Westside Briefs:
Manitou Blvd. project

       New sidewalk is appearing along a half-mile segment of Manitou Boulevard.

Crews smooth new sidewalk in the 700 block of Manitou Boulevard. The project is between Chestnut and Monument streets.
Westside Pioneer photo

       Abel Chacon of Alco Construction said that his crews are finishing work on the south/west side of the street, and expect to begin working uphill from Chestnut Street on the north/east side within about three weeks. The project's upper end is at Monument Street.
       Completion is expected in January.
       The $145,000 project is being built through the city-administered, federally funded Community Development Block Grant program for the older Westside's Neighborhood Strategy Area.
       Neighborhood meetings had preceded the project.
      
       1 charged in pot bust
       A Class 4 felony charge of illegally cultivating 30 or more marijuana plants has been filed in 4th Judicial District Court against Jordan Liken, in connection with a police raid in the 1600 block of Mesa Road Oct. 2.
       Police also arrested two others on suspicion of the same crime (as well as other crimes) at that time, but no charges have been filed against them, according to Shelly LaGrill of the District Attorney's Office.
       Liken, 25, had his first court appearance Oct. 20 and was scheduled to appear again Oct. 27.
      
       'Oink' is coming
       “Everything But the Oink,” an annual event at the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, will be Saturday, Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
       In keeping with traditional pre-winter farm/ ranch preparations, demonstrations of hog processing, sausage- and soap-making and other activities will be presented.
       Admission cost is $6 for adults; $4 for seniors and students and $2 for children over 5.
       Rock Ledge Ranch, a city-owned working ranch operated in 1880s style, is located off Gateway Road at 30th Street, near the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center.
       For more information, call 578-6777 or visit rockledgeranch.com..
      
       Goodwill awarded LEAP
       Westside-based Goodwill Industries will be administrating El Paso County's Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) for the Department of Human Services (DHS), starting this year.
       After a competitive bidding process, Goodwill was awarded the multi-year contract in a recent vote of the county commissioners.
       The federal program helps eligible families with some (but not all) of their heating bills. Applications are accepted from Nov. 1 to April 30, a press release states.
       County figures state that the number of households benefitting from LEAP has been increasing. In the 2007-2008 heating season, the county total was 11,314. In 2008-2009, it was 13,132 and in 2009-2010 it was 15,999.
       For LEAP application information, call 1-866 HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435).

Westside Pioneer/press releases