Manitou Springs declares disaster emergency, but businesses thrive

Three days after the weather hit Manitou Springs hard, the damages are adding up to millions of dollars.

Mayor Ken Jaray signed a local disaster declaration Thursday. It allows them to tap into emergency funds and reach out to other agencies for assistance.

But for now, it’s business as usual for some shops and attractions in town. One mainstay, the Penny Arcade, is back up and running.

“We had a couple kiddie rides having problems but that was about it,” said Ron Allen, a Penny Arcade Employee.

This is what it looked like after Monday night’s torrential rains and hail, but thanks to volunteers it’s now a different story.

“We’ve already got a good crowd coming in through the day,” Allen said.

Following the storm, you’d expect to see more signs on the video game machines saying they’re out of order. But if you take a look around, you’ll see most machines are working.

Which means for the arcade, it’s not game over. Though some people weren’t sure what to expect.

“We didn’t know if they were going to be open because of all the water and we thought, well we’re just going to up there and check it out and see,” said Pamela Saufley who lives Colorado Springs. While the Penny Arcade is doing well, it’s not all fun and games for the city. The clean-up efforts around town continue, as damages add up to an estimated $1.5 million. That’s why the city declared a disaster emergency. The goal is to get funding for infrastructure repairs and cleanup. Serpentine drive, the main entrance into the community, is the biggest focus for the repairs. The catch basins took a beating too. Manitou Springs residents with wooden debris can take it to 10 Old Man’s Trail to be disposed of.