Homeless camp near under Ridge Road bridge cleaned up again
For the seventh time this year, a homeless camp along the Midland Trail in Old Colorado City is being cleaned up.
It’s a sight the group Keep Colorado Springs Beautiful (KCSB) knows all too well. The six volunteers started near 31st Street on Wednesday morning and moved their way West.
Dee Cunningham, Executive Director of KCSB said she wasn’t surprised to be back at this same spot.
“I guess it’s a great spot to camp,” Dee said. “It’s beautiful here, lots of brush, lots of places to hide, there’s a fence line they camp on the other side of.”
It’s what volunteers find under the bridge that’s more concerning. Cunningham says, “we find propane takes, shopping carts, blankets, bathroom buckets, all kinds of things.”
The bigger concern is how close these items get to waterways like Fountain Creek. Next Tuesday, Colorado Springs City Council is voting on an ordinance that could make it illegal for people to camp with 100 feet of waterways.
A proponent and President of City Council, Richard Skorman says, “there’s been a lot of contamination in the streams, lots of garbage down there. We need to keep the waterways clean.”
Skorman admits the ordinance might not solve the problem, but he hopes it starts to deter people from camping there, even those who don’t want to seek out other resources. He says, “we’re not going to make them feel welcome if they don’t’ seek services or help.”
A big question for many is, where will these people go if they can’t camp near water? Skorman said the city is working to provide 300 more beds, but couldn’t disclose where they might be just yet.
