Side Streets ~ Neighborhood people and issues

Archive for August, 2011

O’BRIEN REMAINS PATRIARCH OF BLIGHT

August 31st, 2011, 12:34 pm by

Months after being warned to accelerate the pace of repairs, Joseph O'Brien has had 15 windows installed and some paint applied to the house at 715 N. 24th St. But Ken Lewis, city code enforcement administrator, said he hasn't done enough.

Kevin Sutherland is learning an expensive lesson about property rights in Colorado Springs. 

Because Joseph O’Brien has exercised his right to let his house sit and rot since it was condemned in 1973, Sutherland now finds it impossible to sell his own west-side cottage and move into a larger place as he and his wife await the birth of their first child. 

“It is becoming a nightmare,” Sutherland said. 

It’s a recurring nightmare, actually, for generations of neighbors of the O’Brien house at 715 N. 24th St., north of West Unitah Street. 

O’Brien reigns as the patriarch of blight in the Springs, having presided over the decay of his family home, built in 1905. It is the longest condemned house in the city. By far. Did I mention 1973? 

It’s hard to explain how it’s been ignored for so long. 

Warped, stained plywood still covers much of the house, awaiting windows, siding and paint. Weeds and brush surround the condemned house. Neighbors are sick of waiting and say they can’t sell their houses because of the cancerous O’Brien property.

 

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Neighbors say Joseph O'Brien's rotting family home at 715 N. 24th St. is a shameful eyesore. Doors remain boarded up. Piles of dirt remain to be backfilled against the foundation. The front porch and stairs have been missing for decades.

Neighbors have complained about it for decades. It was the subject of the very first Side Streets column on July 18, 2002, and several since. 

Code enforcement officers have served their entire careers and retired with the O’Brien file still active. 

It was “Exhibit A” when the City Council enacted a blight ordinance in 2006. 

Still it sits. 

Weeds and small trees grow tall amid scaffolding that has rusted in place. 

Bare, warped plywood, stained from years of exposure to sun and rain, surrounds the house. 

The very first Side Streets, on July 18, 2002, featured the Joseph O'Brien house as one of the worst in the city. Little has changed, even though the house helped inspire the City Council to pass a blight ordinance in 2006.

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Neighbor Kevin Sutherland lives across the street and has this view of the condemned O'Brien house. Sutherland tried for months to sell his house but he said prospective buyers were scared off by the O'Brien house. This photo was taken in November 2010.

 Worse, another O’Brien-owned rental house next door is deteriorating, too. 

Sutherland said every prospective buyer for his tidy little house across the street walked away when told the story of the O’Brien place.

“As a homeowner, I want answers,” Sutherland said. “It’s hurting us. The property is an eyesore. 

“What has happened to all the gusto city officials had to go after these blight kings?” 

The gusto remains, said Ken Lewis, city code enforcement administrator. But enforcing the blight ordinance is tricky, requiring slow, deliberate steps. 

This house, at 705 N. 24th St., is one of 10 properties owned by Joseph O'Brien, heir to the O'Brien Printing Co. on Colorado Springs' west side. It sits next door to another O'Brien property that has been condemned since 1973. It's starting to show signs of serious decay.

And O’Brien has remained out of reach by doing just enough to the house to prevent code enforcers from taking possession of the property. 

“Since we came down on him, he has put in 15 windows,” Lewis said. “He’s painted some of it. Actually, he’s done more in the last few months than he’s done in 10 years.” 

But Lewis said it’s still not good enough and he’s poised to issue a summons against O’Brien and start assessing fines under the dilapidated building code. 

“He needs to step it up,” Lewis said. “At this rate, it’s going to take him 10 years.” 

Lewis wants the weeds mowed, mounds of dirt backfilled against the foundation, the house painted, doors, windows and a porch installed. 

That sounds good, but I can’t help wondering if the Sutherland’s baby will grow up, get married move away before the O’Brien house is ever finished.

Follow this link to a November 2010 blog I wrote about the O’Brien house.

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MUSICAL MARTIAL ARTISTS RESURRECT CHURCH AS HOME

August 28th, 2011, 11:00 am by

Anne and Mago Lauritzen stand in the former sanctuary of the Spanish Assembly of God Church. They bought the building in April and are resurrecting it into their home.

Mago and Anne Lauritzen are turning collection plates into dinner plates.  

