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March 18, 2015VOLUME 50 | ISSUE 1 1 | 7 5 ¢

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TRI-LAKES TRIBUNE(USPS 418-960)

OFFICE: 325 Second Street, Suite RMonument, CO 80132

PHONE: 719-687-3006

A legal newspaper of general circulation inEl Paso County, Colorado, the Tri-Lakes Tribune is published weekly on Wednesday by Colorado Community Media, 1200 E. Highway 24, Woodland Park, CO 80863. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT MONUMENT, COLORADO and additional mailing o� ces.

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Final two town manager candidates outline strengths No timeline set on board decision, Flanagan and Marshal attend local meetings By Jennifer Cunningham Contributing writer

The town of Monument has been conducting interviews for the town manager position. The position was previously held by Cathy Green, who left the town’s employ more than two years ago. For the past six months, town treasurer, Pam Smith, has been wearing both hats.

On March 14, the fi nal two candidates, along with the board of trustees, were available to the public for questions. The candidates were also present during the March 16 trustee meeting.

Tara Marshall is currently an assistant city manager with Trinidad. She was selected to be part of the “Best and Brightest” program, which biennially selects eight to 10 candidates within the state to delve deeper into local government. During this 24-month program, she gained exposure to 21 departments within the city of Trinidad while completing a master’s degree in public policy and local government on the weekends at the University of Colorado Denver.

Much like Monument, her hometown of Plainview, Texas, is split by an interstate. She noted the synergies and developmental issues are similar and has already considered ways to build on this aspect. Marshall gave answers regarding trustee concerns for teen and senior citizen activities.

The second candidate, Kevin Flanagan, is a native of Georgia and has been involved in small town government since 2000. He began at the county level in Georgia and then moved to Iowa where he held chief administration offi cer positions for two different towns over a fi ve-year period.

Flanagan has had signifi cant experience with many of the same concerns and challenges facing Monument. He also brings a great deal of understanding regarding different forms of funding available to towns. He strongly believes in engaging the community to ensure they are educated and understand the facets of any is-sue.

There is no published timeline for a board vote on the fi nal selection. Once a selection is made, Smith will remain on the town staff fo-cusing on her treasurer responsibilities.

Town Manager candidate Kevin Flanagan addresses the trustees, town sta� and residents during a meet and greet held 14 March at the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce.

Town Manager candidate Tara Marshall (left) meets with Madeline VanDenHoek, Town of Monument Community Relations Spe-cialist. Marshall drove up speci� cally to attend the State of the Chamber luncheon held 12 March. Photos by Jennifer Cunningham

Air Academy’s David Louthan has nowhere to hide as he covered by four Lewis-Palmer defenders during a Class 4A state semi� nals basketball game March 13 at the University of Colorado. On defense for the Rangers are Joe DeCoud (No. 24), Sam Strasburger (No. 22), Sam Todd (No. 20) and Jonathan Scott (No. 5). Photo by Nan Strasburger

Lewis-Palmer eliminated in Class 4A state semi� nals. See page 9

2 The Tribune March 18, 2015

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Citizen’s Police Academy set for Monument For the Tribune

The Monument Police Department an-nounced that it is now taking applications for the spring Citizens Police Academy. This no-cost eight-week program, which will run April 14, through June 2, and is open to all who live or work in the Tri-Lakes area. The Monument Police Department believes that this is a great opportunity for the citi-zens in the Tri-Lakes area to see fi rsthand what law enforcement is all about.

The academy is designed to increase un-derstanding between citizens and the po-lice through education. It also gives the po-lice offi cers another opportunity to interact positively with the community, which is a fundamental base of community policing.

During the eight-week academy partici-pants will learn about criminal law, patrol procedures, use of force, computer foren-sics, internal affairs, community policing, tactical considerations and have the oppor-tunity to shoot a variety of police weapons and much more.

Classes will be held on Tuesday evenings from 7 until 10 p.m. at the Monument Po-lice Department, 645 Beacon Lite Road. Those who interested in attending can stop by the Monument Police Department and pick up an application.

For more information call the Monu-ment Police Department at 719-481-3253 or email Offi cer Bob Steine at [email protected].

About the Town

Interview with Trustee Becki Tooley By Jennifer Cunningham Contributing writer

Those who are fans of country or jazz music, could consider chatting with Trustee Becki Tooley over a cup of coffee.

She started her career in Nashville, where she experienced life behind the scenes at the Country Music Awards. After moving to Texas, she worked for It’s Amazing Records, where she had the opportunity to work on several Grammy-nominated jazz and blues albums, including “Return to the Wide Open Spaces,” featuring Fathead New-man, Cornell Dupree and Ellis Marsa-lis. She has dabbled in other lines of work, to include designing a “redneck luau” line of party paraphernalia, the details of which are quite humorous. She currently teaches spinning class-es at Tri-Lakes Fitness in the library complex.

A resident of Monument for 11 years, Tooley began her involvement in the town with a term on the plan-ning commission. When she and her family moved to Jackson Creek, they were told Promontory Point, if ever developed, would consist of 2-acre plots. However, when the property was proposed with lots smaller than Jackson Creek, she made her voice heard. Eventually Jackson Creek resi-dents and Promontory Point develop-ers reached an amicable compromise.

From there Tooley stepped into the town council. She became a trustee to be a living example to her children, now 12 and 16.

“The kids need to realize that un-less you try to do something different

or try to understand (the issues), you can’t whine,” she said.

Coming up on her third year, she’s in tune to top-of-mind issues. She admits she’s not shy. Whether at the grocery store, on the trails or at the gym, she talks to everyone she comes across. She’s eager to hear their con-cerns and inform them of activities and events in the community. She and Trustee Howe also frequently walk around downtown to speak to busi-ness owners.

“When it comes to areas of growth, (the citizens of the town) want to have more things for the kids to do and more things for the seniors,” she said.

She also wants to promote our natural resources, the arts and bring a cohesiveness to the town. She consid-ers Monument to have the best out-door activities in the area. In a perfect world, there would be more bicycle paths, a park that incorporates fi tness and art, and a pedestrian bridge link-ing the east and west sides together.

She values the feel of Monument, its genuineness. She views growth in the context of one big community. One of her biggest concerns is bring-ing in too many homes without the businesses to support residents. She believes once people are home from a long day at work, they don’t want to drive into the Springs to shop or eat. With work now underway on the town’s comprehensive plan, these topics will be part of the discussion.

Tooley travels frequently to Florida to care for her mother in the advanced stages of dementia. She does her best to schedule trips around town meet-ings and bigger events. She can be reached at [email protected] or at town council meetings held the fi rst and third Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the town hall conference room.

Trustee Tooley is active in the community, to include teaching spinning classes at Tri-Lakes Fitness. Maintaining Monument’s quality of life is paramount in her role on the council. Photo by Jennifer Cunningham

The Tribune 3 March 18, 2015

3

Right under the star nestled below Sundance Mountain! 1.6 acre lot, meadow and trees, quiet street, walk to elementary school and restaurants, hike to national forest right out your front door! Might be possible to build 2 or more homes on this property. Call for more information.

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PERFECT SPOT FOR YOUR NEW HOME 0 Abbey Street, Palmer Lake • $110,000

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Sunday Worship: 8:30, 9:45& 11:00 am

Sunday School: 9:45 am

The Churchat

Woodmoor

488-3200

A church for all of God's people

Sunday 8:15a - Daybreak ServiceSunday 10a - Traditional Service

18125 Furrow RoadMonument 80132

www.thechurchatwoodmoor.com

Crossroads Chapel, SBC

840 North Gate Blvd.

Bible Study 9am

10:15am Celebrating HIM in Worship

6pm evening Adult Bible Study

Wednesday AWANA 6:15pm

495-3200

Pastor: Dr. D. L. Mitchell

Child care provided

True Direction from God’s WordWorship Service at 9:30 a.m.

Lewis Palmer High SchoolHigby Road & Jackson Creek Parkway

www.northword.org 481-0141

Maranatha Bible FellowshipA Home Church Spirtual Growth

Meaningful Relationships Solid Biblical Teaching

A New Testament early churchformat that is changing lives

495-7527

Monument Hill Church, SBC

18725 Monument Hill Rd.481-2156

www.monumenthillchurch.orgSunday: Bible Classes 9:15amWorship Service 10:30am

Pastor Tom Clemmons USAFA ‘86, SWBTS ‘94

Preaching for the Glory of GodGod-centered, Christ-exalting

worshipWed: AWANA 6:30pm

The “New” MHC - Where Grace and Truth Abound

SERVICE TIMESWoodmoor Campus

8:15, 9:30 and 11:00 a.m1750 Deer Creek Rd., Monument, CO

Northgate Campus9:30 a.m.

