Centennial Citizen 1210

December 10, 2020

$1.00

An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 52

Remote learning to continue Cherry Creek district will stay with online-only classes until semester’s end

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Cherry Creek’s Myles Purchase (3) gets airborne as Valor Christian defenders Zaire Jackson (5) and Griffin Meier (16) cut him off. Purchase’s Bruins shut out the Eagles 21-0 to win the 5A state final Dec. 5 at the CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl. PHOTOS BY PAUL DISALVO

Creek shuts out Valor for state crown Logan leads Bruins football team to second consecutive trophy

BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Cherry Creek football coach Dave Logan turned his best player loose in the Class 5A state championship game, which was held Dec. 5 at the CSU-Pueblo ThunderBowl Stadium.

Myles Purchase, a defensive back and kick returner during the SEE CREEK, P22

Valor Christian’s Tyler Larson (6) gets pulled to the ground by Cherry Creek defenders Sam Pezdirtz (26) and Austin Luhring (16) as teammates Jaxson Hurd (48) and Myles Purchase close in to help.

Citing “minimal reporting” of student COVID-19 cases and a continued high rate of new cases in Arapahoe County and across Colorado, Cherry Creek School District announced that online, or remote, classes will continue for the rest of the fall semester.

“My hope is that by communicating this plan today, teachers can focus on consistent routines and students can have uninterrupted learning for the next three weeks,” Superintendent Scott Siegfried wrote in a message to the community. It was posted to the district’s website as of Dec. 2.

The district leader’s message appeared to say Cherry Creek is not receiving adequate information about students’ COVID-19 cases.

“We are unable to operate schools” partly for that reason and partly due to high rates of new cases in the county and the state, Siegfried wrote.

Arapahoe County’s rate of new cases in the past two weeks is 957 per 100,000 people — far beyond the threshold that qualifies a county for “level red” on the state’s COVID-19 dial of restrictions on businesses and citizens. The line to cross into that level is 350 new cases per SEE REMOTE, P4

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17

HOLIDAYS ON ICE

Some rinks are open for family-friendly fun despite pandemic P14

2 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

State to consider giving businesses more capacity Colorado could take after Mesa County ‘5-star’ system, loosening COVID-19 restrictions

Mesa County’s changing trend

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The state public-health department is considering new rules that would allow businesses to operate at higher capacity than current coronavirus-related restrictions normally permit — as long as the businesses stick to strict protocols designed to prevent the virus’s spread in their buildings.

Colorado is taking public input on what it calls the “business best practice certification” program, modeled after a system Mesa County has “pioneered and has successfully run since the summer,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment wrote in a Nov. 27 news release.

Members of the public can review the draft of the program at tinyurl. com/CDPHEdraftframework and were able to submit comments at tinyurl.com/CDPHEframeworkcomment until Dec. 4.

Mesa County’s “5-star rating program” was designed to allow Mesa’s economy to achieve a wider reopening. Businesses qualify for the program based on their mask

Diners sit outside Smokin Fins in downtown Littleton on Nov. 20, hours before new orders took effect ending indoor dining in the face of surging COVID-19 numbers. PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT

use, social distancing marking, facility capacity, written schedule for cleaning and active monitoring of symptoms, according to a Mesa County Public Health fact sheet.

The county’s program website listed more than 200 businesses and entities as “current partners,” including roughly 100 restaurants, breweries and wineries.

If the state adopts a similar program, businesses that meet the requirements would generally be

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able to operate based on a level of the state’s COVID-19 dial that is one notch less severe than the current level the business would otherwise have to follow. For example, a business in a “level orange” county could operate at “level yellow” capacity restrictions.

The state’s COVID-19 dial, which has been in effect since September, is the set of different levels of restrictions that counties must follow based on the severity of each county’s local virus spread. The dial grew out of the state’s safer-at-home order — the policy that came after the statewide stay-at-home order this spring and allowed numerous types of businesses to reopen.

The recently announced level red — one step below a stay-at-home order — prohibits indoor dining and personal gatherings, along with tightening capacity restrictions at some business. The new level took effect on Nov. 20 and now includes Denver metro counties and other regions of the state.

The biggest change that would come with the state adopting a program similar to Mesa County’s is that businesses in level red could be allowed to operate at level orange restrictions — a shift that, most notably, could allow restaurants to reopen indoor dining.

It’s unclear whether the state will allow businesses in level red counties to operate at level orange, though. That is still to be determined depending on the “results of Mesa pilot,” according to the state public-health department’s draft framework.

“Mesa County has a variance (an exemption) to operate its 5 Star program for 12 days while in red. This pilot will provide needed data on if a 5 Star program is compatible with suppression goals of the red level,” the draft framework says.

If a county crosses into level purple — the highest level on the dial, which would be a local stay-athome order similar to the statewide stay-at-home seen in the spring — its businesses would not be eligible to operate at a lower level of restrictions, according to the draft framework.

More details of the plan and whether it would apply in level red counties were not available by Dec. 4.

Counties push back on level red

The announcement from the state came amid pushback from some counties and businesses against the new level red restrictions.

In a letter to Gov. Jared Polis sent Nov. 25, Douglas County’s elected leaders requested that the county be allowed to start a program that would keep qualifying restaurants open for indoor dining.

The commissioners referred to Mesa County’s program, which allows qualifying restaurants to be open with limited capacity, according to The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction.

“It is not fair that a restaurant in Mesa County … is allowed to operate while businesses here can’t,” Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas said in a Nov. 24 work-session meeting. “That is not right.”

Weld County officials have said they won’t enforce the state’s level red restrictions, multiple Colorado news outlets have reported.

How a business would qualify

According to the draft framework, businesses would qualify if they SEE STATE, P4

Centennial Citizen 3

0December 10, 2020

ARAPAHOE COUNTY

The state Capitol in Denver.

FILE PHOTO

Lawmakers churn out 10 COVID relief bills About $280 million dedicated to various assistance measures in special session

BY MICHAEL KARLIK THE DENVER GAZETTE

The Colorado General Assembly approved a COVID-19 relief package of 10 bills on Dec. 2, ending a threeday special session that Gov. Jared Polis called to fill the gaps left by Congress’ inaction.

The assistance measures, which ranged from providing support to child care operators and food pantries to capping fees charged for food delivery, amounted to approximately $280 million in funding.

“Coronavirus is real. It is deadly,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, on the final day of debate. “We know that the state of Colorado can do better — can and must do better — to keep people alive. But we also have to do our part to support these small businesses and pull together money from various places to provide as much support as we can.”

Polis’ call for a special session outlined seven areas for the Legislature to take action: small business, child care, housing aid, broadband, food insecurity, utilities assistance and public health response.

Among other items, the governor specifically asked lawmakers to appropriate money for the disaster emergency fund, allow restaurants and bars to retain up to $2,000 per month in sales tax revenue, and enhance internet access for educators and schoolchildren — all of which the General Assembly did.

The measures headed to the governor’s desk are:  House Bill 1001 will provide $20 million to create a broadband grant program for school districts to expand internet access. Money must be distributed by Feb. 1.  House Bill 1002 authorizes $45 million in grants to operators of child care centers through two separate programs. The first covers expenses for existing operators and the second will assist businesses that are expanding or just starting up. The state must award grants by Feb. 28.

 House Bill 1003 provides $5 million to food pantries, with the state needing to send out the money by March 31.  House Bill 1004 allows restaurants, bars and vintners to deduct $70,000 of net sales from their taxes, resulting in a retention of approximately $2,000 per month in sales tax revenue for each retailer, up to a limit of five sites. The bill allows retention for November through February.  House Bill 1005 gives authority to counties and municipalities to cap fees that third-party food delivery companies charge to restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The legislation also prevents those companies from cutting the compensation or tips of employees to make up for lost revenue and requires them to disclose to customers any fees or commissions imposed on the restaurants.  House Bill 1006 adjusts several requirements of insurance premium tax payments, intended to make estimates of taxes owed more accurate.  Senate Bill 1 provides $37 million in relief to small businesses with revenue of less than $2.5 million; $7.5 million to arts and cultural organizations; and $4 million to minority-owned businesses. Grants for small businesses are capped at $7,000, and counties must disburse payments by Feb. 12.  Senate Bill 2 grants $54 million in emergency housing assistance, $1 million in legal eviction aid and $5 million to individuals who are ineligible for other forms of relief, such as unemployment insurance, food assistance or the one-time $1,200 payment from the federal government.  Senate Bill 3 gives $5 million to Energy Outreach Colorado, a nonprofit that provides assistance to low-income households in paying energy bills. It must spend the money by June 30.  Senate Bill 4 transfers $100 million to the Controlled Maintenance Trust Fund for the governor to use for the Disaster Emergency Fund.