 
But zigging when others zag is for the Lauritzens, who have spent their lives dancing to the beat of a Brazilian drummer.
 
Their dance and music studio, after all, specializes in Brazilian martial arts!So it’s no surprise that when the Lauritzens went looking for a house, they ended up with a vacant, century-old church in Old Colorado City. 
They wanted a place with room to entertain and got it, complete with stage, lights and room for a small audience. The works! 
In October, after months of renovations, they hope to move into their new home so they can start holding shows for dance and music students, friends and neighbors on the old altar space.   

  

“Mago and I are both musicians,” Anne said. “We have a lot of friends who are musicians and performers. We play a lot of music together, just for the joy of it. We expect to put on shows for ourselves, our friends and our neighbors.”   

So, in a way, it made sense to buy a small church, which offered the space where they could do what they love.   

“We’d been looking for a house but nothing was motivating us,” Mago said Thursday.   

The Spanish Assembly of God Church as it appeared on the El Paso County Assessor’s web site.

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The church has been painted and windows replaced as Anne and Mago Lauritzen resurrect it as a home.

 Then in April they saw a “For Sale” sign on the old Spanish Assembly of God Church at 15th Street and West Pikes Peak Avenue.  

“We put an offer that day,” said Anne, who manages the couple’s Colorado Academy of Music & Dance where they both teach “Brazilian Capoeira,” which they describe on their blog as “break dance fighting.”  

The past four months, Mago has been busy resurrecting the building, which dates to 1894, into a modern home with three bedrooms, two baths, a loft (not a choir loft) a new kitchen, laundry room and, of course, a stage with a spotlight.  

Mago ripped out decrepit wiring and plumbing, cut out its steel boiler and replaced old stain glass with new windows.  

When Anne and Mago Lauritzen bought the building, it still had pews and an altar area. They sold the pews to help finance their renovation.

He has exposed its vaulted ceilings, straightened its walls and revealed hidden cavities that will become living spaces.  

  

Cool trim pieces salvaged from demolition will adorn the   

interior. So will some old doors that once divided the sanctuary of the church.  

They may even recycle old stained glass and install some new stained glass.  

As usual when an building is remodeled, they’ve discovered cool old stuff.  

“We’ve found old bottles and something that looked like an old baseball card that had a picture of St. Paul and was dated Oct. 10, 1909,” Mago said.  

Mago Lauritzen said he plans to reuse architectural design details removed during demolition.

   

    

Mago Lauritzen inspects stained glass removed from the church during demolition. He may try to reuse it as he renovates the building into a home.

    

  

  

The old Spanish Assembly Church of God, built in 1894, retains much of its character as Anne and Mago Lauritzen resurrect it as a home.

    

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These odd impressions in basement concrete led Anne and Mago Lauritzen to speculate there could be people buried in the church.

    

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One of the things unearthed during demolition was this 1909 lesson card.

    

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This is a brief history of the church compiled by the last congregation.

    

Follow the progress of their renovation on Mago and Anne’s blog.   

    

The Lauritzens’ plans for the church call for three bedrooms and two bathrooms and 3,000 square feet on the main level.

    

Learn more about their Brazilian Capoeira at this link.   

    

Brazilian Capoeira is a mix of martial arts fighting and dance done to music.

    

Find their Colorado Academy of Music & Dance here.   

    

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RELAXING ON MY ELECTRONIC FRONT PORCH

August 24th, 2011, 3:55 pm by

Development of the Wagon Trails Neighborhood began in 2000 and the first homes were built in 2001. Homeowner includes membership in a private neighborhood swimming pool, tennis court and basketball court.

Wagon Trails neighborhood is the first in Colorado Springs that I’ve seen take Facebook to a new level.

Other neighborhoods are using social media to get people together and to promote their area. But Wagon Trails is ratcheting up the activity to new levels.

It’s a cross between Neighborhood Watch and a social calendar.

The Wagon Trails Recreation Association collects $250 annual dues for maintenance of the pool and facillites. But there is no homeowners association board to enforce neighborhood covenants.

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Movie night attracts a big crowd like this event in 2009.

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The neighborhood used Facebook to promote an ice cream social on Aug. 20, 2011.

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The neighborhood held a flea market recently.

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The July neighborhood barbecue drew a huge crowd.

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The private swimming pool is the heart of the Wagon Trails neighborhood.

