Replacement for water treatment plant gets green light
City council OKs contracts to begin design work
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Forty six years after Arvada’s newest water treatment facility was built, the city is starting the process of building a replacement plant, as the Arvada City Council approved a pair of contracts that allow contractors to begin design work and project management to start the building process. e proposed plant will replace the Arvada Water Treatment Plant, which was built in 1979 and was only designed for seasonal use. e average lifespan for a water treatment plant is about 50 to 70 years, according to the City of Arvada.
Arvada’s City Council has raised water rates for residents each of the past three years in response to aging infrastructure.
GOCO awards $750k grant for Gold Strike Park
Great Outdoors
Colorado grant to fund increased creek access, walking paths
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Arvada’s long-awaited Gold Strike Park redesign plan got an additional funding boost, as Great Outdoors Colorado awarded the city a $750,000 grant for the project.
e project — which is set to break ground later this year — aims to revitalize the park, which bears historical signi cance as the site of the rst documented discovery of gold in Colorado and is on the Colorado Register of Historic Places.
e project will improve creek access, contain a natural splash area, incorporate an educational pavilion, have a bouldering feature and include a historical walking path.
GOCO’s Denver Metro Regional O cer Matt Brady said the park revitalization project’s historical signi cance and location in a traditionally underserved part of Arvada when it comes to greenspace.
“ is project married historical signi cance and aspects to the region with it being the founding place of gold in the region,” Brady said. “ e site itself sits in a neighborhood and area of the county
and city where there’s really not a ton of available green space for adjacent residents. GOCO has a funding philosophy around equitable access to nature.”
Ryan Stevenson, the City of Arvada’s Director of Vibrant Community and Neighborhoods said the Gold Strike Park renovation project would not be possible without partnerships like the one with GOCO — last year, the project got a $7 million boost from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership.
“We are incredibly grateful to GOCO for this generous grant, which will help bring the vision for Gold Strike Park to life,” Stevenson said. “Transforming this underutilized site into a vibrant and inclusive green space requires strong partnerships, and GOCO’s support is instrumental in making that happen.
“ is investment ensures that the park will serve as both a historical landmark and a welcoming recreational destination for the community for generations to come,” Stevenson continued.
At the March 4 Arvada City Council Meeting, Stantec Consulting, Inc. was given a contract for $2 million in the contract’s rst year to serve as the owner advisor — similar to a project manager — for the replacement plant. Stantec has completed similar projects in Lynden, Washington; Dryden, Ontario, Canada; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., was given a $13.5 million contract for design services for the treatment plant. e company has completed projects involving water treatment plants in San Jose, California; Stanislaus County, California and Woodbury, Minnesota.
e Arvada Water Treatment Plant is responsible for treating about 16 million gallons of water per day when it is operational, and only serves about half the city — anything west of Indiana Street does not receive water from this plant.
e majority of water in Arvada (36 million gallons per day) is treated at the Ralston Water Treatment Plant, which functions year-round and serves the entire city. at plant was built in 1962 and was updated in 2000, though some repair projects are ongoing.
Site plan for the redesigned Gold Strike Park. COURTESY CITY OF ARVADA
BY SARA WILSON COLORADO NEWSLINE
Gun shows could face more regulations
e Colorado House of Representatives approved a bill on Friday that would set new safety regulations and requirements for gun shows that operate in the state.
House Bill 25-1238 passed on a 34-30 vote, with eight Democrats joining Republicans in opposition.
“Just as we expect other large-scale events to have security measures in place, gun shows should also take responsibility for the safety of their patrons and the surrounding community,” Rep. Sean Camacho, a Denver Democrat, said during debate on the bill last week.
Camacho ran the bill with Rep. Junie Joseph, a Boulder Democrat. It is sponsored by Democratic Sens. Cathy Kipp of Fort Collins and Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge in the Senate.
“ is bill is about enforcing Colorado state law — laws that we have already passed. e intent of this is to make sure when you are going to a gun show, that it is safe for you and your family and your friends,” Camacho said. “Many people are already doing this. is bill is about those who are not.”
A 2022 analysis found that there were 417 advertised gun shows in Colorado between 2011 and 2019.
e bill would require gun show promoters to create and submit a security plan to local law enforcement two weeks before the event that includes the anticipated vendors, estimated number of attendees, number of security personnel who will be at the show and a oor plan of the venue. Gun show promoters would also need to have liability insurance for the event.
Vendors would need to have a federal rearms license and the state rearms dealer permit created by the Legislature last year. ey would need to attest that they will comply with state laws around background checks, waiting periods, high-capacity magazines and ghost guns. Various notices of those state laws would need to be displayed around the venue. Vendors would also need to keep ammunition out of easy reach to attendees to comply with a bill expected to pass into law this year about ammunition sales. Additionally, the bill would set standards for video surveillance of the park-
ing lot, entrances and exits in order to deter theft and record any instances of crime. e promoter would need to retain that video footage for six months.
“I have veterans that have gun shows that aren’t going to be able to put cameras in parking lots in southeastern Colorado. Hell, they don’t even have a paved parking lot in southeastern Colorado,” said Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, a Trinidad Republican. Republicans argued that the requirements in the bill would limit gun show operations in Colorado and push the vendors to sell at shows in other states.
Camacho countered that there are companies that rent portable security cameras for parking lots at an a ordable price. e bill would also prohibit minors from attending gun shows unless they are with a parent, grandparent or legal guardian. e minimum age to buy a gun in Colorado is 21.
“Gun shows, in order to be able to continue selling guns, are likely going to say ‘We’re not admitting anyone 18 or younger,’” said Rep. Stephanie Luck, a Penrose Republican who questioned how a promoter could verify a familial relationship. “It will switch from being a
Polis blasts cuts in food program
Initiative helped food banks, schools buy from local farmers
BY MELANIE ASMAR CHALKBEAT
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on March 12 criticized the U.S. Department of Agriculture for eliminating more than $13.1 million in funding for programs that help Colorado schools and food banks buy food from local farmers.
“By cutting this funding, the Trump Administration is taking away healthy meals from school children and slashing contracts Colorado farmers depend on to support their businesses and workers,” Polis, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Instead of helping communities put food on the table, this decision pulls
resources from schools, food banks, and Colorado families.”
Colorado Department of Education spokesperson Jeremy Meyer said the department was noti ed by the USDA of the cancellation of a grant known as Local Food for Schools. Politico reported earlier this week that the USDA ended the $660 million Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program along with a similar program that supported food banks.
Colorado was set to receive $5.9 million for school districts and $1.7 million for child care centers through the program before the funding was eliminated, Polis’ o ce said in a press release. e state was set to receive $5.5 million for food banks, the release said.
e Colorado education department already distributed $2.6 million in federal funding through the Local Food for
Schools program between September 2022 and February 2024, Meyer said. e department was planning to open the application process for another round of funding in May, Meyer said, and had “shared information about this funding opportunity with school districts in January.” None of the previous grantees will lose any money, he said.
e $2.6 million was distributed among 33 Colorado school districts and schools, according to a list provided to Chalkbeat by the state education department.
e grants ranged from $298 for the tiny 769-student Trinidad School District #1 in southern Colorado to more than $986,000 for the 27,000-student Boulder Valley School District along Colorado’s Front Range.
Carolyn Villa, the food service director for the Boulder district, said in an emailed statement that the district has
family-friendly event and a communitybuilding event with food and quilts and all of the things we heard before, into just selling weaponry.”
First violations of the bill would be a Class 2 misdemeanor, and subsequent violations would result in a Class 1 misdemeanor and a ve-year ban from holding gun shows for promoters. e bill now heads to the Senate, where Democrats hold a 23-12 majority. is story is from Colorado Newsline. Used by permission. For more, and to support the news organization, visit coloradonewsline.com.
long sourced food from local growers when possible and will continue to do so.
“While the cancellation of local food funding programs is disappointing, it does not signi cantly impact our e orts,” Villa said. “ e funding we received from these programs was distributed over multiple years and represented only a portion of our total investment in local food sourcing.”
Colorado’s largest school district, 90,000-student Denver Public Schools, received $106,000 through the Local Food for Schools program, according to the list. District spokesperson Scott Pribble said Denver schools spent the money on local produce.
Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
A gun show was held at the Colorado State fairgrounds in Pueblo in 2023.
One Large Brokerage Takes the Lead in Promoting Off-MLS ‘Private Exclusive’ Listing Networks
A few years ago, the National Association of Realtors promulgated the “Clear Cooperation Rule” making it harder for individual listing agents to have “pocket listings.”
of clients.” This, they say, allows you to:
Showcase before being market-ready
Generate early demand
Test your price and gain insights
Attract competitive offers
Those are listings which are withheld from the MLS so that the agent could sell it without having to share his or her commission with an agent representing the buyer. Doing so is a disservice to the seller, because the universe of potential buyers is substantially reduced when a listing isn’t posted where every other real estate agent and buyer can see it — that is, on the MLS.
Some brokerages with hundreds of agents are taking advantage of that rule’s one big loophole called the “Office Exclusive” listing. The bigger the brokerage, the more successful that approach can be. It allows all their broker associates to see the listing, but no agents outside that brokerage can see it. By keeping both ends of the transaction within the brokerage, that brokerage makes twice as much money.
One such large brokerage, which I’ll call Gotcha, has a page on its website promoting its “Private Exclusives.” At right is a screenshot from the top of that web page. Scrolling down, it explains Private Exclusives this way:
“Gotcha Private Exclusives are properties that are only accessible to Gotcha agents and their serious buyers. This means you can get a head start marketing your home, without accumulating any public days on market or price drops that could negatively impact its value. When you work with a Gotcha agent, listing as a Private Exclusive is the first stage of our 3-Phased Marketing Strategy designed to maximize demand and fine-tune your positioning for the best possible sale outcome.”
It describes the process as “pre-marketing,” although the company’s expectation is that the seller will sell to one of their own agents before getting to second base — listing it publicly on the MLS where over 20,000 others agents with prospective buyers can see it.
They call is a “soft launch to an exclusive audience,” exposing your listing to “a network of thousands of agents and their millions
Maintain your privacy
This approach is not only self-serving by Gotcha while preventing agents from other brokerages, including ours, from knowing about homes that our buyers might want to bid on, it also has serious Fair Housing implications, keeping less desirable populations from coming to your open houses and their agents from setting showings.
“Preserve Your Privacy,” boasts the web page: “Buying a Gotcha Private Exclusive helps safeguard your privacy by keeping your home’s photos off third-party sites — unlike publicly marketed properties, where images can stay online for years.”
This ignores the fact that a buyer can request that the agent or the MLS remove all pictures, videos and public remarks from the listing when it changes to “Closed.” I had exactly that request made of me after I sold a home in Golden to a privacy-minded buyer. A simple call to Support at REcolorado had all those pictures and videos removed immediately, and I deleted the website I had created for the home when I listed it. Just now, I Googled that address, and not a single website has anything more than the Google street view and one picture of the front porch. Even the public remarks paragraph was deleted. What is not explained by Gotcha in the way they promote their “private exclusive” program is that those listings are indeed posted on the MLS as “office exclusives” which
means that only other Gotcha agents can see that MLS listing until it is sold, at which point it becomes a publicly visible closed listing with all its pictures unless the agent removes them before changing the listing to “Closed.”