975 Stout Dr., Colo Spgs, COChurch Office

1750 Deer Creek Rd.Monument, CO 80132

(719) 481-3600www.TheAscentChurch.com

238 Third Street Monument, CO 80132

719.481.3902 www.mcpcusa.org

Monument Community Presbyterian Church

We Welcome You! 9:00 a.m. Worship with Praise Team Children’s Church 10:00 a.m. Hospitality Time 10:15 a.m. In-Between Time (IBT) Classes for All Ages 11:00 a.m. Hospitality Time 11:15 a.m. Worship with Chancel Choir

Nursery for 0-4 years olds — 8:45 a.m.—12:30 p.m.

Lutheran Church 675 W. Baptist Road

Colorado Springs, CO 719.481.2255

Family of Christ

Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Pastor David Dyer

8:00 AM – Classic Worship9:30 & 11:00 AM – Modern Worship9:30 & 11:00 AM – Children and Student

Programs5:00 – 7:00 PM – Programs for all ages

To advertise your place of worship in this section, call 303-566-4091 or email [email protected]

(Corner of Beacon Lite & County Line Road) www.trilakeschurch.org

20450 Beacon Lite Road ● 488-9613 Christ-Centered ● Bible-Based ● Family-Focused

SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:00 am

●Fellowship Break 11:00 am (Refreshments Served) to 11:15 am

●Life Application Classes 11:15 am (Applying Morning Message)

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS

●Free Fellowship Meal 6:00 to 6:30 pm

●Singing/Bible Classes 6:30 to 7:30 pm

Carver’s homeowners association bill passes house For the Tribune

Earlier this week, the state House of Representatives unani-mously passed Representative Terri Carver’s bill, HB 15-1095, to exempt small homeowners associations created before 1992 from most state regulations. In 1992, Colorado passed the “Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act” which applies to homeowner associations. At the time, the 1992 law gave a broad regulatory exemption to small homeowners associa-tions created after July 1992, but not the small HOAs created before July 1992.

“I was contacted by several small HOAs about the regula-tory burdens from this 1992 law.

I was astounded that the older small HOAs were subject to all these regulatory requirements, while similar small HOAs created after 1992 were exempt. HB 15-1095 addresses this arbitrary and excessive government overregulation of small HOAs. I commend the Council of Neighbors and Organiza-tions for their diligence in continuing to advocate for this regu-latory exemption for all small HOAs.

Dave Munger from CONO, Lenard Rioth, a Colorado

Springs HOA attorney, and William Schmidt from the Com-stock HOA testifi ed in the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee in support of HB 15-1095. Their testimony was critical to gaining support to exempt older small HOAs from the regulatory requirements.

“Representative Carver’s bill goes a long way to correct-ing previous legislation which made it very diffi cult for small HOAs to continue to function. CONO is very pleased to see that the Colorado House recognizes this and will encourage these small communities to continue to have the ability to manage themselves,” Munger said.

“The Comstock Village HOA supported Representative Carver’s bill because it will allow Colorado HOAs with limited budgets that were created before 1992 to manage their budgets more effectively so they can continue to provide services to their members,” stated Schmidt. “We want to thank Represen-tative Carver for sponsoring H.B. 15-1095 and every member of the House of Representatives for voting in favor of it.”

“This legislation is critical for the continuation of our self-managed HOA,” Jack Lundberg, president of the Discovery HOA, said.

Hear the story of Kid Curry at Palmer Lake Historical Society presentation Curry was a member of the famed ‘Wild Bunch’ Sta� report

The next program in the Palmer Lake Historical Society Series will be on March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Palmer Lake Town Hall.

Author Ann Williams will dis-cuss the history of the last ride of Kid Curry, one of the worst of the infamous “Wild Bunch.” The Wild Bunch included the likes of Harry Longabaugh, alias Sundance Kid, and Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy.

Williams’ great-grandfather was the Colorado rancher who ended Kid Curry’s crime spree in Parachute.

The event is free to the pub-lic. For more information, go to palmerdividehistory.org.

Author Ann Williams will give a presentation on Kid Curry, a member of the famed “Wild Bunch,” at the next Palmer Lake Historical Society Series. Front row left to right: Harry A. Longabaugh, alias the Sundance Kid, Ben Kilpatrick, alias the Tall Texan, Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy; Standing: Will Carver and Harvey Logan, alias Kid Curry. Photo was taken in Fort Worth, Texas, 1900. Courtesy photo

Annual Pine Forest Show coming up For the Tribune

The Tri-Lakes Women’s Club proudly presents the 39th annual Pine Forest Show, an antiques, home decor and gar-den sale, on May 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The show will be held at Lewis-Palmer High School,

1300 Higby Road, Interstate 25 and Exit 158 or 161. Tickets

are $6 per guest and may be purchased at the door. All pro-

ceeds benefi t qualifi ed nonprofi t service organizations and

public schools in the Tri-Lakes Community.

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4-Opinion

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OPINIONY O U R S & O U R S

Redundancy and other needless, no-longer-useful, and otherwise worthless skills

Last month we had to sit through a presentation on eliminating redundancy, and it was a bunch of Power Point slides, plus a guy reading out what was on the slides, and then he gave us all hard cop-ies. I don’t understand these things.” � Max Barry, Company

Personally, I am always surprised by how much worthless information I have been able to collect in the last 50, or so, years. And skills that are no longer useful.Because of years of practice at an early age, and countless hours holed-up in a dark room winding film around stain-less-steel spools, I was once known as a master of the roll up.Until about 1999 or so, the skill was valuable in the newspaper business. Mostly 35-millimeter strips of transpar-ent plastic film, base-coated on one side with a gelatin emulsion containing microscopically small light-sensitive silver halide crystals, had to be rolled on the spools so that liquid chemicals could move freely between all surfaces, without marrying it together in clumps that destroyed the images.

The sizes and other characteristics of the silver halide crystals determined the sensitivity, contrast and resolution of the images.The trick, of course, was to put just the right arc on the film by applying pressure on both outside edges simultaneously as it was rolled. Easier said, than done.

The spools, once rolled and usu-ally gathered in groups of four or eight, were then dropped, under the cover of

night (even in the middle of the day), into stainless steel cylinders and shaken or agitated in a circular motion every few seconds for a precisely prescribed amount of time.

With any luck at all, and after years of practice, the right chemistry, tempera-ture and prescribed amount of time, you would hardly ever destroy an image by film marriage, too much or too little time, or bad chemistry and dark room conditions — except by light leakage.Today, all my acquired skills, practice and expertise in this field, has been ren-dered virtually useless by digital photo technology.

In another acquisition of hard-won expertise and practiced development — while working in a retail hardware store that only had the mashed-button keys on an old-fashioned 19th-century cash register to signify the amount of a sale, I learned, with better-than-average aplomb, count-back protocol for making change.

A customer could come into the store, select and purchase a 10-inch flat bastard, priced $3.58. I would add four percent sales tax, total to $3.68, take

his twenty-dollar bill and count back “$3.68 out of $20, $3.68 and two pen-nies is $3.70, nickel more is $3.75, and a quarter is $4, and $1 is $5, and $5 is $10, plus $10 is $20.

Totally worthless now that the regis-ter (and register tape) tells you exactly what change to hand a customer.

One final particular adroitness for which I might boast, was the way I knew my way around the card catalogs at various libraries, back in the days when the small drawers full of index cards still existed.

The card catalog was a familiar sight to library users for generations, but it has been effectively replaced by online public access catalogs. Though the online catalog may still be called a “card catalog,” and some libraries still have real card catalogs (small drawers) on site, the old dinosaur types are now completely a secondary resource and are seldom updated. Many of the librar-ies that have hung on to their physical card catalog, post signs advising the last year that the card catalog was updated. I saw one the other day that referred to the last update in 1993.

That was just about the same time I remember an aging reporter in a news-room in which I worked in, ask another reporter (younger and more technically savvy) to “help them get on the Google.”

