Centennial Citizen 0903

September 3, 2020

$1.00

An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 38

Fire agencies pitch in on Colo. blazes, hurricane First responders deploy to locations in need of extra assistance

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Firefighters from across the metro area were deployed to assist at the scene of Colorado wildfires and with the aftermath of Hurricane Laura on the Gulf Coast.

South Metro Fire Rescue and the Castle Rock and Denver fire departments each sent first responders to assist with the blazes raging in the state. Also called into service were members of the West Metro Fire Protection District, which covers significant portions of Jefferson and Douglas counties, and the Arvada and Thornton fire agencies.

Among the blazes where local fire agencies have been assisting is the Pine Gulch Fire, centered 18 miles north of Grand Junction, which had engulfed more than 139,000 acres as of Aug. 30, making it the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. The fire was about 77% contained as of that date, with 646 people working to douse the blaze, according to the federal National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

SEE AGENCIES, P14

Response differs from the approach at a Douglas County school

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

velopment — such as South Metro Fire Rescue, Arapahoe Libraries, and agencies that manage local stormwater and transportation.

Developers want to revitalize the outdoor mall, which has fought recent vacancies and is facing the expectation that its Macy’s store could close in coming years.

Because the developers want to

School districts in the Denver metro area have responded differently to confirmed COVID-19 cases so far this school year, underscoring the discretion individual districts have in applying state and local guidance, and how large or small some schools’ interruptions will be.

One week into the school year in Cherry Creek and Douglas County school districts, four cases were publicly reported in Cherry Creek schools along with one in a Douglas County elementary. The year began Aug. 17 in those districts.

Ten students and 10 staff members who had come in close contact with cases in Cherry Creek — a Grandview High School student and one staff member at Belleview Elementary School — were told to quarantine.

On the other hand, in response to one case, sixth-grade students and teachers at Sand Creek Elementary School in Douglas County were broadly told to quarantine.

Then, as of Aug. 27, a student at Cherry Hills Village Elementary School in the Cherry Creek district

SEE SOUTHGLENN, P4

SEE QUARANTINES, P16

Firefighters from South Metro Fire Rescue Brush 33, based in Centennial, push back against the Cameron Peak Fire in the Arapahoe and Roosevelt national forests in northern Colorado on Aug. 24.

COURTESY PHOTO

SouthGlenn development plan heads to city review stage Council vote on possible apartments, offices is likely months away

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Nearly a year and a half after plans to redevelop Centennial’s

How Cherry Creek schools have handled COVID-19 quarantines

flagship shopping complex met the public eye at a meeting that drew more than 100, The Streets at SouthGlenn’s main property owner says developers may submit a formal proposal to the city in the next several weeks.

That means residents may soon have their chance to review and submit comments on the proposal.

So would local government districts that could be affected by de-

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 17

STREET ART THRIVES IN TOUGH TIMES Walls talk in era of COVID, Black Lives Matter P12

2 Centennial Citizen

September 3, 2020S

Arapahoe Community College president stepping down Doyle cites expanded offerings, new campus as accomplishments

Arapahoe Community College President Diana Doyle.

COURTESY PHOTO

BY DAVID GILBERT DGILBERT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arapahoe Community College will bid farewell to a devoted leader next spring, after President Diana Doyle announced her retirement.

Doyle announced she will step down in June 2021, ending an 11-year tenure as the head of the Littleton-based college, and wrapping up a 43-year career in higher education.

“My original goal was to stay here for 10 years, but in the unusual time we’re in, I decided to add one more year for good measure,” Doyle told Colorado Community Media.

Doyle said she’s proud of her legacy at ACC, including adding numerous bachelor’s and associate’s degree programs, starting a veterans’ services center, developing wellness programs for students, and overseeing the development of a new satellite campus in Castle Rock, shared with Colorado State University. ACC also has a Parker campus.

“There’s so much we do for students now that didn’t exist a decade ago,” she said. “But no president does their job alone. I have been blessed with a dream team of employees, students and partners.”

Doyle said she fell in love with higher education right from the start, becoming a resident assistant in her

dorm at Illinois State University. After graduation, she became a residence hall director, then went on to work at the University of Nebraska and the Colorado School of Mines.

“I’ve always loved the ability of higher education to help students grow not just academically, but as individuals,” she said.

But it wasn’t until she took a leadership role at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff that she found her defining role in the community college system.

“Community colleges are a wonderful place to have a more direct impact on students who might not have thought college was for them,” she

said. “I’m a first-generation college student, and there are a lot of those out there. Many people don’t have parents who can assist them with the challenges of college or give them advice on how to succeed.”

Community colleges graduate students who play many vital roles in society, Doyle said, including the vast majority of first responders, as well as auto technicians, IT specialists, nurses and cybersecurity professionals.

While some colleges have seen enrollment flounder in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Doyle says ACC’s fall enrollment is up 6% over last year. Doyle says she believes

the climb is driven by students who may be delaying transferring to a fouryear school, those looking for cheaper or more flexible options, and people laid off from the workforce seeking to boost their skillsets.

She also said ACC has engaged in robust communication with students and the public to overcome hurdles to attendance.

ACC had an easier time than some institutions with the transfer to largely online learning, Doyle said, because the school began developing widespread online offerings years ago. Some classes are attending in person, particularly vocational classes that have irreplaceable handson components like nursing and auto repair.

The Colorado Community College System, which oversees 13 schools statewide, will conduct a nationwide search for Doyle’s replacement.

Joe Garcia, the chancellor of the CCCS, had high praise for Doyle.

“We have been fortunate to not only have Dr. Doyle at the helm of ACC for the past decade, but also as an incredible thought leader who has paved the way for significant change in how post-secondary education is delivered to meet and support the needs of today’s students,” Garcia said in a statement. “I know I speak for our entire system when I express our deep appreciation for her transformational work and tireless dedication to student success.”

Doyle said she hopes the pandemic has abated by next spring.

“I want to go see the world,” she said. “I’m open to new adventures.”

Centennial Citizen 3

0September 3, 2020

Cherry Creek schools union chief takes in-person learning ‘one day at a time’ Teachers’ association helped plan reopening ‘every step of the way,’ leader says

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Kasey Ellis is no newcomer to the world of education.

Once a school counselor of two years at Fox Ridge Middle School in far southeast Aurora in the Cherry Creek School District, Ellis also spent 18 years as a middle-school science teacher in that district and a few more in a small rural district in New York state.

Ellis Now, she serves as president of the Cherry Creek Education Association, the union that represents teachers and other school staff in negotiations with the Cherry Creek district.

And even as the coronavirus pandemic upends the education realm she knows so well, she doesn’t seem fazed.

“I looked at the reopening of schools from a realist’s perspective,” Ellis said. “Regardless of how we opened, there were going to be bumps in the process that would need to be addressed. CCSD and (the union) began working on what reopening might look like in early April.”

Behind that process was a task force

of union members and leadership, school district leaders, and parents. As guidance changed from the Colorado Department of Education, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state public-health department, and Tri-County Health Department, the plans for reopening also evolved, Ellis said.

She had served for three years as an association representative — a position that assists union members at a particular school or district building with their concerns — and worked as an area director for four years, overseeing around eight representatives.

Ellis was elected vice president of the union in 2017 and was elected president this May. She took office July 1.

Here are Ellis’ thoughts on how the district planned to reopen in-person classes and how returning to school has gone so far. Students returned to school the week of Aug. 17 on different days by grade level.

Why did the teachers’ union support the district’s reopening plan?

We were part of the planning every step of the way. We sent a demands letter to (Superintendent Scott) Siegfried and the CCSD Board of Education that outlined what we were hearing from members at the time that had to be in place before we could support the reopening plan. … CCSD met every one of our demands. They even installed MERV-13 filters into all of our buildings’ (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems to provide greater filtration of the air and increased the run times as well.

SEE UNION, P16

How Cherry Creek union helped shape reopening

C NVERSATIONS Join Commissioner Nancy N. Sharpe with special guest Human Services Director Cheryl Ternes on Thursday Sept. 3 @ 7 p.m.

Get updates on recent and upcoming projects and initiatives that affect our diverse communities.

Get details at arapahoegov.com/townhall Satisfaction up, wait times down with advance online scheduling County residents can schedule appointments to renew vehicle registration, apply for a marriage license, receive a disabled parking placard, or complete a number of other transactions.

Visit arapahoegov.com/clerk International Opioid Awareness Day is August 31 Tri-County Overdose Prevention Partnership is hosting a virtual Night of Remembrance and Hope on Monday, August 31, 6:30-8 p.m.

Visit ioad2020.com Looking for some relief?

Resources you depend on—from food, clothing and housing assistance to medical and family services—are available now.

