March 18, 2016
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A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Candidates make case at youth forum Inspire Colorado holds its first gathering in Denver By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com The questions to the state Legislature candidates covered a wide range of topics, but the focus on relevancy to a younger generation was clear: “How,” Cherry Creek High School junior Sarah Hait wanted to know at the the inaugural Inspire Colorado candidate forum, “are you going to engage a new demographic in politics?” Hait posed the question to the candidates vying for Senate District 26 — state Rep. Daniel Kagan, D-Cherry Hills Village,
and Arapahoe County District 1 Commissioner Nancy Doty, a Republican from Littleton. Kagan was in attendance, and Doty, who missed the March 8 forum due to a death in her family, gave her Doty answers to Colorado Community Media by email. To Hait’s question, Kagan encouraged students to visit the Capitol to see the Judiciary Committee he chairs at work or to take a tour. “I love it when young people take an interest in politics,” he said. “I cherish that.” Doty said she would embrace social media networks that younger people use.
“Young people today get a lot of their information from social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat,” she said. “Let’s use those forms Kagan of communication to educate those folks on the issues that face us.” The forum, held at History Colorado Center in Denver, drew about 50 students, giving them a chance to meet and ask questions of a slate of state legislature candidates. Senate District 26 covers Littleton, Englewood, Sheridan, Cherry Hills Village, Greenwood Village, west Centennial and
parts of Aurora. The candidates are vying for the seat in the November election because state Sen. Linda Newell, DLittleton, is term-limited. Also present were candidates for House District 8, covering northeast Denver, and House District 32, covering north central Denver. The forum was moderated by Luc Hatlestad, editor-at-large of 5280 magazine, and included opening remarks from Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams, who assured the teenagers that, despite their age, they can affect the political process. He told them about his own experience getting involved in politics as a high school student in Virginia.
Forum continues on Page 5
Trail put on path to upgrades Some neighbors concerned about additional traffic By Kyle Harding kharding@colorado communitymedia.com
Caleb Liban, one of eight Spartans, perfects his front flip in Goodson Recreation Center’s busy gymnasium on March 9. Photos by Alex DeWind
Program gives boys a whirl at gymnastics South Suburban rec center is young athletes’ practice site By Alex DeWind adewind@coloradocommunitymedia.com Dozens of young girls assemble at Goodson Recreation Center for gymnastics practice on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. There’s also a group of boys among the crowd at the Centennial facility. They are the Spartans — one of the few competitive boys gymnastics teams in the south metro area. “We had a successful boys program up until the mid-’90s,” said Andrea Miesen, head coach of the South Suburban gymnastics program. “It disappeared for a while because we didn’t have anyone interested in coaching the boys.” South Suburban’s boys program came back about three years ago due to public interest. It’s now in the Colorado Association of Recreational Athletics Gymnasts continues on Page 5
The South Suburban Parks and Recreation District will begin work this year to transform a mile-long stretch of a two-track dirt trail in Centennial into an 8-foot-wide improved path. The Highlands 460 Trail System Master Plan goes back to 2007, when the city identified it as a priority improvement project, as it was again in 2014 by a district citizen advisory committee. The district’s board of directors approved the first phase of the plan at the March 9 meeting. The district and the city will split the cost, estimated at about $517,000. Proposed later phases include improving another 0.9 mile of the trail and a pair of creek crossings. “We know (the trails) would be more accessible at more times of the year if they were maintained,” park planner Chad Giron said. The trail meanders in a roughly Ushaped pattern through an area of open space between University and Colorado boulevards and Dry Creek and County Line roads, leading into Arapahoe Park. The improvement mainly involves replacing the tracks with a path of crusher fines, a finely-ground gravel byproduct. Some residents with houses backing up to the trail worry that a nicer trail will bring more people, leading to privacy and property crime concerns. One homeowner, David Franzblau, sees the trail plan as a slippery slope that could lead to more development Trail continues on Page 5
TECHNOLOGY Kellyn Hartler, 9, practices the pommel horse at a weekly Spartans practice. “That right there is one of the hardest things to do in gymnastics,” said Jerry Burkey, who helps with the boys’ practice.
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