Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Pueblo Neighborhood Partnership Bylaws — 080708

For your consideration…..

Click on THIS LINK to download the PDF formated copy of the draft bylaws for the Pueblo Neighborhood Partnership.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Of Floods and Levees — 2

Others are taking notice.

With the increasing number of levees that are failing along the Mississippi, it is become more and more apparent that someone has grossly underestimated the potential for disaster. Even our own Pueblo Chieftain has noticed.

What’s caught our notice is that some levees built along the Mississippi River and its tributaries have been breached, letting floodwaters pour into areas that otherwise might have been considered safe. And we’ve heard an echo of this right here in Pueblo.

Considering what we’ve witnessed of late vis-a-vis the disasters in Peppersauce Bottoms, we look at the Fountain and have to wonder just how safe our system is.

This is especially true when we look at the I-25 overpass at 13th Street, as the Fountain flows by a few yards to the east. There is NO levee there. Just as there was no levee on the road running beside a river as it flowed past Cedar Rapids. I captured a photo from the Fox News article. I wish I could provide it here, but I’m concerned about copyright violations. Suffice it to say that someone piled up heaps of dirt and some sandbags at a low point in the highway, in an act of desperation, to keep the river within it’s banks. The photograph shows the river having breached the makeshift levee and flowing across the road.

It’s pathetic. It’s the quintessential example of the Six Ps; Army Staff puke axiom about Piss Poor Planning.

This brings me to my forthcoming query to the Pueblo County Emergency Management Department. As a member of the Pueblo Area Council Of Governments (PACOG) Environmental Policy Advisory Committee (EPAC), at their next regular meeting I will call for the County emergency management people to explain the following:

[1] What are the levees along the Arkansas and Fountain rated to withstand?
[2] What data and/or parameters were used in the formulation of the 100-year and 500-year flood estimates?
[3] How do those parameters match up against the event in Iowa and Illinois of the last few weeks?
[4] What were the levees that failed in Iowa and Illinois rated to withstand?
[5] What are the written plans to deal with flooding in the Arkansas and Fountain?

I think we need to see how our County government is prepared to deal with this sort of crisis. After all….we’re getting into the range of another 100-year event. The flood of 1921’s 100-year anniversary is not that far off.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Of Floods and Levees

How safe are our levees?

Over the last few years, we’ve heard some reports of serious problems with our system of levees. We have the disaster in New Orleans where the levees—which had not been properly upgraded—were demolished by Hurricane Katrina. Now we see Cedar Rapids and Des Moines experiencing similar disasters because the levees were not up to the task.

In the former, it was a major storm lashing the works. In this iteration, it’s just an awful lot of water that is higher than the Corps of Engineers seem to have anticipated. And this is supposedly the proverbial 500-year flood.

It makes me wonder whether or not our levees, along the Fountain are up to this sort of flood. Or are they, as appears in Iowa, only built for the 100-year sort of flood.

There’s a picture up on Fox News showing where one of the two ‘breaks’ in levees occurred in Des Moines. And guess what….there WAS no levee there. Except for the few piles of pathetic dirt someone tried to shove on the edge of the road. Personally, I’m seeing what local Emergency Management might attempt at the I25 overpass at 13th Street, vis-a-vis the Fountain. Some dirt piled up to face a 100-year flood and it not holding up to the challenge of the moment. Let alone a 500-year deluge. And it makes me wonder….what would happen to the Northside neighborhoods and businesses. Or downtown business for that matter.

I’d like to see the Pueblo County Emergency Management Department plans to deal with such an emergency.

Hopefully, they’re a bit more comprehensive than sending the police through the neighborhood telling people to get out over a bullhorn pointed out the window of their cruiser…..

UPDATE Another One Busted [141616 Jun 08]: Fox News reports another levee, this one on the Mississippi River as it passes Illinois, has busted.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Pueblo’s May Preservation Month Activity Calendar

May is National Historic Preservation Month and, as usual, Pueblo historical and preservation organizations have outdone themselves!  The list is long and interesting.

