After repurposing the old Ivywild Elementary on the southwest side of Colorado Springs just over a decade ago, Bristol Brewing has taken over the rest of the building this month with a plan to expand community connection in the area.

The building, once a hub of the Ivywild community as a school, now houses a brewery, pub, and eating areas, along with some retail and space to gather.

"The idea of being a Colorado brand and even more so being a Southern Colorado brand has always been really important to us," owner Mike Bristol said.

Bristol is one of the partners who had a vision for the building.

Bristol Brewing occupies the north end. Now his partners are focusing on other ventures, and a month ago he took over the rest of the building with a business plan that goes beyond beer.

"There's no reason to have it sit empty from 7 a.m. to 11, you know, let's, let's make this a vibrant thing all day long," Bristol said.

The evolution includes what's called the Morning Program. The space welcomes socializing and business meetings, and there's strong Wi-Fi for those who need a change from working at home.

"I mean remote workers like to get out and be somewhere," Bristol said.

Evening brews come cold from the tap, while morning brews are hot and pair with pastries or breakfast. Both maintain the Colorado community connection at the heart of the business.

"Layering in the, the community aspect of it and, and being able to, to do something with this incredible building," Bristol said.

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Drivers in Colorado Springs are enjoying a smoother ride on nearly 150 lane miles of repaved roads across the city, the result of work funded by the voter-approved 2C tax.

The goal at the start of the summer was 125 lane miles. The city ended up paving 147 across a dozen 2C projects this year.

"Whenever we have an opportunity to move roads up, we take advantage of it. And this season we're here in October. We still got good weather and we were able to pave more roadways before we finished up," Bryan Wilson, public works operations manager, said.

Rio Grande Street on Colorado Springs' West Side was one of this year's 2C paving projects, and neighbors are pleased with the improvement.

"That is nice to see it to actually see it put into place and um it looks so nice," Westside resident Kathleen Eisenbeis said.

The before-and-after on West Rio Grande Street is significant.

"A year ago it was really bumpy, you know, you really had to slow down. There's lots of dips that you, you know, could definitely be hitting your car on if you're going too fast, so it was pretty bad," Eisenbeis said.

"They came in and they actually stripped the road all the way down, um, and repaved, and it looks amazing. It's super smooth and 10 times better," Eisenbeis said.

But neighbors have noticed one issue. With the dips and bumps of the old road gone, traffic that once slowed down now seems to move faster.

"The only thing I would comment on is the speed of the cars that come down here. We have a family, you know, we have kids, we walk our dog down here, so some people just. Go way too fast," Eisenbeis said.

City planners are now looking at the speed issue to see whether more needs to happen on the road to get people to slow down.

Part of the 2C ballot initiative promised accountability to voters. The tax equates to about a half cent on the dollar, which adds up to roughly $70 million annually dedicated to repaving worn-out roads.

"We have to deliver what we promised the voters we're going to do," Wayne Williams, Colorado Springs chief of staff, said.

The program has paved hundreds of miles in just over 10 years, with 190 more lane miles planned for next year. An online interactive map on the city website shows paving from past years, this year's work, and projects planned for the next couple of years.

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Visiting Colorado Springs parks is free, but parking illegally could now cost you. Rangers with Colorado Springs Parks have been given the authority to issue parking tickets at the city's largest open space parks, most of which are on the city's Westside.

Mount Cutler Trail in North Cheyenne Caon is one example of why the change is happening. The trail is very popular, but it has only about 20 parking spaces. When those fill up, people often get creative and park along the side of the road, creating traffic jams and safety issues.

Locals who frequent Colorado Springs open space parks know how crowded some can get.

"This place for sure, yeah, yeah, Cheyenne Canon definitely does. I mean, it's helped a little bit. They added more parking spaces here than they used to have, but it's still not enough. But, I mean, where are they gonna put them?" Troy Linnebur said.

Linnebur, who had the day off and came to Mount Cutler Trail to hike, said he prefers visiting on weekdays to avoid the crowds and the roadside parking he sees on busy days.

"Sure, yeah, when they're parking along the side of the road, it's sketchy," Linnebur said.

For years, parks rangers were limited to giving warnings and having conversations with parking violators.

"Now we have a way to deal with those issues," Colorado Springs regional parks, trails, and open space manager Scott Abbott said.

"Giving those explanations to individuals sometimes only goes so far," Abbott said.