Looking at the closed listings for the Denver office of Gotcha on REcolorado, I found that only half of the listings had the pictures removed, so those pictures are on Zillow, Redfin and every other public website that displays sold listings. So much for Gotcha’s privacy promise!
The strategy is paying off for Gotcha, which benefits when both sides of a listing are sold in-house. A study for the 1,252 closings by the Denver office of Gotcha in the last 180 days shows that 64 listings were only entered as “closed” with zero days on the MLS, a sign that they were “office exclusives,” and roughly half of those were sold to agents within the same office, and 15 of them were double-ended by the listing agent. Among all MLS listings, the average percentage of listings that are double-ended is about 5%. It goes without saying that Gotcha agents are really excited that their brokerage facilitates and encourages agents to promote their off-MLS “private exclusive” process.
One of our Golden Real Estate agents lives on Lookout Mountain and showed me a flyer that he received soliciting him to list his home as a Gotcha Private Exclusive with all the selling points listed above.
Although it’s impossible to say whether sellers who fell for Gotcha’s pitch about being a “Gotcha Private Exclusive” left money on the table by not exposing their listing to at least 20 times as many buyers by going to traditional route and abiding by the intention
of the Clear Cooperation Rule, but I still feel that they are being duped into doing something that feathers the nest of Gotcha and its agents and doesn’t serve the interests of their clients, as the Realtor Code of Ethics requires. Certainly, I don’t see any warning, to prospective sellers regarding the limitations of staying off the MLS, something the Colorado Real Estate Commission encourages in Position Statement #27:
“During the negotiation of the Listing Contract, and as part of the Broker’s duty to exercise reasonable skill and care, a Broker is responsible for advising the seller or landlord “of any material benefits or risks of a transaction which are actually known by the Broker.” This includes benefits or risks of limiting a property’s market exposure…. Are the intended marketing limitations for the benefit of the Consumer or the Broker? What are the advantages and disadvantages for the Consumer? These types of marketing limitations that reduce the seller or landlord’s buyer/tenant pool... for the benefit of the Broker could be a violation of the license law because the Broker is not exercising reasonable skill and care…. [T]he Broker may be viewed by the Commission as also violating their fiduciary duties. Finally, a Broker who places the importance of receiving a commission or other Broker benefits above their duties, responsibilities, or obligations to the seller or landlord... is endangering the interest of the public.”
Not satisfied with exploiting the “Office Exclusive” loophole on the MLS, the national president of Gotcha is the loudest voice for eliminating the Clear Cooperation Rule.
Here’s How Money Is Handled at Real Estate Closings
As closing day approaches, both buyers and sellers have questions about how money is going to be handled. Let me explain.
Sellers ask:
Q. Should I bring money to the closing?
A. No. It is the title company’s job to receive and disperse all funds related to the closing. They collect the money from the buyer and the buyer’s lender and disperse funds as needed, including what’s left to the seller.
So, let’s say you have a mortgage to pay off. The closer gets a payoff figure from the lender and withholds that amount from the seller’s proceeds, plus a few extra days’ interest to cover the time between when they send the payoff and the lender receives it.
The seller will also owe commissions to one or both agents, plus property taxes pro-rated to the date of closing. There will also be a final water & sewer bill for which the closer will escrow some of your proceeds. There’s the cost of title insurance (the “owner’s policy”) and the closing fee charged by the Notary. If a loan is being paid off, there will be a small charge for obtaining and recording the release of the lender’s lien with the county clerk and recorder. Maybe the seller agreed to a concession to cover needed repairs or to buy down the interest rate on their loan.
Those and any other fees for which the seller is responsible will simply be deducted from the seller’s proceeds. The seller will not have to write any checks at closing.
Q. What about the funds which my lender has escrowed for paying property taxes and the renewal of my homeowner’s insurance?
You will also receive a check from the title company refunding any escrowed funds for those extras days of interest and the money left after paying your final water bill.
Buyers ask:
Q. Can I bring a check for my down payment?
A. Typically, no. Your closer may accept a certified check if the amount is small, but expect to wire the funds not covered by your lender. Get those wiring instructions in person or over the phone, not by email or any other means. There are scammers who may send you an email with “new” wiring instructions, but immediately call the title company to get them verbally. And don’t call the phone number provided by the scammer! If you don’t already know the phone number to call, get it from your real estate agent or search online for it.
The funds should be wired the day before closing by both you and your lender, especially if it’s a morning closing. Wired funds can take as much as 3 hours to navigate the Federal Reserve system, which needs to verify that funds are not laundered from some illicit source.
All you and the seller should bring to closing are your government issued photo IDs, which are needed to Notarize your documents. You might bring your checkbook in case there are any incidentals expenses which arise or if you’ve agreed to purchase any of the seller’s furniture, etc., “outside of closing.”
A. Those funds can’t be brought to the closing table. You will get a check from your lender within 30 days of closing refunding the funds that had been escrowed. Remember to call your insurance company on the day of closing to let them know you have sold the home and to cancel your policy. You will receive a return premium check from them within 30 days of closing.
Gotcha
Activist Jeanette Vizguerra detained by ICE
Immigration o cials say she faces deportation
BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN
Two days after detaining a well-known Denver immigrant rights activist, federal o cials responded to public outcry by calling Jeanette Vizguerra a “convicted criminal alien” and laying out her 16year legal saga to attempt to stay in the country.
Vizguerra, who spent three years living in a Denver church to avoid deportation, was arrested March 17 while on a break from her job at a Target. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were quiet about the arrest until March 19, when they said Vizguerra was picked up “without incident” and “will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.”
Vizguerra, 53, entered the United States illegally in El Paso, Texas, in 1997, according to federal o cials. In 2009, she was pulled over in Arapahoe County and authorities found that she had used documents that included a false Social Security number. e mother of four, including three children born in the United States, has been ghting deportation e orts ever since.
“Vizguerra is a convicted criminal alien from Mexico who has a nal order of deportation issued by a federal immigration judge,” ICE said in a news release, its rst comment on the detention that stirred anger and panic within the immigration community. “She illegally
entered the United States near El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 24, 1997, and has received legal due process in U.S. immigration court.”
News of Vizguerra’s detention set o a restorm of comments from Democrats, including Gov. Jared Polis and members of Congress. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston called it a “Putin-style persecution of political dissidents.”
After Vizguerra’s arrest by the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce in 2009, she was picked up by ICE on an immigration detainer. She was released on bond after two weeks in detention, and later convicted in Arapahoe County of driving without a license and not having insurance.
A year and a half later, in 2011, a federal immigration judge denied her application to remain in the country, but agreed to a “voluntary departure,” meaning she agreed to leave the United States, according to ICE.
But Vizguerra did not leave then. In 2012, she returned to Mexico because her mother died. She was picked up by Border Patrol agents in 2013 as she tried to return to her family in the United States, crossing the border in Candelaria, Texas, according to ICE. Entering the U.S. illegally after a judge has ordered removal from the country is a felony, but Vizguerra ended up pleading guilty to a lesser charge, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to one year of probation. e previous order that she be removed from the country was reinstated, however.
Vizguerra was granted a stay of deportation until 2015, and when the applica-
tion for another stay was denied in 2017, she took sanctuary in First Unitarian Society Church in Denver instead of reporting, as ordered, to ICE.
in the U.S. multiple times from 2019 to 2021, until she was eventually given a one-year stay of deportation, which was renewed.
that Vizguerra should be released from detention and deserves a hearing before Vizguerra’s detention comes after at least two other high-pro le immigrant activists or university leaders were taken versity professor Rasha Alawieh and former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil.
Vizguerra’s last stay of deportation expired in February 2024, ICE said, leading to her arrest Monday.
Vizguerra’s time in the church, where federal agents were prohibited from arresting her, garnered international attention. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most in uential people in the world in 2017, and in the past few months, has spoken out in the media against President Trump’s immigration policies.
Vizguerra was being held at the ICE detention center in Aurora, where family and friends were keeping vigil outside. Her attorneys sued federal o cials in U.S. District Court in Denver, arguing
It also follows the Trump administration’s attempts to deport immigrants without hearings or other usual protections, including invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime measure that allows the country broader authority to conduct mass deportations. e administration claimed the United States is at war with the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. e move was struck down by a federal judge March 15. is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
Arvada City Council briefs: ADA ramps, annexation
BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Arvada is taking steps to become more accessible for its residents with mobility impairments, as the City Council approved a $1.8 million contract with the company Triple M construction to build 11 ADA accessible ramps throughout the city.
e contract with Triple M was approved at the March 18 city council meeting. e ramps will be spread throughout Arvada, as the furthest west ramp will follow Virgil Way as it becomes West 72nd Avenue and the furthest east ramp will be located along 60th Avenue as that road intersects Tennyson Street. Two ramps will be constructed near Olde Town, making the historic district more accessible for folks. One will run
along Grandview from Independence Street to Olde Wadsworth Boulevard. Another will span the length of Olde Wadsworth from Grandview Avenue to West 52nd Avenue
Work on the ramps is slated to begin this year.
Annexation
A small area along West 64th Avenue near Norse Street was annexed into the city as a “cleanup” measure to allow a developer to move forward with an in ll housing project in the area. e area of annexation is just 9,400 square feet (or 0.2 acres), is mostly sidewalks, and was previously “overlooked” for annexation, according to City Planner Rob Smentana. e details of the development were not discussed at the March 18 city council meeting.
Jeanette Vizguerra ROSSANA LONGO BETTER
Revenue from retro license plates may be diverted
Lawmakers weigh whether funds should blunt cuts to education, Medicaid
BY BENTE BIRKLAND CPR NEWS
When Helena Perez of Newcastle bought a white Subaru two years ago, her car wasn’t the only thing she wanted to upgrade.
She also wanted di erent license plates to go with it. She thought Colorado’s standard white and green license plates were boring and wanted “something new and fresh.”
For an extra $25 fee she decided to get the state’s reissued black license plates, with white lettering.
“I thought it was retro,” she told CPR News. “I thought it looked really nice, the combination of the black plates with the white vehicle. I really liked that.”
What she hasn’t liked so much is seeing how many other people have had the same idea; the roads these days seem to be full of black plates.
“ ey look like mine,” she lamented. “I like to be unique.”
Over the past few years, Colorado has started to reissue a number of historic license plate designs in solid red, blue, or black, as well as green mountains on a white background. e black plates, originally from 1945, have been by far the most popular. According to the most recent gures, there are now roughly
378,000 thousand vehicles with black license plates on Colorado’s roads.
To get them, car owners must pay a $25 upfront fee, plus an annual $25 fee. e money goes to support programs for people with disabilities.
“It’s become very popular,” said Benjamin Meyerho , the Colorado Disability Funding Coordinator, whose o ce is housed in the state’s newly created Colorado Disability Opportunity O ce.
