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Olympic celebration planned downtown July 27

May 18th, 2012, 9:19 am by

The city just issued this press release:

As American athletes get ready to represent our country in London, Colorado Springs citizens here in “Little London” will don red, white and blue in support of Team USA at the Olympic Downtown Celebration from 4-10 p.m., Friday, July 27. The free event will coincide with NBC’s broadcast of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in London, which will be shown on a 15- by 27-feet high-definition video screen at the intersection of Colorado and Tejon, right in front of the U.S. Olympic Committee headquarters building. Event details will be announced at today’s Olympic Family Luncheon, sponsored by the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation.

“The Downtown Olympic Celebration will be a great way to celebrate together as a community how very fortunate we are to be home to the United States Olympic Committee, U.S. Paralympics and 22 Olympic national governing bodies,” said Mayor Bach. “Many of the athletes competing in London will have trained here at some point in their careers and we look forward to cheering them on as they compete at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

While the Opening Ceremony broadcast is tentatively slated to start at 6 p.m. Mountain Time (NBC will announce official start time later this summer), the party will kick off a full two hours earlier at 4 p.m. with a variety of family-friendly entertainment that will continue throughout the night. All events are free, and will include:

  • Two entertainment stages, featuring music, performances and interviews with local celebrities, including Olympians and Paralympians from past Games
  • Autograph sessions with Olympians and Paralympians
  • Maximum Velocity, a high-flying BMX performance stunt team
  • Flying Aces All-Stars, Olympic and world champions acrobatic athletes performing some of the coolest trampoline tricks around
  • Synthetic “Ice” Rink in July, featuring interactive events and complimentary skate use from U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and USA Curling – all in the middle of the street!
  • Miniature tennis court for kids’ play with U.S. Tennis Association
  • Children’s Gravity Play Area, complete with inflatable slides, portable climbing walls and more (at no charge!)
  • Interactive sport activities with the U.S. National Guard.

The evening will be capped off with a very special Colorado Springs torch lighting that coincides with the lighting of the official Olympic torch in London.

Olympians Kristi Yamaguchi (figure skating) and Bret Hedican (hockey), who met at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville and married in 2000, will represent U.S. athletes as they light the local torch. Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic ladies figure skating champion, a best-selling author, philanthropist and a winner of the popular Dancing with the Stars television show. Hedican won the 2006 Stanley Cup with the NHL Carolina Hurricanes and is a TV sports analyst covering the NHL San Jose Sharks. They have two daughters, Keara Kiyomi, 8, and Emma Yoshiko, 6.

And finally, what celebration is truly complete without fireworks? The festivities will close with a breathtaking fireworks display off a downtown rooftop.

The event is primarily funded by the Downtown Development Authority with support from the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation. For information, visit www.springsgov.com/olympic.

Posted in: Civic Participation • People • • | 3 Comments »

City gets grants to help injured service members, vets

March 8th, 2012, 10:39 am by

The city’s Therapeutic Recreation Program has received $31,000 “to continue programming for injured service members and veterans in Colorado Springs,” the city said Thursday.

The grant funds came from two sources.

The U.S. Olympic Committee’s U.S. Paralympics division contributed $11,000 through funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The National Recreation and Park Association’s Parks: Return & Restore program, a partnership between U.S. Paralympics and NRPA, contributed $20,000.

“The TR Program has been fortunate to be recipients of these grants,” Diane Ridderhoff, program supervisor, said in a statement.

“Over the years we have been thrilled to witness changes in physical activity and self-confidence through participation in program activities of biathlon, adaptive cycling, and adaptive sports. We look forward to continuing to grow our programming to benefit disabled service members in our community by implementing additional activities of archery, “Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies”, and more adaptive sports.  We’ve seen firsthand the transformation of injured service members that can happen through sport and physical activity, from overall improved health, to adjustment to disability and maximizing individuals’ abilities,  to transitioning back into the local community,” she said.

