Westside Pioneer Home Page

Avenue Task Force meeting Sept. 20 to target 'increased negative behavior'

Welling Clark, chair of the Avenue Task Force, speaks at a past community meeting.
Westside Pioneer file photo
Sept. 9, 2018
       A Westside meeting Thursday, Sept. 20 seeks to gather public comments on the "increased negative behavior” in Colorado Springs, a press release states.
       Hosting the session from 4 to 6 p.m. will be the Avenue Task Force (ATF), which for several years has met every few months at the Colorado Springs Police Department's CSPD Gold Hill Substation, 955 Moreno Ave.
       The meeting “will concentrate on gathering the community's input and desires with regard to the increased crime, theft, aggressive panhandling, trash/dumped drug paraphernalia, vandalism and intimidation being experienced by the community,” elaborated ATF Chair Welling Clark - a retired Navy officer who's a long-time Westside neighborhood leader and bed-and-breakfast owner.
       Anyone in the city is "welcome to attend," the press release states.
       The ATF is an informal group involving residents and business people. The group is usually joined by elected officials, law enforcement representatives and other community leaders.
       The “avenue” in the ATF name refers to West Colorado Avenue. The group worked with law enforcement three years ago on the “It's OK to Say No” (to panhandlers) campaign in the region.
       “I will be inviting entities that will be of value to this meeting,” Clark added, elaborating that the intent is to a have a “fact-finding and brainstorming session to assess the climate of the community.”
       For more information, e-mail welling80904@yahoo.com.

Westside Pioneer article
(Community: Ongoing Issues)

Would you like to respond to this article? The Westside Pioneer welcomes letters at editor@westsidepioneer.com. (Click here for letter-writing criteria.)