Middle Shooks Run

The City Council voted on the Boulder Street issue. Read our newest post about it.

Last month we posted about the Palmer High School renovation and the proposed permanent closure of Boulder Street between Weber Street and Nevada Avenue. The City Council public hearing is now one week away — Tuesday, March 10 — and this is the moment for neighbors to make their voices heard.

We want to be clear: the current $100 million renovation of Palmer High School’s main campus is a welcome investment in this school and this neighborhood. We support it. What we are questioning is whether the permanent closure of E. Boulder Street is the right step to improve safety for students and neighbors.

Why Does District 11 Want to Close E. Boulder St?

If approved on March 10, the City would permanently transfer Boulder Street to School District 11, removing it from public ownership forever. According to City Code, that action may not be reconsidered or rescinded once approved.

District 11 states that campus consolidation is necessary for student safety and accountability. They cite the dangerous intersections that students cross between campus facilities and concerns about supervision during a crisis. We contest whether permanent forfeiture of public land is the responsible remedy. If those intersections are unsafe for students, they are also unsafe for the more numerous residents who use them every day. We want safety for students and neighbors alike.

The project is proposed in three phases. The current $100 million main campus renovation is already underway. If the vacation is approved, Phase 1B would follow — construction of a new practice track and football field on the new super block. Phase 2, a new athletic complex replacing the functions of Erps Gym, would come last and requires a separate voter-approved bond of approximately $100 million that has not yet been presented to voters.

Proposed Construction Sequence Increases Danger to Students

Most students travel to Erps Gym to use the gymnasium, locker rooms, pool, health classrooms, and physical education facilities. The bond referenced above must be approved before those functions can be replaced by the new athletic complex on the north campus. Until that facility is built, students who might begin using a new full-sized track on the partially consolidated campus would still need to travel to Erps Gym on Wahsatch Avenue to change clothes and then return, potentially increasing dangerous street crossings while leaving the underlying exposure unchanged.

The Palmer High School Athletics Department confirmed on February 13 that students do not use the current running track outside Erps Gym because it is in disrepair, and athletic teams travel four miles to Garry Berry Stadium for practice and competition. In effect, the requested vacation would relocate a track that no students currently use before the Phase 2 athletic complex is funded or constructed. It’s important to note that the new track and field will be for PE classes and athletic teams will still travel daily to Garry Berry Stadium.

The funding for Phase 2 should be secured first. Otherwise, if the bond fails, the City will have permanently transferred a public street without achieving the desired public benefit. We’ll be left with no safety improvement and no ability to reverse the decision.

A Better Path Exists

Since no students use the track at Erps and student trips to Erps Gym are all to use the gym, locker rooms, weight room, pool, and classrooms, the most effective safety improvement is to complete the new athletic complex on the north campus first. Then students would only need to cross Boulder St, which could be designated pedestrian-only, rather than the busier intersections at Wahsatch Ave and Weber St.

District 11 has studied and presented a campus design that does not require vacating Boulder Street. Under that approach, Boulder St would be closed to vehicle traffic but remain public — redesigned as a pedestrian promenade connecting Nevada Avenue to Weber Street. The City already has the authority to close a street to vehicles without transferring ownership.

In the meantime, the City can rapidly improve pedestrian safety at the intersections students and neighbors use daily — painted curb extensions, refuge islands, and restricting right turns on red are proven tools that can be implemented quickly and without giving away public land. When and if voters approve the bond and the new athletic facility is built on the north campus, the district can then evaluate whether a new track belongs at the main campus or whether the Erps Gym site itself becomes a stadium — achieving true, complete campus consolidation that serves the whole community.

Palmer HS has also stated they intend to keep open lunch, which means students will continue to use the surrounding streets and intersections daily by choice. This reinforces the case for investing in intersection safety now, regardless of how Boulder St is ultimately designated.

What Neighbors Can Do

The reasonable solution is pedestrian safety improvement — tools the City already has — not permanent forfeiture of public land.

You do not need to oppose the renovation to speak up. We encourage everyone to voice their opinion. You can support Palmer High School and still ask District 11 and City Council to sequence the project in a way that improves safety without permanently transferring a public street.

The renovation can continue regardless of the outcome on Boulder Street. This is about achieving the shared goals of safety for students and neighbors.

Act Now – Deadline for email comments is March 9

Send a written comment to Ryan Tefertiller before March 9.
Email: Ryan.Tefertiller@coloradosprings.gov

You can keep it simple:

Subject: Comments for SUBD-25-0076

Dear Mr. Tefertiller,
In reference to record number SUBD-25-0076, I am [against/for] the vacation of Boulder Street because [reason].
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Name]
Concerned Citizen

Attend the Public Hearing – March 10

City Council Chambers
107 N. Nevada Ave., 3rd Floor
Meeting begins at 9:00 a.m.
Sign up to speak at the door.