So popular in fact — bringing in a million dollars each month — that this money could soon be a victim of its own success, as cash-strapped lawmakers look anywhere and everywhere for funds to balance the state budget.
With Colorado facing a more than $1 billion budget shortfall, lawmakers are weighing whether money collected for speci c things, like the plate fees that support disability services, should be redirected to blunt cuts to core areas of the state budget, like education and Medicaid.
Relationship with disability services
In 2011 the disability community, tired of hearing over and over that there wasn’t money in the state budget for the things their members needed, came up with the idea to auction o highly desirable personalized license plates. Over the years, o erings have included cannabis-themed plates and the names of pro sports teams.
e returns were modest, to say the least. e program generated only $100,000 over its rst decade according to state gures. But bringing back the historic license plates has been a game changer. Coloradans are paying around
$12 million a year to put those plates on their cars.
“It’s a really great example of sifting through the couch cushions for change and that change adding up to a whole bunch of money. It’s pretty extraordinary actually,” said Danny Combs, head of the state’s new Colorado Disability Opportunity O ce.
e money helped set up that new ofce, which will coordinate all disability services in the state, as well as funding grants to various organizations. Both the o ce and the grants are overseen by people with disabilities.
“What’s really important in this particular program is that the decisions where the money goes are made by people with disabilities,” said Lt. Gov Dianne Primavera, whose o ce helped set up the new Opportunity O ce. “ ey have their nger on the pulse much better than some of the rest of us.”
Half of the money goes to help people with disabilities access the full range of bene ts they may be eligible for, like Medicaid, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. e other half goes to innovation grants to improve people’s quality of life.
In that realm, Meyerho said, “the sky’s the limit.” Grantees have included a training program to work in food service and an e ort to design accessible pinball machines. One nonpro t got help to put in a vibrating dance oor so deaf people could feel the beat and follow the music.
Money too tempting to ignore
While people with disabilities have celebrated the increase in funding, the
grant program could become a casualty of this year’s state funding shortfall.
e lawmakers in charge of writing the budget need to nd more than a billion dollars to keep state nances in balance, and redirecting the revenue raised by specialty license plates is one of the options they’re looking at.
e fees for Colorado’s 200 or so specialty license plates, which include the historic black, blue and red designs, raise about $30 million to $40 million annually. at money is earmarked for speci c programs, but it all counts toward the overall cap on how much the money the state is allowed to spend each year under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
“ at’s something that you wouldn’t think of as being particularly di cult or problematic for the state’s budget, but it is,” said Democratic Rep. Shannon Bird. “It’s impacting what the state could otherwise use to invest in key services.”
So Bird and other members of the Joint Budget Committee are looking to potentially sweep the specialty license plate funds into the general budget, to help blunt how deeply they will have to cut into other programs, like K-12 schools and Medicaid, which make up the largest share of state spending.
“Medicaid is crucial,” said Bird. “ ey are the most vulnerable people in our communities that without this coverage won’t be able to enjoy any quality of life. People need oxygen, they need diabetes medication, they need heart medication. ey rely upon Medicaid for all of these things.”
BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A ‘Golden ticket’ for students
Some Je co students will be able to get a “Golden ticket” to Colorado School of Mines. e university and Je co Public Schools recently outlined a guaranteed admissions pathway for local high school students interested in studying science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics, abbreviated as STEM.
Students who maintain a cumulative unweighted 3.8 GPA or higher, complete advanced math and science coursework, and graduate with a STEM-endorsed diploma from any district high school will be eligible for guaranteed admission to one of Mines’ undergraduate degree programs.
is will begin with the Class of 2026, who are currently high school juniors, Mines and Je co announced in a shared March 13 press release. Students attending a private high school are not eligible for this particular program, ocials have clari ed.
“By providing a guaranteed admissions pathway, we are ensuring that Je co students who demonstrate excellence in STEM have the opportunity to pursue a world-class education … while staying close to home,” Mines President Paul C. Johnson said.
Mines has set up similar guaranteed admissions pathways with local community colleges, mostly recently the Community College of Aurora in May.
And Je co Public Schools might just be the beginning of a larger e ort between Mines and Denver-area schools.
In an email to the Transcript, Mines o cials added that they are exploring how to support more schools and school districts that want to establish similar pathways for their students. Liz Cox, director of K14 Education and Community Partnerships, listed Cherry Creek School District’s Overland High School as an example.
“We are in conversation with (OHS) and their Institute for Science and Technology to develop a similar pathway to admission,” Cox stated.
‘It would be worth it’
Along with Je co Superintendent Tracy Dorland, local high school students were excited about this new pathway to Mines.
“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Gaby Romero, a junior student at Green Mountain High School, said in the March 13 press release.
LINCENSE PLATES
Many people with disabilities also use Medicaid to pay for services like in-home care, so they can live independently, and for medical equipment and wheelchairs. But Meyerho thinks the needs met by the current grants are too great to redirect this money.
“ ese funds deserve to go to folks with disabilities to improve their lives,” he said. “ is historically is an underfunded community, and just because the state is having a di cult time funding-wise doesn’t mean that these funds should go to the general fund. We need these funds.”
Other advocates seem more resigned to the possibility the money could be redirected. Hillary Jorgensen, one of the heads of the Cross Disability Coalition, said she hopes any redirected funding would still go to programs that help people with disabilities, and that the state would restore the grant funding in future years.
“I think it would be really a misstep to cut the program completely,” she said. No nal decisions have been made yet, and some of it could hinge on the state’s next eco-
“I want to apply to Mines after this because I think having the endorsement available today just makes it more appealing.”
To be eligible, students must maintain their cumulative unweighted GPA, apply to Mines by Nov. 1, and comply with all other standard admission requirements.
e STEM endorsement requires students to complete:
- Four years of college prep or advanced math;
- ree years of lab science; and
- A senior STEM capstone project.
STEM Capstone is a yearlong, hands-on course where juniors and seniors tackle realworld challenges by designing, prototyping and presenting innovative science and engineering solutions, Je co Public Schools described. e goal is to develop critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving skills, which will prepare students for success in college, careers and beyond.
Luke Pisano, a GMHS graduate who’s now studying computer science at Mines, said his STEM Capstone experience was a crucial way to apply his skills outside of the classroom as preparation for college courses. It also allowed him to “tackle a real-world problem and work with industry experts to develop a solution.”
nomic forecast on March 17. at will provide the nal numbers the budget committee needs before it can present its proposed spending package to the full legislature.
Adding an extra layer of uncertainty over this whole process is the question of what may happen at the federal level.
“We are also very much aware that there are some things that are beyond our control that will have a big impact on the work we’re doing or have the potential to have a big impact on our role,” said Democratic Sen. Judy Amabile of Boulder who sits on the budget committee.
But the Colorado drivers that CPR News spoke with were unaware of the potential drama surrounding their plates.
Jesse Bennas of Carbondale has a solid red plate on his vehicle, his wife has the solid blue and his father in law, the black plates.
“I liked it a lot and it matches my car and I get a lot of compliments on it,” he said. “I’m glad the money’s going to good places.”
For Perez, it was her rst time learning the extra fee she pays for her black plates helps support the disability community.
“ ank you for letting me know,” she told a reporter. “Because I had no idea that I was contributing to this, but now I feel better about myself honestly.”
He continued, “I chose to go to Mines because of its tight-knit community with everyone being passionate about engineering and innovation.”
In a recent survey of local high school juniors and seniors in STEM courses, more than 50% said they would be more motivated to complete the STEM-endorsed diploma if it resulted in guaranteed admission to Mines.
Tyler Wickham, a senior at Golden High School, said he wished he could’ve taken advantage of such a program.
“If I was a junior and I knew that I could get accepted into Mines, I would 100% take this class for the diploma, no matter what, no question,” Wickham said. “Even with all the work, it would be worth it.”
Both Johnson and Dorland were excited at all the opportunities their respective students and their shared community could have now thanks to this partnership.
Dorland added, “ e opportunity for our students … to build on the current skills and experiences they develop in high school and directly transition to a prestigious institution like Mines is both inspiring and a meaningful investment in their education.”
For more information, visit je copublicschools.org.
she sees all those black plates on the road. is story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and e Colorado Sun, and shared with news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
She said she’ll no longer feel annoyed when
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As their families and friends cheer for them from the Marv Kay Stadium stands, Golden High School graduates toss their caps into the air during their May 17 graduation ceremony on the Colorado School of Mines campus. Mines recently announced a guaranteed admissions pathway for Je co high school students starting with the Class of 2026. FILE PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN
O ce to handle complaints against judges was never set up
BY BRIAN EASON
THE COLORADO SUN
In the wake of an alleged blackmail scandal that roiled the state judicial branch, the Colorado legislature in 2023 created an independent o ce to help ensure it didn’t happen again.
But two years later, the ombudsman ofce still doesn’t exist — and it’s not clear why.
e apparent oversight came to light this week when a legislative budget sta er — looking line by line for things to cut from the state’s operating budget to close a $1.2 billion shortfall — discovered an oddity: a $400,000 budget for an agency that had no employees, hadn’t made a budget request and didn’t appear to exist anywhere but on paper.
“ is independent agency does not exist,” Craig Harper, the legislative budget sta director told the Joint Budget Committee this week. “ ere’s no sta . ere’s no one (that has) been hired.”
e unhired ombudsman is now a target of state budget cuts, presenting a rare opportunity for the JBC to reduce spending without cutting back on existing services or harming government operations.
But the decision would eliminate a key accountability measure the legislature overwhelmingly agreed was needed.
e idea for an ombudsman came from a 2022 interim committee, set up in response to a Denver Post investigation. e paper uncovered allegations that a former court administrator had awarded an employee a $2.5 million contract in 2019 in order to keep her quiet about sexual harassment and other misconduct by judges.
e committee found widespread dis-
trust in the judicial discipline process and considered a series of reforms — including an independent ombudsman to ensure that employees had a safe space to report misconduct anonymously without fear of retaliation. Voters in November approved another recommendation of the committee that would become Amendment H, establishing an independent board to hear ethics complaints against state judges.
e interim committee never formally endorsed the ombudsman o ce, but the legislature did in the following spring, voting 88-11 in favor of House Bill 23-1205.
“It became pretty evident pretty quickly, when we started seeing complaints and where needs were not met by folks that had complaints, we needed to come up with a real-world solution for people to be able to not feel threatened,” said former Rep. Mike Lynch, a Republican from Wellington who co-sponsored the bipartisan bill.
e measure created a ve-person selection board, made up of two Republican lawmakers, two Democrats and a judge appointed by Gov. Jared Polis. e board was supposed to begin meeting in January 2024, with a deadline of March 2024 to hire an ombudsman.
e board appears to have been appointed, though legislative sta ers disagree on who the members were. By the House Democrats’ account, Rep. Jennifer Bacon and Sen. Julie Gonzales were tapped to represent legislative Democrats, while Republicans appointed Rep. Rose Pugliese and Sen. Bob Gardner. Pugliese, however, told e Sun through a spokesperson that she wasn’t aware of the appointment, and House Republicans provided a letter dated July 2023 showing that
Lynch was actually the appointee.
