| |  Eric Isaacson | 2/21/2012 10:36 AM | | 2 | | Does anyone else remember the movie City Slickers? If you do, then I apologize for the Bonanza theme song running through your head and you’ll get the reference to the Utilities Policy Advisory Committee (UPAC) getting a “do over” on the subject of an independent Utilities Board. | Eric |
| | Eric Isaacson | 2/17/2012 1:00 PM | | 6 | | Our water system is an engineering feat unlike any other I’m aware of in the world. While it may not be the Great Wall of China or the Great Pyramid of Giza, our water supply system, with the addition of the Southern Delivery System (SDS), is truly a feat to behold not unlike those other wonders of the world. | Eric |
| | Patrice Lehermeier | 2/16/2012 3:30 PM | | 0 | | When you think about it, Fountain Creek is a lot like a vein in our body. It travels through Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Green Mountain Falls, Fountain, Manitou Springs, Monument, Palmer Lake and Woodland Park, providing life to a vast and varied ecological system. | Patrice L. |
| | Eric Isaacson | 2/13/2012 11:11 AM | | 0 | | For those of you struggling to find that unique gift for Valentine’s Day, nothing says love like saving money, right? Well, last year’s top 10 list was such a hit I thought I would take a stab at another list this year. | Eric |
| | Cheron Cole | 2/10/2012 1:20 PM | | 2 | | I have a former boss whose biggest pet peeve was people who made up statistics merely to prove a point. Good thing he lives in another state and will probably never come across this blog, because my next sentence will drive him nuts.
| Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 2/2/2012 11:46 AM | | 1 | | Did anyone else wake up to Sonny & Cher this morning? Or check to see if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow? I haven’t been able to blog for a while, but I thought Ground Hog Day would be the perfect day to return. For some it may be a nice return while, for others, it may create a sudden sinking feeling that this day just keeps returning – like the movie. | Eric |
| | Cheron Cole | 1/26/2012 10:30 AM | | 1 | | Get your party hats on, because there’s a lot to celebrate in 2012.
| Cheron |
| | Cheron Cole | 1/13/2012 3:54 PM | | 4 | | A few months ago I spent my Saturday hanging holiday lights above the lion’s den at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. While the lions didn’t seem too thankful to have us hanging out above their lair (a huge thanks to whoever developed our sturdy, dependable bucket trucks), I couldn’t keep track of the number of times someone approached us and expressed their gratitude for our volunteer work. | Cheron |
| | Cheron Cole | 1/4/2012 2:05 PM | | 0 | | Is it really 2012? When did that happen? It doesn’t even sound like a real year. Maybe I should stop trying to wrap my mind around where the years have gone and start listing some new resolutions for myself. I’m pretty sure 30 percent of my personal finances go toward shoes, so managing my budget would be a good place to start. | Cheron |
| | Cheron Cole | 12/29/2011 10:58 AM | | 5 | | Before I started working here, I never thought about what happens after I pour that pan of grease down the kitchen sink (guilty). Or what utility lines were below the ground when I dug holes for my flower garden. Out of sight and out of mind. | Cheron |
| | Cheron Cole | 12/21/2011 3:26 PM | | 7 | | When it’s 15 degrees, snowing and 2 a.m., the only place I want to be is in my bed. But when there is a water main break, a power outage, or a gas line repair is needed, our crews can’t just wait for sunny, clear skies. | Cheron |
| | Cheron Cole | 12/12/2011 9:44 AM | | 4 | | I’m not going to pretend to know anything about cars. Call me spoiled, but my dad would fill up my gas tank for me up until I went to college. And if I need to change a headlight or my oil? There’s not a chance I’ll ever figure that out; I’ll leave that to my local auto shop. So when I heard about this electric vehicle charging station coming to Colorado Springs, I just assumed it’s another “car thing” I’ll never be able to understand or use.
