Merchants, residents, tourists adjust to major infrastructure projects in Manitou Springs
MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- UPDATE -- Town spokesman Alex Trefry recently released the following statement on two current infrastructure projects:
"With the extensive work being done with the MAPS project, disruptions to residents and businesses do happen, but we ensure that we communicate effectively to all involved, as well as work with them to create interim solutions. Whether that is temporary parking in special areas, patching potholes in the detours, or a combination of any other things. Improving our infrastructure is something we place a great deal of importance on, and when doing so, we want to make sure that everybody involved is comfortable and accommodated."
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The past decade has been hectic in Manitou Springs, with a major wildfire, flooding, the COVID-19 pandemic and now two major infrastructure projects during the busy summer tourist season.
The MAPS improvement project started last fall to upgrade the west end of Manitou Avenue from Park Avenue to Serpentine Drive.
Included in the upgrades are new curbs, medians, road resurfacing, placing overhead utility lines underground and installing sidewalks and ramps that meet federal disability standards.
"I'd say that the main impact is on parking," said resident Robert Hallam. "There's not a lot of parking to begin with, and then the construction crews park their heavy vehicles and block us in, sometimes."
The project will cost nearly $4 million, financed mostly with federal money and partly by the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority sales tax.
However, the improvements are accompanied by dust, construction mess, traffic congestion, noise and what some merchants said has been lost sales because of difficult access by customers.
"Our sales are down 75% from last year and that's worse than what we lost from COVID last year," said Denny Stockfeld-Strong, a manager at the Skye Candle Company. "We've had to close at times and sell exclusively online. The timing of this could have been better; and we're not getting good communication from the city."
Yet some business owners said that the construction hasn't affected them much because while it may discourage local customers, it hasn't stopped tourists from coming in.
A city spokesman said Friday that officials are trying to finish the work as quickly as possible and communicate with merchants and residents as well as they can.
On Saturday, a member of the construction crew emailed KRDO NewsChannel 13 to explain the workers' perspective.
"Manitou is very different from many other places to dig and work in, compared to various places around Colorado Springs," he wrote. "There are old, abandoned, unmarked and forgotten utility lines we are running into. In fact, we are being stalled on some work due to waiting on a line to be moved by another company. There are utilities in the wrong spot, so we are also having to move where we put some stuff in the ground. We are trying very hard to accommodate the local residents and businesses. We all are excited to finish the project up and see how (it) looks and feels."
Another project is the partial demolition of the Hiawatha Gardens complex along Fountain Creek just east of City Hall. The city is tearing down additions to the original dance hall that were made between 1921 and 1955 and have become structurally unsound over the years.
The city will keep the dance hall, built in 1900, and has created a task force to determine the best future use for it. Debris has been removed recently and flood mitigation work was completed.
One possibility often recommended by the public is to convert the facility into a “mobility hub” to serve local transit, parking, cyclist and pedestrian needs.
The task force expects to make a final recommendation to the City Council this fall.
The PPRTA tax is financing the $175,000 cost of the partial demolition.