I wonder if somehow, someday, somewhere, I will ever benefit from all this useless knowledge and expertise. If I do, I will not only tell you about it, but make some Power Point slides, and be sure you get the handouts.

UCCS on the fast track to success When I arrived in the Pikes Peak

region in the fall of 2001, I quickly made myself familiar with the three major col-leges in town; Air Force Academy, Uni-versity of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Colorado College.

I loved the fact that each school represented a different level of athletics and that each campus was unique. I also liked that each college was spaced out in different parts of the region.

Of the six men’s and women’s basket-ball teams at the three schools, only the UCCS women have enjoyed consistent success since my arrival. They were 19-9 during the 2001-02 season, but did not make the NCAA Division II tournament.

The UCCS men were 9-17 that same season and struggling to find an identity in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Confer-ence, much less in the region.

As time went on, Air Force achieved a certain level of respect in the middle part of last decade, earning a couple of NCAA Division I tournament bids.

Colorado College qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament during the 2003-04 season, but fell to 0-24 just four seasons later. The Tigers have since built a respectable program under head coach and Monument resident Andy Partee, posting winning records in four of their last five seasons.

Now back to UCCS.For the longest time, the school’s bas-

ketball teams played their home games in front of sparse crowds in the campus recreation center. On Jan, 8, 2010, that

all changed when the 1,200-seat Gal-logly Events Center opened on campus. The state-of-the-art building, though relatively small, put the Mountain Lions on par with the rest of the RMAC schools and helped attract higher level recruits.

During the past 14 years, UCCS added numerous state-of-the-art buildings to its spacious campus, as well as new parking structures and new dormitories. Four Diamond Sports Complex under-went an overhaul with a new soccer/football stadium and — thanks to a generous donor — the women’s softball field was drastically upgraded. Austin Bluffs Parkway was widened to three lanes each way, and the school added attractive entrances to its campus.

A few years ago, the cleanup of the far north end of Nevada Avenue began with dozens of new stores and restaurants in the spiffy new University Village shop-ping center.

Through all of those changes the student enrollment rose at a dramatic level. Today, there are more than 11,000

undergraduate and 1,700 graduate students. In 2006, the U.S. News & World Report college and university rankings placed the school’s College of Engineer-ing and Applied Science as ranking the fourth-best among public universities in the entire nation, and the 16th best overall among bachelor and master’s degree engineering schools.

Before our eyes, UCCS went from be-ing known mostly as a commuter school with a an outstanding nursing program to a bustling college campus with two quality basketball teams.

The men and women’s squads both qualified for the NCAA tournament this season and played opening round games March 13. The campus has been abuzz with its own version of March Madness.

There is talk that UCCS could become the larger — in terms of students — of the two University of Colorado cam-puses. Projections call for the campus to grow to as many as 20,000 students by 2025. There is plenty of space to build as the University owns most — of not all — of the land along Nevada Avenue across from University Village.

That means that the NCAA athletic programs could grow to Division I sta-tus. There is talk that a baseball program might even be added.

I am proud to say that I am the parent of a UCCS student. I am also proud to say that UCCS has two of the best bas-ketball programs — at any level — in the state of Colorado.

Go Mountain Lions!

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Include your name, full address and the best telephone number to contact you. Send letters to [email protected].


5

OBITUARIES

Place an Obituary for Your Loved One.Private: 303-566-4100 • [email protected]

Funeral Homes: Visit: www.memoriams.com

Victor “Jack” Johnson passed away in Longview, Texas, at Summer Mead-ows on March 4, 2015, at the age of 80. Jack and his twin brother, Vernon Joe Johnson were born in July 1934, in Atlanta, Texas, to Raymond and Vera John-son. They had two older brothers, Monte Johnson and Neill Johnson.

Jack is survived by the love of his life, Lois, of 56 years who resides at Haven-Care in Longview, TX; his brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Barbara Johnson in Longview, TX; niece and nephews: Damon Kent and Belinda Johnson in Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Gwendo-lyn and Paul Guidroz in Longview, TX; Raymond Neill and Cindy Johnson in Frisco, TX; Clark and Betty Johnson in Saginaw, TX; and Don and Yvonne Miller in Nampa, Idaho, and many great nieces and nephews.

Jack graduated from Gladewater High School in 1952. He continued his edu-cation at Stephen F. Austin University graduating with a degree in music in 1956. After graduation, Jack worked for a year as a band director in Falfurrias, Texas until being drafted into the US Army in 1957. Jack

completed basic training at Fort Carson, CO, and played drums in the 179th Army Band. While serv-ing the Army in Colorado, Jack met Lois Thut. They were married in 1959 and enjoyed 56 years together until his death.

Jack and Lois moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, after his discharge from the Army where he directed bands for the West Oso ISD for five years. They moved briefly to California where Jack taught for one year be-fore returning to Colorado. Jack attended electronics school and built an A-Frame House at the base of a mountain in Palmer Lake, Colorado. The A-Frame house was Jack and Lois’s home (and a haven for their pets) for over 50 years. Jack worked as an electrician for Pueblo Army Depot until beginning his 20 year career installing electric meters for Colorado Springs Utilities. Jack and Lois enjoyed playing bridge and traveling. Upon retiring, Jack was an avid golfer and was thrilled to score a “hole in one” at the Monument Hill Country Club.

Jack was an active leader in the Palmer Lake com-munity, member of the Palmer Lake Planning Commission, beloved member of the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club and ran the club’s football pool for many years. His legacy of service to and love by his community was evidenced as members of the Kiwanis Club and friends were in full force to help Jack and Lois and his family as they cared for him prior to his move to the care facil-ity in Texas. The family is especially grateful to Bob and Raylene Johnson, Ed and LouAnn DeValois, John Snyder, Tom Weyer, Bill Jones, Roy and Jean Wheeler, and David and Ginger Dilorenzo. We are especially grateful for the care provided by the Pikes Peak Hospice Unit at Pen-rose Hospital in January before the move to Texas.

Jack was a kind and witty man, loved by his com-munity. His humor, joy and heart for serving others were a blessing to friends and family. He will be greatly missed.

Memorial tributes may be sent to � Monument Hill Kiwanis Club at PO Box 102 Monument, CO 80132.

JOHNSONVictor “Jack” Johnson

July 1934 – March 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITORDear Editor:Please share this information about this

April 18 Firewise presentation and tour about fire fuel mitigation. We want to get the word out to as many Tri-Lakes/Palmer Divide area people as we can. Here’s the text contained in the pdf.

Community meeting: You can protect your home from wildfire. Free and open to everyone in the Tri-Lakes/Palmer Divide area. Please bring your friends, neighbors and HOA reps. We have room to accom-modate 200-plus people on April 18.

Firewise Talk 9 to 10 a.m. – Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Marshal John Vincent will explain how to make your home and prop-erty more defensible from wildfire and prepare for the upcoming wildfire season. Presented at: Tri-Lakes United Methodist Church, 20256 Hunting Downs Way, east of Kings Deer.

• You can keep most of your trees and still have a home that firefighters could

defend.• How each family can do their part and

help the Tri-Lakes area become a “fire-adapted community”

Visit to Black Forest Burn Sites – 10 a.m. to noon – Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department Chief/Fire Investigator Margo Humes and Black Forest Together Representative Bill Mantia will conduct an explanatory tour of selected burn sites discussing lessons learned. Caravan to Black Forest.

• Learn from the experience of the Black Forest Fire.

For more information, write to Andre’ at [email protected], or call Lisa (719) 339-7831 or Judy at (719) 229-9636.

We are “In This Together!” is hosted by Tri-Lakes United Methodist Church emer-gency preparedness group.

Lisa Hatfield, Tri-Lakes

Ice was big businessI have talked about ice here before. It

was big business in this area going back a 150 years, before we had mechanical refrigerators. There was a big ice house at Palmer Lake, later another at Monu-ment, but only little ones in Ute Pass until 1920. The change was caused by the closing of the Colorado Midland west of Divide. The largest ice house in the area west of Pikes Peak was at Lake George.

Plans were underway for the con-struction of a new ice house with stor-age capacity of at least 1,800 tons at Divide the winter of 1922. This would replace the one at Lake George. This in addition to the one built by H.M. Som-mers at Woodland Park in 1921, having a capacity of 1,000 tons, should prove sufficient to care for the needs of all lettuce growers of the Ute Pass district, according to Edgar Faulkner, vice presi-dent of the Pikes Peak Lettuce Coopera-tive association.