The bill is intended to fill the gap left by the slow reimbursement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for costs the state has incurred.

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4 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

REMOTE

updates as I have new information.”

District’s virus tracker paused

FROM PAGE 1

100,000 people over two weeks, a measure known as a county’s “incidence rate.”

The rate of recorded COVID-19 deaths began to increase in Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties in late October, according to data from Tri-County Health Department, which serves the three counties.

Deaths over the course of November outpaced the numbers the counties typically saw from the start of summer to late October.

Level red took effect in counties with severe enough virus spread — including Denver metro counties and other regions of the state — on Nov. 20. It prohibits indoor dining and personal gatherings and tightened capacity limits on some types of businesses.

Cherry Creek district is working with the district’s teachers’ union “and other groups to develop a plan for returning to in-person learning in January,” Siegfried’s message said. “I will continue to send you

STATE FROM PAGE 2

meet the following criteria: • The business has a written plan about how it is implementing or exceeding state prevention guidelines, implementing or exceeding local prevention, and has a clear compliance and enforcement plan.

The district has temporarily stopped posting daily ratings on its “COVID Tracker,” which records the severity of the coronavirus’s spread in the school district and throughout the county using a point system. The pause comes because the district will continue remote classes through December, Siegfried wrote.

The district uses the four-part system of tracking local virus data to determine whether it will hold classes in-person or entirely online. It includes Arapahoe County’s rate of COVID-19 tests that come back positive; the county’s hospitalizations; its daily case count; its “incidence rate,” which is another way to measure new cases; and the number of active cases among staff and among students in the school district.

Each of the six data pieces entails a score of up to 2 points, so each day’s total score can be up to 12 points.

If the points are 7 or greater, it means the district deems it safe to continue in-person class. If it’s 5 or fewer, the metric suggests moving to entirely online class. Only a “sus• 100% mask-wearing among staff and customers with “strong compliance and enforcement protocols.”

• All employees do daily symptom checks or screening either with CDPHE symptom tracker tool or other approved protocol.

• Perform regular outreach to employees and customers to activate the state’s exposure notifications smartphone application that shares anonymous information with other

tained seven- to 14-day change” can cause the district to move into or out of in-person classes, according to the district. One or a few days in a row of any score doesn’t cause a change.

On Nov. 5, the district scored a 3 amid a downward trend in the score that began in late October. That’s the day the district announced that all students who attend inperson classes would move to online classes.

With students out of school, the tracker began to inch back up, recording a 7 on Nov. 27, for example.

The public can still view data on the virus’s spread in general throughout Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties on Tri-County Health Department’s website at data.tchd.org/covid19.

“Based on our first-semester experience, we have a greater chance of operating successfully the closer the incident rate (rate of new cases) is to 500 cases per 100,000 people” per two weeks, Siegfried wrote.

Siegfried’s message said the district’s data has “consistently shown

that transmission of the virus does not happen in schools in any meaningful way.”

John Douglas, head of Tri-County Health Department, said in October that it’s “quite striking” how few recorded cases there have been in schools.

“What we can say is the following: We look pretty carefully at cases of new infection by age group,” Douglas told Colorado Community Media at the time, as Arapahoe County’s rate of cases grew more concerning. “New infections are going up in school-age kids but not as high as in older populations. It’s really people between 20 and late 40s where the increase is.”

That tells him the problem is the spread of the virus in the broader community, not in schools, he added.

Douglas noted the district’s low percentage of cases at the time. But he acknowledged that asymptomatic transmission of the virus is a possibility.

“At least based on the best ability we have to quantify it,” in-person class doesn’t appear to be increasing community transmission, Douglas said at the time.

users to alert them if they’ve been potentially exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19 and uploads their result to the system.

• Businesses must record the name and contact number of customers to be used for contact-tracing should a COVID-19 case be connected to that business.

• Business must comply with industry-specific requirements including that restaurants have

table spacing of at least 10 feet and require reservations, gyms require reservations, and personal services require reservations. Further industry specific requirements will continue to be developed.

• Any business that has been cited for noncompliance with a public health order is ineligible to be certified.

Reporter Elliott Wenzler contributed to this story.

Spread in schools unclear

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Centennial Citizen 5

0December 10, 2020

Longtime Centennial resident sings in virtual holiday concert Online choir program brings older adults together amid isolation

Katherine Carothers, 70, stands near her home in the central Centennial area on Dec. 5. Carothers is one of more than 400 singers from across the country who will perform in a virtual holiday choral concert, titled “Joy!” and produced by Encore Creativity for Older Adults, a choral organization for adults over 55.

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After 25 years working for the Cherry Creek School District, Katherine Carothers retired in June 2015 and didn’t know what to do with herself.

“I had been so busy for so long,” said Carothers, 70, who served as an administrative assistant at West Middle and Cherry Creek High schools.

Half a year into her retirement, she saw a flier at Goodson Recreation Center in Centennial about a local choir called 5280+ Encore Chorale and decided to attend a meeting.

It didn’t take long for her to join.

After four years singing with the choir, Carothers saw it shut down activity in March as the coronavirus tore through Colorado. But for Carothers and hundreds of others, a saving grace came in the form of a virtual choir program that started in September.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing,” Carothers laughed.

Amid the pandemic, the nonprofit Encore Creativity for Older Adults, based in Maryland, offers a “reinvented” virtual choral program, Encore University, according to a news release. The program offers singing

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

and a large selection of classes in voice technique, music theory and music history. Carothers describes it as similar to a college course.

“You pay a fee, they send you music, they send you a CD of the music so you can hear it and practice on our own at home, and they have rehearsals weekly on Zoom,” said Carothers, referring to the videoconferencing application.

Carothers is one of more than 400 singers from across the country who are performers in a virtual holiday choral concert — titled “Joy!” — that premieres Dec. 17.

Singing virtually comes with challenges — it’s difficult to hear others during practice because of the delay on the Zoom call — but the singers do the best they can, Carothers said.

Growing up in California, Caroth-

ers sang in elementary and high school and in college. When she got married and moved to different places, she didn’t have access to a choir until coming to the Denver area, she said. She joined a small ladies’ choir around 1999, “but we never had any money, so we had to stop,” Carothers said.

“This is the first choir experience I’ve been able to have in quite a long time,” Carothers said of her activity with 5280+ Encore Chorale, which practices at Buck Recreation Center in Littleton and is connected to the Encore Creativity for Older Adults organization.

Especially amid the pandemic, “It’s just a really great thing to meet other people and be together,” Carothers said.

“I live alone, and particularly now

CHOIR GROUP TO HOLD SPRING SESSION

Maryland-based Encore Creativity for Older Adults, which calls itself the “nation’s largest choral organization for adults over 55,” in collaboration with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has produced an online choral production that premieres Dec. 17 on encorecreativity. org and on Encore’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Encore will offer a winter-spring session of its virtual choral program, Encore University, beginning Jan. 25. For more information, see the website above or call 301-261-5747.

with the virus, there are many days when I don’t go out and see other people. So even though it’s a virtual choir, I get to see people and I feel good. It gives me something to look forward to and (lets me) kind of be a part of something,” Carothers said.

People interested in trying the choir don’t need to know how to sing — the program teaches participants as it goes along, Carothers added.

The group does exercises at the top of each rehearsal, including vocal exercises but also getting arms and legs moving and practicing good breathing, Carothers said.