MAY PRESERVATION MONTH ACTIVITIES FOR PUEBLO, COLORADO

Saturday, April 26th – El Pueblo History Museum’s “On the Road to Denver’s Little Italy,” includes a tour of the Colorado Historical Society’s exhibit, “The Italians of Denver,” and a tour of the Italian District.  A box lunch is provided. The bus will leave EPHM at 9:00 a.m. and return to the Museum at 5:30 p.m. Cost per person is $50 for members and $55 for non-members. Reservations are required.  Please call 583-0453.

Saturday, May 3rd – El Pueblo History Museum’s “On the Road to A Victorian Mother’s Day.” Tour the McAllister House in Colorado Springs and Miramount Castle.  Enjoy High Tea at Miramount. The bus will leave EPHM at 11:00 a.m. and return to the Museum at 5:45 p.m. Cost per person is $50 for members and $55 for non-members. Reservations are required.  Please call 583-0453.

Saturday, May 3rd, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, May 4th,  10 a.m.-4 p.m.- Hose Co. No 3 Fire Museum, 116 Broadway Ave. The Pueblo Firefighters Historical Society will sponsor two open house weekends at the Hose Co. No. 3 Fire Museum during May’s Historic Preservation Month festivities. In addition to the exhibits at the museum, they will have several historic fire trucks on display, including the 1928 American LaFrance Aerial Ladder Truck.  Admission is free.
Saturday, May 3, 2008- Rosemount Museum presents “A Peak into the Past” will be held at Rosemount Museum in celebration of Historic Preservation Month.  The museum will offer half price tours for all visitors throughout the day.  The museum opens at 10 a.m. and the last tour of the day is at 3:30 p.m.  Groups of 10 or more people need to make reservations in advance.  Tentatively, there will be other activities available on the grounds that day.  Regular museum prices are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors (60 yrs. and above) and $4 for children 6 - 18 yrs.  Prices will be half that on May 3.

May 2, 3 and 4 - The Pueblo Archaeological and Historical Society will be assisting the Colorado Rock Art chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society with the Rock Art Symposium that is being held in La Junta on the weekend of May 2,3,4. In connection with the symposium, Larry Loendorf, a well-known archaeologist who has done extensive work in Southeastern Colorado, will be giving a presentation on rock art at the main library on Thursday, May 1st at 7p.m. with the presentation at about 7:30p.m.  For more information, please contact Charles Booms, President PAHS at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Sunday, May 4th, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.  (Reservations & payment by Thurs May 1st)
Historic Pueblo, Inc. presents “The Thatcher’s Historic North Side Neighborhood Walking Tour”
Come take a stroll through the streets of Pueblo’s historic North Side.  We begin at the site of the once Mineral Palace at the north end of Mineral Palace Park.  Learn about the palace, why it was built and what happened to it.  We’ll walk along the streets that were scraped out of the prairie lying to the north of the down town business district.  The hill at 15th and Greenwood gave Mahlon Thatcher’s Hillcrest a grand view of the surrounding area.  Many of the earliest houses were the residences of Pueblo’s upper class who sought to remove themselves from more developed neighborhoods that lay closer to the down town area. 
The tour begins at the north end of Mineral Palace Park; cost includes light refreshments provided at the end of the tour.
Cost is $10.00 per person, make checks payable to HPI. Reservations should be mailed to:  Historic Pueblo, Inc., 201 West B Street, Pueblo, CO 81003, OR taken to the Heritage Center at the above address. Tour Guides are Susan Adamich and Laurel Campbell. For information please call 719-406-0785

Thursday, May 8th, Dinner, 6:00 p.m., program, 7:00 p.m. The Pueblo County Historical Society will hold its annual Historical Preservation Awards banquet and program at the Elks Club, 6th & Santa Fe; dinner will be followed by the award presentations at 7:00 P.M..  Reservations are necessary, please call 543-6772.  The PCHS annually honors individuals and businesses with their prestigious award that signifies exceptional effort in preserving, promoting and protecting Pueblo’s history.

