City Testimonials: "I hope that you have received 500 calls saying THANK YOU for the new playground at Bonforte Park! It is a terrific neighborhood park and we so appreciate the improvements. I walk by every day and see so many children and parents enjoying themselves." -Citizen Comment "The crew from Engine 15A were professional, knowledgeable, courteous, and extremely helpful, not only did this group of professionals represent the Fire Department in a positive light, they also speak to a city government that is responsive and courteous to the public."- Citizen Comment "We've found with projects we're doing, the City seems to be as proactive as they possibly can be." -Real Estate CEO "Grateful for the progress made by CSPD to curb shoplifting." -Business Loss Prevention Manager "Not only was my concern addressed in a professional and timely manner, but Finance Planning & Analysis Manager Leslie Hickey took the time to let me know that changes were on the way. This is the direct opposite of some folks' perception of local government." -Citizen Comment "Thank you very much for fixing the potholes on the round about for Squirrel Tail and Brainard as well as the divot by the water outlet on Squirrel Tail towards Musgrave. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" -Citizen Comment "Accounts Payable Supervisor Patti McFarland was true to her word, she called me back within days to give a status report. Then she called again to update me. Then, she called today to let me know she had been able to contact the unreachable tow company, received an invoice, and would be reimbursing the portion the business manager agreed to pay! I know that it was a sustained effort because I tried for several months and got nowhere. I can't express my overwhelming gratitude to Patti and your office for their work in this matter. We run a service-based business and try to learn from other organizations whenever we can. I will bring up this instance at our weekly meeting as an example of good service to be commended and followed.Thanks to you and Patti for the surprisingly positive experience I had with your office." -Local Small Business Owner "Thanks to Traffic Technician Pete Doyle, his community attitude to work with the residents is commendable. Thank you once again." -Citizen Comment "Streets Operations Manager Bard Lower has provided me superb customer service, above and beyond what could reasonably be expected. I know that this has been a priority for your administration, and I felt it important to let you know that it is working. Mr. Lower and his associates deserve kudos for their proactive, thorough handling of this five-year-old snow plowing issue and I am grateful to you as well for making the City more responsive to citizen requests." -Citizen Comment "As a new resident of Colorado Springs, it’s apparent that the City really does excel in taking care of its residents and treats its citizens more like neighbors and friends than just customers on a long “to-do” list. Thank you for all your exceptional service." -Citizen Comment

Bal Seal Employees Welcome Mayor Steve Bach

May 22, 2012 By

Mayor Steve Bach, who is committed to focus on jobs, was invited to an employee groundbreaking of the future 155,000 square-foot Bal Seal plant.  The site is located on an 18-acre piece of property near Interquest Parkway and Federal Drive.  Sixty Bal Seal employees celebrated the occasion with a barbecue lunch and as a gesture of appreciation for his efforts, the Mayor was invited to join them. Bal Seal will grow its workforce to 80 people over the next year and once their new plant is complete they expect to have more than 200 employees. The average salary for these employees will be around $50,000. The company chose the Springs because it is business friendly and has a well-educated workforce. Bal Seal produces high-tech connectors for the medical and aerospace industries. “These are good, stable, well-paying jobs and what our local economy needs.  We are happy to have Bal Seal in Colorado Springs,” said Mayor Bach.

Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/plans-129747-bal-double.html#ixzz1vfGvNieA

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Business, Jobs, Mayor Bach News

May Media Meeting with Mayor Steve Bach (Revised)

May 10, 2012 By

To stay focused on the goal, Mayor Steve Bach reminds himself every day why he is here. In that spirit, he began May’s Monthly Media Briefing by re-stating his priorities.

“My priorities are jobs, transforming City Government and building community. Kinder-Morgan will remain  in Colorado Springs, which means 450 jobs will stay here rather than move to Lakewood,” said the Mayor.

 

“We’ve inherited half a billion dollars in unfunded stormwater projects and need to repair a number of bridges. We may have to close some. We need to move to priorities-based budgeting or we’ll have to come to grips with a long deferral of capital improvements. I’ve asked City Council to ask Colorado Springs Utilities to find efficiencies anywhere they can. It’s up to all of us to evaluate how we’re doing things.”