“I really like how it feels when we’ve worked really hard and either at a rehearsal or a concert, we sound really great,” Carothers said. She added: “It’s uplifting. It’s just a natural high — you’ve worked hard, you’ve accomplished this.”

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6 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

Heightened anxiety, depression test communities COVID-19 pandemic erodes mental health across state

CALL FOR HELP Whatever you are going through, crisis counselors and professionally trained peer specialists are available to help. Call the Colorado Crisis Service hotline at 1-844493-TALK (8255). There is no wrong reason to reach out.

BY TINA GRIEGO AND SUSAN GREENE COLORADO NEWS COLLABORATIVE

On Denver’s west side, an elderly man had been managing his solitude just fine until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, taking with it what social life he had and leaving in its place a loneliness he had not felt for years. Not far from his house, a young woman fights panic attacks after COVID-19 killed her grandfather and landed her in the hospital.

Now, she fears the virus will come for her again and this time she will die.

In Fort Collins, the school district announces an early return to online learning, and moments later, a struggling mother calls the local mental health center: “I can’t do this again.”

On the Eastern Plains is a thirdgeneration farmer, and if the pandemic does not weigh on him heavily, this year’s record drought and the crop failure it caused do.

It sets off an irritability and dread that words do not capture in the same way they cannot capture the layering of crises that marks this time: the body blows dealt by the pandemic, the shaky economy, climate-change driven fire and drought, civil rights reckoning and a polarizing election.

Coloradans are on edge. As individuals. As families. As communities. Colorado already had greater demand for behavioral health services than it could provide. And the safety net that even the state’s top mental health official says has “too many holes” might be further frayed by the tight state budget.

These crises have led to a welldocumented flood of calls to crisis and referral lines, and nearly half of Coloradans recently reported experiencing anxiety or depression.

“Everyone is really struggling with the same things,” says Kristen Cochran-Ward, director of Connections, a mental health and substance abuse program at the Health District of Northern Larimer County. “I have heard people saying that we are all in the same boat. We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm. And some people might be in a cruise ship and some might be on a tire raft.”

To capture the current psyche of our state, Colorado Community Media is partnering with nearly 100 others through the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) to document how Coloradans are coping. Our hope is that in a state where stigma around mental health struggles runs high, this reporting and the conversations that follow will prompt better understanding of widely misunderstood and hidden experiences.

If there is a silver lining to this time — and we choose to believe there is — it is the realization that even if we find ourselves isolated, we are not alone.

“This has affected all of our well-being, all of us,” says Dr. Carl Clark, president and CEO of the Mental Health Center of Denver.

“So, I think it has kind of washed away that us-them thing around mental health. I think it is making people realize: ‘Hey, it’s not usthem. It’s us.’”

‘Too many holes in the net’

Colorado was in poor shape to handle 2020’s confluence of crises.

This year’s heightened mental health needs have run headlong into a complex, ever-shifting constellation of decades-old challenges: the state’s higher-than-average prevalence of high-risk mental health conditions; a backlog of demand caused by a thicket of red tape among state agencies and private insurers; a behavioral health workforce shortage compounded by low rates of psychiatrists and psychologists who accept public or private insurance; cultural stigma; and slow public and political recognition that mental health is as important as physical health.

For communities of color that have a history of trauma and lack of access to health care, the need has been especially acute.

The Colorado Health Institute has been surveying residents about behavioral health and access to care since 2009 and found the situation generally deteriorating ever since.

Based on its data, 870,000 Coloradans were in significant distress in 2019.

Nationally, Colorado has the third highest prevalence of mental illness among adults, according to the most recent annual report by Mental Health America. That report, based on data from 2017 and 2018, also finds Colorado has the nation’s

highest percentage of adults with substance abuse disorders and the third-highest percentage of adults considering suicide. Colorado’s suicide rate hit nearly 22 per 100,000 in 2018 compared to an average of 14 per 100,000 people nationally. Our national rankings for young people are not much better.

Theories about what explains Colorado’s grim statistics run the gamut from altitude to higher rates of gun ownership to a culture of Western self-reliance that downplays emotions. “‘Pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ is probably the most misleading statement ever,” says Colorado Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health chief Robert Werthwein, noting the credo wrongly assumes mental health hinges solely on individual will rather than on genetics, brain chemistry, trauma and other factors.

State government is partially responsible, Werthwein says bluntly.

A recent study by the Colorado Department of Human Services finds fault with a bureaucracy in which 10 different state agencies run 75 different behavioral health programs, with hundreds of funding streams, thousands of billing rules, and no shared vision for care.

Seventy-five programs “means there are 74 wrong doors,” Werthwein says.

“There are too many holes in the net.”

Some of the most gaping are sparsely populated communities, SEE ANXIETY, P7

COVID-19 survivor finds her footing amid fears Year riddled with losses leaves sadness that is difficult to fight

BY TINA GRIEGO COLORADO NEWS COLLABORATIVE

Elizabeth Torres, 38, of Denver walks at Garfield Lake Park in Denver one afternoon.

Torres was diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID-19 back in March and has mostly recovered but lost her grandfather to the virus and had it work its way through her PHOTO BY MARC PISCOTTY entire family.

Until this year, Elizabeth Torres would not have called herself a particularly anxious person. Stressed, sure. Who wasn’t? Everyone has ups and downs.

Torres was working a couple parttime jobs, taking care of her elderly grandparents, raising three kids on her own. Her son, the middle child, has been diagnosed with autism and he likes to get right up into her face, something she really can’t deal with now. When he comes to her lately, “Mom,” on his lips, she can imagine a fine spray of coronavirus cells landing upon her cheeks, nose, eyes.

She and her three kids were living

in the basement of her grandparents’ place in southwest Denver when COVID-19 hit Colorado in early March. She made sure her grandma, who has dementia, and her grandpa, whose heart was failing, took their medications, and that her grandpa had his lunch when he headed to dialysis every other day.

Torres started feeling feverish toward the end of March. With frail grandparents, she decided to play it safe and move into a friend’s bedroom to quarantine.

And then it was like dominoes falling.

Her grandpa was hospitalized after a fall and then diagnosed with COVID-19. Torres’ fever spiked and she began laboring for breath. She went to the ER twice before being admitted with her own case of COVID, her grandpa in a room somewhere nearby. She is in her 30s, but overweight with high blood pressure and SEE SURVIVOR, P13

Centennial Citizen 7

0December 10, 2020

COVID took his friends, then it took his health Pool table helped pass time in months before illness struck

BY TINA GRIEGO COLORADO NEWS COLLABORATIVE

Eddie Kemm found the pool table early in the pandemic. It was the second one he had scouted after the governor’s order shut down the bars — including Kemm’s favorite pool hall — in late March. When the halls went dark, so, too, did a significant part of the social life of an 81-yearold man who lives alone. It was like an amputation. He was, he says, miserable.

In ordinary circumstances, Kemm would not have committed himself to a purchase impractical for a man living on $1,200 a month in Social Security. But then the stimulus check arrived and, even if it hadn’t, the difference between luxury and necessity lies in the eye of the beholder during the long, isolated days of the pandemic.

What he knew after just a couple weeks away from his social circle, unable to play the game he practiced in his mind while lying in bed, was that he was “going crazy.”

Kemm had been living alone in the same house in Denver’s Westwood neighborhood for almost 40 years.

Overall, he’s never minded it. He and his ex-wife had two sons and both died — one years ago and one not so long ago. When loneliness strikes it comes in the shape of their absence, a knee-buckling aloneness.

“It comes and goes and it will until I die,” he says.

He keeps himself busy because the skills of a former maintenance man and groundskeeper are never out of demand and Kemm is generous with his time and his tools.

When he’s not busy, well, that’s why God invented popcorn, TV trays and Westerns.

So, when the pandemic hit in

ANXIETY FROM PAGE 6

many of which have disproportionately high overdose and suicide cases and high rates of stigma around mental health challenges.

The need for counseling or treatment doubled or tripled in many rural counties over the past six years.