Saturday, May 10th 10:00 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. (Reservations and payment by Thurs, May 8)
Historic Pueblo, Inc. presents “The Historic South Pueblo Walking Tour”
Walk the streets beyond the bluff of the Mesa Junction.  General William Jackson Palmer laid out South Pueblo in the 1870’s and homes began appearing in the early 1880’s.  See the original street names and the enchanting homes built by entrepreneurs and emigrants alike.  The tour will take us past the Walter’s Mansion (of Walter’s Beer), the homes of Pitkin Place, and on to the Orman/Adams mansion.  Hear stories of rags to riches, and back again; a passenger on the Titanic who once lived here and a home lost in a wager! 
The tour begins and ends at the corner of Abriendo and Jackson near the Abriendo Inn, cost includes light refreshment provided at the end of the tour.
Cost is $10.00 per person, make checks payable to HPI. Reservations should be mailed to: Historic Pueblo, Inc., 201 West B Street, Pueblo, CO 81003, OR taken to the Heritage Center at the above address.  Tour guides are Susan Adamich and Laurel Campbell. For information please call 719-406-0785

Saturday, May 10th, 8 a.m. to 12 Noon – Pueblo Pioneer Cemetery’s Annual Cemetery Clean-up Day

Saturday May 17th, 10:00 a.m.- 12 Noon (Reservations & payment by Thurs May 15th)

Historic Pueblo, Inc. presents “The Thatcher’s Historic North Side Neighborhood Walking Tour”
Come take a stroll through the streets of Pueblo’s historic North Side.  We begin at the site of the once Mineral Palace at the north end of Mineral Palace Park.  Learn about the palace, why it was built and what happened to it.  We’ll walk along the streets that were scraped out of the prairie lying to the north of the down town business district.  The hill at 15th and Greenwood gave Mahlon Thatcher’s Hillcrest a grand view of the surrounding area.  Many of the earliest houses were the residences of Pueblo’s upper class who sought to remove themselves from more developed neighborhoods that lay closer to the down town area. 
The tour begins at the north end of Mineral Palace Park; cost includes light refreshments provided at the end of the tour.
Cost is $10.00 per person, make checks payable to HPI. Reservations should be mailed to:  Historic Pueblo, Inc., 201 West B Street, Pueblo, CO 81003, OR taken to the Heritage Center at the above address. Tour Guides are Susan Adamich and Laurel Campbell. For information please call 719-406-0785

Saturday, May 17th,  9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, May 18th,  10 a.m.-4 p.m.- Hose Co. No 3 Fire Museum, 116 Broadway Ave. The Pueblo Firefighters Historical Society will sponsor two open house weekends at the Hose Co. No. 3 Fire Museum during May’s Historic Preservation Month festivities. In addition to the exhibits at the museum, they will have several historic fire trucks on display, including the 1928 American LaFrance Aerial Ladder Truck.  Admission is free.
Saturday, May 17th, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m -Pueblo County Historical Society’s “Pueblo New Deal Bus Tour.” Enjoy a bus ride around town to the various New Deal project sites in Pueblo.  Your tour guide, George Williams will tell you about the history of these projects which were carried out throughout the Pueblo area.  The tour includes admission to Pueblo Zoo and a catered Lunch. Cost is $20 per person.
Meet at the Pueblo Zoo, City Park, Pueblo CO by 9:30 a.m.  Enrollment is limited.  For reservations please call Bill Crain at 546-1443.  Payment must be received by Thursday, May 15th and should be mailed to PCHS, 201 B St., Pueblo, CO 81003.

