Arvada Press 1105

FREE

November 5, 2020

JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 15 | SPORTS: PAGE 17

VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 23

Jeffco implements new health order to limit gatherings State could move county to Level 3 any day, JCPH says

BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Ramon Robinson shops for records at Black & Read Books, Music & Games on Oct. 28.

PHOTO BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO

Longtime book and record store owner remembered for thick black glasses, giving spirit “He was just very friendly and cool”

BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Through all the changes Arvada has experienced over the last 29 years, one of the city’s great constants has been the Black & Read Books, Music and Game store tucked into a strip mall on West Wadsworth Boulevard.

“Black & Read is always changing (as it is) influenced by customers, staff, the world at large,” said em-

IF YOU GO Black & Read Books, Music and Games 7821 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada 303-467-3236 Blackandread.net ployee Kari Bakken. “But it always remains the place you can find that for which you didn’t know you were looking.”

While customers could never be sure what would await them among the store’s overstuffed shelves, Black & Read had its own constant: owner and founder Danny Graul, with his passion for film and mercurial out-

REMEMBERING DANNY Memories of Danny Graul are being shared on the Black & Read Facebook page at www.facebook.com/blackandreadcolorado. look presented through his gravely voice and trademark thick black glasses.

But Graul, who died on Oct. 23 at age 70, will likely be best remembered by the many who knew him for his warm and welcoming way and love of people.

SEE GRAUL, P5

Arvada needs more affordable and diverse housing Vacant city land and more housing incentives listed as remedies

BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It’s no secret that housing costs in Arvada, like those across the broader Denver metro area, have risen precipitously in recent years.

Now it’s becoming apparent that those increases — and the inability of area incomes in many cases to

keep pace — are resulting in a city that is increasingly out of reach of lower- and middle-income people.

Compounding the problem, there already are not enough options for those looking to downsize or otherwise move into a home that deviates from the city’s increasingly singlefamily-centric norm.

Those were the two of the major findings of a housing assessment and strategy study conducted by Root Policy Research, a Denver firm the city of Arvada tasked with diagnosing the city’s major housing needs and identifying possible strategies and solutions the city could

implement.

“Our goal here is to think about where are the acute needs in the market and then what policy or market incentives might you be able to implement as a city government that can really help to move Arvada in the direction you want to go,” said Mollie Fitzpatrick, who presented some key findings from Root’s report ahead on Oct. 26 ahead of its release.

Here is a look at some of the key findings from that presentation: SEE HOUSING, P4

Jefferson County Public Health issued a new public health order on Oct. 29, intended to slow the increasing spread of COVID-19 in the county and prevent the state from moving the county to Safer-at-Home Level 3 on its COVID-19 dial.

The new order, Public Health Order 20-009, limits gatherings in both public and private settings. Such gatherings have been implicated in the county’s recent spike in cases.

The order limits outdoor events to no more than 75 people, and indoor events to no more than 25 within usable space as determined using a social distancing calculator on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s website.

Under the order, events may no longer have more than one room, designated activity or area.

Prior to the order, indoor venues were allowed up to 100 people per indoor room and 175 per outdoor activity provided social distancing could be maintained, with venues able to apply to include multiple indoor rooms or outdoor activities within one venue.

The order also requires that all restaurants, bars, breweries and similar venues cease selling alcohol at 10 p.m. Spectators will also no longer SEE COUNTY, P23

ELECTION RESULTS

Ballot results will be in next week’s edition, and available now at ArvadaPress.com

2 Arvada Press

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November 5, 2020N

Welcoming new members to our media family

n February 2012, my wife Ann and I acquired nine community newspapers from a Texas-based company, all in South Metro Denver and in two communities near Colorado Springs.

At that time, I FROM THE had been recently PUBLISHER brought in to manage several distressed community newspapers in Jefferson and Adams counties. I immediately merged all these newspapers into a new company that we named Colorado CommuJerry Healey nity Media. Over the past eight years we purchased the distressed newspapers and stabilized them. We sold the Colorado Springs newspapers, bought some Denver newspapers, modernized and won many media awards along the way.

A month ago, I was contacted by

and several freelancers.

Colorado Community Media was already the largest locally family owned media company in the state.

Through this acquisition, we are now larger and stronger. We believe in providing thorough, objective, informative — and enjoyable — community news: Covering good people doing good things. And, when needed, being truth seekers even when it might be a difficult story for the community to endure. The readers of the newly acquired newspapers were already getting this. But, now, we hope to do even more for them by providing them with more modern systems, websites and access to our existing journalists serving nearby communities.

For local businesses, this is good news. With one representative and one bill, businesses can now reach premium readers in these communities with an overall reach now of up to 22 communities throughout the metro area, foothills and lower Weld County. Our reach is now about

a newspaper broker about possibly acquiring the remaining newspapers in Jefferson and Adams counties that we did not already own. Those are the Canyon Courier that serves Evergreen and Conifer, and in Adams County, the Brighton StandardBlade and Commerce City Sentinel.

Also available were the Clear Creek Courant, serving Idaho Springs, Empire and Georgetown, and the Fort Lupton Press, serving Fort Lupton and lower Weld County. In addition, two shoppers would be part of the package.

I am pleased to share that we became the owners of these publications last Thursday. This brings Colorado Community Media to 22 weekly newspapers, two monthly newspapers and two shoppers, including the publication or website you are now reading. It also brings into the group some dedicated and talented people who will surely contribute to the company as a whole. In addition, through this acquisition, we added six full-time journalists

twice that of any other newspaper group in the state.

We believe in community news.

Both in print and online. Research shows that having a community newspaper increases civic engagement and the number of political candidates, keeps government expenditures in check and helps boost the local economy. But more important to me is keeping the communities connected and telling good stories about good people. It’s why I do what I do and why I am willing to invest in community newspapers. Purchasing these new publications makes all our newspapers stronger.

Thank you for being a reader of one of our newspapers or websites.

We succeed because of loyal readers like you. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time with comments, questions or news tips.

Jerry Healey is the president and publisher of Colorado Community Media. He can be reached at jhealey@ coloradocommunitymedia.com.

“If we keep on the trajectory we are on it is definitely going to become a problem” A Q&A with Christine Billings, who is coordinating Jeffco’s COVID-19 response

staying in Level 2 metrics because we are definitely in Level 3 metrics,” said Christine Billings, Jeffco’s COVID-19 response incident commander.

With JCPH working to get a handle on rising counts, Colorado Community Media spoke with Billings about what is causing the current spike, her advice for Jeffco residents struggling with COVID fatigue and the likelihood Jeffco could soon face a new Safer-at-Home order.

BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As the COVID-19 pandemic nears its eighth month, the recent picture that has emerged in Jeffco has been a discouraging one to say the least. Case counts have repeatedly reached new highs in recent days making a move to Safer-at-Home Level 3 on the state’s COVID-19 dial increasingly likely. Such a move would trigger a tightening of restrictions like those recently seen in Denver.

“I don’t see anything happening in the next week with case counts that would lead the state to say `hey, you are

What is the current COVID-19 situation in Jeffco?

I think overall the case counts in the county have continued to rise almost at what I would call an exponential rate, and definitely a rate that is concerning when it comes to controlling the spread in Jeffco. So we are seeing increasing case counts across all exposure SEE Q&A, P3

Christine Billings, emergency preparedness and response supervisor at Jefferson County Public Health.

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Arvada Press 3

0November 5, 2020

Q&A FROM PAGE 2

categories, there is certainly not anyone that in particular stands out. We are definitely seeing spread within households where we see one community member who tests positive and comes home.

As the pandemic has worn on peoples’ guard and vigilance has dropped a little bit, which is to expected in a longterm event like this.

But as that vigilance has dropped, we are seeing cases occurring in households and social gathering situations where people might not be as vigilant as they used to be as we see time wear on.

How are the hospitalization rates?

We are definitely seeing an increase in the number of hospitalizations, which does align with the number of cases we are seeing. What

is challenging with the hospitalization numbers is with that comes an increased burden on our hospitals.

So, while our hospitals may have beds, staffing of those beds can be challenging in a time when the staff within those beds are impacted by the disease personally or professionally as well. So that’s something we are concerned about because if we keep on the trajectory we are on it is definitely going to become a problem.

What would you say to people who feel they have done everything right but are getting tired of it as they see other people being less stringent?

First of all, I would definitely say thank you. But then this weekend my daughter had asked me if she could plan a small gathering with her friends but then someone ended up inviting more and more kids.

So, she chatted with a couple of her girlfriends and told them she wasn’t comfortable going and they decided they weren’t comfortable either. She

stood up and said something which gave people the confidence to align with what they knew in their heart was the right thing to do.

In the county we’ve got those who are very supportive of the recommendations and those who don’t agree with them but my hope is those that are doing the right thing and following all the recommendations can provide a vote of confidence to those who may be on the fence and that will help to start to stem the tide of increasing cases.

Residents are starting to think about and make plans for the holidays. What are your current thoughts on what people should be thinking as they get closer?

I would say keep it small and this is the year to enjoy a really small and close knit celebration within your house and within your circle.

Don’t be afraid to wear your masks and ask that your guests do that. In my house, we had a birthday party for a 16-year-old and we all wore masks. It was weird and awkward

to have everyone wearing masks but weird and awkward will eventually get us over the hump and through this peak in COVID cases.

How close is Jeffco to dropping to the “Stay-At-Home” phase of the COVID-19 dial?

As of Oct. 26, we were about 750 cases over a two-week period away from the number that would trigger a move to Stay-at-Home under the state metrics, which is about twice what it will be to move to Level 3 of the Safer-at-Home phase.

So, it’s a pretty big number but if we hit that number it is going to be an incredible amount of work for the community to try to turn it around and the health department staff to try to do the case investigations.

