e uno cial mayor of Evergreen passed away March 19. John Ellis died peacefully at 77, according to his obituary. A lifelong resident of Evergreen, Ellis was beloved for his upbeat personality, giving spirit and devotion to his community. His obituary notes, “In the end, John’s big giving heart gave out.”
A celebration of life for Ellis is from 4-7 p.m. April 9 at the Evergreen Lake House.
He leaves behind a grieving community, but one whose residents universally say it is better for having had him in it.
“To live in Evergreen is to know John Ellis,” said Nancy Judge, president of the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce. “He was the only and only true mayor of Evergreen, always with a smile on his face and (taking) time to talk to everyone. He was a true ambassador for the entire
Former Morrison resident takes the spotlight on ‘American Idol’
Gabe James makes it to next round of long-running show
BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
rison resident Gabe James skateboarded down the town’s streets singing. e neighbors heard him and told his parents what a beautiful voice he had.
didn’t even know that I sang,” James said.
plans to make music his career, appeared on the pre-recorded episode of “American Idol” that aired March 30 during the auditions portion of the contest — where there judges deemed
~Yoda
Gabe James on the set of American Idol, where he performed for the episode that airs this Sunday, March 30.
John Ellis,
John Ellis PHOTO COURTESY ANNIE COPPOCK PHOTOGRAPHY
SEE ELLIS, P5
Six people, including three incumbents, are running for the board in May
BY JANE REUTER
Six candidates, including three incumbents, seek three seats on the Evergreen Park & Recreation District board.
Current President Betsy Hays, Vice President Mary McGhee and Treasurer Peter Eggers are all seeking second terms on the board. Geo rey Erdahl, Erin Graham and Ally Hilgefort are also running for seats.
e EPRD is in the midst of several major projects, including the addition of a natatorium and eldhouse to Buchanan Recreation Center, and redevelopment of Buchanan Park. ose plans are in keeping with the EPRD’s 2023 strategic plan, which also calls for an eventual remodel of Wulf Recreation Center.
e Canyon Courier spoke with each candidate about their background, and why they’d like to serve on the EPRD board.
Peter Eggers
• Treasurer EPRD board, ve-term EPRD board member
• Former owner Woden Woods custom woodworking
• Evergreen resident since 1971
I’m a New York native. When I moved to Evergreen, I didn’t know a soul. I met my wife, Peggy, here. I loved woodworking and started working at Woden Woods. I bought it 20 years later.
My way of connecting with my community was to be involved in EPRD and Art for the Mountain Community. ose are the two organizations that opened up my experience in Evergreen.
EPRD is the largest employer in Evergreen. It has tremendous exposure to a broad cross section of the community.
I ran for the board in ’92 and served until 2004. In 2006, was asked to chair the Buchanan Park master plan executive committee. I ran for the board in 2008 and served until 2012. I ran again in 2022.
I was originally involved in the construction of the Lakehouse and the Buchanan Park Rec Center. It served me mentally, my personal well-being and, in turn, I got
Evergreen Park & Recreation District candidates share their views
to serve my community.
e work is not done. I feel I can contribute my experience and my time to this ambitious program. I feel I can add value to the process. e vision of Buchanan Park is very near and dear to my heart. I have no problem devoting whatever it takes to make this happen.
I bring a considerable amount of institutional memory and history to this process. I think that perspective is unique among the candidates. I have experience in the trades and we’ll be dealing with construction management. is is my history. So I feel pretty comfortable in the process.
Geof Erdahl
• Digital content creator
• Evergreen resident since 2006 I grew up in Idaho, then lived in Australia and moved to Colorado to spend time with my sister.
My then-new-wife and I only dreamed of getting a place in Evergreen. But a piece of land popped up and we moved here in 2006.
My interest in EPRD began with the Elk Meadow Dog Park (closed in 2017 due to erosion, pollution and excess amounts
of dog waste). We have two huskies and were disappointed when it got shut. I had conversations with Tom Hoby at Je Co Open Space. I made a video for a dog park idea and sent it to (county commissioner) Lesley Dahlkemper.
So much land in EPRD’s district is owned by Je co, Denver Mountain Parks and the state, or controlled by family trusts. A lot of it is prime land. If you’re looking for a piece of land that’s kind of at for a dog park, you’re sort of restricted. I want to look at the nancials, how the land is managed and used. I also started doing research on wildres, and potential paths of egress for residents in the case of a big wild re. I’d like to see us have more options so people can get out.
And the EPRD is the closest thing to a government body to discussing these things. I also want to be sure the public knows and understands about the expansion to the rec center and new pool, and that once the new pool is up and running, the one at Wulf Recreation Center will be decommissioned.
Ally Hilgefort
Betsy Hays
Peter Eggers
Geof Erdahl
Erin Graham
Mary McGhee
NAHB’s International Builders’ Show 2025 in Las Vegas Provided a Glimpse of New & Inspiring Products
Regular readers of this column know that I’m a sucker for new and innovative products. Many of them are on display each year at the National Association of Home Builders’ annual International Builders’ Show (IBS), which was held in Las Vegas the last week of February.
For me, as a real estate professional, IBS is comparable in interest to what the Consumer Electronics Show (now CES) is to geeks. This is where we learn about new concepts in manufacturing, both of home building materials and of houses themselves.
There were many “smart home” products promoted at IBS, including an app called OliverIQ, which claims to tie together all of one’s smart home devices into “smart home as a service” (SHaaS). At right is a screenshot of this app shown on an iPhone.
Literally hundreds of companies purchased exhibit space at February’s IBS show in Las Vegas, and I wish I could have attended, but here are some of the new or improved products which I learned about from press reports.
Lighting is an important part of any home, and one of the innovations that caught my attention was Alloy LED’s SurfaFlex 1 Tape Light. It is demonstrated in the picture below, providing a nice alternative to indirect lighting, which was also on display in various forms by other vendors.
When I visited a Scottsdale hotel several years ago, I was captivated by the folding garage door on its restaurant. Well, that concept is now going mainstream, albeit at a cost many home builders or homeowners might not feel they could justify.
Instead of the garage door traveling overhead on rails, rendering that part of the ceiling inaccessible and unusable, this garage door folds itself at the top of the opening. Clopay’s VertiStack garage door, shown below, won “Best of Show” at this year’s IBS.
Another product concept that caught my attention was under-counter refrigerator and freezer drawers, great for a wet bar, shown here between a couple beverage coolers.
Attention Wood Workers & Hobbyists!
I’m listing a home next month (or sooner) that has a fully equipped woodworking shop in the basement with lots of expensive woodworking equipment, most of which are Delta branded — table saw, planer, drill press, band saw, miter saw, and sawdust vacuum, plus hand power tools. Help me help the seller liquidate these tools before we put his home on the market. Call me at 303-525-1851
speaker system to the heated seat with hands-free opening and closing.” It is priced at $9,796.01 on Kohler.com. I’ll pass, thank you. Walls of glass are nothing new, of course. I saw my first example of a wall of sliding glass panels that opened onto a patio (with outdoor kitchen, of course) in a house in Lakewood’s Solterra subdivision that I helped a client purchase several years ago. I haven’t seen others quite as large and dramatic since, but maybe they’ll catch on following the display of a “multi-slide door” at IBS. They are also sold as pocket doors, but more typically stack into the width of one panel.
maintenance-free way to bring nature and tranquility indoors.
In the posting of this article on our blog, http://RealEstateToday.substack.com, I’ll include links for each of these products
Over 90% of Listing Agents Insert Faulty Legal Descriptions in MLS
I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating. As a finicky editor, it has always bothered me that my fellow agents don’t know what is and isn’t the proper legal description.
I analyzed 100 listing on REcolorado, our local MLS, and only 8 of them had a clean legal description. Let me explain.
Most non-rural listings are in a subdivision, and are legally described by the name of the subdivision plus the block and lot numbers. But almost every listing agent inserts the “legal description” provided by the Realist report obtained via the MLS. That description also contains a Section, Township, and Range as well as the size of the parcel in addition to the subdivision, block and lot, like this from a recent listing of mine:
SECTION 34 TOWNSHIP 02 RANGE 69 QTR NE SUBDIVISIONCD 138000 SUBDIVISIONNAME CLUB CREST FLG #2 BLOCK 003 LOT 0011 SIZE: 11001 TRACT VALUE: .253
Heading the list of truly weird products was a “smart toilet” from Kohler, the Numi 2.0, shown below. It “combines unmatched design and technology to bring you the finest in personal comfort and cleansing. Kohler's most advanced toilet now offers personalized settings that let you fine-tune every option to your exact preferences, from ambient colored lighting and built-in audio
Client Praises One of Our Agents
Hi, Jim. This is Rita Levine. I just wanted to give you feedback, and I'm sure you already know this, but I closed on a home recently, and my broker was Chuck Brown. I just wanted to let you know he was the best real estate agent I have ever had, and this is my ninth house in three states. So, he was just so accommodating, so helpful, and so patient because we've been looking for four and a half years trying to find somebody that would do a contingency and find something I could afford.
And so, I just wanted to let you know how much I greatly appreciate his assistance and what a wonderful person he is.
I'm just really happy I had the opportunity to get to know him, and I'm so happy when I met with you that you brought him along and recommended that he would be the best person for me to work with because he absolutely was the best person to work with.
So, just giving you feedback, and I'm sure that's much better than any complaint because many times people only call to complain about things, and I just like to always let people know when somebody went way beyond what was expected of them, and he certainly did that. So, thanks again, and let him know that I let you know. Okay, have a great day. Bye-bye.
Lastly for this article, have you heard of “green walls”? RIVA Moss, sustainably harvested from European forests, allows for the creation of captivating living walls, framed art, and other custom installations, offering a
Here is the actual legal description, which the title company inserted in the warranty deed transferring the property to the buyer: Lot 11, Block 3, Club Crest Filing No. 2, County of Jefferson
Defying Critics, NAR Retains Its Policy Against ‘Pocket Listings’
Last week, I wrote about the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR’s) Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), which some major brokerages would like to see abolished, claiming that it is anti-competitive.
However, NAR, bolstered by an unsolicited determination by the U.S. Department of Justice that the CCP by itself was not anti-competitive, announced last week that it was retaining the policy, while throwing some crumbs to objectors in the form of a new MLS policy called “Multiple Listing Options for Sellers.”
That new policy was effective immediately (March 25, 2025), but gave MLSs until September 30th to implement it. The irony is that our MLS and possibly many others already offer these “new listing options” specified in NAR’s new policy. Those options are spelled out as follows:
1) A consumer will have the option to market their home as a “delayed marketing exempt listing.” This means a seller can instruct their listing agent to delay the marketing of their listing by other agents outside the listing firm through IDX or syndication for a period of time. REcolorado already has this feature, a “Coming Soon” status that is limited to 7 days, during which no showings may occur, including by the listing agent.
2) During the delayed marketing period, the home seller and the listing agent can market the listing in a manner consistent with the seller’s needs and interests. At the same time, the delayed marketing exempt listing will still be available to other MLS Participants through the MLS platform so they can inform their consumers about the property. That’s how “Coming Soon” status works.
3) Each MLS will have discretion to determine a delayed marketing period that is most
suitable for their local marketplace. REcolorado set that period as 7 days.
4) Listing agents representing sellers who choose to delay the public marketing of their listing must secure from their seller a signed disclosure documenting the seller’s informed consent to waive the benefits of immediate public marketing through IDX and syndication. Seller disclosure is required for both delayed marketing exempt listings and office exclusive exempt listings. The Colorado Real Estate Commission dictates that sellers be advised that restricting the exposure of their listing may not be in the public interest, but I don’t believe that such disclosures are being made to sellers by agents who convince sellers to keep their listing visible only to fellow agents within the same brokerage.
As I noted in last week’s column, listing agents can simply check a box during data entry to keep a listing off other broker websites, including realtor.com, redfin.com, and Zillow.com.
In summary, REcolorado has nothing to do to comply with this new “rule.”
My only wish is that NAR would disallow the “office exclusive” policy, which is itself anticompetitive, in that it disadvantages independent brokers and small brokerages, which, like small businesses, are the real workhorses of the real estate industry.
Does State Law Trump NAR
Dictates?
Alabama has enacted a law that buyers do not need to sign an agreement with a broker in order to be shown a home for sale, directly overriding a key part of last year’s NAR settlement. The local Realtor Association lobbied for the bill, saying it put undue duress on buyers and was not in the best interest of consumers.
EPRD CANDIDATES
Erin Graham
• U.S. Bank senior vice president
• EPRD district resident since 2020
• Treasurer, Rocky Mountain Weavers Guild
I grew up in South Carolina and moved to Colorado sight unseen 10 years ago for a fresh start. I saw pictures of the mountains and thought, ‘I needed to spend more time there.’