Saturday, May 17th,  2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. -The First United Methodist Church of Pueblo, 310 W. 11th Street, Pueblo, CO, was designated as a City of Pueblo Historic Landmark in 2007.  The Church will host tours of the sanctuary. Light refreshments will be served and some members will be in historic costume. 

Sunday, May 18th – “On the Road to Denver’s Tribal Paths.”  Tour the Tesoro Indian Market and Powwow. A box lunch is provided.  Tour the Colorado History Museum’s Tribal Paths exhibit. The bus will leave EPHM at 8:30 a.m. and return to the Museum at 6:00 p.m. Cost per person is $50 for members and $55 for non-members. Reservations are required.  Please call 583-0453.

Saturday, May 24th -  Bessemer Historical Society’s The Fourth Annual Coal Camp Excursion will hit the road for an in-depth look at the mine and campsites located in Huerfano County.

This very popular program of the Bessemer Historical Society (BHS) has visited the sites of company coal camps in Florence, Huerfano and Las Animas Counties in the past. This year’s return to Huerfano County will highlight not only the physical sites, but also look into the lives of the people who lived in the camps (towns). Many of these individuals were first generation Americans from a variety of countries. They faced
hardships and happiness. They endured strife and strikes, and many went on to economic prosperity. Their descendants now populate the cities and towns of Colorado and are from every socio-economic level of society.

There are over 90 mine sites in Huerfano County including: Pictou, Walsen, Cameron, Ideal, Rouse and Solar. Some of these sites are only depressions in the earth, while other feature the remains of structures,
or perhaps only foundations.

Due to weather the tour route is tentative, but will include a side trip to the screening plant at Rocky Mountain Steel Mills’ Reservoir #3 at Stem Beach. This reservoir, along with Reservoir #2, has supplied the Pueblo steel plant with water for over 100 years. Lunch will be in Walsenburg following a tour of the Walsenburg Mining Museum.

Excursionists will meet at 8 a.m. Saturday morning at the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture, 215 Canal Street, Pueblo. Cost for the tour is yet to be determined, but includes a continental breakfast, guided tour, companion tour book, lunch, and refreshments on the bus. Seating is limited and reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information call the Bessemer Historical Society at 719-564-9086 or visit http://www.cfisteel.org.

Saturday, May 24th and May 31st – El Pueblo History Museum’s “On the Road to Pueblo’s Historic Cemeteries.”  Continental breakfast at EPHM, with a tour of the Museum’s Descansos exhibit.  The bus will tour Pioneer Cemetery (with possible costumed interpreters) and Roselawn Cemetery with guide.  A box lunch will be served at Roselawn’s Hall with a lecture.  Meet at EPHM at 9 a.m. Bus will return at 4:15 p.m.  Cost per person is $40 for members and $45 for non-members. Reservations are required.  Please call 583-0453.

Sunday May 25th 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Reservations & payment by Thurs. May 22)
Historic Pueblo, Inc. presents “The Historic South Pueblo Walking Tour”
Walk the streets beyond the bluff of the Mesa Junction.  General William Jackson Palmer laid out South Pueblo in the 1870’s and homes began appearing in the early 1880’s.  See the original street names and the enchanting homes built by entrepreneurs and emigrants alike.  The tour will take us past the Walter’s Mansion (Walter’s Beer), the homes of Pitkin Place, and on to the Orman/Adams mansion.  Hear stories of rags to riches, and back again; a passenger on the Titanic who once lived here and a home lost in a wager! 
The tour begins and ends at the corner of Abriendo and Jackson near the Abriendo Inn, cost includes light refreshment provided at the end of the tour.
Cost is $10.00 per person, make checks payable to HPI. Reservations should be mailed to: Historic Pueblo, Inc., 201 West B Street, Pueblo, CO 81003, OR taken to the Heritage Center at the above address.  Tour guides are Susan Adamich and Laurel Campbell. For information please call 719-406-0785.

May 26, 2008, 9:00 a.m. Pueblo Pioneer Cemetery - Memorial Services will be held at the Cemetery, including posting of the colors, a memorial prayer and music.  The public is invited.