PIKES PEAK SUMMIT HOUSE PROJECT

“Pikes Peak is our beacon and we’re proud of it. However we won’t use tax dollars to rebuild it,” said the Mayor. Then he introduced former County Commissioner Jim Bensberg and former City Councilman John Hazlehurst. Due to John Hazlehurst’s dapper appearance, the Mayor joked, “I’ve never seen him look so good!”

Unfazed, Mr. Hazlehurst announced, ”We’re cleaning up Pikes Peak Summit House. This will be a shovel-ready project, but our challenge is to get the shovels up there. Visitors are disappointed at what they find up there.”

Jim Bensberg added, “Both John and I are Colorado Springs natives. In the 1990’s we were on opposites sides of the debate regarding whether we should pave the Pikes Peak Highway.”

Now they are collaborators on a project that could have a very positive reflection on Colorado Springs and do justice to the beauty of the mountain.

When Jim and John came to the Mayor to discuss the need to improve the site, they said, “We should do something about this!” The Mayor responded, “Why don’t YOU do something about it?”

Mayor Bach said, “The Pikes Peak Highway is the most spectacular highway. There is money available in the Pikes Peak Highway Gift Trust Account; this is a collaboration that brings together Federal, State, Local and City resources. The Summit House needs to be replaced with something bigger.”

It won’t be hard to visualize the outcome, since the original designs pictured above were displayed at the meeting by Mr. Clifford Taylor of Clifford Taylor Architects PC of Colorado Springs.

But most agree it won’t be an easy project. Things have to be constructed down here and then trucked up there before being reconstructed. Cost estimates have ranged from $12-15M, but taxpayers won’t be on the hook. Mr. Bensberg and Mr. Hazlehurst are up for the challenge and enthused at the opportunity to improve a nationally renouned site which inspired the words to “America the Beautiful” penned by Katharine Lee Bates.

SWIM CAPS MAY BREAK GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS

Mary Scott announced an exciting opportunity for Colorado Springs to break the Guinness Book of World Records. She attended a  “What If” employee brainstorming session facilitated by Nick Kittle and Jay Anderson of the Office of Innovation. During breakout group discussions, Brian Kates, Facility Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services presented a number of creative ideas. 

(Above L-R: Doug Martin, Mary Scott, Emily Silver)

Brian’s idea and Mary’s former position with USA Swimming led to a plan to break the world’s record for the number of people wearing swimming caps in one place at one time. The previous record was set in January 2012 at 2049. The gathering will be held on July 27th at America the Beautiful Park and Speedo has donated 5000 swim caps.

Great ideas and Mary’s outreach attracted enthusiastic partners. The City will collaborate with USA Swimming and the Colorado Springs Sports Corp. Emily Silver, representative from USA Swimming said the timing was perfect since their Spring 2012 Swim Today Program inspires people to get involved with swimming.  

Doug Martin from Colorado Springs Sports Corp said, “The State Games will collaborate with the City to break the record. You only need to wear the swim cap for 10 minutes and anyone can participate. There will be 1000 swimmers at the Air Force Academy during that time.”

FIRE DEPARTMENT OFFERS BASIC HEALTH SCREENING

Mayor Bach encourages innovative solutions, so when Chief Brown suggested a health screening service, the Mayor was very supportive. He said, “It’s essential our City Government rethink and re-invent to find more effective ways to serve the community. Our Fire Department is on the cutting edge within the entire United States.”

Chief Brown explained, “We had 44,000 medical calls this past year. Of those, 1000 were stroke and 700 were cardiac arrest. Over 800 calls were related to diabetes and 44% seek care at an emergency room if they have no insurance. So I asked myself, can’t we do this better by being pre-emptive?

Hyperglycemia  (high blood sugar) is the leading cause of disease. We’ll be partnering with Memorial and Penrose to do basic well checkups. We’ll use resources we have today more effectively. Chief Carey and I have talked about police and fire participation and believe we can do more with what we have. Stations 8, 11, 4 started last week.”