| Cheron |
| | Cheron Cole | 12/9/2011 1:31 PM | | 0 | | Have you ever won a cool prize? The only thing I recall winning was a set of tires at a Milwaukee Bucks game when I was a kid. I can’t think of anything more exciting than car tires for a 6-year-old girl (you’re welcome for those dad). | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 11/28/2011 1:30 PM | | 0 | | My world was shattered today; everything I’ve ever known about Santa Claus has been a lie. Did you know he was originally dressed in green? Was I the last person to find out about this? Some say his appearance in a red suit in a Coca-Cola advertising campaign changed the way we see him. Others say editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast created the modern red-suited version of Santa Claus. Since Wikipedia says Thomas Nast created red-suited Santa, and since I’m pretty sure Wikipedia can never be wrong, I’m going with that explanation. | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 11/18/2011 4:20 PM | | 0 | | When I was a kid, my best friend and I dreamed of being meteorologists on the Weather Channel. Have you ever seen two seven-year-olds giddy with excitement when there was a tornado watch? In retrospect, we were really strange children. The only thing more exciting to me than a tornado was a snow storm, solely because I wanted a day off of school. | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 11/15/2011 1:15 PM | | 1 | | If you’re planning on cooking for the holidays this year, there’s a pretty good chance oil and butter are involved. While Paula Deen’s three favorite food groups of fat, oil and grease (also known as FOG) are incredibly delicious, they are also incredibly dangerous to our wastewater system when you pour them down the drain. | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 11/8/2011 12:40 PM | | 0 | | On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, World War I came to an end. The day was celebrated as Armistice Day until 1954, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill to change the day into a memorial for all veterans of all U.S. wars. We now know that day as Veterans Day. | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 11/7/2011 1:15 PM | | 0 | | There’s a reason I was an English and journalism major. Other than a passion for writing, I really stink at math. I specifically recall sleeping during my high school junior year math final exam. It’s not pretty. | Patrice |
| | Eric Isaacson | 11/4/2011 9:50 AM | | 0 | | I guess the point of winterization is to prepare your home before winter begins. I failed there. If the first snowfall wasn’t a rude enough of an awakening, surely this second one was. Since my winterization solution to purchase a winter home in Costa Rica got shot down by my husband, I had to look elsewhere for some ideas. | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 11/2/2011 10:15 AM | | 0 | | All hail the heroes of home improvement. They’ve caulked, purchased power strips and turned off running faucets. They filmed their tips and projects and submitted them to our YOUtilities Challenge, and the five finalists have now been chosen. The YOUtilities Challenge champion will win the ultimate prize of two months of rent or mortgage payment up to $1,200 per month from Challenger Homes. Get to know these five efficiency aficionados and then cast your vote by November 25. | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 10/25/2011 3:30 PM | | 0 | | I hope you like the Eurythmics. Because I can guarantee that song won’t leave your head all day.
Flashback to April 1999. 2.64 inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period. The damage in Colorado Springs included washed out bridges and roads, erosion, debris, flooded homes and broken wastewater lines. Several dozen residents and businesses in Colorado Springs experienced damage from basement flooding or wastewater backups. About half a dozen wastewater pipes broke during the storm. | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 10/21/2011 1:00 PM | | 0 | | Everything valuable I’ve ever learned in my life I’ve learned from Oprah. No need to feel sorry for me.
I vividly remember a story on her show about a woman trying to cut costs any way she could. To save on her electric bill, she would unplug EVERYTHING in her home: appliances, TV sets, lamps etc. These changes really added up. Her energy bill started at $268. After unplugging everything, even her air conditioner, her bill was only $60.42, over $200 in savings! | Cheron |
| | Eric Isaacson | 10/17/2011 3:50 PM | | 0 | | A couple weekends ago Colorado Springs saw its first snow of the season. If you’re anything like me, you couldn’t tough out the cold anymore, brought out the fleece blankets and turned on your heat. | Cheron |