In the state study of Colorado’s behavioral health system, lack of access to care was repeatedly cited as the greatest problem. Even as COVID began its spread, the state legislature cut hoped-for expansions of pilot programs and new money for mental health and substance abuse programs targeting people living in underserved communities and youth and adults in the criminal justice system.

The roar

Colorado’s first recorded COVID death — an elderly woman in El Paso County — came on March 13.

Eddie Kemm has lived in the Westwood neighborhood of Denver for more than 40 years after leaving New Mexico to study to be an auto mechanic here in Denver. COVID has derailed his hobby of shooting pool with buddies as bars were forced to close for some time. He purchased a used pool table and set it up in his backyard to continue to play.

PHOTO BY MARC PISCOTTY

March, it wasn’t the “being alone” part that got to him. It was the denial of the choice to be alone. It was the disruption to his routine, the inability to head into BC’s bar in Lakewood for Monday night tournaments. It was missing that first swallow of an O’Doul’s and Clamato, listening to the banter and the bull while observing his opponents work their angles.

“What makes me special is my ability to study people and see how they shoot,” he says. “That’s a gift that God gave me.”

Kemm is not a man to consider mental health counseling, having been raised firmly in the “you have a problem, you figure it out,” tradition. When isolation descended, his

solution was getting a pool table of his own. It was never going to fit in his 876-square-foot house. “It would have looked stupid,” he says. So, in preparation, he added more pavers to his backyard patio, making sure everything was level, and added some crossbeams to an existing frame so it would support a roof of plywood.

The table he bought from a pool hall and has a couple of beer stains, but he plans to replace the gold felt with the best he can afford. The quarter slot is still attached. It was $400, plus the $40 each he paid the guys who drove to Montbello to load and then unload it again at his place.

When the bars were still closed in

The state went under lockdown 12 days later.

People who could work from home did. Behavioral health care providers pivoted to telephone or video sessions. The number of people seeking help dipped across the state’s 17 regional behavioral health centers in what care providers describe as a calm before the storm.

By mid-April, unemployment claims had skyrocketed — a red flag among mental health experts who know job loss can lead to suicide, so-called “deaths of despair.” While the caseloads at some behavioral health centers remain below last year’s levels, the urgency of the need has deepened, providers say.

Under the weight of uncertainty and isolation, “what was once acute has become very acute, and what was very acute has become a crisis,” says Carl Nassar, founder of Heart-Centered Counseling, the largest private outpatient behavioral health group in the state. Our cups were already full, he says, and now they are spilling over.

The smell of burning forests triggers an anxiety attack. A marital spat about the presidential election blows up into thoughts about divorce. A high school student descends into depression because he can’t hang out with friends. A young mom, cooped up with three little kids, crumbles.

At the pandemic’s beginning, families worried what might happen, what they might lose, says Janis Pottorff, the director of Weld County’s North Range Behavioral Health’s Family Connects program.

“Now we have families who have lost things, lost livelihoods, lost relationships, maybe some have lost family — actual physical death — lost confidence that they can manage the day, they can manage the week.”

Pottorff notes that stress has spiked since the late-fall announcements of an early return to remote learning in some school districts.

“We are hearing that roar in families’ emotions.”

Among those for whom the roar of mental illness predated this

the spring, about four or five guys from BC’s would come over and practice and that was a tiny beachhead of normalcy. When the bars at least partially reopened, Kemm returned to his Monday night games, but a couple guys still come over from time to time.

His world is small by design. He knows himself. He knows that when he finds himself eating while standing that he is nervous. He knows that if he allows too much of the bigger world through the front door right now, it will swamp him. He does not worry about the pandemic.

He knows that he needs to prioritize his concerns to what is right in front of him, like whether the Department of Human Services will mess around with his food stamps again.

The world is a cacophony. The game is governed by rules. The world throws curve balls. The game is geometry. Clean, precise, predictable if you know what you’re doing.

The world narrows to his backyard, to the surface of the table, the clack of ball striking ball, and the drop, solid, satisfying, into the pocket.

In early November, Kemm contracted the virus and ended up at St. Anthony Hospital. Even from his bed, talking on the phone, he insisted that he was not going to worry, that he has had a good life and “this is part of my life now.”

He just wanted to know where his breakfast was.

But he took a turn for the worse and had to be placed on a ventilator for more than a week. As of early December, he had been transferred to the VA hospital, teetering between stable and critical condition.

His granddaughter has had to step into the role of decision-maker. His longtime neighbor collects his mail and gets updates through Kemm’s sister in New Mexico — all of them forced to work angles even he never saw coming.

The pool table remains covered.

You can reach Tina Griego at tina@colabnews.co

year’s crises, increased isolation and the sudden inability to see their trusted providers in person have made things even harder.

An August poll by the Colorado Health Foundation found one in two Coloradans reported increased psychological strain — “anxiety, loneliness, stress” — as a result of the pandemic. A more recent U.S. Census Bureau snapshot survey found that from Oct. 28 to Nov. 9, about 43% of Coloradans reported symptoms of anxiety or depression over the previous seven days. Meanwhile, the number of monthly calls and texts to Colorado’s crisis line has climbed from nearly 16,000 in January to nearly 25,000 in October, a more than 50% increase. Most people are calling about anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, some seeking immediate help, and others wanting information on providers or coping strategies.

“It’s called the Colorado Crisis hotline, but you define the crisis for yourself,” Werthwein says.

SEE ANXIETY, P10

8 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

Mental health experts urge vigilance during holidays Pandemic collides with season to create ‘stressor on top of a stressor’

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The holidays are usually a time filled with large celebrations, being near loved ones and focusing on what there is to be thankful for.

This year, mental health experts are urging the community to be extra vigilant in keeping up their mental health as the holiday season collides with the COVID-19 pandemic and creates a “stressor on top of a stressor.”

Di Thompson, the medical director for physician wellness at Centura Health, said 2020 holidays will be difficult for some community members as they steer far from tradition.

“Perhaps one of the ways that we can better cope with that is to acknowledge that,” she said. “This is not going to be the Hallmark Christmas that we plan for.”

Altering expectations can help, she said. Most important is finding connection “while we can’t physically always be with people.”

Zoom, call, text and stay in touch with loved ones however possible.

She also suggests people stick to healthy coping strategies — exercise, listening to music — and check in with themselves each

day to gauge how they are doing.

Never be afraid to seek additional support like counseling or therapy, she said.

Glenn Most is executive director of West Pines Behavioral Health and spokesman for the Let’s Talk Colorado campaign, which encourages people to start conversations about mental health.

A year fraught with a public health crisis, a tense political environment, and locally a devastating wildfire season is testing the community’s ability to adapt, Most said.

“In my memory, I’ve never experienced a year like the year we’ve been having,” he said. “It’s something that none of us, most of us, have never experienced.”

Those working in the field are seeing increased rates of depression and anxiety, Thompson and Most said. Most attributed much of that to the “deep, deep isolation” created by the pandemic.

“I think people saw the holiday season as a relief, as a break from what they were seeing as really marking the end of 2020,” Most said. “And what it has turned into is not necessarily the relief that people were expecting.”

During the holidays, Most suggested strategies like planning early and clearly communicating holiday plans to family. He also stressed avoiding blaming holiday plans or their disruption on family.

Making choices about how to

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spend the holidays can be difficult, and there has been “increased judgment” toward one another during the pandemic, Most said.

“This isn’t the time to try to convince people about certain practices that they might be doing, that are right or wrong,” he said.

“This is not the time to argue about COVID.” He and his family chose not to gather with relatives outside their immediate family for Thanksgiving. Instead they opted for Zoom calls, and will likely do the same for Christmas, when they typically travel to California.

Just like he’s advised others to do, Most said, his family made a plan for Christmas early and communicated that to their loved ones.

Amber Berenz is program manager for Colorado Spirit Program — AllHealth Network’s initiative to provide free psychological support to people of all ages during the pandemic.

The program is grant funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and under the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s oversight. The grant is often used following natural disasters and has been deployed in Colorado after wildfires, Berenz said.