That would be such a significant impact for the community if we got there. Could we get there? Sure, but hopefully this potential move to Level 3 and the counties around us shifting down as well really starts to have an impact.

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3D Printing Takes on the Job of Building Houses for the Homeless With ‘Lavacrete’ Walls

An Austin, Texas, technology company named Icon was the winner of the “general excellence” category in Fast Company’s 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards for their development of a 3D printing machine for building houses.

Their Vulcan II machine is already at work building a neighborhood of homes for Austin’s homeless population and building homes in Mexico for that country’s poor population currently living in shacks. At right is a picture of one of those Mexican homes and below is a closeup showing how Icon’s 3D printer works, applying layer upon layer of a specially designed mixture called Lavacrete. That product sets quickly enough that another layer can be applied on the machine’s next goround.

All the walls of a home can be poured in 24 hours spread out over a few days.

The framing of windows and doors and construction of a wooden roof is then done using, when possible, local workers who get on-the-job training, learning skills they can then apply in the outside world.

The Mexican project is in a rural area near the southern city of Nacajuca under a partnership with New Story, an international non-profit whose mission is to “pioneer solutions to end global homelessness.”

I remember seeing footage on a CNN report showing Icon’s 3D printing machine at work. Prior to that, I attended a presentation by New Story at the Golden Rotary Club, which, as I recall, joined Rotary International in providing financial support.

I am proud to be a financial supporter myself, and you can do so too at NewStoryCharity.org. I will have that link plus other useful links and additional photos on the posting of this article on our blog, www.GoldenREblog.com.

3D printing of homes makes sense. I have seen how 3D printers can build various products applying layer upon layer of resin as instructed by a computer program. As with those tabletop machines, all that’s needed to build the interior and exterior walls of a home is a larger flat surface (a concrete slab) and a massively larger printer to float above it.

Taking the process to yet a higher level, Icon has successfully built the

Lavacrete is a propriety adaptation of concrete which overcomes many of the shortcomings of concrete, especially in terms of aging. Because the walls are solid, the homes are heated and cooled using my favorite method — heat pump mini-splits — which are also far more economical than gas forced air furnaces.

Just Listed: Arvada Ranch Backing to Open Space This 4-bedroom, 3-bath ranch home with walkout basement at 19019 W. 88th Drive in Arvada’s Leyden Rock subdivision backs to open space. A former model home (Remington Homes 2017), it has over $240,000 in upgrades! The main level features a contemporary style open floor plan with hardwood floors, a 14-ft ceiling in the living room, and floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views of the Boulder Flatirons. The fully finished basement features a family room, custom full bath, and two bedrooms. In addition to the 2-car garage visible above, there’s a 1-car garage to its right. The lot backs to open space to the north and east sides of the house, with vacant HOA land to the south. Take a narrated video tour at www.LeydenRockHome.info. Open this Saturday, 11-2. Listed by Chuck Brown. $779,900

Just Listed: A 2-Bedroom Condo on Belmar Plaza

Electric Cars Are Your Best Cold Weather Choice

It’s that time of year when I like to remind readers about the advantages of EVs in cold weather. Here’s what you need to know.

1) No warming up is needed. Put the car in Drive and go! Also, the cabin will be warm within 1/2 mile because it doesn’t require an engine to warm up first. In my Tesla I can turn on the heat with my phone app a few minutes earlier so the cabin, steering wheel and seat are all warm when I get in the car. Also, I can leave the heater on when I park the car so it’s warm when I return, if I am just going into a store for a short time. (I do the same thing on hot summer days, so it stays cool!)

2) Your car will never break down, stranding you in a freezing car on the side of the road. The only time you see an EV on the side of the road is if there’s a flat tire or an accident. Stuck

walls of three side-by-side homes simultaneously in Austin, which is impressive and obviously even more cost effective.

Partnering with local non-profits and using local materials and laborers, New Story delivers its fully finished homes free to the Mexicans it is serving, but I can see it being practical in our country to offer such homes with nominal down payments and low-cost mortgages to the homeless or working poor. The homes built by Icon for the Austin non-profit Mobile Loaves & Fishes were permitted by that city. When fully built out, their “Community First! Village” will house an estimated 480 formerly homeless individuals, representing 40% of that city’s chronically homeless population.

in a snow drift? The heater will keep you warm as long as you need, consuming only 3-5 miles of range per hour — and no carbon monoxide!

3) Because of its low center of gravity, an EV handles snow-covered roads great — better than my Lexus RX did.

4) Used EVs are your best buy. I just sold my 2012 Chevy Volt for its Kelly Blue Book value of $7,500. What a bargain! It runs like new and cost over $50,000. You can find older Tesla Model S cars for sale, undamaged and running like new, starting around $33,000.

Google it! The older Teslas are a great buy because they come with transferrable lifetime free supercharging coast-tocoast when purchased privately.

5) There are still federal and state tax credits and various rebates to be had.

See the following website for a full list: www.electricforall.org/rebates-incentives

This beautifully upgraded condo at 7220 W. Bonfils Lane #201 has hardwood floors throughout. In addition to its two large bedrooms, it has a large study near the kitchen and dining room with French doors and ceiling fan with light. This unit has two reserved parking spaces in the basement secured garage, plus a 6'x8' storage cage. Units in this 5-story building are $710,000 selling very well. The building faces Belmar Plaza, which is very active year-round with concerts, outdoor dining and even ice skating in the winter! And of course, it’s in the heart of Belmar. Walk to Whole Foods, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target, BestBuy, Nordstrom Rack, Ted’s Montana Grill and more. A Century movie theater is just across the street. You’ll find more details, interior pictures and a narrated walk-through video online at BelmarCondo.info, then call your agent or Jim Smith at 303-525-1851 for a private showing.

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See All Our Listings, Active & Under Contract, at www.GREListings.com

Broker/Owner, 303-525-1851 Jim@GoldenRealEstate.com www.JimSmithColumns.com Broker Associates: JIM SWANSON — 303-929-2727 CHUCK BROWN — 303-885-7855 DAVID DLUGASCH — 303-908-4835 CAROL MILAN — 720-982-4941 TY SCRABLE — 720-281-6783

4 Arvada Press

November 5, 2020N

HOUSING FROM PAGE 1

Top Needs The study found the following top housing needs exist in Arvada, based on data analysis and community feedback: Additional affordable rentals (or rental assistance), specifically for residents making less than $35,000 a year.

According to the study, rents in Arvada are increasing faster than incomes: between 2010 and 2017 rents increased by 34% while the median income increased by only 17%. The biggest shifts in the Arvada rental market between 2010 and 2017 were a loss of units priced below $800 (particularly those priced between $650 and $800) and an increase in units priced over $1,250.

Starter homes or family homes priced at or below $300,000.

In the metro, 35% of listed/sold homes were priced below $350,000 compared to 22% in Arvada (and only 9% of detached homes). Attached units carry more affordability: 74% were less than $350,000, though attached homes represent a much smaller share of the for-sale market in Arvada.

Increased diversity in housing stock with a focus on “missing middle” ownership options and product types attractive to aging seniors.

The term missing middle refers to housing options like duplexes, townhomes and apartments that often offer proximity to businesses and other amenities and generally appeal to both renters, first-time buyers and aging residents looking to downsize.

The study found that a smaller percentage of Arvada’s housing stock is

A graph showing the percentage of Arvada’s rental unit stock that fell into each pricing category in 2010 and 2017. COURTESY IMAGE made up of missing middle housing than in neighboring communities such as Westminster, Lakewood and Thornton and that less “missing middle” housing has been constricted in Arvada since 2010 then in the three decades prior.

A lack of “missing middle” housing can have ripple effects throughout the housing market by forcing more elderly people to stay in their homes and younger renters to continue renting rather than buying, which further constricts demand and causes prices to rise.

Proposed Solutions Establish a committee to support

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affordable housing development Incorporate additional development incentives to the city’s development code, such as waiving or reduce development fees (up to an amount) for affordable housing development as well as rezoning requirements (or streamlining the rezoning process) for developments with high affordability.

Allocate publicly-owned land (and/ or acquire vacant or underutilized properties) for affordable or mixedincome housing.

Implement a foreclosure/eviction prevention program Establish a local funding source for affordable housing using fees

that charge developers fees for market rate housing that are used for affordable housing (often called linkage fees because they link the construction of market rate housing to affordable housing).

Leverage existing resources to facilitate affordable housing development.

Arvada has already implemented a number of programs to help address housing and community development. Auditing, streamlining, and targeting existing resources to align with the city’s housing priorities will help improve efficiency and maximize the impact of existing resources.

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Arvada Press 5

0November 5, 2020

GRAUL FROM PAGE 1

“He loved talking to different people from all walks of life,” said Michael Baca, who became close with Graul while working with him at Black & Read for the last 20 years. “No matter where you were from, no matter what color you were or anything like that he was just very friendly and cool.”

Opening scene Graul was born at the old Mercy Hospital in Denver and lived his entire life in Wheat Ridge. He got his started in retail while working at the Sweet’s, which Baca describes as a “classic neighborhood video store.”

But when Sweet’s owners decided to move it to a bigger location a few blocks away, Graul decided to open vintage vinyl, books and clothing store in the same spot.

For most of the next three decades, Graul could be found behind the counter at Black & Read, where most of those who knew him say he was always quick with a joke and even quicker to lend a hand.

Bakken said she will remember countless acts of kindness and generosity, but particularly the time her tire blew out just before she was getting ready to take a friend from out-of-town up to Rocky Mountain National Park.

“He told me that she was a good kid and needed to see the forest before handing me his keys,” said Bakken.

“He could be incredibly matter of fact when he was being generous and was always willing to take you to the airport.”