Whoever the members were supposed to be, the board never actually met — let alone hired anyone.
“Our understanding is that the Selection Board has never met,” Suzanne Karrer, a spokesperson for the judicial branch told e Sun in an email. “ e Judicial Department remains ready to collaborate with the O ce of Judicial Discipline Ombudsman if an ombudsman is appointed.”
e revelation caught the six-member JBC by surprise this week, creating a rare moment of levity as the panel scours the $16 billion state general fund for di cult cuts to critical services like health care and schools.
“One more time?” asked an incredulous Sen. Je Bridges, the Greenwood Village Democrat who leads the budget panel.
e JBC swiftly agreed to cut the o ce’s budget for next year, and will try to claw back the funding it was already given.
When another lawmaker suggested that “they” — the o ce’s imaginary employees — could always come back to the JBC to argue why it needs its funding, it only added to the confusion.
“Who would “they” be?” asked Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver.
“ ey can come back,” Bridges said, “if there’s anybody there.”
Without a sta , the responsibility to ght for the agency’s budget will fall to its supporters in the legislature. But today, three of the four bill sponsors — two of whom
were supposedly appointed to the board -- are no longer in the General Assembly. Moreover, the o ce’s independence from the Judicial Department may help explain why it was never set up in the rst place. Lawmakers don’t usually conduct board meetings or hire people without the help of state sta — and in this case, the department was barred by design from being involved.
“We’re trying to understand what has happened,” Sirota told e Sun. “Maybe there were some structural de ciencies in the setup of how this would get established. I’m not sure that there’s necessarily any sta support.” e remaining bill sponsor, Bacon, initially agreed to an interview with e Sun but did not respond in time for publication.
In the meantime, Judicial Department o cials say they’re moving forward with initiatives of their own to improve the workplace culture, including an anonymous reporting system for complaints. e department attempted to hire an ombudsman on its own back in 2022, but the JBC denied its request for funding, Karrer said. is story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and e Colorado Sun, and shared with news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
State Sen. Je Bridges, a Greenwood Village Democrat and chair of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, in the Colorado Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Denver, Colorado.
PHOTO BY JESSE PAUL / THE COLORADO SUN
Colorado Early Colleges (CEC) 2025 SCHOOL OF CHOICE
Colorado Early Colleges (CEC) is a network of tuition-free public charter schools, providing Colorado families with accessible, flexible, and individualized learning and a direct path to debt-free college degrees and other industry credentials.
Since the doors of our first high school campus opened in 2007 in Colorado Springs, Colorado Early Colleges and our accredited college partners have been committed to creating a community of lifetime learners and building a culture throughout our network of schools that fosters academic, career, and personal success for every student, and do so at zero tuition-cost to them and their families.
CEC now has campus locations all across
Colorado, including local high school campuses in Aurora, Castle Rock, and Douglas County North. CEC Online Campus is also our online learning option, open to families anywhere in Colorado, also at zero-cost.
Our schools work in partnership with local community colleges and universities, offering students the chance to take college-level courses, both on and off campus. The goal is to create a pathway that allows students to graduate high school with a competitive edge and ready to enter the workforce upon graduation. Through CEC, students can earn college degrees, industry certifications, and 60 or more college course credits while simultaneously earning their high school diploma.
Why choose Colorado Early Colleges?
Flexible Learning Options: CEC offers accessible, flexible and individualized learning, recognizing that each student has unique academic needs and personal goals. Students work with their advisors on an academic plan that is right for them and aligns with their career aspirations. This
flexibility enables students to work at their own pace, challenging themselves with advanced coursework when ready, while also receiving the support they need to succeed.
Career Pathways and Technical Education: CEC offers career pathways and technical education in a variety of industries. These programs incorporate curriculum that aligns with industry standards that leads to an industry recognized credential so that students may be prepared to enter the workforce after high school. Career Pathways in health science, engineering, construction, IT, aviation, multimedia and more are available at CEC (may vary by campus location).
Free Tutoring: CEC offers free tutoring at its campuses to ensure that students have the support they need to succeed academically. This support is very valuable for students balancing high school and college work, as it ensures they never have to face academic struggles alone and can receive the help they need to excel.
Money Saved: By earning college credits while in high school, students can save a considerable amount of money upon graduation. Students graduate from high school with a head start on their college education, potentially reducing the time spent in college and the associated tuition costs. For many students, this is a crucial financial benefit, and takes the pressure off students and families when it comes to higher education.
Since 2007, alumni of CEC enter the workforce with valuable skills and experience gained through their time here, and have gone on to have exceptional careers.
“I think the most impactful thing CEC offered to me was the flexibility. I from the start knew I didn’t want to follow the traditional route. I didn’t want to go to college and spend a bunch of money. CEC offers a head start on college, but also offers a head start on other career options. I always was interested in construction but knew nothing about it. Being able to attend trade school at such an early age got my foot in the door, and helped me get my first job in construction as a deck builder. At this point, I was 16 working full-time for a construction company and attending night classes at Red Rocks Community College. No other school offers that kind of freedom and flexibility, and so that was by far the most impactful thing CEC was able to offer me.” – Mason R., CEC Castle Rock graduate
CEC is open to all students, regardless of background or skill-level. Our schools are now enrolling for the upcoming school year, so visit our website for upcoming informational meetings and school tours so you can see for yourself how CEC can be the right fit for you and your family.
2025 SCHOOL OF CHOICE
2025 SCHOOL OF CHOICE
Aims Community College Combines
Affordability, Innovation and
Throughout Northern Colorado, you can see Aims Community College billboards boasting a surprising statistic that has received much attention: “91% of Aims students graduate without debt.”
One reason many learners are not burdened with student loans is that tuition at Aims averages 50% less than nearby two-year schools and 80% less than area four-year institutions. Additionally, the new Aims Tuition Promise initiative makes higher education tuition-free for many Coloradoans. Aims factors in a combination of federal, state, and institutional aid and scholarships to pay tuition. After those programs are applied, Aims makes up the difference.
Affordability is just one aspect of the Aims story. The College emphasizes inclusivity, accessibility, student-focused learning, state-of-the-art facilities and small class sizes.
Since 1967, the College has established its presence in Northern Colorado with locations in Greeley, Fort Lupton, Windsor, and Loveland. Aims empowers learners to achieve their academic and career goals by offering more than 200 degree and certificate programs to help students prepare to enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year school. Aims equips students to excel in numerous fields, including healthcare, skilled trades, business, education, public safety, agriculture, aviation, arts, sciences and more.
The College has recently seen a notable increase in enrollment in the Fall 2024 semester, with numbers indicating a more than 20% rise compared to last year’s figures. This is the most significant enrollment jump that Aims has seen in a post-COVID world.
“We’re excited that so many students are choosing Aims to begin or continue their education,” said Dr. Larry Pakowski, Vice President of Student Engagement, Inclusion & Success. “More and more people are discovering the hidden gem that is Aims.”
“Not Your Mom and Dad’s Community College”
Aims invests in the holistic student experience, from connecting through activities to using state-of-the-art technology to foster advanced education and hands-on learning on equipment used in the work world.
Pakowski believes when people come to campus and see the facilities and technology available, they change their perceptions about community colleges and Aims. He had recently heard a parent at orientation say, “It’s not your mom and dad’s community college.”
Aims offers a wide array of co-curricular activities, campus events and student resources to provide an enriching college experience. Traditional service and honor society organizations are on campus. There are also groups focused on career interests, identity groups, or shared interests, like video games.
The Aims Welcome Center and Student Commons are the beating heart of student engagement outside the classroom. These vibrant spaces are designed to help students acclimate to college life and make lifelong connections. These spaces host college and community events to bring people together.
Aims invests in state-of-the-art equipment and learning tools to provide hands-on experience for students in career and technical education courses. Below are a few examples of technology in action.
•An Anatomage Table is a technologically advanced 3D anatomy visualization and virtual dissection tool for anatomy and physiology education.
•Automotive, welding and nurse aid students learn using virtual reality training equipment.
•Future truck drivers will practice on a CDL simulator, and tomorrow’s pilots and air traffic controllers train on aviation simulator technology before flying.
•In the newly expanded Windsor Campus, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) students can access a drone fabrication and design lab, while public safety students can replicate real-world scenarios at the Sim City.
•Ed Beaty Hall is home to experiential learning with a theater, radio station, TV studio, green-screen room, surround sound studio and videoediting booths.
•The greenhouse on the Fort Lupton Campus offers Aims agriculture students an indoor space for yearround, hands-on learning.
•The Community Lab is a maker space open to all Aims students and the community. Students use the lab to work on assignments for their classes, such as building a model for a diorama, printing large-scale posters, and producing elements of a multimedia art project. Technology includes 3D printers, laser cutters, soldering equipment and much more.
•Alquist 3D, an innovative 3D printing construction company, is partnering with Aims to incorporate its technology into the curriculum and train the workforce. An online non-credit online certificate program is open to anyone wanting to learn more about the industry. This online course is the first step in formalizing workforce development and training in 3D construction and infrastructure printing. Future plans include hands-on classes with this technology.
Student-First Focus
Management Dana Kohler attributes part of the surge in enrollments at Aims to the College’s faculty, staff and administrators. “There are a lot of really, really good people at Aims who are trying to support students and help them do the right thing. When we all do that together, the students are the ones that benefit from that.”
Aims 2024 graduate Ixel Macias believes the education she receives at Aims boosts intellectual rigor. “My professors challenged my way of thinking. I’m challenged much more than I was at previous schools, in the best way possible,” she said. Ixel feels like her instructors keep pushing her to climb to something bigger and better. Even though they encourage her to take it to the next level, she still feels comfortable asking questions and gaining further understanding of her learning.
This level of support is also evident outside of the classroom. Aims offers many services to foster success as a college student and beyond. This includes advising, disability access services, counseling services and more. Aims was among the first higher education institutions to receive the Hunger-Free Campus designation by the State of Colorado. By helping our students manage the critical issue of food insecurity, they can succeed and meet their individual goals with muchreduced stress.
The Learning Commons is another resources dedicated to student success. It includes academic support such as library services, tutoring, online learning support and technology assistance. Aims students can check out laptops, hotspots, and tablets to help them with their studies.
All of this builds a culture of success at Aims. This leads learners to thrive in moving into their next steps, whether it be going into the workforce or continuing in their education.
After graduation, 54% of Aims students continue their education by transferring to four-year institutions. Those looking to attend the University of Northern Colorado can streamline this journey with the Aims2UNC program. Other programs, like an articulation agreement with the Colorado School of Mines, create a formalized pathway for student transfer.
The Transfer Services team on campus is here to prepare students for their next destination.
Aims also get many of our learners into high-demand fields like healthcare, trades and technology. Nine months after graduating from Aims, 80 percent of students are employed, contributing to the workforce. Career Services at Aims offers programs to help students find jobs to start their careers.
Innovation and Expansion on the Horizon
“We’re continuing to do things to improve the student experience. There are greater things to come down the road,” Pakowski said.
