Do the Right Thing.

Pueblo continues to make the forclosure lists. While this makes nobody happy, it does give buyers and investors an opportunity. Pueblo is the place people like to retire to because of the cost of living. However, the economy could use a good kick. The Colorado Small Business people tell me that small and large companies both look to Southern Colorado to relocate to because of the opportunities that are here. Costs are low and employees are plentiful.

The saying goes buy low and sell high. This list below should give people something to think about. And it's nice to see Colorado on a good list for a change. We have so much here that we love to share. If you are coming to Colorado to live, invest or visit please keep an open mind. You never know where opportunity lies.

Daily Real Estate News  |  October 25, 2006Report: 10 Great Cities to Invest in Real Estate
The magazine Business 2.0 has published its list of the top 10 places to invest in real estate in the next 12 months.

Top 10 Cities: Where to Buy Now

1. Panama City, Fla. "Panama City is an economy waiting to break out," says Steven Cochrane, chief regional economist for Moody's Economy.com.
2. Vero Beach, Fla. A Manpower Employment Outlook Survey predicts growth in construction, manufacturing, and retail jobs too.
3. Bridgeport, Conn. "Bridgeport has fixed the corruption," says Norman Feinstein, a principal with New Jersey-based Hampshire Funds. "The local government is pro-development, and buildings are being rehabbed."
4. Lakeland, Fla. Lakeland is just 30 minutes from Tampa, a juggernaut of 2.7 million people that's projected to add almost 210,000 more residents over the next five years.
5. McAllen, Texas 85 percent of the population is Latino and they are enjoying improved economic status, creating pent-up demand for nicer homes.
6. San Luis Obispo, Calif. The last semi-rural stretch of central California coastline, and it's also home to the state's rising star of wine production.
7. Wilmington, N.C. Highway construction has opening this area of the coast, bringing vacationers from other parts of North Carolina.
8. Manchester, N.H. Within commuting distance of Boston, without the cost.
9. Fort Collins, Colo. An outdoor paradise with lots of high-tech jobs, good schools and low crime.
10. Atlanta Bruce Katz, head of the urban development program at the Brookings Institution, says Atlanta is "sprawl on steroids."

Source: Business 2.0 (11/01/2006)

Fremont County Colorado is known for many, many things. Mostly it is known for the Royal Gorge Bridge, the Arkansas River, Dinosaurs, and prisons. But I think mostly the residents of the area appreciate the beauty. The Arkansas River Valley is surrounded by spectacular mountains, including Pikes Peak.

I grew up in Los Angeles, you’ve been there or at least seen it in the movies. Fremont county is everything L.A. isn’t. It’s quite, calm, beautiful, scenic and you don’t have to wait two hours to get a table for dinner. In fact it sometimes hard to dine out on a holiday weekend, the owners are out enjoying themselves as well!!

Today while Colorado Springs and Denver were without power and buried under a heavy fall snow I went out and took some fall pictures. I invite you to come for a visit. I think you’ll enjoy the quiet.

"Penrose isn’t on the map, but neither is Heaven" You see this saying on bumper stickers on occasion.

Penrose Colorado is one of those towns that isn’t really a town. But it does have a small grocery store and it’s own post office. The Gooseberry Patch restaurant is a huge favorite amongst the locals. The Coyote Den is the Penrose answer to Starbucks. And according to the Genesis Book of records Penrose is the home of the Worlds largest Rocking Chair. It sits in front of the Apple Shed, kind of a general store, currently for sale. And Penrose is known for its apples. Apples were a huge industry here during WWII and still a fall favorite.

Penrose is located between Colorado highway #50 and #115. Easy access to Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Canon City. So next time you are on your way to the Royal Gorge Bridge or Bishops Castle stop and see the Worlds Largest Rocking Chair!

For anyone concerned with such things and you live in Southern Colorado, I went to an interesting meeting last night. The Colorado Community Round table discussion on the Off-Site Shipment and Treatment of Hydrolysate at Pueblo. A Partnership for Safe Chemical Weapons Destruction. www.pmacwa.army.mil The meeting Wednesday, Oct 25, 2006 6:00-8:00 PM at Sangre De Cristo Arts and conference Center, Jackson Room. 210 N. Santa Fe, Pueblo

I will admit that most of what was discussed last night was over my head. But basically the federal government has agreed to destroy the Mustard gas that is being stored at the Army depot in Eastern Pueblo County. Because we live and work in the area I thought I’d pass on some information.

