um so I I just want to thank uh Travis for that and for all those who attended that that tour.

It's really very informative.

Thanks.

Councilman Rainey.

Thank you, Madam President.

I'm just gonna add one more item there.

Um major thank you to the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity.

So they uh brought out a couple of elected officials, and you know, I think a lot of us are fully aware of or may have heard of Pikes Peak, you know, Habitat of Humanity.

The one thing I want to highlight is just the volunteers.

Like these are folks that are taking time out of their schedules to give their expertise, their resources, a lot of them bringing their own tools.

Um it was just it was absolutely phenomenal to see, you know, young and old who were there working together to build these homes.

And uh I was talking to a few of them, and these folks, some of them got full jobs, and they just took a day off and they wanted to just volunteer.

And the others who have expertise maybe in engineering or or carpentry, they wanted to volunteer their time.

So I just want to say thank you to the entire city for those who volunteer your precious time to and commit yourselves to doing something great for Colorado Springs.

I just want to say to you all, thank you very, very much.

I continue to say it, and I will always say it, a community can never be a community without its people involved.

And I think that was a great example of seeing all of those people involved and all of them working together.

And it just was a great sight to see.

So I just want to say thank you to across the entire city to all volunteers.

Thank you.

Seeing no other, that will um conclude our work session this morning.

Sir, we're going to adjourn and take a 10 minute break and come back for our city council um regular meeting.