The funding will allow the program “to offer adaptive sports and physical training opportunities for injured service members and expand opportunities for injured veterans in the Colorado Springs community,” the city said.

The city also said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded more than $4.4 million in grants ranging from $2,500 to $500,000 to 95 community organizations around the country this year.

Those grants “were provided to increase the number and quality of opportunities for physically or visually impaired Veterans to participate in physical activity within their home communities and in more advanced Paralympic sport programs at the regional and national levels,” the city said.

“This funding is already having a tremendous impact on disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces,” USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said in a statement.

“Through the USOC/Veterans Affairs partnership many community programs have been able to expand their programming and provide increased opportunities for Veterans to participate.”

 

Posted in: Parks • People • Recreation and Cultural Services • • | Post a Comment »

Bach schedules town hall meeting Wednesday to talk about resurgence of downtown

February 20th, 2012, 12:18 pm by

The resurgence of downtown Colorado Springs is the subject of Mayor Steve Bach’s first town hall meeting Wednesday.

The meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m., will be at the Penrose Public Library’s Carnegie Reading Room, 20 N. Cascade Ave.

The meeting runs until 8 p.m. — not 8:30 p.m. — as indicated in the invitation.

“In addition to hearing from Mayor Bach, attendees will see presentations from downtown leaders about upcoming planned activities, including the Pikes Peak Hill Climb Fan Fest, Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies watch party and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge,” the city said in a press release.

“Other planned topics are the Fujiyoshida Fire Festival and ‘What If” Festival,” the city said.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments, but only through note cards.

Does that mean the city will pass over questions or comments that could be perceived as unflattering?

Stay tuned.

Posted in: City Administration • Civic Participation • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Quote of the Day

January 23rd, 2012, 8:20 pm by

The city of Colorado Springs is planning a USOC Opening Day Celebration in downtown Colorado Springs on July 27.

The outdoor celebration is part of the mayor’s Spirit of the Springs initiative.

“I’m proud to say that the city of Colorado Springs is the only city at this point who has permission from NBC to broadcast the opening celebration of the Olympics in London…Since we have the USOC headquarters here, we think we should celebrate that every chance that we get,” Donna Nelson, the mayor’s economic vitality specialist, told the City Council on Monday.

Runner-up for Quote of the Day:

“I hope it’s extra large,” City Council President Scott Hente said after Mayor Steve Bach gave him a jacket with a Spirit of the Springs insignia.

Posted in: City Administration • City Council • Civic Participation • • • • • • | 10 Comments »

City, Utilities and USOC employees hope to collect 500 turkeys tomorrow

November 17th, 2011, 4:14 pm by

Employees of the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Utilities and the U.S. Olympic Committee are cooking up some goodwill in the community.

Employees from the three organizations are teaming up tomorrow to collect turkeys for Care and Share.

“We’re hoping we get more turkeys than we know what do with,” city spokeswoman Mary Scott said.

The city has been doing a “Take a Turkey to Work Day” for the last three years, collecting 356 turkeys and $863 in cash.

Tomorrow, the goal is to collect 500 turkeys.

Turkeys will be dropped off between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. at the City Administration Building, which is the main collection point, as well as other locations citywide.

“We have volunteer city employees who will be outside (the City Administration Building) if people want to do curbside drop-offs or walk-by drops offs,” Scott said.

Scott said the “Grinch” will also be on hand to help with donation collections.

“Care and Share has identified the need in the community to be at least 7,000 turkeys,” she said. “They’ve met that goal every year.”

Posted in: City employees • Civic Participation • • • | Post a Comment »

Mural paints Colorado Springs as bike-friendly

November 11th, 2011, 3:43 pm by

Colorado Springs cyclists have found a friend in City Councilman Tim Leigh.

Leigh, an avid cyclist himself, launched a successful campaign to install so-called sharrows on city streets that serve to remind motorists to share the lane with cyclists.

Leigh said he had money left over from the fundraising campaign for the sharrows project, so he took his “Share the Road” message from the street to the freeway.