In response to the Mayor’s question, “Will this have any impact on our service?” Chief  Brown said, “No, this will in no way denigrate our service. It will in no way affect response times or the ability to get to emergencies.”

Mayor Steve Bach’s Media Briefings are held each month at the City Administration Building on 30 S. Nevada, Rm 102.

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Mayor Attends Opening for Comcast Xfinity Center and Accepts Donation

March 24, 2012 By

Mayor Bach visited the old Comcast location on Union for as long as he could remember. He’s also working hard to bring more jobs to Colorado Springs and make it a more business friendly community.

So it was fitting he attend the ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new Customer Service Center in University Village.

“We’re glad Comcast chose Colorado Springs to locate this new Customer Service Center to locate one of it’s customer service centers,” said Mayor Bach. “It’s important we support good employers. We need to bring more jobs to Colorado Springs and have employers that support the communities they serve. ”

Comcast is indeed supporting the Colorado Springs community. They have donated $2500 to contribute to the purchase of supplies and park enhancements during a Spirit of the Springs service day project. Also, on Comcast Cares Day next month, Comcast volunteers will work side by side with community volunteers to beautiful parks in Colorado Springs.

Along with Mayor Bach, elected officials and community leaders, including Colorado House Majority Leader Amy Stephens, Chief of Economic Vitality and Innovation Steve Cox, and President of Military Affairs for the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce Brian Binn, toured the new space. Donna Nelson, Economic Vitality Specialist for the Mayor’s office and leader of the Spirit of the Springs initiative, accepted the $2500 donation.

The next Xfinity Customer Center is located at 5020 North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs.

 

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Monthly Media Briefing on Mayor Initiatives

March 14, 2012 By

Each month, members of the Colorado Springs media are invited to attend a briefing by Mayor Bach held at the City Administration Building. Press conferences are efficient ways for the media to ask questions on timely topics and also hear updates from key leaders on important initiatives.

 Mayor Bach began by wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day a few days early. He then summarized his three key objectives: jobs, transforming city government and building community. To improve the business climate, he has visited and built relationships with many primary employers as well as suppliers and vendors who might bring their operations to Colorado Springs.

The Mayor has also worked closely with the Chamber, EDC and Incubator to nurture and retain existing jobs. He has met with lenders, banks and credit unions to stimulate capitol and venture funding for long term economic vitality.  He cited new jobs numbers including Balseal (200) and Stellar Restaurant Solutions (250). El Paso Gas is being encouraged to keep 450 jobs in the area rather than move them to Lakewood CO.

Mayor Bach’s main message is, “We’re open for business in Colorado Springs.”

In other efforts, the Mayor is working to transform city government, attract employers and form Frontrange and State alliances. The Pikes Peak Region Mayors Caucus is an example of local leaders working together to make things happen.

Donna Nelson, Economic Vitality and Innovation Specialist took the podium to describe the Spirit of the Springs initiative which includes:

Celebrate and Connect Colorado Springs

Ms. Nelson cited the Summer and Winter Rally and Celebration Awards to recognize noteworthy accomplishments which bring pride and distinction to Colorado Springs. Volunteer activities included the Bring a Turkey to Work Day Drive which generated 500% more food donations for Care and Share than the year previous. She thanked the Broadmoor for sponsoring the upcoming Mayor’s Cup Golf Fundraiser Tournament, where 100% of all funds raised will come back to the City. Colorado Springs is also the first city to receive permission from NBC to air the Olympic Opening Ceremonies at a downtown Viewing Celebration this summer.

Cultivate Future City Government Leaders

Multiple efforts are underway to build leaders for the future, including the City Careers Awareness Program to be launched in Fall 2012 in local middle schools. Career Fairs will be held at local colleges and universities and soldiers transitioning into civilian life will receive assistance through community partnerships. In Fall 2012, a Community Center after-school program will launch.

Encourage Citizen Involvement

The Mayor speaks regularly at organizations like  PILLAR, UCCS and COPPeR to encourage involvement and thank those who step forward in service. Partnering with retirees and Fire Fighters, the Adopt a School Program will augment support to schools needing volunteer help. While we have an actively involved community, more representation is needed from the Pikes Peak Region to serve on State and local Boards and Commissions.