This time it’s in use to address a public health disaster, which calls for many of the same response

strategies, she said. Usually the grant would enable crisis response teams to go door-to-door to connect people with resources.

During the pandemic, the program is doing that virtually, Berenz said.

The holidays are typically a happy time for many, Berenz said, but they can also inflame trauma from loss or feelings of grief. For some community members, “the holidays are a difficult time any time of year.”

“For a lot of us, helping other people, supporting other people is a way we can manager our own stress,” she said.

In addition to strategies to help yourself cope — meditation, exercise, eating well, getting sleep — people can also care for the ones around them by checking in on them and asking how they are doing.

Thompson said starting those conversations can be uncomfortable but it’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to let someone know they are supported.

Most urged people to keep their guard up as they weather COVID fatigue amid promising news of vaccines becoming available. The community must continue working together “to get through this.”

“I’m very optimistic that this time next year,” he said, “we will be celebrating the holidays together.”

Centennial Citizen 9

0December 10, 2020

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10 Centennial Citizen

ANXIETY FROM PAGE 7

“... I don’t want people not to call and say, ‘Well this doesn’t feel like a crisis,’ or ‘Other people are going through harder things ...’ No, call.

It helps all of us the sooner that you call.”

But getting longer-term help can be tricky. It generally requires reams of paperwork and long waits for public providers or a string of calls to private providers who often don’t take insurance, are prohibitively expensive or not accepting new patients.

Pat Turner, a contractor in Meeker, sat on his porch twisting wires in his hands and drinking most of June and July as he sank into severe depression. He began disassociating from reality. His search for help drew him into a labyrinth of hold times, packed waiting rooms, 200-mile round trips to the regional behavioral health center in Grand Junction, and a doctor failing to follow up after writing an antipsychotic prescription. His family found a private psychiatrist 90 miles away in Steamboat Springs who is helping treat Turner’s newly diagnosed bipolar disorder.

“We have a real problem if the system doesn’t treat a cry for help as an emergency,” Turner says.

“My mania got so intense that if my family hadn’t been there to help, I’d probably still be out there in the abyss, potentially committing suicide or homicide or something.”

December 10, 2020D For every person known to be in crisis, experts say there are more who are not known: Coloradans without a support system, people experiencing cognitive or traumatic impacts from COVID, students in remote learning whose suffering is unnoticed by teachers and school counselors. Care providers are especially worried about people who have hunkered down, convinced they can just muscle through in silence.

Time to talk

A few months into the pandemic, the Mental Health Center of Denver began using the video game Minecraft to help some of the young people it serves. Two clinicians each lead eight children as they mine materials and build worlds.

The game feeds their need to connect to other kids, to play and to create environments over which they have some power.

MHCD also expanded its telehealth appointments from about five a week to 4,000 a week, a remarkable pandemic-spurred shift among all behavioral health providers in the state. Lawmakers allocated about $13 million in federal CARES Act funding for COVIDrelated behavioral health needs for smart devices, telehealth needs and other resources, such as PPE for therapists to meet high-need clients in person safely. Another $2 million federal grant has been helping Coloradans who have tested positive for COVID receive behavioral health care.

Meanwhile, apps are allowing lonely singles to meet for coffee

or cocktails online and for virtual meditation groups among strangers. Social media, often divisive, also has become a place for callouts to check on one another and for admissions that things aren’t going well. “I need something to look forward to,” a man in Broomfield wrote on a recent Facebook post that elicited dozens of emoji faces hugging hearts.

Yet despite innovative ways to connect, we are still hurting. As COVID tightens its grip, infecting record numbers of Coloradans, many of us have again retreated to our homes beset by compassion fatigue and Zoom fatigue and plain old fatigue fatigue. The divisive presidential election has given way to a divisive aftermath. We are girding for a holiday season defined by remaining apart rather than coming together. And, as increased joblessness and evictions loom, a long winter awaits.

On the horizon are two glimmers of light: The promises of widely distributed COVID vaccines next year and of behavioral health reform in Colorado.

To tackle fragmentation, the state has been developing an online behavioral health registry — the first phase of which is expected to go live this April — with daily updates on available mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment. The administration of Gov. Jared Polis also has created a blueprint for ensuring people who need help are treated like people and not boxes checked for reimbursement.

But at a time when state revenues

are stretched, how much can be done and how quickly are open questions. The fractures in Colorado’s behavioral health systems have been decades in the making and will not be mended overnight.

“None of us know when we’re going to experience a mental health crisis, and when we do, many of us don’t know how few and poor the resources are to weather it, even in the best of times,” says Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado, the leading nonprofit pushing for state policy reform. “You can’t feel good about a community that fails to provide life sustaining support for people with serious mental health needs.”

This moment, he and other advocates say, presents not a hypothetical test of Colorado’s mental health policies, but an active emergency.

Now, they say, is the time to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations — lots of them. Now is the time to speak more deeply with each other without shame and to listen without judgement, to ask for and offer help: Are you eating?

Are you sleeping? What do you need? What can I do?

“Do we show who we are by finding each other’s humanity and finding solidarity or do we tear each other apart?” Atchity asks. Support networks are critical, he says. “Be sort of gardener-like about maintaining those relationships. Best to keep calling so-and-so when you’re not in crisis, so when you are, they’ll be there.”

At least for now, still in the thick of it, our surest safety nets may be each other.

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Centennial Citizen 11

0December 10, 2020

CATALYST CONVENER CHAMPION CHAMBER ADVOCATES FOR RESTAURANTS WITH LETTER TO GOVERNOR Recently, Castle Rock Chamber & the Douglas County

COLLABORATION IS KEY TO SUPPORTING OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY

While both the Chamber and DCBA acknowledge the devastating effects of the COVID -19 Pandemic on our state and recognize that difficult public health restrictions need to be considered and adopted, the Chamber and DCBA feel the current Red Level restrictions are disproportionately impacting our small and locally owned main street businesses to the peril of their owners, their customers and the communities they serve.

Collaboration is key to our success, there is strength in numbers! The Town, Economic Development Council, Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Alliance make up the Castle Rock Economic Partnership (CREP). This partnerships was developed to achieve the community's vision through teamwork, performance accountability and commitment to goals and priorities. Working together we can cut through potential road blocks. Collaborating our efforts we can better support our businesses and provide necessary tools to not only survive, but to thrive.

Business Alliance (DCBA) sent letters to Governor Polis in support of reopening our local restaurants, asking for the Governor to strongly reconsider restrictions.

We are seeing this first hand in all of our communities and it is our opinion that the Governor should trust the weight of these difficult decisions to each citizen given the millions of unique circumstances that exist.

The Chamber's partnership with Douglas County, DCBA, Tri-County Health, Town of Castle Rock, Parker & Lone Tree are also looking very closely at Mesa County’s “5star” exemption program. Stay tuned for progress and view updates at CRCStrong.com.

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12 Centennial Citizen

LOCAL

December 10, 2020D

VOICES From one’s perspective, two’s a crowd

F

ew remember Love, a 1960s Los Angeles rock band. They had a number of minor hits, including “My Little Red Book,” “7 and 7 Is,” QUIET and “Alone Again Or.” DESPERATION “Alone Again Or” was released in January 1968.

It initially peaked nationally at 123, but went as high as No. 7 where I was: in Los Angeles.

It’s worth a listen as a background to Craig Marshall this column.

Smith Hearing it now, I’m back in college — and, as now, living alone.

According to data collected by the U. S. Census Bureau in 2018, “There are an estimated 35.7 million singleperson households in the United States.”

That’s one-third of us.

Growing up in suburban neighborhoods, I don’t recall many singleperson households.

It’s likely the majority in my area now live in townhomes and condominiums.

I’m a single-person home owner and I live right next to one, but I don’t think there’s another on the block.

Why do so many of us live alone?

Lots of reasons.

I prefer it. There are no compromises or conflicts. None.

There were conflicts in our home when I was a teenager. Plenty.

The atmosphere was invariably tense.

Why did my mother and father remain together? That’s what couples did back then. They stayed together through thick and thin and more thin.

I had a front row seat to “All in the Acrimony.”

