Side Streets ~ Neighborhood people and issues

Archive for July, 2009

MY HOUSE IS SUFFOCATING!

July 29th, 2009, 6:06 pm by

Who knew that houses need to breathe? Not Sally Buckley of Woodland Park.

But she learned that hard lesson when she bought a house in May 2008 and discovered its attic wasn’t properly vented, according to experts who examined the house.

Here is Sally’s little house. Notice the lack of rooftop vents, wind turbines or gable vents. Several soffit vents under the front eaves of the house are not visible in the photos.

moldhousewide

Looking at the rear of the house, below, there are no vents in the garage roof or gable, in the foreground. Nor is there a gable vent on the house although there are three roof vents visible along the roofline as well as various sewer vents and furnace venting.

moldroof

 Besides what the experts say is poor venting, the house suffered mechanical problems including a questionable bathroom exhaust system that had pipes running over 20 feet across the attic to reach vents.

Even worse, the pipes were not insulated. And one was broken off, pumping warm, moist air from the bathrooms directly into the attic. The result was nasty toxic black mold, visible in the photo below.

moldexhaustpipe

 Here are more photos of the mold as it spread into Buckley’s house: 

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 In early stages, the mold looks like simple dirt. Below is some of the mold that remained in Buckley’s windowsills Wednesday as crews worked to safely remove it from the house. 

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 Powers Thermal Insulation employee Ben Benavidez wraps insulation along the length of the repaired exhaust pipe Wednesday prior to blowing in new insulation.

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 Here is a closeup of baffles to be placed over soffit vents to ensure proper ventilation.

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Bobby Cotten, general manager of Powers Thermal Insulation, sent his crews to Buckley’s house to remove the mold after builder John Tottleben of Jett Construction Co. declined to help Buckley remove the mold.

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THE TALE OF PEANUT AND SPROUT

July 26th, 2009, 12:00 pm by

Judith Kay simply wanted to help the children she tutors. Most have self-esteem issues. Some are developmentally disabled. Some need socialization skills.

Kay holds dual master’s degrees in education –she’s a trained speech and hearing therapist working from her home on a cul de sac in the Knob Hill neighborhood.

 A couple years ago she took equine-assisted learning classes and became certified as a teacher. Convinced horses could help her students, Kay adopted in September 2007 two miniatures – Peanut and Sprout - and began using tem with her students.

Here’s a look at all Kay and her four-legged therapists, Peanut and Sprout:

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The results were immediate and significant.

And, clearly, Kay has fallen in love with them. She has converted her home into a mini-ranch for mini-horses.

These are not ponies. They are 19-year-old miniature horses that weigh in at about 250 pounds. That’s not much bigger than many Great Danes. And city code permits four Great Danes per home.

Things were fine until December 2008 when the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region received a complaint. Kay was cited for a misdemeanor violation of a city ordinance which prohibits hoofed animals.

Then city inspectors showed up and started finding violations: she didn’t have a permit for her home tutoring business and the lot was far too small for a variance to permit the horses. The horses had to go.

Here’s a look at her home from www.FlashEarth.com

minihorsesflash

She requested variances to the code to permit her horses but was denied by the Planning Commission. Knob Hill just isn’t horse country. Especially not on a 7,300-square-foot lot.

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Actually, there are pockets of horse barns in Colorado Springs. There is a private horse barn on the west side on Limit Street and public stables in Palmer Park and near Garden of the Gods, among others. But they have more space and are historic uses.

And for decades, Dessie Taylor kept mules and other animals on her “Taylor’s Acre” home at Fillmore Street and Templeton Gap Road. But she moved away in January and Applesauce, her mule, went as well. Her property will lose its grandfather rights to have a hoofed animal if it remains vacant for 12 months.

Anyway, Kay wants to keep Peanut and Sprout and is appealing her case to the City Council on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, she’s looking for property she might be able to afford and trying to find a stable where she could house the horses and bring her students for therapy.

minihorsesjudithwide

If she fails to convince the council to give her a variance for her horses, Kay goes to trial Sept. 10 in Municipal Court on the humane society complaint. If convicted, she faces a possible $500 fine and 90 days in jail.

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YOU SAY CAPITOL, I SAY CAPITAL

July 22nd, 2009, 7:07 pm by

colocityflag

So what if a word is misspelled on a historic plaque or sign?

What’s the difference if the date of a major event is wrong?

Does it really matter if an old log cabin ever hosted the first Territorial Legislature of Colorado or the second or none at all?  The cabin existed in 1859 and was nearby. Isn’t that good enough? Who really cares, anyway?

Jay Lowery cares. So much that he is going public with his frustration over the fractured history of Old Colorado City – an historic district within the western boundaries of Colorado Springs.

His frustration has been simmering for years. It eased a bit a few years ago when the Garvin Cabin in Bancroft Park was no longer identified as the site of the meeting of the first Territorial Legislature in 1861.

 

colocitycabin1

Historian Marshall Sprague exposed that myth in his excellent book “Newport in the Rockies” as the fabrication of Anthony Bott, one of the founding fathers of Colorado City.

