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December 12, 2013
Free Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 11, Issue 38 A publication of
castlerocknewspress.net
Open-carry ban could face repeal Staff now directed to change course By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews.com
the fourth floor yet, so recently it let the Douglas County-based nonprofit Project ReCycle organization set up shop there for the time being. Folkenberg said the hospital, at 2350 Meadows Blvd., is equally focused on promoting wellness and caring for the ill. “Given our mission and focus on wellness, I had been searching for a way to put this resource to work when I met some leaders and volunteers from Project Recycle,”
After considering repealing its ban on open carrying of weapons in town-owned buildings and on town properties, Castle Rock Town Council in September — in front of a mainly pro-ban audience — decided instead to direct staff to draft a ban ordinance with improvements. But that was September. On Dec. 3, in front of an anti-ban audience, the town council voted 7-0 to direct staff to draft a proposed ordinance to repeal the ban. As part of the vote, the council tabled the proposed ordinance they directed staff in September to draft — which was to clarify wording to make it absolutely clear it was the council, not the town manager, that had the authority to impose the ban, and also added open space and trails to the ban. Councilmember Clark Hammelman, who has supported continuing the ban, said he voted the way he did Dec. 3 because “I knew that vote sets up a future public hearing where hopefully we’ll have all perspectives on this issue … I want to hear from all of the public and town employees and users of our facilities.” At the Dec. 3 meeting, everyone from the public who spoke on the issue, more than 20, were opposed to the expansion of the ban and supported repeal. Hammelman said he and other council members received about 150 emails with that
Bikes continues on Page 18
Ban continues on Page 19
Jeff Fleck, Project ReCycle’s vice chairman, and Cynthia Edwards, chairperson, stand in the roughly 20,000-square-foot, fourth-floor space that Castle Rock Adventist Hospital donated to the organization for use as a bike storage and repair shop. Photo by Virginia Grantier
Broken bikes heal at hospital Project ReCycle sets up shop in Castle Rock By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews.com It was a mostly empty fourth floor, thousands upon thousands of empty square feet in the new Castle Rock Adventist Hospital — because the plan was to have that extra floor for future growth, have it ready when needed. Change of plans.
Now, all of a sudden, more than half of it is full, full of hundreds of patients — ranging from those that just need a little dusting off to those that need such things as a new seat, cosmetic changes or mechanical work. Bicycles. There are hundreds of donated bikes there, becoming almost new again, being repaired for future giveaways to kids —and some adults — who otherwise wouldn’t have a bike. Todd Folkenberg, the hospital’s CEO, told Colorado Community Media recently that the hospital doesn’t need most of
20 families, 20 stories of struggle Douglas/Elbert Task Force is crucial safety net By Virginia Grantier
vgrantier@ourcoloradonews. com
Jenny Follmer, client services manager for the Douglas/Elbert Task Force, looks through the paperwork of the more than 20 families that came into the organization’s Castle Rock office on Nov. 26 for assistance. Photo by Virginia Grantier
It’s in an industrial park on Park Street in Castle Rock — past storage units and a gun shop, and various other shops, in one of those nondescript rectangular buildings, where every day 20 or more families come to get help — many for food, clothing, money so utilities aren’t turned off, so rent can be paid. Jenny Follmer, the client service manager at the Douglas/ Elbert Task Force, 1638 Park St., usually stops at 20 families, a task force rule. The 21st person want-
ing to sign up to get help is asked to come back the next morning. But it’s the holidays. “We’re so swamped,” said Follmer, sitting behind a desk that has on it the day’s stack of file folders with 20 families’ paperwork in them. So even though she’s seen 20 this day, she’s still trying to help three or four more and has calls out to churches and others to see if help is out there — for the family whose electricity has been turned off and the family with seven children whose house has been foreclosed on and they’re being evicted in a couple of days. Follmer, who has degrees in marketing and Spanish, volunteered here for four years, and liked helping people, so she took a job with the agency more than two years ago, trying to help some
more. Sometimes she can, sometimes it’s tough. This day was some of both. And she goes back through them all. She opens up the first file folder: First family: A Castle Rock family, renters, mom, fiancé and three kids. The utilities have been turned off. Both adults are in school and have part-time jobs. They have food stamps, but they can’t buy some things with them — toilet paper, toothpaste, diapers. They need help getting their utilities back on and they need food. Families can get food every 30 days from the task force, and the amount depends on how many Struggle continues on Page 15