The 2024-2027 Strategic & Tactical Plan, recently approved by the Aims Board of Trustees, outlines the direction for the College’s future growth. Among the planned projects is the opening of the Student Health and Wellness Center in 2026.
Planning for the new Workforce Innovation Center is also in progress. The project creates a supportive environment to help new businesses, ideas or projects flourish. It will provide production space for technology, manufacturing, and more. Aims students will benefit from hands-on experience with leading-edge technology and business development processes.
Additionally, Aims Community College plans to open a new Aircraft Maintenance Training Center along with the launch of an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic degree program in January 2026 in Loveland.
Efforts are also underway to improve veteran education services and achieve recognition as a Military Friendly School. Several years ago, Aims was designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and is intentionally furthering programs to support this population.
“The plan shows all the things that we are doing to improve the student experience and student success. That’s why students are choosing to come here,” Pakowski added. “Those things have created much buzz and excitement for us.”
To learn more about Aims Community College, please visit aims.edu.
GRANT
GOCO is funded by the Colorado State Lottery. e program has awarded 13 grants to projects within the City of Arvada since 1995 for a total of $2.8 million, most recently for improvements at the play yard at Arvada High School.
e grant awarded to Gold Strike Park was GOCO’s Community Impact Grant Program that aims to elevate recreational amenities. is grant will be used to help fund the playground feature at Gold Strike, along with stream access. Seventeen concepts were submitted for the Community Impact Grant, and six received funding.
2025 SCHOOL OF CHOICE
11students)
Renaissance Secondary School
Renaissance Secondary is a small, deeper learning school serving students in Grades 6-12, and expanding to serve Grades PK-5 beginning in 2027.
Renaissance utilizes authentic, integrated learning experiences to empower students to become modern learners who are critical thinkers and problem solvers, communicators, collaborators, and creative innovators who contribute to the world around them.
At Renaissance, students experience top-notch academic opportunities within a tight-knit small school community, and:
• Rigorous, integrated, real-world learning experiences through learning expeditions and fieldwork
• Emphasis on Design Thinking and STEM opportunities
• Adventure Education program (all students participate in a multi-night outdoor education trip each year)
• Unique building design emphasizing natural light and ample opportunities for students to be outdoors
• Late start time (9:00 a.m.)
• Emphasis on character and an ethic of service
• Arts integration and rich performing and visual arts opportunities
Mackintosh Academy stands out as a leader in innovation and excellence In a world where gifted education is often an afterthought. Founded in 1977, Mackintosh is Colorado’s first school dedicated exclusively to gifted students, offering one of the Denver metro area’s only private International Baccalaureate (IB) programs for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. For over forty years, Mackintosh has redefined how gifted and creative learners are educated.
At Mackintosh, gifted education is not just an add-on or a pull-out program; it’s the foundation of everything we do. Our full-time program meets the unique intellectual, emotional, and social needs of gifted children. Unlike traditional schools, where gifted students may feel isolated or underchallenged, Mackintosh fosters a nurturing, holistic environment. Here, students are surrounded by peers who share their curiosity and passion for learning, creating a rare sense of community and belonging.
Keen Minds: A Curriculum That Inspires
social and emotional challenges, such as heightened sensitivity or feelings of being misunderstood. At Mackintosh, we emphasize social-emotional learning, helping students develop collaboration, communication, resilience, and empathy. Strong relationships between students and faculty create the optimal conditions for growth, both academically and personally.
Global Action: Preparing for the Future
Mackintosh’s IB curriculum goes beyond academics, incorporating design thinking, innovation, and service projects. Students engage in real-world problem-solving, developing the skills and mindset to tackle global challenges with creativity and confidence. This focus on global awareness ensures graduates are not only academically prepared but also equipped to make a positive impact.
Mackintosh’s learning environment is rooted in the globally respected International Baccalaureate program. Our inquiry-based, hands-on curriculum challenges students to think critically, solve problems creatively, and explore their interests in depth. Teachers are skilled at recognizing and nurturing each child’s unique potential, ensuring students not only learn but thrive.
Compassionate Hearts: SocialEmotional Growth
Gifted children often face unique
A School Where Bright Kids Thrive Mackintosh Academy is more than a school—it’s a community where gifted children flourish intellectually, emotionally, and socially. If you’re seeking an educational experience that celebrates the unique nature of gifted learners, discover Mackintosh.
To learn more, email info@mackintoshacademy.com or call (303) 794-6222 to schedule a tour or conversation.
Rendering of the creek crossing at the revitalized Gold Strike Park. COURTESY CITY OF ARVADA
Nonprofit o ers grants for period products in schools
Group o ers grants to schools to supply pads, tampons and dispensers
BY MONTE WHALEY
MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A Colorado nonpro t is introducing a grant program for the state’s schools that would provide free period products to students. e one time-grant would supply pads, tampons, and dispensers to help schools meet the requirements of Colorado HB-1164, states Justice Necessary.
Justice Necessary was formed to address hygiene and period poverty and diaper needs across the state, according to the group’s website. e legislation is aimed at ensuring that no student must miss class due to lack of access to essential menstrual products, Justice Necessary states.
e one-time grant would provide dispensers and free pads and tampons and one-month bags of period products to support students over the summer of 2025 as well as the 2025-2026 school year. e grant will help schools reach the rst HB24-1164 milestone of having 25% of female and gender-neutral restrooms stocked with period products.
All Colorado school districts, individual and charter schools are eligible to apply, and rural schools and those with a many free and reduced lunch students will special consideration
Last year, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB241164, which makes modi cations to the Menstrual Hygiene Grant Program to expand support to rural districts.
“Periods don’t wait – and this important law ensures that Colorado students can access the menstrual products they need, when they need them,” said Rep. Brianna Titone, D- Arvada. “Without access to menstrual products, our students risk missing out on valuable learning time and can experience emotional distress. Our new law makes menstrual products free and accessible in schools to Colorado’s teens.”
Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn said in the news release that “67 percent of U.S. students miss valuable school time due to
Justice Necessary advocates are urging legislators to support HB24-1164, providing menstrual supplies in schools. COURTESY
a lack of necessary period products, and the numbers are even higher for low-income and students of color,” said Willford.
“Our important bill helps combat period poverty in Colorado by making menstrual products free and accessible in middle school and high school bathrooms,” she said.
“Our students deserve to learn, grow and thrive without the added stress of nding and a ording period products –and this new law does just that.”
e bill ensures that every student across the state can go to school without worrying about when your period might arrive, or if you have the products you need to manage it,” said Diane Cushman Neal, founder and president of Justice Necessary, in the 2024 news release.
“I am proud to live in a state that ensures students can attend class without the worry of having the necessary products to manage their periods, because access to period products, just is necessary,” Cushman Neal said.
Applications for the Justice Necessary grants are due March 31. Recipients will be announced April 21.
For more information, email school@ justicenecessary.org.
PHOTO
After the struggle comes the story
“When you are in the middle of a story it isn’t a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind, or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids, and all aboard powerless to stop it.” Margaret Atwood, “Alias Grace”
I came across this Atwood quotation from her novel this week while listening to Daniel Pink’s book, “When.” It was no more than the introductory quotation for a chapter on midpoints in work, life, and projects but the words resonated for me. Although not the intent of either author, Atwood’s words perfectly capture what happens when we let our struggles control us. Following my MS diagnosis in 2009, I could not have described more accurately the chaotic helplessness I felt. I believe all who have faced a signi cant struggle understand this. e feeling is dark, confusing and overwhelming, and the direction up is not clear in the midst of the turmoil.
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
After reading those words and pondering the ideas she so perfectly framed for me, I discovered there was more to the quotation. Atwood, in her novel, goes on to say… “It’s only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all. When you are telling it, to yourself or to someone else. “
I was mesmerized by the beauty of Atwood’s word choice. As I dove into her words and moved beyond the de nition of chaos into the resolution she describes, it sparked a realization about my struggles.
I recognized that the road out of “the wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood” comes with the empowerment of understanding that the “afterwards” is not at the end of our life or even at the end of our struggle it is at the mo-
ment when we decide we will be the author of our story and that circumstances will no longer write the narrative. Let me explain a little bit more about what I mean. While we will never control the circumstances of our struggle, when we understand that the events that weaken our bodies, tragedies that rupture our families, or happenings that change our circumstances are not the author of our story we begin to change. Moreover, when we realize that our mindset is the author of our story then we have accomplished something truly transformative.
When we are the author, we have taken what is rightfully ours and can begin to write with a clarity that only comes from ownership. In that moment, we move from “I can’t.” to “Can I, this way?” is change removes the walls of limitation crushing into us, replacing them with the boundless possibilities of hope and enthusiasm.
Easier said than done? Yes.
Worth the e ort? Undoubtedly. is week I hope that you will take on
Making the climb worth the view
Climbing the mountain, whether in summer or winter, is a test of endurance, perseverance, and growth. e climb is always worth the view, but the journey itself teaches us invaluable lessons. And just as the ascent requires strength and determination, the descent can present unique challenges depending on the trail’s steepness.
In the winter, di erent climbers take di erent approaches. Some choose to snowshoe up and back down, embracing the challenge of both the climb and the return. Others prefer to snowshoe to the top and take the lift down, opting for a mix of e ort and ease. en there are the extreme athletes who “skin” up the mountain, placing tear-away skins on their skis to gain traction as they ascend and then remove the skins to ski down. ese individuals always amaze me. Personally? I prefer to take the lift up and enjoy using gravity to help me glide back to the base.
WINNING
develop a mindset of continuous learning. at rst hike or “skin” up the mountain is tough for new salespeople. However, the climb becomes more manageable with each practiced role-play, prospect interaction, and one-on-one coaching session. It doesn’t necessarily get easier, but they become stronger, more skilled, and more prepared for the next ascent.
A hike up the mountain is invigorating and gorgeous during the summer. e climb is worth it in both seasons, whether we’re rewarded with a panoramic view of snowcapped peaks or an expanse of aspen trees and wild owers. Regardless of the method, the journey to the top mirrors the personal and professional growth we experience in life. When hiking or skinning, people exert and push themselves. ey learn valuable lessons about pacing, endurance, and adaptability. Each climb builds muscle, experience, and knowledge. ey gure out where to step and where not to step, how to navigate the snow or the rocky terrain. Some areas are steeper, demanding greater strength and tenacity, while other parts provide small plateaus where we can catch our breath. With each climb, they get stronger, better, and more knowledgeable.
However we get there, reaching the summit brings a sense of victory. We see, feel, and even taste the crisp mountain air at the top. e view is spectacular, and the reward for our e ort is undeniable. e same is true in our personal and professional journeys. We live in an era of immense learning opportunities, where AI and advanced technology enable us to reach new heights if we
Newly promoted managers face a similar challenge. eir rst climbs are steep as they learn to coach, mentor, and have di cult conversations. With experience, they gain con dence in their decisionmaking, making the climb less daunting. e peaks and valleys initially seem almost insurmountable for entrepreneurs who take the bold step of starting a new business. But as they gain traction, nd their footing, and take each step as it comes, they, too, will one day enjoy the breathtaking view from the top.
