Fountain Valley News - Your Hometown Community Newspaper

Good day, all. I hope you enjoyed a bit of rain and the cooler weather last week. I was happy to participate in a ribbon cutting for the new Panorama Park grand re-opening. It is definitely worth getting up into SE Colorado Springs to have your kids check out the new playscapes and courts. Also, this week I'd like to highlight a new interactive roads map from our Public Works Department, and an opening on one of our County Boards.

First, our El Paso County Department of Works is excited to announce the launch of the new Streets Resurfacing Projects Public Map. The map provides an interactive display of ongoing construction maintenance projects throughout El Paso County. Formerly, this kind of information was mainly accessible in tabular form through the Engineering Cone Zone updates, but this map allows citizens to readily and more easily see where the Department of Public Works projects are planned, in construction, or complete.

Additionally, citizens can see the type of work (concrete, paving, seal work, etc.), commissioner district, which contractor is doing the work, and estimated start and completion dates. I encourage you to check out the map by visiting: https://publicworks.elpasoco.com/. Be sure to check it out and provide any feedback you might have.

Also, the El Paso County Board of Commissioners seeks community-minded citizen volunteers to serve on the El Paso County Community Corrections Board. Applications for the open position are due by Sept. 2. The Community Corrections Board determines which offenders can safely be placed in the community, who can operate a community corrections program, under what conditions an offender can participate in a program, and the standards by which a service provider can operate a facility. The board also monitors programs in the Fourth Judicial District, oversees compliance with state and local standards, recommends contracts and reception of grants, and advises the El Paso County Board of Commissioners on other community corrections matters.

The Corrections Board is comprised of the following members or their representative: District Attorney, Sheriff, Chief Probation Officer, Manager of Parole Operations, Deputy State Public Defender, District Court Judge, El Paso County Court representative, Police Office representative, Teller County representative, a mental health representative, and six citizen-at-large representatives. All representatives are indefinite positions, except for the citizen-at-large positions, which are appointed for three-year terms and are limited to serving two consecutive terms.

The board meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 12:15 p.m., either virtually or at 17 N. Spruce St., Colorado Springs. Additionally, board members individually review and ballot on approximately 22 cases each week.

The Corrections Board is seeking one Citizen at Large Member to fill a three-year term, at which time an additional term would be considered. The volunteer application is located at: https://bocc.elpasoco.com/volunteer.

Thanks, and enjoy a great week, everyone.