The Twitter handle is @NotTimLeigh and describes the account as an attempt to channel the City Council’s “favorite flake” and Mayor Steve Bach’s “No. 1 errand boy.”

“No clue yet what I’ll be doing this week. Still waiting by the phone for @mayorstevebachto call. Hello! Fingers tapping! Sigh,” reads the first — and so far, the only — tweet by @NotTimLeigh.

The Twitter user did not immediately return a request seeking comment.

@NotTimLeigh is following 82 Twitter users and has three followers.

Scratch that.

Make that four followers.

@danieljchacon is now following @NotTimLeigh.

Colorado Springs City Auditor Denny Nester carries one of his beloved dog, O.P.

O.P. is no ordinary dog.

O.P. was named Best of Breed for Ibizan Hounds at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Orlando this past weekend. The championship is described as “one of the most prestigious dog shows in the world.”

“He’s actually on his way back from Texas now,” Nester said Wednesday about his dog, whose show name is Arbeca’s Opus for Danzante.

“My daughter’s driving him home today because I had taken him down to Texas a couple of weeks ago for him to make this trip down to Orlando. I don’t like to fly the dogs if we don’t have to,” he said.

Nester said getting O.P. and his other dog, Dori, to dog shows can be a “logistics nightmare.”

“Plus, it’s rather expensive,” he said.

“This Best of Breed, I won $200, but don’t tell everybody that I probably spent $2,000 getting him there, competing and all that,” Nester said, laughing.

Dori, who is O.P.’s 8-month-old daughter, didn’t come home with empty paws either.

Dori was recognized as Winners Bitch, Nester said.

“We bred O.P. to a bitch in Wisconsin named Roxy,” Nester said in a follow-up email.

” Dori is registered to my wife— Jill, me and Wendy Anderson— the breeder in Wisconsin.  In the dog show world, it is common for multiple people to be listed as the owners,” he said.

More information from the release:

“The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship is the largest prize money dog show in the world, with cash and prizes awarded totaling more than $225,000. Although prior editions were invitation-only, beginning this year, the event is an open show for all dogs that awards Championship and Grand Championship points.  O.P. was a special qualifier since he had earned his Grand Championship earlier in 2012. O.P. also qualified for the event as one of the top 10 point earners in 2012 in his breed.  O.P. was celebrated with an invitation granting special recognition and placing him on the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Honor Roll.”

Colorado Springs Utilities, which provides monthly updates on the water situation, told the Utilities Board last week that outdoor watering restrictions and maybe even a water rate increase may be needed next year.

In the meantime, the city-owned utility is offering the following winter water tips:

Winter watering

If you’ve ever experienced the discouragement of lawn winter kill or dead landscape plants in spring, try winter watering. Even though landscape plants are dormant and brown, they need to be watered periodically. Dry winter months often kill plants through dehydration. By winter watering, your lawn and landscape plants will have a much better chance of greening up beautifully when the warm weather of spring returns.

A word to the wise, too. Shrubs and trees that don’t receive regular water will search for hydration on their own, oftentimes in your wastewater pipes. Roots are a common cause of pipe damage, and repairs can be messy and costly. Service lines are the homeowner’s responsibility, so have pipes checked at least once a year or more if you live in a long-established, heavily-treed neighborhood.

Finally, keep in mind that your wastewater bill is calculated using the amount of water used Dec. 1 through the last day of February.

When to water

– Choose a warm winter day with air temperature above 40 degrees F and unfrozen soil.

– Water one to two times per month from November to April.

– It is most critical to water in March and April when the new roots are forming.

– Water at mid-day so it can soak in before it freezes.

What to water

– It is most important to water newly planted lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers.

– Established lawn areas and trees, especially those in sunny, windy, or exposed areas should also be a high priority.

– Established shrubs, flowers, ornamental grasses and groundcovers will also benefit.

– Do not winter water cacti, succulents, buffalograss, blue grama and very xeric plants.

How to water

– Use a hose-end sprinkler or watering wand since automatic sprinkler systems are off during the winter.

– Remove the hose from the spigot after watering to prevent freeze damage.

– Water slowly so it can soak in.

