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May 8, 2014
School tax and bond plan discussed By Lou Ellen Bromley School district 27J is looking into placing a $7.5 million mill levy override and a $150 million bond package for the fall of 2014 general election. If the plan is approved by the board of education and placed on the ballot, the funds from both would be used to build new schools and for maintenance on existing schools in the district. Operations Department Manager Terry Lucero presented the Quality Schools Initiative to the combined city council meeting last Tuesday night to both Brighton and Commerce City council members. Lucero expects the school district will see approximately 17,000 new students enrolled in the school district by the fall of 2014. With the continued growth in both the north and
east sections of the district, future needs for more schools is a real concern. “Most of the new housing developments are in these areas, bringing in several new homeowners with school-age children.” said Lucero. The combined bond package and mill levy override would provide something for all of the schools in the district that will ultimately support the needs of the students. While staying within the proposed dollar amounts requested, the school district is looking at building two new elementary schools. One located in the north area of the district and one in the south, each to house 735 students. Also funds are needed to complete Brantner Elementary school in the west area of the district, providing space for 435 students. Renovations and upgrades for existing schools are planned,
such as, three portable units with two classrooms in each for Stuart Middle School, adding 150 seats for students. Brighton High School would receive upgrades to include seating for 150 additional students, also Brighton Heritage Academy and Eagle Ridge Academy would receive two additional classrooms each. 27J Superintendent Chris Fielder stated that “this is not a school staff issue but a community issue and if there is no community involvement in passing the bond and mill levy proposals there will be a real problem.” Fielder agrees that “trust” in the school administration is a big issue for the election but he believes they can gain the trust of the of the community by clearly illustrating the needs of the school district and by thoroughly sharing the bond and mill
levy plans with the community. A recent poll done by the school district showed 57 percent of the community would vote yes on the mill levy override, 38 percent would vote no with 5 percent undecided. The bond package showed 57 percent of the community would vote yes, with 40 percent voting no and 3 percent undecided. The focal point of the summer will be to gain the trust of the voters before any official decision by the board of education is made as to whether to have an election this year. The public is invited to attend the Parents and Community for 27J meeting being held Wednesday, May 7, at Overland Trail Middle School, 455 North 19 Ave. in Brighton at 6:30 p.m. for the school districts presentation of the ideas for the proposed mill levy override and bond issue to voters.
Tuition bill sponsor blasts colleague after defeat Salazar rips fellow Adams County Democrat over her vote on bill By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com A sponsor of a bill to ease tuition costs for American Indian college students accused a fellow Adams County Democrat of being “politically motivated” in her deciding vote to kill the legislation. Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, blasted Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, for voting against the bill during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on April 29. Hodge’s vote caused the bill to fail by a single vote, preventing it from being voted on by the full Senate. “I’m extremely disappointed in my senator, Sen. Hodge, who overlaps my district, because she was the deciding vote on killing it,” Salazar told Colorado Community Media. “And I think the commu-
nity demands answers and the community should get answers.” But Hodge said her vote on the bill was nothing personal and that it had everything to do with the cost to the state. “We have a Report lot of priorities, and we have to make tough choices sometimes,” Hodge said. Salazar’s bill would have allowed out-ofstate American Indian students to attend Colorado state colleges and universities at in-state tuition rates. House Bill 1124 would have applied to any student, regardless of where they reside in the country, so long as they are a member of one of the 48 federally-recognized Indian tribes with historical ties to Colorado. The bill had passed the House with Republican support. Salazar said he was particularly upset
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because he found out about the bill’s demise as he was speaking to an American Indian group that was visiting the Capitol. After informing the group that the bill had died, Salazar said the audience reacted with “astonishment.” “This was the feel-good bill of the year … and I think there needs to be answers as to why this bill was killed,” Salazar said. “I want to hear why Mary Hodge killed this bill.” Salazar said Hodge’s opposition to the bill stems from his “staunch opposition” to a bill of Hodge’s that died in the House earlier in the month. Hodge was a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 93, which clarified that oil pipeline companies could acquire rights-of-way by eminent domain. But Hodge said that “accusation is just silly” because she wasn’t a primary sponsor of that legislation. Hodge did co-sponsor the bill, but did not carry it through the committee process. Hodge said Salazar’s bill cost too much.
The bill would have increased state expenditures by at least $668,000 annually. But the biggest hit would have been to colleges and universities, which would have seen their revenues decrease by $5.3 million annually, had the bill passed. “The bill would have taken $5 million from very strapped colleges and universities,” she said. Salazar considered the cost earlier and had once thought of scaling back the legislation to apply only to incoming students. But Salazar said he didn’t end up doing that because it was his understanding that the bill was going to be funded in its original form. Salazar said he will bring the bill back next year. The bill’s Senate sponsor shared Salazar’s disappointment over the bill’s defeat, but she hopes that Salazar learns not to take legislative losses so personally. “One of the things you need to learn is you carry them, you don’t marry them,” said Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton.
Portion of Platte River Trail to be completed Adams County contracts work for trail between 108th and 120th By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Work on a two-mile stretch of the South Platte River Trail between 120th and 108th avenues could be completed as soon as June 2015. The Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Drexel, Barrell & Company during its April 28 regular meeting. The $143,120 contract covers the cost of engineering and design work of the trail. There is $1.4 million set aside in the capital budget for this project, which covers the costs of construction, according to a county document. “This project will construct approximately 9,000 linear feet of 10-foot wide concrete trail and two pedestrian bridges and complete the South Platte River Trail through the Regional Park all the way north to E-470,” project manager Marc Pedrucci said. The bridges that will be constructed will go across the South Platte River Trail near 120th and across Bull Seep near 108th. Design and permitting work is being
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done during the next six months. Construction should begin in January 2015 and hopefully be completed by June 2015, he added. “The South Platte River trail currently ends at approximately 108th Avenue, and from that point to 120th Avenue (south edge of the AC Regional Park) the trail does not exist,” Pedrucci said. “Once this segment is completed the South Platte River Trail will run continuously for almost 40 miles all the way to Chatfield Reservoir.” This is the last segment the county will build. The remaining sections within Adams County will be built by the city of Brighton, according to county staff. The county, in partnership with the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, has already constructed more than 12 miles of the trail since the 1980s. The South Platte Trail spans 14 miles through Adams County and is part of the Colorado Front Range Trail. According to www.traillink.com, the 28.5-mile Platte River Trail has two disconnected sections: the northern portion runs from east 120th Parkway north for roughly three miles in Henderson and the southern section officially runs from the Elaine T. Valente Open Space in Thornton south to West Dartmouth Avenue, just west of US Highway 85 in Englewood. The trail intersects with three other trails: Sand Creek, Bear Creek and Clear Creek.
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