Adventure section But Graul was also a fierce friend who became close with many of

his employees — he never married or had kids of his own — and was always up for a good movie or adventure or some combination of the two.

Baca said he recalls the two doing just that once when they made a trip up to Boulder to see a movie on the CU campus in the middle of a blizzard.

“It turned out to be this real boring Swedish film so we didn’t stay long,” said Baca. “And as we left, I remember us saying `this is terrible we drove so long and we risked our lives to get here” but really we thought it was pretty comical.

Derek Rolvsbakken, another longtime employee, said his favorite memory also involves a cold night when he and Graul watched LA Dodger Hideo Nomo throw a nohitter at Coors Field in 1996.

“It was a late game in the cold and wet, and the Rockies lost, but it was a serious bonding experience,” he said.

Although Graul’s declining health prevented him from coming to the store as much as he once did over the last two years, Bakken said Graul was still involved with overseeing the store until the very end.

Baca confirmed the store will continue to operate, although determinations have not yet been made about who its new owner will be — or when the Arvada community will be able to come together to celebrate the man who was one of the town’s great characters.

However, a post on the Black & Read Facebook page announcing Graul’s death offered a clue -and suggested the occasion will be a worthy one.

“Black & Read will be 30 years old next year — which is over 300 in retail years,” it read “Look for a big celebration for Danny next year.”

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November 5, 2020N

Scenes from an election

BY GLENN WALLACE GWALLACE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A

cross Jefferson County and beyond, it was nigh impossible to escape the signs, yard-based or otherwise, of Election 2020.

Whether it in a multitude of signs dotting every neighborhood, to the many rallies that have dotted the streets of the county, this has been an active year for political activity.

Places like 80th and Wadsworth in Arvada have become ideological battlegrounds for months now, as every Saturday morning, like clockwork, Black Lives Matter and Democratic candidate supporters on one side of the street will rally, while Trump and GOP candidate supporters have rallied on the opposite side.

“It’s encouraging whether they love us or they hate us ... it’s all about love of country and the 1st Amendment,” House District 29 Republican candidate Vanessa DeMott said, waiving her campaign sign on the pro-Trump side of the street on Oct. 30.

Arvadan Frank Lopez said he and his wife first came out to the street corner alone, to support police in the midst of the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.

“We have a right to share our beliefs, not be locked down, not to be scared,” Lopez said, waving a giant Trump campaign flag.

Across the street, and across the political divide, was a different crowd of protesters waving Black Lives Matter, equality, and the occasional Biden/Harris sign.

Elizabeth Kantner of Arvada, holding a “Justice for Elijah and Breonna” sign said the opposing groups typically coexisted fine. She said her group had begun protesting police brutality more than 20 weeks ago. She added that no matter what the outcome of the election, problems of inequality and racism would not disappear.

“Just like Covid, just because you’re tired of something, doesn’t mean it’s gone,” Kantner said.

Colleen Smith, also of Arvada, was one of the very first protesters to start coming out on Saturdays. She echoed Kantner’s point.

“Win or lose,” she said, “We’ll be out here next week too.”

Trump supporters, and GOP candidates Vanessa DeMott for House District 29, and Casper Stockham, for Congressional District 7, rally on Oct. 30, near the intersection of 80th Avenue and Wadsworth in Arvada.

PHOTO BY GLENN WALLACE

A group of Black Lives Matter, and Democrat-supporting protesters have been spending more than the last 20 Saturdays on the eastern sidewalk of Wadsworth at 80th Avenue rallying as well.

PHOTO BY GLENN WALLACE

Casper Stockham the Republican candidate for Congressional District 7 on this year’s ballot, was campaigning in Arvada on Oct. 30, and on an I-25 overpass on the morning of Nov. 2, the day before Election Day. COURTESY PHOTO

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November 5, 2020N

The new normal of the school lunch How Jeffco’s food pros are keeping up with changing realities in a post-Covid world

BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Public school lunchrooms can evoke memories of food fights, socializing, trading your PB&J for cheese puffs. But those days, at least for a while, are on hold.

A trip through a Jeffco Public Schools elementary cafeteria line is a quiet and orderly affair nowadays — perhaps quieter and more orderly than in the history of hot lunch.

Since March, the effects of the pandemic have been felt in virtually every aspect of our lives, and the school cafeteria is no exception. The challenges of keeping students safe, but still well fed, has been challenging, according to Jeffco’s Executive Director of Food Nutrition Services, Beth Wallace. she says it is a challenge that her staff has been meeting head-on though.

Wallace says she has seen many things in a Food Service career spanning more than 25 years. From floods to unexpected school closures, she’s dealt with them all, but the indefinite nature of the current situation was a bit of a curve-ball in the beginning.

“We got notice on March 13 that we were shutting down, and by the 16th we were serving remotely, so we had a weekend to shift and adjust and put a

plan together. Did it go smoothly? No. But we got (the food) out there and we continued to tweak,” Wallace said.

“We started off thinking one way, and then as you see what’s happening you adjust, and we still adjust.”

A new plan Wallace, who is also the Presidentelect of the National School Nutrition Association, has put a program in place in Jeffco that has lunchtime, even with new health safety procedures, running efficiently. And she gives a lot of the credit to a waiver from the Secretary of Agriculture that has allowed the district, and districts across the country, to offer free meals to all schoolchildren. Wallace said that the need has always been there, to feed hungry children from homes where food is not always guaranteed. But now, with families facing layoffs, furloughs and business closures, that need has grown.

The waiver, granted by the federal government on Oct. 9, will extend through June 30, 2021, and allows the schools to operate under the rules of the Summer Food Service Program, whereas traditionally they would operate under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program during the school year. The differences in the programs are vast, but the biggest one is that usually only the Summer Food Service Program allows for the free meals to go to every student.

Pre-packaged nutrition Because with the tricky nature of food handling in a global pandemic, the old rules simply don’t apply.

Before COVID-19, children would go

A kindergartner reaches for her lunch at Foothills Elementary in Lakewood.

PHOTO BY BOB WOOLEY

through the line in the cafeteria and select what they wanted: A fruit, a vegetable, an entreé and whatever drink they wanted, not to mention snacks like ice cream and chips.

When they got to the cashier, they would enter their keypad number.

But now, the Department of Health doesn’t want the kids doing all of that picking and grabbing and punching in numbers. Everything has to be prepackaged.

“With the Summer Food Service Program, we just have to ensure that there’s a fruit and a vegetable in

the bag. We’ll let them tell us which entree they want — they’ll have a choice, but the kitchen staff already has it in a bag,” Wallace said. “The employee asks what kind of milk the kids want, and they’ll put it in the bag for them. So the kids are really just taking the bag. It’s fewer touchpoints, safer sanitation, and they can spread out six feet.”

Another change is that the elementary kids then take their lunch bags back to their classroom to eat.

SEE LUNCHES, P16

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Arvada Press 9

0November 5, 2020

All the flavors to entice kids.

All the nicotine to keep them hooked.

E-cigarette makers and vape shops are enticing kids with flavors like cotton candy, gummy bear and bubble gum. And nationally, over 5 million kids are using these flavored e-cigarettes.

Vape shops and tobacco companies say their products aren’t ending up in kids’ hands, but that’s just not true. Many retailers still sell to minors, and many of them in Denver even illegally sold products during the COVID-19 shutdown violating emergency orders.

Let’s stop pretending vape shops and the industry care about public health or the health of our children. It’s time to stop the sale of flavored tobacco products to protect our kids.

Take action now by visiting FlavorsHookKidsDenver.org to tell your City Council Members to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

Paid for by Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund

10 Arvada Press

November 5, 2020N

LOCAL

VOICES

On hoarding, stocking up and preparation ALCHEMY

Andrea Doray

I

had a different column planned for this week … then it occurred to me that, by the time you read this, none of us may yet know the results of the Nov. 3 elections.. So that column will have to wait (don’t stress, though, it’s not about election results, per se).

Here is something I do know right now: people are hoarding again. In fact, it’s been going on for at least a few weeks. Early last month, a friend of mine told to look out for the same items that vanished from shelves

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Poor placement Covid not political? give me a break.

Page 2 of Oct. 22 Arvada Press headline reads, “Jeffco now has more Covid cases than ever.”

Then how coincidental there is a Hickenlooper ad at the bottom.

Lead with fear then show us a Savior.

How much did Ol’ Hick pay for that placement? Give me a break from this nonsense.

Cory Hyrkas, Arvada Pharm thanks I was born with SVT – supraventricular tachycardia – a preexisting condition I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

The disorder afflicts a little over two people per thousand. I’ve had two surgeries, been to the emergency room four times, and had an implant – and I’m not even 30 years old.

Dealing with this illness during the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard. And now, in this supercharged political environment, the COVID 19 vaccine is

last spring. He messaged me from the store to say paper towels were wiped out and soup was “majorly down” – on October 9.

I must admit I was a bit surprised, even though predictions for the upcoming flu season and the additional expected pandemic hospitalizations are disturbing (if not just plain dire). Of people I talked, unease and uncertainty about said election are also driving this behavior.

But I really wasn’t paying attention … so imagine my surprise last Saturday when a

just another political football.

Fortunately, though, when we finally have FDA-approved therapeutics and possibly even a vaccine, it’s the hard-working, unsung heroes making up our 24hour pharmaceutical supply chain who will get the drugs from the manufacturers into our medicine cabinets — health care distributors.

I have always had confidence that the medications I need to keep me alive are available and accessible from my doctors and pharmacist. Without the backing of health care distributors, a future COVID vaccine would not get to the people who need it most.

I’m both thankful and endlessly impressed by the ways that hospitals and distributors have stepped up to the plate to ensure that patients get the care they deserve, especially during this critical time. I know we can count on them well into the future to continue this great work, which is always essential.

