Hello,
This is my contribution for Citizens Discussion for Tuesday's City Council Meeting:
Good afternoon,
I will start with my comments on the email that I got from Mountain Metro last Friday, and follow them with the text of the email.
This man lied. Just the other day I was sitting in the back row on a Mountain Metro bus. I learned something. The seat bottom was cool, but the seat back was hot, heated, I was unaware until then that the rear seat heater on the buses can heat either the seat bottom, or the seat back, or both. How could heat from the engine compartment do that?
The buses generally have one or two windows open. The air conditioning still works fine. Most of the buses have been too warm all summer.
Just the other day I was on the #25 on Academy, the temperature outside was about 90. the sun was heating the top and sides of the bus. One window was open in the front of the bus and the vent on top in the back of the bus was open. There was some breeze but it was hot on the bus. No air conditioning was running.
If the outside temperature is 90, and the sun is shining on the metal bus, and there is no air conditioning running to cool the inside of the bus, the temperature inside that bus is at least 90 degrees, and most likely more. A slight breeze does temper the unpleasantness some, but does not actually lower the temperature.
Many of the buses have been running with the inside temperature at or above 90 degrees all summer.
Some buses have been running the air conditioning with a few windows open, it works fine.
This man is claiming that the displays on every bus began malfunctioning in the same way at the same time around last February, and that Mountain Metro was not aware of this until I brought it up?
A year ago August the displays changed. They used to display the time anytime that no other message was running. When someone requested a stop it would say so. Also, as soon as the bus passed one stop, the bus would announce the streets of, or the name of the next stop on the display, and verbally.
In August of 2019 that changed on every bus. Stop requested would be displayed, but the upcoming stop would not be defined until the bus was almost upon it. This is still the case today. People need to know which stop is next ahead of time to have time to pull the cord and alert the driver.
The time did display periodically as did the date.
If one wanted to see the time one would have to be focused and wait until it came up, if one was distracted for a moment, they might miss it and have to wait longer.
Now the display is blank most of the time. Clearly the system has different possible settings.
Here is the text of the email I got last Friday:
“Dear Mr. Strow,
Thank you for your comments. We investigated your transit-related concerns and would like to provide you the following information about the air conditioning on the buses, the digital display, and the men’s restroom at the downtown bus terminal.
Bus drivers are running the air conditioning as needed. The rear seats of our buses sit directly over the engine. As a result, this area is generally hotter than the rest of the bus.
Due to COVID-19 in addition to running the air conditioning, we have asked the drivers to keep the windows open on the buses to increase circulation. While keeping the windows open does increase the temperature inside the bus—it is important that we continue to keep fresh air circulating in the bus.
We have notified our Transit I.T. work group about the malfunctioning digital display and we are working to find a solution to the issue.
Our transit facilities group is working with the City of Colorado Springs Accessibility office to see what we could do in the men’s restroom at the downtown bus terminal. The paper towel dispenser has been replaced. We are currently working on a replacement for the hand dryer and we are researching your request regarding a divider between the urinals.
Thank you again for reaching out to us about these issues. Please let us know if you have any additional questions about our bus service.
Sincerely,
Craig Blewitt, AICP
Transit Services Manager
Mountain Metropolitan Transit”
We are now seeing a pattern of lying by City Officials. Next I will share with you excerpts of the email I got on June 13th 2019. Councilman Murray forwarded some of my comments to Parks Dept. Britt Haley responded, and the response was copied to both Karen Palus and Kurt Schroeder.
Excerpts of my material are in black, and her responses to each are in blue.
“Did the City learn during the public comment process that the appraisal submitted by the Broadmoor for the land swap was flawed? The City does not agree with your premise.
Why did the City remove mention of these repairs from their presentations after the meeting of February 24th 2016? It is nearly impossible to identify from the question what presentations you are referencing. With regard to the Broadmoor land exchange presentations, subsequent presentations focused on other issues pertinent to the subject being presented at the particular time.