I met my signi cant other, who lived in Indian Hills, in 2018. In 2020, I moved to Indian hills and absolutely loved it. I feel like I found my home here. I enjoy weaving, reading, hiking, snowboarding and am working toward getting my private pilot’s license.
I care deeply about recreation and getting involved in the community.
I consider myself somewhat of a newcomer to the foothills, and while there are certain initiatives I’m very familiar with, I’d like to learn about the community and understand where the concerns are.
I’ve been looking at nancial processes for government entities for quite a while now, and I’d like to apply that knowledge by joining the board of directors of EPRD. I think our values align.
I agree with how they’ve worked toward the strategic plan, and I think my background in public entity nance would be helpful in moving the strategic plan forward. e natatorium and park improvements are needed. I’d like to help their vision come to fruition.
Betsy Hays
• EPRD board president, elected May 2022
• Marketing/nonpro t management, retired
• Evergreen resident since 2001
• Former president Evergreen Chamber of Commerce
I grew up in Connecticut, but my husband and I moved here 30 years ago. We liked the lifestyle, the people, the quality of life. We raised three children here who were really involved in sports and scouting. All three of our kids worked for Evergreen Park and Rec.
I have a long career in marketing and nonpro t management. Locally, I’ve done fundraising for the Mountain Area Land Trust, Mount Evans, was events manager for Downtown Evergreen. I also do a lot of volunteering for other nonpro ts. I am well-connected to the parent community, the business community and the nonpro t community.
I just nished my rst term on the EPRD board. We had three goals. One was to help the new executive director (Cory Vander Veen) get up and running. Two, to make sure we completed the Evergreen Lake north trail. ree, I wanted to make sure we got community feedback and created a strategic plan for the district that could drive our decisions into the future.
We created a plan based on community input. Now we are working on executing and getting that plan in place for the community. I just want to see through what we got started.
I know how to get people to work together, nd consensus, get things done and I am really good about getting out there and helping explain to people why we’re doing things. I really love doing that for EPRD because we have a lot of amazing things happening.
Ally Hilgefort
• Stay-at-home mom with experience
The Canyon Courier invites you to an engaging and informative forum featuring candidates for the Elk Creek Fire Protection District Board: Michael Bartlett • Al Leo • Kathleen Noonan Tom Seymour• Todd Wagner
in communications, project management
• Evergreen resident since 2021 I’m from northern Kentucky. We took our rst summer trip to Colorado in 2016 and stumbled upon Evergreen; we loved it. I felt we’d found the perfect place to raise our children.
EPRD was a big factor in our move. We have a 3- and 7-year old. We’re invested, and we’re going to live here for decades to come, so it’s exciting to think about having an impact on the area.
Hearing about plans for the Buchanan Park improvements led me to begin going to the board meetings. It felt important to continue going and give my opinion because there are so many families in Evergreen that can’t get to those meetings.
I know some of the board members raised their families in Evergreen. But I do feel it’s a little di erent having kids in the home out there who are experiencing it every day.
My main concern is making sure the work happening through EPRD is done in the best way possible for everyone in Evergreen.
ere are going to be a lot of opportunities for programming and new activities. I want to make sure we’re getting programming for teens that aren’t just the physical sports but places for them to hang out, and more programming for toddlers.
If I could get a seat at the table where my voice would have an o cial vote, I feel I could hopefully make an impact for everybody. I’m also interested in logistics and planning; the EPRD board feels like a good place to put my energies.
Mary McGhee
• EPRD board vice president, elected May 2022
• Senior IT Audit, Colorado Department of Revenue gaming division
• Evergreen resident since 1995
• EPRD referee, athletic league organizer. open play manager I grew up in Tennessee, and came to Evergreen over 30 years ago. e things that spoke to me were the trails, the fresh air, the open space.
I immediately became involved with the rec center and EPRD, and have been for the last 31 years as a patron, volunteer, taxpayer, employee and current board member. Being on-site at EPRD facilities three days a week volunteering and working with the athletic programs gives me a more comprehensive 360-degree view of EPRD than any other candidate.
In the last three years we have on-boarded a new executive director, developed a strategic plan, passed the 6C bond and taken care of neglected deferred maintenance at facilities and elds.
Now the challenge is to use the 6C money to tackle two big projects — the pool replacement and expanded gym space.
Currently we have one gymnasium to serve over 25,000 residents. It is over scheduled. EPRD is losing revenue because we have to turn away open play, rentals and leagues. e area population has more than doubled since the gym was built 50 years ago.
We also need to do better on cost recovery for the pool and swimming programs. Rather than charging users more, a better solution is to combine the lifeguard costs, maintenance and water heating to one larger, more cost-e ective pool at Buchanan.
High priority, medium size projects include a kid’s adventure playground, land for a dog park, covering the existing tennis courts and a permanent concert stage.
We’ve done all the hard work now. e best part is, we get to make this happen. I want to see it through.
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Douglas Co Fairgrounds 500 Fairgrounds Rd Castle Rock, Colorado
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Amache camp survivor Bob Fuchigami dies
Former Evergreen teacher, Korean War vet had backed the e ort to transfer internment site to National Park Service orgaEvthat the the the taxpaymember. days the comthan on-boarda takmaintenance money reto over berenthas built recovbetter costs, one Buchanin-
BY HAYLEE MAY
Camp Amache survivor, Colorado advocate and veteran Bob Fuchigami has died at the age of 94.
Fuchigami was just 11 years old when his family was interred at Camp Amache in Granada, where more than 7,000 Japanese-Americans were imprisoned during World War II.
“We looked like the enemy, even though we weren’t the enemy, but the public didn’t know,” Fuchigami said. “Once they put us into the camps, (the public) thought ‘Oh, they must have really done something wrong.’”
When Fuchigami arrived, his family’s small room was bare except for a few cots. One light bulb hung from the ceiling. e oor was a single layer of bricks on the sand. ere were no private bathrooms, only public latrines with no partitions. Nothing could be further from home. Despite the conditions, the internees tried to lead normal lives. ey formed social clubs, established a newspaper and stores. Fuchigami joined the Boy Scouts. After surviving the camp where fami-
ELLIS
community.”
Ellis worked as director of community relations at Evergreen National Bank and a Blue Quill Angler fishing guide, but his true passion was service.
“He had time for anyone and any organization who needed assistance,” Judge said.
Ellis served as president of the Blue Spruce Kiwanis three times in his 59 years in the group. He was also a board member for the Evergreen Metropolitan District and the Evergreen Park & Recreation District, and a constant advocate for local waterways, parks and families. He served as an Evergreen Chamber ambassador and as a volunteer for countless community events.
EPRD board members took a moment during their March 24 meeting to pay tribute to Ellis.
“He was a great mentor and a role model for all of us,” EPRD board president Betsy Hays said. “He will truly be missed. I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the heartbreak of finding he passed.”
Ellis served two terms on the EPRD board.
“He was one of the five board members that hired me when I first came on,” remembered EPRD executive director Cory Vander Veen. “He had just a joy of life. I learned so much from him about the community and as a person.”
Ellis was a member of the Evergreen Metro District board when he passed. President Mark Davidson said Ellis mowed his parents’ lawn when he was a child.
“We go back that far, pretty much my whole life,” he said. “He was the friendliest, most outgoing guy in town. This is a community that runs on volunteerism. John was a big cog in that volunteer machine.
“He was also the best storyteller, with
lies were forced into cramped barracks with minimal privacy and inadequate facilities, Fuchigami went on to serve in the U.S. Navy, where fought in the Korean War. He later became a special education teacher in Evergreen.
Fuchigami would also go on to testify in front of Congress to support e orts by Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse and Republican Rep. Ken Buck to transfer stewardship of Amache to the National Park Service in 2021, which was ultimately successful.
“After surviving Amache, Bob served our nation, and then dedicated much of his adult life to ensuring the story of his family and others like them were never forgotten or repeated,” said Neguse and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in a joint statement. “We were honored to support him in this e ort — standing by his side when visiting Amache in 2022 and celebrating with him when our work together designated Amache as a National Historic Site. His grace, fortitude and endless wisdom will leave a lasting legacy.”
Every year, Japanese-Americans make pilgrimages back to what is one of the darkest chapters in not just their lives, but in Colorado and America’s histories. e
an incredible ability to just draw you in. I learned something every time I talked to him. If I was having a bad day, I’d talk to him and he’d cheer me up, and everyone around him. He was such an amazing influencer with a positive mindset.”
Ellis met his greatest love, his wife Sherry, in junior high school, according to his obituary. The couple raised four children in Evergreen.
His love of children extended to Evergreen’s youth as well.
Bob Fuchigami during a visit to the Camp Amache National Historic Site outside Granada, Colorado, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. More than 7,000 Japanese Americans, including Fujigama, were forcibly interred at the camp during World War II. The visit coincides with the 80th anniversary of the federal order establishing Amache and other camps, and just days after the Senate cleared the way for a bill that would make the site a part of the National Park System.
50th annual Amache pilgrimage will take place May 16-18. is story includes reporting from CPR’s Nathan Fernando-Frescas. is story is
“Many years, John dressed as Santa Claus,” Judge said. “So many of the children here in Evergreen grew up knowing Santa as John Ellis. He exuded that joyfulness that you associate with Santa Claus.”
And while others sometimes decried the growth in Evergreen, Ellis didn’t see it that way.
“Where some people have looked at how evergreen has changed over the years and wished for the olden days,
from CPR News, a nonpro t public broadcaster serving Colorado. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
John seemed to take it all in stride and welcome every additional person or business that came to the community,” Judge said. “He leaves a big hole here.”
Text deletion policy faces questions after high-profile
Records show top Je co o cials deleted text messages about David Weiss, which isn’t illegal
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When a recent public records request asked for text messages between the Jefferson County Schools superintendent, top cabinet o cials and the school board about the termination of district employee David Weiss last December, most replies came back the same: “I don’t have any text messages related to this request.”
Board member Mary Parker was the exception. She preserved and submitted a series of texts, ful lling the request in full. Others, including board members, Danielle Varda and Michelle Applegate, Chief Human Resources O cer Amanda Pierorazio and Chief Legal Counsel Julie Tolleson kept a portion of the text thread. Her messages included exchanges with Superintendent Tracy Dorland and other district leaders discussing internal investigations, communication strategy and how to respond to public and media inquiries following Weiss’ dismissal after the Je erson County Sheri ’s o ce noti ed Dorland that Weiss was under investigation for possessing child pornography.
According to records released by the district, Dorland and Chief of Schools Lisa Relou, responded that they had no text messages responsive to the request. However, Parker’s texts show that both Dorland and Relou engaged in text conversations about the Weiss case with her and the rest of the board members, sug-
gesting that those messages were deleted after the fact.
Parker’s preservation of these texts provides a rare look into how district leaders managed communications during a period of high public interest.
While nothing in the text exchange suggests district leaders hid anything from the public, the messages show a coordinated conversation about how best to respond to media and community inquiries and manage messaging around Weiss’ termination.
Weiss was found dead in Maryland after traveling there shortly following his termination. e medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. e investigation into the possession of child pornography charges against him by the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce remains ongoing.
While nothing in the text exchange suggests district leaders hid anything from the public, the messages show a coordinated conversation about how best to respond to media and community inquiries and manage messaging around Weiss’ termination.
While board member Danielle Varda retained only a few texts responsive to the request, she responded to the district’s request for text communications with concern, saying that while convenient, texting can blur the lines between informal conversation and o cial records.
“I think we are best served to be more public about how we are communicating,” she said.
Under Je co’s current records retention policy, deleting such communications is permitted. e policy states that electronic communications may be deleted on a routine basis unless district policy or state or federal law requires them to be retained.
Colorado’s Open Records Act requires agencies to disclose existing records but does not mandate their retention.
Records retention policies vary across districts and agencies in Colorado. In Je co, the district follows a records management manual developed in collaboration with the Colorado State Archives. at manual encourages public entities to retain records that re ect o cial business decisions and notes that sound recordkeeping supports transparency and public trust.
How district leaders use texts
During a Feb. 28 board retreat, board members and senior sta discussed how and when text messaging is used.
Relou acknowledged that texts are often used to notify members of urgent events or to ag incoming emails but said the use had increased in recent weeks.
Dorland said texting is sometimes the fastest way to alert board members to issues already appearing on social media.
Still, Varda raised concerns about transparency, questioning whether some communications were being handled by text speci cally to avoid the public nature of email.
“I just want to make sure that there’s transparency,” she said. “Sometimes texts are being sent to avoid emails to be public and transparent.” e discussion did not lead to a formal
resolution or policy change during the retreat. Still, board members agreed to continue examining how the district uses text messaging and how those practices intersect with transparency expectations.
What the law says about record retention Colorado’s Open Records Act, rst enacted in 1969, was designed to give the public access to the records of government bodies at all levels. e law de nes public records broadly, including any writings made, maintained or kept by a public entity in connection with o cial functions.
at includes emails and text messages, but only if they still exist.