This lake was just north of the busi-nesses in Woodland Park. While lettuce growing was a new industry, those who made the attempt were fairly success-ful under adverse weather conditions and it was the intention to continue this branch of farming. In 1921, 200 acres were planted around Divide and other Ute Pass points and it was the inten-tion to increase that acreage, according

to those growers in the upper Ute Pass. Thirty-two cars, which averaged 320 crates to the car, sold at $1 per crate profit, were shipped to eastern points in 1921. In 1922, that number doubled.

The ice industry thrived while the various farm crops that needed the ice made heavy demands as their crops were expanding. The problems came with a change in the weather in the late 1920s. The lettuce industry almost disappeared in the 1930s. The railroads started using mechanical refrigeration in the 1930s, which did not require the same amounts of natural ice.

The lakes, for the most part are still there, more for their water, used for homes and recreation than back then. Here, the importance of Palmer Lake as a resource has been in the news since it dried up. Down on the south end, now ball fields, was once huge ice houses.

EDITOR’S NOTE: To add or update a club listing, e-mail [email protected].

ProfessionalPIKES PEAK Workforce Center o�ers monthly classes on topics such as resume writing, interview skills and more. Workshops are free and take place at the main o�ce, 1675 Garden of the Gods Road, Suite 1107, Colorado Springs. Call 719-667-3730 or go to www.ppwfc.org.

TRI-LAKES BUSINESS Networking In-ternational meets from 8-9:30 a.m. every Wednesday at the Mozaic Inn in Palmer Lake. Call Elizabeth Bryson at 719-481-0600

TRI-LAKES CHAMBER Business After Hours meets from 5-7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at various locations. Free to members; $10 for non-members. Call 719 481-3282 or go to www.trilakeschamber.com.

TRI-LAKES CHAMBER Business Net-working Group meets at 7:30 a.m. the �rst and third Thursday at Willow Tree Cafe, 140 2nd St., Monument. New members welcome. If District 38 is delayed or cancelled, their will be no meeting. Yearly membership dues are $20. Call 719 481-3282 or go to www.trilakeschamber.com.

WOODMOOR BUSINESS Group Meeting is the second Monday of every month from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Woodmoor Barn, 1691 Woodmoor Dr. We are Woodmoor residents o�ering products and services to the community. New members welcome. For more information, call Bobbi Doyle at 719-331-3003 or go to www.woodmoorbusiness-group.com.

RecreationAMATEUR RADIO Operators, W0TLM (Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Radio Association), meets at 6:30 p.m. the third Monday of each month. All Amateur Radio Operators are welcome. Contact Joyce Witte at [email protected] or 719-488-0859 for information. Go to www.w0tlm.com.

ADULT RECREATIONAL and intermedi-ate pick up volleyball is at Lewis-Palmer Middle School every Monday from 7-9 p.m. Call Claudia at 719-313-6662 for details.

BINGO BY the Tri-Lakes American Legion Post 9-11 is conducted from 7 to 9 p.m. every Saturday at the Post home, Depot Restaurant in Palmer lake. Proceeds are dedicated to Scholarship and community support activities of the Post. At least 70 percent of the game sales are awarded in prizes, and free food drawings are conducted. Doors open at 6 p.m. and all are invited for the fun, food, and prizes. See www.americanlegiontrilakespost911.com/bingo.htm for more

information.

BIG RED Saturday Market. Fresh vegetables and fruit, bakery items, local honey, crafts, jewelry, pet stu� and more are for sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at the Big Red Saturday market at Second and Je�erson streets in Monument. The money bene�ts Lewis-Palmer community schools.

FRIENDS OF Monument Preserve is a nonpro�t and USFS partner organization that works to keep the trails in the Monument Preserve usable by hikers, equestrians, and cyclists. Board meetings are at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month in the Monument Fire Center during the winter, and trail work is at the main trailhead at 6 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month during the summer. More details can be found at www.fomp.org.

GENTLE YOGA with Nancy Stannard is o�ered at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays, and at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays. Safe, fun and accessible for all. Flexibility, breathing, balance and gentle strengthening. Yoga 101 for beginners also available. Contact Nancy Stannard [email protected] for details and to attend �rst class.

THE PIKES Peak chapter of Pheasants Forever meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month (except June, August and September) at the Colorado Division of Wildlife Training Classroom in the back of the building at 4255 Sinton Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80970.

PIKES PEAK Jugglers is an informal group of jugglers ranging in skill from beginners to professionals. The group meets weekly, from 3:30-5 p.m. Sundays, at the downtown YMCA. This is a free activity, and one does not need to be a member to participate. All those with a fun attitude are invited to join. Call 719-477-9978.

THE VAILE Museum, 66 Lower Glenway, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays year-round and from 1-4 p.m. Wednesdays from June through August. Groups by appointment are accepted. Call 719-559-0837.

VINI E Crostini, 6 �ight wine tasting paired with moZaic tasty bites is at 5 p.m the �rst Saturday of the month at 443 S. Highway 105, Palmer Lake. Cost is $40 per person.

SocialTHE BLACK Forest AARP Chapter meets from 1-4 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of each month at Black Forest Lutheran Church, 12455 Black Forest Road. No membership, no dues, no obligations; just an opportunity to get together and socialize. Some individuals play dominoes, others work on their needlework or other projects that they bring, and some just watch and talk. Light snacks and co�ee and lemonade are furnished. The Black Forest AARP Chapter 1100 sponsors the Senior Social but you do not have to be a chapter member to attend. All ages are invited. Bring a friend Call the church o�ce at 719-495-2221.

AREA CLUBSFORTY YEARS AGO

Palmer Lake-Monument-Woodmoor News

March 20, 1975

“Fast for the Hungry of the World” will be held at Camp LaForet April 1-13. The fast will be sponsored by the Youth Task Force on World Hunger of the Church at Woodmoor. Each participant in the fast agrees to get enough sponsors to be worth at least $50 for the fast. Members of the Youth Task Force have set a goal of $2,000.

• • • •

Palmer Lake now has a full-time paid town marshall. Dale Smith is the marshall. Debra Staub is the clerk and dispatcher. A police phone will be installed in her home.

• • •

All-you-can-eat chili and oyster stew dinner will be held at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on Saturday, April 12 from 3 to 6 p.m. This will profit the volunteer fire department. The cost is $1.25 with dessert at an extra price. A white elephant sale will follow the meal.

• • •

The Gospel Relatives will sing at Monu-ment Assembly of God Church Friday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free but a free-will offering will be taken.

• • •

On Sunday, March 23, Monument Assembly of God will begin a two-week revival. The Evangelist is E.R. Lewis from Paradise, Texas. Services will begin at 7:30 p.m. Special music will be provided by Country Gospelaires.

• • •

Virgil Watkins gave an update of the new Monument Hill Library at the Kiwanis

meeting on March 12. This is an exten-sion of Penrose Library and will supple-ment Palmer Lake Library. Shelves for 4,000 volumes have been constructed. One hundred and forty man hours by the Sarcoma club were devoted. Materials were supplied by gifts from Monument Town Council and the Sertoma Club. The seventh and eighth grade shop group did the painting task. A room at Lewis Palmer Middle School was provided by District 38 and has an outside entrance.

• • •

Monument Cemetery history: In 1874 there was no cemetery and the land belonged to Mr. Bissel. Mrs. Hettie E. Thompson, his niece, was buried on this piece of ground. On Oct. 21, 1876, there was a feud between Daniel Davidson and Francis Brown over a cattle transaction. They passed harsh words in Harry Lim-bach’s store. Davidson drew a pistol and shot Mr. Brown. Brown was buried on the same piece of land. There is a stone on the SW corner stating “He was Killed.” In 1886 Mr. Bissel deeded 5 acres to the town. In the 1920s Mr. J. A Baugher, also a resident of Monument, donated land adding more to the cemetery.

• • •

On March 17, a dog was attacked and killed in Palmer Lake by seven dogs in a pack. A lady took a broom and chased the dogs away. It happened near the school when children were arriving. If dogs are not fenced or on a leash or not in con-trol of the owner, they will be picked up. If dogs seen in packs are not able to be picked up, they will be killed.

