In April 2017, the Manitou Springs City Council adopted Plan Manitou, a comprehensive plan that sets out goals, policies and action steps that support the city’s vision of a sustainable, livable and safe community. The city has also adopted a parks, trails and open space master plan. Both of these documents, developed with extensive community input, contain numerous goals and action steps that reference the needs of older community members and the desire to support older adults in the areas of human services, food access, housing, aging in place, recreation programming, transportation, safety and inclusiveness. As of right now, we have a daily Golden
Circle senior lunch, a weekly food pantry and community farmer’s market, ADA-compliant sidewalks in the downtown area and an ADA inventory in progress on the entire city. People over 60 receive discounted admission to the Manitou Springs Aquatic and Fitness Center. However, we recognize that there is much work to do. The members of the Age-Friendly Manitou Springs Committee intend to champion the expansion of city programs, help accomplish Plan Manitou goals and advocate for seniors whenever and wherever possible. We are fortunate that our Mayor Nicole Nicoletta has been an active member of the committee and a great supporter of the Age-Friendly concept. She is one of a dozen participants who have been attending meetings and helping to develop our ideas and goals since our first meeting in June 2017. Manitou Springs has a strong tradition of citizen participation. Our committee has discussed outreach through the daily Golden Circle senior lunch, convening meetings during the day, conducting a survey and following up with one-on-one interviews, starting an Age-Friendly Manitou Springs Facebook page and communicating with seniors through churches. An Age-Friendly page also will be added to the PlanManitou.com website, with resources, activities and interactive features. Many seniors dedicate significant time to ongoing community boards and activities; we will build on this resource.