Sulfur mustard -From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia(Redirected from Mustard gas)The sulfur mustards, of which mustard gas is a member, are a class of related cytotoxic, vesicant chemical warfare agents with the ability to form large blisters on exposed skin. In their pure form most sulfur mustards are colorless, odorless, viscous liquids at room temperature. When used as warfare agents they are usually yellow-brown in color and have an odor resembling mustard plants, garlic or horseradish, which is how they got their name. However, these compounds have absolutely no relation whatsoever to culinary mustard.

The group that met last night passed out some information on this subject. Including a definition from the Transportation Risk Assessment, Argonne National Laboratory April 2003.Hydrolysate Refresher.

What is mustard (HD) hydrolysate?

1. By product of the water neutralization process
2. 90% water
3. Salts (sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, thiodiglycol
4. Impurites, I.E. heavy metals such as lead and chromuim, iron and various, other organics,

Other topics included:

• Transportation Estimates.
• Hydrolysate Comparisons
• What occurs in the biotratment process
• Water Usage
• Potential Cost Savings
• Points on Cost Savings
• Labor Impacts
• Potential Benefits

Guests were invited to participate by way of comments and questions. The Point of Contact is Jeannine Natterman, Public Information Specialist Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. 4300 Cherry creek Drive S. Denver, CO 80246-1530 or toll free 1-888-569-1831 ext 3303 jeannine.natterman@state.co.us

• Mr. John Klomp, Chair
• Mr. Tom Enrietta, Plumber & Steam fitters local 58
• Ms. Irene Kornelly
• Hon. Anthony Nunex, Pueblo County Commissioner
• Mr. Richard Robb
• Mr. John Thatcher
• Mr. Ross Vincent, Sierra Club

• Mr. Morgan Cullen, Governor’s Office of Policy and Initiatives
• Ms. Joan Sowinski, Federal Facilities Program Manager Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division

• Mr. Steve Douglas, Director Pueblo County Dept. Of Emergency Management
• Lt. Col. John Riley, CDR, Pueblo Chemical Depot
• Ms. Marilyn Thompson Public Affairs Officer, PCD

I admit it, I'm an Ecobroker who doesn't recycle often enough. If it isn't easy, quick and cheap, well you get the idea.But on the up side I don't buy a lot to begin with.

But on Nov 11 America Recycles takes place. This is the perfect time to clean those closets, sheds and trunks of your car.   

Efforts under way to reuse old items

Puebloans can get rid of unwanted objects in the Recycle Round-Up on Nov. 11.

By JAMES AMOS
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

It will be the country's annual America Recycles time soon and there are plenty of opportunities to participate.

The aesthetic highlight of the yearly reminder to recycle is sure to be the Trash Fashion Show, showing clothing outfits middle-school and high-school students make from used, trashed materials.

A more pragmatic highlight will be the Recycle Round-Up on Nov. 11 where Pueblo residents can get rid of old computers, TVs, plastic materials, batteries, eyeglasses, winter clothes and more.

The series of events is being organized by the Pueblo Recycles group and the Pueblo City-County Health Department.

There is no cost to get rid of most of the items at the Recycle Round-Up, according to Susan Finzel-Aldred, the health department's environmental coordinator.

But there will be a $5 charge for computers, laptops, monitors and TVs. The organizers, however, are not accepting console TVs, she said.

Finzel-Aldred said she has to charge the fee because she must pay a company to discard the computers and televisions. The lead in TV and computer components makes them banned at landfills.

"I collected 18,000 pounds last May" at a similar event, Finzel-Aldred said. "I charged a little bit, but it didn't even touch the bill. A lot of that was TVs, console TVs, and I had to pay by the pound."

The Recycle Round-Up will be open to city and county residents, but not businesses.

Once in awhile I get asked about out lying areas around Pueblo. First time visitors will often remark that Pueblo has few trees and the mountains are to far away. Depending on your perspective, this is true.