While I prefer to live alone, many don’t, but do because of the loss of a loved one, or because their children have grown up and departed.

For those and others for whom the holidays might be particularly difficult to face alone this year, a recent article in The New York Times had a

This season, cultivate gratitude and generosity

W

e’ve begun the march toward the December holidays, celebrations where families have GUEST time-honored and muchCOLUMN loved traditions. But this year will be different, both in small and big ways. For the last year we’ve been managing changes in our daily Dr. Kimberly routines. We’ve Winter had to adjust to new ways of working, learning, and staying connected to the people we care about. It’s been stressful, scary, and at times, exhausting.

The idea of missing out on treasured opportunities to connect in person with our loved ones is sad and disappointing. This is on top of the additional stress and anxiety

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

many are feeling during this uncertain time. It’s especially hard for adults who are alone and unable to be with their friends or families. And the holidays can be painful for those of us who have lost their jobs and have financial worry.

Most families are already coping with more “together time” than ever. The result is periodic frayed nerves, even before the added strain from changing how we celebrate the holidays. And others are struggling with painful isolation and loneliness.

These are hard times. It’s natural to feel a sense of disappointment, sadness, and frustration.

But here we are, in the middle of a once-in-a-hundred-year global pandemic. The entire world is in the same boat. It’s an opportunity for us to pivot, adapt, and be flexible — all components of resilience.

SEE WINTER, P13

Guess who said the following?

“I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.”

As it is now, I have the mobility and the health to live alone. The day may come when I have neither. Then what?

Kwong, I’m planning ahead.

There’s one more level to living alone and that’s living alone without love. That’s something I won’t kid about.

In my case, I have a sufficient number of friends who care about me.

And I have Harry. To paraphrase Friedrich Nietzsche, life without Harry would be a mistake. I’d get me one if I were you.

My mailbox is always open, if someone could use a holiday pen pal.

The “delicious solitude” quote is Albert Einstein’s.

few suggestions.

Ivy Kwong said, “Plan ahead.

Don’t wait until the holiday is upon you to make a plan. Come up with something you’ll do on the day of the holiday: bake cookies, order take-out, work on a jigsaw puzzle, binge a podcast, watch your favorite movie.”

Kwong is a Seattle-based marriage and family therapist who specializes in healing codependency and intergenerational trauma.

I think doing any of those things as a plan would accentuate a perception of isolation. I might be wrong.

In the same article, Ayanna Abrams, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in creating healthy relationships, encourages singles to “Accept whatever feelings bubble up.”

I guess that means you should stay off the roof and go easy on the Smirnoff.

Living alone means I do everything around here. The laundry, yardwork, all the shopping, vacuuming. I reset the pins and thaw the goose.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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

Realize you are amazing and watch what happens next

H

ere we are, four weeks out from ringing in another New Year. Many of us can’t wait to put 2020 in the rearview mirror. These last 11 WINNING months are difficult WORDS to describe in one word, it’s even hard to describe them in just a few words without finding something negative, sad, or troubling to say, so yes, the rearview mirror analogy could be an excellent way to try Michael Norton and put it all behind us. However, it’s only a good strategy if we make sure that we can shift our focus on what is in front of us, not only on what’s behind us.

“See, when you drive home today, you’ve got a big windshield on the front of your car. And you’ve got a little bitty rearview mirror. And the reason the windshield is so large and the rearview mirror is so small is because what’s happened in your past is not near as important as what’s in your future.” - Joel Osteen

Success is a funny thing as we can see others succeeding where we feel like we have not. Whatever they touch turns to gold. They simply have a knack for being successful at whatever they endeavor to do. Even in a difficult COVID year, they were still able to meet with success. What’s the difference? The difference is in the way we see ourselves.

It can become very easy to only see or recognize the mistakes we have made or the unfortunate events that have happened around us. And the weight of carrying those makes it impossible to see ourselves succeeding at anything. The rearview mirror becomes our lens of failure even though that big windshield of opportunity is right there in front of us. And as Zig Ziglar said, “Failure is an event and not a person. Yesterday really did end last night.” Here’s the thing, I do not know you, but I do know that you are amazing and not a failure. I know this because someone who only sees themselves as failing would have already given up and stopped reading this column two paragraphs ago.

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SEE NORTON, P13

Littleton Independent (USPS 315-780) A legal newspaper of general circulation in Littleton, Colorado, the Littleton Independent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

Centennial Citizen 13

0December 10, 2020

NORTON FROM PAGE 12

The biggest life-changing lesson for me happened when someone encouraged me to see myself differently. I had a mentor who taught me to take an inventory of my talents and skills, which was helpful. But the better exercise was to make an honest assessment of the gaps in my talents and skills so that I could take the time and make the effort to improve my situation.

It’s fair to say that it was humbling to admit my shortcomings, but it was also freeing and inspiring.

Recognizing that the only difference in looking in the rearview mirror instead of the massive windshield in front of me, was the belief in myself.

The way we see ourselves is the way we will see our future. If the past feels like a boat anchor, we need to cut the chain. Because the way we see our past is not nearly as important as the way we see our future. And our future begins with the way we see and believe in ourselves. And we are amazing.

SURVIVOR FROM PAGE 6

asthma, and the virus hit her hard.

Her lungs felt like they were burning.

“I felt like, ‘I’m dying and I am going to die by myself,’” she says.

When her fever finally did break and she was able to breathe on her own a week later, Torres was discharged, oxygen tank in tow.

Her 85-year-old grandfather wasn’t so lucky. He died at Denver Health on April 1, a few days after she left the hospital. Torres uses the word “passed,” a word like “died” that fails to convey the surrealness of his last days. She mourns not being able to say goodbye to the man who raised her as a father would.

It has taken months for Torres to begin to feel herself again and she says she does feel better, mentally and physically, though she would not call it back to normal. Fear accompanies her now. She says her kids think she is paranoid. She has “panic attacks from hell.”

“I don’t want to go out anymore,” she says. “I don’t want to have it again. I think if I get it again, I might die.”

Uncertainties and unknowns

Torres wore a heart monitor for a while after she left the hospital because she was experiencing pounding palpitations, which may be an after-effect of COVID, but also could be stress. That she doesn’t know for sure frustrates her. Too much is uncertain now. Too much unknown.

There are times when she does not recognize herself. Who is this cautious woman whose heart hammers when she hears her kids cough or when the latest national political outrage pops up in her social feeds despite her best efforts to avoid the news. The late summer fires, the smell of burning forests when she opened her front door, filled her with dismay. Who is this woman

With just a few weeks to go in the year, this is an excellent time to take an inventory of who we are and our capacity for accomplishment. It’s a fantastic time to look through the windshield, understanding that it is more about what happens next than what has happened in the past. As a matter of fact, Clemson University football coach Dabo Swinney, says it this way, “No matter what’s behind us in the rearview mirror, it’s always about what’s next.”

How about you? What’s your role in what happens next? Are you looking at what has happened, or are you focused on what can happen? And I may not know you personally, but I do know that you are amazing and I would love to hear your story at mnorton@ tramazing.com. Just remember that when we can believe in ourselves and our role in what happens next, 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.

who dreads going out?

“I just feel mostly sad,” she says. “I am not like this. I am a person who loves to be out and about. I am very social. And there is just all of this. I can’t go outside. I can’t be with my friends. Coping with that has been very hard.”

Until recently, she was not one to speak so candidly about her feelings.

She might have confided in a few friends. But in the calamity that is 2020, she became so sick she thought she was going to die. Her grandfather did die. And what she knows is that she needs to talk because the words lift weight off her. She is certain that others are struggling and wants to reassure them that they are not alone. Be hopeful, she wants to say. “It is what we need. Hope.”

So, Torres wakes in the morning now and says to herself, to the universe; Thank you.

“I say, ‘Thank you for my health.

Thank you for my strong heart.

Thank you for my strong lungs.’

I say, ‘Thank you for my pillow.’

Simple things. ‘Thank you for my comfortable bed. Thank you I am awake and alive and breathing.’ I say, ‘I have food. I have a job. My kids are healthy.’”