— Compiled by Linda Case


6-Life

LIFET R I - L A K E S

Monument Academy excels during �rst out-of-state competitionBy Jennifer CunninghamContributing writer

Competition is nothing new for Monument Academy choir and drama students. Since arriving five years ago, Jeremy Holtrop, the fine arts lead teacher, has taken hundreds of students throughout the state, receiving top honors at every event.

Their first out-of-state competition proved no differ-ent. Thirty students, two teachers and 10 parent chaper-ones traveled in late February to the National Perform-ing Arts Festival held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. During the four-day competition, 10 groups from throughout the country performed under the lights in front of seasoned actors, educators and off-Broadway stars.

Bekah Schneider, Monument Academy’s drama coach, led 13 students through a shortened rendition of “The Lost Half Hour.” Among them were three sixth-grade students, who had never been on stage before. In spite of this, and combating fatigue from the grueling day of travel, they skillfully executed what was just the second performance of the entire competition.

The drama team received an excellent rating, the sec-ond best available. In addition, two students received individual awards. Carson Schlem, eighth grade, and Declan McKeown, seventh, were awarded “outstand-ing performer” awards. Schlem was also awarded “best overall male performer” for the entire festival.

For the 27 choir students, led by Holtrop, their per-formance was just shy of perfect. Performing “Musical Revue,” judges had little to critique, ultimately giving a 96 out of 100 points and a superior rating.

The competition offered more than just on-stage ex-perience. Several workshops were given, along with per-sonalized feedback from the various judges after each performance. Students also experienced a day-in-the-life of a Disney performer, learning choreography, songs and staging, followed by execution, all in a very short period of time.

Participating in this competition was a significant un-dertaking by both students and parents. Planning for the trip began last May. By November, 2014, students com-mitted to participate and paid up to $2,000 in expenses. After school practices began well before Christmas and continued up until they traveled.

“MA students were provided an opportunity of a lifetime. The skills they acquired from their teachers to excel at the festival will definitely provide them with a solid foundation for future successes,” shared Cynthia

Fong-Smith, a chaperon and parent of a performer.Monument Academy was the only public school to

compete. The other contestants consisted of youth from drama troupes, theatre groups and performing arts academies. That was of little consequence and provided a great learning experience.

“I’m glad our kids competed against the best of the best,” said Schneider.

The trip was a bittersweet moment for Holtrop. He and his family are returning to their home state of Mich-

igan at the conclusion of the school year.“There isn’t a day that’s not hard,” he shared.He feels confident in their decision to move closer to

family, but wants to ensure the students are left in good hands. He will participate in the selection of his replace-ment.

Those who would like to learn more about Monument Academy’s choir and drama department, can reach the teachers at [email protected] and [email protected].

Jeremy Holtrop (in purple), Monument Academy’s Fine Arts lead, is presented with one of two awards garnered at the National Performing Arts Festival in Orlando, FL. This was the school’s �rst out-of-state competition. Courtesy photos

Monument Academy students (L-R) Levi Bieganski, Chris Smith and Joshua Alafat perform “The Lost Half Hour” during the Disney festival. The group’s rendi-tion garnered an Excellent rating from the judges.


7

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NOMINATING COMMITTEE

2015 Mountain View Electric Association BOARD NOMINATIONS NOW OPENAt MVEA’s Annual Meeting on June 4, 2015 at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument, three directors will be elected to Mountain View Electric Association’s (MVEA) Board of Directors from the following districts:

District 1 Limon, Karval, Genoa, and surrounding areas (Incumbent Joe Martin)

District 4 Calhan, Peyton, a portion of Black Forest and surrounding areas (Incumbent Milt Mathis)

District 6 Falcon, Cimarron Hills, a portion of Black Forest and surrounding areas (Incumbent Barry Springer)

The procedure for Director Elections & Member Voting is available on MVEA’s website at www.mvea.coop.

If you are interested in being a candidate, please contact a member of the nominating committee, (see committee members lower left). A candidate must be a MVEA member and reside in the district where there is a vacancy. Before applying, please contact either MVEA office at 719-775-2861 or 719-495-2283 to verify your district.

A member may also petition for nomination. Petitions and procedures are available at the Limon Headquarters, 1655 5th St., Limon; or at the Falcon Operations Center, 11140 E. Woodmen Rd, Falcon, or online at www.mvea.coop. Petitions must be signed by 15 members of MVEA and returned to either MVEA office by 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 20, 2015.

Limon Headquarters1655 5th StreetLimon, CO 80828(719)775-2861

Falcon Operations Center11140 E. Woodmen RoadFalcon, CO 80831(719)495-2283

2015 Mountain View Electric Association 2015 Mountain View Electric Association BOARD NOMINATIONS NOW OPENAt MVEA’s Annual Meeting on June 4, 2015 at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument, three directors will be elected to Mountain School in Monument, three directors will be elected to Mountain View Electric Association’s (MVEA) Board of Directors from the following districts:

A candidate questionnaire must be completed for either nomination by the committee or nomination by petition. This questionnaire can be found on MVEA’s website or you may pick one up at either office. If you have questions, please contact a member of the nominating committee. Candidate questionnaires must be received by the nominating committee by 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 7, 2015 for the committee’s consideration. If you are petitioning for nomination, the candidate questionnaire must be submitted to either Association office with your petition no later than 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 20, 2015.

District 1Steve BurgessPO Box 383

Limon, CO 80828719-775-2262

District 4Byrel Woolsey

824 Golden StreetCalhan, CO 80808

719-347-2750

District 6Richard Ayer

12558 Meridian RoadElbert, CO 80106

719-495-4842

Nomination ad for TRIB15.indd 1 2/25/2015 3:01:15 PM

Jeremy Holtrop (in purple), Monument Academy’s Fine Arts lead, is presented with one of two awards garnered at the National Performing Arts Festival in Orlando, FL. This was the school’s � rst out-of-state competition. Courtesy photo s

About the Town Interview with Trustee Je� Kaiser By Jennifer Cunningham Contributing writer

E=Cv2/2. This formula is Greek to most.

Not for Trustee Jeff Kaiser, an elec-trical engineer with Maxim Integrated in Colorado Springs. Just a quick scan around the behind-the-scenes workshop revealed the complexity of his profession. Every worktable held dozens of monitors, piles of tools and miscellaneous wires and components. Maxim Integrated de-velops intricate computer chips used in everything from cell phones to automo-biles to radio towers.

Despite his 60 to 70 hour workweeks, Kaiser is dedicated to his role within the town. In his fifth year as a trustee, he feels a great sense of responsibility to be knowledgeable about the issues. He ini-tially joined the board to ensure water us-age was carefully addressed. At the time, he didn’t feel confident there was suffi-cient knowledge or future planning taken into consideration.

He still considers water to be the most critical and challenging aspect to his role.

“Water is extremely important but ex-tremely confusing,” he said. He admitted even those who are very educated on the topic don’t always agree on procedures.

As the town prepares to revise the comprehensive plan, Kaiser is conscious of the very limited tax dollars.

“When we do spend and plan, in terms of water, we must make sure our water fu-ture is secure and that good decisions are being made,” he said.

During his time as a trustee, he has been very pleased with the responsibility the town has shown towards tax dollars.

Monument is considered the seat of the Tri-Lakes area.

“We take that as a responsibility, in that we need to make sure that when we do things in a public nature, we want to represent the Tri-Lakes community area as much as possible in a positive way,” he said.

The jurisdiction the town has control over in terms of zoning does bump up against unincorporated neighborhoods. He takes this into consideration, knowing that at the end of the day, every commu-nity benefits from improvements to the town.

Kaiser hasn’t considered any of his experience as a trustee surprising. He, much like Trustee Smith, is very diligent in his research and understanding of the issues. When asked why he became a trustee, he said he felt it was time to give back to the community. While he doesn’t have much time to personally engage with constituents, he relies on public feedback during council meetings, edito-rials, his neighbors, and the information gathered by other trustees.

Trustee Kaiser is in a unique position on the board. His tenure began under the previous mayor, Travis Easton. At that time, he was elected by the board to be the mayor pro tem. For his current ten-ure, he was again elected to remain in this position. In this role, he fills in when Mayor Dominguez is not available. In ad-dition, if the mayor were to move out of town limits or step down, Kaiser would become the interim mayor until the next election cycle, held every two years in April of even years.

To contact Trustee Kaiser, he can be reached at his town account, [email protected]. He is also available during council meetings held the first and third Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the town hall conference room.

