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“The Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado” is celebrating 140 years as a tourist destination.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — “The Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado” is celebrating a major milestone in 2023.

The Broadmoor Seven Falls opens for its 140th anniversary season on Saturday.

The Colorado Springs waterfall will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with more dates and times to be added throughout the spring and summer.

With a series of seven cascading waterfalls and a total height of 181 feet, visitors can view Seven Falls from the top of a 224-step staircase or from the Eagle’s Nest viewing platform accessible by elevator. The falls are also illuminated at night.

> Above video: Exploring The Broadmoor.

Seven Falls' 1858 restaurant will reopen for the season on Friday, April 7. Situated on the banks of Seven Falls, the restaurant will serve lunch and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as lunch on Sundays and Mondays.

Located less than one mile from The Broadmoor resort, Seven Falls tickets are $18 for adults; $12 for children; and $15.25 for military and seniors.

Beginning April 2, season passes will be available at $110 for adults, $70 for children and $90 for military and seniors.

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Credit: RamoLemon - stock.adobe.com

Seven Falls

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The Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center has a new executive director.

Brandon Eldridge, with more than 22 years of management experience in technology, banking and retail, will oversee the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center (SBDC) as it continues to help small businesses become established, expand and hire, a news release from the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corp. said this week. The Chamber & EDC this year became the hosting agency for the Pikes Peak SBDC, taking over for El Paso County.

“As host of the Pikes Peak SBDC, we are pleased to welcome Brandon Eldridge as our new executive director of the SBDC,” Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, president & CEO for the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, said in the release. “He brings tremendous energy and passion to this role. We will all work together to address business challenges, encourage growth, and support success.”

Eldridge fills the position that Aikta Marcoulier left after she was chosen last April to head the Small Business Administration’s regional office in Denver.

Eldridge previously managed the business sales department and community engagement as a market director at Underline Infrastructure, a fiber optic network company, the release said.

At the Pikes Peak SBDC, which provides small business consulting at low or no cost and plugs small business owners into resources and financing, Eldridge hopes to further the center's community impact, according to the release.

“I am excited to join the Pikes Peak SBDC and work with other community partners to support small businesses,” Eldridge said in the release. “I have a passion for the Pikes Peak region, and I can’t wait to help businesses and identify solutions to help them thrive.”

Eldridge brings his background from Chase Bank and Vectra Bank, the release said, as well as a bachelor's degree in business Administration from Colorado Technical University.

Eldridge moved to Colorado Springs in 1998. He serves as the president of Leadership Pikes Peak and president of the Council of Neighborhood Organizations, a community-building organization, the release said.

He will assume his position with the Pikes Peak SBDC on April 3, according to the release.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Families in the second-largest district in Colorado’s most populous county will now have to opt-in to take the Healthy Kids Colorado survey.

That decision comes after the Colorado Springs District 11 Board of Education voted Wednesday to change the survey from “passive” participation to “active,” meaning parents will now have to give explicit approval before their child takes the survey.

The survey is used to assess needs and behaviors of middle and high school students across the state. All answers are anonymous.

Five board members voted in favor of the decision, with members Julie Ott and Darleen Daniels providing the only opposing votes.

Members voted after almost no discussion and did not return calls, emails and text messages from Rocky Mountain PBS, so it is difficult to know their reasoning for the decision, but district parents on both sides of the issue spoke out during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Those in favor of parental opt-in for the survey felt some of its questions — particularly those about gender identity and sexuality — should be topics that parents, not schools, talk about with children.

“The Healthy Kids Colorado survey, with all of its kind-sounding words, would erode our ability to raise families, our most sacred right,” said Josh Gusteson, a parent. “The nicest-sounding words are always being used for the most nefarious attacks on civil liberties.”

Pamela Berg, another community member who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, felt some of the questions on the survey were invasive and referred to them as “suggestive.”

“The overwhelming concern of the survey is there are several questions that blatantly intrude into the lives of our students and parents,” Berg said. “These questions, asked of an adult, even anonymously, would be considered inappropriate.”

But those in favor of all students taking the survey felt it was important for students who may not feel comfortable telling their parents about behaviors or facets of their identity to have a safe, anonymous place to express those things.

“It gives teachers and providers a sense for issues facing kids right now and how we can best provide services to kids who need them,” said Rhonda Heschel, a parent in District 11 and the chair of the district’s chapter of Neighbors for Education, a progressive group in El Paso County. “The importance of this survey is to get a finger on the pulse of what’s happening with kids.”

