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March 4, 2021
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 17
VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 40
Historic trolley getting back track on track Last of its kind trolley returning to Arvada, where it will be permanately displayed BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Long before the G Line was even an idea, Arvadans would take trips into Denver aboard the trolleys that rode along the Denver Northwest trolley line. Now, nearly 71 years after its final trip of the line, the last of those trolleys is coming back to Arvada, where it will serve as both a testament of its past and an icon for its future. That last trolley, which is called the .04 trolley, was constructed in 1911 and would serve the area until July 4, 1950, when it departed shortly before midnight on its last run into Denver. It remains one of the last vestiges of the Denver metro area’s electric rail system, which once consisted of nearly 300 miles of tracks. “The .04 trolley was in service on these lines for nearly 40 years and played an integral role in the development of Arvada as a commuter suburb,” said Stephen Padilla, the grants administrator for the city of Arvada. “In wintertime, it was often the only way to get to downtown Denver through the deep snow.” But in the years since that final
The trolley in the midst of restoration work in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
run, the trolley has traveled a rocky road. It was first purchased by someone who used it as hunting cabin in the 1970s before ending up being displayed for awhile in Denver’s original Forney Museum of Transportation. The trolley was later slated to be
disposed of before railroad historian Wally Weart purchased it and donated it to the Denver Tramway Heritage Society. Since then, it has been in storage at an RV lot in Denver.
COURTESY OF CITY OF ARVADA
MORE INFORMATION AND SURVEY Arvada residents can view more information about the trolley project and access the current survey about the site design at speakup.arvada.org/ grandview-trolley
SEE TROLLEY, P9
Jeffco announces return to full in-person learning plan What the District hopes will be the new normal for the end of the school year BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Interim Superintendent Kristopher Schuh announced the District’s two-phase plan to return to 100% inperson learning for grades 6-12. This will replace the Hybrid learning option but will not affect students who have chosen to continue remote learning. The move to 100% in-person learning does not mean many of the in-school COVID-19 safety measures that have been in place for hybrid
learning will go away though. Phase one of the plan will begin March 15, with some students returning to 100% in-person learning — which means students will be in school Monday through Thursday. Fridays will continue to be at-home asynchronous days through the end of the year. According to the District’s written statement, “priority in phase one will be based on student needs, as determined by each school’s MultiTiered System of Supports (MTSS) process, individual education plans, and the need for special services. Schools will be reaching out to students and families based on the above priority to implement their in-person learning schedules.” Phase two of the plan will kick in on April 5, when the Hybrid
option ends. At that time, students currently scheduled in the Hybrid model will return to 100% (Monday through Thursday) in-person learning. Charter students should check with their individual schools about their plans for in-person learning. The announcement of the plan coincides with, and was influenced by, Jefferson County moving down to Level Blue on the state’s COVID dial on Feb. 26. According to Jefferson County Public Health, the move to Level Blue occurred due to the county’s one-week incidence and test positivity rates falling to, and remaining in, Level Blue metrics for a full week. The District also cites the ability for all teachers and staff to be fully vaccinated before the end of March,
JCPH guidance and community feedback in the decision-making process. Masks and social distancing will still be in effect throughout the school year. Moving into the 2021-2022 school year, the District will continue to offer a remote learning option for all grades, for students uncomfortable with returning to in-person school. In a recent Board of Education meeting, Schuh said he’s confident the District can deal with COVID flare-ups if they occur. “We are able to respond with short notice when we do have a situation where we have multiple positive cases or outbreaks,” he said. “We can have the school move into a remote model for 24 hours and get into that school and clean that school rather quickly.”