Find what you need by visiting ArapaSOURCE.org

Get Involved

Arapahoe County depends on its 23 citizen boards, committees and commissions to help shape the future of our communities.

Visit arapahoegov.com/getinvolved to see how you can apply and participate.

Labor Day On Monday, September 7, all County offices will be closed in observance of Labor Day. Visit arapahoegov.com/calendar

arapahoegov.com

4 Centennial Citizen

September 3, 2020S

SOUTHGLENN

CITY ACTION LIKELY MONTHS AWAY

FROM PAGE 1

change the mix of types of properties allowed, their plans need the city’s approval.

The mall is a top source of tax revenue for Centennial, but it’s pulling in a smaller proportion of funds than it used to.

The Sears property that closed near the end of 2018 at SouthGlenn is owned by Northwood Investors, which wants to add apartments there.

Alberta Development Partners — which controls nearly all of SouthGlenn — wants to put in apartments and office space, and possibly retail and entertainment establishments, where Macy’s stands.

After the public reviews the developers’ proposal, it still must undergo scrutiny from the Centennial Planning and Zoning Commission, a body of citizens who make development recommendations to city council.

Then it faces a city council vote, an event likely months away.

Residents last year primarily voiced concerns about the potential for more traffic around the mall, which sits at East Arapahoe Road and South University Boulevard, a major intersection in the south metro Denver area. They also objected to the possibility of apartment buildings sitting across the street from the less-dense neighborhood nearby.

Ron Phelps, a recent candidate who ran unsuccessfully for the city council seat in far west Centennial in November, organized the Neighbors for The Streets at SouthGlenn group last year to advocate for changes to the development vision. He says he’s met and spoken with developers

The Centennial City Council’s vote on the SouthGlenn redevelopment proposal is still likely months away. To see the criteria on which the council must base its decision, visit the city’s website at tinyurl.com/CentennialSouthGlennFAQ. To view the study on how the redevelopment would impact traffic on surrounding streets, scroll halfway down the page at tinyurl.com/SouthGlennTraffic.

To ask questions or submit comments about the redevelopment, email southglenn@centennialco.gov. Questions and comments will be shared with the developers and city staff and will be used to help update the city’s “frequently asked questions” section online about the project at the first link above, according to the city’s website. multiple times about their plans for SouthGlenn.

“We have reminded the developers in each meeting that our ideal outcome is to prevent any and all new building of rental residential on this side of town in the middle of our beautiful suburban neighborhoods,” Phelps said. “That said, one doesn’t always get what one wants. I believe in being practical and realistic.”

What could change Between the Sears and Macy’s properties, 1,071 new residential units could be added under the proposal, including 148 that are currently allowed but not yet built, according to the city. SouthGlenn already has 202 units in the Portola apartments, and new units would likely be high-end like at the Portola.

Northwood’s plan is for five stories, and Alberta’s appeared similar based on renderings shown to the crowd at

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A rendering shows what part of The Streets at SouthGlenn could look like if the City of Centennial approves developers’ plans.

PHOTOS BY ELLIS ARNOLD a Nov. 19 community meeting on the plans that drew roughly 400 people.

Both developers want to raise the allowed height on both properties from 50 feet to 75.

For context, the current tallest building at SouthGlenn is the office building north of the existing Sears building at 85 feet, according to the city website.

Those proposed numbers of units and building heights were released late last year, and it’s unclear how the details may change in the developers’ formal submittal to the city in the coming weeks. Phelps has praised the developers’ willingness to take community concerns into account, but it’s unclear what the final picture will look like.

Donald Provost, founding principal with Alberta, said developers continue to work with community members and the city government in firming up their plans.

“We have held several virtual meetings and calls with (Phelps) and other community leaders,” Provost said Aug. 27. “We very much appreciate their willingness to meet and have productive conversations. We continue to work on revising our plans and development standards and expect that we will be making a submittal sometime over the next several weeks.”

What the proposal depends on Because the City of Centennial approved a master development plan in 2006 that deviates from normal zoning — the rules for what can be built where in the city — Northwood and Alberta need the city’s approval to make certain changes.

The proposal, if approved, would decrease the amount of required retail space at SouthGlenn in addition to increasing the allowed number of residential units and the allowed height of the Sears and Macy’s properties.

Generally, the planning and zoning commission — and, if it gives the green light, then city council — must base the decision on whether they feel it will benefit the public and if it “will not materially and adversely affect existing development on adjacent properties, or measures will be taken

TRAFFIC IMPACT TO BE SMALL, STUDY SAYS

Speakers at a Nov. 19 meeting about potential redevelopment at The Streets at SouthGlenn didn’t deny that traffic would increase but emphasized a key statistic from a traffic impact study by Felsburg, Holt and Ullevig, an engineering and planning firm.

The study found that along Arapahoe Road, University Boulevard, Easter Avenue and Race Street — which form SouthGlenn’s perimeter — most areas would see less than a 10% increase in traffic during morning and afternoon rush hours as a result of the proposed project.

It also looked at “cut-through traffic” in nearby neighborhood streets, noting: “A review of existing traffic counts indicates that less than 5% of the trips from the Streets at Southglenn currently travel between the development and each of the neighborhoods surrounding the project site.”

to substantially buffer or otherwise substantially mitigate any incompatibility or adverse impacts,” according to the city website.

The proposal must be consistent with the mixed-use concept of SouthGlenn’s master development plan and must not conflict with the requirements of the master development agreement or financial obligations regarding the project. The city entered into the 2006 master development agreement with the developer to establish the process by which SouthGlenn was redeveloped, and the MDA is tied to the master development plan.

The proposal also must be consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan, Centennial NEXT, which sets goals for future development and land use in the city.

The city could also deny the proposal if council feels it would conflict with the general-purpose criteria listed the city’s land development code, which lays out zoning and other standards for development.

However, city staff will review the plan submitted by the developer to make sure all criteria are met prior to it moving forward to city council approval, Allison Wittern, city spokeswoman, has said.

Centennial Citizen 5

0September 3, 2020

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6 Centennial Citizen

September 3, 2020S

Tiny homes for homeless built by students, teachers ‘Village’ to house women transitioning out of homelessness

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Students who attend class in a vast, largely undeveloped section of the south metro suburbs helped build houses to stand in Denver’s inner city.

There was just one more thing to do: Deliver them.

“We’ve been waiting for the day when we could hand over the keys and say, ‘They’re yours now — welcome home,’” said Mike Degitis, a math teacher at Cherry Creek Innovation Campus in Centennial.

Degitis helped orchestrate a partnership between a construction class and an organization that aims to open a tiny home village for women and transgender women climbing out of homelessness.

At the Innovation Campus, where high school students in the Cherry Creek School District come to learn skills in several trades — from construction management to cybersecurity — students in the last school year built tiny homes as part of a partnership with the Colorado Village Collaborative.

In 2017, the City of Denver’s first legal community of tiny homes opened along 38th Street, giving a small number of people a lift in their struggle SEE TINY HOMES, P7

Innovation Campus teacher Mike Degitis, left, operates a vehicle to guide a tiny home onto a truck. Degitis helped put together a class’s partnership with the Colorado Village Collaborative, an organization that has already launched one tiny home village in Denver.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

Centennial Citizen 7

0September 3, 2020

TINY HOMES FROM PAGE 6

to exit homelessness. The Colorado Village Collaborative launched the community, called Beloved Community Village, which later moved to the city’s Globeville neighborhood.

Now, the organization’s second tiny home community is nearly complete.

The upcoming village was to be the second-ever legal tiny home village for people experiencing homelessness in the Denver metro area, Cole Chandler, director of the Colorado Village Collaborative, said in February. It’ll sit near East 37th Avenue and North York Street, not far from the Five Points neighborhood.

The students at Innovation Campus built six units for the village, with a construction company building eight, according to Colorado Village Collaborative.

Andrew Dinsdale, an Eaglecrest High School senior, stood in the crowd Aug. 31 at the Innovation Campus, looking at the tiny homes he helped create.

“It’s a cool project — I would have done it no matter who it was going to,” Dinsdale said. “It’s a great cause. Just more of a reason to do it.”

Sam Goetz, also an Eaglecrest senior, doesn’t see much homelessness near where he lives in Aurora. But he was glad to lend a hand to a project to help people back on their feet.

“I really liked the idea that we’ll be learning and building something that in the end will help the community out,” Goetz said.

There may be more homes on the way: This school year, students could build a handful more of the tiny

Innovation Campus teacher Don Rauh wears a construction vest bearing the logo of the school, where high school students in the Cherry Creek district come to learn skills in several trades — from construction management to cybersecurity.

