GLUTEN-FREE GROWTH
September 9, 2016 VO LUM E 1 5 | IS S U E 42 | FREE
More people are cutting gluten from their diet, but the reasons vary. PAGE 12
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Park Meadows — ‘a magnet’ for growth Mall reaches 20th anniversary as major destination for retail By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com When Park Meadows mall was being built in the mid-1990s, some in the fledgling city of Lone Tree didn’t favor it — some didn’t even know what the massive structure near I-25 and County Line Road was going to be. “When I first moved here, I was signing my kids up for soccer and I was telling one of the other parents how I moved here for Park Meadows. She said, ‘It’s so beautiful. I love that building. How many seniors is
it going to house?’ ” said Pamela SchenckKelly, Park Meadows’ general manager for its 20-year existence. “I came back to the construction trailer the next day and said, ‘Folks, we have our work cut out for us.’ ” Sharon Van Ramshorst, one of Lone Tree’s first residents in the early 1980s, remembers that not everyone welcomed Park Meadows with open arms. “Despite the fact that there were huge signs on the site that said ‘future mall,’ people would say, ‘I didn’t know there was a mall there’ and ‘We don’t want that mall,’ ”said Van Ramshorst, who served on city council from 2004 to 2012. “It was a small number of people, but they were very vocal.” Mall continues on Page 5
Park Meadows attracts more than 50,000 visitors on a typical day, and more during the holidays. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando
KEEP ON TRUCKIN’
By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Brooks, 3, hides out in the tire of an electric red tractor at South Suburban’s Touch-a-Truck event Sept. 3. The piece of machinery was one of many in the parking lot of South Suburban Ice Arena, 6580 S. Vine St., Centennial.
Daylen Kidd, 2, plays next to snow made from a Zamboni at South Suburban’s Touch-a-Truck extravaganza on Sept. 3.
DA’s office leads way as process goes digital
Mike Warren and his 3-year-old son, Hosea, spent Sept. 3 at the parking lot of South Suburban Ice Arena, 6580 S. Vine St., Centennial, for the fifth annual Touch-a-Truck extravaganza. “This is great,” Warren said. “He loves seeing all the trucks.” When asked what piece of machinery was his favorite, Hosea responded, “The fire truck.” It was a common answer among the young attendees. The free event, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., gave kids the chance to explore a variety of machinery, including trucks, tractors, emergency vehicles and a Zamboni that made piles of snow on the cement. It was the perfect photo op for parents and grandparents. Touch-a-Truck usually has between 600 and 800 guests, said Dirk Doty, recreation coordinator of South Suburban. “It’s fun for all kids, all ages,” Doty said, “and it gives families something to do over Labor Day weekend.”
PHOTOS BY ALEX DEWIND
District Attorney George Brauchler says that by embracing digital discovery, the 18th Judicial District is a leader in bringing the courtroom into 2016. Brauchler volunteered the district to be the first in Colorado to launch eDiscovery, making it mandatory on Aug. 22. Discovery, Brauchler the process by which attorneys obtain evidence, is streamlined by the digital process, Brauchler said. “People had to physically come in to pick up discovery,” he said, noting that in the past, attorneys would drag around large files full of paperwork. “Now, they go to court with their laptop,” Brauchler said. “The future is the direction we’re headed now.” Brauchler said that the digital discovery process will lead to fewer hearings being continued to later dates, which often happens when defense attorneys have not received all of the discovery, and can cause a ripple effect, postponing other hearings. “I think we’re going to create an extra level of efficiency,” he said.
OPENING DRIVE Arapahoe kicks off the football season with game against Rock Canyon. PAGE 19