CORA doesn’t require government agencies to retain those records, only to produce what they have when a request is made. In practice, that means public o cials can legally delete texts unless another law or policy requires them to be kept.
e Colorado State Archives o ers model retention schedules for schools and other local agencies, and districts are encouraged, but not required, to adopt them.
In Je co’s case, the district’s policy explicitly allows electronic messages to be deleted routinely unless otherwise required by law. at puts the burden of transparency on the o cials themselves and their judgment about what to keep and what to erase.
e result is a patchwork of practices across the state. Some agencies retain texts for several years, while others allow for deletion after a few days or weeks un-
Evergreen woman shares her story of hiking the Continental Divide Trail
Diane Gansauer will host a reading and signing of her book at Mountain Area Land Trust on April 9
BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As Evergreen resident Diane Gansauer hiked the 3,100-mile Continental Divide trail, she thought about the lives of people who had passed — and the lessons she had taken from them.
e result of those thousands of miles and seven years of thought is her book, “ e Waypoints: From 400 Farewells and 3,000 Miles.” Gansauer — also a former Mountain Area Land Trust board member — will read, discuss and sign copies of her book from 4-5 p.m. April 9 at the Mountain Area Land Trust, 908 Nob Hill Road in Evergreen.
Gansauer was 61 years old when she decided to hike the trail, which stretches from the Mexican to the Canadian border, following the spine of the Rocky Mountains through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. She nished it in 2023, at the age of 68.
In addition to being a long-distance hiker, Gansauer works as director of Celebrant Services Director for SCI/Dignity Memorial. A celebrant is someone who leads and personalizes memorial or funeral services to ensure they re ect the deceased’s life and the family’s wishes.
Between hiking portions of the trail, she worked with 400 families to honor their loved ones, and carried their stories with her on her backcountry journey.
“I realized the trail was helping me process the lives of these people I had never met, but whose stories I had thrown myself into intensely understanding,” she said. “ e trial helped me re ect on the lessons from those lives, aspects of these people I’d never known but I really admired and was inspired by.
“At the same time, if you go walk way into the backcountry and spend days in nature, you are also learning things. e trial is kind of whittling you away, forcing you to get rid of stu you shouldn’t be carrying. e lessons from the trail and the lessons from those lives were overlapping.”
Gansauer didn’t set out to be a celebrant, nor to hike the Continental Divide trail.
Former executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, and deputy director of Great Outdoors Colorado, she was working for Colorado Parks and Wildlife when she took an abrupt career detour in 2012.
“In my 50s, I shifted careers completely to work in funeral homes as a celebrant — putting together ceremonies for people who needed and wanted a memorial gathering,
less agged as part of an o cial record. e rise of encrypted, auto-deleting messaging apps like Signal has added a new layer of opacity. A recent investigation by Colorado Politics found that top aides to Denver’s mayor Signal to discuss sensitive topics like immigration enforcement with messages disappearing shortly after being read, leaving no
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but were not connected to a faith community where they could call on clergy,” she said. “I would interview the families for this person’s story and center the ceremony around that. You develop relationships with those people.” at career dovetailed with hiking about 10 years ago.
e Monterey, California native moved to Evergreen with her husband 30 years ago. Both worked and raised a child together, leaving little time for hiking.
“I was a hiker as a young child, and then not for decades of my life,” Gansauer said. “I picked up hiking again as an empty-nester. at just grew over time, from hiking relatively small distances to hiking the Colorado Trail as a section hiker. Because that overlaps with the Continental Divide Trail, I said, ‘Why don’t I just keep going?’”
Gansauer set a goal to nish the CDT before she was 70 years old. She did so in 2023, at the age of 68, with help from her husband Bob and “an army of people” who supported her journey.
Along the way, she started writing down the insights she saw between the lives of those she’d helped celebrate and long-distance hiking.
“I did not set out to write a hiker’s journal or a hair-raising adventure story, but my stories of the trail and excerpts of stories from these peoples’ lives,” Gansauer said. “It’s more about life lessons than exclusively hiking lessons.
“An obvious example is: travel lightly,” she continued. “It’s not only what you need to do as a backpacker, it’s a lesson for life. You don’t want to carry emotional baggage through your life.”
Hiking through Wyoming’s Great Divide Basin desert — with temperatures in the mid-
trace for public scrutiny.
“ e records retention laws in Colorado are pretty weak,” said Je Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. “ ey give a lot of discretion to the sender and receiver of the message to decide what’s important to keep, what ts the records retention schedule, and the public may never get to see communications that could be really important for understanding what happened.” is ambiguity leaves room for selective recordkeeping — where communications that
90s — is the only part of her journey Gansauer described as brutal. It, too, had a lesson to impart tied to the deceased whose lives she’d helped commemorate.
“ e people who immigrated to this country were inspirational in having a vision that brought them out of di cult circumstances and carried them to this country,” she said. “So whatever I was going through in the desert paled in comparison to what some of these people did to get to, and then thrive, in this country.”
e trail also taught her patience and exibility.
“Plan as best you can to get where you want to go, but you’d better be exible,” Gansauer said. “I would plan all winter long and then I’d get on the trial and the trail was laughing at me. ere would be an unexpected something, and you had to change the plan around.”
She describes such moments as “transformative.”
“And that happens in life,” she said. “ ere are countless ways in which what you thought something was going to happen that doesn’t: a loss, a divorce, a death, natural disaster. We have to reshape the plan.”
“ e Waypoints: From 400 Farewells and 3,000 Miles” debuted on Amazon on March 25, and at other major book retailers. Evergreen’s HearthFire bookstore also has copies available.
Gansauer isn’t done hiking. Her next goal?
e 211-mile John Muir Trail. After traveling thousands of miles, her love of moving through nature is now deeply rooted.
“John Muir advised going into the mountains now and then to scrub our soul clean,” she said. “ ere’s a purging aspect to hiking that I miss.”
re ect favorably on leadership may be saved while others are deleted.
“ ere’s not really any other party to decide what’s important to keep,” Roberts said. “If a public o cial decides a message doesn’t matter, it can be deleted immediately, and the public or a journalist might never know it existed, even if it turns out to be meaningful in understanding a public decision.
“ e whole point of having an open records law is to allow the public to scrutinize government activity,” Roberts said. “But you can’t scrutinize what no longer exists.”
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Diane Gansauer on the Continental Divide Trail.
COURTESY OF DIANE GANSAUER
Psychedelic mushroom experiment has arrived
State regulators are issuing licenses and plans are in place for ‘healing centers’
BY KATE RUDER KFF HEALTH NEWS
Colorado regulators are issuing licenses for providing psychedelic mushrooms and are planning to authorize the state’s rst “healing centers,” where the mushrooms can be ingested under supervision, in late spring or early summer.
e dawn of state-regulated psychedelic mushrooms has arrived in Colorado, nearly two years since Oregon began o ering them. e mushrooms are a Schedule I drug and illegal under federal law except for clinical research. But more than a dozen cities nationwide have deprioritized or decriminalized them in the past ve years, and many eyes are turned toward Oregon’s and Colorado’s stateregulated programs.
“In Oregon and Colorado, we’re going to learn a lot about administration of psychedelics outside of clinical, religious, and underground settings because they’re the rst to try this in the U.S.,” said William R. Smith, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Psychedelic mushrooms and their psychoactive compound psilocybin have the potential to treat people with depression and anxiety, including those unresponsive to other medications or therapy. e National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of risk of mental health problems caused by ingesting mushrooms in a supervised clinical setting is low, but may be higher outside of a clinical setting. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a social media post last year, before his nomination as U.S. health secretary, that his “mind is open to the idea of psychedelics for treatment.”
Medical experts say more research is needed, particularly in people with a diagnosis or family history of psychotic or bipolar disorder. Adverse e ects of psilocybin, including headache and nausea, typically resolve within one to two days. However, extended di culties from using psychedelics can last weeks, months, or years; anxiety and fear, existential
ONLINE AUCTION
struggle, social disconnection, and feeling detached from oneself and one’s surroundings are most common. After the decriminalization and legalization in Oregon and Colorado, psychedelic mushroom exposures reported to poison control centers ticked up in these states and nationally.
In February, about 40 people organized by the psychedelic advocacy group the Nowak Society gathered in Boulder to talk about the coming changes in Colorado. ey included Mandy Grace, who received her state license to administer psychedelic mushrooms, and Amanda Clark, a licensed mental health counselor from Denver, who both praised the therapeutic power of mushrooms.
“You get discouraged in your practice because the current therapies are not enough for people,” Clark said.
Colorado voters approved Proposition 122 in 2022 to legalize natural psychedelics, after Oregon voters in 2020 approved legalizing psilocybin for therapeutic use. Colorado’s program is modeled after, but not the same as, Oregon’s, under which 21,246 psilocybin products have been sold as of March, a total that could include secondary doses, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
As of mid-March, Colorado has received applications for at least 15 healing center licenses, nine cultivation licenses, four manufacturer licenses, and one testing facility license for growing and preparing the mushrooms, under rules developed over two years by the governor-appointed Natural Medicine Advisory Board.
GOVERNMENT/FLEET VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT
April 9th @ 9:00 A.M.
Inspection Times: April 7th & 8th from 8:15am - 4:45pm
Psychedelic mushrooms after freeze-drying at the lab at Activated Brands in Arvada, Colorado.
(KATE RUDER FOR KFF HEALTH NEWS)
Center for the Arts Evergreen: 50 years and growing
Expanded facility has evolved into ‘the community gathering space’
BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In its 50th year, the Center for the Arts
Evergreen has evolved and grown in directions that have surprised and delighted even its leadership. Executive director Sara Miller said the community has helped drive its programs and direction, making CAE truly theirs.
“ e word ‘center’ has become as important as the word ‘art’ in the name,” she said. “ is has become the community gathering space.” at evolution was helped in large part by a 2024 expansion, which added a ceramics studio, community room, classrooms, artists spaces and long-overdue o ce space to the center.
While CAE was already a community centerpiece, the new spaces open the doors to a variety of additional programs, the list of which is still growing. In addition to meeting a long-held need for a ceramics studio, the expansion added space to host new events like community live drawing, seniors’ writing and art sessions, art workshops and events speci cally for veterans, members of the park district’s INSPIRE program for the disabled, and EChO’s homeless guests.
For them, it’s more than about creating art; it’s also about seeing that what they create has value.
“Our EChO clients do art therapy and
then have the opportunity to sell their work,” CAE marketing director Amanda Ingalls said.
It also regularly o ers a unique class called Art Bar.
“It’s like a paint-and-sip, but it’s not just painting,” Miller said, adding it combines wine and beer with projects of multiple media types. “We run them like classes, but they’re open to businesses in town if they want to do team-building or as birthday parties or other special events.”
e Maureen K. Scott Ceramics Studio, named after an internationally known Evergreen sculptor who died in 2007, was a particularly welcome addition for many.
“We have such an active ceramics community; this has been a long time coming for them,” Miller said. “People had been doing this in their basements, and going down the hill because there weren’t any kilns available here.”
Recently, Denver bronze artist Yoshi Saito donated a bronze kiln to CAE.
“In the fall, we’ll be able to pour bronze here,” Miller said.
CAE also hosts regular community events, including the weekly Evergreen Rotary Club meeting.
From kids and teens to adults and seniors, CAE o ers classes tailored to each demographic, from summer camps for kids to professional and hobbyist art classes for adults.
e programming ideas don’t come just from the sta , but community members themselves. When a senior came in saying she was lonely and looking for new friendships, CAE launched a free program called Creativity, Co ee and Conversation. Seniors come together monthly for two hours of writing, creating art and talk-
ing.
“You see genuine connections being made,” Miller said. “Art has that power.” It’s also expanded its special events. e ever-popular summer outdoor concert series is now complemented by an indoor Gallery Concert Series. A four-month artful pairings series designed to tempt tastebuds of all kinds includes a Bourbon & Bacon Tasting Event in April, ending with Tequila and Tamales in July.
CAE also hosts three festivals annually, including July’s art and music celebration Summerfest, September’s Day of the Arts and the Winterfest gift market.
Its exhibit space hosts nine exhibitions a year and two to three pop-up exhibitions available to community members. In
March, high school senior Mason Martin used the space for a Lego exhibit, his capstone project at Clonlara online school. Along with Martin’s works, community members from age 5 to 65 contributed 38 large, intricately detailed Lego sculptures for the exhibit.
Upstairs, the expansion includes studio space for four artists and an artist in resi-
Evergreen designer and painter Carmen Leigh said the space o ers her a quiet, creative atmosphere she often can’t nd in her home studio.
“ is studio is my happy place,” she said. “I can make a mess. It’s my play area. I don’t have to do laundry or deal with the
“And there are other artists to talk to. Sometimes you feel kind of isolated as an artist. It’s nice having a community.” e artists in residence have a studio in the same wing. Each stays for three months.
“We provide housing and a monthly stipend,” Miler said, “and they have the opportunity to teach for us and do workshops.”
