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The Lewis-Palmer High School Class of 1975 celebrated their 45th Class Reunion this year. A big congratulations for making it to that milestone, which by coincidence, I have reached the same illustrious age!

As we are all aware during this year of 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic has dramatically altered our lifestyles, with sheltering-in-place, masks, social distancing, and smaller gatherings being required for safety purposes. The LP 75 class pulled the plug on doing their Reunion for safety reasons. Still, in a perfect melding of circumstances, they decided it would be an excellent opportunity to honor their classmate and our beloved Tim Watkins by donating on his behalf to FOMP. Tim was extremely passionate about the Monument Preserve area and mapped, built, and maintained much of the trail systems within our complex that we have all grown to love.

Randy Royal offered a perfect statement about the presentation and donation:

Classmates and Friends

Thank you all for your generous donations in honor of Tim Watkins and recognizing Randy Jones as well as all of our previous classmates that we have lost. Russ, Marlene and I were able to present to members of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Monument Preserve a check totaling $2400. We also relayed to them that a couple of you had also donated directly to them online. So ultimately, we were in the $2500 range for our donation. Bonnie Watkins, Tim’s sister, was there as well, representing the family and wanted to share her thanks to all of you as well. The FOMP was very thankful and stated the funds would be used to continue the development and maintenance of the trails within the preserve, many of which Tim had a direct impact on formulating and perfecting. They couldn’t say enough about his work, his service, and his passion for helping others. Marlene took some pics and was going to get word to the local paper.

Happy 45h Reunion, and be proud of a successful event!!

Next one, we will hopefully meet face-to-face again!!

I knew Tim for over 30 years and considered him an incredible friend and an exceptional human being, and I can rightfully say we deeply miss him on this earth with us. The entire community knows how much Tim loved the Monument Preserve, the outdoors, Monument, Palmer Lake, Colorado, Utah, and especially bicycling.

We humbly appreciate the Lewis-Palmer Class of 1975 donation in Tim’s name, as he was an avid part of our FOMP organization and a massive part of the general community. This donation will allow us to continue our mission to protect and preserve the historical artifacts and recreational opportunities available at the USFS Fire Center in Monument, CO.

Thank you once again!

Brian Mullin – President FOMP

We greatly miss you, Timmy. #BeLikeTim

Tuesday, August 11th at 6:00 PM

FOMP is pleased to be holding our second monthly volunteer trail work maintenance session for 2020.  We’ll be under COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing, smaller groups, and facial coverings. If you are sick, please stay at home.

Special COVID-19 Safety Protocols:

• We will distribute Self-Screen and Risk Assessment documents to all volunteers, prior to beginning any work
• FOMP and other trained resources will provide safety briefing on trail work practices, and new COVID-19 related distancing guidelines
• Workgroups will be limited to 5 or fewer people, with multiple groups deployed to separate work areas
• Volunteers will follow measures highlighted in the Risk Assessment to including following all Local, State, and CDC guidelines for small group sizes (5 or fewer per workgroup), maintaining enhanced distancing guidelines of 10 feet, wearing a facial covering, and avoiding carpooling with nonfamily members

Please meet at the main parking lot at Mt Herman and Nursery https://goo.gl/maps/rdJuhbbQWEx

Check the website too! http://www.fomp.org

The rest of the info you need: FOMP and USFS provide all the necessary tools. Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing for performing outdoor landscaping type of work. Volunteers should wear long pants and sturdy shoes, and bring leather gloves, a hat, a personal water supply, eye protection, sunscreen, and bug repellent. We meet rain or shine unless there is lightning active in the area.

We make every effort to accommodate volunteer preferences and abilities at each event. Generally, we perform activities such as water bar building or renovation, trail renovation, maintenance, and trimming, etc. So, pretty much everything from trimming back scrub oak or digging lots of dirt to moving boulders. We assign duties based on interests and capabilities. Kids are welcome to join their parents; however, we do ask that you evaluate whether this is an appropriate activity for your child or not.

Be aware all participants will need to sign a wavier before than can begin any trail work.

Thanks, and we hope to see you out there!

FOMP

This is the upcoming list of FOMP events through the end of the year.  

November 10, 2020

• Board Meeting
  • Starts: 7:00 PM
  • Ends: 8:00 PM
  • Location: Trinity Lutheran Church, 17750 Knollwood, Monument