The Monument Board of Trustees discussed options for connecting
Mitchell Avenue to Baptist Road via an extension.
Four options have been considered for the road. One non-viable
possibility would take the road through an easement. However, it
would require constructing a bridge over the railroad that would,
by itself, cost the town $10 million to $11 million, said Monument
Town Manager Cathy Green.
A viable option involves the Willow Springs Ranch development’s
donation of land at its western edge to the town in its annexation
agreement – which it has done – and joining the end of Mitchell
Avenue to Forest Lakes Drive through the donated land and across
private property, owned by resident Georgia Ward.
A neighbor to Ward, Charles Carrico, questioned why the town
needed the road at all.
The road has been in El Paso County’s plans for about 20 years,
said Monument Mayor Byron Glenn. The road is needed as a second
route out of the area in case of an emergency. He said Mitchell
Avenue over the railroad tracks to Second Street is the only way
out. The town also has, as a possible alternative, taken Mitchell
to the existing Rickenbacker Avenue and around to Forest Lakes
Drive, Green said.
Ward said she gave the county a portion of her land to bring
Rickenbacker through as the Mitchell extension several years ago.
She also said the county told her it could not afford to bring it
through her property because of ravines, adding she was not sure
how it will cost the town less to go through her property than it
would to go along a flat piece of land.
Monument Director of Development Services Tom Kassawara said the
town does not have a cost estimate for taking the road along
Rickenbacker because it is on county land, and the county would
have to provide Monument the land to run the road there.
Ward said she is also in the county and asked how the town could
build a road through her property.
Mayor Byron Glenn explained the town can build a road in the
county as long as it keeps the county and follows proper protocols.
He said, for instance, Old Denver Highway is a county road that
goes through Monument.
“If they take Georgia’s property, take mine too; that way I can
run for mayor,” Carrico said.
The option that takes the road through Ward’s property is the
cheapest of the four options and “[the board has] a fiduciary
responsibility to the citizens of Monument,” he said.
Where to put the road extension is a difficult decision for the
board, he said, adding if the town does not extend the road, there
is a health and safety issue for the people of the town because
they only have one way out of that side of the railroad tracks if
there is an emergency. The town has to have a plan for the
future.
He also said the town needs to talk to the county about an
intergovernmental agreement to evaluate the option that follows
Rickenbacker Avenue.
The agenda item was for discussion only, so there was no action
taken by the board.
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