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IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE A BIKING FAN

August 21st, 2011, 9:00 am by

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The big project for the city's trail staff in 2011 is completing the 3.5-mile Midland Trail from America the Beautiful Park to Manitou Springs. A $2 million grant from Great Outdoors Colorado paid for the project, due to be completed in October.

Perhaps the most exciting three-day sports weekend in Colorado Springs history culminates Monday when 135 or so pro bike riders launch themselves from Garden of the Gods and race downtown at upwards of 50 mph.

It’s the prologue of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, and it follows the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon over the weekend.

I’m totally psyched!

And it reminds me how lucky I am to live in a community that embraces cycling and encourages it with a network of neighborhood trails.

Side Streets columnist Bill Vogrin prepares to bomb down a ski run at Breckenridge.

The trail system isn’t perfect. I’ve done my share of bushwacking when a trail abruptly ended. And I’ve gotten lost a few times trying to find connections.

But I’ve also lived in cities where I wouldn’t dare commute 10 miles on a bike, as I do from my Rockrimmon home to downtown.

Check out a video I made of my commute.

Hang on as you climb onto the handlebars of my old Stumpjumper and rocket along with me at 60 mph — thanks to the magic of time-lapse editing — down the Pikes Peak Greenway along Monument Creek, over to the Shooks Run Trail and finally to The Gazette.

Or take a longer, full-length 40-minute trip with notes inserted to point out landmarks and street-crossnigs.

It was a blast making the video. And I’d love to see videos of your commutes.

Signs like these help trail riders find their way through the city's network.

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Some signs are in better shape than others.

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Here's another map in the Patty Jewitt Neighborhood

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It got me wondering about the status of area trails, especially with the severe budget cuts experienced by the parks agency.

Actually, a lot is going on.

Kurt Schroeder, manager of the city’s parks, trails and open space, said his staff remains committed to developing trails and piecing together missing links that sometimes frustrate folks on two wheels.

“It’s a slow process,” Schroeder said. “We have little money for rebuilding old trails. But we can still get money for new trails.”

In fact, the city expects to finish in October most of the 3.5-mile Midland Trail from America the Beautiful Park to Manitou Springs, thanks to a $2 million lottery grant from Great Outdoors Colorado, or GOCO.

Trail is being built along Sand Creek out east as well as from North Nevada Avenue to Dublin Boulevard near Cottonwood Creek, said Sarah Bryarly, the city’s trail guru.

Her wish list includes expanding the Rock Island Trail, punching Shooks Run Trail south to Fountain Creek and expanding Cottonwood Creek Trail from Vincent Drive.

It all sounds great to me. I can’t wait to ride them.

And I can’t wait to see your photos and videos!

Here’s some of the sights you’ll see on my video:

On my commute, I enjoy crossing the bridges over Monument Creek and its tributaries.

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Going under bridges can be spooky like this crossing under Pikes Peak Avenue.

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Stay alert. You never know when you might encounter wildlife . . . even the prehistoric kind.

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The city has placed mile markers along the Pikes Peak Greenway to help you keep track or your progress.

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This is one of my favorite spots popping up from under the Garden of the Gods Road bridge and seeing the sunflowers along the edge of Pikeview Reservior and Pikes Peak in the background.

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I like this overpass that carries you over Cache La Poudre Street and into Shooks Run Park.

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Down along Monument Creek near Roswell neighborhood.

Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department has a trails page with tons of useful information.

Check out this

trails page: http://www.springsgov.com/Page.aspx?NavID=1881
pikes peak greenway trail: http://www.springsgov.com/units/parksrec/maps/pdfmaps/24x36ppgy.pdf
midland trail map: http://www.springsgov.com/Page.aspx?NavID=2289

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RIDGE ROAD IS A BIKE RACER’S PARADISE

August 17th, 2011, 6:49 pm by

When the USA Pro Cycling Challenge prologue time trial gets underway on Monday, the first neighborhood it will hit is Ridge Road.

The 135 or so racers on 17 professional teams can expect a warm welcome from residents of Ridge Road.

The neighborhood seems to keep a welcome mat for pro racers. The road has hosted many races over the years and seems to embrace its front-row status.

Ridge Road is a steep and narrow as it leaves the Garden of the Gods and heads south toward U.S. Highway 24 on Colorado Springs' western edge.

Folks like Jim Matthews can’t wait for the race. Jim’s property abuts the Garden of the Gods and he’ll have a good view from the top of the hill.