– To figure out how long to water, put out cups to catch some of the water. Water until you can measure 0.5 to 1” deep in the cups.

Water leaks turn drops into dollars

Some facts about water leaks from the Environmental Protection Agency:

– Leaks can account for, on average, 10,000 gallons of water wasted in the home every year, which is enough to fill a backyard swimming pool.

– The amount of water leaked from U.S. homes could exceed more than 1 trillion gallons per year. That’s equivalent to the annual water use of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami combined.

– Ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day.

– Common types of leaks found in the home include leaking toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves. All are easily correctable.

– Fixing easily corrected household water leaks can save homeowners more than 10 percent on their water bills.

– Keep your home leak-free by repairing dripping faucets, toilet valves, and showerheads. In most cases, fixture replacement parts don’t require a major investment and can be installed by do-it-yourselfers.

– The vast majority of leaks can be eliminated after retrofitting a household with new WaterSense labeled fixtures and other high-efficiency appliances.

Actually, he called it an urban legend.

“I challenge those in the print media who continue to spread the urban legend on those matters to come forth with facts to back up those allegations,” he said.

Challenge accepted, Mr. Mayor.

While Bach may be considering multiple scenarios for downtown, he’s the one who raised the idea of a Sky Sox baseball stadium.

In January, Bach met with Sky Sox co-owner and friend Doug Elmore. During their talk, Bach said he broached the idea of moving the minor league baseball team downtown.

“I did surface the idea,” Bach said in an interview in May. “It would be wonderful to have the Sky Sox downtown.”

At the time, Bach said he and Elmore hadn’t followed up with any “substantive conversations” and that other issues needed to be addressed first, including a plan to make downtown safer.

“I hope we can have an I-25 and Cimarron reconstruction plan on the books at least, and I think we have to resolve Martin Drake Power Plant,” he said.

In a follow-up interview with Wayne Laugesen, The Gazette’s editorial page editor, Bach was even more clear.

The editorial asked: Where does Bach want to put the Sky Sox stadium?

“Right on top of the Martin Drake Power Plant,” Bach was quoted as saying, though Bach has said since then that he followed up with a joke that the reason he wanted to put the stadium on the site was so the seats would be warm.

During last week’s press conference, Bach issued another challenge to reporters: “Provide the facts behind the urban legend there that I’ve met in secret with the Sierra Club and that I’m interested in the Martin Drake facility in any way.”

The Gazette has never reported that Bach “met in secret with the Sierra Club,” so that point — for us, anyway — is moot.

But Bach has in fact shown a lot of interest in the Drake power plant.

Just a few examples:

– “I’m not talking about anything other than I believe we do not need Martin Drake Power Plant capacity. When we hit peak load in this city, we barely get into needing Martin Drake from what I’m told by people who are experts in that business outside of Colorado Springs Utilities. Now that needs to be fact checked,” he said.

– The Mayor has not attended Utilities Board meetings because he has not wished to interfere in Council operations.  However, enough questions have arisen regarding Colorado Springs Utilities over the last few months (Martin Drake Power Plant, Neumann Systems contract, governance, and operations) that the Mayor felt it necessary and important to weigh in.

– The Mayor’s Downtown Vision anticipates a transformative, dynamic, and vibrant new era of development for the areas immediately south of Downtown.  This activity might include museums, sports venues, retail and commercial development, and housing.  This opportunity for our community is exciting, and has the potential to not only transform our Downtown but to diversify our entire economy, create hundreds of new jobs, and expand and diversify our tax base. This vision includes potential economic development on the current site of the Martin Drake Power Plant.

Photo by Steven Lane

Fall in Colorado Springs is a lovely time of year.

But it can also be troublesome for the city’s infrastructure.

“In the next few weeks, street sweepers will begin working city roads to eliminate excess leaf build-up in streets and prevent the clogging of stormwater inlets, which can cause flooding and adversely impact water quality,” the city said in a press release. “This proactive effort helps prevent more costly emergency maintenance if drains get clogged.”

The city is also asking residents to pitch in. And they’ll have a little help from the Street Division, which is once again offering a free leaf recycling program.

Residents can drop off their leaves at the Hancock Salt Shed, 1202 E. Caramillo St., between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Nov. 19 through Nov. 30.

