City approves warming shelter for winter months

The Colorado Springs Downtown Review Board approved to reopen a Salvation Army warming shelter Tuesday. The shelter is downtown on Weber Street and would open as early as Tuesday night and will go through April 30, 2018.

The shelter would be used when temperatures are 38 degrees or lower and will hold up to 150 people. Along with the shelter reopening, portable bathrooms will be added to the rear parking lot.

The hours will be extended from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.

At the almost 3 1/2 hour-long meeting, many who neighbor the warming shelter were concerned with safety.

“Of course we care about the community and we care about lives. You know all that is a factor to us, but at the same time too we’re thinking about our lives and just like one of the guys that opposed said, his children and the safety of his children,” said Celine Cook.

Rachel Stovall, a columnist at The Gazette, said she never speaks at meetings, but since The Gazette supports the warming shelter she felt like she could speak up.

“So that we can move into the simple place, the place we must of making every move we can to save life and limb,” Stovall said.