He’s going to invite friends and enjoy the festivities. It helps, perhaps, that Jim is an avid mountain bike rider.

Across the street, Bill Branford said he’ll probably watch, as well.

Neither man is too concerned about the crowds or the idea of being landlocked a few hours. It’s worth it to the community to put up with the commotion, they said.

At the bottom of Ridge Road, riders in USA Pro Cycling Challenge prologue will have to negotiate a hard left turn onto Pikes Peak Avenue. They will approach the turn at speeds upwards of 50 mph.

Down the steep hill on Ridge Road, other neighbors are making plans, as well, for race-watch parties.

These are race veterans, like Patricia Ratliff, who has seen many races over 26 years on Ridge. She’ll probably stay home, work and watch the riders zip at speeds approaching 50 mph past her driveway gate.

Then there’s Jan Brewington at the bottom of the hill, at the corner of Pikes Peak Avenue where the race takes a nasty turn east.

Jan Brewington stands atop red rock outcroppings, extensions of the formation in the Garden of the Gods, on the north edge of her property. She intends to sell spots on the rocks to race fans who want a aerial view of the racers flying down Ridge Road.

Jan is volunteering to serve as a route marshal to ensure no one jumps a barricade or tosses something onto the course.

She’s also cashing in by selling viewing spots on the red rock outcroppings on her property. $5 buys you a spot!

It’s probably a bargain because not only do the rocks offer a sweeping view of Ridge Road, they overlook the corner where racers might crash if they are not careful.

Jan Brewington lives on the corner of Ridge Road and Pikes Peak Avenue where races in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge time trial will have to make a difficult left turn at high speeds. She said city crews have been sweeping the street daily, painted new stripes along the road, replaced street signs for better visibility and marked cracks in the road for riders.

In addition, her husband is inviting friends for a watch party and her daughter plans to sell water to spectators.

Ridge Road has hosted many races over the years.

In 1991, the Junior World Cycling Championships had riders climbing up Ridge and into the Garden. Neighbor Patricia Ratliff and her family sat in chairs at the end of her driveway to watch the action.

And they used the peleton to create a classic photo spoof and a family treasure.

Her son, then 4, sat on his little bike at the end of the driveway, posing as if he was riding up the hill.

When the peleton flew past, a relative snapped a photo. It looked like the little guy was in the race!

Patricia Ratliff's family watched the 1991 Junior World Cycling Championships in chairs at the end of her driveway. And they used the peleton as the backdrop for a spoof photo, making it appear her 4-year-old son was in the race.

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This is a complete tangent, so forgive me.

But I noticed Jan’s house looked as if it was built right into a rock outcropping.

Sure enough, it was!

Folks along Ridge Road love bike racing and they love their homes among the rocks. In fact, some of the homes were built around the rocks. Jan Brewington's home has a room that incorporated the edge of a rock outcropping.

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MR. JIM IS MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER VOLUNTEER

August 14th, 2011, 11:31 am by
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If you see James “Mr. Jim” Wright at America the Beautiful Park, or Prospect Lake or Shooks Run, say “hi” and “thank you.” 

Mr. Jim has spent the last five years picking up trash in the parks. Every day, from March through October, he spends a couple hours a day in each park, walking around with his aluminum grabber and plastic bucket, collecting trash.  

He doesn’t get paid. In fact, he uses his own disability and Social Security funds to buy trash bags. He’s just volunteers his time to help others.  

 
“Mr. Jim” Wright spends an hour or two a day picking up cigarette butts, popsickle sticks, paper and other trash at American the Beautiful Park. He patrols the park daily from March to October. He also polices Prospect Lake and Shooks Run Park.

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Mr. Jim isn’t looking for grandeur or applause. He’s content to get a simple “thanks” or a smile from child or parent who appreciates his work.  

"Mr. Jim" Wright brings his own rolling trash can, buys his own bag and carries his own aluminum grabber as he makes his rounds.

I’m always amazed at the number of retirees who use their free time to volunteer in our parks and schools and museums.  

I’m grateful they choose to use their time to help others.  

So, I already thought what Mr. Jim was doing was impressive enough.  

Then I learned his story and my appreciation grew.  

"Mr. Jim" Wright moves anonymously through America the Beautiful Park as he picks up trash.