Steve Cox, Chief of Economic Vitality and Innovation spoke next. He said, “It’s exciting for us at this time. Colorado Springs is on the cusp of greatness. The Downtown Solutions Team is part of an overarching vision to do what we can to create a better environment. We want to turn Monument Creek into an amenity where people can gather but we need more people to get onboard.”

 

The head of the Downtown Solutions Team, Chuck Murphy, spoke about the importance of a safe and secure downtown, noting that cameras work successfully in every city they’ve been used. “We expect decorum from everyone,” he said.

Responding to media questions on the use of cameras downtown, Steve Cox responded with the following: The issue is public safety and the public does not feel safe. Complaints come from businesses and shoppers as a result of drug arrests in Acacia Park, rowdy night time activities and aggressive panhandlers. The Police Chief recommended the use of cameras as a way to redeploy resources. It is a “force multiplier” which will eliminate the need to spend more money on added police.

There will be a $163,000 one-time cost and cameras will be staffed by volunteers and some overtime funding. The camera feed will not be accessible to the public unless there is a resulting investigation. Also sidewalks will be cleaned by volunteers. The CAPS program, Community Advancing Public Safety, have 400 volunteers with a goal of 1100. These people have a passion to invest their time in the community.

See the schedule of 2012 Mayor Media Briefings.  

Watch the Formal City Council meeting and public input on proposed downtown cameras .

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Filed Under: Jobs, Leadership, Mayor Bach News, Public Safety Tagged With: , , , ,

Steve Bigari Credits Mayor Bach for Stellar Jobs

February 27, 2012 By

Steve Bigari, CEO of Stellar Restaurant Solutions credits Mayor Steve Bach’s outreach efforts for their company’s decision to base their corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs. Stellar, a call center serving restaurants across the country, projects to add 2000 more jobs over the next 18 months.

 

Bigari said, “We’re very excited to make this announcement and want to thank Mayor Steve Bach and his team for helping us put the deal together. It was Mayor Bach’s heart that made the difference for us; he has changed the heart of the city. He asked what he could do to help. He created an environment to make it happen so we could locate our corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs. People think it only takes money to attract or keep a business; what it took was someone making us feel like we belong.”

Colorado Springs was chosen after a six-month decision process by Stellar Management and won out over Dallas, Texas and Pheonix, Arizona. Stellar Restaurant Solutions is the brainchild of Steve Bigari who innovated the multi-lane drive-through concept and also took orders for his McDonald’s Restaurants via his own call center. Today, Stellar is part of a global organization and takes orders for restaurant chains across the country like PF Changs China Bistro, CPK, and Qdoba Mexican Grill.

At this morning’s announcement, Mayor Bach said, “Our number one goal is to make Colorado Springs the most business friendly city, eliminate red tape, and treat employers as friends and customers. Bob Cope and Steve Cox from our Office of Economic Vitality and Innovation worked closely with Stellar management. It’s a great day – entrepreneurship is alive and well in Colorado Springs!” 

Mayor Bach continued, “It takes flexibility and treating people with respect. We have a ‘can-do’ team who ask what they can do to ensure the City is supportive. Change is difficult. Rather than a sedentary approach, we strive to be lean and quick. It’s one thing to express feelings and another to get results.”

In response to whether Stellar’s decision hinged on the quality of the Colorado Springs workforce, Mr. Bigari said, “Yes, we have amazing people here and our employees are are full-on profit participants in the future of Stellar.  They are energized and mobilize to get things done. We want to help them build careers and provide substantial job opportunities for the future.”

Stellar’s new headquarters is located at 5825 Mark Dabling Blvd. It holds a call center of 180 work stations with 500 more being added in the next few days. Painted on the wall in big bold letters are the words, “Stellar is Passionate About People and Passionate About the Customer”. Below that is Bigari’s leadership philosophy:

Open Book Management

  • Know the rules
  • Keep score
  • Share a stake in the outcome

A practical approach for a very productive environment!

 

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