But Lowery is upset about a series of other plaques and signs that misstate the history of Colorado City — which was founded near the confluence of Camp Creek and Fountain Creek, south of Garden of the Gods on Aug. 12, 1859, amid the Pikes Peak or Bust Gold Rush.

Here are the offensive signs and plaques:

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colocityalleyplaque

 colocityplaque1

Lowery said the “welcome” sign has three errors: it should be “capital” not “capitol” and the date should be 1862 not 1861. The third mistake is its placement on Colorado Avenue at Interstate 25, many blocks east of the actual boundary of Colorado City.

The second plaque has the same misspelling and date error. It also mistakenly cites the National Historic District designation as  in 1983. It occurred in November 1982. 

And the plaque in front of the old Garvin Cabin in Bancroft Park perpetuates the mistaken belief that the first Territorial Legislature met here in 1861. It was the second and it met in 1862.

 Lowery also worries a new monument to be erected next to the cabin will perpetuate the mistakes. It is due to be engraved and erected as part of the 150th anniversary celebration in August.

Dave Hughes, like Lowery a longtime champion of Old Colorado City and one of the founders of the Old Colorado City Historical Society, disputes the need to rewrite all the signs and plaques or relocate the “welcome” sign.

It’s true, he said, that Colorado City’s eastern boundary was blocks away. And it fluctuated during the years as the population ebbed and flowed. He says it’s close enough to say it became Territorial Capital in 1861 since that is when the Legislature voted to meet there. It doesn’t matter that the session didn’t occur until July 1862.

And Hughes said Lowery is missing the point of the “welcome” sign by insisting it be moved west. It simply was a way to direct visitors east of the interstate to the National Historic District.

The district was designated in November 1982 and encompasses a seven-square-block area between 24th and 28th streets, mostly along West Colorado Avenue. Here is a look at it from www.FlashEarth.com

colocityflash

It is the heart of Colorado City, which existed from its founding in 1859 until April 1917 when its residents voted to accept annexation by neighboring Colorado Springs and the city’s residents voted to absorb the pioneer town.

An urban renewal project in the 1970s, which Hughes helped orchestrate, resulted in a rebirth of what is known as “Old Colorado City” and the restoration of shops, businesses and homes.

In 1976, the old town had just 30 businesses and 45 percent of the district was vacant. Today, about 100 commercial buildings have been renovated and it has evolved into a popular shopping district and highly sought neighborhood.

THIS JUST IN:

A Side Streets reader, Barbara M. Arnest, graciously provided this explanation for the spelling of capitol and capital:

A “capitol” is a building–as one of my several dictionaries says–”housing a legislative assembly.”

 The original Capitol was a temple honoring Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill in ancient Rome. Unlike “capital,” which has numerous meanings, “capitol” has no other meanings–but, oh, yes, if the written reference is to Jupiter’s temple or to the one in our national capital of Washington, D.C., it’s to be capitalized.

Thanks, Barbara!

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IF THE NICE APPROACH DOESN’T WORK . . .

July 21st, 2009, 9:39 am by

Traffic engineers in Colorado Springs have tried numerous approaches — known as traffic-calming devices — to slow speeding drivers.

The city has installed traffic humps, flashing lights, radar signs equipped with LED displays to warn motorists, curb bump-outs to narrow the roadway, special roadway striping and more.

Sometimes, however, those traditional methods just don’t work.

Maybe it’s time to try something new to get their attention . . . 

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EVEN IN DEFEAT, NEIGHBORS WIN

July 19th, 2009, 12:00 pm by

Residents of the Eagle Villas neighborhood were shocked when they learned in the winter of 2007 that San Diego attorney Miles Scully, owner of the Gleneagle Golf Course, wanted to close his 10.5-acre driving range.

Here’s a look at Gleneagle from www.FlashEarth.com:

 gleneagleflash

 

Scully wanted to build 47 patio homes on the property. Right in front of Eagle Villas and the folks who paid a premium to front a golf course. They organized a massive neighborhood effort, including an online newsletter, to oppose the project.

 The subsequent fight has been the subject of several Side Streets.

Here’s a story I wrote in June, a previous story  from August 2008 and another I wrote in February 2008.

I’ve also blogged about the fight in June and last August. In those blogs, I posted more detail about the project.

Here is a closer look at the driving range and Eagle Villas neighborhood:

gleneagleflashmap

Anyway, the El Paso County Commission took up the issue at it’s July 9 meeting and after several hours of testimony and debate voted 3-2 to approve Scully’s rezoning request which would allow him to build the patio homes.

You can listen to a recording of the hearing. Better carve out about three hours, though.

But neighbors are celebrating. They had feared a complete smackdown from the commission. They worried that “property rights” would trump the concerns of neighbors whose property values stand to suffer if the entire golf course eventually is redeveloped into high-density homes as has been suggested by Scully.

The commission gave Scully about a year to come back with a plan to protect the remainder of the 103-acre course from future redevelopment.

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CAN ANYBODY OUT THERE DRIVE?

July 15th, 2009, 6:38 pm by

Mitch Logue was tired or looking at his patchwork wood privacy fence.