Heschel works as a nurse practitioner and said many kids she works with feel comfortable disclosing certain things to her — such as drug use, bullying, mental health issues — only after reassurance that such answers would be kept from parents and school administrators.

“It’s just rough when there’s a group of people who feel like only parents should talk to their kids about these things,” Heschel said. “We all know that kids are more forthcoming if they can talk about things in a private, confidential situation where their parents won’t find out what they’re saying.”

Vanessa Bernal, a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, which spearheads the survey, said responses are used to create programs and push for certain legislative action, provide direction for schools and communities to address health issues, inform parents on relevant topics to help them talk to their children about their health and well-being, and secure program funding for schools, community organizations, and local and state government agencies related to youth health.

Every district in Colorado is offered the survey, and 98% of districts use an opt-out model, while 2% choose to opt in, Bernal said, though she did not specify which other districts choose to opt in.

“Collecting information about adolescent health behaviors and attitudes helps Colorado provide resources and education necessary to prevent unhealthy behaviors and promote healthy behaviors,” Bernal said. “The purpose of the survey is to better understand youth health and the factors that help young people make healthy choices.”

El Paso County — which houses Colorado Springs — is the state’s largest county, and District 11 is its second-largest district, with nearly 24,000 students. Because of this, parents in favor of the survey were particularly concerned with missing data from so many students, as an opt-in model is likely to lead to fewer respondents.

“We need to understand how post-pandemic trends are impacting our youth,” Heschel said. “Going to an opt-in system will create added barriers and will substantially impact participation in the survey."

Alison Berg is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at alisonberg@rmpbs.org.

San Diego State has dominated Air Force like no other team on the baseball field.

SDSU has won 117 of 149 meetings in a series that dates to 1961. The Aztecs have won 78 percent of their meetings (88-25) since 2000, including winning an incredible 35 straight games between the teams during a stretch from 2003-11.

The Falcons went 20 years without a winning season before going 30-27 in 2016. They have posted three more winning seasons since then, including back-to-back the past two years.

The highlight came last May at SDSU’s Tony Gwynn Stadium, when Air Force won the 2022 Mountain West Tournament, earning an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 1969. The Aztecs (5-11, 1-2 Mountain West) this weekend host Air Force (8-13, 3-3) following a week away from conference play.

SDSU coach Mark Martinez has observed the Falcons’ turnout first-hand.

“You see it in a lot in the service academies now, even the Ivy League, it’s a different dynamic of player that goes to those institutions,” Martinez said. “You’re getting high-end athletes that are choosing an education.

“Just look at Princeton in the basketball tournament. That’s a good team. It’s not a fluke thing. There’s some real players on that team. It’s the same thing with Air Force. They are attracting great talent with great students who also want to serve the country.”

Much of the difficulty when the Aztecs really dominated the series was because Air Force never had the pitching — quality or depth — to compete the way they do now.

“They were rolling out some dudes who could pitch,” Martinez said. “They’re getting guys who are exceptional athletes to play positions now. Their first baseman is one of the best hitters in the country.”

That would be junior Sam Kulasingham (.422, 14 RBIs), who was among three Falcons players selected by coaches to the preseason all-Mountain West team along with junior third baseman Jay Thomason (.244, 7 HR, 20 RBIs) and junior right-hander Doyle Gehring (1-1, 4.33 ERA, 32 SO in 27 IP).

“They’re starting to attract guys all over the field who can play at pretty much any program in the country,” Martinez said.

And one trait common to the service academies remains.

“They’re never going to quit,” Martinez said. “They’re never going to stop. They’re not an easy out, that’s for sure.”

“With the pitching piece, they’ve kind of equaled the playing field on the mound. “They can compete for nine innings on the mound. Ten years ago, their bullpen wasn’t very strong. Now, you’ve got guys coming out of the bullpen who are low- to mid-90s. Real dudes.”

In addition to Gehring, junior left-hander Seungmin Shim (3-1, 5.48 ERA) has been a standout starter and senior right-hander Duke Benge (2-1, 3.86 ERA) the team’s top reliever.

SDSU is looking to rebound after losing three of four games last week against UConn. Junior outfielder Cole Carrigg (.327, 13 RBIs) and sophomore outfielder Shaun Montoya (.327) have been the Aztecs’ top two hitters and junior catcher Poncho Ruiz (.239, 2 HR, 17 RBIs) their top run producer.

