Tri-Lakes Preservation and The Community Voice estimate a Buc-ee’s on Monument Hill would leave local governments and districts about $602,000 a year worse off. The estimate turns on a projected fall in nearby home values.
Posted inLocal News
Buc-ee’s Hearing Set for Aug. 27
El Paso County’s commissioners will hear Buc-ee’s appeal on Thursday, Aug. 27, deciding whether a 74,000-square-foot travel plaza is a “convenience store” under C-1 zoning.
Posted inLocal News
Monument Breaks Ground on a Play Park Seven Years in the Making
Ground is broken at Second and Adams for the Heart of Monument Play Park, a universally accessible playground built by the town, the Kiwanis club and the church that donated the land. Phase One is funded; about $48,000 remains for Phase Two.
Posted inGovernment
Matt Grubesic Enters the District 1 Commissioner Race as a Write-In
A finance veteran, economics graduate and author who spent two years on the Ford Amphitheater noise dispute is running for El Paso County commissioner in District 1. He filed as a write-in on July 6th.
Posted inSchools
School Starts Aug. 12 in D38, Aug. 11 at Monument Academy
Lewis-Palmer School District 38 opens to most students on Aug. 12, eighth graders on Aug. 13, and Monument Academy starts its youngest children on Aug. 11. Start dates, bell schedules, bus fees, meal prices and back-to-school events for 2026-27.
Posted inGovernment
Monument Town Council, August 3, 2026: A Tax Sent Back, Water Rates Up, an Exit From the Loop
Monument’s council sent its ballot language back for rewriting, raised water rates for the first time since 2020, voted to leave the Loop water project, and approved a powersports dealership — all without a word of public comment.
Posted inGovernment
Monument Council Asks the County to Reject Buc-ee’s Zoning Claim
Monument’s council voted 7-0 to urge El Paso County to uphold its Buc-ee’s determination and reject the convenience-store label; the town’s press release asks the commissioners to go further.
Posted inSchools
Safety Does Not Set Teacher Pay in El Paso County
Lewis-Palmer D38 and Cheyenne Mountain report almost the same rate of school behavior incidents. Cheyenne Mountain pays its teachers $8,484 more. What separates them is not safety but the size of the override their voters approved.
Posted inLocal News
The Independent Launches a Free Tri-Lakes Business Directory
Tri-Lakes Colorado lists 360 businesses in Monument, Palmer Lake and Woodmoor. Listings are free, every business gets its own indexable page, and owners can correct or remove theirs at no charge.
Posted inLocal News
Colorado at 150: The State That Arrived Late and Picked a President
Colorado turns 150 on Saturday. Its constitution let the legislature, not the voters, cast the three electoral votes of 1876 – and Monument already had a post office older than the state.