Hello,

This is my contribution to Citizen's Discussion at Tuesday's City Council meeting:

Good morning,

I see a pattern of public processes being conducted by the city which are flawed and incomplete.

We must identify the causes, remove the causes and set things right.

With the land swap between the city and the Broadmoor Hotel the public comment process was extremely flawed.

I asked an important question and that question was never answered.

I asked the city to disclose to me the total cost of all needed repairs to the section of the Barr Trail that was on the land owned by the Cog Railway.

The answer to that question proves that the appraisal that was submitted by the Broadmoor is invalid.

The city presented the positive value aspects of that piece of land and failed to inform the public of the fact that tens of thousands of dollars in repairs were being done to that land every year.

That annual work is ongoing still today and the long term major repairs that are needed are simply on hold.

The public process and likely the City Council vote on the issue would have been very different if the city had answered my question.

The vote on the ballot issue 300 would have been different if the public had been told that its approval would do significant and lasting harm to the city of Manitou Springs.

If it had become clear that the appraisal from the Broadmoor was invalid, the land swap could not have been approved.

Does our City Attorney's office stand by the integrity of that appraisal today?

Does our City Attorney's office stand by the Conservation Easement?

Does our City Attorney's office stand by ballot measure 300 today?

Have there been any other public processes which were less than perfect?

We must overcome the obstacles that are holding us back, we cannot keep anything on record which is not 100% legal.

Thank you, Carl Strow