Pothole repair project

Thank you to Billie Nigro for raising questions about pothole repairs and roadway conditions (LETTERS: Questions on city pothole repairs; summer wildflower issues – Gazette).

We appreciate residents who engage with us and advocate for well‑maintained streets, and we welcome the chance to share context about the city’s recent pothole repair surge and ongoing maintenance work.

We launched Pothole Watch this spring to increase transparency around how potholes are reported, prioritized and repaired. Residents can visit ColoradoSprings.gov/PotholeWatch to see repairs, track progress and understand how community reports guide our work.

During the recent five‑week surge, crews repaired more than 16,400 potholes, many identified through resident reports submitted via the GoCOS app, our website or by calling 719‑385‑ROAD. These reports help us quickly locate problems and prioritize repairs based on safety, traffic volume, roadway type, and available resources. Crews also repair potholes identified during routine operations. While we don’t take photos after each repair, all reported locations are logged, reviewed, and addressed by priority.

Regarding repair materials, our crews use hot mix asphalt from local plants—the same material used to pave new streets. Repair durability depends on roadway condition, moisture, weather, traffic, and the pavement beneath the repair. Colorado Springs’ freeze‑thaw climate makes repairs essential for safety but often temporary until larger roadway improvements can be completed.

It’s important to note that the voter‑approved 2C Road Improvement Program does not fund pothole repairs. Potholes are addressed separately by Public Works operations crews. We often say pothole repairs treat the symptom, while 2C is the cure—resurfacing and reconstructing roads to prevent recurring issues.

Pothole repair is one of many duties our Public Works employees perform year‑round, often behind the scenes, to keep Colorado Springs safe and moving.

Once again, we appreciate residents who report potholes using the GoCOS app, ColoradoSprings.gov/GoCOS, or call 719‑385‑ROAD.

Jason T. Strickland

City of Colorado Springs

Feedback on letters

Three letters from July 22 caught my interest. The first one, from Len Bentley, was about soccer and the World Cup. I must agree with him. I don’t love soccer either. When I was a young lad growing up in Canada, someone tried to introduce us to soccer. It was a boring game, and we quickly went back to our hockey game. The second was from Nora Hartling and dealt with fraud. Yes, fraud should be dealt with. Gov. Walz of Minnesota and Ilhan Omar should be run out of this country for their anti-American attitudes.

The third letter from David J. Baker complained, as usual, about Donald Trump. If you had watched Fox News or Newsmax, you would have seen the whole speech instead of the one that CNN or ABC showed. Trump is doing a good job keeping the world safe from the Islamic nut cases that run Iran and he wants to keep our elections American.

Eric DesPres

Calhan

Dirt bikes on parkway

A father teaching his son to ride his dirt bike on a newly mowed and watered grass parkway is totally unacceptable. This issue will stop at Triview Maintenance in Monument. 

The people who work hard to provide a scenic neighborhood for the residents will do whatever it takes to prevent ruts and dirt bikes. Go, Triview maintenance, take care of this issue quickly.

Janei Folz

Monument

A priceless resource

The decision to deny the appeals against Project Taurus is wrong.  What is the “right” claimed by Raeden’s Jason Green to build the Data Center?  How does a California company get permission to come to the center of our community and build a large load data center?  Because there is no specific law against it is a specious reason to allow it to be built.

Fentanyl devastated our state when the legislature passed HB22-1326 to combat the result of no legal consequence. 

 How much better if Colorado Springs were to place a moratorium on large load data centers and further explore what happens around homes before our community suffers?

C.R.S. § 30-28-115: This state law explicitly mandates that county zoning regulations must be designed to promote the “health, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity, or welfare of the present and future inhabitants.” 

Local governments routinely use this “public welfare” mandate to deny industrial zoning permits if a project poses a threat to the quality of life or mental peace of a residential area. 

Peace and quiet at the end of the day is a priceless resource we enjoy. Let’s not add 24/7 Tinnitus to our neighbors who live near this proposal.

Norma Hollister

Colorado Springs