Tiny homes sit on a truck, ready to be transported to north Denver.

homes, again for the Colorado Village Collaborative, Degitis said.

Dorothy Leyba, a community organizer with Colorado Village Collaborative, felt excitement seeing the women’s village — an idea roughly three years in the making — come closer to fruition. The organization hopes to have residents move in around the end of October.

She said the most rewarding part of the project was the impact on the students.

“They can pass by there any time,” Leyba said, and see how they contributed “to someone being in a healing place.”

From left, Mike Degitis, a math teacher at Innovation Campus who helped put together a class’s partnership with the Colorado Village Collaborative; Jim Dosky, an infrastructure engineering teacher; and teacher Don Rauh stand in front of a crowd gathered to celebrate the delivery of tiny homes built by Innovation Campus students and teachers.

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8 Centennial Citizen

September 3, 2020S

Effort against child sex abuse aims for ‘tipping point’ STAFF REPORT

Illuminate Colorado, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to strengthening families, organizations and communities to prevent child maltreatment, aims to train more than 200,000 Coloradans to help children grow up happy, healthy and safe and prevent children from experiencing sexual abuse, according to a news release.

The nonprofit launched a new initiative in June focused on preventing child sexual abuse. “When a community reaches a tipping point, the (culture) starts to change and that is what needs to happen to eliminate child sexual abuse in Colorado. This initiative is built around the idea that if enough adults get educated, then together, a new standard of child safety will be created in the community and ultimately throughout Colorado,� Anne Auld,

director of education for Illuminate Colorado, said in the release.

The Tipping Point Initiative encourages all Coloradans to take the Darkness to Light Stewards of Children training, an evidence-informed, adultfocused child sexual abuse prevention program. Adults learn how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse and feel empowered to spread their knowledge within the community, according to the release.

Over the last five years, the number of substantiated assessments of child sexual abuse has steadily risen, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services. Roughly 7% of the 286,606 allegations of child maltreatment in Colorado over the last five years involved concerns of sexual abuse; 28% of those concerns involved male children and 72% female children.

However, it is also believed that child sexual abuse is significantly un-

derreported, according to the release.

National experts estimate that one in 10 children will be sexually abused before the age of 18 and 90% of children who experience sexual abuse know their abuser, the release says.

Thanks in large part to support from the Colorado Children’s Trust Fund in the Office of Early Childhood at the Colorado Department of Human Services, this interactive prevention training is available anywhere in Colorado for free.

The two-hour training includes simple, effective prevention strategies for adults to use to protect children from sexual abuse, including how to reduce one-on-one situations when sexual abuse can occur and the importance of using anatomically correct terms for genitals with children to prevent child sexual abuse. The training also includes education on topics like recognizing signs of abuse, as well as practical guid-

ance on how to respond in the moment when a child discloses abuse to you.

Illuminate, along with more than 80 local authorized facilitators throughout Colorado, have been promoting this training for several years with more than 7,000 people in Colorado trained today. “This is no small feat, but it is a far cry from reaching the necessary critical milestone in child protection that is needed to effectively prevent child sexual abuse in Colorado,� the release says.

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10 Centennial Citizen

LOCAL

September 3, 2020S

VOICES Take a stand against PPP taxation

A

s if things GUEST weren’t hard COLUMN enough for Colorado’s small businesses, news comes that the Trump administration plans to claw back a chunk of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds that legitimate businesses have Brett Wesner used as a lifeline to keep their employees on the payroll.

When Congress passed PPP, the legislation made it clear that these loans would ultimately be forgiven if businesses used them for approved purposes, mostly payroll. And, the law

ensured — in writing — that any forgiven amounts would not be taxable, meaning that businesses could use all those funds to keep folks employed.

More than 13,300 Colorado businesses, including this newspaper, signed up in good faith, secure in the knowledge that if they used those funds as Congress intended, they would be forgiven and not taxed. This program helped support or create approximately 900,000 jobs in our state, according to the Small Business Administration.

Well, Congress may have said one thing, but President Trump’s Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, has other ideas. According to the Treasury Department, forgiven funds may not be taxable, but the payroll businesses paid with those funds can no longer be

considered a business expense.

Now, we don’t know Mr. Mnuchin personally, but our guess is that, as Treasury secretary, he probably knows something about math: Disallowing businesses from claiming that payroll as an expense is the same thing as taxing the forgiven loan.

Which means that Colorado’s small businesses are going to get hit with a huge surprise tax bill, but most won’t know it until — wait for it — after the November election! Surprise!

Now some members of the U.S. Senate weren’t amused by this little “Lucy with the football” tomfoolery.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has led a fight in the Senate to tell the Treasury Department that they meant what they said: the forgiven loans should

not be taxable, including through the back door. Other senators are worried about the “optics” of standing up for small businesses, if you can imagine.

Colorado’s own Sen. Cory Gardner was an early supporter of a bill Sen. Cornyn introduced (S. 3612) to fix the problem.

Treasury cannot be allowed to override Congress’ promise to our small business community.

Brett Wesner is founder of Wesner Publications Co., a newspaper publisher in Oklahoma and Texas, and treasurer of the National Newspaper Association, a not-for-profit trade association representing the owners, publishers and editors of America’s community newspapers.

Colorado Community Media, publisher of this newspaper, is a member.

It’s time for all of us to go off on a limb Here’s the secret to getting ‘It’ done

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his is an emotional commercials, especially in plea directed to furniture store ads. anyone within the From deep in the ottosound of my writmans a blonde walks toward the camera gesturing ten voice who talks with all over the place. their hands.

Again, it’s to Please: Stop, quit, QUIET desist, cease. Enter DESPERATION make you think there are deals to be rehab. Borrow a made and the furnipair of handcuffs ture can’t be beat. from me.

It (hand talking) I know why must work, because it’s done and it’s been going on who is likely to for a long time in do it: preachers, marketing. I wish it proselytizers and would stay there. politicians. Certain But it has moved professions think Craig Marshall into daily life. I see it helps to sell it in stores. I see it products.

Smith on the streets. At a I’ve heard some safe distance, of course. nationalities are more We’re the only animal inclined than others.

There’s a congresswoman that does it.

Sure, there are the matwe all know. Her vocal ing motions we’ve all seen cords are attached to her arm muscles. She looks like on “Animal Planet,” but this is different. At least, I she’s signing for the deaf. assume it’s different.

Maybe someone coached How we express ourher. selves is important. It “Wave your arms all over involves word choice, the place. They’ll think you enunciation, composure, know what you’re talking and body language. about.”

Or it can look like the I can’t watch. She hypnoflailing of someone with a tizes me. bag over their head.

I’m told it shows that the Remember cops who speaker is engaging, vivadirected traffic? Or maybe cious, energetic, and pasyou have seen them in sionate. Save it for a bear. films? They were masters They say you should with their hand motions “make yourself big” if confronted by a bear. That’s and whistles, weren’t they?

That’s where it belongs. what waving your arms You’ve heard of “semaaround does: it makes you phore”? big.

“A system of sending Big and annoying. messages by holding the Hand talking is done arms or two flags or poles all the time in television

I N D E P E N D E N T An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of

A publication of

Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: CentennialCitizen.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100

in certain positions according to an alphabetic code.”

Right now it’s sending this message: “Stop, quit, desist, cease.”

Over in Hawaii, women wear grass skirts and tell stories with their hands and arms. Fine. Again, that’s different.

Their speechless stories are told by gestures and hips.

Signers for the deaf, semaphorers (new word), and hula dancers, and that’s it. If you aren’t one of those, don’t raise your hand.

There’s help. There has to be.

Ask a friend: “Do I annoy you when I talk with my hands?”

If the answer is “No,” disregard everything I’ve said.

It’s possible you are unaware of what you are doing. The same goes for most of us who interject filler words, you know, when we express ourselves. The primary offender in 2020 is “like,” but “you know” is right up there.

If I encounter a hand talker who uses filler words, I excuse myself and say I have to go home and check on the roast in the oven.

There is nothing more important today than ridding the planet of hand talkers. I think we can all agree on that.

Craig Marshall Smith is an artist, educator and Highlands Ranch resident. He can be reached at craigmarshallsmith@comcast.net.

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hatever “It” is that we have to get done, there is a secret to making sure that we actually get it done. It’s called accountability, or rather perWINNING sonal accountWORDS ability.

If you are a regular reader of this “Winning Words” column, and even though I am placing the focus this week on people in the profession of Michael Norton selling, what I share below is applicable to all of us who are striving to stay as productive as possible in all walks of life. So, I encourage you to keep reading.