Why does the City refuse to even mention the repairs to this day? The City is more than willing to discuss repair and maintenance issues related to the Manitou Incline and has never hesitated to do so.”
Our Parks Dept. is stonewalling and even lying. Pretending to not understand. If there were some confusion about my questions they would have asked Councilman Murray who forwarded the email to them, he is quite familiar with my issues and claims. Why did Councilman Murray not intervene?
I asked over and over during the public comment process for the land swap:
What is the estimated cost of the needed repairs on the land that the City wants to acquire. I asked at public meetings, before the City Council, I even sent an email to the City Attorney.
To this day the City has refused to answer. Since last September the City has been claiming that my questions have already been answered. That claim is a lie.
The section of the Barr Trail that the City owns constantly suffers damage from water running in the wrong places, this is known as drainage problems.
What is the estimated cost of the needed drainage work?
Is a study of the drainage problems by a professional firm necessary to design the changes?
What are the estimated costs?
The fence on that land is in shameful condition, what is the estimated cost of a new fence.
What is the estimated cost to repair the erosion damage on the hillside?
Next I will share with you excerpts of an email response I got from Kurt Schroeder on January 27th 2018.
“Dear Mr. Strow,
You have posed a number of questions/comments that I will try to answer individually.
1. "I once read in the Colorado Springs Independent where Sara Bryarly stated that repairs being done on the Manitou Incline would hold up for "about a hundred years. That does not seem to be accurate. I assume that she was implying that the Incline was being restored to its original condition."
ANSWER - In as much as it has only been three years since the initial work has been performed we do not know the answer to this. It certainly was designed to last a considerable length of time. I also think that she was possible talking figuratively when making that statement.
2. "I have heard that as long as the three sets of rails were on the ties the entire Incline was one piece, but as soon as the rails were removed the long term stability of the Incline was compromised."
ANSWER - You are incorrect. The rails were removed and the incline operation ceased after storms caused significant washouts that compromised the integrity of the track. The rails did not ensure the stability of the incline. The incline owners then removed the rails and sold them for scrap.
3. "Did the Manitou Incline Task consult with a professional engineering firm about the long term stability of the Incline? Did the City do so before assuming responsibility for the maintenance of the incline? What do the consultant's analysis say about these issues? "
ANSWER - The Task Force did not, that was not their role. The City did however. Significant engineering was conducted prior to the final design being completed. The analysis said that the incline was unstable and recommended repairs that would make it stable which the City then instituted.”
His claims are ludicrous. For approximately 85 years the Manitou Incline was one piece, nothing could move because the two sets of rails held it all together. Once the rails were removed the Incline became 2744 pieces, each with the ability to move independently of the others.
In 2010 the Incline was in terrible condition. Many ties had come loose.
If the Manitou Incline Task Force did not obtain a professional analysis of the long term stability of the Incline they acted criminally. To take on responsibility for a deteriorating rail-bed on a steep slope without getting some idea of the cost of long term maintenance would be criminal.
What is Mr Schroeder trying to hide in this email.
On August 25th of this year I put this forth:
“A while back G E Johnson announced in the media that the new summit house that they are building is half way done, and that it will be finished by May of 2021.
Please tell us which of those two statements are true. As I recall ground breaking was June 4th 2018, so if the project is half way done it will not be finished until sometime in 2022.
Why would G E Johnson make false statements? This greatly offended me, why was there no public outcry, was it somehow suppressed, or was public perception somehow manipulated?
Did this not offend the City? We give them a job that is worth $60 million or more and they treat us with contempt?
I don't see how they can predict when the project will be complete. How many delays have we already seen? Will it be finished in May 2021 if the weather is extreme this winter?
This is a huge red flag, something is very off here. Does G E Johnson believe that the Fire Marshall will allow 1031 people inside the building once it is complete?”
Is G E Johnson going to issue a retraction, or a correction, and an apology?
The City is refusing to answer most of my questions, and delivering irrelevant and untrue answers to others.
I must now ask that the City provide honest and comprehensive answers to all of my questions.
Thank you, Carl Strow