MONUMENT • The new UPS Distribution Center in Monument became operational this week.

A year and a half after the Town of Monument approved the preliminary planned development site plan for the UPS Distribution Center on the south end of town, construction has been completed to allow operations to begin Aug. 16.

UPS’ facility is located in the Falcon Commerce Center, 1671 Squadron Drive, south of Baptist Road and west of I-25. The 95,738-square-foot center was built on 16.9 acres. UPS made a capital investment of $37 million to create a facility that’s expected to run 33% more efficiently than its older facilities in the area.

With this, the facility is anticipated to move 8,000 packages an hour. The distribution center will service a large portion of northern Colorado Springs, including Monument, and the service area will extend to the south end of Englewood.

One point of interest the Town of Monument brought up at the beginning of the development approval process was the number of new jobs the distribution center would bring to the community;

150 jobs was the answer. The positions come with competitive pay and benefits, including health care, retirement contributions and tuition assistance. Hourly starting pay is up to $21, depending on shift and position, and includes annual raises.

Package handlers are poised to receive $15.50 per hour, with a weekly attendance bonus. Drivers are marked to receive $20.50, and part-time supervisors would receive $15-20 per hour. As of Aug. 10, the facility still had open positions. Apply online at UPSJOBS. com.

The site is a mere one minute away from I-25, making the location ideal for the new UPS facility’s northern El Paso County-to-south-englewood distribution efforts.

“Monument straddles the major freeway heading north and south between the state’s two largest cities, Denver and Colorado Springs,” Tri-lakes Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Terri Hayes said. “In essence, we bridge the distance between the northern and southern parts of the state.”

A UPS spokesperson said the company looks for areas where it can place distribution operations which reduce the drive time for its drivers to get to their routes while taking into account growth of the area.

The economic impact to the Town of Monument

is expected to be high, as some of the employees to the new facility are expected to have to commute from Colorado Springs and Denver, since Monument is still a “commuter town,” Hayes said. However, she said, most people are attracted to living closer to where they work or vice versa.

“When people work and live in the same community, they spend more of their money locally, whereas some who commute might spend some of their dollars in the community where they commute to,” Hayes said. “Sales tax dollars are what really help run towns, so these additional workers will definitely be contributing to those incoming sales tax dollars.”

While it remains difficult for some companies to find adequate staffing, a UPS spokesman said there has been a quality flow of applicants for the new distribution center, with applicants coming from both Colorado Springs and Monument.

Hayes said, “Full benefits is something a lot of other businesses are not offering, and thus could save someone a lot of money in private medical insurance and help provide retirement funds.”

In addition, part-time UPS employees are eligible for benefits, which makes the company stand out in the hiring game, she said.

“Having these jobs, that business here will help good commercial growth and provide more focus on our town without a doubt,” Monument Trustee Jim Romanello said when the ordinance for the preliminary PD site plan was approved.