I may prefer the lift in winter, but that doesn’t mean I stop observing and learning. As I ride up, I look down at the skiers and identify the beginners, the intermediates, and the experts, even those who have mastered their craft beyond expert levels. It gives me perspective. In di erent areas of life, I have been, and still am, at all these stages, a beginner in some things, an intermediate in others, and occasionally an expert.
e mountains, the climbs, and the descents serve as metaphors for our journey through life and career. No matter where we are in our climb, we have the opportunity to grow, to get stronger, and to reach new heights. And when we do, the view will always be worth it.
I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can put in the work, the climb will be worth the view.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
the challenge of seeing yourself and not your circumstances as the author of your story and that you will begin to act in a way that re ects the beauty of the tale you have to tell.
You have got this.
I hope my words encourage you, and that you will share them with those who need support. ank you to everyone who has shared their stories with me so far; I truly appreciate hearing about the valuable ideas you nd in these columns and how you use them to uplift those around you.
Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife Beth. He spent 34 years in public education. Lessons learned from the one two punch of being diagnosed with MS shortly before his best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer led him into a new pursuit as a freelance writer and speaker. He uses his life experiences and love of stories to inspire, educate and encourage local, national and international audiences. Contact him at jim.roome@gmail.com.
Spring o erings for the blossoming season
We’re on the cusp of one of the best times of the year in Colorado — spring. We can nally come out of our winter hibernations and start enjoying more outdoor time, gather with friends for activities and make plans for the summer ahead.
ere’s more color in the world, more music (thank you birds), and more to do.
Now that the daylight is increasing, I thought I’d shed some light on some great ways to welcome the season of rebirth and renewal. ere should be a little something for everyone here — get out there and enjoy it.
Selena Honored at CHAC Gallery in Lakewood
e Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla Perez was murdered 30 years ago and the Chicano Humanities & Arts Council (CHAC) is honoring Selena’s massive impact with an exhibit that runs through Friday, April 11. e Selena Como La Flor Art Show: “Still Dreaming of You” is on display at the CHAC Gallery at 40 West, 7060 W. 16th Ave. in Lakewood.
e show features artists like Grace Monge, Angela Ramirez, Ken Marley and Ambra Martinez and was curated by Tammy and Rob Yancey. As part of the April 4 First Friday event, visitors can participate in a Selena lookalike contest, see Aztec dancers and more.
More information is available athttps://www.chacgallery.org/.
See Artworks in New Ways Through ‘Prisms’ A prism bends light and provides di erent perspectives and that’s what “Prisms,” the new exhibit at
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Clarke Reader
Walker Fine Art, 300 W. 11th Ave., No. A, in Denver, does with its displayed works. Running through Saturday, May 3, the show features Atticus Adams, Angela Beloian, Bryan Leister, Chris Richter and Allison Svoboda, all of whom transform their mediums to engage the senses and challenge perception, according to provided information. e works play with light and its ability to re ect and rede ne - you never know quite what you’ll see.
Find more information at www. walker neart.com.
Explore the History of Ostara/Easter with History Colorado e Colorado History Center is o ering an opportunity for people to go back to the cultural roots of the biggest spring holiday with its Ostara to Easter: Natural Pigment Egg Dyeing event, held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29 at theHistory Colorado Center, 1200 North Broadway in Denver. According to provided information, participants will dye eggs using natural pigments sourced from plants and fruits, as well as techniques reminiscent of those practiced for centuries. While engaging in this time-honored tradition, attendees will also learn about the signi cance of Ostara/Easter and how di erent societies have marked the changing of the seasons.
Jim Roome
State board of education wades into immigration debate
BY YESENIA ROBLES CHALKBEAT
Colorado State Board of Education members on March 12 unanimously approved a resolution signaling their support for students to feel safe in schools.
e board rarely votes on resolutions making a statement but the chair wanted to give members a chance to speak out. e resolution comes as school districts around the country are grappling with how to respond to the Trump administration crackdown on immigration and its impact on students.
First discussed in February, the resolution was amended multiple times by both Democratic and Republican board members in an attempt to nd language that everyone agreed on.
As the board debated the language of the resolution, members argued about getting into political statements and the merits of immigration policies or actions. At one point, two Republican board members discussed the usage of illegal immigrant as opposed to the term illegal alien in a piece of language that failed.
e nal approved resolution states that the board is “committed to supporting public schools to ensure that all students feel safe and supported in schools” and is “aware that Colorado schools serve diverse communities who may feel worried or uncertain about the safety of their students.”
“We should be advocating across the political spectrum to ensure that our schools are safe places where learning is not disrupted,” the resolution states.
State Board Chair Rebecca McClellan, who represents Aurora, one of the targets of federal immigration raids last month, introduced the resolution, saying she wanted to give the board an opportunity to speak in a uni ed voice “to a rm the right of every Colorado student to receive a free public education.”
e resolution also made a point of tying that a rmation to the state’s recent goals of improving attendance and reducing the number of students who are chronically absent as a way to help stu-
dent achievement rise.
Some district leaders, including in Denver and Je co, have discussed attendance rates dropping in certain schools as they see some immigrant families afraid to leave their homes because of fears of encountering immigration enforcement agents. Local school districts have also passed resolutions in support of immigrant students, often with more direct language, but also with more authority to enact local policies on how schools will respond if immigration agents show up at a school.
e state board does not have much authority over such decisions, and so its resolution is more of a symbolic gesture.
McClellan thanked the board for having a professional discussion despite disagreements.
One amendment that was successful was introduced by Republican State Board member Kristi Burton Brown, who wanted to add a line that also signaled support for law enforcement.
“We support the actions of law enforcement to remove violent criminals from Colorado and, in so doing, making our school children safer when they walk to school and back home,” the nal language of that amendment reads.
“ e arrests we have seen happen in Colorado are of violent criminals, the arrests we have seen across the nation are of violent criminals who are endangering our children on their way to and from school,” Burton Brown said. “Violent criminals should be taken o of our streets if they are here illegally and so I think that my suggested amendment is coming from a bipartisan standpoint that’s saying if we want our kids to be safe in school we should want them to also be safe on their way to and from school.”
Some board members opposed the language saying that violent criminals exist in any group, and some of the immigration enforcement actions have instead been blanket door-to-door raids. Nationally, the raids have swept up many people with no criminal record.
SEE DEBATE, P27
family-friendly production that will transport audiences to another world. For more information and tickets, visit https://parkerarts.org/event/dragonsand-mythical-beasts-live/.
It is sure to be a fascinating event for everyone, whether they love history, nature or simply being creative with their hands. Sign up at https://www.historycolorado.org/events.
Dragons and Mystical Beasts
Take Over the PACE Center
Fantasy has never been more popular than it is these days, with stories and worlds for every age and interest. For those with families, the Parker Arts, Culture & Events (PACE) Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., is hosting Dragons and Mythical Beasts Live at 2 and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 30. e show was nominated for 2022 Olivier Award for Best Family Entertainment, according to provided information, and features a cast of mythical characters from all over the world, including the massive stone troll, the mysterious Indrik and Japanese Baku, and a majestic Gri n. It’s a
Clarke’s Concert of the Week —
Kelsea Ballerini at Ball Arena
Country music is home to some truly superb songwriters and Tennessee’s Kelsea Ballerini has become one of the genre’s best over the last decade. Her albums get stronger with every release and last year’s “Patterns” featured some of her best songs yet. It’s exciting to imagine what she will give listeners next. In support of the album, Ballerini will be coming to Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle in Denver, at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 30. She’ll be joined by indie rock favorites e Japanese House and upand-comer MaRynn Taylor. It will be a great night of music so get tickets at www. ticketmaster.com.
Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.
WARENSKI
Flora Jean Warenski
September 9, 1932 - February 14, 2025
Flora Jean Warenski, age 92 , passed away on February 14th, 2025 at her home in Arvada, Colorado.She was born September 9, 1932 in Leyden, Colorado to Clarence “Click” O’Rourke and Estelle Gladys “Jackie” Tanko. She enjoyed socializing with her many friends and watching her many grandchildren and great grandchildren in their sports endeavors. She is preceded in death by her son Clarence “PeeWee” Merciez and she is survived by her children, Raymond Merciez and Julie Merciez and many beloved grandchildren and great grandchildren. A celebration of Life will be held in May 2025.
GRAND JUNCTION — County Road 46 meanders around the northern edge of Rangely, curving next to the White River before bending toward the oil and gas infrastructure that’s a major part of the town’s identity.
One piece of industrial equipment — a decadesold, 75-foot-tall water tank — looks right at home on CR 46. But e Tank Center for Sonic Arts isn’t part of the oil and gas industry. It’s a renowned recording space for music and other performing arts with a oneof-a-kind reverb and echo that signer Cameron Beauchamp describes as the space collaborating with you.
“If I’m singing a long tone that would last 20 seconds, I can take a breath in the middle and you won’t notice it at all in the room, because the room carries your voice for so long,’’ he said.
His vocal ensemble, Roomful of Teeth, has recorded two projects at e Tank, and rely on thousands of dollars of National Endowment for the Arts money to create their art, year in and year out.
Artists and small endeavors like e Tank are concerned about the future, as many of their projects depend on NEA grants directly. e NEA was one of the many programs thrown into chaos during the Trump administration’s short-lived federal funding pause earlier this year. Future funding is uncertain.
President Donald Trump previously called to eliminate federal arts funding, and the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025, has called NEA endowments “wasteful.”
e Tank also receives money from Colorado Creative Industries, the state arts and culture o ce. at o ce has a total budget of $4.2 million for 2025. e
NEA contributed $948,000 to the budget, according to the Colorado O ce of Economic Development, of which CCI is a part.
Governor Polis and the state legislature increased funding for CCI last year, possibly making Colorado eligible for more federal money, but it’s too early to know what NEA funding will look like next year.
NEA and CCI also provide funding to organizations like the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance company in Denver, the Blue Sage Center for the Arts in Paonia and a program that develops new American plays at the Creede Repertory eatre, located in the town of less than 300 people tucked in Colorado’s San Juan mountains.
It’s not just the former Rio Grande railroad equipment that makes e Tank special -- it’s rural Colorado.
“ e Tank couldn’t be anywhere else. It’s a very sensitive instrument for sound, if it were next to the freeway, no one would ever go in there. It’d be a howling mess,” said James Paul, executive director of e Tank.
Paul is counting on continued funding from NEA
for a residency program at e Tank during which CU Boulder students will use the space to record their work before performing at the university’s Black Box Experimental Studio.
For a few days in January, when the Trump administration froze federal grants and loans, the check for that residency program wasn’t going to be paid. e freeze was rescinded in late January, and the graduate students have gotten underway on their recording.
Paul and Beauchamp both said arts funding is always in a state of uncertainty, regardless of the administration, but said there’s so much to lose if the creative ecosystem created by these grants is severely reduced or taken away altogether.
