Explosives kickoff official start of new Pikes Peak Summit Complex construction
A new twist on the traditional groundbreaking ceremony — a blast of explosives — marked the official start of construction on the new Pikes Peak Summit House.
Local leaders and dignitaries gathered Monday morning in front of the America the Beautiful plaque on the Peak for the event.
The audience stood at a safe distance and applauded as the explosives kicked up a large amount of dirt.
Hanley Frost Sr., a Native American of the Mocahe Copate tribe, performed a blessing for the project during the ceremony.
“This has really touched my heart,” he said. “It was probably one of the greatest honors that I’ve ever (received) in all the blessings I’ve been asked to do. This one meant the most.”
Tourists on the Peak said they’re excited about the project.
“The old (house), I can understand how a lot of people could be sentimental with that,” said Carl Kirk, from Texas. “But I think something fresh and new would bring in more people, even.”
Erica Szente, from Ohio, agrees.
“People who don’t want to deal with the cold, or have smaller kids than mine, they can go inside and still have the view,” she said. “That would be beneficial.”
Officials began planning the project, called the Pikes Peak Summit Complex, in 2013. The three-year, $50 million project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2020.
Jim Johnson, president and CEO of GE Johnson Construction, said as many as 300 workers are involved in the project, and they all had to pass health screenings to ensure they can work at high altitude.
“We have a short construction season,” he said. “We’ll have to build prefabricated sections in Colorado Springs and transport them to the site. Not many structures have been built at this altitude.”
Ceremony attendees received promising news from Jack Damioli, president and CEO of the Broadmoor, which owns the Cog Railway. It stopped transporting passengers to the summit this year while the owners evaluate its future.
“It’s our intent to come up with an operational plan and resume service,” he said. “But it’s a complicated process. It’s going to be expensive — tens of millions of dollars. We need help from our local and state governments to make it work.”
Damioli said he hopes to have an operational plan within six to eight weeks.
The new Summit House will provide a larger lobby with better views of the area, new dining areas, a new gift shop and interactive displays for visitors.
A new communication facility for Colorado Springs Utilities and a new Army research laboratory are included in the project.
