Walking the dog will be even better thanks to renovations at Bear Creek Dog Park. El Paso County will celebrate the wide-ranging improvements with the unveiling of a sculpture April 28 at 10:45 a.m., followed by a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

Improvements to the park include restroom facilities, utilities connection to supply year-round water for dog fountain and dog wash facilities, paved parking lot, temporary holding kennels, fencing, and critical flood control and drainage work to stabilize the banks of Bear Creek.

“Everything is complete except for the erosion control,” said volunteer Ron Buchanan. “They’ll work on that next week.”

Bear Creek Dog Park was established in 1997 at the request of citizens and is the most heavily used facility in the county’s park system with about 90,000 visitors a year. The 25-acre park, located at 21st Street and Rio Grande, features a primary trail that is nearly three-quarters of a mile, plus shorter trails, all covering a variety of terrain.

Users and supporters of the park contribute thousands of hours of volunteer hours each year to clean up and maintain the park.

Overflow parking for the April 28 ribbon cutting is available across the street at El Paso County Park headquarters. Of course, dogs are welcome at the event.

Not a big surprise from this seat but District 3 Commissioner Sallie Clark was endorsed Tuesday by the Board of Directors of the Pikes Peak Lodging Association. Clark is opposed in the June 26 Republican primary by political rookie Karen Magistrelli.

“Sallie Clark has a proven track record as an effective representative as well as a successful businesswoman,” said PPLA Executive Director Steve Ducoff. “Commissioner Clark has served her district in an outstanding manner and brings a wealth of knowledge in the lodging, hospitality and tourism industry. As a small-business owner on the Board of County Commissioners, Sallie also brings an important entrepreneurial spirit and perspective to county government, especially during these challenging economic times.”

PPLA further encouraged community support for Clark. Magistrelli bested Clark at last month’s assembly, garnering 55 percent of the vote to Clark’s 45 percent, although just slightly more than 300 delegates were voting.

Clark said she is honored to have the endorsement of the PPLA.

“Considering the impact that vacation travel has to District 3 and El Paso County, as a business owner and past board member of the Colorado Travel and Tourism Authority, I understand first-hand tourism’s importance to the economy in our region,” Clark said. “I look forward to continuing to advocate and complete projects that will benefit the lodging and tourism industry and our local residents — roads, transportation, infrastructure, public safety and our regional county parks system, among others.”

Clark, a former Colorado Springs City Council member, is chair of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments and is seeking a third term as District 3 Commissioner.

Tired of standing in line to renew the drivers’s license?

El Paso County is expanding its Southeast Motor Vehicle Branch at Powers Boulevard and Airport Road to accommodate an ever-increasing influx of customers at that location.
A third counter and increased waiting area will be added to the upper level where drivers licenses are renewed. The newly configured space is scheduled to reopen before Memorial Day.
“Our concept is we want to be customer friendly,” said El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Wayne Williams. “We own the building, so we want to maximize our use of it. The way it is now, people are lining up on the stairs so there is a safety issue. And it’s not very good customer service. We want to improve that and shorten the time people are in line.”
The Southeast Branch served 1,042 customers Wednesday at its drivers license and motor vehicle counters. For the year, it has accounted for 39 percent of customers served at the county’s four locations, making it the busiest. Other locations are Centennial Hall at 200 S. Cascade Ave., Union Town Center at 2447 N. Union Blvd., and the main Motor Vehicle office at the new Citizens Service Center, 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Rd.
Williams said the Southeast Branch will take advantage of space not being utilized on the upper level. While construction takes place on the upper level, the drivers license service will relocate to the ground level, temporarily decreasing the number of counters available.
The additional upper level space will also be used for early voting in elections.