Info Zone - Pueblo City-County Library – Exhibits on Walter’s Brewery.  For information on dates and times, please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Saturday, June 14th - Roselawn Cemetery Walking Tour, 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 Noon
This walking tour through the park-like setting of Roselawn Cemetery, will take you past the final resting places of many of Pueblo’s finest.  The grand monuments remind us of a time when the size of your success can be shown in the size of your family marker.  There are governors, doctors, bankers and businessmen, women, children and immigrants, with stories that will impress and amaze.  Meet in the parking lot at Roselawn.  Tour guide Susan Adamich
Event Location - Roselawn Cemetery, 1706 Roselawn Rd., Pueblo 81006
COST is $10.00 per person 12 years and older, under 12 no charge.
Reservations or information call 719-406-0785
PARTICIPANTS: Anyone interested in local history, children welcome, strollers suggested for young children.
RESTRICTIONS:
· These are one and a half to two hour walks, which may not be suitable for all children.  Parents must supervise their children, if they are disruptive you may be ask to leave the tour.
· Wheelchairs are welcome, please note however that some streets are paved and some are gravel, some travel on grass that is uneven.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

February 2008 PNP Meeting

The 2008 Neighborhood Clean-Up Summit

This Tuesday, 5 February, will see the monthly Pueblo Neighborhood Partnership meeting.

We’ll be meeting and eating at 11:30 am, in the Pueblo County Conference Center at Santa Fe and 10th St.

The agenda is as follows:

• Brief Introductions

• Announcements by Officials (who have to get back to work quickly)
- TBD

• Primary Topic
- 2008 Neighborhood Clean-Up Summit

• Adjournment

Food and beverages for a working lunch will be available through the offices of the Pueblo City-County Health Department

Please call or e-mail Susan Finzel-Aldred at 583-4309 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to RSVP. Fee for lunch is $6 per person.

If you cannot attend, I suggest you send a representative.

Send announcements for the newsletter to Sandy Daff by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Part 1: So What Was Going with that Historic District and Council?

I apologize for any errors in the following narration. I have been patiently waiting for the minutes of the January 14, 2008, Pueblo City Council meeting to be posted on the City’s web site, but they are still not there.

Monday, January 14, 2008, Pueblo City Council was presented with a proposed historic district to be called the North Side Historic District. It has approximately 35 properties. The district boundaries had already been redrawn to accommodate people who protested being included.

After “testimony” was heard, Council then discussed the issue and decided that before the District could be finalized, every property owner had to agree to be included with an affidavit. This is not in Pueblo’s Historic Preservation Ordinance.  This goes way beyond the noticing that the City was required to do and did do. This is called “changing the rules so your opponent can’t score.”

Personally, I think the whole thing was quite likely manipulated by parties with other agendas. I won’t say it was exactly pre-planned or orchestrated, but under the circumstances, it would be very easy to manipulate.

More...

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Historic Pueblo, Inc. Schedule of Meetings for 2008

Schedule of Events for Historic Pueblo, Inc.

Historic Pueblo, Inc. is a non-profit preservation organization that works closely with the City of Pueblo’s Historic Preservation Commission.  Historic Pueblo, Inc was established in 2002 with a vision to become a complete resource for guidance, and for understanding the complexities and challenges of preserving Pueblo’s history in the midst of our community’s growth.  HPI is commited to the concept that community pride and an atmosphere for prosperous economic development must include the preservation of our historic structures and cultural heritage.
HPI is a fun and involved organization that helps to keep preservation in focus for our citizens, city and city officials.  HPI assists in purchasing National Historic Registry Plaques, purchases Pueblo Landmark Plaques, and sponsors the Historic Resource of Pueblo Plaque Program.  We sponsor educational forums, receptions at historic homes, walking tours of the Northside and Southside of Pueblo, an annual October Historic Pueblo Home Tour and our December Orman-Adams tour membership drive To see Schedule of Events, click “more”

More...