Mr. Jim is a former construction worker who became disabled when he severely broke his back on a construction project at the Antlers Hotel in 1970.  

He fell two stories on the construction site and landed on his feet between shafts of rebar awaiting the next pour of concrete. 

“I was very lucky,” he said. “I landed between the upright rebar. I could have been impaled.” 

Then, a few years later, he met and married JoAnne and together they ran her bar, the Robin Hood Inn on North Nevada Avenue, until 1985 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

“We sold the place when she became sick,” he said. “I took care of her for 10 years. It was a fulltime job.” 
  

"Mr. Jim" carries extra trash bags in case he encounters trash barrels that are full and need to be emptied.

Before she became ill, Mr. Jim worked seven years to develop a stamp machine that he later patented.

He used it to automatically print the Robin Hood Inn’s name on lottery tickets they redeemed and returned to the state.

The machine eventually earned him a small royalty when it was adopted by convenience stores. But it never made him rich.

Today, he lives on his disability pay and spends a portion of it every week buying trash bags that he uses in city parks.

He also buys Frisbees and beach balls that he takes to the park to pass around to kids when the Julie Penrose Fountain is broken and the play structures are too hot for kids to climb upon.

I asked him how he can afford it.

“It gets a little much sometimes,” Mr. Jim confessed. “But seeing the kids playing and happy is all the payment I need. When they smile and say, ‘Hi, Mr. Jim!’ That’s my reward.”

Thanks, Mr. Jim.

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Check out his patented stamp machine by simply  visiting this link. 

This is a drawing from the patent awarded to James "Mr. Jim" Wright in 1983 for his stamping machine. He worked seven years to perfect it.

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This is an exceprt from the patent awarded to James “Mr. Jim” Wright in 1983.

 

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You can stroll America the Beautiful Park with Mr. Jim by watching this video.  

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MEMORIAL HOSPITAL’S HEALING GARDEN BLOSSOMS

August 11th, 2011, 6:42 pm by

My recent column about a new pocket park at Penrose Hospital downtown — and the accompanying blog – reminded me I needed to follow up on a piece I wrote about Memorial Hospital’s healing garden. 

It was something I wrote for Earth Day back in April. It was accompanied by a blog, as well. 

This is a diagram of the healing garden at the Memorial Hospital for Children east of downtown Colorado Springs on Boulder Street.

Essentially, members of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado chose to spend Earth Day building the healing garden as part of the Professional Landcare Networks’ third annual

National Day of Service.

Memorial wanted a place for patients, families and staff to go to get a break from the stresses of hospital life. But it didn’t have the $100,000 it needed for the project. 

So the landscapers descended on Earth Day and built the garden. 

I figured it would take a few months for the landscaping to mature, so I wanted to wait. I was really impressed with what I saw last week. 

The healing garden is at the bottom of ramp at the base of the two shorter wings of the Memorial Hospital for Children.

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The healing garden, looking northwest, at Memorial Hospital for Children

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This is a view to the southeast. A play area is out of the picture to the far left.

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This play area is at the east end of the healing garden.

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PARADE OF AFFORDABLE HOMES

August 7th, 2011, 11:30 am by
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There are some things that just don’t go together naturally. 

Terms like “sushi dinner.” 

Or  “humble politician.” 

Even “intelligent journalist.“ 

 

And I never imagined I’d put “Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity“ in the same sentence with “Parade of Homes.” 

It just never occurred to me. 

I love the Parade, which is sponsored by the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs.

Each year, it gives riff raff like me a peak inside the world of the wealthy. 

Or at least inside the world of people drunk with debt. Whatever. 

Thanks to the parade, I’ve seen houses with indoor streams and mountains and theaters and gymnasiums and more. 

Houses that resemble ski lodges. Big beautiful homes. 

It’s like window shopping at Tiffany’s. I know I’d never be able to buy anything but it’s fun to dream. 

Still, I would never have imagined the parade would have on display a home built by Habitat for Humanity. You know them. They are the group that builds modest homes for low-income folks. They provide no-interest, 30-year mortgages, but require homebuyers to save and invest a significant downpayment, as well as contributing “sweat equity” in the construction of their homes.

They do great work. Just not the kind of thing typically featured in the parade.

Same for the Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust. They have a home in the parade as well. You might not be as familiar with the trust. 