Natasha Adler, Lakewood

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sign greeted us at the big warehouse store: no bathroom tissue, no paper towels, no hand soap, no hand sanitizer, no Clorox wipes. Once inside, we also found that – get this – they were completely out of Halloween candy! Fortunately, there was a great selection of wine to complement our only other purchase, a big chunk of salmon.

Later that day, I took advantage of my favorite supermarket’s order-now-pick-upSEE DORAY, P11

Observations from inside our schools

S

O ... Everybody breathing normal again?

I’d like to share some quick observations about the first two months of this bizarre HITTING year of schooling, if I might.

HOME Before I start, let it be noted that my observations come from my limited point of view.

The nature of my job is to see things a mile wide and an inch deep.

So don’t assume that I speak for all teachers as I say this — I speak for me.

Michael Alcorn First of all, the elementary schools I go to — and I know this attitude is shared all across Jeffco — are working their tails off to make sure that school is a safe experience this year.

The list of inconveniences that we’ve embraced to be able to have in-person school this year is as long as my arm. And NOBODY is complaining about any of it.

Having done remote last spring, teachers have been eager to embrace whatever we have to to be able to work with students in person this year.

Secondly, I think you will find that when (if) we get to the other side of this pandemic, the new technologies and tools that teachers and students have had to become fluent with will noticeably change education. And that’s a good thing! I, and my colleagues, are spending a good chunk of our teaching time putting lessons on video, and creating backup materials for students to peruse on their own, and creating opportunities for students that did not exist seven months ago. When the day comes that we get to teach our students fully in person, and then to also have these new resources … Game changing.

But thirdly, and we have to be real about this, whatever gaps we were concerned with before have the very real possibility of becoming absolute chasms.

Of course, we all know about how difficult this sort of schooling is for students with spotty internet connections; but, what nobody seems to be talking about is a self-realization gap. Or maybe it should

be called an advocacy gap. I’m sure somebody smart can come up with a good term for it.

Whatever that term actually is, here is what it means: the difference between students who are self-motivated, responsible, and able to understand and act in their own best interests, and those who need constant prodding and reminding to do what will make them successful.

Is this a matter of ethnicity? No. Is it a matter of socio-economics? To some degree, yes, though you simply can’t state that upper-middle class kids take care of business naturally — that’s not always true. And you can’t say the opposite of the other end of the spectrum, either.

This is a complex sociological construct that has its roots in the home and the home’s values, is deeply influenced by a thing we educators call “executive function,” and can easily be effected by a number of external factors.

But I think it is indisputable that kids who are good at taking care of business will do just fine and even thrive in during this time of remote and/or hybrid learning, and kids who struggle with taking care of business will lose the better part of two years of their education. That is why I am, and will continue to be, an advocate for in-person learning, especially at the elementary level, for as long as it is remotely possible: kids at the bottom of advocacy curve — who are sometimes brilliant and funny and talented — benefit most from having a relationship with an adult in the room.

In an unrelated note … major shout out to the Real Colorado Edge Soccer Club for putting together a real season for our kids this fall. I’ve been critical in the past of club sports, but I gotta hand it to the Edge on this one — great job. It couldn’t have been easy. Thank you for providing one small island of normal life among all this other … 2020.

Michael Alcorn is a teacher and writer who lives in Arvada with his wife and three children. His new novel, “Charon’s Blade,” is available at Amazon.com, on Kindle, or through MichaelJAlcorn.com.”

His opinions are not necessarily those of Colorado Community Media.

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Arvada Press 11

0November 5, 2020

W

Watch for lead during home renovations

ith Coloradans spending more time at home during the pandemic, home renovations and do-ityourself projects are on the rise.

Too often these projects can expose GUEST people to an invisible hazard — toxic COLUMN lead dust — and can cause serious and permanent health problems, especially in children.

As Region 8 administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , and a parGreg Sopkin ent with young children at home, I appreciate the importance of making sure these renovations are done safely. This October, as we celebrate National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, EPA wants to remind Denverites of the importance of reducing childhood lead exposure and what we can all do to prevent it.

Young children, especially those under age 6, are at greatest risk of lead exposure because their brains are still developing, and they absorb a greater percentage of the lead that gets in their bodies.

Lead paint chips often taste sweet, and this taste, along with children’s tendency to put things in their mouths, can result in a child eating lead chips and dust. If you suspect your child has been exposed, call your pediatrician or local health department and find out where to get them tested.

Children are often exposed to lead in homes or in childcare facilities built before 1978, where lead-based paint is more likely to be found. To reduce risks of lead exposure, EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP) requires renovators working in homes and facilities built before 1978 to be trained and certified in lead-safe work practices. In addition, EPA’s Lead Disclosure Rule requires landlords and property managers to notify renters in homes and apartments that may have lead-based paint.

Following these rules is important, especially in areas like Denver, where older homes and apartments represent a high percentage of the housing stock. To encourage compliance, EPA’s Denver staff conducts over 50 inspections every year, with most conducted randomly at jobsites around the city where renovations are taking place. We

DORAY

ration. For example, I put a snow shovel, blanket, extra gloves and boots, heavy socks and a warm hat in my car for the winter season. I also have a flashlight, some rope and a big jug of water.

And I learned recently that metalcup tea light candles can keep you warm, so I’m going to create a miniheater kit: a bunch of candles, a metal coffee can and a box of safety matches in a resealable plastic bag.

I’m prepared for getting caught in a blizzard.

That’s why I’m joining the crowd(s) to stock up in preparation for getting caught in whatever might happen in the coming months.

People on my neighborhood app are already posting when some store or another gets new inventory of paper products, frozen vegetables and cleaning supplies.

Guess I now have to add Anaheim peppers to my “in-search-of ” list.

FROM PAGE 10

later service. These items were out of stock: everything already mentioned above (except for the Halloween candy), as well as store-brand frozen veggies, hot chili beans, my mixed-berry yogurt, Honeycrisp apples, and coconut milk.

Oh, and also Anaheim peppers.

Anaheim peppers? Was everyone in the state planning to make green chili last weekend? Anaheim peppers! I’ve never been in that produce department when there weren’t hundreds of them in the bin. I may just have to put on my mask and carry the last of my hand sanitizer to go look for myself.

Yes, it is happening again, although, truthfully, I don’t consider it hoarding – unless you’re simply buying everything in sight to sell online later … but something like that would never happen, right? Right?

Sorry for my cynicism – it’s been a long 2020 – but to my mind, stocking up is not hoarding … it’s prepa-

ST. JOAN OF ARC C AT H O L I C C H U R C H

Proclaiming Christ from the Mountains to the Plains www.StJoanArvada.org 12735 W 58th Ave · 80002 · 303-420-1232 Daily Masses: 8:30am, Mon-Sat Confessions: 8am Tue-Fri; 7:30am & 4:00pm Sat Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00pm Sunday Masses: 7:30, 9:00, 11:30am, 5:30pm

Andrea Doray is a writer who has been caught in blizzards. Contact her at a.doray@andreadoray.com if you would like the instructions to make your own mini-heater.

To advertise your place of worship in this section, call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email eaddenbrooke@ ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

also respond to tips and complaints, review records, and request information from renovators to ensure compliance with these rules.

Under President Trump, EPA has worked to implement policy changes that will trigger abatement at lower levels of lead contamination and has demonstrated that abatement activities effectively and permanently eliminate those hazards.

In 2019, EPA finalized new, tighter dust lead hazard standards for lead in dust on floors and windowsills – for the first time since 2001 – and in June, the agency proposed to align dust lead clearance levels with these more stringent hazard standards. Dust lead hazard standards help property owners, lead paint professionals, and government agencies identify lead hazards in residential paint, dust, and soil.

One of our biggest priorities right now is to reduce lead exposure in childcare facilities by ensuring childcare providers are knowledgeable about the hazards of childhood lead exposure so they can help protect the children in their care. Our efforts to reduce childhood lead exposure, however, aren’t focused solely on professional renovators and childcare providers. Due to the pandemic,

many of us are now working from home, and a large percentage of the area’s children are participating in online classes. With so many people teleworking, home renovations are on the rise as we look for ways to combine work and living spaces under one roof.

We all know that building out that extra workspace, bedroom or living area, or freshening up old walls and windows, can go a long way toward making our homes and families comfortable as we spend more time together indoors. EPA’s message to those taking on home improvements this fall is simple: test your home before undertaking any projects that could disturb lead-based paint. If you find out lead is present, learn how to work in a lead-safe way or find a trained and lead-safe certified renovator.

By staying informed and playing our parts, we all can reduce childhood lead exposure in Denver and make sure our homes stay safe as we navigate these uncertain times.

Greg Sopkin serves as EPA’s regional administrator in Denver, overseeing the delivery of environmental programs in the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and 27 Tribal Nations.

OBITUARIES HENKE

Mark Henke

Mark “Mountain Man” Henke, aged 62, passed away October 7th, 2020. He is survived by his daughter, Melissa Henke, father, Richard Henke, and sister Dana Carlisle. Born and raised in Colorado, Mark was a man who adored the mountains, was exceptional at working with his hands, and enjoyed

sharing his life with his beloved dogs. Friends and family are invited to celebrate his life at Fort Logan National Cemetery on Friday, November 6th at 11:30am. There will also be a reception at the Henke house following the ceremony at Fort Logan.

View full obituary at HoranCares.com.

HARTMANN

Robert “Bob” Hartmann 10/18/1932 - 10/16/2020

Robert “Bob” Hartmann, age 87, died peacefully in his sleep in Lafayette, CO on October 16th, 2020, of natural causes. Bob was born October 18th,1932 in Toledo, Ohio. Bob is survived by his wife of 63 years Betty Hartmann; children Tom Hartmann (Carla Hartmann),

Sonya Harr and Diana Hartmann; brother Karl Hartmann (Linda Hartmann); 8 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. You are invited to visit www.HoranCares. com for the full obituary and service information.