Su Teatro, the performing arts center focusing on Latino culture on Santa Fe Drive in Denver, is part of that larger creative community, receiving funding to put on a play from Knoxville artist Linda Parris-Bailey. at funding, an NEA grant, was $15,000.
SEE ARTS FUNDING, P17
Cameron Beauchamp, signer
Zeena Parkins and Scott Amendola play in The Tank in Rangely. COURTESY JAMES PAUL
BY JOSHUA VORSE ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
ARTS FUNDING
“In the end the biggest loss is to the country, as so much of the texture and beauty that makes us interesting and inspiring will disappear. Some people think they are silencing the ‘others,’ but inevitably in silencing the NEA we will silence ourselves,” wrote Tony Garcia, executive artistic director at Su Teatro, in a statement to Rocky Mountain PBS.
Garcia says that funding hasn’t been cut. ere’s a chance it could be, as NEA now requires grant applicants to abide by an executive order that targets anyone
promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Hundreds of artists signed a protest letter against the new rules in February. Last week, the ACLU led suit against the federal arts agency about a similar rule that says grant applicants can’t promote “gender identity” in their art.
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance has a long history with the National Endowment for the Arts; Robinson was on the National Arts Council in the 90s and early 2000s. is scal year, the dance company received a $25,000 grant for their 55th anniversary season.
“So much of who we are and the notoriety and what allows us to do our arts and education work is really because of the quality of dancers that we have and the type of projects that we’re able to do with support from the
NEA,” said Malik Robinson, CEO of CPRD.
In Rangely “a multi-level chandelier of microphones” hung 30 feet above Beauchamp and company as they recorded in e Tank last year, for an album where each song is sung in the tuning frequency of a di erent planet in the solar system.
“Governments on our planet that support the arts in a meaningful way have a great respect for humanity, and for kindness, and for beauty,” said Beauchamp. “Some countries really succeed at this and some don’t at all.”
Rocky Mountain PBS multimedia journalist Carly Rose contributed to this report.
Printed with permission from Rocky Mountain PBS. For information about supporting the organization, go to rmpbs.org.
From left, Thann Scoggin, Steven Bradshaw, and Cameron Beauchamp, recording in The Tank in 2024. COURTESY HALEY FREEDLUND
Once property of the Rio Grande railroad, this 75-foot-tall water tank is now a unique recording space in Rangely. IMAGE FROM VIDEO COURTESY BEN GONDREZ
Dancers with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble perform in an open rehearsal in 2023. PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN
Irish-inspired street fair brings flair
Arvada goes green for St. Patrick’s Day
e streets of Olde Town Arvada were awash with green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, as the community got together for a day of Irish cuisine, live music, festive vendors and, of course, green beer. is year’s celebration, held on March 15, saw the traditional specials of corned
beef, shepherd’s pie, Guinness and whiskey drinks paired with a sprawling collection of vendors and a few live music performances.
is year’s tunes were supplied by Centennial State Pipes and Drums, Stomp Street Heist and West of Fennario, all of whom played both traditional Irish folk songs as well as a slew of timely covers.
Olde Town Business Improvement District Executive Director Joe Hengstler said St. Patrick’s Day in the historic district is one of the busiest days of the year.
“We love hosting this event year after year, and it is always great to see so many
people come out and celebrate,” Hengstler said. “Our St. Patrick’s Day Festival is historically the busiest Saturday of the year in Olde Town. Judging by the crowd, I think that was the case this past Saturday, as well.
“ e businesses of Olde Town do such a great job with various food and drink specials and really getting into the spirit of the day,” Hengstler continued. “Above all, it really is a privilege to be able to present events like these and see the community come out and take part.”
“ e St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Olde Town is absolutely one of the best days of the year!” Gordon said. “On Saturday, at the Visit Arvada booth, we were able to meet and connect with numerous people that were new residents of Arvada and also people from around the metro area that make Arvada their go-to destination for St. Patrick’s Day fun each March.
“ at is exactly what we want to have happen — host events that connect people from all over and bring them to our unique community for an amazing day,” Gordon continued.
Arvada Visitors Center Director Jean Gordon said the event is a great opportunity to showcase all that Olde Town has to o er with locals and Denverites alike.
A fairy spreads Irish cheer to children far and near!
PHOTOS BY RYLEE DUNN
Green Jenga is played outside of Secret Level.
Craig Heneveld: HYPNOTIC 2.0 _ by
Thu 3/27 Fri 3/28
7 S Broadway, Denver
@ 9pm INTIMÄT, 1170 S Sheridan Blvd, Denver Reid Genauer @ 9pm
Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, 1215 20th St, Den‐
Latin Night @ 10pm Club Vinyl, Denver
Biscits @ 10pm Club Vinyl, 1082 N Broadway, Denver
BIJOU @ 10pm Temple Denver, 1136 Broadway, Denver
Adam Bodine @ 10:30am
Denver Gay Mens Chorus w/ Col‐orado Jazz Repertory Orchestra
Theater, 4335 W 44th Ave,
Waf�e Trick: WTF Fest �ol. 5 @ 7pm
Original BBQ, 3295 S Broadway, Engle‐wood
Dial Up @ 10pm Dazzle Denver, 1080 14th Street, Denver
Sat 3/29 Sun 3/30
Axe @ 7pm The Roxy Theater, 2549 Welton St, Denver
Leon Majcen @ 8pm Bluebird Theater, 3317 E Colfax Av, Denver
Dazzle Denver, 1080 14th Street, Den‐ver
Alternate Guitar Tunings Workshop w/Pierce Pettis @ 6pm
Swallow Hill Music, 71 E Yale Ave, Den‐ver
A Place For Owls: Leisure Hour @ 7pm Seventh Circle Music Collective, 2935 W 7th Ave, Denver
Leisure Hour: Denver, CO @ 7pm
Seventh Circle Music Collective, 2935 W 7th Ave, Denver
Blone Noble @ 8pm Glob, 3551 Brighton Blvd, Denver
Wed 4/02
Sarah Banker at Hampton SocialDenver @ 1:30pm The Hampton Social - Denver, 2501 16th St, Denver
Mon 3/31
Tue 4/01
Lyncs @ 8pm Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 E Colfax Ave, Denver 200 Stab Wounds @ 5:30pm
Dave Hanson @ 7pm Dazzle Denver, 1080 14th Street, Den‐ver
Sara Gazarek: Sara + säje @ Newman Center for the Arts @ 7:30pm Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 E Iliff Ave, Denver
Mark Masters Comedy: Mark Masters at Ritual Comedy @ 8pm Ritual Social House, 1209 E 13th Ave, Denver
Women’s soccer team plans future stadium
Facility will be built in Santa Fe Yards area
BY PAOLO ZIALCITA DENVERITE
e National Women’s Soccer League team that is coming to Denver is still unnamed, but the question of where it will play has been answered.
e team will build a stadium and “recreational district” at Sante Fe Yards, a planned development adjacent to the Broadway Station light rail stop at Santa Fe Drive and Interstate 25.
“ is will be the largest overall investment in a women’s professional sports team in history,” Denver NWSL controlling owner Rob Cohen said in a press release.
e new stadium will open in 2028. e team, set to debut in 2026, will play at a yet-to-be-announced temporary site until then.
Renderings for the stadium show a 14,500-seat, three-sided arena surrounded by a park and mixed-use development. e design was led by architecture rm Populous.
e land will be purchased by both the club and the city, according to e Den-
ver Post. City property records for the sites show the properties are valued at about $24 million.
Any land acquisition by the city would have to be approved by Denver City Council, and a portion of the property will need to be rezoned.
More about the site
e stadium will be built at the southern border of Denver’s Baker neighborhood, near the Broadway on-ramp to I-25. at area has been at a crossroads for years. While three light rail lines connect to the nearby RTD station — making it a promising location for a dense, walkable and transit-oriented neighborhood — attempts at that kind of development have slowed.
A few years ago it was envisioned as part of a 7.5 acre-development known as Broadway Station, which included Santa Fe Yards. So far, those e orts have stalled, and the land remains a collection of dirt lots. e area was once home to the former Gates rubber factory site.
Denver’s Baker neighborhood has been historically middle-class, but recent city data shows it has shed that reputation.
In 2023, 54 percent of its residents
Sources of Strength operates in all Denver-area schools
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A peer-led mental health program that started in Colorado nearly 30 years ago is showing measurable success in preventing teen suicides.
A newly published study found that Sources of Strength, a program that trains student leaders to foster resilience and encourage help-seeking behaviors, helped reduce suicide attempts by 29% among high school students over two years.
e randomized controlled trial, conducted in partnership with the state’s health department, the University of Rochester and the University of North Carolina, followed 6,539 students across 20 high schools.
Researchers said the ndings provided some of the most substantive evidence yet that peer-driven mental health programs can have a measurable impact on suicide prevention.
Scott LoMurray, CEO of Sources of Strength, said the study validates what many educators and mental health professionals have long believed.
“Young people have a tremendous power to create positive transformation in their schools and communities,” he said. “ is study is a pivotal moment for youth mental health and suicide prevention. e evidence shows that upstream, strength-based prevention programs like Sources of Strength work and can save lives.”
Based in Lakewood, the program has
made more than $100,000. Citywide, 46 percent of Denverites make that amount of money. Meanwhile, from 2018 to 2023, the share of residents who make less than $75,000 dropped from 52 per-
cent
33
a Denver news site. Used by permission. For more, and to support Denverite, visit denverite. com.
Peer-led program appears to reduce teen suicide attempts
expanded to more than 250 schools across Colorado, including every Denver metro area school district. It operates in elementary, middle and high schools.
A shift toward prevention
LoMurray said that, unlike traditional crisis-focused interventions, which primarily react to mental health emergencies, Sources of Strength emphasizes prevention by equipping students with the tools to build resilience, social connection and help-seeking behaviors before they reach a crisis point.
According to the program’s website, students are nominated by their peers for their ability to in uence others in positive ways. Alongside adult advisers, these student leaders receive training on how to promote mental well-being throughout their schools.
e study found that Sources of Strength’s impact extended across diverse racial, gender and socioeconomic groups, reinforcing the program’s adaptability in di erent school communities.
“ at was one of the most encouraging ndings,” LoMurray said. “We’re seeing these results hold across di erent demographic groups. at’s rare in this space.” at broad impact has been especially valuable in rural communities, where mental health services are often limited, said Chelsey Lehmkuhl, a regional training consultant with the Colorado School Safety Resource Center in Lakewood.
“As a previous Adult Advisor for the Sources of Strength program at Sterling High School, I witnessed the value in the program rsthand,” she said. “For rural schools, investing in Sources of Strength means investing in stronger, healthier communities where students are empowered to lift each other, break the
stigma around mental health and create a culture of support.”
Lehmkuhl said the program helps combat social isolation and encourages students to build healthy coping strategies, meaningful relationships and access to trusted adults — all of which are essential in preventing crises and promoting overall well-being.
“When young people have the strength to reach out and seek help, the entire community bene ts,” she said.
Limitations, training and impact
Despite its success overall, the study revealed a signi cant gap: students who had recently experienced sexual violence did not see the same reduction in suicide attempts. e nding surprised LoMurray, who
had hoped the program’s protective effects would extend to all students.