Over the past several months we have all participated in our own version and reality of the “Next Normal.” Some of us chose to participate fully and look for new and innovative ways to work, live, and play. Others fell into the flow and tried to keep pace with what was happening around them. And then there were some who wanted to wait and watch what would be happening next. Possibly waiting too long and losing energy and momentum along the way.

Our daily routines were shifted and, in many cases, completely turned upside down. In the world of professional selling, some folks decided that they would fully participate and amplified their work ethic and behaviors, holding themselves personally accountable for getting “It” done,

whatever “It” was. “It,” in professional selling, could include continuous learning and honing of sales skills. “It” could be committing to prospecting or making a daily commitment to check in on prospects, channel partners, and customers. “It” could be learning how to better understand technology and how to connect and engage remotely. Whatever “It” is, this group was going to get it done with or without management’s direction.

For the teams and individuals who went along for the ride initially, we see that they eventually found their rhythm and understood the effort and behaviors necessary to succeed in getting things done. They realized that the competition was getting close, and sooner or later could take away their business. Salespeople who initially followed old selling habits, even if they were good habits, realized that in the new business landscape they needed to change, and not only change, but hold themselves personally accountable to make the transition and stay relevant, adding value and getting “It” done for themselves and their customers.

Some of the watchful waiters eventually took notice what was happening around them and made the decision to get back in the game of selling. They realized that if they didn’t do “It,” no one else would. And if they watched and waited too long, they would probably be invited to find success elsewhere. And in that moment, they also stumbled across the secret to getting “It”

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SEE NORTON, P11

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Centennial Citizen 11

0September 3, 2020

Commentary: A student’s view of in-person school Heritage senior says classrooms feel lonely while halls feel crowded

Heritage High School senior Charlotte Coleman disinfects her desk after class.

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

After a summer filled with everchanging reopening plans, I finally returned to Heritage High School in Littleton to begin my senior year on Aug. 24.

New safety measures include limiting students to two in-person days a week, mandatory face masks, one-way hallways and stairwells, disinfecting all desks, socially-distanced classrooms, prepackaged lunches and more.

Efforts to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus have made the school safer, but have also created the loneliest school environment I’ve ever experienced.

Although necessary to help prevent students and faculty from getting ill,

PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

the new limitations feel incredibly isolating. In several of my classes, students couldn’t talk to each other at all. No group work and no possibility of conversations meant no way of connecting with each other.

The classes with group work were awkward and clunky. Students had to shout and repeat themselves in order to be heard, it was loud inside the

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Even the election playing field If I learned anything from the 2016 election, it’s that our democracy needs an overall reform, especially the way our votes are counted for president.

As Coloradans, we can get our country closer to implementing one of those critical reforms this fall by voting yes on Proposition 113, the national popular vote.

The national popular vote would reform the way Electoral College votes are cast so that the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes actually wins the election, every time — unlike what happened in 2000 and 2016. This is a common-sense reform that individual states can help implement right now, and it’s Colorado’s turn to step up.

Instead of presidential candidates caring about only a few competitive swing states, winning under the national popular vote would require candidates to campaign everywhere.

And, most importantly, it will mean that never again will the second-place candidate win the presidency through the Electoral College.

Unfortunately, the national popular vote won’t take effect until enough states sign on — and that’s why it’s so

NORTON FROM PAGE 10

done, personal accountability. No excuses.

I have been so blessed to work with and learn from amazing partners, clients, sales leaders, and salespeople today and throughout my career.

And I have seen so many incredible programs, attended hundreds of seminars, and read countless books on selling. I share that with you because when I am having conversations about sales success or analyzing the difference between underperforming, average, and top performing sales people, there is one thing that salespeople at the very top consistently do better than their peers. They hold themselves personally accountable for doing the behaviors and getting “It” done.

important that we make Colorado’s decision to join it official by passing Proposition 113. The Colorado legislature took the first step by joining the compact, now Proposition 113 asks Colorado voters if we approve of that decision. So when we vote yes, Colorado will officially join 15 other states and D.C. in saying that every vote counts.

It’s time that one person truly equals one vote, so I urge my neighbors to vote yes on Proposition 113 this fall!

Lisa Zales Centennial Column was keeper I frequently want to write to thank Craig Marshall Smith for saying, so much better, what I think. Today is the day. When I read his column about driving in our current world I laughed till I wept. My family says stuff like this, maybe not as well, daily. My son frequently says “You know, maybe people should have to read a book about driving and take a test before they are allowed in a car. Oh, they do!”

If only the lessons stuck a bit better.

Well done.

Donna Harrison Centennial

If you are not in the world of professional selling, and have read along this far, you know that the secret to getting anything done, getting “It” done in our personal or professional life, comes down to holding accountability, personal accountability. No excuses.

So how about you? Did you decide to fully participate early on and amplify your game? Did you fall into the flow and eventually pick up the pace? Or have you been a watchful waiter and now trying to regain your momentum? I would love to hear how you are getting “It” done today at mnorton@ tramazing.com. And when we realize the secret to accomplishing anything is personal accountability, it really will be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.

classroom, and it was impossible to carry on conversations from six feet apart.

Classes ended with hand sanitizer and wiping down desks. We had to stand for the last few minutes of class so the sanitizer had time to work before another student sat in our desks.

When class finally ended, the hallways felt as crowded as ever, but were more difficult to navigate with arrows and teachers yelling which direction we were allowed to travel in.

Between masks, signs covering every wall reminding us to social dis-

tance, and hand sanitizer everywhere, thoughts of the virus were hard to escape. Every moment I was in school left me wondering if reopening was really worth it.

It was wonderful to see other people again, and to get out of the house.

But combining an already confusing in-person schedule with three days of overwhelming online classes left me more worn out than any normal school week I’ve ever experienced.

Some classes were fun, some were boring, and some felt almost normal during my two days of in-person class.

But with the added stress and looming threats of coronavirus, I can’t say I felt like it was worthwhile.

Every cough and mask adjustment felt threatening, making sure you and your supplies were sanitized was exhausting, and every joke about school shutting down again amplified the stress. Being in the building means constantly being on guard.

I wish I could have a normal senior year, with Homecoming and Prom and football games and clubs and everything fun that’s supposed to come with being in school. But coronavirus has stripped school down to the barebones academics.

We won’t have a normal year, and I can’t say I feel like it’s worth pursuing.

In Loving Memory Place an Obituary for Your Loved One. Private 303-566-4100 Obituaries@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Funeral Homes Visit: www.memoriams.com

12 Centennial Citizen

LOCAL

LIFE

festival also shows that it may also be making more inroads into a largely unpainted frontier: the suburbs.

During Babe Walls, artists painted 12 new murals on buildings around the intersection of Federal Boulevard and 71st Avenue (a map can be found at babewalls.com).

For the last four years, the West Colfax Mural Fest (now the West Colfax Arts Fest) has also led to the creation of many new murals on and around West Colfax in Lakewood. Although that festival was canceled this year, organizers expect it to return in 2021.

New murals have also popped up in recent months on South Broadway in Englewood and along 44th Avenue in Wheat Ridge (where the city currently has a mural program that provides funds for new art).

“I love the team for figuring out this location because everywhere can benefit by having more art and color in their world,” Babe Walls artist Koko Bayer said of the festival. “And we’ve gotten so much positive feedback already from the people in the neighborhood who like having something different and I think we need a lot more of it. It’s not just for RiNo and downtown Denver, it should be for everywhere.”

Here is a closer look at a few of the many murals to recently pop up around the Denver metro area.

From COVID-19 to Black Lives Matter, street art thrives to document 2020

BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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hen Denver muralist Austin Zucchini-Fowler came up with the idea to create a mural depicting an angel-winged nurse in a fighter’s stance wearing boxing gloves last April, he did not imagine the extent to which the image would resonate in Denver — never mind around the world.

Back then, he was just looking for a way to pay tribute to the health-care workers putting their lives on the line to fight the COVID-19 pandemic — including several in his own family — while he was stuck at home during the pandemic.

“I kind of got to dig down into art and had this concept to really encompass the community’s gratitude to health-care workers and also just show with the pandemic their fight and the challenges they are facing,” Zucchini-Fowler said.

Zucchini-Fowler’s image debuted on Easter weekend in Capitol Hill at Colfax Avenue and Williams Street on the east side of a building along the alley adjacent to the Taco Bell at that intersection.

But even many of those who haven’t been anywhere near Colfax since the start of the pandemic will likely recognize the image, which has been featured everywhere from CNN to The New York Times to a new commercial for USA Basketball. An Oregon farmer has even created a corn maze based on the mural.

“It doesn’t feel like my mural, it’s like the community’s mural,” Zucchini-Fowler said. “People were feeling so many different feelings and challenges during the pandemic and I think a mural can be the perfect way to express what the community as a whole is feeling.”