In Loving Memory

Place an Obituary for Your Loved One.

Private 303-566-4100

Obituaries@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

12 Arvada Press

November 5, 2020N

LOCAL

LIFE

Sportsbook promos eat into tax revenues

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Tactics meant to attract bettors lead to lower net income for operators

BY KEVIN SIMPSON THE COLORADO SUN

Y

ou’ve seen the come-ons, virtually nonstop on TV in between the onslaughts of political advertising: Online sportsbooks offering “free” money to bet on their site, or offer-

ing ridiculous proposition bets that make you a winner in an NFL game if either team scores a touchdown.

Maybe you’ve even downloaded an app yourself and made some easy money. If you did so in September, that means your money was part of the more than $207 million legally wagered during that month

on sports in Colorado. Aside from your winnings, you might also feel good that all that money is contributing to the tax revenue that soon will fund Colorado’s much-needed water projects.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

Customers continue to gravitate

toward the state’s sportsbooks — the lineup has grown from a handful to 15 online and 12 walkin retail outlets — and the amount of money bet on sports has grown rapidly, especially since the return to play of major sports in late July SEE BETTING, P13

A conversation with the new Colorado Music Ambassador COMING ATTRACTIONS

Clarke Reader

M

usic has never just been about words and sounds. It’s a purveyor of stories, a device that facilitates connection, and a weapon that gives the voiceless power. So, when Stephen Brackett, co-founder of Flobots and Colorado’s newly named Music Ambassador calls music a technology, it’s not difficult to understand why.

“When someone feels a certain way and wants to feel a different way, they go find a song that will do that for them. Isn’t that a powerful thing?” Brackett said. “Music is an incredible piece of technology, and the most powerful aspects of it are invisible, even though we use it on a daily basis.”

Brackett’s two-year appointment was announced by Gov. Jared Polis on Oct. 15, making him the second music ambassador for the state, following in footsteps of Shawn King, drummer of DeVotchKa. In addition to his musical work with Flobots, Brackett is also a co-founder of the nonprofit Youth on Record. According to provided information, Youth on Record empowers Colorado’s underserved youth to achieve their academic, artistic, and personal best by employing local, professional

artists as their educators.

We spoke with Brackett about staying involved in the community, being the ambassador in Colorado and staying hopeful about the future: Interview edited for brevity and clarity For people who aren’t familiar, tell me about your Colorado roots and how you got into music?

I was born at Swedish Hospital, and I’ve been here almost my entire life, except for two years when we moved to Connecticut.

Music was always a hobby and I had a whole friend group where all of us rapped.

Hip-hop is one of the super accessible art forms because it doesn’t require instruments, and the more you try, the better you get.

We started putting out cassette tapes in 1994, but it wasn’t until after college that Jamie (Laurie) and I realized that music had always been there for us and we’d already put so much work into it. That’s when we decided to put things back together and we wanted to pair social justice with hip-hop, which has always been at the core of the music. A few years later, things blew up in ways we didn’t expect.

How has the pandemic affected you and the work you do?

With the pandemic, as with any kind of crisis, the true demand of humanity is to insist upon the humanity of the folks you disagree with. As a group, we had already been somewhat dormant because we felt that we needed to take a deep dive into our movement work. Before our mentor, Dr. Vincent Harding died, one of his critiques of us had been where are the songs when doing movement work? We weren’t using the technology that allowed us to end things like Jim Crow.

We’ve been working on a whole lot of organizing, protests and showcases, because so many communities could use support, and that’s one of the reasons art exists.

We know seeing music live can change the emotional state of a group of people, and the practice of bringing people together with different experiences is very important. We want to look at that fact and leverage it, especially during this time.

Something happens after you have genuinely shared and been vulnerable with a group SEE READER, P13

Arvada Press 13

0November 5, 2020

BETTING FROM PAGE 12

after a coronavirus shutdown. But after an initial rise, tax revenues in September plummeted to their lowest level since sports betting became legal at the start of May. The reasons, industry analysts and sportsbooks explain, are tied to new operators in a highly competitive market offering those practically can’t-lose bets to lure new users, especially online. Additionally, the natural unpredictability of sports competition took a turn against operators — and in favor of Colorado bettors — that resulted in a lower “hold percentage,” which is how much of all those bets operators actually keep (and pay taxes on) after payouts.

In Colorado, the hold was 1.9% in September. Normally, it ranges between 6% and 12%, according to industry expert Max Bichsel, vice president of U.S. business for the Gambling.com Group.

“Basically, people won money in September, that’s what it comes down to,” Bichsel said. “The players won money and the sportsbooks didn’t. There’s a bunch of reasons why the sportsbooks didn’t perform as well. At some point, that average hold percentage, month over month, will start to rise, and you’ll see considerable revenue coming into the state.”

But while the sports betting business gets off the ground in Colorado, the competition for new customers has triggered promotion of those easy bets, designed to attract interest by providing a fun and risk-free experience. That has contributed to lower revenue for sportsbooks, and less tax collected for the state.

Tactic to lure customers “In September, operators offered free bets to new players who were coming into the sports betting market specifically for football, and they used free bets as a customer acquisition tool during a football push,” said Suzi Karrer, a spokeswoman for the Colorado

Department of Revenue. “We anticipate seeing the same push by operators during other large events. For example, the Final Four or the playoffs could see the same marketing push to gain market share by operators.”

From that $207 million bet in September, a figure known as the handle, sportsbooks retained only about $4.2 million in revenue — down 44% from August. Taxes declined 63% from the previous month.

“That 19% gap can be attributed to those ‘fake bets,’” Bichsel said.

“They’re not taxable, just a promotional bonus that the regulator doesn’t tax. The first few months of a market opening up gets ultra confusing.”

Allowing those promotions to be excluded from total revenue for tax purposes isn’t uncommon, Karrer said, as both Michigan and Virginia also allow promotional deductions.

“Operators utilize free bets as a new customer-acquisition strategy,” she said. “We anticipate that once the market is established and saturated in Colorado, the strategy may change to customer retention and satisfaction in promotions offered.”

Projecting tax revenues on sports betting has been difficult, and some early guesses proved high. A more recent analysis by the Colorado Division of Gaming put estimated tax receipts at $1.5 million to $1.7 million for fiscal 2020-21. With numbers now available for the first five months of operation, the state has collected just over $808,000, with the most recent month’s receipts, $69,771 for September, ranking as the lowest so far.

State Rep. Alec Garnett, a Denver Democrat who backed the bill that legalized sports betting last year, said the declining tax revenue numbers amid the rising handle are “worthy of a conversation about what’s driving the spread in different directions.”

“You’d assume it’s part of an advertising investment on the front end — but if that doesn’t slow down, then there are some

statutory fixes the Legislature can contemplate,” he said.

What few complaints he’s heard so far, Garnett said, have revolved around differences in the way various platforms approach certain types of bets where odds have been revised retroactively.

“I’ve heard other consumer-protection issues around differences on platforms,” he said. “Some rules, people feel are unfair. I think there’s going to be a cleanup bill that I’ll work on with the Department of Revenue and Division of Gaming and all these things will be considered for sure. We just did it, just opened, so these are fair conversations to happen.

The door is going to be open for consumers and folks from the industry to sit down and navigate the best way forward.”

He noted that legislation that legalized marijuana in Colorado required fine-tuning, but said feedback he’s gotten indicates that “people feel the platforms are honest and well regulated, innovative and really working quite well. But no matter how well the vast majority are going, there’s room to make it better.”

Predictions are complicated Between the mechanics of a new market and the coronavirus pandemic that threw the sports schedule into disarray, the statewide performance of sportsbooks could be “a couple years out” from predicting the ebbs and flows of money coming into the state.

“The market is healthy, it’s big, there’s competition — that’s what’s driving a lot of the promotional activity people find a little

annoying,” Garnett said. “But we want competition because it is good for consumers.”

Some industry experts point out the simple truth that great taxable revenue receipts in the present would mean a lot of Coloradans lost bets. Looking to the future, that could hinder the industry’s growth by discouraging those testing the waters. By forgoing some tax revenue in the short term, allowing for the big promotional push, Colorado boosts its chances of nurturing a mature business and capitalizing on future tax money.

For the moment, they claim, Colorado simply suffers from a small sample size.

“We are just starting to see what the revenue and total handle are with sports returning to full play,” DOR’s Karrer said, “so we are looking for three to four months of solid data to see what the monthly averages will look like.”

Bichsel, of Gambling.com, said that for the first couple of months, sportsbooks are simply fighting for space on a user’s phone as bettors try different platforms and eventually settle on one they like.

“That’s when you see things become steady,” he said. “If I’m a customer in Denver over six months, there’s not that many promotions they can offer me.

They may give me incentives, but they’re not giving free money like they did in the first months.”

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. Used by permission. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

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READER FROM PAGE 12

of folks - that’s something Facebook comments don’t do. We need to recover all these technologies our ancestors used.

Tell me about being Colorado’s second Music Ambassador?

I think it’s great that I’m Colorado’s first black Music Ambassador, and I’m only the second person who has held the role. I’m very close with Shawn [King, the first ambassador] and we’ve been working to define what it means to be the state’s music ambassador on our own terms. We want the ambassador to be someone who helps lead policy and culture, and frames and highlights musicians as a resource and ensures people have access to that resource. Beyond music generating revenue and entertainment, it can help tie together the identity and culture of what it means to be in Colorado. There’s so much creativity and culture woven into our music to highlight.

What gives you hope for the future?