I live near Canon City and appreciate how lovely it is. It is slightly hilly and does get snow on occasion. It’s called the Banana Belt of the Rockies. Fremont county tends to get all four seasons. 

Yes, it has 15 prisons including the Super Max in Florence. And that is a big part of what Fremont county is, but that’s not all it is.

Please come visit Bishops Castle, the Royal Gorge Bridge, Dinosaur Museum, the Arkansas River, antique and art galleries and so much more.

Visit me and I'll make you some pumpkins soup from scratch, I even grow the pumpkins! 

<a href="http://www.technorati.com/claim/vsetuyrpwk" rel="me">Technorati Profile</a>\\

no points please

Daily I get asked about:

How is using P.V.'s going to effect somebodies electric bill?

Is installing P.V's worth the additional costs? When will I break even?

How did Prop 37 really effect consumers?

My best answer is to call your local supplier of electricity. Aquila is required to furnish reversable meters upon request, Excel is not required. If you are on Excel,  Aquila MAY buy your Energy Credits. Yes, it is very possible to go completely off grid, but if the power company is required to buy your energy from you why would you want to be completely off grid? And what if you needed the extra power for some reason?

From the Solar Energy Blog - AQUILA ELECTRIC BILLS MAY INCREASE 1 PERCENT STARTING SEPT. 1 TO RECOVER COSTS OF POPULAR RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAM

Customers flock to sign up to cut solar installation costs by thousands of dollars

PUEBLO, CO., Aug. 1, 2006 – Aquila’s 92,000 Colorado electric customers may see a one percent adjustment in their energy bills starting September 1, 2006, if the state utility commission approves tariffs submitted Monday to help pay for a state-sanctioned program to promote renewable energy.
Aquila filed a request to the Public Utilities Commission to add a Renewable Energy Standard Adjustment (RESA) to electric bills starting September 1.
The proposed RESA will pay for the Aquila Rebates and Incentives for Solar Energy program, which provides financial incentives for Aquila electric customers who install photovoltaic (PV) systems – equipment which converts sunlight into electricity.
The program is part of Aquila’s ongoing commitment to developing renewable energy, as well as a response to Colorado’s Amendment 37, an initiative passed in 2004 which mandated that utilities meet several minimum requirements for generating or selling renewable energy starting in 2007.
Under Aquila’s proposed RESA, the average residential customer would receive an increase of approximately $7.68 annually, or about $0.64 per month. An average small business customer would receive an increase of approximately $62.70 annually, or about $5.23 per month. The funds received from this tariff, which will total $1.48 million in 2007, will be used solely for the purpose of complying with Colorado’s renewable energy standard.
The Aquila Rebates and Incentives for Solar Energy program was approved by the commission on June 27 and launched on July 3. Since then, said Gary Stone, Aquila’s vice president of Colorado electric operations, 22 customers have applied, representing 172 kilowatts of renewable energy. Half of those customers have been certified by Aquila to receive the payments and may begin installing the PV panels this year.
Aquila’s declining incentive structure allows rebates from $3.50 per watt to $5.00 per watt, depending on when applications are approved. A three-kilowatt PV system installed on a typical 3,000-square-foot house would cost about $27,000. That price could be reduced as much as $15,000 under the Aquila rebate program. Incentives could be much higher for larger homes and businesses.
Aquila’s program provides a two-part incentive to qualifying customers:
· Direct rebates for equipment and installation costs, based on the PV system’s rating.
· Renewable Energy Credits (REC), which are primarily based on the environmental attributes associated with renewable energy generation.
For PV systems up to 10 kilowatts, the REC would be paid in a one-time lump sum. For systems from 10 kilowatts to 100 kilowatts, the REC would be an annual payment.
Additionally, on days when panels generate more power than customers use, customers will earn a bill credit from Aquila.
Customers interested in the program should contact a PV contractor qualified by the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. A list of qualified PV contractors is available at www.coseia.org. Next, the customer needs to complete a rebate application form, available from the contractor or online at pv.aquilaprograms.com , and submit the form to Aquila. More information is available at (800) 454-8651.
Aquila’s Colorado electric operations are based in Pueblo and serve 92,000 customers in Canon City, Cripple Creek, Florence, Penrose, Pueblo, Rocky Ford, Westcliffe and several other south-central Colorado communities.
Based in Kansas City, Mo., Aquila (NYSE:ILA) operates electricity and natural gas distribution utilities serving one million customers in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska re information is available at www.aquila.com.