Current artist-in-residence Sibelle Yuksek is a glass artist who uses ame to create her sculptures inspired by the human form. e current day CAE and its busy roster of events likely would be unimaginable to the Evergreen arts’ community original founders. Founded as the Evergreen Arts Council in 1974, the group found a home at the Miller House next door to the Buchanan Recreation Center in 2003 and renamed itself the Center for the Arts Evergreen. In 2017, it moved to its current location, the former Bergen Park Church.
Evergreen artist Joe Glasmire paints in the studio he rents at the Center for the Arts Evergreen. PHOTO BY JANE REUTER
Igrew up here in Golden, as most of you probably know. My Dad went to the Colorado School of Mines, class of 1956, and half of the kids in my neighborhood had parents that were professors or were currently students there themselves. So, it should come as no surprise that one of the very rst songs I learned all the words to was this one:
THE MINING ENGINEER
I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three hundred pounds, the college bell to mix it in and a clapper to stir it ‘round. Like every honest fellow, I take my whiskey clear, I’m a ramblin’ wreck from Golden Tech, a helluva engineer.
A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva engineer. A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva engineer.
Like every honest fellow, I take my whiskey clear, I’m a ramblin’ wreck from Golden Tech, a helluva engineer.
Hail, hail, the gang’s all here. What the hell do we care as long as we get our share. Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.
M-I-N-E-S What the hell do we care now?
VOICES
Howd-E! It’s a helluva time at Mines’ E-Days
AVENUE FLASHES
In the summer of 1927, at a high point in America’s love a air with baseball, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were embroiled in a widely publicized home run-hitting battle. Both were having career years hitting the long ball and in a 155-game season, Ruth would ultimately hit 60 home runs, with Gehrig hitting 47. Although the end tally does not seem to re ect it, throughout much of the season, these teammates were in close competition for the most home runs.
e combination of their home run race and the remarkable strength of the Yankees that year — who nished with a 110-45 regular season record and swept the World Series 4-0 against Pittsburgh, trailing for just one-and-a-half innings throughout the entire series — made the Yankees the team that captured everyone’s attention.
During this epic home run battle, Lou Gehrig wrote a syndicated article with this insightful passage, “And now a word about home run hitting. If the ball goes in the bleachers, well and good. If it goes for a single that scores a run, better
ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I had to take a little liberty with the correct poetic form so it didn’t take up the entire page, but if you have no idea what that song is, you haven’t lived in Golden very long. Of course, that’s the CSM ght song. But even if you knew that, you probably also know that there are a few other colleges around the country that use a variation of it, namely South Dakota Mines and the most famous, Georgia Tech.
But what you may not have known is that the song is based on is a melody called “Son of a Gambolier” from the 1800s and CSM started using it way back in 1879. at’s more than 30 years before Georgia Tech swiped it and started using it as their own. So, nah-nah-nah.
I’m mentioning all of that now because we have one of the big annual CSM weekends coming up soon and you might hear people singing it a few times.
Yes, once again, it’s time for E-Days! If you aren’t familiar with what that is, it’s a Spring mid-semester party for students and alumni that runs an entire weekend. is year it’s going to be from Wednesday-Sunday, April 9-13. ey have sort of an “old west” theme this time around and are calling it HowdE-Days with lots of events and comedian performances, plus some big concerts scheduled, so here’s an abbreviated schedule of the shindig. Most of them are free to attend, but those with an asterisk* need you to purchase tickets. I’ll have a link to that at the bottom.
Sometimes it’s not about swinging for the fences
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
still. I am proud of my record for driving in runs. I think I have a right to be. And if I live to be ninety and play baseball every day of that time, I will still get a thrill when I pound out a hit that sends a run over the plate.” is article, republished by historian Alan Ga , gives us such insight into Gehrig’s mindset. Gehrig certainly knew a ton about hits. In fact, he had 218 in 1927, almost 1.5 hits per game, an awesome number.
Gehrig’s words and self-proclaimed celebration of “run-scoring hits” got me thinking about how we spend time, in our individual struggles, trying to hit the home run, looking to end the hardship quickly with one heroic action.
I nd, in Gehrig’s comments, a challenge to focus less on the home run and more on “run-scoring hits.” What does “run-scoring hits” mean
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in our struggles? For me, it means doing my morning exercises withdelity and skipping that extra cookie that I think I need. For others, it means small improvements, little changes, maybe an afternoon walk, or time spent practicing a new skill, or even a chance to read a book. It will most certainly mean something di erent to each of us.
I would challenge all of us to think about what it means to get “runscoring hits.” I cannot de ne it for you, but I do know this — hitting “run-scoring hits” entails making a small di erence for yourself or someone else; it is de nitely more than simply breathing that day.
I hope that you nd time to de ne your hits and then will take more time to celebrate the miraculous number of “run-scoring hits” you have.
You are amazing. Keep your eyes wide open to all you have and all you will accomplish. You have got this. I hope my words encourage you, and that you will share them with those who need support.
SEE ROOME, P11
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Saturday, April 12: Mining Games, 8 a.m., Q Lot; Cardboard Boat Races, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Clear Creek; Carnival 12 to 3 p.m., D Lot; Saturday Night Concert featuring Lovelytheband with opener Hayes Warner*, 6:30 p.m., D Parking Lot; and the loudest Fireworks display on the planet! 9 p.m., D Lot (weather dependent). Sunday, April 13: Pancake Pheast, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ballrooms A & B; and a Car Show, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Lot A. So, there you have it. All the places you can sing that lovely song at and be appreciated. You can also get more info and order tickets at www.mines.edu/mac/edays. Hail, hail the gang’s all here!
John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/ drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com.
Wednesday, April 9: Prom Dress Rugby, 4 to 6 p.m., North IM Fields; Silent Disco, 7 p.m., Kafadar ursday, April 10: E-Days Comedian Alec Flynn with opener Hannah Jones*, 6 p.m., Bunker Auditorium; HowdE-Days Ball, 6 to 10 p.m., Ballrooms D and E; Casino Night, 8 p.m., Friedho . Friday, April 11: Ore Cart Pull, 7:45 a.m., Outdoor Rec Center; Tesla Coil Demo, 12 p.m., Bunker Auditorium; Field Day, 1:30 p.m., Lot D/North IM Fields; Made at Mines, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Labriola; “Scoot your boots!” Swing and Line Dancing lessons 4 to 5 p.m.; Friday Night Event featuring Chase Beckham*, 6:30 p.m., D Parking Lot.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Mission Arvada has been providing a severe weather overnight shelter solely through donations and volunteers. e city of Arvada asked Mission Arvada to provide this service due to the Severe Weather Shelter Network shutdown in Je erson County in 2024. Previously, the city of Arvada funded the network upward of $40,000.
RecoveryWorks, the day shelter in Lakewood, is fully funded by Je erson County and the city of Lakewood. In fact, the city of Lakewood pays Bayaud Enterprises to run the overnight Inclement Weather Shelter at RecoverWorks — I believe the city of Arvada should do the same. Mission Arvada at the Rising in Olde Town is almost exclusively run by volunteers; it is not appropriate to expect volunteers to provide security. If we have a fully funded 24/7 shelter, we will have the funds to support security and wrap-around services in one location. at is the solution RecoverWorks has unanimously moved forward, with thanks to the support of the city of Lakewood o cials, council members and concerned citizens. I believe the city of Arvada should follow the same path forward.
While there have been several communities speaking out to close Mission Arvada and/or propose an ordinance against the unhoused, now is not the time to turn our backs on your most vulnerable population, a population that continues to grow by leaps and bounds. We must work collaboratively to support a 24/7 shelter where we can provide round-the-clock security and sta to support our unhoused populations.
Since RecoverWorks has opened its doors, I took it upon myself to speak with friends with families with young children who are long-time residents in the Colfax area who attend the PK-12 school just blocks from RecoverWorks where my daughter also attends. Residents have had no incidents with the homeless population who accesses these services, and there has been no increase in crime, and encampments have been cleaned up with the housing market continuing to rise. e unhoused population doesn’t wander, loiter or disturb local residents or businesses. Mission Arvada is signi cantly underfunded and yet continues to provide numerous navigation resources such as health care, applying for temporary and permanent housing, mobile DMV, mental health services, addiction services and much more. Mission Arvada is the hub for North Je erson County, and we must support the important services they provide by funding their emergency inclement weather shelter — a lifesaving service.
—BarbaraDray, Arvada
John Akal
Jim Roome
Visit the Dark Side of Oz at The Oriental
One of the most famous legends in rock and roll is that Pink Floyd’s album, “Dark Side of the Moon,” syncs up with the 1939 classic, “ e Wizard of Oz.” While the band has always denied any intentional connection, there are certain moments that lend credence to the notion.
“I was in high school when I rst heard the urban legend,” said Kent Adamson, lead vocalist for e Crazy Diamonds progressive rock group. “ ere are lots of coincidences when you try it, especially in the rst part of the album. It’s uncanny how it lines up sometimes.”
ELLIS
John Carlyle Ellis April 14, 1947 - March 19, 2025
COMING ATTRACTIONS
In honor of the pairing of music and lm in fun and experimental ways, e Oriental eater, 4335 W. 44th Ave. in Denver, is hosting the Dark Side of the Movie Experience at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11.
e evening will begin with Royale w/ Cheese, who will be performing the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s immortal “Pulp Fiction” while the lm plays on the big screen. Next will be Lt. Dan & e New Legs performing a selection of hits from the blockbuster, “Forest Gump.”
And nally, e Crazy Diamonds will take to the stage to perform “Dark Side of the Moon” in sync with a screening of “ e Wizard of Oz.”
e o er to play the show came to e Crazy Diamonds after a recent performance of “Dark Side of the Moon” in full at Nissi’s in Lafayette. e idea really appealed to the 10-person band, which was formed out of members of the Colorado Art Rock Society, which is a group for fans of progressive rock (bands like ELP, Genesis and Porcupine Tree).
“We get together once a month and talk about the music we love and there’s also the once-a-year Prog Fest concert, where members do tributes to di erent prog rock bands,” Adamson explained. “ is year there was supposed to be a di erent headliner but when that fell through, we put on a show of ‘Dark Side’ because we thought it would pull people in.”
And it did.
It’s easy to understand why — “Dark Side of the Moon” is the fourth best-selling album of all time, an album music fans of all ages have been returning to for generations. Add in a renewed interest in all things Oz, thanks to “Wicked,” and you have a perfect pairing.
“It’s just one of those timeless pieces of music and anyone who appreciates music will enjoy seeing it played authentically live,” Adamson said. “When you have this cool tie to a famous urban legend about one of the greatest movies of all time, it just gets more interesting.”
Tickets and information are available at www.theorientaltheater.com.
Denver EATSS is a Night of Delights to support American Indian College Fund
Denver EATSS is back for two nights of delicious food and music, all in support of Denver’s American Indian College Fund.
e dining portion of the event will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 at e Studio at the top oor of Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St. in Denver, and the live music portion will be held at 7:30 p.m. on the 11th and 12th at Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th St.
Tickets are available for one portion of the evening or both. e dining will include food from some of the top native chefs and Nathaniel Rateli will join the Colorado Symphony for the music part of the evening (as well as opener Raye Zaragoza).
is is certain to be a great evening, no matter which option you select, so get tickets at https://standwith.collegefund. org/denver-eatss/.
Belleview Park Hosts Spring Festival
Since we’re in the midst of the all-toobrief spring season, now is the perfect time forBelleview Park, 5001 S. Inca Drive in Englewood, to throw itsSpring Festival
e event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, and features activities for all ages. ere will be egg hunts for di erent age groups beginning at 11 a.m. and a Sensory Friendly Hunt as well. Additionally, attendees can shop at local vendors, take part in crafts and games, and grab some bites at food trucks.
All the details are available at www.englewoodco.gov/our-city/events/upcoming/spring-festival.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Laura Jane Grace at Meow Wolf
Laura Jane Grace is one of the most important gures in the contemporary indie rock world. Not only is she the frontperson of Against Me!, one of the great early 2000s rock bands, but when she went public with her gender transition in 2012, she became an icon for trans people and showed the power of embracing your true self.
Plus, she continued to make top notch rock music under her own name.
Last year Grace released her newest album, “Hole in My Head,” and it proved she can still wield a sharp pen and write some killer ri s. In support of the release, she and e Mississippi Medicals will perform atMeow Wolf’s e Perplexiplex, 1338 1st St. in Denver, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 5. She’ll be joined by openers Alex Lahey and Rodeo Boys. Information and tickets are available at https://tickets.meowwolf.com/events/ denver/laura-jane-grace/.
Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.
John Carlyle Ellis, of Evergreen, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and community leader, passed away peacefully on March 19, 2025, at the age of 77. Born on April 14, 1947.