I know if I go back in my family line, there are people who woke up each day in inhuman conditions and somehow were able to find joy in the in-between moments. They we able to pass daylight in moments of darkness, and my own parents faced Jim Crow and dehumanization and they were able to pass some amount of daylight on to me. I come from a line of people who did that, and I take refuge in the fact that that’s my ancestry. Because of that, it’s upon me to do something that feels difficult, because they’ve proven it can be done.

In our present, we still have the choice to prepare for the worst or prepare for the best in us. All Americans have the choice in deciding who we want to be tomorrow and the tomorrow after that. For myself, I want us to be folks who are ready and prepared to help. Readiness and service allows me to sleep at night and reduces my stress. Because we know justice can be very quiet, but it reverberates through time.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture apears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

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14 Arvada Press

November 5, 2020N

Mask store capitalizes on moment in history Customers seek show of style as pandemic requires unwanted fashion accessory

BY MARKIAN HAWRYLUK KAISER HEALTH NEWS

Darcy Velasquez, 42, and her mother, Roberta Truax, were walking recently in the Park Meadows mall in Lone Tree, looking for Christmas gifts for Velasquez’s two children, when they spotted a store with a display of rhinestone-studded masks.

It’s an immutable truth of fashion: Sparkles can go a long way with a 9-year-old.

The store is called COVID-19 Essentials. And it may well be the country’s first retail chain dedicated solely to an infectious disease.

With many U.S. stores closing during the coronavirus pandemic, especially inside malls, the owners of this chain have seized on the empty space, as well as the world’s growing acceptance that wearing masks is a reality that may last well into 2021, if not longer. Masks have evolved from a utilitarian, anything-you-can-findthat-works product into another way to express one’s personality, political leanings or sports fandom.

And the owners of COVID-19 Essentials are betting that Americans are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Prices range from $19.99 for a simple children’s mask to $130 for

the top-of-the-line face covering, with an N95 filter and a battery-powered fan.

Almost all shops and many pop-up kiosks in the Park Meadows mall now sell masks. But COVID-19 Essentials also carries other accessories for the pandemic, in a space that has a more established feel than a holiday pop-up store; permanent signage above its glass doors includes a stylized image of a coronavirus particle. Nestled beside the UNTUCKit shirt store and across from a Tesla showroom, it has neither the brand recognition nor the track record of a JCPenney. But longevity doesn’t seem to have helped that clothing chain or many others escape industry upheaval during the pandemic. According to analysts at S&P Global Market Intelligence, retail bankruptcies from January to midAugust reached a 10-year-high.

Not that the COVID-19 Essentials owners want their products to be in demand forever.

“I can’t wait to go out of business eventually,” said Nadav Benimetzky, a Miami retailer who founded COVID-19 Essentials, which now has eight locations around the country.

That seemed to be the attitude of most of the customers who walked into the store on a recent Friday afternoon. Most understood the need for masks — face coverings are required to even enter the mall — and thus they recognized the business case for a COVID-19 store. Still, they hoped masks would soon go the way of bellbottoms or leg warmers. For the time being, they’re making the best of the situation.

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PHOTO BY MARKIAN HAWRYLUK/KHN

Opportunity seized Nathan Chen, who owns the Lone Tree store with Benimetzky, previously ran a different store at the Denver airport, but as air travel declined, a COVID-focused business seemed a much better venture. The pandemic giveth and the pandemic taketh away.

Benimetzky opened the first COVID-19 Essentials store in the Aventura Mall in suburban Miami after seeing the demand for N95 masks early in the pandemic. “They’re ugly and uncomfortable, and everybody hates them,” he said. “I piggybacked off of that.

If you’re going to wear a mask, you might as well make it fashionable and pretty.”

That could mean a sequin or satin mask for more formal occasions, or the toothy grin of a skull mask for casual affairs. Some masks have zippers to make eating easier, or a hole for a straw, with a Velcro closure for when the cup is sucked dry.

The chain has locations in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Las Vegas, and is looking to open stores in California, where wildfires have only added to the demand for masks.

Initially, the owners really weren’t sure the idea would fly. They opened the first store just as malls were reopening following the lockdowns.

“We really didn’t grasp how big it would get,” Benimetzky said. “We didn’t go into it with the idea of opening many stores. But we got busy from the second we opened.”

Nancy Caeti, 76, stopped in the Lone Tree store to buy masks for her grandchildren. She bought one with

a clear panel for her granddaughter, whose sign language instructor needs to see her lips moving. She bought her daughter, a music teacher and Denver Broncos fan, a mask with the football team’s logo.

“I lived through the polio epidemic,” Caeti said, as her latex-gloved hand inserted her credit card into the card reader. “It reminds me of that, but that I don’t think was as bad.” She recalled how her mother had lined her and her siblings up to get the polio vaccine, and said she’d be first in line for a COVID shot.

That perhaps is the one essential the store does not carry. It hawks keylike devices for opening doors and pressing elevator buttons without touching them. Some have a built-in bottle opener. There are ultravioletlight devices for disinfecting phones and upscale hand sanitizer that employees spray on customers as if it were a department store perfume sample.

But the masks are the biggest draw.

The store can personalize them with rhinestone letters or the kind of ironon patches that teens once wore on their jeans.

Upon entry, customers can check their temperature with a digital forehead scanner with audible directions: “Step closer. Step closer. Temperature normal. Temperature normal.”

The store also has added a sink near the entrance so customers can wash their hands before handling the merchandise.

SEE MASKS, P16

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Arvada Press 15

0November 5, 2020

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MASKS FROM PAGE 14

Passersby puzzled Some mallgoers walk by the store in bewilderment, stopping to take photos to post to social media with a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding message. One older white couple in matching masks noticed a mask emblazoned with the slogan “Black Lives Matter” in the storefront display, and walked away in disgust.

The store takes no political sides; there are three designs of President Donald Trump campaign masks, two for Democratic presidential candidate

LUNCHES FROM PAGE 8

Where the need is high Josh Shapiro is the Principal at Foothills Elementary School in Lakewood. The suburban school is also a Title 1 school, a designation given to schools with a high percentage of students on the free or reduced lunch plans. In the case of Foothills, 76% of the students qualified for the lunch subsidy, and that’s before COVID-19.

Sapiro says it is clear to him how important the waiver has been for many of the kids at his school to get this help.

“We started with the breakfast program last year, and now with the free breakfast, we have upwards of 120 kids a day served at breakfast alone,” he said. The numbers grow exponentially when you look at the district as a whole.

November 5, 2020N and former Vice President Joe Biden.

One woman, who declined to give her name, came in wearing a mask below her nose and wondered whether a Trump mask would fit her smallish face. The Trump masks are among the more popular sellers, Chen said, so he keeps them in a bigger cabinet to accommodate the extra stock. It’s not clear if that will forecast the election results, as some have posited with Halloween mask sales.

Daniel Gurule, 31, stopped by the mall on his lunch hour to pick up an Apple Watch but ventured into the store for a new mask. He said that he normally wore a vented mask but that not all places allowed those. (They protect users but not the people around “To put it in perspective, you’re hearing Josh talk about Foothills Elementary, but in Jefferson County, the entire district, we’ve got 150+ schools,” Wallace said.

The free lunch and breakfast program extends to at-home learners as well, allowing parents to pick up a full week of meals for their children during designated days and times each week. The parents are able to just knock on the door and the bags of meals are brought out to them, eliminating most of the touch-points with keypads and exchanges of cash that would make the situation less sanitary.

Foothills has only seven families that participate in the at-home version of the program, but Wallace said that some schools in the district have as many as 300. She thinks it is highly unlikely that the free meals for everyone will last beyond the current waiver, but says some of the other practices including the public’s preference for the pre-packaged

them.) He bought a $24.99 mask with the logo of the Denver Nuggets basketball team.

“It takes away a little bit of our personalities when everybody is walking around in disposable masks,” Chen said. “It kind of looks like a hospital, like everybody is sick.”

Most of the masks are sewn specifically for the retail chain, including many by hand. One of their suppliers is a family of Vietnamese immigrants who sew masks at their Los Angeles home, Benimetzky said. Chen said that it was hard to keep masks in stock, and that every day it seemed some other design became their best seller.

Dorothy Lovett, 80, paused outside

the store, leaning on a cane with an animal print design.

“I had to back up and say, `What the heck is this?’” she said. “I’ve never seen a mask store before.”

She perused the display case, noting she needed to find a better option than the cloth version she was wearing.

“I can’t breathe in this one,” said Lovett, who is white, before deciding on her favorite. “I like the Black Lives Matter mask.”

This story is from Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. Used by permission. For more, khn.org.

Cafeteria worker Roberta Somerville prepares prepackaged lunches for students at Foothills Elementary in Lakewood.

PHOTO BY BOB WOOLEY

options the district has put in place might stick around awhile.

Another thing that might stick around beyond the pandemic is the budget shortfall it caused. According to Wallace, one of the things the district food service program depends on heavily are a la carte sales, which have been largely diminished since

March. She said Jeffco usually takes in around $5.5 million in annual revenue from a la carte sales. That’s about $32 thousand a day, which has shrunk to $1 thousand a day since COVID-19 struck. It is a significant loss of revenue that will be hard to recoup, and could reverberate through the district’s budget.

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Arvada Press 17

LOCAL

0November 5, 2020

SPORTS

No. 4 Pomona grinds out victory over rival Arvada West

BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ARVADA — It was a bit of a scary first half on a Halloween afternoon at the North Area Athletic Complex for the No. 4 ranked Pomona Panthers.

While Pomona’s defense allowed rival Arvada West only one firstdown in the first half, the Panthers’ offense only mustered up a 26-yard field by senior Joevannie Rosales and 3-yard touchdown run by senior Jack Pospisil. Pomona held a 10-0 lead at halftime.

