In mid-September, two local nonprofit groups, Leadership Pikes Peak and Pikes Peak United Way, produced their third annual report, “2009 Quality of Life Indicators in the Pikes Peak Region.” Ten local businesses and nonprofit organizations sponsored the report.Susan Saksa from Leadership Pikes Peak said the report is a community initiative, with a team of volunteers researching each of the 85 indicators.Public and nonprofit leaders can use the report to make decisions based on facts, Saksa said.”It’s also a community education piece, because our community may have misconceptions about some of the things we need to focus on,” she said.The report identifies positive and negative trends on measurable indicators for the economy, social well being, the environment, cultural/recreational opportunities, educational excellence, transportation, safety and community involvement.Positive trendsThe study found the Pikes Peak region an affordable place to live, with the area’s military population having a positive economic impact.Crime and recidivism at the county jail are decreasing, and crime cases are solved at a rate more than double the national average.Traffic accidents are down and commute times are holding steady at 22 minutes (three minutes better than the national average) and could go down now that major road projects are complete.The number of acres devoted to parks, open space and trails per 1,000 residents greatly exceeds the standard set by the National Recreation and Parks Association.Colorado Springs residents consume less electricity and natural gas than most other communities in Colorado and use less water than other communities on the Front Range.More than a third of county residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, a percentage that has held steady over the last few years and is consistent with the state’s percentage.More people are going to college and getting college degrees – 8,011 in 2006 and 9,730 in 2007 – a positive trend. But while the number of associate degrees awarded is increasing, the number of higher degrees awarded is decreasing.A survey found that 69 percent of Colorado Springs residents volunteer – twice the state average of 33 percent.The economyDespite having the lowest combination of property and sales tax rates ($186 per person) and the lowest cost of government ($386.92 per person) when compared with Mesa County and counties on the Front Range, El Paso County received a red flag for eight of the 13 indicators of economic health. For example (from the report):
- During the last eight years, the area lost nearly 16,000 information technology and manufacturing jobs – jobs that have the highest potential for innovation and wealth creation – and grew a total of 7,500 government jobs (local, state and federal, not including enlisted military), “well below the 2,000 to 4,000 new jobs needed each year to keep up with natural [population] growth.””Overall, Colorado Springs’ performance in job creation has been poor due, in part, to our inability to offer various forms of incentives which have become a competitive weapon in company attraction and retention. In eight years, we increased the number of local jobs by just four percent. Other competitive cities increased their employment by 10 to 15 percent.”
- The number of young professionals in the county declined to less than the 30 percent threshold consultants use to advise their clients on whether to move their companies to a new location, a trend that “decreases the region’s attractiveness to high-impact, high-value, knowledge-based businesses that require a strong talent pool.”
