(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The City of Colorado Springs along with Colorado Springs Utilities will be hosting a panel discussion to share insights on what the city should consider when looking at growth and annexations.

The panel is free and open to the public, taking place on Wednesday, Aug. 28 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center located at 4925 North Nevada Avenue.

According to the City, the discussion will cover economic development, infrastructure, state and local trends, environmental impact, and quality of life, along with a question and answer session. The panel will include Executive Director of the Common Sense Institute Kelly Caulfield, a demographer for the State Nancy Gedeon, Colorado Water Conservation Board Section Chief Russ Sands, Vice President of TischlerBise Julie Herlands, and Principle Architect and Founder of TDG Architecture Mark Tremmel.

“This event is an exciting opportunity to bring together an expert panel of speakers from around the state as we as a community continue to discuss what growth in the Colorado Springs region should look like,” said Katie Carleo, acting assistant planning director for the City of Colorado Springs. “We encourage residents to attend and listen to what lessons we can learn from other communities, and what unique experiences and challenges Colorado Springs should be prepared to address.”

The City said the panel was organized as part of AnnexCOS, the City’s plan to fully evaluate the City’s approach to annexations for more fiscally sustainable and resilient land use.

Anyone requiring accommodation or language services is encouraged to make the request no later than 48 hours before the event by contacting [email protected] or calling (719) 726-1421, or Dial 711 for Relay Colorado.