“We started off slow with a lot of penalties and mistakes. That held us back,” Pomona junior Chase Muller said. “In the second half we played good.”

Muller was the spark Pomona’s offense needed. The two-way player — running back and safety — scored on touchdown runs 45, 25 and 28 yards in the second half to power the Panthers to a 33-14 victory.

While A-West (1-3, 0-3 in Class 5A Jeffco) has perhaps closed the gap between the Wildcats and Panthers, Pomona (4-0, 3-0) still completed the sweep for the Arvada City Championship title between Arvada West, Ralston Valley and Pomona.

“Their (A-West’s) Columbine game was close. They lost against Mullen because of a couple of big plays,” Pomona coach Jay Madden said after coaching in his 300th career game.

“They have fought hard all year. I think Brad (Pyatt) has done a great job. They came after us.”

Pomona’s defense came after AWest sophomore quarterback Ethan Cook, who was getting his first start under center for A-West. Facing one of the best defensives in the state that already has a pair of shutout victories under its belt, Cook struggled early.

The sophomore did break-up the shutout bid with a 21-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Andrew Martinez with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

“He (Cook) is going to be a great quarterback. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” A-West coach Brad

Pomona senior Jack Pospisil (2) rolls out to get off a pass as Arvada West junior Xavier Nail (10) closes in during the Class 5A Jeffco League game on Halloween at the North Area Athletic Complex. Pomona wrapped up the Arvada City Championship sweep with a 33-14 victory over A-West.

PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS/JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS Pyatt said. “He has a bright future.”

Pomona did get the final lick in on Cook. Seniors Juju Howard and Marcus Geypens combined for a sack of Cook in the end zone for safety in the fourth quarter.

“The defense is really playing well.

It’s exciting,” Madden said. “It’s fun to watch and makes calling offensive plays a lot easier. You know your defense can go out there and get a stop.”

Pomona has plenty of player makers

on defense. Senior Jayson Barber had an interception that set up Muller’s second touchdown run in the third quarter.

SEE POMONA, P18

New Chatfield quarterback guides Chargers to win over Golden

BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Chatfield junior Elijah Rodriguez (33) closes in for a sack of Golden quarterback Joey Mancuso during the Class 4A Jeffco League game Oct. 30. Rodriguez also had an interception he ran back for a touchdown in the Chargers’ 37-14 win.

PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS/JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LAKEWOOD — Chatfield sophomore Mason Lowe has gone from receiver to running back to quarterback in the span of four weeks.

Chatfield starting quarterback senior Ethan Delfino suffered an injury late in the game last week against Bear Creek.

Chargers’ coach Brett McGatlin called on Lowe to take over the reins at quarterback Oct. 30 at Jeffco Stadium.

“He (Lowe) is our best player. He is a special kid and is someone the state is going to know really well over the next couple of years,” McGatlin said of his new quarterback that helped the Chargers to a 37-14 victory over Golden.

“He is one of the best athletes in the sophomore class in the state. We taught him quarterback in three days.”

Lowe had never played quarterback at any level, let alone a Class 4A Jeffco League varsity football game. The sophomore looked comfortable running ‘Wildcat’ for the majority of the snaps and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run

just before halftime to put Chatfield up 16-0.

Lowe went to the air in the second half to extend Chatfield’s lead. He hooked up with fellow sophomore Blake Cowgill for a 7-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the third quarter. Lowe tossed his second touchdown pass of his career midway through the fourth quarter with a 31-yard strike to junior Mason Cowgill.

“I came in here not expecting to throw too much,” Lowe admitted. “Once I got in the groove I was like, ‘I’ve got this.’

I’ll do whatever it takes to win games.”

Lowe had 215 yards rushing and 174 yards receiving on the season coming into the game. McGatlin expects to likely use Lowe at quarterback for the final two weeks of the regular season.

“He truly is a slash,” McGatlin said of Lowe. “He can do it all. It’s going to be fun to watch him the next couple of years.”

While Lowe might have been the headliner, Chatfield defense actually got things started.

“Last week I felt like we were a little

too unaggressive,” McGatlin admitted.

“We built this defense to be aggressive because the type of players we have. We have a lot of players that are young and aggressive.”

The Chargers defense put immense pressure on Golden all night, including sacking Golden quarterback Joey Mancuso six times in the first half. Chatfield junior Elijah Rodriguez opened up the scoring with an interception of Mancuso late in the first quarter.

Rodriguez returned the pick 35 yards to the end zone to give Chatfield (2-2, 2-1 in 4A Jeffco) a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

“That was crazy. I don’t know what was going on in my head,” Rodriguez said of the pick-6. “I didn’t think I had the ball. It was the best felling in my life.”

Golden (1-3, 1-2) did prevent the shutout with a nice drive in the fourth quarter. Mancuso hooked up with junior Joshua Torrey to get the Demons down to Chatfield’s 7-yard line. Junior SEE CHATFIELD, P23

18 Arvada Press

November 5, 2020N

C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E

JEFFCO 5A WOMEN’S XC ALL CONFERENCE First team Emma Stutzman, Pomona Reese Tucker, Chatfield Jordan Blankenship, Valor Christian Aspen Webb, Chatfield Halle Schmitz, Pomona Hanan Aldelemy, Dakota Ridge Reese Dragovich, Ralston Valley Gracie Prosceno, Valor Christian

Honorable Mention Mya Ridder, Arvada West Elizabeth Fender, Columbine Rachel Meeks, Ralston Valley Adellin Barnard, Ralston Valley Sophia Collister, Pomona Abby Freda, Arvada West Dylan Daniels, Valor Christian Ainsley Kelver, Ralston Valley

Second team Lauren Dynda, Dakota Ridge Katherine Hanson, Chatfield Elizabeth Cothran, Chatfield Eva Bennion, Dakota Ridge Mia White, Dakota Ridge Teya Varela, Ralston Valley Amelie Bauer, Arvada West Angela Benallo, Arvada West

Womens MVP Emma Stutzman, Pomona Women’s coach of the year Angie Erb, Chatfield Sportsmanship Pomona League champs Chatfield

JEFFCO 5A MEN’S XC ALL-CONFERENCE Men’s first team Jacob White, Dakota Ridge James Ramey, Ralston Valley David Rhoades, Arvada West Jack Donze, Ralston Valley Ethan Straub, Dakota Ridge Dominic Danborn, Arvada West Chance Heisler, Dakota Ridge Logan Deison, Arvada West

Honorable Mention Aiden Logan, Ralston Valley Zachary Liles, Dakota Ridge Andrew DeLisa, Ralston Valley Preston Lux, Chatfield Jacob Culig, Bear Creek Hunter Ridpath, Chatfield Blake Kuykendall, Valor Christian Eric Hart, Columbine

Second team Ethan Grolnic, Ralston Valley Silas Thompson, Dakota Ridge Camden Law, Chatfield Dylan Jenkins, Pomona Clifton Thompson, Lakewood Gustavo Rivera, Pomona Chase Miller, Chatfield Toler Wilson, Arvada West

Men’s MVP Jacob White, Dakota Ridge

POMONA FROM PAGE 17

“We have so much talent on this team,” Muller said.

Pomona has a short week, hosting Mullen (1-2, 1-2) on Thursday, Nov. 5, at NAAC. The regular season has been building toward a showdown against No. 3 Columbine (4-0, 3-0) on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Jeffco Stadium.

However, Madden knows his team can’t look past Mullen.

“I’m happy with where we are at, but we have to make sure we understand the Mullen is the big game,”

Coach of the year Mark Stenbeck, Dakota Ridge Sportsmanship Pomona League champs Dakota Ridge

Madden said. “We can’t be thinking about Columbine. Mullen is the big game. We proved today that if we don’t come out with everything we’ve got we can be in a dogfight.”

A-West is on a three-game losing streak after a Week 1 victory, but Pyatt is excited about the future of the program.

“I’m proud of how we fought,” Pyatt said. “Our culture is changing. We are losing games, but we are battling.”

Dennis Pleuss is the Sports Information Director for Jeffco Public Schools.

For more coverage go to CHSAANow. com/Jeffco.

Answers

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PLAYING!

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

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COUNTY FROM PAGE 1

be allowed at any school high school sporting events as well as adult recreational league games.

Jefferson County Public Libraries all responded to the order by closing all libraries for in-person service. Locations are still available for curbside service.

The order took effect on Oct. 30 and will remain in effect until Nov. 29, but can be extended, rescinded or amended. According to a statement from JCPH, the county is also voluntarily relinquishing its variance from the state, which had allowed the county to the county from certain provisions regarding crowd sizes and other requirements in state public health orders.

Margaret Huffman, the director of community health services at JCPH, said in a statement on Oct. 29 that the next two weeks will be critical for the county as it tries to bring its case numbers back under the threshold to remain in Level 2 under the state’s COVID-19 dial.

That would require the county to reduce its new case numbers to about 1,000 cases over two weeks. In the twoweek period extending from Oct. 14-28, Jeffco recorded 1,815 new virus cases. The release also states that Jeffco’s two-week positivity rate is 6.2%, “which indicates the virus is widespread in our community and that there are likely more people with COVID-19 who haven’t been tested.”

“We believe this mitigation approach balances a few things: doing what we have to do to help get our cases down and avoid even tighter restrictions, allowing businesses and schools to continue to operate, and providing our community tangible steps they can take to help forge a better path forward,” Huffman said. “We are hopeful that, by working together with our community, we will get a handle on this virus now so we can all go into the holiday season on a safer, healthier course.”

The new Public Health Order is part of a new mitigation strategy the county was to submit to the state.

