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Transition Update
A note from Executive Director
Ron Butlin
Hello, Everyone.
I would like to take just a moment to thank you all for your support and assistance in helping me transition into the role of Executive Director of the Downtown Partnership. I look forward to meeting each of you and while I am making some progress along those lines there is still much to do.
 I firmly believe that Downtown is positioned well - to continue to improve even in these difficult economic times and to participate in the recovery we are all anticipating somewhere in the near future. We have tools with the Business Improvement District, the Downtown Development Authority and Community Ventures that are making a difference every day.
I also want to thank the DP and BID staff - Terri Huggins, Denise Schall, Jacque Stanley, Beth Ortiz and her crew - for keeping the wheels on the bus and allowing for what I hope is a fairly smooth transition.
The Downtown Partnership has board meetings every other month. We discuss the issues we face, opportunities to improve, and reports on the work the various committees are doing to realize the goals of a continually improving Downtown experience. You are welcome to attend the board meetings - send us an email and we'll see that you get the schedule.
Thanks again for all your support and know that suggestions and/or criticism are welcome. Happy Holidays!
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Promoting Downtown
Most creative, comprehensive marketing year ever!
Downtown got a whole new promotional blast in 2008 with the visionary, can-do (and did) leadership of Kate Faricy and the Business Improvement District's Marketing Committee.
Among other endeavors, the group planned to develop a strategic messaging and ad campaign with a call to action, to increase consistent communications with target audiences, and to increase Downtown traffic. They hit all of those targets and more:
· The widespread "There is only one Downtown™" message reached thousands via print, outdoor, banner, bus, radio, TV, online and direct mail campaigns.
· The committee reinvented the Downtown Map to be more functional and cost-effective. The new tear-off version, in pads of 50, was distributed it to all Downtown businesses.
· A co-op advertising program was initiated and sold out.
· A concierge program was launched with a special event at the Fine Arts Center, during which the 60 participants received a Downtown Tool Kit complete with maps, menus, event and other information. The program will be expanded in 2009.
· Additional "twinkle lights" were purchased to blanket 26 trees along Tejon Street, thanks to a DDA matching grant. Plans are to expand in 2009 to include more stretches of Tejon as well as Downtown side streets. And the lights will remain strung all year long!
 · Cross promotion with the U.S. Senior Open event last summer included a unique Downtown Chalk Art effort, a DASH-covered route from The Broadmoor to D..owntown, and Downtown Maps distributed at the tournament.
· An evening of Downtown s hopping to benefit
Newborn Hope carried the There is only one Downtown™ message to 4,000 direct mail recipients. During the one-night event, Downtown merchants rang up $52,000 in sales, and Newborn Hope received just under $5,000 in donations.
Looking at the year's accomplishments, Faricy said, "We learned a lot and have a great foundation from which to achieve even more in 2009."
Kim Griffis of the Fine Arts Center will take over the marketing reigns from Faricy and lead the group's 2009 efforts. Stay tuned!
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DDA Challenge Grant in action
Safety Expert Shares Expertise
with PPLD and others
 Warren Graham, author of Black Belt Librarians and a renowned safety expert, gave four presentations in mid October to guide Pikes Peak Library District staff and others in rethinking safety awareness and procedures. Funding for the presentations came in part from a DDA Challenge Grant to Penrose Library.
Former DP executive director Beth Kosley attended some of the sessions and believes Graham's suggestions are adaptable to other settings that also draw a flow of pedestrians. Among Graham's tips to take conscious control of your environment:
· Shed your unease with assessing patron behavior; adopt a habit of quiet, intentional awareness.
· Assess by behavior, not appearance. Levy the same consequences for everyone.
· Have consistent rules and enforce them.
· Develop procedures to document behavior; keep a security log and use it. Have at least a fundamental camera system. Train your staff. Revise procedures as vulnerabilities change.
· Let people know that you are focused on security, and that it's everyone's business. Involve all staff.
