Let's Keep the Holiday Spirit Safe and Healthy!

Follow these guidelines to ensure a joyful and safe holiday season full of fun dining:

• Food Handling
  • Clean Hands: Wash hands with soap and water before cooking or serving food, and before and after handling raw meats.
  • Sanitize Surfaces: Ensure cutting boards, utensils, and countertops are clean.
  • Separate Foods: Keep raw meats away from ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination.
•  Cooking
  • Cook Thoroughly: Ensure all dishes are cooked to the proper internal temperature (e.g., poultry to 165°F).
  • Use a Thermometer: Verify temperatures to ensure safety.
• Transporting Food
  • Keep It Safe: Use insulated containers to keep hot foods hot (above 140°F) and cold foods cold (below 40°F).
  • Time Matters: Food should not sit out for more than 2 hours.
• Serving
  • Label Dishes: Note common allergens like nuts, dairy, or gluten.
  • Use Utensils: Provide serving spoons and tongs to avoid hand contact with food.
• Storing Leftovers
  • Cool Quickly: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of serving.
  • Safe Timeframe: Eat refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days.

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If you notice that a community neighborhood entry monument holiday lighting is not working after dark, please reach out to [email protected] so we can address the issue.  Please give a specific location to the problem you see (i.e. SE Corner of Stoneglen and Pine Manor - Greenmoor Monument).  

Next time you are walking somewhere, especially at night, keep the following advice in mind. 

1. Be Visible. Obviously you can’t always wear bright colors. Instead, consider keeping something bright or reflective on hand. This could be a reflective vest, an LED wristband, a flashlight, or headlamp. Most pedestrian accidents happen at night, which starts early in the winter.

2. Always use the sidewalk. If you don’t have access to a sidewalk, the next best thing is to walk on the shoulder of the road, facing traffic. This will allow cars to see you and you to see cars.

3. Only cross at crosswalks, when possible. It can be tempting to run across the street quickly after looking both ways. Maybe the crosswalk is too far away, or you decide to risk it since you see no cars coming. However, cars are much more likely to stop when they see an upcoming crosswalk, and may not be prepared to stop for an unexpected pedestrian. Using designated crosswalks will greatly increase your safety. Most pedestrian accidents happen at a non-crosswalk area.

4. Avoid headphones. Not being able to hear cars and other things in your environment can increase your danger. You won’t be able to hear if something is approaching, such as a car that went off the road. If you are intoxicated, this is even more important, since the combination of headphones and intoxication can throw you off balance and disturb your coordination.

5. Never assume cars will follow traffic laws. It may be natural to assume that cars will follow traffic and safety laws, but that’s not the case. There are plenty of scenarios where a car will run a stop sign or turn right while pedestrians are crossing the street. The best thing for pedestrians to do is to keep an eye on surrounding cars and watch what they’re doing. If you haven’t followed tip number one about being visible, it’s even more likely that a car may not see you. It’s your duty as a pedestrian to stay vigilant and protect yourself.

Please keep an eye on the goings-on in your area, keep your porch, yard, and driveway lights on during the hours of darkness, and if needed, call the police at 719-444-7000 or report a crime online at https://cspd.coloradosprings.gov/content/report-crime-online.

You can also see what  police/fire activity is reported in your area by visiting the Colorado Springs Police Department Calls for Service update at http://myneighborhoodupdate.net/

There are seven items in Colorado that can get you in some trouble if you are caught throwing them in the trash or dumping them at the landfill. These items include:

1. Asbestos (including linoleum tiles containing asbestos from older homes)
2. Explosives
3. Ammunition
4. Commercial Chemicals or Commercial Quantities (Business Waste)
5. Bio-Waste (Medical Waste) and medicines and prescriptions
6. Sharps (needles)
7. Electronics

More specifically - Items NOT accepted through our Waste Management Service include:

• Unknown or unlabeled materials 
• Bulky items and furniture
  
• Incandescent light bulbs
  
• Appliances: washing  machines, vacuums,  tools, or refrigerators, 
• Tires
  
• Liquid mercury
  
• Radioactive items
•  Containers over 5 gallons
  
• Leaking or empty containers
  
• Smoke detectors 
•  Lamp fixtures
  
• Construction related materials
  
• Items improperly packaged for  transportation 
• Household Chemicals - Ammonia, cleaning compounds, bleach, floor stripper, drain cleaner, rust remover, carpet/upholstery cleaner, tile/shower cleaner, and more
• Automotive Products - Antifreeze, motor oil, oil filters, fluids, polish, waxes, vehicle batteries, upholstery cleaners, and more
• Consumer Electronics - Computers, laptops, keyboards, monitors, microwaves, DVD/CD players, CD ROM, fax machines, cell phones, VCRs, desktop printers, scanners, gaming systems, related cords, and more
• Paint Products - Oil-based paint, latex paint, spray paint, artist paint, wood preservative, stain, caulk, sealer and more
• Batteries - Batteries of various sizes: AA, AAA, C, D and rechargeable.
• Garden Chemicals - Herbicide, insect spray/ insecticide, fertilizer, pesticide, and more
• Fluorescent Light Bulbs - Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and straight fluorescent tubes
• Thermometers and thermostats - Numerous items that contain mercury
• Flammable Items - Kerosene, gasoline, solvents and more
• Syringes and Lancets - Sharps, syringes, needles and lancets
• Swimming Pool Chemicals - Pool acid, stabilizer, chlorine