Social distancing, time outside fueling art In recent months, Zucchini-Fowler and other muralists have shown their art is uniquely positioned to both document and respond to the pain and promise of recent events, as COVID-19 and the protest movement that sprang up following George Floyd’s murder have given new fuel and urgency to the mural movement that has gained steam around the Denver area in recent years.

Among the Denver-area muralists who have been leaving their mark on the city recently are Adrienne Norris, whose work often focuses on significant women from history. Norris returned to that subject for her two most recent murals, which she completed for Babe Walls, a mural festival celebrating the work of women and

September 3, 2020S

An artist paints a mural of a tiger on the side of a building in Westminster during the Babe Walls mural festival.

PHOTOS BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO

It’s Gonna All Be Okay mural Located in the alleyway behind Denver Central Market (which is one of the most mural-filled in the city) at at 27th and Larimer, this mural depicts an angel-winged baker holding a peel beside the words “It’s gonna all be okay.” The mural, which was created

by Austin Zucchini-Fowler, is part of a project honoring the contributions of essential workers that grew out of the success of his angel-winged nurse mural on Colfax. A map of all of the project’s murals can be found at austinzart.com.

Interwoven mural at 14th and Colfax Although the Black Lives Matter street mural has come and gone, this colorful mural that was painted in front of the Denver City and County Building earlier this summer has a similarly epic scale. Artist Pat Milberry told 9News that the pinwheel and sundial at the center of the 28,680 square-foot mural is meant to “create an energy of positive rotation to transition us out of these uncertain times.”

Austin Zucchini-Fowler’s iconic mural of a nurse with boxing gloves on along Colfax Avenue in Capitol Hill. non-binary artists held Aug. 13-16 in Westminster.

Both of Norris’ Babe Walls murals depict black women who were leaders in important social movements. One honors Storme DeLarverie, a leader in the early gay rights movement in New York, and the other depicts Ella Baker, a civil rights activist who spurned “charismatic leaders” in favor of encouraging blacks to advocate for themselves.

Norris was also one of two local artists tapped to spearhead the creation of a Black Lives Matter mural on Broadway in front of the state Capitol last June. That temporary street mural, which read “Black Lives Matter: Remember This Time” was painted with the help of more than 100 volunteers.

Norris said that while street artists have always been the documenters of history and culture, the pandemic lockdowns made the value of such art “more apparent than it has ever been even though we’ve always been here.”

“Because people are keeping distance socially and spending more time outside than they ever have been, it really makes sense to have art that is outside as opposed to in museums and stuff,” said Norris.

Murals coming to burbs While the Denver area’s recent street art explosion has largely been focused on city neighborhoods like River North and corridors like Broadway and Colfax where such art has long thrived, the inaugural Babe Walls

Out in the burbs Chelsea Lewinski mural at Broadway and Oxford in Englewood This new mural on the side of the Goodwill store on Broadway illustrates a Black man finding peace by balancing his masculine and feminine sides.

Bluebird mural in Wheat Ridge A bright mural of a bluebird surrounded by flowers appeared on the side of Swiss Flower and Gift Cottage, at 44th Avenue and Jelliston Street, in June.

Zoe Tessier murals at Orchard Town Center in Westminster Last month, artist Zoe Tessier completed three murals at the outdoor shopping and entertainment complex in Wheat Ridge. One is a floral scene featuring a bird while another depicts several flamingos and the third consists of several potted plants along with the words “grow love.”

Centennial Citizen 13

0September 3, 2020

‘Victoria Longwood’ water lilies are a pretty big deal Plant lovers can get notified when remarkable flowers are about to open

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Water Gardens and surrounding ponds at Hudson Gardens in Littleton display more than 140 varieties of aquatic plants, which serve as a cover for a variety of minnows, tadpoles and other small critters. With a minimum amount of patience, one can spot a frog sitting on a floating leaf, and in the evening those frogs sing and serenade the surroundings.

The large leaves of the Victoria water lily provide an especially fine perch for these small pond critters as they also offer shade for the swimming residents of the ponds.

Each leaf can grow 10 inches in a day, according to material provided at the Gardens. The Victoria water lilies were discovered in Bolivia in 1801 and are only native to South American river basins, such as the Amazon. Botanists and plant collectors were bringing them to Europe by the mid-19th century, where the first display was at Britain’s Crystal Palace.

In 1851, specimens were also introduced in the U.S. In 1960, Longwood Gardens, near Philadelphia, introduced the “Victoria Longwood,” which is the variety found at Hudson Gardens.

These remarkable plants, with the second largest leaf of any plant in the world, were introduced in the Littleton gardens in 1997 and have

A “Victoria Longwood” water lily is an extravagant specimen on display at Hudson Gardens in Littleton.

COURTESY PHOTO been growing well since. This summer, plant lovers can register to be notified when a Victoria water lily is about to open in the evening. Members of the active Colorado Water Garden Society maintain the Water Garden ponds and members meet with viewers to experience the opening of this spectacular bloom. The Victoria water lily is hermaphroditic: It changes from female to male overnight as it blooms.

Leaf pads can expand more than 20 inches in a day, growing to as much as 8 feet in diameter, with

each leaf lasting about a week. For most of the year, the Victoria water lily is distinguished only by these large lily pads, but in late July and early August, night-blooming flowers appear and last only 48 hours. Each plant produces about 10 to 12 flowers a season, according to the publication available at Hudson Gardens. The day before the plant flowers, a tennis ball-sized bud rises from the water and will open to reveal as many as 50 petals.

Its fragrance resembles tuberose, pineapple and banana. In its native

setting, the bloom reopens a second night, admitting pollinating scarab beetles, which don’t live here — only in South America. The flower closes on the beetles, changes from female to male and opens to release the insects that have fertilized the plants.

Hudson Gardens’ information also says that the Victoria water lily is over 160 million years old — it appeared when South America was still connected to Africa and Antarctica. There are two species: Victoria Amazonica and Victoria Cruziana.

Natives of South America make flour from the seeds of the Victoria water lily to bake cakes.

Hudson Gardens’ Water Lily Pond was created in 2012 to house the Victoria water lily collection. It also presents other types of water lilies and duckweed, the smallest flowering plant in the world, which looks like a dense green mat. Flowers are tiny and dangle beneath the water’s surface, as do the roots. We are told that duckweed, often thought to indicate an unhealthy pond, actually helps balance the ecosystem and provides shade for the underwater wildlife. It also provides a source of fat and protein for birds.

While visiting the Water Gardens, take time to look for the lotus, which, like the water lilies, is rooted in a natural soil bed under the water.

Hudson Gardens, at 6115 S. Santa Fe Drive, is open sunrise to sunset daily. Admission is free. Parking near entrance. In addition to ponds, flower gardens are in full bloom.

Visit HudsonGardens.org for information about classes and special programming. The popular Sunday concerts are not being held this summer.

Virtual fundraiser will aid Young Voices choir

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hirty years ago, founder Jena Dickey of Littleton gathered 20 young people in her neighborhood and began a children’s choir, Young Voices of Colorado. It has grown to include almost 200 singers from the five metro SONYA’S counties and has SAMPLER touched an additional 2,000 children through outreach in this area and around the world.

On Oct. 3, the choir will celebrate with a virtual fundraising gala, although the young singers will probably not appear in person until 2021. Sonya Ellingboe The choir’s home venue is the Newman Center at University of Denver, where a live concert will hopefully be possible.

For information about the October concert and the program, see: youngvoices.org or call 303-797-7464.

Theater tonight (hooray!)

The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Marketplace Drive, Johnstown, opens the theater season with a production of Lerner and Loewe’s beloved “Camelot” from Sept. 3 to Oct. 25. This is a “newly imagined” version, with a cast of eight. Bob Hoppe will play King Arthur and Pat Payne directs. Candlelight will

have reduced audience size and extra cleaning between performances for safety. Tickets start at $55.50, including dinner and show. Dinner seating at 6 p.m.; show at 7:30. Call 970-7443747 Tuesday-Friday, 10-5 and Saturday, 12-5 or visit ColoradoCandlelight. com.

Art reminder Curtis Center for the Arts will host Art on the Green from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 at Curtis Park, just west of the center, which is at 2349 E. Orchard Road in Greenwood Village. Fifty artists will be featured, 10 feet apart. Attendance will be limited to a safe number of attendees at any one time with timed tickets. Masks required for participants and attendees. Call 303797-1779 for information.

Virtual quilt show Visit littletonpresbyterian.org/ quilt to see what would have been the Annual Western Welcome Week Quilt Show. Pastor Cody Sandahl has organized a lovely group of 48 colorful quilts and/or a five-minute musical video.

