On this week’s podcast, Bob sits down with Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade. He and Mayor Yemi discuss the 2025 budget process that is underway, and how it will affect the city’s parks and trails. They also discuss public safety in the city in general and parks in particular, and ballot measure 2C, which asks voters to renew the special sales tax used for paving the city’s roads. If approved, the special funding will shift road paving from the major thoroughfares to neighborhood streets. How will this affect the city’s neighborhood parks? Also, a brief discussion on e-bikes, and finally which park does the mayor like to take his family?
City of Colorado Springs website: ColoradoSprings.gov
Please take a moment to take a survey about Bob’s podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/yee4dp89
Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information
Hiking Bob website: https://www.HikingBob.com
Wild Westendorf website: https://www.Wildwestendorf.com
Where to listen, download and subscribe to this podcast: https://pod.link/outdoorswithhikingbob
A great conversation on the city’s Park Rangers. Now, we=here are they?
Having been a Park Ranger, for the city of Pueblo, Colorado, and now living here I am actually amazed at how LITTLE I ever see ANY Park Rangers here on the trail systems on any given day. Honestly I’ve seen only three Park Ranger vehicles manned on trail systems in the last three years here in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and that’s an disgusting shame to our trail users that need those Rangers to be seen (as a visual deterrent if absolutely nothing else). I’ve seen an extreme amount of off road motorcyclists riding on our bicycle trails, homeless campers, and off leash dogs, creating a dangerous hazard, for walkers and bicyclists, on this towns trail systems. These issues need addressed by the Park Rangers being out on patrol, and seen in the city doing the enforcement of the local rules & regulations of our trails. Especially since this city’s park ranger webpage states, “These rangers work to create and protect a great recreational experience for the public by patrolling the trails to help maintain a welcoming environment.” Then Mayor Yemi, we need to see them out on the trail system performing their job duties.
These issues do need addressed by our Mayor and the parks systems management. More than once I have had to send complaints to our wonderful Mayor, and “tattle” on parks department heads like ten year old because that aren’t providing for our citizens. One fine example is my being advised by the Mayors office that during the winter months their understanding was that ALL of our public parks are supposed to have porta potty access, for the patrons using the parks since the parks department locks the standard bathrooms up at this time. I have actually spoken to parks employees that have told me “we don’t service parks that far north”, but when the Mayor lit a fire under their ass they magically did service those parks.
I find it bizarre also that I have to contact our Mayor to get potholes fixed that “were repaired”, and are not, lol. The best process I’ve found for this is to ALWAYS send in a picture with the request online. The pictures cant be “fixed & filled” online, like a pictureless online report form can be.
The times that I do see effective work being done in this town is when I have had to contact the mayors off to get resolve. All due to city department heads either not knowing their job function(s), or just being too damned lazy and not caring, to provide the effort for receiving their paycheck. These people need reminded that they work for the city, and are required to be proud of that. We have a great city here people!!!! Lets enjoy the hell out of all of it.
Can we please get rid of these folks Mayor Yemi, maybe fire them, replace them with folks that do care for our city?
Last, but not least, THANK YOU Mayor Yemi for listening to us all when we contact you, and for getting issues resolved for us all within the busy, hectic schedule of life you have taken upon yourself to be part of here in Colorado Springs.
Just a quick note about the duties of park rangers.
The duties of “Park Rangers” varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and system to system.
For example, in Colorado State Parks, “Park Rangers” have law enforcement authority, but also do trail maintenance, customer service, public education, and other duties.
In the National Park Service, “Park Rangers” are typically assigned to interpretive duties, and other assignments, and not law enforcement. The NPS has a specific Law Enforcement Officers to do that.
In the US Forest Service, a “Ranger” is the person who supervises a US Forest district. They also do not have direct law enforcement authority.
In places like Douglas and Jefferson Counties, their “Park Rangers” do have some enforcement authority.
In El Paso County, law enforcement falls under the Sheriff’s Office or El Paso County Security, of which a couple are assigned specifically to the parks.
In Colorado Springs, “Park Rangers” do not have law enforcement authority. A “Park Ranger” is responsible for a number of parks and their duties are to supervise seasonal workers, perform maintenance, and implement the parks master and development plans. As you heard on the podcast, they may get some type of enforcement authority in the future, but for the time being, law enforcement is strictly done by CSPD.