Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press council on vacant storefronts, neighborhood repairs and e-bike safety
Summary
Public commenters urged action on a long-vacant '711 Building' on Manitou Avenue, asked the council to reallocate planned sidewalk engineering funds to neighborhood maintenance, and reported dangerous e-bike groups on Pilot Knob that led to an injury.
Several residents used the July 7 public-comment period to press the Manitou Springs City Council on neighborhood maintenance and safety.
Jan told the council she is "disgusted with the decrepit nature of the 711 Building on Manitou Avenue" and asked whether the city could amend municipal code or levy a fee on long-vacant properties to incentivize improvements or provide opportunities to highlight local artists on vacant storefronts.
Dave Woolverton urged the council to reconsider funding priorities in the packet, saying a $40,000 engineering allocation for a sidewalk to Black Canyon Open Space should be reallocated to longstanding neighborhood needs. "My property taxes have doubled since 2018, and there hasn't been a dime spent in my neighborhood," he said, and offered to walk council through local problem areas.
Linda Moreland reported an incident she said occurred within the last hour in which a large group of e-bikes was riding down Pilot Knob at high speed and a rider fell and was injured. "She said there were she couldn't even count how many. It was a huge group going really fast," Moreland said, and asked staff to follow up on safety concerns.
The mayor asked staff to follow up on the e-bike complaint and thanked the speakers for raising neighborhood concerns. No formal council action was recorded during public comment; several council members later referenced related correspondence and follow-up options during council updates.