Leigh recently said that he commissioned a mural on the wall of a building on West Filmore Street facing Interstate 25 “to showcase our sharrow attitude of Share the Road.”

On Friday, Leigh said the mural, which features a family of cyclists and the “Share the Road” message with Pikes Peak in the background, was completed.

“I would like to see these murals painted on as many buildings as we can,” he said.

Leigh said Nancy Johnson, director of parks, planning and public works, there are people, especially in the arts community, that might be interested in getting involved.

“The cost of the material is really small, and there’s a lot of really interesting, young, bright artists,” he said. “If we can give them a canvass and directions from the city that said, ‘Let’s make our city one of those places where we have really interesting mural art on a lot of these buildings.’ It’s part of an attraction.”

Leigh said the proposed murals could help brand Colorado Springs.

“It’s one of the arrows in the quiver of enhancing the culture,” he said. “You know my statement: Enhance the culture so it naturally attracts young creatives. Businesses will be drawn to Colorado Springs to employ them.”

The “Share the Road” mural was painted by artist Kim Polomka, who painted the rooftop mural promoting Colorado Springs as the home of the U.S. Olympic Committee, among other murals around town. The City Council spent taxpayer money on the USOC mural.

Posted in: City Council • • • | 2 Comments »

El Pomar gives up naming rights in revamped USOC deal

October 11th, 2011, 6:30 am by

Colorado Springs taxpayers will be off the hook for nearly $1.2 million of $3 million owed to the U.S. Olympic Committee this year for improvements to the Olympic Training Center under a revised agreement the City Council will consider today.

In exchange, El Pomar Foundation, which had OTC-related naming rights under an earlier agreement with the city and the USOC, is giving up “all naming rights” for USOC properties, according to city documents.

The USOC proposed the new agreement because revised renovation plans for the OTC “would require additional fundraising beyond the $16 million being provided by the city of Colorado Springs,” according to the minutes from the June 28 meeting of the USOC board.

“In order to enable the USOC to more effectively run its capital campaign, (USOC CEO Scott) Blackmun is recommending that the USOC forgive certain obligations under the existing agreements in exchange for the return of all OTC-related naming rights,” the minutes state.

The USOC board unanimously approved the plan, “including undertaking a capital campaign to support the budget,” according to the minutes.

The minutes don’t specify the new budget for the OTC improvements, but Blackmun told the board that “fundraising would be attainable without cannibalizing existing USOC resources or fundraising activities.”

The prestigious sports organization plans to add “several million dollars” to the project on top of what the city pledged “to make the visitor center a truly world-class facility and experience,” USOC spokesman Mark Jones said.

“We’re going to try and really boost the visitors’ experience and hopefully it becomes another thing that people come to Colorado Springs for,” he said. “We’re really excited about that.”

Mayor Steve Bach and Bill Hybl, chairman and CEO of El Pomar, signed off on the new agreement with the USOC last month, according to city documents.

El Pomar “hereby agrees to release all naming rights for the USOC properties and the USOC agrees to provide a credit of $500,000 to the City against the $3,000,000 provided in the EDA, leaving a balance for the City to provide of $2,500,000,” states a letter of agreement signed by Bach, Hybl and Blackmun.

“The USOC will give a further credit of up to $668,865 to the City based upon donations received ($330,000), obligations of the USOC on the NGB Building ($18,865), the City traffic signal (expected to be $300,000) and the Regional Building Department donation (expected to be $20,000),” the agreement states.

In 2009, the city and the USOC signed an economic development agreement in which the city agreed to build the USOC a new headquarters downtown, among other provisions, in exchange for the USOC agreeing to stay in Colorado Springs for 30 years.

In addition to that agreement, the city, the USOC and El Pomar signed an agreement to provide funding for certain improvements at the Olympic Training Center

The council will consider a resolution amending that three-party agreement today. The council meets on the third floor of City Hall, 107 N. Nevada Ave. The meeting starts at 1 p.m.