Highlands Ranch Mansion The Highlands Ranch Mansion is open for self-guided tours, with docents available to answer questions. Call 303-791-0177 or visit highlandsranchmansion.com for information.

Young Voices of Colorado performs its 2019 winter concert at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. The choir will hold a virtual fundraising gala on Oct. 3, though in-person performances are unlikely to occur before 2021.

COURTESY OF YOUNG VOICES OF COLORADO DMNS “Dogs! A Science Tale” is exhibited at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, through Jan. 3 and gives a look at adoption, training, play and more. Developed by the California Science Center.

Timed tickets, 303-370-6000, dmns.org.

Exhibit winding up Still at Denver Art Museum, through Sept. 7: “Natural Forces: Winslow Homer and Frederick Remington.” The museum is at Broadway and West 14th Avenue Parkway. Timed tickets purchased in advance 720-8655000, denverartmuseum.org.

14 Centennial Citizen

September 3, 2020S

AGENCIES FROM PAGE 1

Local crews also were sent to the Cameron Peak Fire, on the Arapahoe and Roosevelt national forests in the Medicine Bow Mountains of far northern Colorado, which remained at 0% containment and had burned across 23,000 acres as of Aug. 30, fire officials said. About 742 people were working on that blaze.

And the Grizzly Creek Fire, near Glenwood Springs, had burned 32,000 acres and was 73% contained as of Aug. 30, with 657 working at the scene, the NWGC said.

At press time, South Metro Fire Rescue had eight firefighters assisting crews battling the Pine Gulch and Cameron Peak fires and one more assisting fire prevention in Pike National Forest southwest of the metro area.

South Metro deployed its first two crews Aug. 13, according to spokesperson Connor Christian. The agency sent one crew of three to the Pine Gulch Fire area near Glenwood Springs and a four-person crew to the Cameron Peak Fire in Larimer County.

One battalion chief was sent to command a crew of 20 in Pike National Forest and one lieutenant safety officer was sent to assist with Pine Gulch as well.

The three-person crew sent to Pine Gulch came from Station 41 in Parker on a Type 3 brush truck. That crew returned Aug. 24. Another threeperson crew from Station 39 in Castle Pines left Aug. 24 to replace the first Pine Gulch crew. The four-person crew fighting the Cameron Peak Fire came from Station 33 in Centennial in a Type 6 brush truck and at press time had not yet completed its deployment.

A photo taken by a firefighter on the scene of the Cameron Peak Fire near Fort Collins.

Crews will rotate based on roughly two-week rotations until their services are no longer needed.

‘No negative impact locally’ A Type 3 brush truck can hold up to

500 gallons of water and is typically found in departments of rural, mountainous communities. A Type 6 brush truck is better suited for off-roading and can hold up to about 300 gallons of water.

Denver Fire sent has sent at least 60 members of its 158-person Wildland Crew to assist in the two largest local wildfires, according to the department’s Twitter account. The department, which also serves the city of Englewood, also sent three wildland engines and a suppression module, a device designed to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes.

And Castle Rock Fire sent three firefighters to assist with the Grizzly Creek Fire.

“There is no negative impact locally with these deployments,” Castle Rock Fire Chief Norris Croom said in an Aug. 27 email. “We have a reserve brush truck that gets placed in service to fill in for the deployed truck, and SEE AGENCIES, P24

COURTESY OF ARVADA FIRE

FIRE AGENCIES WARN OF HIGH DANGER

The State of Colorado has a statewide open-fire ban effective through midSeptember.

Connor Christian, spokesperson for South Metro Fire Rescue, reminded homeowners to be cognizant of the high fire danger.

“Our biggest tip is to be very cognizant of making sure no one is having flammable materials around dry vegetation,” Christian said. “We also encourage mitigation around homes.”

Christian said South Metro has responded to multiple grass fires along highways — occasionally caused by something as simple as a loose tire from a semi-truck.

“It can catch vegetation on fire extremely quickly,” Christian said. “It is extremely dry. Take care of your properties as much as you can to reduce the fire risk and your home.”

South Metro has fire mitigation tips available on its website at southmetro. org.

Denver Fire Department personnel prepare to leave for College Station, Texas, Aug. 27 to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. The personnel are part of Colorado Task Force 1, a statewide response team associated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

COURTESY PHOTO

Centennial Citizen 15

0September 3, 2020

Colo. Supreme Court rebuffs Neville suit over Polis mask order Castle Rock lawmaker says he will refile case in another court

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

The Colorado Supreme Court on Aug. 30 refused to hear a lawsuit filed by top statehouse Republican Patrick Neville of Castle Rock and a conservative activist challenging Gov. Jared Polis’ statewide mask mandate.

The court made its decision less than two days after the lawsuit was filed by Neville, the Colorado House minority leader, and Michelle Malkin of Colorado Springs.

Neville and Malkin, represented by attorney and Colorado Republican National Committeeman Randy Corporon, alleged that Polis violated the required separation between the legislative and executive branches when he issued the mask mandate more than a month ago.

The lawsuit was filed directly to the Colorado Supreme Court, which legal experts told The Colorado Sun was an extremely unusual, if not unheard of, move that made the chances of it being heard highly unlikely.

In the lawsuit, Neville and Malkin said they would take the case to a lower court or the federal court system if the Colorado Supreme Court declined to take up the case.

“Petitioners are ready, willing, and able to litigate the issues raised in this petition in either the state District

House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, on May 12 outside C&C Coffee and Kitchen in Castle Rock, which had stirred controversy when it reopened inside service on Mother’s Day in violation of state health rules then in place.

PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS Court in Denver, or the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, or both,” the lawsuit said.

The mask mandate was issued by Polis on July 17 to slow the spread of the coronavirus after he initially said such a requirement was unenforceable.

The Democrat has since said the mandate helped quash a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Colorado.

Polis blasted Malkin and Neville for bringing the lawsuit.

“We are free to be on the side of a deadly virus that has taken the lives

of too many friends, parents, and loved ones, or on the side of Coloradans,” Polis said in a written statement in response to the lawsuit. “I’m on the side of Coloradans.”

Neville, who is a race to maintain his leadership position at the Capitol, said at the time the suit was filed: “We are in month five now of these executive orders with no legislative input. I think the governor has gone well beyond the power that has been given to him. He is actually legislating and writing laws. That’s our job as the legislature. It’s time to put an end to that.”

Polis has has issued dozens of executive orders since the pandemic hit Colorado. The mask mandate is at least the third to be challenged in court. Only one of his directives, around allowing signature gathering by mail and email, has been rejected.

Neville’s lawsuit specifically alleged that the mask mandate violates the Colorado constitution and asked for a legal review of the Colorado Disaster Emergency Act under which Polis issued the order and others.

The legal filing alleged that the court, in the case around signature gathering, ruled that Polis cannot suspend a constitutional requirement.

Neville and Malkin argue the mask mandate constitutes a new law and only the legislature is allowed to make laws.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. Used by permission. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com.

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16 Centennial Citizen

QUARANTINES FROM PAGE 1

exhibited COVID-19 symptoms after exposure to a positive case, according to a letter to families. This time, a third-grade class and their teacher were told to quarantine.

Cherry Creek later saw its confirmed cases rise to more than a dozen, with schools seeing incidences of symptoms that have also caused individuals and groups to quarantine, according to notification letters sent through Aug. 31.

The entire sixth grade at Falcon Creek Middle School was moved to online classes through Sept. 11 after a student exhibited “major COVID-19 symptoms” after exposure to a person who tested positive, according to one of the letters.

Navigating uncharted waters “We do not make decisions about how to handle COVID cases in a vacuum,” said Abbe Smith, spokeswoman for Cherry Creek schools.

“We work very closely with TriCounty Health Department to investigate the unique factors of each confirmed cases with a student or staff member.”

Tri-County Health’s territory includes both the Cherry Creek and Douglas County schools.

The Cherry Creek district also makes decisions based on Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment guidelines, Smith added.

The state public-health department’s guidelines for when one student is confirmed to have COVID-19 say a “class (or) cohort stays home for a 14-day quarantine,” under the July 30 guidance for responding to cases in schools.

When one teacher or staff member is confirmed as infected, all “close contacts (students, teachers, and staff) must quarantine” and the “classroom (or) cohort must quarantine if the teacher has a confirmed case,” the guidance says.

An August document labeled “COVID cohort exclusion tool” provided by the state public-health department says if a student or staffer tests positive and was in class within 48 hours prior to their test or start of symptoms, a school should “dismiss classmates, (the) cohort and other in-school contacts.”

