The Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Association recently recognized the El Paso County Planning and Community Development Department as part of their 2019 Planning Awards. The County Planning Department won a Merit Award for a General Planning Project for their work on the El Paso County Water Master Plan, an element of the overall County Master Plan.

APA Colorado recognizes outstanding projects, plans and people from the planning profession every year. This is the first time the El Paso County Planning and Community Development has been recognized as part of APA Colorado’s annual awards in decades.

El Paso County Planning and Community Development Executive Director, Craig Dossey, said the award is a testament to the hard work and community collaboration that went into the development of the Water Master Plan.

“A big thanks to all citizens who provided comments, asked questions, and raised concerns on our
questionnaire and during public meetings,” said Dossey. “We know water management is a major priority for our community, and we could not have developed such a thorough Master Plan without the public’s contributions.”

Along with extensive input from the Water Master Plan Steering Committee and members of the public, El Paso County staff also put immense time into the development of the County Water Master Plan. Those contributing county staff members include Executive Director of Planning, Craig Dossey, Deputy Director of Planning, Mark Gebhart, Senior Assistant County Attorney, Cole Emmons, former Deputy Director of Public Health, Tom Gonzales, and Executive Assistant, Tracey Garcia.

In addition to El Paso County’s award, APA Colorado also recognized three additional local planning projects. The City of Colorado Springs was recognized for its work on PlanCOS and the Mill Street Neighborhood Plan. Peterson Air Force Base was also recognized for its Command District Area Development Plan.

For more on information on the El Paso County Water Master Plan, please visit this link: https://planningdevelopment.elpasoco.com/wp-content/uploads/WaterMasterPlan2018/Water-Master-Plan-2018-A-Copy.pdf