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Manitou Incline nonprofit group receives $525,000 in anonymous donations

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- It's a nice problem to have; people donating you thousands of dollars and you have to determine how you'll spend it.

That's the dilemma faced by the nonprofit organization Incline Friends. Last month, the group received three gifts totaling more than a half-million dollars.

Most of the money came in separate donations of $100,000 and $400,000, respectively, from the estate of an Arizona man who died last spring, formerly lived in Manitou and regularly hiked the Incline.

A donation of $25,000 came from, according to the group's Facebook page, "a long-time supporter of Incline Friends, who has made multiple, generous donations through the years."

Both donors prefer to remain anonymous.

"I can't remember over the course of ten years, exactly our biggest donation," said Bill Beagle, the group's president. "But I would say this is probably 20 times what we've gotten in the past in a particular donation."

Despite whether the money does or doesn't seem a lot to you, the popular trail has significant operating costs.

Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs share the annual $350,000 cost to provide a free Incline shuttle service, and Colorado Springs is spending $120,000 for a staff to manage the new Incline reservation system that started last year.

"But the Incline parking generates around $180,000 annually," Beagle said. "And the rest of the expenses are generally covered by grants."

Possible targets for the donations are: Building restrooms near the base of the Incline; and creating a secondary trail down from the top, as an alternate to Barr Trail, which is in need of repair.

A similar trail -- the Northern Return Trail -- was recently established from the Incline's halfway point, at a cost of $32,000.

Incline hikers who spoke with KRDO NewsChannel 13 about the donations said that they agree with priorities mentioned.

"But I'd like to see some sort of snow and ice removal on the Incline," said Matthew Flores, who was visiting from Texas. "Barr Trail was iced over and we couldn't come down on it, so we came down on the Incline -- even though we're not supposed to. And the incline was slick, as well."

Flores, however, was rewarded for his icy hike. He proposed to his girlfriend, Elise Willams, at the top -- and she accepted.

A comment posted on the group's page even suggests building a water slide.

Beagle said the group will take its time to determine the best use of the money.

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Scott Harrison

Scott is a reporter for KRDO. Learn more about Scott here.

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