As an electrical engineer, Trustee Je� Kaiser is all business in his roll with the town. He considers it a great responsibility to develop the town in a manner that bene� ts the entire Tri-Lakes region. Photo by Jennifer Cunningham


8-Calendar

Engagement

Ms. Heather L. Gates and Mr. Gary Trevino are pleased to announce their engagement. The happy couple met online and are planning a destination wedding in San Antonio, Texas for June 2016. Heath-er has a Master’s degree in education and is cur-rently earning a graduate degree in Counseling with Regis University. Gary is a retired military officer, has three bachelor’s degrees, and a graduate degree in Human Resource Man-agement. Heather enjoys social ballroom dancing and Gary is an avid mara-thon runner. Along with their children, they will be making their home in Monument, CO.

Gates - Trevino

Lewis-Palmer baseball team visits patients at Children’s Hospital Rangers’ players and coaches made the trek to Aurora on March 15 By Danny Summers d s u m m e r s @ c o l o r a d o communitymedia.com

It’s not all baseball all the time for Lewis-Palmer High School players and coaches.

On Sunday, March 15, the Rangers’ varsity squad traveled to Children’s Hos-pital in Aurora, where they spent about 90 minutes participating in arts and crafts with some of the pa-tients.

“It’s nice to give back to the community,” said Lewis-Palmer junior pitch-er Paul Tillotson, who has already verbally commit-ted to the University of Ne-braska. “The community is always out there support-ing us. It’s especially nice to spend time with those kids who don’t get an opportuni-ty to get out and play sports like us.

“This kind of event brings us together as a team. It’s great hanging out with your teammates out-side of baseball.”

The Children’s Hospi-

tal visit was coordinated by Lewis-Palmer assistant coach Dimas Nunez, whose son, DJ, plays second base for Lewis-Palmer.

“A lot of our kids, I don’t think, have ever been in front of children like this, so it’s a huge eye opener,” Di-mas said. “This just kind of opens your eyes to the real world and what’s out there.

“For most kids life’s not that bad if you have a bad day. It’s not the end of the

world. Just move on.”Dimas has been coordi-

nating goodwill events like the Children’s Hospital visit for years.

“My son and I sponsored Make-A-Wish kids for years when he was playing for his competitive teams,” Dimas said. “We granted fi ve or six wishes over his career. I’m still in contact with those kids and they come out and spend time with us.”

One boy with multiple

sclerosis was an honorary Rangers’ team captain dur-ing a game in 2014.

“He got the full treat-ment,” Dimas said with a smile. “It was a great time.”

Lewis-Palmer senior catcher Conner Weeth said it was no-brainers to spend part of his Sunday at Chil-dren’s Hospital.

“This is a chance to help these kids achieve better things in their lives,” Weeth said.

Teammate Ethan Lis concurred with Weeth.

“I’m also involved with National Honor Society so I’ve been able to do other things like this,” he said. “It’s really rewarding.

“My sister works at Chil-dren’s Hospital in the pedi-atrics intensive care unit. I hear some of the stories about what these kids are going through. Hopefully by us spending some time with them it gets their minds

off of what they’re going through for a while and let’s them be kids again.”

The Rangers’ baseball team has also been involved with helping Tri-Lakes Cares with food drives. Those events have been or-ganized by senior infi elder Ben Stinson and his father Jim Stinson, a detective with the Monument Police Department. The Rangers have raised a couple thou-sand pounds of food.

Lewis-Palmer high School assistant baseball coach Dimas Nunez organized a trip for the team to visit Children’s Hospital in Denver on March 15. The baseball team took arts and crafts to the children and spent about two hours playing games and sharing stories. Photo by Danny Summers

Members of the Lewis-Palmer baseball team visited Children’s Hospital in Aurora on March 15. They spent time doing arts and crafts with some of the patients. Photo by Dimas Nunez


9-Sports

SPORTSRangers’ season ends with 54-51 semi�nals loss to Air AcademyKadets ended up winning the state championshipBy Danny [email protected]

A heartbreaking 54-51 Class 4A state semifinals loss to Air Academy on March 13 brought a strong contingent of Lewis-Palm-er basketball faithful to tears at University of Colorado’s Coors Events Center. But the Rangers vowed to return next year to what has become their home away from home in recent seasons.

“This year we knew we could get to the Final Four and possibly win the champi-onship,” said Lewis-Palmer junior Joe De-Coud. “Next year getting that trophy is the main thing.”

DeCoud had a 3-pointer bang off the front and back of the rim in the final sec-onds against Air Academy that would have evened the score at 54. But 17 Lewis-Palmer turnovers and lapses in defense were ulti-mately the reason why the Rangers did not play for their third state championship in four years.

“Sometimes we just didn’t follow the script,” said Lewis-Palmer junior guard Jon-athan Scott, who paced the Rangers with 15 points. “We were inconsistent like we’ve been all year. We had mental lapses at times and our old habits showed up at times.”

Making the loss feel even worse was that Air Academy (24-4) defeated Longmont (27-1) for the championship on March 14. It was Air Academy’s first state title since 1989.

“We now those guys pretty well,” Scott said of Air Academy. “We knew exactly what we needed to do against them. We just didn’t do it.”

The Rangers (19-8) split with Air Acad-emy during the regular season with each team winning on their home floor. But ex-perience seemed to be on the Rangers’ side on CU’s neutral court. Lewis-Palmer was playing in its sixth Final Four in seven sea-sons. The Rangers won back-to-back state championships in 2012 and 2013.

Conversely, Air Academy hadn’t sniffed the Final Four in more than a quarter cen-tury. The Kadets won their first league title this season since 1989.

The Kadets shot just 8 of 20 from the free throw line, while Lewis-Palmer was 11 of 13 on its foul tries.

Paul Ambuul and David Louthan each scored 16 points for the Kadets. Louthan grabbed his own rebound off a missed free throw with just over a minute remain-ing and got fouled. He sank both attempts to put Air Academy up 53-49 with 1:01 re-maining.

The Rangers pulled within 53-51 sec-onds later and had the ball again with a chance to tie the score with about 40 sec-onds remaining. But Austin Dewing stole a pass in the backcourt and was fouled going to the basket with 33 seconds remaining. He converted one of his two free throws to put the Kadets up 54-51.

Lewis-Palmer had a couple of chances to tie the score in the final 20 seconds, but De-Coud missed his 3-point try and Sam Stras-burger (12 points) had his long-range shot blocked by Louthan at the buzzer.

“We were able to win a lot of close games this year, but not this time,” DeCoud said. “The last minute of the game Air Academy was flying all over the place on defense and made the plays they needed to make.”

Lewis-Palmer’s road to the Final Four of-ficially began on Nov. 12 when teams were allowed to practice for the first time. But in reality the lead up to the state tournament began after the rangers won their second state title in 2013. A few months later Russ McKinstry stepped down as coach and ath-letic director, and Bill Benton was hired. He inherited a team with just one senior (Chase Stone).

The Rangers made the playoffs last year with mostly sophomores starting. A first-round loss in the state playoffs was unfamiliar territory for Lewis-Palmer, but it used that motivation to come back even stronger this season.

Things looked bleak on Jan. 7 after a 58-55 loss at Sand Creek dropped the Rangers to an uncharacteristic 3-5. The team re-grouped and refocused, winning 16 of its next 18 games to advance to the Final Four.

“That loss to Sand Creek was the low point of our season; besides tonight,” De-

Coud said. “We did a lot of reevaluating about what we needed to do to get back on track.”

Scott, who led the team in scoring this season with just under 20 points per game, added that the Rangers’ ability to win close games helped them during their playoff run.

“We played in a lot of close games and

knew what we needed to do to get things done,” he said. “It just didn’t happen to-night.”

Lewis-Palmer is losing only one starter - JT Shepherd - to graduation. The only other senior to play significant minutes was Colin Cicere.

Lewis-Palmer also played more than half this season without the services of junior

Charlie Hovasse, who scored 12 points in the semifinals. Hovasse was out with a se-vere knee injury.

Lewis-Palmer’s junior varsity team went 15-4 this season.

“We know there is always going to be a big target on our backs,” Scott said. “We have L-P on our shirts and everybody is coming after us.”