Since 1996, the trust has been helping low-income folks buy their first homes. Unlike Habitat, the trust typically retains an ownership stake in its homes so when a homeowner decides to sell a few years later, the trust can ensure the home goes to another low-income family.

They also help with transitional housing and finding affordable rental homes for needy people. 

Woodmen Vistas looks like any other subdivision in Colorado Springs. But instead of mini-mansions, it's a collection of new, affordable homes built by Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity and the Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust.

The two parade homes are in Woodmen Vistas, a 10-acre subdivision they have developed as partners since 2007. It is northeast of Woodmen Road and Powers Boulevard. Access it from Tutt Boulevard.

 When completed, Woodmen Vistas will have about 68 homes built with old-fashioned alleys in the back.“We want people to see our neighborhood and what our homes are like,” said Paul Johnson, Habitat executive director. “It’s very important people see you can have a simple, decent affordable home that’s very functional and a very good place to raise your family.”

Bob Koenig, executive director of the Land Trust, hopes parade visitors will come away with a different opinion of affordable housing. “There’s a lot of stereotypical thinking about affordable housing,” Koenig said. “We want to show people what it is and what it isn’t.”

Here’s a look at the house built by the Land Trust.

 It has 1,643 square feet, three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. To qualified buyers, it will sell for $156,000.

It it a two-story home and  has a stucco exterior and a two-car garage.

The Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust entered this house in the 2011 Parade of Homes.

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Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity built a ranch-style home with three bedrooms and one bath and 988 square feet for the 2011 Parade of Homes. It features solar heating and water systems. It sells for $159,000. Here’s a look at it.

The Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity entry in the 2011 Parade of Homes.

A solar array on the roof powers the water and heating systems in the house.

They get the full Parade of Homes treatment and even get their own webpage. 

View the Habitat entry’s page here.  

Check out the Land Trust’s Adams home here. 

Follow this link to the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs. 

This takes you to the Parade of Home website. 

Here’s a link to the Parade of Homes map for 2011. 

Click here and watch a tour of the Habitat house.

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PASSING TIME WATCHING OVER NEIGHBORS

August 3rd, 2011, 3:13 pm by

When you drive into Pastime Place in the Village Seven neighborhood of Colorado Springs, pay attention to the Neighborhood Watch signs on the light pole.

These folks mean it.

Especially Charlotte Mock. She’s been the Neighborhood Watch block captain since 1978.

That is 33 years of watching her neighborhood. At 69, Charlotte remains committed to the program and is as enthusiastic as ever.

On Tuesday, despite heavy rain, she and her husband, Ken, carried on with their National Night Out festivities between downpours.

They dried off their chairs, built a fire in their pit and invited neighbors out to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

Officer Bob Harris of the Colorado Springs Police Department stopped by to encourage the group and reinforce the Neighborhood Watch message of neighbors helping each other to stay safe.

Colorado Springs Police Officer Bob Harris joined residents of Pastime Place on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011, to observe the annual National Night Out, a program to raise awareness of crime and promote the Neighborhood Watch program.

National Night Out festivities are a tradition on Pastime Place thanks to the Mocks. They have been coordinating Neighborhood Watch events three times a year for decades.

They have a Christmas party, a Fourth of July parade and the Night Out in August.

This year they had a dessert buffet and celebrated a neighbor’s birthday. They scrapped a planned sing-along due to the weather.

Kids, adults and dogs get in on the fun during the Fourth of July parade.

A patriotic Ken Mock and the Mock dogs, Merlot and Arubie, got prepared for the Fourth of July parade.

Protecting the neighborhood is important to Charlotte and Ken.

Over the years, they’ve seen the benefits of being aware of strangers in the cul de sac.

Several times they’ve notice intruders and stopped burglaries in progress.

They’ve also seen fringe benefits.

By taking the time to get to know their neighbors, they’ve made new friends.

And the process has opened lines of communication that make it easier for neighbors to resolve conflicts that seem to arise from time to time in every neighborhood.

Charlotte is so commited she has created a little welcome tradition for newcomers to Pastime Place. She makes cookies and introduces herself.

In addition, she gives new residents a map of the street with names and phone numbers of the neighbors to help them get to know everybody.

Charlotte Mock displays a front page from The Gazette Telegraph from Aug. 7, 1996, which shows her leading a sing-along during that year's National Night Out observance.

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Follow this link to see my 2010 National Night Out column. The blog that accompanied it can be found here.

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