JCPH Environmental Health Services Director Jim

CHATFIELD

Rada told the Jeffco commissioners on Oct. 27 that submitting the plan could buy the county two additional weeks to bring numbers down before being moved to Level 3, as the state stated it intends to give counties a two-week grace period and two more weeks to implement a mitigation plan. However, the state can also decide to move the county within that two-week window if it is unsatisfied with COVID-19 data.

Rada said that during a conversation on Oct. 26 state officials had suggested the county consider voluntarily moving to Level 3. The county decided to instead move forward with submitting a mitigation plan in hopes of keeping Level 2 status.

“But the way that the numbers are looking we could easily be in a much worse place in the next few days and the state may step in and say `things aren’t looking any better we are going to make that call to move to Level 3,’” said Rada.

The new public health order and more pandemic news can be found at www. jeffco.us/3999/CoronavirusDisease-2019-COVID-19

FROM PAGE 17

De’Jour DuBois scored on a 7-yard touchdown run on the next play.

Mancuso had a 12-yard touchdown pass late to senior Andy Toth to close out the scoring.

“At times late in the second half there were definitely some positive stuff,” Golden coach Jared Yannacito said after the loss. “This is a year where we’ve been tested.”

Friday night was the first games this season where no spectators were allowed in the stands for prep football games at Jeffco Stadium, Trailblazer Stadium and North Area Athletic Complex.

“I noticed it in the fourth quarter. I turned around and all that were there was the poms and cheers,” McGatlin said. “I actually went over and talked to them. That’s the first time I’ve done that in my coaching career. I told them I appreciate them being here. It’s weird, but we’ve got to play football.

That’s the best part.”

The Jefferson County

Public Health announced new mitigation strategies to curb the current spike of COVID-19 in Jefferson County on Thursday night.

The new public health order that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30, prohibits spectators at all high school sporting events, including Colorado High School Activities Association events.

“It was a new experience for sure,” Yannacito said of the empty stands. “It’s different, but at least the kids are out here and able to compete.”

Golden is back at Jeffco Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The Demons are scheduled to face undefeated and No. 1 Dakota Ridge (4-0, 3-0).

Golden actually upset the Eagles last season in its regular-season finale to help the Demons clinch a postseason berth.

Chatfield heads to the North Area Athletic Complex to face Standley Lake (3-1, 2-1) next Saturday.

Dennis Pleuss is the Sports Information Director for Jeffco Public Schools. For more coverage go to CHSAANow. com/Jeffco.

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals City and County PUBLIC NOTICE A public hearing will be held before the Arvada City Council on November 16, 2020, at 6:15 p.m., when and where you may speak on the matter to consider a Conditional Use Application for NEC 86th and Indiana, generally located at the Northeast corner of W. 86th Parkway and Indiana Street. Members of the public may join virtually by emailing broome@arvada.org. The email must mention this meeting date.

CITY OF ARVADA CITY COUNCIL /s/ Kristen Rush, City Clerk Legal Notice No. 408526 First Publication: November 5, 2020 Last Publication: November 5, 2020 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript PUBLIC NOTICE The following ordinances were adopted by the City Council of the City of Arvada on second reading following the public hearing held on November 2, 2020: Ordinance #4746 An Ordinance Amending Various Sections of Chapter 102, Utilities, of the Arvada City Code Pertaining to Water Users Rates.

Ordinance #4747 An Ordinance Amending Section 102-206 of Chapter 102, Utilities, of the Arvada City Code Pertaining to Wastewater Users Rates.

Legal Notice No. 408527 First Publication: November 5, 2020 Last Publication: November 5, 2020 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript

Metropolitan Districts Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED 2021 BUDGET AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDED 2020 BUDGET NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a proposed 2021 budget has been submitted to the Board

of Directors (the “Board”) of the HANCE RANCH METROPOLITAN DISTRICT (the “District”). A copy of the proposed budget is on file in the office of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 8390 E Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, where the same is open for public inspection.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that an amendment to the 2020 budget has been submitted to the District. A copy of the proposed amended budget is on file in the office of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 8390 E Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, where the same is open for public inspection.

Such proposed budget and amended budget will be considered at a public hearing during a meeting of the District to be held on November 18, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. Due to Executive Orders issued by Governor Polis and Public Health Orders implementing the Executive Orders issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the threat posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus, this meeting will be held via teleconferencing and can be joined through the directions below: Link: https://zoom.us/j/91934933201?pwd=MUwxMkF RcXBWUkVkVlpCQXlscXV3QT09 Meeting ID: 919 3493 3201 Passcode: 521831 Call In Number: 1-669-900-9128 Any interested elector of the District may file any objections to the proposed budget or amended budget at any time prior to final adoption of the budget and amended budget by the governing body of the District.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: HANCE RANCH METROPOLITAN DISTRICT /s/ WHITE BEAR ANKELE TANAKA & WALDRON Attorneys at Law Legal Notice No. 408480 First Publication: November 5, 2020 Last Publication: November 5, 2020 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript and the Arvada Press Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED 2021 BUDGET AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDED 2020 BUDGET NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a proposed 2021 budget has been submitted to the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the LEYDEN ROCK METROPOLITAN DISTRICT (the “District”). A

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

copy of the proposed budget is on file in the office of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 8390 E Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, where the same is open for public inspection.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that an amendment to the 2020 budget has been submitted to the District. A copy of the proposed amended budget is on file in the office of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 8390 E Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, where the same is open for public inspection.

Such proposed budget and amended budget will be considered at a public hearing during a meeting of the District to be held on November 16, 2020 at 6:00 P.M. Due to Executive Orders issued by Governor Polis and Public Health Orders implementing the Executive Orders issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the threat posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus, this meeting will be held via teleconferencing and can be joined through the directions below: Link: https://zoom.us/j/93581091876?pwd=MERqYW dLSThURWZZQmxlaHNRZnVNdz09 Meeting ID: 935 8109 1876 Passcode: 764075 Call In Number: 1-669-900-9128 Any interested elector of the District may file any objections to the proposed budget or amended budget at any time prior to final adoption of the budget and amended budget by the governing body of the District.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: LEYDEN ROCK METROPOLITAN DISTRICT /s/ WHITE BEAR ANKELE TANAKA & WALDRON Attorneys at Law Legal Notice No. 408494 First Publication: November 5, 2020 Last Publication: November 5, 2020 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript and the Arvada Press Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED 2021 BUDGET AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDED 2020 BUDGET NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a proposed 2021 budget has been submitted to the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the MOUNTAIN SHADOWS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT (the “District”). A copy of the proposed budget is on file in the office of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 8390 E. Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood

Village, CO 80111, where the same is open for public inspection.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that an amendment to the 2020 budget has been submitted to the District. A copy of the proposed amended budget is on file in the office of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 8390 E. Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, where the same is open for public inspection.

Such proposed budget and amended budget will be considered at a public hearing during a meeting of the District to be held on November 9, 2020 at 4:30 P.M. Due to Executive Orders issued by Governor Polis and Public Health Orders implementing the Executive Orders issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the threat posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus, this meeting will be held via teleconferencing and can be joined through the directions below: Link: https://zoom.us/j/97481058534?pwd=VXZzNWZ WVVkzTnpXUFBFdWhBZDVOUT09 Meeting ID: 974 8105 8534 Passcode: 761823 Call In Number: 1-669-900-9128 Any interested elector of the District may file any objections to the proposed budget or amended budget at any time prior to final adoption of the budget and amended budget by the governing body of the District.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: MOUNTAIN SHADOWS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT /s/ WHITE BEAR ANKELE TANAKA & WALDRON Attorneys at Law Legal Notice No. 408493 First Publication: November 5, 2020 Last Publication: November 5, 2020 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript and the Arvada Press Public Notice NOTICE AS TO PROPOSED 2021 BUDGETS AND AMENDMENT OF 2020 BUDGETS CIMARRON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT VAUXMONT METROPOLITAN DISTRICT CANDELAS SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 1 CITY OF ARVADA, JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Sections 29-1-108 and 109, C.R.S., that proposed budgets have been submitted to the Board of Directors of

the Cimarron Metropolitan District, the Vauxmont Metropolitan District, and the Candelas Special Improvement District No. 1 (collectively, the “Districts”) for the ensuing year of 2021. The necessity may also arise for the amendment of the 2020 budgets of the Districts. Copies of the proposed 2021 budgets and 2020 amended budgets (as appropriate) are currently on file in the office of the Districts, located at 19865 West 94th Ave., Arvada, CO 80007 (mailing address: 9371 McIntyre St., Arvada, CO 80007), where same are available for public inspection. Such proposed 2021 budgets and 2020 amended budgets will be considered at special meetings of the Districts to be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at 4:00 p.m.

Due to concerns regarding the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the benefits to the control of the spread of the virus by limiting inperson contact, this District Board meeting will be held via Zoom video/telephone conference. The meeting may be accessed as follows: Zoom Video Access: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/95661485863?pwd=an BScUE2SzVtaGlONGdqS0ExWXJsUT09 Meeting ID: 956 6148 5863 Password: May27 Telephone Access: 1-301-715-8592 US Meeting ID: 956 6148 5863 Password: 890831

Any interested elector within the Districts may, at any time prior to the final adoption of the 2021 budgets or the 2020 amended budgets, inspect the 2021 budgets and the 2020 amended budgets and file or register any objections thereto.

CIMARRON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT VAUXMONT METROPOLITAN DISTRICT CANDELAS SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 1 By: /s/ Megan Becher McGEADY BECHER P.C. Attorneys for the Districts Legal Notice No. 408522 First Publication: November 5, 2020 Last Publication: November 5, 2020 Publisher: Golden Transcript Arvada Press and Jeffco Transcript

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Arvada Legals 11.5.20 * 1

24 Arvada Press

November 5, 2020

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