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Authority staff plans outdoor stage, works on rec center
By Norma Engelberg
By summer Woodland Park could have a new outdoor stage on the green between Ute Pass Cultural Center and Woodland Park Public Library. Woodland Park Downtown Development Authority projects manager Bob Harvey made this announcement at the authority board’s first meeting in its new office behind and below Vectra Bank Jan. 6.
“One of the city’s biggest requirements is an outdoor performance venue,” said Bob Harvey, project manager for the Woodland Park Downtown Development Authority. “We have an architect working on the plans gratis and I’m working with Craig Harms on the requirements. ... I’m also working on a funding strategy so we can build a stage without using city money.”
Harms is the director of the Woodland Wind Symphony, one of the local organizations likely to use an outdoor stage.
Harvey said the stage, which would have a railroad trestle theme, would be a way to get the city’s railroading history into the public eye and provide an inexpensive venue for area performers.
Harvey also plans to take an in-depth look at getting a recreation-aquatic center back into development. The city previously had been working with the YMCA of Pikes Peak for a facility but that effort is on hold because of economic issues.
“We’ll be submitting a plan of action on this soon,” he said.
“We need a rec center to fill in an amenities gap,” said authority executive director Beth Kosley. “But we also need it because it would be the capstone of the Woodland Station north-south pedestrian corridor.”
Harvey will be adding vacant land to the property and space inventory he and a couple of volunteers have been working on for the last few months.
“We’ve had some recent inquiries about vacant land to build on,” he said. “So we’ll be adding that to the inventory. Once we get our technology issues resolved we’ll be able to load the national inventory software and see where our information gaps are.”
The authority office has been plagued by computer and other technology problems for several months. The move to the new offices hasn’t helped but Harvey said the issues should be resolved soon.
Last month Kosley suggested that the authority create a grant program to help downtown business owners upgrade facades, signs and other small improvements. Board members Al Born, treasurer, and Jon DeVaux, Woodland Park mayor pro tem, have agreed to work with Kosley on the program.
City manager David Buttery said that up until now the authority has been concentrating all its efforts on the Woodland Station project but that at Kosley’s suggestion, it’s time to give more help to other downtown businesses.
Board member and Mayor Steve Randolph will be working with Sharon Roshek, Michael Harper and board member Jim Ignatius as a nominating committee to explore adding up to four new members to the authority board.
“The first thing we have to do is determine the optimum size of the board,” Randolph said. “We could add or subtract board members but we’ll probably add new members, perhaps as many as four. Then we’ll look at needed skills.”
After the meeting Randolph said adding new members would require the approval of city council. If that happens, the city will advertise to fill the positions just as it does for any other board or commission.
Consultants from Matrix Design Group, environmental engineer Chad Coker and engineer Eric Smith, who also serves on the Woodland Park City Council, gave the board an update on the voluntary clean-up plan that was approved recently by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the state’s Oil and Public Safety office. The plan was needed because of a plume of benzene contamination that stretches underground along the western edge of the Woodland Station development site. The state agreed that the contamination was not caused by any city activities and the Oil and Public Safety office will be charged with finding and mitigating the source of the contamination.
The clean-up plan will require developers to take some precautions while constructing new buildings on the site. These could include placing vapor barriers under buildings and installing passive ventilation systems similar to those used to vent radon gas, Smith said.
A risk assessment also will be completed for use by the city when it buys insurance for the development.
“Having a risk assessment and management plan will go a long way to cut the cost of insurance,” Coker said, adding that the state approval of the clean-up plan is a large part of the management plan.
Matrix will be sending two experts on legal and insurance issues pertaining to pollution to the Jan. 20 authority meeting.
Debbie Miller, president of the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce, encouraged board members and local business owners and residents to fill out a marketing survey that is available online at the chamber Web site, www.woodlandparkchamber.com. Those who don’t have access to the Internet are invited to use one of the chamber’s computers to submit the survey. Flyers about the survey were issued with Park State Bank & Trust statements and will soon be available at other local businesses. Chamber members received an e-mail with links to the survey.
Miller also announced the launch of a new lunch-and-learn program in February that will offer monthly seminars on business survival. The chamber is accepting applications for two $1,500 scholarships being offered to seniors at Cripple Creek-Victor and Woodland Park high schools.