Lewis-Palmer junior Sam Strasburger, No. 22, goes up for a layup against Air Academy during the Class 4A state semi�nals March 13 at the University of Colorado’s Coors Events Center. Photos by Nan Strasburger

Lewis-Palmer players and coaches during a timeout in the �nal minutes of their March 13 Class 4A state semi�nals basketball game against Air Academy at the University of Colorado. The Rangers lost 54-51.

Lewis-Palmer junior Kyle Owens, No. 44, defends Air Academy Austin Dewing during a Class 4A state semi�nals boys basketball game March 13 at the University of Colorado.


10

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Bears’ Hurford looking forward to another solid seasonPalmer Ridge senior batted .512 in 2014By Danny [email protected]

Cole Hurford is as well-rounded of a student-athlete as you will ever find.

The Palmer Ridge senior is the best all-around player on the school’s baseball team and is one of the top players on the school’s basketball team.

He also happens to carry a 4.1 GPA. Among the colleges he’s applying to are Stanford, Dartmouth, Brown and Wake Forest.

“Cole is one of the top two or three baseball players in (Pikes Peak Athletic Conference),” said Palmer Ridge coach Steve Whiting. “More importantly, overall he’s just a great

kid; in the classroom, on the field, as a person. He’s just a stand up kid. He comes out and does what you ask him to do.”

Hurford is a three-year starter for the Bears. He will pri-marily play center field and bat cleanup this season. Last year he saw action at second, third and shortstop, as well as the two outfield positions while batting third or fourth in the lineup; trading off with Carter Thorne for that honor.

With Thorne graduated, Hurford has no hesitation to take over as team leader. He is confident, yet not cocky.

“I’m just a smart player and I know what the situation calls for,” said Hurford who averaged seven points per game in basketball this season while helping Palmer Ridge to a 13-10 record. “If I need to get a runner over I will try to do that. If we need a deep ball hit to the outfield, I will try to do that. If I get on base I want to use my speed.

“A goal is to hit .600, hit as many home runs as you can and drive in as many guys as you can. But that’s not the main goal. The main goal is to work together as a team. Ev-eryone plays an important part on this team and we’re go-ing to need everybody to have success.”

As a junior, Hurford led the team in batting average (.512), home runs (3), RBIs (27), hits (42) and runs (30). The Bears went 16-8 and advanced to the state Elite Eight tour-nament. The Bears were within one victory of going to the Final Four when Hurford was pulled from a game against Longmont after suffering a hamstring injury in the fourth inning trying to beat out a ground ball. The Bears ended up losing 16-15.

“That really hurt us when he went down in that game,” Whiting said. “That was just bad timing. Taking his bat out for the rest of the game was tough.”

Hurford is one of the top players in the PPAC, with the others being Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson, Cheyenne Mountain’s Nic Lacayo, Air Academy’s Ryan McCarthy and Falcon’s Wyatt Aaberg.

Hurford feels this year’s Palmer Ridge team can make another strong push toward the playoffs.

“We lost some good players from last year; Carter Thorne, Billy Schultze, Jake Weems. Those were all big play-ers for us,” Hurford said. “But we have some good players coming back; Jack Stamper, Kurt Larson, Jake Grubesic to name a few.

Stamper, a co-captain, admires Hurford’s work ethic“Cole doesn’t have a day off; that’s for sure.” said Stamp-

er, a co-captain with Larson and Hurford. “He works hard. That’s why he has success.”

As good as Palmer Ridge was in 2014, it finished second in the PPAC to cross town rival Lewis-Palmer. The Bears host Lewis-Palmer April 23 and play at Lewis-Palmer April 25.

“You always want to beat your rival school; you want to prove who is the better team,” Hurford said. “They’re right down the road. But it’s fun competitiveness. You are com-petitive on the field, but off the field you’re friends with those guys.”

Hurford put up impressive numbers as sophomore while helping Palmer Ridge to an 11-9 record and trip to the district tournament. He led the team in average (.476) and triples (4) while playing in 15 games.

“Cole is the hardest worker I’ve ever met and he’s the most talented kid,” Larson said. “He goes out there and does his best and works hard and gets it done.”

Hurford would like to play college baseball if it works into his plans, but he is not putting a priority on it.

“Academics are first,” said Hurford, who would like to work in a business related sports field as a career. “That’s a priority over baseball.

“The goal is to play baseball in college, but if that doesn’t work out that’s okay. The goal is to get a good education that will benefit me down the road.”

Hurford’s brother, Clay, is a junior at Palmer Ridge. He golfs and is a thrower on the school’s track and field team.

Palmer Ridge senior Cole Hurford is a three-year starter for the school’s baseball team. He batted .512 last season with three home runs and 27 RBIs. Photo by Beth Hurford


11

OF GAMESGALLERYc r o s s w o r d • s u d o k u

& w e e k l y h o r o s c o p e

GALLERY OF GAMESc r o s s w o r d • s u d o k u & w e e k l y h o r o s c o p e

SALOME’S STARSFOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 16, 2015

ARIES (Mar 21 to Apr 19) Disappointed about some-thing that didn’t go your way? Cheer up. Look at the reasons it happened, and you could find a valuable lesson about what to do (or not do!) the next time.

TAURUS (Apr 20 to May 20) It’s a good time to do some reassessing of plans and goals -- even how you considered redoing your bathroom. The point is to be open to change if change can improve things.

GEMINI (May 21 to Jun 20) Take some time to learn who is the right person (or persons)to approach and discuss your ideas with for your new project. Also, re-serve time to prepare for an upcoming family event.

CANCER (Jun 21 to Jul 22) Dealing with a demand-ing situation, as you recently did, could drain much of your own emotional reserves. Take time to relax and indulge yourself in some well-earned pampering.

LEO (Jul 23 to Aug 22) The regal Lion might feel that she or he is above emotional displays. But showing your feelings can be liberating for you, and reassuring for someone who has been waiting for you to do so.

VIRGO (Aug 23 to Sept 22) An emotionally needy person might make more demands than you can cope with. Best to ask for some breathing space NOW, be-fore resentment sets in and makes communication difficult.

LIBRA (Sept 23 to Oct 22) An unexpected spate of mixed signals could cause serious schedule setbacks. Best to focus on straightening everything out as soon as possible and get everyone back on track.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 to Nov 21) Be aware that some-one in the workplace could try to use a disagreement with a colleague against you. If so, be prepared to offer your side of the story with the facts to back you up.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 to Dec 21) An unexpected challenge to a previous decision can be unsettling. But your reservoir of self-confidence -- plus your loyal supporters -- should help carry the day for you. Good luck.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 to Jan 19) While the idea of making some sort of major move in the near future continues to interest you, don’t overlook a new pos-sibility that could be emerging closer to home.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 to Feb 18) Be careful not to base an upcoming decision on gossip or anything you might hear if it can’t meet provable standards. That’s true regardless of whom the source might be.

PISCES (Feb 19 to Mar 20) You might still need to do some solid reassessing early in the week before you can close that sensitive situation. A new job-related opportunity could present itself later in the week.

BORN THIS WEEK: You are extraordinarily sensitive to people’s feelings, and you’re always ready to offer comfort if necessary.

© 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

�ese Bears are hungry for morePalmer Ridge boys’ track team looking to repeat at state championsBy Danny [email protected]

If you follow high school track and field, there was little surprise that the Palmer Ridge boys’ squad easily cruised to a state championship in 2014. But even with all the hype and expectations, the talented group still had to go out and perform at their high-est level when it mattered most during the state finals in mid May.

The Bears are hoping to make it two Class 4A titles in a row this spring.

“There’s definitely that expectation among a lot of people, but we also have that expectation ourselves,” said Palmer Ridge senior distance runner Eric Hamer. “Just because we won last year the game starts over again. We believe we’re No. 1, but we still need to prove it. If we can’t show up on race day and perform then rankings mean nothing.

“We have to absolutely 100 percent commit, and 100 percent perform at these meets.”

The Palmer Ridge boys dominated the state track meet last season. The Bears fol-lowed that success with a cross country title in the fall as Hamer crossed the finish line first to a thunderous cheer from the Palmer Ridge contingent.

Hamer continued his post-season cross country success by taking fourth at the Nike Nationals and Cross Country Champion-ships. That earned him a spot on the USA team. The witty Hamer will represent our nation at the World Cross Country Champi-onship in Guiyang, China on March 28.

“After the World Championships I will be 100 percent track,” Hamer said.

Hamer leaves for China on March 22. His 13-hour flight takes him to Beijing and then onto Guiyang.