He leaves behind his loving wife and best friend of 59 years, Sherry Ellis, and their four children: Brandy Ellis (husband Eliot Lewis) of Denver, Colorado; Travis Ellis (wife Isabel Gilda) of Cloverdale, Oregon; Ti any Campbell of Framingham, Massachusetts; and Whitney Ellis (husband Andrew Mitchell) of Golden, Colorado. He was a devoted grandfather to Mason Lewis, Harper Lewis, Emma Mitchell, William Mitchell, and Jimmy Campbell.
He was preceded in passing by his beloved son-in-law, Joseph Campbell, husband of Ti any
SALTER
ank you to everyone who has shared their stories with me so far; I truly appreciate hearing about your run-scoring hits and celebrations.
Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife,
Campbell. Also, his father John Ellis Jr. and mother Edythe Herzberg.
John is also survived by his brother Shawn Ellis and sister-in-law Jody Ellis of Surprise, Arizona; his brother Jerry Ellis and sisterin-law Kristi Ellis of Bend, Oregon; and his sister Sharron Ellis and brother-in-law Richard Conte of Orland, California. And many nieces and nephews.
John’s legacy is one of kindness, generosity, and an unbreakable bond with the land and people of Evergreen. His stories will continue to be told, his impact will continue to be felt, and his love will continue to inspire. His family invites friends and loved ones to celebrate his remarkable life at the memorial service. Details at www.EllisFamilyServices.com
Jack
March 28, 1933 - December 14, 2024
Jack Frank Salter died on December 14th, 2024 in memory care at Golden Pond, in Golden, Colorado. He was 91 and had been in assisted living there for a year and hospice - memory care for six months.
Jack grew up in North Chicago and graduated from Amundsen High School. He had a paper route as soon as he was old enough. He rode his bike and became very good at throwing the papers right onto customer’s porches. When he was 16, he worked in a corner drug store as many hours as he could. He wanted to become a journalist as his grandfather had been but there was no money for him to go to Northwestern, the good journalism school. Because of this, he went to the University of Illinois Pharmacy School, which was on Navy Pier. He lived at home and took the train to school while continuing to work at the drug store. He graduated as a pharmacist.
He was drafted into the Army and served as the pharmacist on a base in Germany. While stationed there, he traveled as much as he could. After his service, he went to work for Abbott Labs and there he met his wife, Marjorie. ey had three
sons, Je ery, Gary, and Douglas. ey enjoyed spending time at a lake in northern Wisconsin in the summers and Jack enjoyed the outdoors in general and he passed on his love of hiking and the outdoors to his sons. In 1977, the family moved to Colorado and all three boys graduated from Evergreen High School. e family lived at Sha er’s Crossing for a year and a half and then built a house in Evergreen on Wild Rose Drive. Jack and Marge were very active in the Methodist Church in Evergreen. Marge passed away in 2002 from ovarian cancer. Ruth Hershberger, who also lost her husband to cancer and was part of the Methodist Church, began dating Jack and they were married in 2004. ey loved to travel and made it to Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Hawaii among other adventures. In more recent years, Jack developed Alzheimer’s and this prompted the move to Golden Pond.
Jack leaves behind his wife, Ruth, three sons, his step-daughter Anne Miller, 11 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren.
Louise Ritchie Beale March 21, 2025
Louise Ritchie Beale died in Chevy Chase, Maryland on March 21, 2025, at age 82 after a long illness. Louise, who lived in Evergreen from 1974 to 1984, rst came to Colorado as a child where she lived in Denver and attended Graland Country Day School during the year that her father, General William Ritchie, was at Fitzsimmons army hospital.
Louise went to CU Boulder from 1960 to 1964.
After graduating, she spent two years as a PanAm stewardess. In 1974, she returned to Colorado
after marrying John Beale and moved to Greystone Lazy Acres where they lived with John’s daughter Holly. eir children Sarah, Katharine and Christina were born in Colorado. Louise did volunteer work including serving as president of the Colorado Philharmonic Orchestra Guild. She was also a member of the Junior League of Denver. John was a member of the Alpine Rescue Team. In 1984 they moved back to the DC area. Louise is survived by her husband and daughters.
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.
Clarke Reader
Frank Salter
BEALE
MUSHROOMS
Psychedelic treatments in Oregon are expensive, and are likely to be so in Colorado, too, said Tasia Poinsatte, Colorado director of the nonprofit Healing Advocacy Fund, which supports stateregulated programs for psychedelic therapy. In Oregon, psychedelic mushroom sessions are typically $1,000 to $3,000, are not covered by insurance, and must be paid for up front.
The mushrooms themselves are not expensive, Poinsatte said, but a facilitator’s time and support services are costly, and there are state fees. In Colorado, for doses over 2 milligrams, facilitators will screen participants at least 24 hours in advance, then supervise the session in which the participant consumes and experiences mushrooms, lasting several hours, plus a later meeting to integrate the experience.
Facilitators, who may not have experience with mental health emergencies, need training in screening, informed consent, and postsession monitoring, Smith said. “Because these models are new, we need to gather data from Colorado and Oregon to ensure safety.”
Facilitators generally pay a $420 training fee, which allows them to pursue the necessary consultation hours, and roughly $900 a year for a license, and
healing centers pay $3,000 to $6,000 for initial licenses in Colorado. But the up-front cost for facilitators is significant: The required 150 hours in a stateaccredited program and 80 hours of hands-on training can cost $10,000 or more, and Clark said she wouldn’t pursue a facilitator license due to the prohibitive time and cost.
To increase affordability for patients in Colorado, Poinsatte said, healing centers plan to offer sliding-scale pay options, and discounts for veterans, Medicaid enrollees, and those with low incomes. Group sessions are another option to lower costs.
Colorado law does not allow retail sales of psilocybin, unlike cannabis, which can be sold both recreationally and medically in the state. But it allows adults 21 and older to grow, use, and share psychedelic mushrooms for personal use.
Despite the retail ban, adjacent businesses have mushroomed. Inside the warehouse and laboratory of Activated Brands in Arvada, brown bags of sterilized grains such as corn, millet, and sorghum and plastic bags of soil substrate are for sale, along with genetic materials and ready-to-grow kits.
Co-founder Sean Winfield sells these supplies for growing psychedelic or functional mushrooms such as lion’s mane to people hoping to grow their own at home. Soon, Activated Brands will host cultivation and education
classes for the public, Winfield said.
Winfield and co-founder Shawn Cox recently hosted a psychedelic potluck at which experts studying and cultivating psychedelic mushrooms discussed genetics, extraction, and specialized equipment.
Psychedelic mushrooms have a long history in Indigenous cultures, and provisions for their use in spiritual, cultural, or religious ceremonies are included in Colorado law, along with recognition of the cultural harm that could occur to federally recognized tribes and Indigenous people if natural medicine is overly commercialized or exploited.
Several studies over the past five years have shown the long-term benefits of psilocybin for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, and the Food and Drug Administration designated it a breakthrough therapy. Late-stage trials, often a precursor to application for FDA approval, are underway.
Smith said psilocybin is a promising tool for treating mental health disorders but has not yet been shown to be better than other advanced treatments. Joshua Woolley, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California-San Francisco, said he has seen the benefits of psilocybin as an investigator in clinical trials.
“People can change hard-set habits. They can become unstuck. They can see things in new ways,” he said of treating patients with a combination of psilocy -
bin and psychotherapy.
Colorado, unlike Oregon, allows integration of psilocybin into existing mental health and medical practices with a clinical facilitator license, and through micro-healing centers that are more limited in the amounts of mushrooms they can store.
Still, Woolley said, between the federal ban and new state laws for psychedelics, this is uncharted territory. Most drugs used to treat mental health disorders are regulated by the FDA, something that Colorado is “taking into its own hands” by setting up its own program to regulate manufacturing and administration of psilocybin.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado declined to comment on its policy toward state-regulated psychedelic programs or personal use provisions, but Poinsatte hopes the same federal hands-off approach to marijuana will be taken for psilocybin in Oregon and Colorado.
Winfield said he looks forward to the upcoming rollout and potential addition of other plant psychedelics, such as mescaline. “We’re talking about clandestine industries coming into the light,” he said.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism.
intemena through more mushrooms fedpsycheMost dissomeits proadDiscomment psyprosame mariOrthe addisuch about the newsjournalism core inderesearch,
BY STAVROS KORONEOS
Cold case
SOUTH JEFFCO – e delicatessen employee said the refrigerator repairman stole his phone. Meat told deputies he’d been using his phone while using the bathroom, and had inadvertently left the rst in the second. A few minutes later, Refrigerator used the bathroom before popping over to the co ee shop next door for a hot cuppa to-go. Belatedly nding his phone missing, Meat confronted Refrigerator, who denied taking anything out of the bathroom besides clean hands and fresh outlook. Meat told o cers he believed Refrigerator had ditched the departed device in one of the co ee shop trash cans. While touring the scene of the crime, a deputy observed Meat reach his hand into a vase that stands on a shelf in the bathroom next to a small pile of air fresheners. e o cer heard “rattling” come from inside the vase, but saw that Meat’s hand was empty when he withdrew it. Meat explained that his manager would be in shortly to access the store’s security footage and went back to work. On a hunch, the o cer went back into the bathroom, thrust his own hand into the vase, and immediately encountered Meat’s missing phone. Puzzled, he found Meat and asked if he’d had any “run-ins” with Refrigera-
tor lately. Meat assured him he had no issues with the repairman, and said he’d “be the rst one to apologize” to Refrigerator if his suspicions were to prove groundless. e deputy then produced the phone, at which Meat “seemed stunned.” e o cer said he wouldn’t be hanging around to review the surveillance tapes because the case was closed.
A nice gesture
NORTH TURKEY CREEK –
An alarmed passerby dialed 911 on the evening of Feb. 2 to report an assault in progress. Deputies quickly caught up with the assaultee, Valiant, who assured them that everything was cool. According to Valiant, the set-to started when he happened to overhear Mordred sitting in a great big pickup truck and “talking badly” to his Lady Fair. Valiant “took offense” at such blackguardly behavior and, gallant in the cause of chivalry, strode purposefully up the truck. “Get out of the (formidable) vehicle,” Valiant had demanded. Mordred obliged, but only so he could seize Valiant “by the neck,” hurl him roughly to the ground, and gallop away in triumph. As Valiant didn’t want medical attention and “couldn’t remember” any useful details about the incident, o cers allowed the shabby business to slip quietly into history.
Bitter breakup EVERGREEN – Once successful business partners, Jobs and Wozniak had a falling out, and both have since spent entirely too much time calling in bogus JCSO complaints on the other. One time, for example, deputies were alerted to the menacing text “Ok (Mr. Fluker) we’ll see how much talking you do when I beat your (kiester) for keep disrespecting.” Another time they were called to investigate promises to “drag your (sass) o and ( ush) you up.” It was Jobs’ turn again on Feb. 5, and he phoned in a harassment complaint. Jobs told deputies that he’d been trespassed from Wozniak’s property a while back, and when he’d strayed too close the day before Wozniak had threatened to “drag me onto the property and beat my (apps).” Jobs considered that a harassing statement and wanted to le the appropriate charges. Wozniak said he never said it. Jobs said he had it on video tape. Deputies said Jobs should send them the tape. Jobs never has, and until he does the case is closed. Sheri ’s Calls is intended as a humorous take on some of the incident call records of the Jefferson County Sheri ’s O ce for the mountain communities. Names and identifying details have been changed, including the writer’s name, which is a pseudonym. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty.
Wild Aware introduces new programs aimed at safe wildlife coexistence
BY WILD AWARE
Wild Aware is making strides in wildlife conservation e orts. In a collaboration with the Colorado Department of Transportation, two new variable message signs have been installed on state Highway 74 to warn motorists when elk are on the move, particularly at dawn and dusk.
ese signs also alert drivers to hazardous road conditions that could impact both human safety and wildlife crossings, and more life-saving messaging is on the way.
Another exciting initiative is the launch of a comprehensive wildlife survey designed to help Wild Aware and key stakeholders better understand the movement and habits of local wildlife along Evergreen’s busy highways. Your input is invaluable! Residents are encouraged to participate by taking the survey online.
Chicken Coop Protection
Wild Aware received a Colorado Parks & Wildlife grant for $11,000 for the purchase and delivery of electri cation equipment to protect chicken coops from predation from bears and other wildlife. e money was allocated as part of the Human-Bear Con ict Reduction Community Grant.
Wild Aware’s application was supported by local CPW o cers
who use signi cant time responding to calls from property owners who have had negative bear encounters involving chicken coops. And Bear season is upon us.
Wild Aware will qualify potential homeowners through an application process. Participation in this program is free. Please email info@wildaware.org for more information.
Wild Count App
E orts Continue to Reduce Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions on Hwy. 74! Wild Aware is looking for volunteers to help track wildlife activity along Hwy. 74/Evergreen Parkway using a simple phone app. e “Wild Count” app, created by Wild Aware board member Michael Horwith, makes it easy to record wildlife sightings, snap photos, and log dates and times. Caution: Never report wildlife sightings while driving.