Over the 10 years he has lived on Dillon Circle in the Tamarron neighborhood of Rockrimmon, he’s had to fix his fence frequently because of NASCAR wanna-bes who can’t keep their Goodyears on Rockrimmon Boulevard, which runs behind his house.

So, about six weeks ago, Logue replaced the entire fence for $3,600.

A week or so later, he was facing another patch job. For at least the sixth time in his memory, his fence was smashed by an out-of-control driver.

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This time, it was a young girl in an SUV who told police she was forced off the road by another driver.

The wreck left rubber on the road and curb, chewed up the concrete and left debris strewn on the sidewalk. Inside Logue’s yard were shattered wood slats.

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Logue happens to live at the bottom of a hill where Vindicator Drive meets Rockrimmon. Here’s a look at the neighborhood from www.FlashEarth.com:

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It’s a busy intersection. Kids use the traffic signals and crosswalks to get to Eagleview Middle School up the hill and to the Safeway shopping center just catty-corner from Logue.

Often, drivers come charging down the hill — dodging folks trying to turn into Safeway or the apartment complex across the curved street. They race to the intersection and fly around the left turn, two abreast, onto Rockrimmon. Unfortunately, they often miss the turn.

When they do, they end up in the backyard of Logue or his next-door neighbors, Colleen and Donald Kunecke. I wrote and blogged about their frustrations in June. Check out the destruction the Kuneckes’ suffered on my blog.

Traffic engineers are studying the intersection but are not keen on the idea of installing guardrails to protect the neighbors.

Maybe Logue should invite them over for a picnic.

In his backyard.

Maybe, they can take their burgers and brats off the grille. And get a side of hot, buttered fender.

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NEIGHBORHOOD DECAY — a radical solution

July 14th, 2009, 6:06 pm by

         Poor Flint, Michigan.

flint

          It is a classic company town — synonymous with General Motors and the auto industry.

         For decades, the city enjoyed a love affair with GM, then the world’s leading automobile manufacturer. According to the U.S. Census, Flint’s population peaked at nearly 200,000 in 1960 and as late as 1978, it counted 80,000 auto-industry jobs.

       Here’s the famous arch over Saginaw Street in Flint:

flintvehiclecity

 

 

 

 

       Unfortunately, it has suffered right along with GM, starting with the 1970s oil crisis, labor unrest, years of recession, failure and ultimately the company’s slow-motion collapse into bankruptcy. 

      Now, Flint is known as a classic Rust Belt city, poster child for the demise of the Big Three Automakers, synonymous with layoffs, plant closings, off-shore outsourcing and brownfield.  

      Unemployment. Foreclosures. Poverty. All are sky-high in Flint, which has shrunk to a town of about 125,000 people.

      As a result, homes sit abandoned in decaying neighborhoods.

      Officials have taken a radical approach to fight the decay, improve the overall appearance of Flint and rid the town of its rot by erasing entire neighborhoods from the city. Open space is replacing boarded-up houses.

      It’s not much different than GM shedding dealers, factories and employees.

       Read about it, or listen to a fascinating report at NPR.

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A YANKEE DOODLE DANDY neighborhood

July 1st, 2009, 5:00 pm by

Slowly, the Nor’wood Development Group is transforming Kansas native Fred Wolf’s old cattle ranch into a new 1,982-acre subdivision.

Here’s a story from May 4, 2001, by The Gazette’s Rich Laden about the project.

Nor’wood wasn’t content to just see 7,000 homes built in its Wolf Ranch project. It wanted to create a community.

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 The seeds of  this community development were planted by Nor’wood in a series of decisions. The first was to charge a small fee for each house sold in Wolf Ranch and use the money to fund community events.

 Then the developer hosted monthly pot luck dinners and summer concerts in the 3-acre Gateway Park it built in the center of the subdivision. The park includes a large pavilion, a waterfall and pond. They act as a magnet for folks to come and gather.

 Here is a slideshow of Gateway Park from the Wolf Ranch Web site:

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Here is a look at Wolf Ranch from www.FlashEarth.com:

wolfranchflash

 Here’s a closer look at the park:

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 Neighbors have gotten into the habit of gathering at the park and now have started holding wine and cheese tastings there, Frisbee golf tournaments, barbecues and large Fourth of July celebrations.

That’s what is planned this weekend. Neighbors have planned, arranged for sponsors, hired catering and scheduled a long list of events for an Independence Day celebration. Games and contests with prizes. Food. Music. Even stand-up comedy! All for just $6 to Wolf Ranch residents.

Here’s a look at the parade from a past Wolf Ranch July 4th celebration:

wolfranchparade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the organizers is Jon Hart and he is proud of the work the neighbors have done to organize a really big party. It will all have a definite neighborhood flavor, down to the song parodies like “Pick Up Your Dog Poo” sung to the tune of U2‘s song “With or Without You.”

It’s exactly the kind of thing Nor’wood hoped would occur as it turned over the subdivision to neighborhood control.

Luckily for me, there aren’t many neighborhoods like Wolf Ranch.

Or there would be no need for Side Streets!

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