After the meeting Kosley said she hopes to be able to keep the new offices at Vectra Bank for at least a year. The authority’s Midland Avenue space has become the new home for Cowbells Gift & Gourmet.
“One of the city’s biggest requirements is an outdoor performance venue,” said Bob Harvey, project manager for the Woodland Park Downtown Development Authority. “We have an architect working on the plans gratis and I’m working with Craig Harms on the requirements. ... I’m also working on a funding strategy so we can build a stage without using city money.”
Harms is the director of the Woodland Wind Symphony, one of the local organizations likely to use an outdoor stage.
Harvey said the stage, which would have a railroad trestle theme, would be a way to get the city’s railroading history into the public eye and provide an inexpensive venue for area performers.
Harvey also plans to take an in-depth look at getting a recreation-aquatic center back into development. The city previously had been working with the YMCA of Pikes Peak for a facility but that effort is on hold because of economic issues.
“We’ll be submitting a plan of action on this soon,” he said.
“We need a rec center to fill in an amenities gap,” said authority executive director Beth Kosley. “But we also need it because it would be the capstone of the Woodland Station north-south pedestrian corridor.”
Harvey will be adding vacant land to the property and space inventory he and a couple of volunteers have been working on for the last few months.
“We’ve had some recent inquiries about vacant land to build on,” he said. “So we’ll be adding that to the inventory. Once we get our technology issues resolved we’ll be able to load the national inventory software and see where our information gaps are.”
The authority office has been plagued by computer and other technology problems for several months. The move to the new offices hasn’t helped but Harvey said the issues should be resolved soon.
Last month Kosley suggested that the authority create a grant program to help downtown business owners upgrade facades, signs and other small improvements. Board members Al Born, treasurer, and Jon DeVaux, Woodland Park mayor pro tem, have agreed to work with Kosley on the program.
City manager David Buttery said that up until now the authority has been concentrating all its efforts on the Woodland Station project but that at Kosley’s suggestion, it’s time to give more help to other downtown businesses.
Board member and Mayor Steve Randolph will be working with Sharon Roshek, Michael Harper and board member Jim Ignatius as a nominating committee to explore adding up to four new members to the authority board.
“The first thing we have to do is determine the optimum size of the board,” Randolph said. “We could add or subtract board members but we’ll probably add new members, perhaps as many as four. Then we’ll look at needed skills.”
After the meeting Randolph said adding new members would require the approval of city council. If that happens, the city will advertise to fill the positions just as it does for any other board or commission.
Consultants from Matrix Design Group, environmental engineer Chad Coker and engineer Eric Smith, who also serves on the Woodland Park City Council, gave the board an update on the voluntary clean-up plan that was approved recently by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the state’s Oil and Public Safety office. The plan was needed because of a plume of benzene contamination that stretches underground along the western edge of the Woodland Station development site. The state agreed that the contamination was not caused by any city activities and the Oil and Public Safety office will be charged with finding and mitigating the source of the contamination.
The clean-up plan will require developers to take some precautions while constructing new buildings on the site. These could include placing vapor barriers under buildings and installing passive ventilation systems similar to those used to vent radon gas, Smith said.
A risk assessment also will be completed for use by the city when it buys insurance for the development.
“Having a risk assessment and management plan will go a long way to cut the cost of insurance,” Coker said, adding that the state approval of the clean-up plan is a large part of the management plan.
Matrix will be sending two experts on legal and insurance issues pertaining to pollution to the Jan. 20 authority meeting.
Debbie Miller, president of the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce, encouraged board members and local business owners and residents to fill out a marketing survey that is available online at the chamber Web site, www.woodlandparkchamber.com. Those who don’t have access to the Internet are invited to use one of the chamber’s computers to submit the survey. Flyers about the survey were issued with Park State Bank & Trust statements and will soon be available at other local businesses. Chamber members received an e-mail with links to the survey.
Miller also announced the launch of a new lunch-and-learn program in February that will offer monthly seminars on business survival. The chamber is accepting applications for two $1,500 scholarships being offered to seniors at Cripple Creek-Victor and Woodland Park high schools.
After the meeting Kosley said she hopes to be able to keep the new offices at Vectra Bank for at least a year. The authority’s Midland Avenue space has become the new home for Cowbells Gift & Gourmet.
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