Got some green ideas? Officials want input for sustainability plan

Public comment being accepted

November 22, 2011 4:19 PM
Debbie Kelely
The Gazette

Comments on the plan, which can be viewed at www.ppacg.org, will be accepted through Dec. 23

You’ve probably noticed some recent efforts to green up the area — solar panels at the Air Force Academy and Fort Carson, an expanded El Paso County recycling center east of town and Colorado Springs Utilities’ programs to reduce energy usage.

But there’s more to come, and everyone is being asked for ideas and strategies.

The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, a group of 16 towns, cities and counties in the region, on Tuesday unveiled a draft Pikes Peak Regional Sustainability Plan and kicked off a public comment period.

The draft plan looks at the sustainability — the capacity to endure — of 10 areas: agriculture, arts and culture, the built and natural environment, economic development, education, energy, health, materials management and procurement, transportation and water quantity.  Goals for the next 20 years and ways to achieve them are presented.

The lengthy document has been in the works for a year and represents a consensus of thoughts from representatives from local, state and federal government agencies, business and community leaders, nonprofit organizations and others.

The study’s $400,000 cost is being funded by the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment and the National Transportation Research Board. Fort Carson, the city of Colorado Springs, the J. Henry Edmondson Foundation, BETTR Recycling and the Sierra Club also made donations.

A final document will be available in February, said El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark, chairwoman of the PPACG board.

The advanced planning is being done to ensure the community has the ability to move forward, Clark said, “whether it’s finding ways to heat our homes more efficiently or being open to public transportation.”

Recommended actions won’t be mandated because “we don’t have the money to implement all of the things that will come out of the plan,” she said.

“Sustainability means improving the quality of life for future generations,” Clark said. “Part of it is saving resources and time and money of government by working together more efficiently.”

Fort Carson Garrison Commander Col. Robert McLaughlin said the base has had robust energy, water and waste sustainability goals for more than a decade and is working to lead the Army in being good stewards of the environment.

“We exist to train soldiers and to take care of their families, and we make sure we’re a good neighbor — 70 percent of soldiers live in the community. It’s important we know how we have a role in sustainability,” he said. “This initiative will benefit this community for years to come.”

Comments on the plan, which can be viewed by clicking here, will be accepted through Dec. 23.
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Contact Debbie Kelley: 636-0235 Twitter @inkywoman