This weekend: Friday-Sunday vs. Air Force, 6 p.m./6 p.m./1 p.m.

University of San Diego

The Toreros (8-10-1, 2-1 WCC) travel to Santa Clara (11-5, 2-1) for a series against the conference’s most improved team. The Broncos are bidding for their first winning full season since 2018.

USD juniors Kevin Sim (6 HR, 20 RBIs) and Jack Costello (6 HR, 19 RBIs) are USD’s top run producers, combining for 12 of the Toreros’ 17 home runs this season. Junior RHP James Sashin (2-0, 2.13 ERA, 27 SO in 25 1/2 IP) has been USD’s top starting pitcher.

Santa Clara opened WCC play with a series win over Saint Mary’s. Senior RHP Cole Kichen (3-0, 1.95 ERA, 29 SO in 27 2/3 IP) and sophomore LHP Brandon Gomez (3-0. 2.08 ERA, 29 SO in 26 IP) lead the pitching staff.

This week: Friday-Sunday at Santa Clara, 6 p.m./1 p.m./Noon.

UC San Diego

The Tritons (12-6, 3-0) have enjoyed an extended homestand — 18 games — that concludes this weekend against a Cal State Bakersfield (8-11, 0-3) team that was swept by UC Santa Barbara in its Big West-opening series.

UCSD senior second baseman Michael Fuhrman earned Big West Field Player of the Week after batting .429 (6-for-14) with a pair of three-run homers and a total of seven RBIs in a sweep of Long Beach State.

The Tritons’ .316 team batting average ranks first in the Big West, well ahead of UC Irvine (.287), which is second in the category. UCSD has balanced that with solid pitching, ranking third in opponent batting average (.234) and team ERA (4.02) and second in strikeouts (192).

This weekend: Friday-Sunday vs. Cal State Bakersfield, 6 p.m./2 p.m./1 p.m.

Point Loma Nazarene

The Sea Lions (16-8, 4-4 PacWest) get a week off after taking three of four games from Biola. PLNU completed the series with Monday’s doubleheader sweep that included 4-2 and 6-5 victories.

PLNU returns to conference play next week with a four-game series against PacWest leader Azusa Pacific (16-10, 9-3), which plays third-place Fresno Pacific (10-12, 4-3) this week.

Next weekend: March 31 at Azusa Pacific (DH), Noon; April 1 vs. Azusa Pacific (DH), Noon.

Cal State San Marcos

The Cougars (7-12, 1-8 CCAA) have the weekend off before resuming conference play against seven-place Stanislaus State (14-12, 7-8), which hosts Cal State Los Angeles this weekend.

Next weekend: March 31-April 2 vs. Stanislaus State, 3 p.m./Noon (DH)/11 a.m.

A lawsuit against Colorado Springs claims the city has not paid for work to build the new Pikes Peak Summit Complex. At issue are extra costs incurred through construction delays.

GE Johnson filed the lawsuit on March 8 accusing the city of a breach of contract. The original agreement included $60,040,888 for construction of the summit complex, expected at the time to be finished by October 30, 2020. The project took eight months longer to complete than anticipated, opening in late June 2021.

According to the city, the new summit complex was funded by a capital fundraising campaign, enterprise funds specific to the project, and revenue bonds.

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It's unclear exactly how much Colorado Springs owes the contractor or how much the cost increased from initial estimates. The city of Colorado Springs says it's paid nearly all of the initial cost estimate with $59,410,887.98 going to GE Johnson as of Wednesday, March 22. The city declined to comment further, citing active litigation.

According to the lawsuit, GE Johnson said the delays were out of the company's responsibility or control. That included a nine-week delay very early on while the city worked to execute a "memorandum of understanding" with the United States Forest Service regarding certain necessary permits.

The claim alleges that the delay started a domino effect of other setbacks, including a late overall start on the project, resulting in less time to work before winter weather set in. Other circumstances mentioned in the allegations include outdated information in a report about the geological conditions of the site and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Mayor John Suthers said the city "is appreciative of GE Johnson's willingness to take on the project."

"As is often the case in complex construction projects, there remain a few issues that prevent the City and GE Johnson from closing out the contract at this time," Suthers said.

Suthers said the city has been in conversations with GE Johnson to resolve the issues and suit.

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