For anyone interested in Solar products or products that aren’t harmful to the planet or ourselves there is a terrific source of products. The Gaima Real Goods catalog http://www.gaiam.com/realgoods/ .

Products in the summer edition include: indoor / outdoor rugs made of recycled soda bottles, a variety of comforters, a solar powered lawn mower (no emissions), Bat Conservatory ( they eat millions of mosquitos a night), solar powered property alarm, rechargeable batteries, solar toys, recycled paper goods, energy saving appliances, books on tons of subjects, propane refrigerators, and lots more.

I think most people want to do the right thing, and if it’s easy why not. Doing the right thing for ourselves and others including the planet should be a matter of course.

The article below will have an effect on all residents and land owners in Pueblo West. This article is what started the rumor about the sewer running up to the north side to include some (not all) of the commerical and R5 lots. The fire station and the increased tap fees will no doubt have an effect on land prices.

Excitement grows in Pueblo West due to the impending growth at Fort Carson. But with the growth comes growing pains. No longer will Pueblo West be one of the least expensive places to build. One local builder expects vacant land prices to go down, resales to raise, and new construction to slow. Of course only time will tell what will happen.

$5 million budget on tap

2007 plan seeks $1.6 million for new fire station

By LORETTA SWORD
The Pueblo West View

Pueblo West will have a new fire station and nine new full-time firefighters by the end of next year if the proposed 2007 metro-district budget is approved in December.

Members of the Pueblo West Metropolitan District Board of Directors on Tuesday got their first look at the budget, which anticipates general-fund revenue next year of slightly more than $5 million. That's about $500,000 higher than this year's projected revenue, due mostly to an identical projected increase in property-tax revenue next year compared to this year.

Estimated 2007 property taxes, at $3.4 million, make up the lion's share of the general fund budget. Other sources of anticipated revenue include $1 million in state Highway Users Tax Funds, interest on investments, various franchise fees, and user fees and permits.

The new fire station being planned north of U.S. 50, at an estimated cost of $1.6 million, would be financed primarily with metro district land-sales revenue from the 2006 end-of-year fund balance and projected 2007 land sales proceeds. That money traditionally has been used to fund road improvements that aren't covered by the district's $1 million annual average in HUTF allotments.

Adding nine full-time firefighters to staff the new station would take the department's payroll from this year's $456,807 to $562,790 next year, covering the new salaries for only the portion of the year that remains after construction on the station is complete near the end of 2007.

Next year's street-and-roads budget calls for about $900,000 in road improvements, including chip-and-seal work on 30 miles of roadway at an estimated cost of $600,000 and crack-filling operations on unspecified roads at a cost of $190,000.

The widening of Industrial, McCulloch and Purcell boulevards, projects the metro district hopes to undertake with major help from the Pueblo County, are not included in the 2007 proposed budget because funding is dependent upon several grant applications that have not yet been processed.

Other non-general-fund capital projects include:

• $280,000: design and engineering work on a master drainage plan
• $100,000: Phase II storm-water permitting project
• $274,275: an extension of the McCulloch Boulevard pedestrian/bike trail (a project that will be financed primarily through grant monies)

General fund expenses next year are estimated as follows:

• Operating expenses, including salaries for all most metro district employees: $4 million
• Capital projects: $135,225
• Capital equipment: $669,550
• Desert Hawk golf course loan repayment: $246,644
• Swimming pool subsidy: $43,152.

Budgets for the sewer and water-treatment systems are part of the document metro board members received at Tuesday's regular meeting. Each is handled as an "enterprise" account, separate from the general fund, that is funded through user and tap fees, as well as water-sales revenue.

The proposed budget calls for the local mill levy to remain at 20.193 mills.

There will be public hearing on the proposed budget during the metro board's Nov. 28 meeting. A final vote is set for the Dec. 12 meeting. Both will begin at 6:30 p.m. at metro district headquarters, 109 E. Industrial Blvd.

Residents may examine a copy of the proposed budget between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at the same address.

Public hearing Nov. 28. Vote Dec. 12