Hello,
This is not my contribution to Citizns Discuission for this weeks City Council meeting.
Please provide us with a copy of the section of the Special Use Permit for the Manitou Incline that defines the Incline. I am told that the Incline, as it is defined in the Permit no longer exists because all of the ties on the upper section were removed.
This invalidates the Special Use Permit.
This also renders the liability insurance policy invalid. The Incline cannot be operated without insurance.
The connecting trail that leads from the top of the Incline to the Barr Trail is illegal. It was a social trail , then it was reworked around the time that the Incline was legally opened. The 2 year NEPA process that would be required to legalize this trail was never conducted. No legitimate insurance exists on that section of the trail.
The Manitou Incline Task Force deceived the public to get the Incline legal. Withholding these facts from the insurance carrier is illegal and also invalidates the liability policy for the Incline.
I do not wish to embarrass those who were on the Task Force, but if the Incline is not closed permanently we are required to disclose any and all “mistakes or omissions” that were made during the public comment process.
Before the rails were removed from the Incline it was stable, no ties could possibly move. Once the rails came off this changed. I asked about this issue and if the Manitou Incline Task Force learned that the ties would not remain in place now that the rails are gone. Our Parks Dept. told me that the Task Force did not study the long term stabliity of the Incline. This is absolutely false.
I was shocked when I learned that the final report produced by the Task Force does not commit to build an alternate route down from the Incline. Why is that?
It appears that they knew that no alternate route down would ever be approved. They planned for the Incline to overrun the Barr Trail as a permanent condition and lied to the public about this.
This means that the Incline has never had a legitimate liability policy. Over 2 million hikes of the Incline have taken place, and people have died on the Incline.
The mayor recently claimed that Colorado Springs manages the Incline. I have a copy of the IGA and it seems to indicate the Manitou Springs operates the Incline and Colorado Springs maintains it. If the mayor make a false statement in the media you must issue a correction or retraction.
Both Cities involved with the Incline are mere representatives of the people. You may not withhold any information from the insurance carrier, doing so would constitute a crime and incur liabilty for the people. Please abandon any plan to reopen the Incline and tell the public that it is permanently closed.
The City is lying about the land swap. I have proven that my questions have not been answered. The City now has a policy for dealing with me. They respond by email and tell me that the section of the Barr Trail in question needs $40,000 of maintenance each year. After that they simply ignore me for a while. Later on they respond again with the same incomplete and deceptive answer.
This is a conspiracy or technique, and it is illegal. The city represents the interests of the people. I have an absolute right to hear honest answers to my legitimate questions.
Thank you, Carl Strow