FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Fort Carson leadership and the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments held a partnership town hall April 26 to provide the community an opportunity to communicate openly with military leaders.
The group discussed issues affecting the local area and ideas of how the Colorado Springs community and Fort Carson can work together to support Soldiers and Families while meeting the community's needs.
"We appreciate all of your support," said Maj. Gen. Joseph Anderson, commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson. "Our goal is to be tied to this community."
Anderson provided information to the Colorado Springs community on Fort Carson activities, including growth, deployments and the community's response to the post's needs.
"Our goal is to be transparent to you, responsible to you, accountable to you (and) to be good stewards and partners in this community," Anderson said to the group. "That is not a bumper sticker, that is the truth."
The Pikes Peak region has five major military installations with more than 40,000 active-duty servicemembers. Anderson said that partnership with the community is important for an area like Colorado Springs which has a large military influence.
Commissioner Sallie Clark, vice chair, El Paso County Board of Commissioners, spoke on behalf of the Colorado Springs community and addressed impacts Fort Carson has on the community.
"It's really an honor to be able to work with all of our military installations here," Clark said. "We appreciate (Fort Carson's) partnership … we appreciate the open dialogue and coordination that we have."
Clark also serves as chair of the PPACG, which helps maintain military-community partnership and ensures ongoing regional coordination and collaboration to meet the needs of Fort Carson.
Fort Carson has partnered with PPACG for the last several years, providing the community with updates on installation activities, particularly the impacts of growth and ongoing deployments.
About 2,700 Soldiers and 4,000 Family members will arrive to Fort Carson next spring with the addition of a combat aviation brigade. Growth such as this and deployments affect the housing industry, schools and other services in the community, she said.
"We are very supportive of our military here," Clark said. "And we will continue to support our men and women in uniform and those veterans who have served our country as well as the Families who are left behind many times and need to figure out how to manage when deployments happen."
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