The other drop-off location — at the city’s recycle yard at 1845 S. Hancock Expressway — will be open only between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Nov. 3 and Nov. 10.

“Leaves will be taken to the city Street Division’s recycle yard and turned into compost, which is given away free to residents each spring,” the city said.

Hazardous materials, plastics and branches are among the items the city will not accept at the drop-off locations.

“If leaves are brought in plastic bags, the bags will need to be emptied and taken with the resident,” the city said.

Rocky Top Resources, 1755 E. Las Vegas St., also accepts leaves for recycling from homeowners, but not businesses, on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Recycling is free with a canned food donation for Care and Share, the city said.

Conservative radio host Jeff Crank, who is also state director of Americans for Prosperity, was at the Donkey Derby Days in Cripple Creek.

Given that Crank has a good sense of humor, I figured it would be fun to have a caption contest with this photo.

The prize?

Bragging rights, of course!

So, let’s see who can come up with the best caption.

Just please remember to keep it civil and follow the other user terms of this blog.

Click on the photo to get a much closer view.

County commissioners

The law firm representing fired city employee Terri Velasquez made a glaring error in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Monday against the city.

The firm included the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners in its complaint.

The complaint states that Velasquez, by and through her attorneys, “allege and assert claims against the City of Colorado Springs, by and through its governing entity, the Board of County Commissioners.”

The Gazette asked the law firm, Evergreen-based Frank and Finger, PC, about the error on Wednesday.

Attorney William Finger was out of the office, and no one from the law firm replied Wednesday.

Paralegal Elaine Gosnell responded via email Thursday morning.

“We are filing a corrected complaint today.  Any error should not effect the lawsuit,” she wrote.

Um, Ms. Gosnell, actually, any error should not “affect” the lawsuit.

You can get City Hall news on gazette.com.

You can get City Hall news by following me on Twitter at @danieljchacon.

You can get City Hall news by becoming my Facebook friend at www.facebook.com/danieljchacon.

You probably knew all that.

But did you know you can get City Hall news on YouTube?

That’s right.

The “SpringsNews” YouTube channel offers a wide variety of video, including interviews with Mayor Steve Bach and City Council members and recordings of all types of meetings.

Click here to go the SpringsNews homepage.

The tournament at The Broadmoor brought in about $55,000.

Click here for an application.

According to a press release:

In order to be considered for funding, the project should achieve the objectives of the Spirit of the Springs initiatives.

The three primary objectives are:

Celebrate and Connect Colorado Springs

There are many reasons to celebrate Colorado Springs.  We have one of the most beautiful cities in the world with a vibrant arts and culture scene, great parks, and trails that foster an outdoor, healthy lifestyle.  We can further the City of Colorado Springs by celebrating our current community traditions and creating new events to showcase the best our city offers.

Cultivate Future City Government Leadership 

The success of Colorado Springs depends on its future leaders. We need to grow city leaders for our future and create more diversity in the city workforce. By engaging with our youth as early as middle and high school, they will choose to grow up and stay, work and play in Colorado Springs.

Encourage Citizen Involvement with the City.

There are many citizens in Colorado Springs that want to help make our city better. Sometimes, they just are not sure where to start or how best to help.  The goal is to connect those individuals with community organizations who could benefit from their time and commitment.

Questions should be directed to Donna Nelson, economic vitality specialist, at dznelson@springsgov.com.

Photo by Daniel J. Chacón

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.

The City Administration Building, that is.

A traveling statue of Elvis that spent several months in the corner of Mayor Steve Bach’s office was hauled away Monday.

“Elvis goes around from mayor’s office to mayor’s office in the state of Colorado and then that mayor signs Elvis,” said Brenda Bonn, special assistant to the mayor.

Gov. John “Hickenlooper has his signature on it from when he was mayor,” she added.

Bach signed his name on Elvis’ right sleeve.

Bonn said it was fun to have Elvis around.

“It was certainly a conversation piece,” she said.

The statue, which some city employees thought was creepy-looking, was going to be taken away last week.

But he didn’t fit in the vehicle that former Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer came to get him.

Tauer returned late Monday in pick-up and drove him away.

Tauer did not immediately return a call for comment.