She has taken to meditating frequently and has changed her diet, drinking juices, taking vitamins, eating healthier, trying to walk in nearby Garfield Park. When she feels really bad, a friend will take her for a car ride; she will tell her kids that she just needs to chill for a while.

Torres knows there will still be ups and downs, good days and bad, and that there remain big question marks on the horizon. But sometimes, the way forward does not require motion. It does not require answers or even thought. Sometimes, she has found, the path forward means sitting in her backyard, planting her feet on the ground, face turned toward the sun, heat bathing her until the anxiety passes and, once again, she feels rooted and whole.

WINTER FROM PAGE 12

Here are some tips on taking care of yourself during the 2020 holiday season: Be realistic. Keep your expectations in line with reality. Accept that this holiday season will be different than years past.

Set reasonable goals that fit your schedule and budget. Make healthy spending decisions and prioritize financially reasonable ways to celebrate.

Put your health first. Avoid overindulging in food and alcohol. Maintain your regular healthy eating, exercising, and sleep habits. Make time for yourself to rest and recharge. Enjoy a hot bath with candles and lavender. Take a walk in nature, rain or shine. Stretch, take an online yoga class, or go for a run. Listen to beautiful music.

Connect. Reach out to friends and family, organize a family Zoom gathering, have a virtual holiday meal, include friends in your virtual get-together that you know may be alone, especially older adults who may be isolated.

Be festive and creative. Decorate your home — inside and out. Pull out that old recipe you have been wanting to make but never got around to!

Cultivate gratitude and generosity. Contact your favorite charity or local place of worship to see how you can become involved at a distance.

Giving of your time and talents is always appreciated by nonprofits and religious groups. Now, the need is greater than ever.

Reach out if you need help. If you are struggling with feeling sad, depressed, or anxious during this holiday season, you may need more help. Call Colorado Crisis Services at 844-493-8255.

Dr. Kimberly Winter is a family practice physician with New West Physicians in Highlands Ranch.

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

Funeral Homes Visit: www.memoriams.com

14 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

LOCAL

LIFE

Here is a list of outdoor skate rinks that are open — and two that are closed.

Rink at the Rock, Castle Rock ABOUT: The covered ice rink in downtown Castle Rock is open through Feb. 15. The rink is reserved for private sessions MondayWednesday.

WHERE: 414 Perry St., Castle Rock OPEN SKATE HOURS: Thursday 4-8 p.m.; Friday 4-8 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-

5 p.m.

COST: Adult (12 and up), $10; child (11 and under) $8; skate rental, $4 MASKS: Required to be worn while skating.

Highly encouraged in waiting areas.

RESERVATION: Not required.

WEBSITE: www. downtowncastlerock. com/rink-at-the-rock-1

Discovery Park Ice Trail, Parker

Outdoor skating a holiday refuge amid pandemic

Alora Rankin smiles skating with her father, Bryan, at the Discovery Park Ice Trail in downtown Parker Dec. 3.

The skating loop is available by reservation only, and is one of a few outdoor ice rinks still open following level red public health orders.

PHOTOS BY NICK PUCKETT

up), $8; child (10 and under), $6; skate rental, $4 MASKS: Not required to be worn while skating.

RESERVATION: Required two days in advance online.

WEBSITE: www. parkerrec.com/1954/ Parker-Ice-Trail

Olde Town Arvada Ice Skating Rink, Arvada

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

ABOUT: The new, synthetic ice rink opened in Olde Town Arvada this fall to bring a little joy to people’s holiday season amid the pandemic.

WHERE: 57th and Old Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada OPEN SKATE HOURS: Sunday-Saturday noon-8 p.m. (Hours

B

ryan Rankin did his best to keep up with his daughter on the ice.

Alora, the Ponderosa High School sophomore, darted around the Parker Ice Trail Dec. 3, at times lapping her father.

Alora egged on her father, urging him to try synchronized spins as they glided around the short loop at Discovery Park.

Bryan relished the daddydaughter time.

“I feel extremely blessed we even have a place like this to go to because I know a lot of cities don’t have an ice-skating rink, especially outdoors and as nice as this one,” Alora said. “Also, amid COVID, it’s nice that we’re still able to come have an outlet.”

The ice trail at Discover Park is one of only a handful of outdoor ice rinks still open following the level red public health orders. Masks are not required to skate, but capacity is limited.

In order to skate, visitors must fill out a registration form online and schedule a reservation two days in advance.

Visitors can request a spot in a two-hour time slot. The trail is open through the winter. For more information, visit ParkerRec.com.

Mary Colton, Parker’s parks and recreation director, said in a Dec. 4 email that the ice loop is a winter activity that lends itself to being a safe, family atmosphere.

“With such limited recreational options available due to COVID-19, Discovery Park offers a unique opportunity to recreate outdoors for improved physical and mental health, which are so important to all of us right now,” Colton said.

But many communities aren’t

ABOUT: An outdoor, loop ice trail in downtown Parker, open through the winter.

WHERE: 20115 Mainstreet, Parker OPEN SKATE HOURS: Monday-Friday 5-9 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

COST: Adult (11 and

subject to reservations).

COST: Adult (11 and up) $8; child (10 and under) $5. Ticket includes skate rental.

MASKS: Required at all times.

RESERVATIONS: Required for one-hour time slots. Online only.

Website: oldetownarvada.org/skating-rink/

Longmont Ice Pavilion, Longmont

Dozens of skaters occupy the Parker Ice Trail during time blocks reserved two days in advance. The Ice Trail is open Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sundays, with special times for holidays. For more information, visit ParkerOnline.org.

so lucky.

The Rink at Belmar in Lakewood was forced to close after the state moved to level red orders Nov. 20. The 7,000-squarefoot rink at the Belmar Shopping Center is a popular spot for outdoor skating in any other year.

Tom Quinn, executive director of Alameda Connects, a business association for the Alameda corridor, said the organization is searching for new ways to give people a holiday feel despite closures and indoor shopping limitations.

“What we really focused on is: ‘What can we do, with the restrictions, to keep the holiday spirit alive?’” Quinn said.

The shopping district will be decked out with holiday lights. The City of Lakewood is holding its yearly lamp post decorating contest at Belmar Park Dec. 18. Santa is making appearances at Belmar through Dec. 24 as well. For details, visit BelmarColorado.com.

Arvada unveiled its synthetic ice rink this fall in Olde Town Square, thanks to the Arvada Business Improvement District.

Executive Director Joe Hengstler told Colorado Community Community Media it was the perfect time to open a rink following the strife caused by the pandemic.

The Streets at SouthGlenn decided against putting up its annual ice-skating rink this year due to COVID-19 concerns and looks forward to bringing it back in 2021, according to a spokesperson for the shopping district.

Evergreen could open skating at Evergreen Lake Dec. 18, weather permitting, according to the city’s recreation department’s website.

Bryan Rankin, able to catch his breath at the Parker Ice Trail Dec. 3, is thankful just to spend time with his daughter on the ice.

“Hopefully, normalcy kicks in soon,” he said.

ABOUT: A seasonal, full-service ice facility offering public skating as well as private rentals throughout the winter.

WHERE: 725 Eighth Ave., Longmont OPEN SKATE HOURS: Monday 11:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 3-5 p.m.; Tuesday 3-4:45 p.m.; Wednesday 11:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 3-5:15 p.m.; Thursday 3-5:15

p.m.; Friday 11 a.m.6:15 p.m.; Saturday 12:15-6:15 p.m.; Sunday 1:15-6 p.m.

COST: Adult resident/nonresident (1854) $5.75/$7.25; youth resident/nonresident (11-17) $5/$5.75; child resident/nonresident (2-10) $4.50/$5.50; senior resident/nonresident (55 and up) $5/$5.75; tot (under 2) free.

Coming soon: Evergreen Lake, Evergreen ABOUT: The 55acre lake in the Rocky Mountain foothills is nationally renowned for its ice skating, and it is scheduled to return just before Christmas.

The tentative open date is Dec. 18, pending bad weather.