Monday, December 03, 2007

PNP Meeting December 2007

Discussions with City Officials.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, 4 December, will see the Pueblo Neighborhood Partnership meeting.

We’ll be meeting and eating at 11:30 am, in the District Attorney’s Conference Room in their building at 701 Court St.

The agenda is as follows:

• Brief Introductions

• Announcements by Officials (who have to get back to work quickly)
- TBD

• Official Business
- Committee Reports
- Proposed Bylaws & Articles of Incorporation [Note: Bylaws (Draft) are available for download from Pueblog.us.]
- January 2008 Retreat

• Primary Topic
- Pueblo Planning & Development Department Plans for the Future Development of Pueblo; Mr. Jerry Pacheco, Assistant City Manager for Community Development presenting.

• Adjournment

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Help At Home, Anyone?

Senior Resource Development Agency’s assistance program.

Over 60 years of age?

If you need some help in keeping up with keeping up the household, SRDA seems to have a program in place to assist.

They’ve got people willing to do inside—laundry, mopping, vacuuming—AND outside—mowing, raking, grocery shopping—work for you at reasonable rates.

If you live outside of OHNO’s area, call SRDA direct at 545-8900.

If you live in OHNO’s area, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)....she seems to be drumming up business along those lines in the area.

OHNO Bi-Monthly General Meeting — December 2007

Food, Fun, Friends and an Election!

Tuesday evening will be the bi-monthly general meeting of the Old Historic Northside Organization. It is open to members and their invited guests.

We’ll not be at our usual meeting place, but, in our now-established tradition, we’ll have a progressive dinner party. Appetizers, entrées and desserts will be offered at three different locations within walking distance of each other. Events begin at 6:30 pm.

To participate, coordinate your contribution with .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Be sure to bring your ballot with you for the election of who will be guiding OHNO next year and the proposed change to the bylaws regarding procedures for use of membership lists.

If you don’t have a ballot via the newsletter, here it is, albeit it is the entire full-color 11x17 document prepared for printing on your very own computer….front and back. Just like we distributed.

Looking forward to this. It’s always been a lot of fun.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

OHNO Bylaws

The Lost Copy

Seems that when we changed over from one blog hosting service provider to another, an old post got lost. The one with the OHNO bylaws.

Therefore, HERE they are.

Friday, November 16, 2007

HPI Minutes — 071107

Minutes of Historic Pueblo, Inc., meeting of 7 November 2007.

What transpired….

More...

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Pueblo Neighborhood Partnership Bylaws — 071106

First cut on the proposed bylaws for the organization.

We’ve felt there was a need to formalize our organization by getting it recognized as a non-profit corporation by the Colorado Secretary of State.

In order to do that, we need two things (1) Articles of Incorporation and (2) bylaws to govern the organization’s activities.

The PDF document you can access HERE is a first draft of bylaws. It is based on a neighborhood association’s bylaws. It is a PDF document that can be opened and marked-up with Adobe Reader. Just use the Commenting and Highlighting tools. If you do not have Adobe Reader, you can get it HERE....for free.

If you do mark it up and offer suggestions on how to improve it, please e-mail it back to me so I can include your comments and suggestions in the development process. Just click on my name (below) to send me an e-mail with your marked-up copy as an attachment.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

OHNO BoD Meeting Minutes — October 2007

What transpired….

Click on ‘More….” (below) for the gory details.

More...

Monday, October 08, 2007

Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting — 071010

A reminder….

This Wednesday afternoon, 3:30 pm, 10 October 2007, the Pueblo Planning and Zoning Commission will be holding a public hearing on a number of different matters.

One of those matters will be whether or not to recommend, with approval or disapproval, a Planned Unit Development (PUD) for an expansion of Parkview Medical Center.

The hearing will be held in the City Council Chambers.

All are invited to attend and participate…..