Public health officials are still learning about COVID-19 transmission in classrooms and what the risk is for prolonged contact — an hour-long class period or more — even at distances of greater than 6

September 3, 2020S firsthand knowledge of setups and feet, the state public-health departmovement within the school.” ment said in a statement to ColoSaid Smith, Cherry Creek’s rado Community Media. spokeswoman: “We do not base “There currently is no definitive our decisions on actions that evidence that a certain amount other school districts or states have of time spent in close contact or a taken.” certain distance from someone who is positive reduces risk of transInterruptions for contact-tracing mission to zero,” the department The state’s July 30 guidance also said. “Given the unique setting of says schools should anticipate schools, with prolonged exposures “grade-wide or school-wide dismissthroughout the day and variable al for several days” while contactability to physically distance stutracing is ongoing. Contact-tracing dents and teachers, our guidance is a term for public health workers takes a conservative approach and notifying people that they may recommends quarantining all indihave been exposed to someone with viduals in a class or cohort with a COVID-19. positive case.”

Different grade levels — and for But the department added that middle and high the guidance schools, differis “designed ent cohorts, or to provide groups within school districts those grades — and our local attended school partners with in person on recommendadifferent days tions that can in Cherry Creek be applied to the week of Aug. a number of 17 as part of a different situa“phase-in” week tions. Ultimatemeant to give ly, procedures students time are determined to adjust to new locally.” routines — so The guidance it appears each is not a legal restudent would quirement, but only have atstate health oftended school ficials “hope it one day that is implemented week, according to help schools to the district’s navigate these schedule, posuncharted wasibly giving ters,” the state officials time to public-health identify contacts department said without dismissin a statement. als.

Asked why the In reopening Douglas County Abbe Smith, in-person class, elementary school implespokeswoman for Cherry Creek opted for mented a broad Cherry Creek schools district a “blended” plan quarantine for grades six while the first through 12 that couple Cherry puts half of stuCreek schools dents in school only quarTuesdays and Wednesdays, with the antined individuals, Tri-County other half attending Thursday and Health Department — the health Friday. Those are the cohorts for agency for Adams, Arapahoe and those grades.

Douglas counties — said it is unable to discuss specific details.

When cases arose “Each investigation takes into Sixth-grade students and teachers account individual factors of each at Sand Creek Elementary in Highsituation,” said Ashley Richter, lands Ranch were told to quarantine Tri-County’s communicable disafter someone in the group tested ease epidemiology manager. She positive, the Douglas County School added: “The schools apply our (and) District said in late August.

CDPHE guidance from the school The district was notified Aug. 22 document in order to manage the that someone had tested positive, individual situations at the school, said Paula Hans, a spokesperson as they are the experts and have

UNION FROM PAGE 3

How do you feel about the district’s mask-wearing requirement?

CCEA demanded that masks be worn by all students and staff. We heard that request very clearly from the members and … we were satisfied with what the district agreed to put in place.

What have you heard from teachers about how the first week back went?

We heard that the phase-in week (in which students could practice new routines prior to the full

‘We do not make decisions about how to handle COVID cases in a vacuum. We work very closely with Tri-County Health Department to investigate the unique factors of each confirmed cases with a student or staff member.’

start of school) was great for most teachers. It eased both teachers and students back into schools and allowed for an opportunity for teachers and students to become acclimated to what school in person will look like.

As of Aug. 25, the school district announced that three staff members and one student had tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, a dozen staff members and 10 students were told to quarantine. What was your reaction?

Dr. Siegfried called personally to alert me to cases and the action steps taken by the district that were in conjunction with Tri-County Health. I appreciated the quick notification and the response by the district to these cases as well as their part-

with the district. “They will transition to virtual learning for two weeks and then return on or after Sept. 8,” she said Aug. 24.

Students at the school are split into two cohorts, with half the students attending school in person Monday and Wednesday and the other half attending Tuesday and Thursday. All students have online learning on Fridays. That’s why some students will return from quarantine Sept. 8 and the rest Sept.

9.

The school district did not specify if it was a student or teacher who tested positive.

Tri-County Health, which the district is following for its quarantine protocol, asks people to quarantine if they have been within 6 feet of, or have spent 15 minutes or more, with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

In Cherry Creek, the Grandview High student’s COVID-19 case was announced in an Aug. 24 letter from the district to the school community. Eight students were told to quarantine after contact-tracing efforts, Smith said.

Grandview sits in the southeast Aurora and Centennial area.

“A public health investigation showed that a very limited number of students were in close contact, within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer, with that student, who was at school on Thursday, August 20,” the letter says.

A staff member who supports students in both Belleview Elementary and Campus Middle schools tested positive, according to Smith and an Aug. 21 letter.

Five teachers from Belleview and five teachers from Campus were told to quarantine along with two students from Campus. The two schools in Greenwood Village are adjacent.

No students came in close contact with the staff member at Belleview, according to Smith.

One staff member tested positive from the district’s Options Homeschool Program, located at Cherry Creek’s East Fremont Avenue building near South Jordan Road in central Centennial, according to an Aug. 19 letter. Two staff members were told to quarantine, and no students were impacted, Smith said.

Another case — a staff member for the day care program at Pine Ridge Elementary School — was last in the building on Aug. 14, and there was not any contact between that staff member and the general Pine Ridge student population, according to an Aug. 19 letter. That school sits in far southeast Aurora near the E-470 tollway.

nership with Tri-County Health and COVID Check Colorado (testing).

Do you have any fears or factors that make you optimistic about the rest of the semester?

Right now, I am dealing with one day at a time.

What are teachers saying about how online classes are going?

What I have been told by teachers who are teaching at our online program, known as Elevation, is that there is a lot of new technology to learn and a learning curve that goes with that. The program went from around 32 teachers last year to 470 teachers this year, which has been a huge program adjustment.

Centennial Citizen 17

LOCAL

September 3, 2020

SPORTS

Creek accepts offer of win from Arapahoe

Cherry Creek senior pitcher Alex Grutich allowed four hits in a 7-0 shutout over Arapahoe on Aug. 24.

Errors by Warriors clear path for 7-0 softball victory by Bruins

BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Cherry Creek’s Demi Davoll fouls off a pitch during the Aug. 24 Centennial League game at Arapahoe. The Bruins won, 7-0.

PHOTOS BY JIM BENTON

Cherry Creek, helped by the clutch pitching of Alex Gruitch, bunched together only five hits in its Centennial

League game at Arapahoe on Aug. 24 but still walked off with a 7-0 victory over the Warriors.

Arapahoe committed six errors in the game and the opportunistic Bruins made the Warriors pay for their mistakes.

Three Warrior errors in the top of the first inning helped the Bruins score four unearned runs and the other three Creek runs in the game SEE CREEK, P18

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18 Centennial Citizen

September 3, 2020S

C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E

Arapahoe junior pitcher Shayna Groosman allowed only five hits but was saddled with a 7-0 loss to Cherry Creek in an Aug. 24 Centennial League softball game played at Arapahoe.

PHOTO BY JIM BENTON

CREEK FROM PAGE 17

were also unearned.

“They made a couple mistakes and we took advantage of it and from there it just kind of went our way the rest of the game,” said first-year Creek coach Pablo Severtson.

“We had six errors so we helped them a lot,” added Arapahoe coach Jeannie Maney. “We’ve just got to clean up some stuff on defense.”

Gruitch, a senior right-hander, allowed four hits in seven innings, struck out five but also walked five. which made her have to work out of some potentially dangerous situations.

Arapahoe left 17 runners on base during the game and had runners on second and third in the second inning with nobody out, but Gruitch got a strikeout, weak pop out to first and a ground out to retire the side.

The Warriors had at least one runner on base in the next five innings but failed to score.

“I feel like I pitched well,” said Gruitch. “I laid everything out on the table and I feel like I tried my hardest. I don’t think I really let the walks get to my head. I really focused on my breathing and focused on what I could

do and try to get the outs we really needed. When it was a really tough situation I just focused a lot. I just kept to myself and believed I could get the out.”

Severtson liked the grit of Gruitch as the Bruins won for the third time in first three games of the season.

“She had great stuff from start to finish and was still throwing hard,” he said. “I would say she got effectively wild towards the end and it still worked. She threw a lot of strikes and did a great job of competing. When you have pitching like that you are always going to have a chance to be in the game.

“We’re off to a good start and hopefully we can keep the ball rolling.”

Arapahoe saw its record dip to 1-2 after the loss.

“We’ve got to work on some stuff.,” said Maney. “With the shortened season, we don’t have those non-league games we used as warmup games going into league so there’s just a lot of pressure because everything counts.

We’ve just got to relax and play. We have some good talented kids. We’v just got to get them to communicate and work together.”