 More than 300 attended the sessions - including all levels of PPLD staff, representatives from higher education institutions, downtown merchants and other library districts.
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'Tis the season
Help fuel holiday hope
The Gazette-El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund relies on everyone's support.
 As a true community collaboration, the fund's success is due, in part, to partnerships formed between Gazette Charities, El Pomar Foundation and the Bruni Foundation. Thanks to matching donations from these organizations, each gift grows up to 63 percent. Every dollar donated goes directly to 14 local nonprofit health and human service agencies on the front lines of helping people in crisis and assisting others in attaining self-sufficiency.
Please contribute! You can make a secure donation online at www.FillAnEmptyStocking.org.
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Holiday Mixer
And a great time was had by all
Braving the adverse weather was no big deal to the 60 or so Downtown Partnership members and friends who converged on University of the Rockies on December 4th for the annual DP Holiday Mixer. Rampant good cheer and fabulous food from First Impressions Catering made the evening memorable!
In case you were unable to make the event, here's some background on our event host.
 University of the Rockies is one the newest institutions of higher education in the community - and proudly located Downtown at 555 East Pikes Peak Ave. It was originally founded June 18, 1998 as the Colorado School of Professional Psychology (COSPP) to provide a professional graduate education in psychology to individuals who seek licensure as psychologists or practice in other arenas of the profession. When Bridgepoint Education purchased COSPP in September 2007, the name was changed to University of the Rockies.
The School of Professional Psychology is now a School of the University of the Rockies along with the School of Organizational Leadership. University of the Rockies offers both on-campus and online graduate degree programs in the Master of Arts in Psychology and the Doctor of Psychology.
Our thanks to University of the Rockies for a first-class event.
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Back for seconds
NAI Highland Commercial returns to Downtown
NAI Highland Commercial Group tried out the suburbs but couldn't shake the pull of home. Home, in this case, being Downtown. The commercial brokerage firm, owned by John Onstott, Frank Tuck, Randy Dowis, Jim Spittler, Bob Garner and Craig Anderson, has replanted itself at 2 North Cascade. Our thanks to Colorado Springs Business Journal for spreading the good news.
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Fun to fit in
Have yourself a little merry!
December 15 & 16
Pikes Peak Center
AFA HOLLY AND IVY
7:00 pm (Doors open at 6:00 pm)
The Concert Band is the largest of 11 performing units in the Academy Band, comprised of 45 active-duty Air Force music professionals who bring a wealth of educational and professional experience to each performance.
Tickets are FREE at the Pikes Peak Center Box Office and all ENT locations.
Colorado College
AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS
December 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm
A one-act holiday opera by Gian Carlo Menotti, presented by the Colorado Springs Conservatory and the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs under the direction of Thomas Wilson.
FREE - Armstrong Theatre, inside Armstrong Hall, 14 E Cache La Poudre St.
December 20
Downtown Colorado Springs
CHRISTMAS BRASS
12:30 - 2:30 pm
Discover this delightful group of Christmas carolers wondering through the heart of Downtown performing holiday classics for shoppers.
Pikes Peak Center
BRULE' & AIRO HOLIDAY CONCERT
7:30 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)
Native American "Group of the Year" Brule and the American Indian Rock Opera present a groundbreaking holiday concert entitled "Red Nativity."
Tickets: 719-520-SHOW, 866-464-2626 or online at www.pikespeakcenter.com.
December 21
Pikes Peak Center
CS PHILHARMONIC: CHRISTMAS CLASSIC AND CAROLS
2:00 pm (Doors open 1:00 pm)
Lawrence Leighton Smith, Conductor
Colorado Springs Chorale
Perfect for out-of-town guests! Holiday classic and a family sing-along of favorite carols.
Tickets: 719-520-SHOW, 866-464-2626 or online at www.pikespeakcenter.com.
December 22 & 23
Downtown Colorado Springs
LITTLE LONDON WASSAIL SOCIETY
11:30 am until the Wassail is gone....
