With the national economy still on shaky ground, opinions are mixed ñ but optimistic overall ñ about the health of the Falcon economy, housing industry and community as a whole.Looking back at 2012, Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce treasurer Tom Cline said, ìThe economy (in Falcon) has been hurt. The uncertainty of the national economy has not helped it at all, and weíre so vulnerable anyway because weíre a small community that a slight drop of revenue for some of these businesses will kill them.ìThe economic health of Falcon is very dependent on the economic health of America. Foreclosures mean thereís a customer that wonít be buying things. Until the unemployment rate goes down and foreclosures go down, itís going to stay this way.îMike Lucero, owner of La Mission, said he thinks the Falcon economy is gaining ground. ìWhen I first came into Falcon, I thought the economy was really shaky,î he said. ìSince then, itís gotten a little bit better as the years have gone by.îLucero, who owned a restaurant in Lamar, Colo., brought La Mission to Falcon in 2008. ìThe economy in 2012 has improved since 2009 and 2008,î he said. ìItís gotten to be more stable. The first two years of starting the restaurant were the toughest, but since then, I think Falcon has supported the business, and weíll be OK.îGary Page, owner of Swirly Cow Frozen Yogurt, just opened his shop toward the end of 2012. ìI would say that the economy in the Falcon area is not too bad,î Page said. ìBusiness was increasing up until the (presidential) election, and after the election itís leveled off or slowed down. Iím not sure if the election has anything to do with it, or if itís because of Christmas and people are buying Christmas presents instead.îDespite Swirly Cowís venture into the area, Cline said businesses arenít moving to Falcon as much as they were in the past.Making it easier to open a business in Falcon is a top priority for Amy Lathen, El Paso county commissioner. ìWe are continuing to work on the land development code, which is where we really impact people Ö with regulations,î Lathen said. ìWeíre trying to reduce those so we donít get in the way of them (business owners) or of property owners.îShe said businesses often opt to open shop elsewhere when they realize that regulations to build or bring in a business are difficult in Falcon. ìIíve watched businesses try to get started, and the code can be way too bureaucratic,î Lathen said. ìWeíve gone in and intervened and tried to resolve that but there have been issues where there is an impact, and thatís not acceptable. Weíve made just about 300 changes (to the code) and weíre taking more steps to change as needed.îHome sales creeping upLathen said the housing industry has seen a small increase, which could indicate good things on the horizon. ìThereís not been anything really huge in what we have seen and what weíve been seeing,î she said. ìBut there has been a little bit of an uptick in the Falcon housing area. Not much, but itís not down.îBob Croft, deputy building official and development coordinator for the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, agreed that the housing industry has realized a slight upward trend in 2012. For all of El Paso County, Croft said the PPRBD projected 1,500 permits for 2012. ìWeíve surpassed that estimation to almost 50 percent over it,î he said. ìIt looks like weíre having a very good December, too.îFor unincorporated areas of the county, Croft said, ìIn January, we started off with 27 building permits and that was the lowest month this year. The second lowest was November, with 40; and, as of Dec. 13, weíve had 37.î In areas outside of city limits, the PPRBD issued 804 permits from Jan. 1 to Dec. 13, he said.Sales of existing homes also increased in 2012, said Craig McConnell with Avalar Real Estate Solutions. ìWhen you look at the homes that have sold in Falcon, Peyton and Calhan in 2011, 411 were sold,î he said. ìIn 2012, 467 were sold so you might say weíve gotten a 12 percent increase in sales.îThe tight-knit feel of a smaller community is one of the factors drawing people to the area, McConnell said. ìI think safety is definitely on their mind,î he said. With 58 percent of his closings on houses in the Falcon/Peyton/Calhan area and 32 percent in Colorado Springs, McConnell said people are trading off potentially longer commutes for their own water wells, no covenants and a lack of ìthings happening, like in the city,î he said.ìFor the first time in five years, weíre getting multiple offers on the same property,î McConnell said. ìFalcon is strong and when something (a property) comes up and itís a good buy, it goes quickly. This is our best year and weíve been here for 10 years. Itís getting much tougher to get financing though, and if it would loosen up a little bit, I think it would be better but itís been a good year overall.îRandy Pieper, chief executive officer for Farmers State Bank, said the bankís lending has increased. ìOur loans have grown from a year ago (2011) by 5.25 percent,î Pieper said. ìItís not a dramatic growth, and weíre not shrinking either. We have not seen an increase in our delinquency levels, which means loans that are on the books ñ our customers ñ arenít having any more trouble than they had in prior years. Actually, weíre doing a little better. Weíre not having the same delinquency issues that we had in 2008.îìThe tragedy with the (Waldo Canyon) fire has actually spurred some economic activity, which has increased some building and is putting people back to work.îPieper said that while the economy is doing better, a full recovery is going to be a slow process. ìPeople have adjusted their spending habits to fit their income level, and I think before the crash they were spending outside their means,î he said. ìTheyíre getting better at budgeting their money. Overdrafts have decreased dramatically, which means people are paying attention to their checkbook and being smarter about their money.îA healthy community; a healthy school systemDon Begier, acting chief education officer for Falcon School District 49, said the health of a community plays a role in the health of a school district, and vice versa. ìItís a synergistic relationship,î he said. ìThe strength of the leadership of the business community down to the individual leaders affects the district. If they (the leaders) have a voice and theyíre letting that voice be heard in the community and the school district that is critical. When the community and parents donít feel engaged with the district, I think thatís when itís more difficult for us to gain an understanding of what our parents and community want.îThe health of a school district is vital to a healthy community. ìI would say this is the healthiest Iíve seen the district,î Begier said. ìWeíre the second healthiest in the 20 biggest districts in the state.îìOn the practical side, we have a significant effect economically,î he said. ìWe give students the skills to solve existing challenges in a society or community, but more importantly we give them the problem-solving skills to solve issues that have not yet been identified. We give them that adaptability. Whatever this generationís race to the moon is we need to help them prepare to win it.î
