COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — One of the nonprofits forced to move because of fallout from Colorado Springs city budget cuts has found a place to land. TOSC (Trails and Open Space Coalition) turned the eviction into a challenge and is now moving to the city's Westside.
Their new location is off 31st Street. It is less glamorous and more functional, but for this group it is about location, location, location. They are now right across from Red Rock Canyon Open Space.
For many Colorado Springs locals, open space parks are a regular part of their lifestyle.
"Oh yeah, several times a week I try to hit the trails and you know, they're all over Cheyenne Canyon, Red Rock, Garden of the Gods, some beautiful places," said hiker Taylor Engle.
Engle has been coming to Red Rock Canyon Open Space for around a decade. Until now, she was not aware that at one time there was potential for it to become an exclusive housing development.
"There's always the want and the need to build more homes, but to protect beautiful places like this is so important. So, I think that's great we have that," said Engle.
"We got a little bit more momentum and got the neighborhood together to actually save Red Rock Canyon open space from being a development and obviously we get to enjoy what it is today, which is quite honestly a premier destination in the country," said Glenn Carlson, Trails and Open Space Coalition executive director.
The Trails and Open Space Coalition did some heavy lobbying to sway city decision makers into buying the property and turning it into the open space it is today.
Many parks and trails in the Pikes Peak region include the influence of TOSC in their history. Despite community support, like many nonprofits they have to put a lot of effort into fundraising.
"We have people that believe in our mission and they donate to us monthly, annually, we get a number of grants as well throughout the year," said Carlson.
For around a decade, they were able to offset some costs with offices in two old Victorian houses owned by the city. Now there is a for sale sign out front.
"The city had dramatic budget challenges this last year, and as a result had to make some tough decisions and they decided to sell those two buildings," said Carlson.
Rather than complain, TOSC leaders took the push out the door as a challenge.
"The second we had an inkling of losing our office space we started thinking about what's the next chapter, what do we want to be," said Carlson.
The group now owns a building on the edge of one of their favorite open spaces, Red Rock Canyon. They envision a space on the Westside that will better serve their mission.
"Through many years of financial prudence, we were able to kind of save money the old fashioned way. When this opportunity came along with this new building, the price point was right. It fit the vision, and we just needed to take a little risk," said Carlson.
Some updates are happening at the new location. When complete, TOSC will be moving in.
In the meantime, their work continues, including bringing back one of their largest fundraising events, the Starlight Spectacular, in a reimagined format. For more information and upcoming events, visit TOSC's website.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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