Posted in: Budget • City Administration • City Council • Meetings • • • • • • | 4 Comments »

Is the USOC mural askew? You be the judge

August 24th, 2011, 9:18 am by

The massive mural — or is it a billboard? — being painted on the roof of a downtown building to promote the city’s relationship with the U.S. Olympic Committee has generated a lot of discussion in Colorado Springs.

Some people love it.

Some people hate it.

Some people have taken a special interest in the mural.

One person in particular who has experience in painting has been following the project from the very start.

That person, who asked to remain anonymous, says the mural doesn’t match the rendering approved by City Council.

As proof, the person emailed the picture shown in this blog.

What do you think?

In fairness to the artist, who has been working feverishly to complete the mural, the artwork looked pretty nice from the air during filming of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge earlier this week.

City spokesman John Leavitt didn’t seem too concerned when he saw the picture shown in this blog.

“We are thrilled with the way the mural is turning out,” Leavitt said in an email earlier this week.

“We think the muralist has done a marvelous job applying the designer’s concept to a very challenging surface.  The bottom line is that the mural communicates our pride in being the home of the U.S. Olympic Committee – that has been the goal all along,” he said.

Posted in: City Council • Etc. • • • | 22 Comments »

USOC mural broadcast worldwide during Pro Cycling Challenge

August 22nd, 2011, 8:27 pm by

click on photo to get a better view

The City Council’s investment in a giant rooftop mural showcasing Colorado Springs as the proud home of the U.S. Olympic Committee paid off Monday.

Big time.

The mural, which is being painted on the roof of a downtown building facing Interstate 25, was seen in approximately 160 countries during aerial filming of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

That’s more than 20 million viewers worldwide, according to organizers.

The mural could even be seen while Tour de France winner Cadel Evans raced down Colorado Avenue.

Sure, the mural wasn’t finished in time for the U.S. Women’s Open.

But the exposure it got today was worth gold.

“This race, and the many world class sporting events that have occurred in the Springs this summer, are what helps to define this region,” USOC spokesman Mark Jones said.

“It feels like we’re on the precipice of a new era in our community, and I’m excited about the future of Colorado Springs.  Things like the mural on I-25 tell the world something they might not know, and the more things we can do to tell the full story of our community, the more successful we’ll be,” he said.

Jones also said the city came up with a creative, low-cost way to reinforce the community’s connection to the Olympic movement.

“That’s good for everyone in the big picture,” he said.

Posted in: City Council • • • | 2 Comments »

Artist planning for next phase of controversial USOC mural

August 22nd, 2011, 10:12 am by

The mural promoting Colorado Springs as the proud home of the U.S. Olympic Committee is about to move into its next phase.

“If you’ve had the opportunity to drive I-25 at Cimarron, you know that the image of Henry Cejudo, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Gold Medalist, is almost complete,” city spokesman John Leavitt said today to Mayor Steve Bach and the City Council.

“As we approach completion (fingers crossed for cool/dry weather) of the original mural concept, we are now planning for the City logo on the south side of the mural,” he wrote.

Leavitt called the city logo a “bonus feature” that expands the visibility of the mural and won’t cost taxpayers any more money.

In reality, the city logo was added when developer Chuck Murphy, who owns the building where the rooftop mural is being painted, cut down two trees blocking the south side of the roof.

“The mural is a true celebration of the Colorado Springs community,” Leavitt wrote.

“It is being done at the hands of a celebrated local artist, Kim Polomka, it showcases a local athlete, Henry Cejudo, who graduated from Coronado High School and it highlights a local organization known throughout the globe – the USOC.”

When the council approved the taxpayer-funded mural on an 8-1 vote, with Councilwoman Angela Dougan opposed, the intent was to have it completed by the Fourth of July before the official start of the U.S. Women’s Open.

But weather and other issues have delayed the painting.

Hey, at least visitors here with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will get to see a lot more of the finished product.

Posted in: City Administration • City Council • City employees • • • • • | 11 Comments »

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