Hot Wassail from Jerry and Kathy White. Look for the return of the famous "Victorian" couple serving up the delicious hot holiday beverage on the corner of Bijou and Tejon.
December 31
Pikes Peak Center
CS PHILHARMONIC: NEW YEAR'S EVE
8:00 PM (Doors open at 7:00 pm)
Thomas Wilson, Conductor
Kelly Zuercher, Piano
Amy Sue Hardy, Vocals
Chris Lawson, Trumpet
Gershwin's beloved Rhapsody in Blue plus highlights from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, Cats and more!
Tickets: 719-520-SHOW, 866-464-2626 or online at www.pikespeakcenter.com.
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Our gift to you
FREE Downtown Parking
Your holiday shopping (and budget) gets a little easier this holiday season thanks to City Council's approval of FREE DOWNTOWN PARKING on these December Saturdays: 6th, 13th and 20th.
And did you know? Parking Downtown is always free on Sundays!
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From the Downtown Snoopster
Gifts, for goodness' sake!
 For the religious and the merely traditional, December can be a devil of a time for finding the right gift because almost no one needs more stuff. The Snoopster has a few suggestions for gifts that will not sit on a shelf simply to be dusted, insured, or re-gifted next year.
1. Give a theater seat at Kimball's. To own a seat means that if you call ahead, your seat will be reserved for a specific date and show time. The Snoopster received such a gift, and if you look hard enough, you can find the seat with my name on it. Depending on location, seats cost, $150, $200, $250.
2. Give a mural. Hire an artist from the Edifice Gallery or Rubbish Gallery to paint a friend's garage door. Imagine your friend's surprise when she heads for her driveway and thinks she took a wrong turn or is suddenly hallucinating.
3. Give a gift of health, i.e., a membership to the YMCA (or other downtown health clubs) or to yoga (or Pilates) classes offered in numerous downtown locations.
4. Give a membership to the Fine Arts Center, season tickets to the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and/or a front-row seat to a specific event at the Pikes Peak Center.
5. Give a gift card for a massage by Jill Collins, at Balanced Body Massage Therapy.
6. Give your significant other a festive meal prepared by a downtown chef in your own kitchen. You can call around to downtown restaurants to find a chef who would love to pamper you.
7. Give your kids a composter and turn your gift giving into a long-term, interactive family project. The organic worm farms will keep your family entertained, your plants healthy, and your planet green. Then when the Springs Conservation Corps' store opens at the corner of Boulder and Tejon, you can expand your green activities with the help of the store's teachers and tools.
8. Give a family-engaging, brain-challenging board game and/or a 3-D jigsaw puzzle from The Compleat Gamer.
Take it from the Snoopster, when it comes to giving gifts, creativity trumps convention every time!
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Membership
Welcome back,
Renewing Members
SUSTAINING MEMBER LEVEL
The Classic Companies Charitable Fund
MEMBER LEVEL
Antlers Hilton Colorado Springs
The Bank at Broadmoor
Bestway Disposal
Colorado Springs School District 11
YOW Architects, PC
ASSOCIATES LEVEL
Flynn, Wright and Fredman, LLC
Hunan Springs
Il Vicino Colorado Springs Inc.
Louden Office Equipment Inc.
Old Chicago Restaurant
Resource Exchange, Inc.
Source Architechnology Systems, P.C.
Strategic Financial Partners
Terra Verde
University of Colorado
Woodford Manufacturing Co.
Zeezo's Inc.
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From all of us to all of you
Happy Holidays!
We thank all of our outstanding Boards and Committees of the Downtown Partnership, Business Improvement District, Downtown Development Authority, and Community Ventures for another stellar year of ensuring There is only one Downtown™! Your hard work and unending enthusiasm for the continued growth and improvement Downtown is awesome!
Happy holidays from Ron, Denise, Jacque, Terri and Beth!
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Comments or questions? Please let us know! Email info@downtowncs.com or call (719) 886-0088.
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