Community Restoration and Rebuilding Update
It's been almost four months since the fire and we're pleased to inform you that 30 New Home Permits have been issued! We are also thrilled to be able to announce that the Fire Department has just completed the final inspection for the first home to be rebuilt, and it appears the owners will be home for Thanksgiving!
These are huge milestones for the community!
The dedication of the Mountain Shadows residents to restore their community quickly is a tribute to the people and the neighborhood.
Tracking Our Progress
A team of Colorado College students (helping Colorado Springs Together as part of the college’s community outreach program) has developed a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) interactive map. The map, available at www.ColoradoSpringsTogether.org/resources1/GIS-map.cfm, shows the status of each home site that was destroyed in the Waldo Canyon Fire. This online tool will help manage and track the recovery of the Mountain Shadows neighborhood and provide a simple “picture” to everyone on how the rebuilding process is moving forward and is quickly shifting from debris removal and clean-up to rebuilding and moving back home.
Updates will be provided every two weeks for each site until new building permits have been issued or, if the owner has decided not to rebuild, the lot has been returned to its natural state.
The students from Colorado College have been working on this project since they returned to school in early September, using the Batchgeo tool. The team of four students volunteered under the college's Work/Study Program to help with the restoration efforts in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood. The map is a visual representation of recovery using public information from Pikes Peak Regional Building Department and street view observations. This project is being coordinated at Colorado College by Dr. Jessica Giles Copeland, Director, Collaborative for Community Engagement. The students working on the project are Erica Sarro (Project Team Leader), Andrew Allen-Fahlander, Dylan Sondermann, and Edward Crawford.
The information is available to be used by citizens, various City and County agencies, and community organizations to track the progress of the restoration effort.
We'd like to thank Dr. Copeland at Colorado College and Bob Croft of the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department for helping these students get started on the project, and of course a very special thanks to Erica, Andrew, Dylan, and Edward for their time, dedication and creativity in managing this project and supporting the community effort to rebuild the Mountain Shadows community.
________________________________________
Colorado Springs Together is an independent 501(c)(3) Non-Profit
Colorado Springs Together is a community-driven volunteer effort, and is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The team members are distinguished citizens and business professionals in the community facilitating and coordinating a quick and effective rebuilding process for the neighborhoods devastated on June 26th by the fire. The donations received will go towards the activities required to help restore the lives and the neighborhoods affected by the fire at the same time maintaining a strong sense of community during the rebuilding process.
Please visit:
www.ColoradoSpringsTogether.org
www.facebook.com/ColoradoSpringsTogether
www.twitter.com/COS_Together