Greeley officials work to remake downtown

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GreeleyTribune THURSDAY

Serving Greeley, Evans and neighboring communities

APRIL 28, 2016

GREELEY, COLORADO ONE DOLLAR VOL. 145 NO. 168

Group to fight against hotel

« GREELEY YOUNG AUTHORS launch fifth book

List of complaints include public-private partnership, lack of transparency By Catherine Sweeney csweeney@greeleytribune.com

ELIOTT FOUST/efoust@greeleytribune.com

FLORENCE NIYOKWIZERA, A STUDENT at Greeley West High School, speaks to audience members during the Greeley Young Authors Program book launch on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado last week in Greeley. The program’s book features short stories written by high school students from Greeley West, Greeley Central and Northridge.

GOING PUBLIC

UNC, District 6 partnership gives voice to refugee, immigrant students By Tyler Silvy tsilvy@greeleytribune.com

W

hen she was little, Tifito Zeray moved with her family to a refugee camp in Ethiopia to escape war in her homeland of Eritrea. The camp was hardly a refuge for some, including young women, who Tifito recalled often married to gain protection from men. Tifito has gotten better at telling her story in the 10 years since she lived in the camp. She’s now a freshman at Northridge High School, and along with 16 other Greeley-Evans School District 6 immigrant and refugee students, she’s telling her story on paper.

» How to get the book

The Greeley Young Authors have published five books since 2012. Here’s a list, including the link to purchase books online. 2012 — Telling Tales; www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/6147273-this-is-who-we-are 2013 — This is Our World; www.blurb.com/bookstore/ detail/6147273-this-is-who-we-are 2014 — Same World Different Lives; www.blurb.com/ bookstore/detail/6147273-this-is-who-we-are 2015 — This is Who We Are; www.blurb.com/bookstore/ detail/6147273-this-is-who-we-are 2016 — United By Our Differences; www.blurb.com/ b/6988881-united-by-our-differences

The fifth book written by the Greeley Young Authors had its launch party Saturday at Michener Library at the University of Northern Colorado. The book is called “United by Our Differences.”

As construction crews tear into the site slated for the downtown hotel and conference center, a group of residents are starting a push to block it. The group calls itself Stop Taxes on Private Projects, or STOPP. Its leaders filed Monday for a referendum on the ordinance that authorized the city’s 60year lease for the 919 7th St. property. They believe that’s the only part of the agreement they’ll be able to repeal, but that it will throw a wrench in the city’s plan. Using a referendum, groups collect signatures in an effort to force the city council to either overturn the ordinance or let the city’s voters decide whether they should. “That seems like a heavy risk for the city to be taking something that they haven’t had a great track record with,” said the group’s spokeswoman, Sherrie Peif. In a news release, the group listed its specific complaints about the overall project. Group members argue city leaders weren’t transparent enough over the four-year planning process and kept the details to themselves until it was a done deal. Using taxpayer money to invest in private industry is improper. It gives those investors an unfair advantage over others in the industry. The group also criticized city officials’ plan to pay for the new city hall complex, which

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The Greeley Young Authors, and the books, are an outgrowth of the District 6 newcomers’

CONTINUED A6: Downtown Hotel

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CONTINUED A6: Young Authors

Colo. Supreme Court won’t hear HPLD case Library board members will keep their seats By Bridgett Weaver bweaver@greeleytribune.com

The Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday shot down a request from the Board of Weld County Commissioners and local municipalities asking for a hearing in their dispute with the

High Plains Library District. The decision of Colorado’s highest court will send the case, which has been ongoing since 2014, back to the district court, where it will await a trial. The dispute began two years ago, when representatives of the two types of libraries in the district — branches and member libraries — had a difference of opinion. Six Weld communities — Eaton, Hudson, Ault and the city and school board in Fort Lupton, plus Platteville and Johnstown — sought to remove the library district’s board of trustees that year after

tensions over how the district should be run reached a breaking point. High Plains has full control over branch libraries, such as the ones in Greeley. Member libraries, such as the one in Eaton, govern themselves. They have their own boards and budgets, but they give a third of their property tax revenue to High Plains for support services, such as information technology.

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CONTINUED A6: High Plains

« WHAT’S INSIDE

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