“It underscores the fact that students facing trauma often need more than a public health intervention,” he said. “ ey need specialized support, and this study reinforces the importance of addressing their unique needs.”
For LoMurray, this reinforces the importance of trusted adult connections in suicide prevention, which is why Sources of Strength trains students and adults together rather than separately.
“We don’t just train students or adults. We train them together because prevention is most powerful when youth and trusted adults partner in this work,” he said.
to
percent. is story is from Denverite,
A rendering of the future women’s soccer stadium at Santa Fe Yards, at Santa Fe Drive and Interstate 25. COURTESY OF DENVER NWSL
Sources of Strength uses a peer-led model where students work with adult advisers to address teen mental health. COURTESY OF SOURCES OF STRENGTH
A sports medicine strategy for her
First-of-its-kind program launches at Children’s Hospital Colorado
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
ree years ago, Nevaeh Zamora was running cross country as a high school freshman at Pinnacle Charter School in ornton when her body gave out. Malnourished and overtrained, she tore her hip exor, an injury that sidelined her and forced her to reevaluate everything she thought she knew about fueling her body.
“I went to eating only one meal a day because I thought, ‘Oh, the smaller runners are the ttest and the fastest, and that’s going to get me to that next point.’ And it ended up just running me to injury,” Zamora said.
at injury ultimately led her to the Female Athlete Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado, where she worked with sports medicine specialists, a nutritionist and a physical therapist to heal physically and mentally.
“Without the Female Athlete Clinic, I would not be where I am today,” Zamora said. “ ey de nitely took the naarrative that food was bad and shifted that completely. Without them, I don’t think I’d be graduating this year.”
Now, the Sports Medicine Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado is home to a rst-of-its-kind resource for young female athletes. Launched last fall, the Female Athlete Program takes a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to athlete health, one that goes beyond injury treatment to address nutrition, menstrual health, and long-term wellness.
Aubrey Armento, a pediatric sports medicine doctor, marathon runner and advocate for young female athletes, leads the program.
Armento said she battled with underfueling and missed periods during high school and college, giving her rsthand
PROGRAMS
When asked to recount a memorable experience during his time leading Sources of Strength, LoMurray shared Cody’s story, a student in Idaho who once struggled with isolation and suicidal thoughts.
He described watching Cody stand before his school board advocating for the program.
“Cody told this story about how he never felt like he belonged,” LoMurray said. “He never felt like he had friends.
insight into how these challenges a ect performance and long-term health. As a result, she created a specialized program that not only treats female athletes but also helps prevent these issues before they start.
“We bring together a sports dietitian and an adolescent gynecologist, which many programs don’t have because we know female athlete health isn’t just about one issue,” Armento said.
According to her, one of the most signi cant risks for female athletes is low energy availability, which refers to a mismatch between how much energy an athlete burns and how much she consumes.
“If an athlete doesn’t have enough energy to support normal body functioning, it can lead to what’s called the female athlete triad, “ Armento said. “So in response to that, we can see an athlete lose their period, have infrequent periods or delayed starts of their period.”
Armento emphasized the long-term risks of these issues, particularly for bone health.
“So we know that if somebody is not optimizing their bone health during adolescence in particular, which is when a large proportion of the bone mass that we have into our adult life is gained, we’re basically setting these athletes up for increased risk for osteoporosis,” she said.
She explained that warning signs can range from frequent injuries and slow recovery times to more subtle cues like avoiding team meals or engaging in restrictive eating patterns.
One challenge Armento sees regularly is the impact of social media on young athletes’ eating habits.
“Unfortunately, we see a lot of young people who may start to engage in bad diets that they see on TikTok, for example.”
Restrictive eating habits can worsen energy imbalances, leading to more injuries and long-term health consequences, which is why the program includes a nutrition consultation with a registered sports dietician and individualized nutrition goals.
He never felt connected or seen until he joined Sources of Strength, and that’s when he found his voice, community and friends. He said if he had found this when he was in elementary school, it would have saved him ve years of wanting to die.”
While Sources of Strength is primarily used in schools, the program has expanded into LGBTQ+ centers, detention centers and the military.
“Our approach is exible. We don’t impose a one-size- ts-all curriculum — we work with communities to help them shape the program in ways that resonate with their culture and needs,” LoMurray said.
Shifting the narrative around female athlete health
Beyond patient care, Armento said the Female Athlete Program aims to raise awareness about the risks associated with the female athlete triad.
“Our big goal is to be a resource in the Colorado area,” Armento said. “So for these young female athletes who may be struggling with body image, proper fueling or slow recovery, they know they can come to the Female Athlete Program at Children’s and get high quality, comprehensive care.”
Armento has found encouragement in the increased visibility of elite athletes discussing these issues.
“I’ve been really happy to see highpro le athletes that have a platform use their platform in a positive way to try to promote healthy relationships with food and di erent body types and exercise,” she said.
Zamora is now using her experience to help other athletes. For her senior capstone project, she created a workshop for freshmen at her school about food positivity and the impact of diet culture on young athletes.
“I told them, ‘If you ever need an excuse to eat ice cream, I’m your excuse. Eat the ice cream because life’s too short,’” Zamora said. “It’s not that I run so I get to eat. I eat so I get to run.”
Armento urged athletes to reach out early if they are struggling.
“My biggest piece of advice is not to be scared to speak up and let somebody know that you’re having a hard time because there (are) many resources in place to help provide support. And I think the sooner the better,” she said. She also reminds athletes that they are not alone in this.
“ ere are sports dietitians that work virtually and can see patients all over the country,” she said.
Zamora, now preparing for college, said the program helped her build a healthy relationship with food that will serve her for years to come.
“I can say with full con dence that I trust that I’m going to eat, and my mom trusts that I’m going to eat,” she said. “Without that program, I wouldn’t be able to move in this direction.”
Armento hopes the program will become a key resource for young female athletes across the region.
“Ultimately, our goal is to help athletes build healthy relationships with food, their body and exercise that will carry them into their adult lives, so they can continue to be active and participate in the sports they love for many, many years,” she said.
ST. JOANOF ARC
Proclaiming Christ from the Mountains to the Plains www.StJoanArvada.org 12735 W 58th Ave · 80002 · 303-420-1232
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Dr. Aubrey Armento treats a patient at the Sports Medicine Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado. COURTESY OF CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL COLORADO
CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ
1. GEOGRAPHY: Mount Everest is part of which mountain range?
2. MOVIES: Which color lm was the rst to win an Academy Award for Best Picture?
3. ASTRONOMY: Which planet in our solar system is believed to be the windiest?
4. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Where is the U.S. Constitution stored?
5. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of lemurs called?
6. TELEVISION: Which city is the setting for the dramatic series “ e Wire”?
7. GEOLOGY: Which country has the most active volcanos?
8. LITERATURE: Which character in a Charles Dickens novel famously said, “Please, sir, I want some more”?
9. ART: Which Dutch artist is considered a master of light and shadow, creating dramatic e ects in paintings?
TrIVIa
10. SCIENCE: What is an ectothermic animal?
Answers
1. e Himalayas.
2. “Gone With the Wind.”
3. Neptune.
4. e National Archives.
5. A conspiracy.
6. Baltimore, Maryland.
7. Indonesia.
8. Title character in “Oliver Twist.”
9. Rembrandt.
10. Cold-blooded.
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TREATMENT
A project to upgrade solids handling capacity at the Ralston Water Treatment Plant was nished in 2024, and another project to increase the lter capacity at that plant is estimated to be complete by this April, with the goal of those improvements being to keep the plant operational until 2045. “ ere are some options on that site to keep the current facility in operation while we rebuild that space, to rebuild portions of it, so we can take more of a phased approach,” Public Works Director Jaqueline
DEBATE
e amendment passed with three board members opposed, but was not an obstacle for board members approving the nal resolution.
State Board member Kathy Plomer, who represents areas of ornton that were also targeted last month when federal immigration raids were conducted in Denver and Aurora, also introduced an amendment that would have acknowledged the Trump administration’s decision to rescind a decades-long policy that treated schools as sensitive or protected locations where immigra-
Rhoades said.
Last year’s maximum demand day in the summer was 40 million gallons.
A representative with Arvada’s Public Works Department said at a study session on March 4 that the Arvada Water Treatment Plant is not up to current standards, and both plants struggle to process “challenging” water and also struggle under certain seasonal conditions.
“We have four violations in 2024 from two incidents that are directly related to how the Arvada Plant is designed,” a member of the public works team said. “ e Arvada Plant isn’t up to current standards — that’s starting to show up as the state is really starting to go, ‘Hey, we want every-
tion enforcement could only take place if there was an immediate danger to the public.
Her amendment would have read:
“We’re aware that Colorado schools serve diverse communities who feel worried or uncertain about the safety of their students based on the removal of schools as protected spaces and recent neighborhood immigration enforcement activities.”
But Republican board members said they would not support the resolution with that language because it felt overly political.
State Board member Burton Brown said she felt the removal of any protected spaces where federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, was
thing to match today’s standards.’
“Both plants struggle every single year under certain conditions, but because we have an amazing team, our customers don’t know that we’ve been struggling,” she continued. “If we get really challenging water, from a ood, or from a re, we probably aren’t going to handle it.”
Both plants also have multiple points of failure, according to the public works team member.
A few alternatives to building a new plant were discussed at the March 4 study session, but none were seriously explored. e cost to repair the Arvada Water Treatment Plant was estimated to be about $346 million and purchasing water from Denver
blocked from entering to remove “someone including those who are violent criminals” was a good thing that made students safer.
State Board member Steve Durham said that if the board was going to open the door to be political by introducing such resolutions, he had in mind several more political resolutions he could introduce soon.
Plomer said her amendment was intended to add clarity so school districts knew that the State Board understood what had changed to make them deal with this issue now.
But, in the end, she said having a bipartisan statement was more important and revoked the amendment.
“I don’t want to just create chaos that’s
Water was also deemed to be an unfeasible option.
e site for the new plant is expected to be near the Arvada-Blunn Reservoir, though a nal decision is still in the works regarding whether that will be directly adjacent to the reservoir or across Highway 93. at decision is expected to be made this spring.
Groundbreaking for the new plant is supposed to take place in summer 2026, and the plant is expected to be operational by January 2030. A bond is expected to help nance the project, and water rates will likely go up for residents as well in 2026. More workshops will be held in the coming months.
not doing anything, and getting in the way of something that I hope could be productive, and a statement from this board, that we want kids to come to school and feel safe,” Plomer said.
State Board member Yazmin Navarro, also a Republican, thanked Plomer. “I think it’s amazing that you want to work with everyone on the board and that you’re willing to do that. at’s hard,” Navarro said. “It goes back to the idea that everyone’s sentiment has been across the board that we’re all here for students.”
Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
Outdated Polyaluminum Chloride (PAC) mixer at the Arvada Water Treatment Plant. Pilot plant at the Arvada Water Treatment Plant to test ideas for eventual AWTP replacement.
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