How to Participate:
1. Download the free Wild Count app at wildaware.org/ eld-studies.
2. Use the app to report wildlife sightings and upload photos.
3. Never report wildlife sightings while driving
4. View reports from other users and contribute to valuable data collection.
Your participation makes a difference—thank you for helping protect both wildlife and drivers!
in municipal court KIDS ON THEIR OWN
Children as young as 10 can face charges with no court-appointed representation
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
“Yes, your honor,” a teenager answers, her voice barely audible in the quiet courtroom in March. Lakewood Municipal Court Judge Corin Flannigan has just asked her if she understands the charge against her — ghting in public — and the possible penalties she faces.
“I know you’ve spoken to the city attorney about your options,” Flannigan continues. “ ey are recommending a term of diversion if you choose to plead guilty.”
e girl’s grandmother, standing beside her, hesitates before speaking.
“What happens if she pleads not guilty? She was protecting her property,” she says.
“If you wish to plead not guilty today, you absolutely can, and I will set your case for trial,” Flannigan replies. “Please know that, unlike state court, juvenile cases aren’t eligible for the public defender because no detention or out-ofhome placement is possible. So if you plead not guilty, you would either have to represent yourself or hire your own attorney.”
e girl glances at her grandmother. ey exchange a brief, uncertain look, and Flannigan asks if she wants to plead guilty after all.
e girl nods.
is scenario isn’t an anomaly. It’s routine in municipal courts across Colorado, where children can be prosecuted for minor o enses without court-appointed legal representation unless they face jail time.
Amanda Savage, a visiting assistant
professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, said the disparity in these cases is profound.
“ ere is such a power imbalance any time an individual is in a courtroom, even if they are represented,” Savage said. “You have the power of the city or the state on one side against a single person, even if they have an attorney. And that’s so much more dramatic when it’s a child or a young person, especially when they are standing there by themselves.”
The harsh reality of youth in municipal court ousands of Colorado youth receive municipal citations every year, often for school-related incidents such as ghting, disorderly conduct or petty theft.
According to a 2025 National Center for Youth Law report, Lakewood Municipal Court alone handled over 8,000 youth cases between 2016 and 2022, many of which originated from school-based incidents. e report found that only 1.5% of these cases involved a defense attorney, meaning nearly all children were left to defend themselves.
Not only do the vast majority not have an attorney, but the report highlighted just how young many of the defendants are. In Lakewood, 36 cases involved 10 year olds, 98 involved 11 year olds and 278 involved 12 year olds, most of whom faced court involvement for minor, child-like misbehavior.
Hannah Seigel Pro , a defense attorney representing youth in municipal and state courts across Colorado, said that this pattern of prosecution unnecessar-
ily entangles young children in the legal system and imposes excessive supervision for behaviors that could be handled within families and schools.
Pro believes this over-supervision of youth who don’t have signi cant risks or needs is problematic.
Savage agreed, describing the lasting impact this can have on children’s futures.
“It can certainly set people on a path that involves increasing levels of involvement in the system,” she said. “If they don’t do well while they’re on that diversion or that probation, it can get longer, additional problems can crop up from it, and it can become a big part of that person’s life and future identity.”
A courtroom stacked against kids
Pro emphasized that the system places an undue burden on children and their families.
“You have a system that is designed for adults being applied to children with no modi cations,” she said. “You’re putting children in front of a judge and a prosecutor, without counsel, and expecting them to understand their rights, their legal options and the long-term impact of their decisions.”
Pro noted that many of these children have no way to obtain legal representation.
“In municipal court, they give you a piece of paper with a list of low-cost lawyers, but most of those lawyers don’t take these cases or won’t return calls. So in reality, these kids have no representation at all,” she said. “Without legal rep-
resentation, families do not understand their rights. Prosecutors downplay the severity of the municipal court system, but these cases are often the rst stop on the school-to-prison pipeline.”
e report also highlights another stark disparity — youth in municipal court must pay for discovery, which is the process of obtaining evidence against them. In contrast, evidence is freely available to juveniles in state court. is nancial barrier means many children never see the evidence being used against them before making critical legal decisions.
e report also argues that prosecutors often encourage youth to plead guilty and enter a diversion program, regardless of whether they fully comprehend the long-term consequences. In Colorado’s juvenile justice system, diversion is an alternative to formal prosecution. It aims to prevent further legal involvement by requiring youth to complete certain obligations, such as community service, restitution payments or educational classes, in exchange for dismissed charges.
While intended to keep youth out of the court system, diversion still carries signi cant nancial and time commitments that disproportionately burden low-income families.
Pro said she’d seen the push for families to accept diversion programs — without the families fully understanding the consequences — play out many times.
ON THEIR OWN
“What has become clear to me is that the majority of juvenile municipal dockets are kangaroo courts,” Pro said. “Most children are unrepresented, and prosecutors push them to accept diversion sentences before carefully reviewing the facts of the case.”
A guilty plea can also have negative consequences concerning immigration status.
A YouTube video advising Lakewood juveniles of their rights states: “a plea of guilty or nding of conviction or possibly just the charges themselves could a ect your immigration rights. You could be deported, you could lose your ability to become a naturalized citizen and it could a ect your ability to return to the United States if you were to leave the United States.”
Punishment beyond the courtroom e consequences of municipal court involvement extend far beyond a single court appearance. Youth can face nes and fees as high as $2,650, which the National Center for Youth Law report notes are amounts they often cannot pay.
Parents, too, are drawn into the process, sometimes held nancially responsible for their child’s penalties or are required to accompany them to community service, court dates or probation meetings, according to the report.
Savage also noted that the burden doesn’t just fall on the child.
“ ere’s such a huge impact on the whole family when the kid has a municipal court case,” she said. “Because not only does the young person have to be there, but the parent does, too. at means the parent is missing work. e fact is, the parents also have to disrupt their lives and spend time doing this, instead of spending time at work or with their other kids or doing productive things.”
Who benefits from this broken system?
e National Center for Youth Law argues that Colorado’s municipal court system disproportionately impacts lowincome families and youth of color, indicating that schools in lower-income neighborhoods are more likely to call law enforcement for behavior that could be addressed through school disciplinary measures.
e report found that at least 22% of youth cases in Lakewood stemmed from school-based o enses, highlighting a school-to-municipal court pipeline that disproportionately a ects students of color.
e data also showed that the three schools referring the most students to Lakewood’s municipal court have some of the highest percentages of Black and Latino students in the Je erson County school district, reinforcing concerns about racial disparities in school discipline.
Pro said this disproportionate referral pattern raises concerns about how disciplinary decisions are made and whether schools rely too heavily on law enforcement for matters that could be handled through alternative interventions.
She pointed to Littleton’s restorative justice program as an example of an approach that, when implemented thoughtfully, can provide a more meaningful alternative to punitive measures. Pro was particularly impressed by the program’s restorative justice circles, which o er youth the opportunity to engage in community-based resolution rather than facing legal consequences that may not t their situation.
However, she also noted that restorative justice should not be applied as a onesize- ts-all solution and that careful consideration is needed in determining which cases are appropriate for such programs.
The fight for reform
In December 2023, Denver City Council unanimously approved a bill to provide free legal representation to minors between the ages of 10 and 18 who are facing municipal violations. is initiative, which took e ect on July 1, 2024, ensures that youth accused of o enses such as alcohol possession, trespassing, theft and minor assault receive appropriate legal counsel.
However, Denver is currently the only county in Colorado o ering public defenders to minors in municipal court settings.
e National Center for Youth Law is now pushing for similar reforms statewide, calling for automatic legal representation for juveniles facing charges in municipal courts.
e center recommends that policymakers enact legislation to eliminate youth nes and fees, raise the minimum age for prosecution, mandate legal repre-
sentation for minors in municipal court and require comprehensive data collection on ticketing and court outcomes. e center also urges police departments to limit or discontinue issuing tickets for school-related o enses and shift discipline away from the legal system. For school districts, it’s calling for revising disciplinary codes to reduce student ticketing for minor infractions and adopting restorative justice practices to address con icts that promote accountability and resolution without legal consequences. Pro believes that the question of whether children should be expected to navigate the complexities of the legal system without an attorney is one of fundamental fairness.
e presence of a lawyer can signicantly change how a young person experiences the legal process, Pro said, helping to demystify the system and ensure that youth feel heard and understand what’s happening.
“Even if the result is the same, even if a kid decides to still take a diversion at the end of things, just having a lawyer there and feeling like it was a fair process has value,” she said. “It makes it less scary. It helps people understand what’s going on.”
She added that many people are unaware that children can be prosecuted without legal counsel — a reality that often comes as a shock.
“ e fact that a child can face prosecution without legal counsel is something that shocks most people when they hear about it,” Pro continued. “It just feels really backwards.”
BEST OF THE BEST VOTE NOW THROUGH APRIL 15TH
Conifer girls soccer hopes for playo appearance in first 3A season
BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Conifer girls soccer is now in Class 3A, which means a couple of things.
First, it provides an opportunity to potentially play other 3A opponents in the postseason, which could bode well for the Lobos’ playo chances. However, Conifer is still in the 4A/3A Je co League, so stacking wins in the regular season will be di cult, as it always is.
Head Coach Amy Miller-Heikka (formerly Civiello) knows that taking a young team to new heights will be challenging. e Lobos have six upperclassmen and 20 underclassmen. But Conifer has started the 2025 season 2-1, the same number of wins the Lobos secured throughout the entire 2024 season.
“It’s certainly been a really encouraging start, and what we’ve seen is the connectedness that we started building last year,” said Miller-Heikka, who is in her 10th year as the Lobos coach. “We have some great freshmen who have come in this year and joined into that central core of really strong, very enthusiastic, hard-working players. And they work so well as a unit together and really thrive under any type of circumstances. And I think that’s all you can really ask for a team. Our goal is to try to make 3A playo s.”
But staying in the Je co League, which she describes as “arguably the most rigorous division in the state,” means battling tough 4A teams all year long, including the two previous 4A state champions, rival Evergreen (2024) and Dakota Ridge (2023).
at can make it di cult to secure a strong enough record to make the postseason tournament. Last year, Conifer nished 2-11-1 overall, with most of the
team’s losses coming to Je co teams. e Lobos lost 9-0 to Wheat Ridge, 9-0 to Standley Lake, 9-0 to D’Evelyn, 10-0 to Evergreen, 10-0 to Golden, 10-0 to Green Mountain and 9-0 to Littleton to nish 0-7 in league play.
“So, we certainly have some odds that are challenging, but that is part of the grit that this team has shown,” Miller-Heikka said. “ ey do know those odds, and they continue to go out every time, looking for improvement, looking for what our team is trying to do in the process that we’re looking forward to.”
e o ense this year has Miller-Heikka intrigued, she said. e team has a plethora of weapons on that side of the ball, and the Lobos showed ashes of their potential in their rst three games.
Conifer opened the season with a 3-1 win over Woodland Park. Mountain View handed the team its rst loss in a 4-2 game on March 6, but Conifer responded with a big 10-0 victory over Denver West on March 11.
“We have a variety of shooters from different positions,” she said. “So my entire front line, as well as my entire mid eld, are all shooters, and then my two outside backs also have skill sets for shooting. So the focus is really getting our team into positions where we can capitalize.”
Two seniors — Samantha Hale and Sidney Rogozinkski — will be key leaders for the Lobos this season.
But Miller-Heikka said a core group of sophomores will be the foundation of the team’s potential success.
“ ere’s about ve of them that have played club consistently together, and so we rely a lot of them, as we did last year as well, to really kind of create the
Conifer defender Stella Hilliard (left) and Golden midfielder Hadley Nauslar both go for the ball during the April 17 game at the North Area Athletic Complex in 2024. Nauslar scored two goals in Golden’s 10-0 win.
PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN
HAPPENINGS
We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.canyoncourier.com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the newspaper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.
UPCOMING
A Night with our Stars: 6 to 9:30 p.m. April 4, Evergreen Lake House. 29612 Upper Bear Creek, Evergreen. Annual Evergreen Chamber business awards. Assigned seating, catered dinner, black tie encouraged. Tickets, $75. evergreenchamber.org.
Evergreen’s 150th Sacred Spaces: Noon, April 5, Evergreen Gallery, 28195 Hwy. 74, Evergreen. Featuring local historian and Hiwan House administrator John Steinle. Walking tour from Evergreen Gallery to Highland Haven. Free. evergreenchamber.org
Evergreen Animal Protective League fundraiser: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 5, Buchanan Park Recreation Center, 32003 Ellingwood Trail, Evergreen. Featuring 90 minutes of restorative harmonic vibrations from traditional Himalayan gongs and singing bowls. Silent auction, door prizes. Meet rescue dogs. $20 donation. More info at EAPL.com
Echo Mountain tubing hill, 19285 Hwy 103, Idaho Springs. evergreenchamber.org.