“It’s an opportunity to represent the USA and bring a little bit of Palmer Ridge with me,” Hamer said.

Hamer should be considered an early favorite to win the 3,200 and 1,600 meters in 4A. His teammates are glad to have him

leading the way.“We’re so proud of Eric, but we have

so much depth on this team,” said senior sprinter Cole Pappas. “We have Eric who is worldly ranked. Caleb (Ojennes) who is na-tionally ranked. That’s something else.”

Ojennes, a junior, is nationally ranked in the 400-meters by Mile Split. He is ranked No. 1 in Colorado among all classifications. The 6-foot 3 Ojennes, who is a receiver on the football team, has put on 15 pounds of muscle since last track season.

Bears’ senior sprinter Logan Malone ac-knowledged that he enjoys the pressure that goes along with being the state favorite.

“It pushes us harder, but I think we all have enough confidence in our teammates and coaches that we can go do it,” Malone said.

Like most of his teammates, Ojennes is not focused on the rankings.

“You can’t predict state meets because all of those rankings go out the window the day of competition,” said Ojennes, who helped lead the 800 and 1,600 relays to 4A state records last season. “It comes down to who wants to sacrifice more at the end.

“We have to make sure we’re working hard every day. We can’t slack off because we know we have a bigger target on our back this year than last year. We like the pressure, but you still have to work just hard if you’re at the top or if you’re at the bottom.”

Like Hamer, senior Tommy Herebic was also part of the school’s track and cross country teams.

“Winning state in both was blast,” he said. “I know the feeling of what it’s like to

be a state champion. That will really help us in staying focused with what we have to do to be state champs.”

Among other Bears who figure to have a shot at state titles are Kyle Rex (pole vault) and Jordan Swango (jumps).

Kelly Christensen takes over as the new track coach this year, replacing Josh Trahan. Christensen is also the school’s cross coun-try coach.

“You can tell that (Christensen) is a dis-tance coach just in how the workouts have changed,” Malone said. “We have longer workouts and we’re doing a lot of the hard ones earlier now than we did last year. And he’s pushing us a lot harder now.”

The Palmer Ridge High School boys’ track and �eld team won the Class 4A state championship in 2014. Pictured here – front to back – are Cole Pappas, Eric Hamer, Kyle Rex, Logan Malone, Caleb Ojennes and Tommy Herebic. Hamer and Herebic were also members of last fall’s state championship cross country team. Photo by Danny Summers

Bears’ Hurford looking forward to another solid season“A goal is to hit .600, hit as many home runs as you can

and drive in as many guys as you can. But that’s not the main goal. The main goal is to work together as a team. Ev-eryone plays an important part on this team and we’re go-ing to need everybody to have success.”

As a junior, Hurford led the team in batting average (.512), home runs (3), RBIs (27), hits (42) and runs (30). The Bears went 16-8 and advanced to the state Elite Eight tour-nament. The Bears were within one victory of going to the Final Four when Hurford was pulled from a game against Longmont after suffering a hamstring injury in the fourth inning trying to beat out a ground ball. The Bears ended up losing 16-15.

“That really hurt us when he went down in that game,” Whiting said. “That was just bad timing. Taking his bat out for the rest of the game was tough.”

Hurford is one of the top players in the PPAC, with the others being Lewis-Palmer’s Paul Tillotson, Cheyenne Mountain’s Nic Lacayo, Air Academy’s Ryan McCarthy and Falcon’s Wyatt Aaberg.

Hurford feels this year’s Palmer Ridge team can make another strong push toward the playoffs.

“We lost some good players from last year; Carter Thorne, Billy Schultze, Jake Weems. Those were all big play-ers for us,” Hurford said. “But we have some good players coming back; Jack Stamper, Kurt Larson, Jake Grubesic to name a few.

Stamper, a co-captain, admires Hurford’s work ethic“Cole doesn’t have a day off; that’s for sure.” said Stamp-

er, a co-captain with Larson and Hurford. “He works hard. That’s why he has success.”

As good as Palmer Ridge was in 2014, it finished second in the PPAC to cross town rival Lewis-Palmer. The Bears host Lewis-Palmer April 23 and play at Lewis-Palmer April 25.

“You always want to beat your rival school; you want to prove who is the better team,” Hurford said. “They’re right down the road. But it’s fun competitiveness. You are com-petitive on the field, but off the field you’re friends with those guys.”

Hurford put up impressive numbers as sophomore while helping Palmer Ridge to an 11-9 record and trip to the district tournament. He led the team in average (.476) and triples (4) while playing in 15 games.

“Cole is the hardest worker I’ve ever met and he’s the most talented kid,” Larson said. “He goes out there and does his best and works hard and gets it done.”

Hurford would like to play college baseball if it works into his plans, but he is not putting a priority on it.

“Academics are first,” said Hurford, who would like to work in a business related sports field as a career. “That’s a priority over baseball.

“The goal is to play baseball in college, but if that doesn’t work out that’s okay. The goal is to get a good education that will benefit me down the road.”

Hurford’s brother, Clay, is a junior at Palmer Ridge. He golfs and is a thrower on the school’s track and field team.


12

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The Business Buzz features news about the economic scene, promotions, acquisitions and expansions. Contact Rob Carrigan at [email protected] or 686-6456.

Demand for more stories about Ruby May Oliver and her donkey and best friend, Maude, prompted author Nancy Oswald of Cotopaxi, Colorado, to return to the rich setting of Crip-ple Creek, 1896, for her fourth book of histori-cal fi ction.

In Trouble on the Tracks, Ruby and Maude fi nd a new friend when a cat named Trouble entwines itself around Maude’s legs and Ruby’s heart. Trouble and the adventurous eleven-year-olds Ruby and Maude try to stay out of trouble during the chaos following two fi res in one week that have nearly destroyed the town. Can Ruby help it if she must interfere with a lynch mob ready to string up her friend Amos? And how was she to know that she there was no way down when she climbed out on the church roof? And about that business of get-ting trapped under a moving train, that was a mistake too. Had Ruby known the train was going to leave the station, she would have left Trouble to fend for herself.

As in the fi rst Ruby and Maude Adventure, discouraging Pa’s budding romantic interest in Miss Sternum, the schoolmarm, remains par-amount on Ruby’s mind. Ruby’s fervent desire is that she and Pa will return to their old life of roaming from mining town to mining town in the Rockies.

Historical fi ction author Kathleen Ernst had this comment after reading the book: “Ruby and Maude confront family troubles and thieving outlaws with spunk, smarts, and daring, and the friendship between girl and donkey will delight readers of all ages.”

Author Nancy Oswald is a retired elemen-tary teacher who lives on a working cattle ranch near Cotopaxi, Colorado. Trouble on the Tracks is her fourth work of historical fi c-

tion for elementary readers. It follows Rescue in Poverty Gulch, which was a SPUR Award and Colorado Book Award fi nalist. Nothing Here but Stones received a WILLA Award for best children’s fi ction from Women Writing the West in 2005. Hard Face Moon, winner of an EVVY Award from Colorado Independent Pub-lishers Association, is a dramatic and poignant novel set in 1864 at the Sand Creek Massacre.

Nancy is available for presentations, media appearances, and book signings, contact her at [email protected].

•••The Sundance Mountain Lodge is now the

Hotel Ramada Monument.The Sundance Mountain Lodge opened in

2008 on fi ve acres. Nestled among trees with panoramic views of Pikes Peak and the Front Range, former owner Gary Oakley renovated an old hotel, creating an eco-friendly destina-tion resort. It was/is designed with natural log and stone accents to feel like a ski lodge, but with modern amenities.

Ramada Monument now owns the fi ve 12,000-square-foot buildings, which includes a central structure with a 3,200-square-foot ballroom and Oakley’s Cafe and Bistro, plus four guest-room buildings with a total of 115 rooms. The buildings are set around a court-yard, pool, duck pond, waterfall, bridges, out-door fi re rings and walking paths.

Other amenities at the pet-friendly Rama-da include a free daily continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi Internet access. The fi tness cen-ter is free, as is large-vehicle parking.

Like Sundance, the Ramada is equipped for meetings and weddings. The Ramada also of-fers a business center.

In 2013, Sundance won the Trip Advisor Certifi cate of Excellence, was nominated for Best Lodging at the Colorado Springs Tourism Awards, and was a member of the Green Hotel Association.

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