Wildfires contained

Fire crews quickly contained a wildfire just west of Palmer Lake on July 28.

“The Sundance Fire occurred approximately 1.7 miles west of Palmer Lake and U.S. Forest crews were able to locate, access and contain the fire at 0.10 of an acre,” a U.S. Forest Service announcement said. “The cause of the fire is from a lightning strike from the thunderstorms that swept across the area.”

Residents had reported seeing smoke near the top of Sundance Mountain, which serves as a visual backdrop to the town.

Meanwhile, the Penley fire west of Sedalia reached %100 containment on July 29, according to the Douglas County Office of Emergency Management and the West Douglas Fire Protection District.

The cause of that fire remains under investigation. Officials said additional information will be released as it becomes available.

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Road work

Furrow Road will be closed at both the north and south ends for roundabout installation the week starting Aug. 11.

The north intersection of Furrow and Minglewood Trail will be closed starting Aug. 11 and will be open by Aug. 13. The south intersection of Furrow and Minglewood/Lamplight Drive will be closed starting Aug. 13 and will be open by the end of the day on Aug. 14.

If access is needed to Furrow from Hwy 105, please utilize Fairplay Drive or Martingale Road. If access is needed to Furrow from Higby Road, please use Fairplay. There will be message boards and detour signs to assist the traveling public on how to get around the detours.

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Trail closure

A small portion of the New Santa Fe Trail will be closed through Aug. 7.

Construction associated with the new Old Denver Road will take place 1-mile north of Baptist Road, between Wagon Gap Trail and Buffalo Valley Path, where the new Old Denver Road alignment begins. Construction includes using heavy equipment to complete large-scale grading and road construction. Due to the nature of this work, no detour is available for trail users.

The affected segment of the New Santa Fe Regional Trail will be fully closed the rest of the week.

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Free lunch program

The Colorado Department of Education is providing Colorado schools with nearly $24 million in grant funding to implement a free lunch program.

Approved by voters in 2022, the Healthy School Meals for All provides free breakfast and lunch to all public school students in the state, as well as wage increases for cafeteria staff. The program is funded through a tax increase on households making more than $300,000 a year.

The state Education Department said the two new grants will support local food purchasing training, technical assistance for school districts and producers and pay increases for school nutrition professionals.

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Tire and TV recycling

The El Paso County Environmental Division will be recycling tires and large TVs on Aug. 14 at the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility located at 3255 Akers Drive in Colorado Springs.

Tires must be from passenger cars or light trucks and are limited to nine per household (no rims) and TVs are limited to two per household.

This event is free and open to all El Paso and Teller County households. Registration is required and can be done at https://cleansweepaugust2026.eventbrite.com.