Creativity, Co ee and Conversation: 1:30 p.m. April 11, Center for the Arts Evergreen, 31880 Rocky Village Drive, Evergreen. seniors4wellness.org
Evergreen Newcomers and Neighbors Food Drive: 10 to 2 p.m. April 12.. Donation drop-o at Church of the Cross or at the Evergreen Safeway. Food Drive for EChO Food Pantry. For more information:: evergreenchristianoutreach.org/
18th annual Foothills Home, Garden and Lifestyle Show: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 12 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13, Evergreen High School, 29300 Buffalo Park Road, Evergreen. Sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Evergreen and Conifer. foothillshomeshow.com
Evergreen Chamber OrchestraSpring Concert: 3 p.m. April 5, Rockland Community Church, 17 S Mt Vernon Country Club Road, Golden. Immerse yourself in the radiant world of Mozart, featuring Steinway artist Stephanie Shih-yu Cheng. Tickets at evergreenchamberorch.org
Diane Gansauer Reading, Discussion and Signing: 4 p.m. April 9, Mountain Area Land Trust, 908 Nob Hill Road, Evergreen.Free. Evergreen resident, former MALT board member and author Gansauer wrote “ e Waypoints: From 400 Farewells and 3,000 Miles.” RSVP requested at savetheland.org.
Mountain Mixer@ 5: 5 p.m. April 10,
Creek High school. Mountain Area Land Trust hosts a community ribbon cutting & clean up. RSVP requested at savetheland.org.
Morning Birds & Brews: 8:30 a.m. April 25. Evergreen Nature Center, 27640 CO-74, Evergreen. We will spend some time chatting indoors before heading to the meadow to see birds. Free, no registration required. evergreenaudubon.org.
Center for the Arts Blue Silo Studios exhibit: Now through April 26, Center for the Arts Evergreen, 31880 Rocky Village Drive, Evergreen. Featuring nearly 20 artists from Denver’s historic Blue Silo Studios.
Evergreen Chamber OrchestraSeries Finale Recital: 3 p.m. May 4, St. Laurence Episcopal Church, 26812 Barkley Rd, Conifer. ECO’s Tickets at evergreenchamberorch.org
peaceworksinc.co/communitywellness
ONGOING
Evergreen Ice Melt tickets available through March 17: $3 each with discounts for multiple purchases. Purchase tickets or nd local businesses selling tickets at evergreenicemelt. com. Proceeds bene t local organizations and nonpro ts.
Public ice skating and lessons: Evergreen Lake, 29612 Upper Bear Creek Road, Evergreen. Season and punch passes available. evergreenrecreation. com.
e Terrible Toll Road: 1 p.m. April 13, 26951 Barkley Road, Conifer. e Bradford Toll Road was once the most direct route to the mining camps in the mountains. Learn more with Journalist Jamie Siebrase. Tickets at coniferhistoricalsociety.org
Foothills Conversations: 4 p.m. April 15, Mount Evans Home Healthcare and Hospice, 3081 Bergen Peak Drive in Evergreen.Review critical documents, talk about end-of-life care. FoothillsConversations@MtEvans.org
Conifer Area Council: 7 p.m. April 16, West Je erson Middle School, 9449 Barnes Ave., Conifer.
Our Shared Habitat: Coexisting with Wildlife program: 6 p.m. April 17, Evergreen Library community meeting room, 5000 County Hwy 73, Evergreen. Join Colorado Parks and Wildlife District O cer Jacob Sonberg for info on protecting wildlife, your home, pets, and yourself. Register at oursharedhabitat.cheddarup.com. Free.
Floyd Hill Meadow Earth Day Celebration: 10 a.m. April 22, Floyd Hill Meadow, o I70, adjacent to Clear
Resilience1220 6th anniversary: 5:30 p.m. May 7, Center for the Arts Evergreen, 31880 Rocky Village Dr., Evergreen. Celebrating youth creativity. Entertainment, exhibits, silent auction. resilience1220.org.
Wildlife Watch spring volunteer training: 10 a.m. May 10, Evergreen Lake. Wildlife Watch relies on volunteers to educate visitors to Evergreen Lake about our local elk during calving and rutting seasons. Register at evergreenaudubon.org or email info@ wildaware.org.
Art Gone Wild Bene t Returns – An Evening of Art, Wine, and Wildlife Conservation: 5 p.m. May 16, Mountain Home, 27965 Meadow Drive, Evergreen. Wild Aware’s second annual bene t celebrating wildlife through art, while supporting local conservation e orts. Wine, appetizers, art by Colorado artists, sculptors, and photographers. wildaware.org
Mountain Women Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): 9 a.m. every Saturday in person and on Zoom, Evergreen Lutheran Church, 5980 CR-73, Evergreen. Mountain Women also meet via Zoom on Wednesdays at noon. evergreenaa.com/
Wild Aware is actively recruiting volunteers for their Last Friday Coffee. e monthly event is at 9 a.m., the last Friday morning of every month. Evergreen Bread and Cocktail Lounge, 1260 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen.
Conifer Chamber of Commerce member meeting: 7:30 a.m. on second ursdays, Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church, 9444 Eagle Cli Road, Conifer. Free for members, $10 for non-members.
A Taste of Peace: 5 p.m. May 31, Evergreen Elks Lodge, 27972 Iris Dr, Evergreen. Fundraiser for PeaceWorks. Tickets and more information at
Evergreen Nature Center Weekly Preschool Adventures Program: 9 a.m. every ursday, 27640 Hwy 74, Evergreen. Free & no registration required. Programs designed for children ages 2-5 years old. All children must have an adult in attendance. Dress to explore the outdoors. evergreenaudubon.org
Evergreen Nature Center Monthly Family Program: 11 a.m. every last Saturday, 27640 Hwy 74, Evergreen. evergreenaudubon.org
HAPPENINGS
e American Legion Evergreen Post 2001: Meets 4 p.m. Feb. 19, then monthly (March - October) on the 4th Tuesday at 7 p.m., Evergreen Church of the Trans guration, Douglas Hall, 27640 Hwy 74, Evergreen. Serving all military Veterans in the foothills. Email evergreenpost2001@gmail.com.
Evergreen Camera Club: Meets every second Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Evergreen Fire/Rescue auditorium, 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen. Club is for people who share a passion for all photography, from beginners to professionals. Attend in person or via ZOOM.
Evergreen Area Republican Club: e Evergreen Area Republican Club meets at 6 p.m. the rst Wednesday of the month at the Evergreen Fire/Rescue Administration Building, 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen. e May 7 speaker is 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler. Information at evergreenarearepublicanclub.org
Mountain Area Democrats: Mountain Area Democrats meet at 9 a.m. the fourth Saturday of the month January through April at the United Methodist Church of Evergreen, 3757 Ponderosa Drive, Evergreen. For more information, e-mail mtnareademocrats@gmail.com
Evergreen Nature Center: Evergreen Nature Center is open from 10 a.m.4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays next to Church of the Trans guration. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.EvergreenAudubon.org.
e Bear Creek Cemetery Association board of directors volunteers needed: Members needed to help with operations of the local cemetery on Highway 74, Evergreen. Contact board president, evergreenbearcreekcemetery@gmail.com
Blue Spruce Habitat volunteers needed: Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. A variety of opportunities and exible schedules are available on new construction sites as well as for exterior minor home repairs. No previous construction experience needed. Contact volunteer@ bluesprucehabitat.org for information.
EChO needs volunteers: e Evergreen Christian Outreach ReSale Store and food pantry need volunteers. Proceeds from the EChO ReSale Store support the food pantry and programs and services provided by EChO. Many volunteer options available. For more information, call Mary at 720-673-4369 or email mary@evergreenchristianoutreach.org.
LGBTQ+ teen book club: Resilience1220 is o ering an LGBTQ+ teen book club that meets from 4-6 p.m. the
fourth Monday at the Resilience1220 o ce next to the Buchanan Park Recreation Center. For more information and to register, visit R1220.org.
ESA EverGREEN Re ll Station: EverGREEN Re ll Station (re ll your laundry detergent, lotions, soaps and more. We have many sustainable products available). e Re ll Station is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.5 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month from 1-4 p.m. in the Habitat Restore, 1232 Bergen Parkway.
Support After Suicide Loss: A safe place to share and learn after losing a loved one to suicide. is group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 o ce. For ages 14 and up. Suggested donation for this group is $15. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.
Sensitive Collection: Resilience1220 strives to inform and support highly sensitive people to live healthy and empowered lives. It meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6-7 p.m. via Zoom. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.
Caregiver support group: Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice o ers a monthly group to provide emotional support services for caregivers helping ill, disabled or elderly loved ones. An inperson support group meets every third Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. at
3081 Bergen Peak Road, Evergreen. For more information, visit mtevans.org/ services/emotional-support/.
Grieving the Death of a Spouse/ Partner Support Group: 3 to 4 p.m. every second ursday. is group explores issues unique to those who have lost a life partner. O ered in-person and virtually. Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice, 3081 Bergen Peak Road, Evergreen. For more information, visit mtevans.org/services/emotionalsupport/.
Parkinson’s disease support group: A Parkinson’s disease support group meets the rst Friday of the month from 1-3 p.m. at Evergreen Christian Church, 27772 Iris Drive, Evergreen. For more information, email esears@parkinsonrockies.org.
Mountain Foothills Rotary meetings: Mountain Foothills Rotary meets at 6 p.m. Wednesdays both in person at Mount Vernon Canyon Club, 24933 Club House Circle, Genesee, and via Zoom. Information at 346-248-7799.
Beyond the Rainbow: Resilience1220 o ers Beyond the Rainbow, which is two support groups that meet the second Tuesday of the month. One is a safe group for those 12-20 and the other is a group for parents and caregivers wanting support for raising an LGBTQ+ child. For group location and to RSVP, email heather@resilience1220.org.
SOCCER
strength and fortitude that we need to be able to take these on,” she said. “So they’re going to give us a lot of strength because they know each other so well and are good leaders both on and o the eld.”
But the strong start is behind them, and now the gauntlet awaits. Spring Break is over, and a tough run of league teams decorates the Lobos’ schedule going forward.
Conifer’s rst league game is on March 25 at Golden.
“I think they are really excited for the way the team has been playing,” MillerHeikka said. “ ey also had a fantastic preseason. We do about six weeks of preseason, and we have incredible participation that really brought the momentum very quickly into the season. We’ve talked about what it’s going to take to be able to make those 3A playo s and really kind of show in those areas, and they’re ready for it.”
Follow the Lobos on their quest to make the postseason by searching for Conifer girls soccer on MaxPreps.com.
Editor’s note: is story went to press before Conifer began league play.
•Give yourself 90 minutes of restorative harmonic vibrations from traditional Himalayan Gongs and Singing Bowls
•Support EAPL’s 44-year commitment to the Evergreen & Conifer communities
•Meet amazing rescue dogs at this event (weather dependent)
Conifer girls soccer poses for a photo after beating Denver West 10-0 on March 11. Conifer started the season 2-1 and looks to chase a playo push in their first season in Class 3A.
around a guitar,” he said. “So my mom put me in lessons when I was 7. And I’ve been playing ever since.”
James and his mom moved to Morrison in 2013 after his parents had divorced, renting the basement of a family friend’s home in the town. James was enchanted with Morrison.
“I always tell people I’m from there because a lot of people know about Red Rocks and Morrison,” he said. “It was such a gift to be able to live there, and it felt like some of the most developmen-
BERGEN PARK CHURCH
tal parts of my life.
“I absolutely loved being on the cusp of the mountains in the foothills. I loved going on hikes, being outside. Between those years of my life, I didn’t love being at home most of the time. So, I was always going on really long walks and hikes. I would put one earbud in and walk and sing.”
James also took advantage of those years to attend as many Red Rocks concerts as possible.
In 2019, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his musical career. He signed with a music label, but later left it saying it was “a toxic environment” and has been performing since at venues including Hollywood’s Troubadour,
the Roxy Denver, and LA’s Hotel Café.
“I didn’t just walk on the show and decide I want to be a singer,” he said. “I’ve been out in LA for the last six years, failing a lot of the time and learning. I really care about this. It’s my whole life.”
James, who writes his own music, describes his musical style as indie folk/ alternative. His influences include Tom Petty, Sam Fender, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits and the Bleachers.
An “American Idol” talent scout first reached out to James about two years ago, but he declined. A year ago, the same agent tried again. This time, a friend convinced James to do it.
“I wanted to be prepared, so for two to
three months before the show, it consumed my life,” he said. “There are a lot of Zoom auditions you go through with producers. It’s a lot less straightforward than people see on the back end.”
James’ father, girlfriend and mom — whom he calls “my rock” and who now lives in Silverthorne — came to watch his performance and meet the judges.
“I’m still riding a high from the whole experience,” he said. “‘American idol’ is an incredible gift, a real opportunity.”