Because the issue kept getting worse, parks leaders joined with police and parking enforcement. Park rangers are now credentialed to give parking citations.

"That gives them now the authority to go through all the training, have all the technical expertise, and go out there now and issue tickets in a real way," Abbott said.

Visitors who follow the parking rules will not be fined. The new enforcement starts with a short grace period before fines begin.

"Use designated areas. Don't pull off the sides of the roads. Don't park in front of closed gates. We need this accessibility for not only our visitors, our maintenance teams, our park rangers, but also first responders in case of any emergencies," Abbott said.

The reality of the parks' popularity means there will be days when parking spots are hard to find.

"I guess if there's not any space, you gotta just turn around. I've had to do it. It sucks," Linnebur said.

Depending on the violation, fines can range from $30 to $100.

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A new campground and updated recreation area is coming to the southwest side of Pikes Peak at Rosemont Reservoir, expanding backcountry opportunities on one of southern Colorado's most iconic mountains.

The reservoir sits off paved roads on a more rural edge of Pikes Peak in Teller County, offering a backcountry experience.

"I think part of CPW's mission is to provide different kinds of recreational opportunities, and this is one that's more of a backcountry opportunity," Frank McGee, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region manager, said.

Work is underway to build the camping area and improve recreation at the site.

"This could be a place where, you know, they take their first camping trip right out of Colorado Springs, uh, or they introduce their kids to fishing for the first time," Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Laura Clellan said.

The project is possible because of collaboration around the 600-acre site in Teller County, which is surrounded by Forest Service land and owned by Colorado Springs Utilities as a reservoir for water supply.

"When camping is allowed, they will have somebody here on site. Representing our interest, so actually our security for this area will increase," Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Travas Deal said.

Stewardship and the management of public lands are central themes of the new addition to Pikes Peak, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Activities take place all around the mountain. Visitors drive up the Pikes Peak Highway or take the Cog Railway. The mountain challenges fitness with the Incline, the Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent, and, next year, a new marathon on the Pikes Peak Highway.

The new camping and recreation area adds to what the mountain offers for outdoor recreation and southern Colorado.

"Create something really amazing and meaningful that everyone in Colorado and visitors will be able to enjoy," Dan Gibbs, who leads Colorado's Department of Natural Resources, said.

The new Rosemont camping area is scheduled to open in the summer of 2027.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Community feedback is reshaping a year-long redesign of West Colorado Avenue in Colorado Springs, where city planners have removed cement barriers and scaled back center pedestrian refuge areas at crosswalks.

The project includes lane realignment, parking adjustments, and new pedestrian options. Protected crosswalks were added last month, and they have since been altered based on public input.

"Recently we made some adjustments to what we had initially implemented, and this is just that ongoing iterative process of testing what's working, what's not working as well as was originally anticipated," Ryan Phipps, Colorado Springs capital improvements manager, said.

The cement barriers that were part of the original crosswalk design are now gone.

"Basically what we heard was that concrete barrier, although it was just temporary, was obscuring some of the visibility for pedestrians, you know, especially shorter pedestrians because it's just a solid wall of concrete," Phipps said.

Center pedestrian refuge areas have also been scaled back, a change driven by feedback from first responders.

"There were times when vehicles were trying to pull out. The way for first responders to come through and they were kind of creating a blockade where the pedestrian refuge was. So we've removed that to ensure that fire and police have the access that they need up and down Colorado Avenue," Phipps said.

Planners say the changes are not necessarily correcting mistakes, but rather finding better options.

"It's all just kind of tweaking and balancing. That's why this test phase is so important is to really feel and see how this works," Phipps said.

Businesses along the corridor are watching the changes closely. Centennial Cuts sells prime Colorado beef and depends on customer access.

"All of our cattle are raised on our ranch in Fowler, Colorado, 3rd generation. We sell it here at our single brick and mortar store," Joe Kliche, the manager of Centennial Cuts, said.

The store's Colorado-created products are popular among locals and tourists, so its managers are paying attention to the changes to roads, parking, and walkways along Colorado Avenue.

"I do like how there is a center lane for parking for loading and unloading that's very helpful," Kliche said.

Store managers thought there would be more additional parking, and reactions to the crosswalk changes are mixed.

"It was a little weird in the middle of the street with all of the, like the stanchions or whatever coming up," Kliche said.

The latest updates represent a reset of this portion of the trial. City planners are now looking for more feedback to see if the changes are working.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.___

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