Note: No public money or other resources were used in the preparation of these remarks. These are totally the responsibility of John Graham, as a private citizen.
For those who wonder where the capital improvement money went, here is a summary. The last five years have been busy. The City has undertaken a number of important projects and has added services for residents and visitors. Here are the major ones:
2025
Carnegie Library
The renovated and expanded Carnegie Library opened Feb. 7, 2025. A year’s construction was required to make the 1910 landmark ADA-compliant with enlarged and enhanced resources. When the Library unexpectedly closed in March 2020, there was no financial plan for the building’s future, which meant that a vigorous fund-raising campaign was needed. Now it’s done, feel free to check out a book or CD.
New 1.1 Million Gallon Water Tank
In mid-April 2025, the City began using a new 1.1-million-gallon water tank, increasing our domestic and fire-fighting water reserves. This increased capacity brought a greater margin of safety to the community. This auxiliary tank will also allow us to drain our primary water tank for overdue maintenance. Built in the 1960s, that 2-million-gallon tank has never been emptied and needs some tender loving care.
The new water tank was funded entirely with two grants, the first a $1.3 million Federal CARES grant. The second grant, for $940,000, came from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). Manitou residents paid nothing for the tank. In conjunction with this work, we have done a lot of maintenance on our 40-year-old water treatment facility.
Hiawatha Gardens
In August, City Council approved plans for the Hiawatha Gardens Mobility Hub, ending seven or more years of discussions over the property’s future. Late this year, construction will begin on modern bathrooms and a modified parking lot with landscaping. The historic pavilion will remain mothballed owing to construction costs, but the expectation is that it will be restored as an open-air public space.
Funding sources include the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA), a $500,000 commitment from the Cog Railway, and our Mobility and Parking Enterprise Fund.
Dillion Parking lot opened
Over the course of several years, the former Dillon Motel property was acquired and a satellite parking lot created for the 2025 summer season. Two of the motel’s buildings were salvaged to create a modern restroom and new Parking Department office. Shuttle service to the lot allows people to have economically long-term parking with easy access to the Incline, Cog Railway, and Downtown.
Plan Manitou updated
In March 2025, the City adopted an updated version of Plan Manitou, the City’s comprehensive plan – guidelines jointly crafted by many citizens that reflect many of our common values.
2024
CSU Franchise Agreement
In 2024, the City signed a new 20-year franchise agreement with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU). Central to that is a commitment from both parties to pursue a long-term program of burying our overhead utilities. CSU will pay half of the costs. This is both enormously expensive and enormously important for safety as well as aesthetic reasons.
Land Use Development Code Update
Prior to 2024, our zoning and land use code had grown ungainly and disorganized, often confusing, and sometimes even contradictory. During 2023 and 2024, citizens and staff sorted through the hodge podge of regulations and organized a coherent set of rules to guide our planning process efficiently. This had been recognized as a need for a couple of decades, but the scope of the work was daunting. Thanks to staff and a dedicated group of citizens, this finally got updated into a sensible, understandable code.
City Hall Renovations – Police Department remodel
Portions of City Hall were remodeled in a two-phased effort with the Police Department being completely rebuilt with a new communications center, offices, holding cells, and a conference room.
2023
City Hall Renovations – Administration and Planning Offices
City Hall’s Administration and Planning Departments were remodeled to provide better and more efficient work areas for staff and the public.
Fire Department Training Facility
The Fire Department’s new Training Tower, located near the Water Treatment Plant, This provides our firefighters – most of whom are volunteers – with a safe, convenient training facility.
2022
Ambulance Service
In 2022, following concerns about unsatisfactory response times, the Fire Department asked to take over local ambulance duties. This came to the City Council as something of a surprise, but $650,000 was committed to stand up the service with two ambulances (one used) and additional personnel. If you call for an ambulance now, it will arrive in a little over 5 minutes or less, depending on where you are.
Parking Enterprise Fund
In 2022, City Council created a “Mobility and Parking Enterprise Fund” fund. This channels revenue from parking (fees and fines) into a dedicated fund for mobility (transportation) and parking improvements. It reduces pressure on the General Fund for street funds and has enabled us to commit additional money for paving streets. This dedicated fund has also been used to purchase the Chase Bank building and finance the Dillon Motel parking lot.
The intent behind the Dillon lot is to create “satellite parking” to encourage visitors – and especially Incline hikers – to leave their cars outside the Downtown area. This is a “budget” parking lot with shuttle service to Downtown Manitou Springs, the Cog Railway, and the Incline.
More Open Space, including Serpentine Drive (2022-2025)
Within the City, several parcels of land have been acquired, often with the help of the Open Space Advisory Committee. Notably, Serpentine Drive – connecting the west end of town with Highway 24 –now actually belongs to the City; for decades we simply had a roadway easement. The roadway and a sizeable tract of adjacent land is ours now. This will include the Creek Walk Trail Phase 6 extension tying Rainbow Falls to the town’s west end. Additionally, the city has acquired other parcels, some donated, some purchased, to add to our Open Space. These are located mainly on Red Mountain, at the Black Canyon Open Space, along the eastern portion of the Creek Walk Trail, and east of and above Burns Road.
Wildlands Fire Mitigation (Ongoing)
There are some other important capital projects to mention. The City has done extensive fire mitigation at our reservoir, located four miles to the west. Clearing out the overgrowth reduces fire hazards and protects our drinking water. The Fire Department and City have provided a series of neighborhood chipping days so that private property owners can clear their land and reduce fire risks. The Fire Department also offers free property risk assessments. At an owner’s request, an officer will inspect your property and make recommendations to reduce the risk of wildlands fire. There is no charge for this.
Other projects include…
2021
- Beckers Lane Bridge completed.
- Water and sewer line replacements on Clarksley and Mountain View Road
- Parking management improvements
2022
- Duncan, Mesa, and Michigan pavement replacements
- Canon Avenue, Uinta and Via Chula Vista paved.
- MAPS project completed (Rebuilding of Manitou Avenue from Park Avenue to the Serpentine Drive roundabout)
- Parking Enterprise established
2023
- Paving on nine roads, and chip sealing on another nine, completed
- Thirteen new sidewalks installed.
- Fiber optic installation completed on Manitou Avenue
- Creek Walk Trail Phase III (Pool to Chamber) completed.
- ADA bathrooms installed at Wichita Lot
- Upgrades at Water Treatment Plant
2024
- Water line installed on Mesa
- Approximately 10 miles of road improvements completed.
2025
- Creek Walk IV – Chamber to Old Man’s Trail
2025 Work in progress, slated for completion in 2026
Hiawatha Garden Mobility Hub – modern restrooms, lot and landscaping improvements (Construction to begin late 2025)
Swimming Pool roof replacement
None of the foregoing projects have been easy, and several have consumed great amounts of time and talent. As a City, we have worked to get grants or to match our dollars effectively and conserve taxpayer dollars. Additionally, the dedication and professionalism of our City staff cannot be understated regarding getting grants, matching funds, and leveraging dollars.
Manitou Springs Mayor's Thoughts 