“American Idol” airs at 7 p.m. mountain time zone on Sundays on ABC and Hulu.
For more information on James, you can find him at Gabexjames on Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok and You Tube.
WORSHIP DIRECTORY
Bergen Park Church is a group of regular people who strive to improve ourselves and our community by studying the Bible and sharing our lives with each other. On Sunday mornings you can expect contemporary live music, Children’s Ministry that seeks to love and care for your kids, teaching from the Bible, and a community of real people who are imperfect, but seek to honor God in their lives. We hope to welcome you soon to either our 9:00AM or 10:30AM Sunday service.
Search Bergen Park Church on YouTube for Livestream service at 9:00am 31919 Rocky Village Dr. 303-674-5484 info@bergenparkchurch.org / www.BergenParkChurch.org
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH SERVICES
28244 Harebell Lane
Sunday Service & Sunday School: 10 a.m.
Wednesday evening: 7p.m: (Zoom only Nov.1st-Mar. 31st.)
Visit: www.christianscienceevergreen.com for more information and ZOOM link
Reading Room: 4602 Plettner Lane 303-674-5296
OPEN: TUES-SAT 12 p.m.-3 p.m.
CHURCH OF THE HILLS PRESBYTERIAN (USA)
Serving the mountain community from the heart of Evergreen Worship 10:00 a.m.
Reverend Richard Aylor
O ce Hours: Tu-Thur 9:00 - 4:00; Fri 9:00 - noon Bu alo Park Road and Hwy 73 www.churchofthehills.com
CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION EPISCOPAL
In-Church: Sunday Communion Quiet Service 8:00 am & with Music 10:15 am 10:15 am only Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86017266569
In-Meadow: 2nd Sunday of the month at 9:30 a.m. --June through September— 27640 Highway 74 – ¼ mile east of downtown Evergreen at the Historic Bell Tower www.transfigurationevergreen.org
Reverend Dr. Knut Heim, pastor, Sunday Worship 10 AM
Located one mile west of Pine Junction just o Rt. 285 966 Rim Rock Road, Bailey (303) 838-6759 deerparkumc.org
All are welcome to our open/inclusive congregation!
EVERGREEN LUTHERAN CHURCH 5980 Highway 73 + 303-674-4654
Rev. Terry Schjang
Join us for worship in person or on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EvergreenLutheranChurch
Sunday Worship held at 9am. www.evergreenlutheran.org + All Are Welcome!
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY CHURCH – EPC
1036 El Rancho Rd, Evergreen – (303) 526-9287 www.lomcc.org – o ce@lomcc.org
Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m., with communion every Sunday “Real Church In An UnReal World”
A community empowered by the Holy Spirit which seeks authentic relationships with God and others to share the good news of Jesus with Evergreen, the Front Range and the world. Come as you are, all are welcome!
PLATTE CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH
Located: 4954 County Road 64 in Bailey. O ce hours MWF 8am-1pm 303-838-4409, Worship & Children’s Church at 10am
Please check our website, www.Rockland.church, for updated service times ¼ mile north of I-70 at exit 254 17 S Mt. Vernon Country Club Rd., Golden, CO 80401 303-526-0668
SHEPHERD OF THE ROCKIES LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod. 106 Rosalie Road, Bailey, CO 303-838-2161 Pastor John Graham
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF EVERGREEN Rev. Sarah Clark • 303.674.4810
James at Red Rocks, near his former home in Morrison.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FREMANTLE James with Grammy-nominated singer songwriter Mike Posner.
1. TELEVISION: In the sitcom “Modern Family,” Gloria is from which country?
2. LITERATURE: Which author wrote “ e Kite ief” and “A ousand Splendid Suns”?
3. GEOGRAPHY: What is the deepest lake in the world?
4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which rst lady’s nickname was Lady Bird?
5. ASTRONOMY: How many stars make up the Big Dipper?
6. MOVIES: Which famous Hollywood couple played lead roles in the lm version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”?
7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of skunks called?
8. GEOMETRY: How many sides does a decagon have?
9. ART: Which American artist focused on women and children in her paintings?
TrIVIa
10. ANATOMY: What substance gives skin its color?
Answers
1. Colombia.
2. Khaled Hosseini.
3. Lake Baikal, Russia.
4. Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Johnson.
5. Seven.
6. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
7. A surfeit.
8. 10.
9. Mary Cassatt.
10. Melanin.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Landscape & Garden
PUBLIC NOTICES
•Board members are expected to:
• Support the mission and vision of the Jefferson Center. Act in good faith and in the best interest of the Jefferson Center.
• Maintain confidentiality and ethical standards.
• Actively participate in board affairs (attending meetings, committees, retreats, and special events).
•Make an annual financial contribution and participate in fundraising events.
Applications will be first reviewed by April 11, 2025. This Board position is open until it is filled.
Interested parties should submit a letter of interest to: Clear Creek County Board of County Commissioners, PO 2000, Georgetown, CO 80444 OR Email: – Beth Luther at bluther@clearcreekcounty.us
Legal Notice No. CAN1056
First Publication: April 3, 2025
Last Publication: April 3, 2025
Publisher: Canyon Courier
Metropolitan Districts
Public Notice
NOTICE OF POLLING PLACE ELECTION FOR EVERGREEN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN and particularly to the electors of the Evergreen Fire Protection District (“District”) of Jefferson and Clear Creek Counties, Colorado.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a regular election of the District shall be held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The Board of Directors of the District has designated the following polling place:
1802 Bergen Parkway Evergreen, Colorado 80439
At such election, the electors of the District shall vote for Directors to serve the following terms of office on the Board of Directors of the District:
Three (3) Directors for Four-Year Terms
The names of persons nominated and terms of office for which nominated are as follows:
Byrne McKenna for Four-Year Term
Julie Ann Courim for Four-Year Term
Kelly Guthner for Four-Year Term
Ryan Stack for Four-Year Term
Stacey Ballinger for Four-Year Term
Ed Mills for Four-Year Term
EVERGREEN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
By /s/ Micki L. Mills
Designated Election Official
and families.
• VISION: A community where mental health matters and care is accessible to all.
Applicant requirements include:
• Board members must be residents of either Gilpin County or Clear Creek County and would represent both counties. Board members will be required to attend monthly board and committee meetings. Board meetings are
Legal Notice No. CAN 1901
First Publication: April 3, 2025
Last Publication: April 3, 2025
Publisher: Canyon Courier
Public Notice
NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF REGULAR ELECTION AND CERTIFIED STATEMENT OF RESULTS BY THE DESIGNATED ELECTION OFFICIAL
RRC METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 3
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Sections 1-13.5-513(6) and 32-1-104(1), C.R.S., by the RRC Metropolitan District No.
3 (the “District”) of Jefferson County, Colorado, that at the close of business on the sixty-third day before the election, there were not more candidates for director than offices to be filled including candidates filing affidavits of intent to be write-in candidates; therefore, the regular election to be held on May 6, 2025, is hereby canceled and the following candidates are hereby declared elected:
Josh Brgoch to a 2-year term (2025-2027) Ed Kubly to a 4-year term (2025-2029) Alana Wester to a 4-year term (2025-2029)
Contact Person for the District: David O’Leary, Esq. 1700 Lincoln Street, Suite 2000, Denver, CO 80203 303-839-3800
RRC METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
By: /s/ Becky Johnson, Designated Election Official
Legal Notice No. CAN 1902
First Publication: April 3, 2025
Last Publication: April 3, 2025
Publisher: Canyon Courier Public Notice
NOTICE OF CANCELLATION AND CERTIFIED STATEMENT OF RESULTS
§1-13.5-513(6), 32-1-104, 1-11-103(3) C.R.S.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the KITTREDGE SANITATION AND WATER DISTRICT, JEFFERSON County, Colorado, that at the close of business on the sixty-third day before the election, there were not more candidates for director than offices to be filled, including candidates filing affidavits of intent to be write-in candidates; therefore, the election to be held on May 6, 2025 is hereby canceled pursuant to section 1-13.5-513(6) C.R.S.
The following candidates are hereby declared elected:
Kenneth L. Juliano: 4 year term, until May, 2029 Kyle Brytowski: 4 year term, until May, 2029 Gregory Goulding: 4 year term, until May, 2029
S/ Anita L. Marchant
(Signature of the Designated Election Official)
Anita L. Marchant, Esq. (DEO’s Printed Name) Contact Person for the District: Nickie Holder (720) 496-9343 P.O. Box 7 Kittredge, Colorado 80457 bnmholderbiz@gmail.com
Posted: District Website, EMD Offices, Kittredge Colorado Post Office, and County Clerk and Recorder’s Office
Filed: Division of Local Government
Legal Notice No. CAN 1899 First Publication: April 3, 2025 Last Publication: April 3, 2025
Publisher: Canyon Courier Public Notice
CORRECTED NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF REGULAR ELECTION BY THE DESIGNATED ELECTION OFFICIAL
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Dakota Ridge Metropolitan District, Jefferson County, Colorado, that at the close of business on the sixty-third day before the election there were not more candidates for director than offices to be filled, including candidates filing
affidavits of intent to be write-in candidates; therefore, the election to be held on May 6, 2025, is hereby canceled pursuant to Section 1-13.5-513, C.R.S.
The following candidates are declared elected:
Eric Harris: until the next regular election (May 4, 2027)
Carlagene Hawkins: until the next regular election (May 4, 2027)
Joshua Botts: until the second regular election (May 8, 2029)
Vacant: until the second regular election (May 8, 2029)
DATED: March 10, 2025
/s/ Lisa Jacoby
Designated Election Official for the Dakota Ridge Metropolitan District c/o McGeady Becher Cortese Williams
P.C.
450 E. 17th Avenue, Suite 400
Denver, Colorado 80203-1254
Phone: 303-592-4380
Legal Notice No. CAN 1904
First Publication: April 3, 2025
Last Publication: April 3, 2025
Publisher: Canyon Courier Public Notice
NOTICE OF CANCELLATION AND CERTIFIED STATEMENT OF RESULTS
Mountain Water and Sanitation District Jefferson County, Colorado
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Mountain Water and Sanitation District, Jefferson County, Colorado, that at the close of business on the sixty-third day before the election, there were not more candidates for director than offices to be filled, including candidates filing affidavits of intent to be write-in candidates; therefore, the election to be held on May 6, 2025 is hereby cancelled pursuant to Section 1-13.5-513, C.R.S.
The following candidates are hereby declared elected by acclamation for the following terms of office:
Name: Length of Term: Term Expiration
Richard Swanson: 4 Years, May, 2029
Robert Wade: 4 Years, May, 2029
Vacancy: 4 Years, May, 2029
/s/ Natalie M. Fleming
(Signature of Designated Election Official)
Natalie M. Fleming (DEO’s Printed Name)
Contact Person for the District: Jeffrey E. Erb, Esq. 8480 E. Orchard Road, Suite 3650 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 (303) 626-7125 jerb@erblawllc.com
Legal Notice No. CAN 1897
First Publication: April 3, 2025
Last Publication: April 3, 2025 Publisher: Canyon Courier Public Notice NOTICE OF MAIL BALLOT ELECTION §1-13.5-1105(2)(d), 1-13.5-502
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN and particularly to the electors of the Indian Hills Water District, Jefferson County, State of Colorado: NOTICE IS HEREBY given that a regular election of the Indian Hills Water District shall be held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. The election is being conducted as a mail ballot election. Mail ballots are required to be mailed to eligible electors between 22 and 15 days prior to the election date.
At
The names of
office will be open: 141 Union Boulevard, Suite 150, Lakewood, CO 80228.
The office is open Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., beginning at least 22 days prior to Election Day (April 14th) and from
election of certain members of the board of directors, and any questions necessary to implement the provisions of Article X, Section 20, of the Colorado Constitution as applied to the District.
The election is being conducted as a mail ballot election by the Designated Election Official, Jennifer Pino, c/o McGeady Becher Cortese Williams P.C., 450 E. 17th Avenue, Suite 400, Denver, Colorado 80203, telephone number 303-592-4380. The place of deposit for mail ballots and walk-in polling place for voting at the election will be at said office.
Not sooner than April 14, 2025 and no later than April 21, 2025, the Designated Election Official shall mail to each active registered elector of the District a mail ballot packet.
Garrett Baum, William Branyan and Bonner Gilmore are candidates for terms extending to the second regular election.
The walk-in polling place shall be open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. beginning not sooner than twenty-two days prior to the election, April 14, 2025, and from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the date of election.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that an eligible elector of said District for the purpose of said election is a person registered to vote pursuant to the “Colorado Uniform Election Code of 1992”; and (i) who is a resident of the District, or (ii) who, or
or
or personal property within the District, whether said person resides within the District or not. A person who is obligated to pay taxes under a contract to purchase taxable property within the District shall be considered an owner of taxable property for the purpose of qualifying as an