Sophomore Hadley Selman had two hits for Creek and also stole a base.

Arapahoe’s starting pitcher, junior Shayna Grossman, had two of the four Warrior hits.

Answers

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Centennial Citizen 19

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Centennial Citizen 23

0September 3, 2020

RTD board appoints 1st woman as transit agency’s CEO Jeffco representative was the sole ‘no’ vote

BY MICHAEL KARLIK COLORADO POLITICS

Debra A. Johnson, the current deputy CEO of Long Beach Transit in southern California, will be the next CEO and general manager of the Regional Transportation District.

On Aug. 25, RTD’s board of directors approved Johnson by a vote of 14-1, which prompted the negotiation of an employment agreement with her.

“I have been preparing to lead at this level for more than 25 years,” Johnson said during a video presentation to the public in August.

She wrote in her application to the board that she directs the operations of the Long Beach agency, which serves 14 cities and 23 million customers. Johnson has a master’s degree in public administration and has also worked for transit systems in Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles County.

“We made history tonight and I look forward to making a lot more positive history,” said Director Troy L. Whit-

Debra A. Johnson will be the next CEO and general manager of RTD. COURTESY OF RTD

more, District K, referring to Johnson’s new status as the first woman, and also the first Black woman, to lead the eight-county, approximately 3,000-employee agency.

There were nearly 60 appli-

cants to succeed interim general manager Paul J. Ballard, and an executive search committee narrowed the finalists to Johnson, Adelee Le Grand and Tina Quigley. The board deliberated on a separate call

closed to the public before rejoining the meeting to take a vote.

Director Natalie Menten, representing parts of Lakewood and Golden in District M, was the sole vote against the hiring resolution, although not because she opposed Johnson. She said the three women before the board had similar qualities and experience. Menten’s dissatisfaction stemmed from her desire to cut the salary for the position of general manager.

“My vote tonight is in opposition to what is going to be another bloated executive salary at RTD,” she said. “I will not stand quiet as the taxpayers will be on the hook for another big bill.”

Menten said that in the past, she attempted to cut $100,000 from the general manager’s roughly $295,000 salary. She pointed out that the pay was far in excess of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s executive director and even the governor.

“So the question is, how did RTD get so far off track with excessive salaries, when at the end of the day less than 3% of the population uses RTD?” she asked.

In an online survey that gathered 685 responses, the public rated the three finalists

similarly, with 37% saying Johnson was “very qualified” compared to 33% each for Le Grand and Quigley.

“Debra has the operating experience working with larger agencies in bigger cities, but applying a smart, efficient approach to ensuring sound operational processes,” wrote one anonymous respondent.

“Seems to have a lot of executive experience. Liked her presentation, spoke a lot about what she will do for the organization and how she would handle the COVID-19 pandemic,” wrote another.

“She seems solid, yet unspectacular,” noted someone who gave her a middling rating on the one-to-10 scale.

“If we want to maintain the status quo, this is the choice to make.”

Lance L. Longenbohn, the president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001, said that the operators’ union is “very pleased with the Board of Directors’ selection of Debra Johnson. We agree that Debra was the best overall choice, and look forward to working together.”

This story is from Colorado Politics, a statewide political and public policy news journal. Used by permission. For more, visit coloradopolitics. com.

www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals Public Trustees COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0172-2020 To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On June 30, 2020, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) JOEL RYAN Original Beneficiary(ies) FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF DENVER, A DIVISION OF FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF SANTA FE Current Holder of Evidence of Debt FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF DENVER, A DIVISION OF FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF SANTA FE, N/K/A SUNFLOWER BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Date of Deed of Trust June 03, 2015 County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust June 03, 2015 Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) D5057989 Original Principal Amount $458,100.00 Outstanding Principal Balance $293,425.50 Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

By: Susan K Ryden, Public Trustee

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

LOT 1, BLOCK 5, EUCLID HEIGHTS FILING NO. 2 SUBDIVISION, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. Also known by street and number as: 6606 S APACHE DRIVE, LITTLETON, CO 80120.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 10/28/2020, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication: 9/3/2020 Last Publication: 10/1/2020 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED; DATE: 06/30/2020 Susan K Ryden, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

Drew P. Fein #48950 Rachel H Connor #50831 Neal K. Dunning #10181 Douglas W Brown #10429 Brown Dunning Walker PC 2000 S. Colorado Blvd., Tower Two, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80222 (303) 329-3363 Attorney File # 3124-169C The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose. ©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015 Legal Notice NO.: 0172-2020 First Publication: 9/3/2020 Last Publication: 10/1/2020 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0162-2020 To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On June 29, 2020, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) WILLIAM M DEWAR II AND MAUREEN A DEWAR Original Beneficiary(ies) MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. ACTING SOLELY AS NOMINEE FOR FINANCE AMERICA, LLC, DBA FINAM, LLC Current Holder of Evidence of Debt WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE UNDER THE INDENTURE RELATING TO IMPAC CMB TRUST SERIES 2005-6

Date of Deed of Trust May 09, 2005 County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust May 17, 2005 Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) B5070940 Original Principal Amount $246,500.00 Outstanding Principal Balance $261,381.51 Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. LOT 1, BLOCK 3, WALNUT HILLS-FILING NO. 1, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO Also known by street and number as: 7811 E BRIARWOOD BLVD, CENTENNIAL, CO 80112-1308.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 10/28/2020, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs

and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication: 9/3/2020 Last Publication: 10/1/2020 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED; DATE: 06/29/2020 Susan K Ryden, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado By: Susan K Ryden, Public Trustee The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: Anna Johnston #51978 Randall Chin #31149 Joseph D. DeGiorgio #45557 Ryan Bourgeois #51088 Barrett, Frappier & Weisserman, LLP 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80204 (303) 350-3711 Attorney File # 00000008903155 The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose. ©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015 Legal Notice NO. 0162-2020 First Publication: 9/3/2020 Last Publication: 10/1/2020 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

###

Centennial Legals 9.3.20 * 1

24 Centennial Citizen

September 3, 2020

AGENCIES FROM PAGE 14

we have sufficient staffing to allow for these deployments.”

West Metro Fire Protection District spokesperson Rhonda Scholting said in an email on Aug. 27 that the agency had three firefighters deployed to the Cameron Peak Fire.

Arvada Fire spokesperson Deanna Harrington said on Aug. 27 that her agency had five firefighters deployed to Colorado forest fires: Three sent with one of the agency’s brush trucks to the Grizzly Creek Fire and two battalion chiefs at the Cameron Peak Fire.

And four Thornton Fire Department were loanded out to help with blazes around the state, including the Williams Fork Fire seven miles southwest of Fraser, said spokesperson Sabrina Iacovetta.

Called to help after Laura Meanwhile, South Metro Fire Rescue and the Castle Rock and Denver fire departments, among others, sent first responders to College Station, Texas, to assist residents of the area struck by Hurricane Laura, along with other members of Colorado Task Force 1, the Colorado-based emergency response team for the

Federal Emergency Management Agency.

About three dozen metro area first responders from Colorado Task Force 1 joined other FEMA task force members from around the country at College Station on Aug. 27. The task force members, made up of firefighters, physicians, paramedics, hazardous materials technicians, heavy rigging specialists and canine handlers, will help in various capacities depending on the needs upon arrival, according to South Metro Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Eric Hurst.

Hurricane Laura struck Louisiana and the Texas coast Aug. 26 as a Category 4 storm. Gusts reached up to 150 mph, according to Weather.com.

Denver Fire sent 10 first responders, South Metro Fire Rescue sent 12 and Castle Rock Fire Department sent one to help with Hurricane Laura.

The task force could help dealing with floodwaters, technical rescues, humanitarian work or delivering supplies, Hurst said.

Colorado Task Force 1 is a Colorado-based team designed to assist search-andrescue operations, emergency medical care and in other capacities as they are needed. The task force has about 200 members in all.

Department heads do not expect any diminishment in

West Metro firefighters on the scene of the Cameron Peak fire. West Metro’s crew worked at night and employed a strategy of lighting a “control line” fire along a barrier ahead of the fire to consume the fuel for the forest fire before it could reach it to help gain control of the fire.

COURTESY OF WEST METRO FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT local services, according to a Denver Fire spokesperson.

“The large number of firefighters we have allows us to maintain these services. We will not allow that to be compromised to maintain our certification and accreditation,” the spokesperson said.

“We have that in the back of our minds all the time.”

Reporters Paul Albani-Burgio and Scott Taylor contributed to this story.

In this photo taken by an Arvada firefighter on the scene of the Cameron Peak fire, a tanker drops fire retardant onto the fire while firefighters look on. Tankers like this one are filled with retardant at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield.

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