MONUMENT, Colo. (KOAA) — A proposed Buc-ee's has caused high tensions in the Tri-Lakes region, but last week, a civility meeting aimed to bring a divided community together.
Alexandra Hudson served as the event's civility expert. The Soul of Civility author guided about two dozen people inside the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce through conversations on civil discourse and small group sessions, something she does all around the country.
“We are going to disagree," Hudson said. "But we can disagree in a way that brings out the best in us and doesn’t need to destroy us.”
News5 reporter Meghan Glova has more on what this civility meeting accomplished in the video below:
During small group sessions, attendees were given prompts to talk through with fellow neighbors — including what they love about their community. For Palmer Lake resident Wesley Trimble, the hope was to learn how to best engage with people in times of controversy.
“My wife and I are really interested in building better relationships and better community in Palmer Lake," Trimble said. "We've been around for more than a decade and have seen lots of change in that period."
Buc-ee's has been a contentious topic in the Tri-Lakes region for almost two years now. Shana Ball served on the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, but a vote she made in Buc-ee's favor prompted voters to recall her last year. While attending Tuesday's civility meeting, Ball told News5 "there's got to be a better way."
“I still love my community and that division was so hard," Ball said. "I’m here to figure out how to heal my community, even though I was recalled.”
Monument resident Marilyn Holder says she has friends on both sides of the Buc-ee's issue and acknowledges it has been a divisive year.
"A lot of it really changes relationships and friendships and I don't know if they'll recover," Holder said. "That's the hope with this kind of work, that that doesn't have to be the story."
Holder says "we have more in common than we do not," something many at the event were able to agree on.
Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at meghan.glova@koaa.com.
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