WHERE: 29612 Upper Bear Creed Road, Evergreen OPEN SKATE HOURS: Monday-Friday 3-7 p.m.; Saturday

8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

COST: Adult (19-59), $8; youth (4-18), $7; seniors (60 and up), $6; military, $6; tot (3 and under), free.

MASKS: Not required.

Reservations: Required by time slots.

Online only.

WEBSITE: www. evergreenrecreation. com/224/Ice-Skatingand-Hockey

Closed

The Rink at Belmar, Lakewood Streets of Southglenn Skating at the Cube, Centennial

Centennial Citizen 15

0December 10, 2020

Holiday series will take place on virtual stage

W

how their family tradihy are we surtions are changing ... Cast prised that the includes Jessica Austgen, always creative Sean Michael Cummings, Arvada Center Jada Susan Dixon, Tresha has come up with a new Farris, Kate Gleason, Geofholiday entertainment? frey Kent, Leslie O’Carroll, “The Family Tree: A VirtuSteve Wilson, Olivia al Holiday Comedy” Wilson and Titus deals with the situSONYA’S the dog. Visit “The ation may of us are SAMPLER Family Tree’s” dealing with right webpage at arvadanow: How can a center.org/events/ family gather in this the-family-tree. difficult holiday season??? Each performance will feature a Littleton Museum live cast — which at Littleton’s annual times will make mis“Own an Original” takes — per director show is in place and Lynne Collins. Plays ready for visitors if began Dec. 2 and Sonya Ellingboe and when the Littlewill run at 7 p.m. ton Museum is open through Dec. 20 on Zoom. to visitors. (Website says the The cast includes the farms are open Tuesday to Arvada Center’s regular Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. by Black Box Theatre’s cast reservation.) No information members and the script on awards yet from the Littlewas written by actor/playton Fine Art Board ... The wright Jessica Austgen, theme chosen by the board who will also perform. is “Liberating Humor” — a Ticket prices are based on commodity we can all look a pay-what-you-can model, forward to — if and when ranging from $20 to $50. the building can open. The One Arvada family has farm, however, is open durfamily meetings to discuss ing museum hours for family

Leslie O’Carroll, a well-known local actor, is included in the cast of Arvada Center’s virtual play “Family Tree.”

COURTESY PHOTO

groups to walk among the animals and farm buildings — but advance reservations are required. 303-795-3950, during museum hours.

and tune in right at 1:30 p.m.

The performance will not be available later. Online or box office — lonetreeartscenter. org or 303-805-6800.

Virtual Arts in the Afternoon

‘Nutcracker’ reminder

Lone Tree Arts Center will celebrate “Happy Birthday, Beethoven” with the Ivy Street Ensemble and host Betsy Schwarm at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 16, the actual anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in 1770. The ensemble — flutist Cathy Peterson, violinist Erik Peterson and violist Philip Stevens — will present Beethoven’s Serenade, op. 25, plus music by current American composer Kenji Bunch, who was inspired by Beethoven. Tickets: choose what you pay

Colorado Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” has remaining free PBS shows — Dec. 18 at 9 p.m.; Dec. 19 at 1 a.m.; Dec. 24 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 25 at 12 a.m. (the wee hours of Christmas morning). May also be streamed during the holidays at the Rocky Mountain PBS app, downloadable at rmpbs.org/pbs-video-app.

Another reminder

Submissions to the Colorado Book Awards will be accepted through Jan. 8. Any book published in

2020 by Colorado authors, editors, illustrators, photographers. Categories include anthology/collection, biography, children’s literature, creative nonfiction, fiction, history, nonfiction, pictorial, poetry, young adult literature. Entry forms available at coloradohumanities.org.

Also, volunteers are needed to be a selector or judge. Application form at coloradohumanities.org, 303-894-7951.

Depot Gallery news notes

Longtime Littleton Fine Arts Guild member Pat Dall is “Spotlight Artist of the Month” for the Guild, and if it were a usual month, she would have a wall in the back room at Littleton’s Depot Art Gallery for her art to be displayed. She has served in many capacities, including president as well as creating her own artwork for display.

“It’s a Small World” is a display of miniature works of art displayed at Town Hall Arts Center’s Stanton Gallery.

The exhibit can be viewed online: www.depotartgallery. org/its-a-small-world.

Denver native’s art grabs attention

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Denver native and skilled painter Jeff Velarde’s images tend to stand out in a gallery — and they tell stories about cities and the people who live in them, with precise lines and angles, dense colors ...

Appealing beings inhabit many, though not all, of his scenarios. I especially enjoy “Dumb O’ Brooklyn,” a look at Manhattan Bridge from a street in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood below — the bridge, sandwiched between ordinary-looking city buildings, along a pedestrian street.

Velarde grew up in Denver’s Westside, graduated from Denver West High School and attended Colorado Institute of Arts. He currently works in parallel careers. He is art director for Z-Axis Corporation, a litigation

“Jackson Square” is a painting by local artist Jeff Velarde, who grew up on the west side of Denver and often exhibits in COURTESY PHOTO Littleton.

graphics company, and pursues a fine arts profession as well.

His “Jackson Square” reflects the joy musicians feel when performing

those outdoor summer concerts we love. Sunshine, blue skies, colorful clothing, happy chatter, polished instruments. Each musician an individual and a shiny tuba front and center.

His website is also filled with assorted Anime types — some called “Creepypasta” characters.

He is an active member of the Littleton Fine Arts Guild and one can usually see a Velarde painting in the Depot Art Gallery in downtown Littleton — now closed along with half the immediate world. He has also exhibited at Curtis Center for the Arts, in Littleton’s annual “Own an Original” show, at CORE New Art Space and in a solo show at Town Hall Arts Center’s Stanton Art Gallery in 1995.

He describes his work as “telling the story of everyday life in urban

settings,” taking the viewer into that environment. “When I am painting figures in these settings I try to imagine what these characters are and what their story is. I try to come to my own conclusions about these people and try to convey what I think they are feeling. The end result that I shoot for is pleasing to the eye for its use of color, composition and subject matter, but also something that transports the viewer into another environment and an interesting view into the human condition.”

Velarde credits his wife and kids with providing inspiration and his work somehow seems like that of a happy, energetic artist. We will look forward to a reopened Depot Art Gallery in the New Year and new paintings by Velarde, as well as other talented Littleton Fine Arts Guild members. If only ...

To advertise your place of worship in this section, Serving the southeast Denver area

Castle Rock/Franktown

Greenwood Village

call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email eaddenbrooke@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com Parker

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Please check our Website for details about Sunday Services. www.CSLParker.org

16 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

Meet Time’s first Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao, 15-year-old inventor and scientist, vows to ‘continue making change’

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

For nearly a century, Time magazine has named a Person of the Year, annually recognizing the most influential individual or individuals from the previous 12 months.

Now for the first time in its history, the magazine has named a Kid of the Year, and selected a 15-yearold scientist and inventor from Douglas County for the prestigious honor.

Gitanjali Rao attends STEM School Highlands Ranch and lives in Lone Tree, where she’s already produced a bevy of groundbreaking inventions and initiatives aimed at improving the world around her.

As news of Gitanjali’s new distinguishment spread, the teen told Colorado Community Media she was simply grateful to have been a finalist.

“It’s like nothing I could have ever imagined,” she said. “It never really sinks in, but I’m so beyond honored and humbled.”

Gitanjali spoke to actor and activist Angelina Jolie in a special interview for Time, saying she hopes her work inspires youths everywhere to be innovators. She was 10 when

she asked her parents if she could research carbon nanotube sensor technology, Gitanjali told Jolie.

Time launched Kid of the Year in collaboration with Nickelodeon and intends the honor to be “a barometer for the rising leaders in America’s youngest generation.”

The magazine scoured social media and school districts across the nation, using a panel of judges to whittle 5,000 nominees down to five finalists. According to Time, “exceptional leadership” made Gitanjali stand out from the rest.

With an impressive resume under her belt, the recognition is far from Gitanjali’s first time in the spotlight.

She made headlines after winning the 2017 Young Scientist Challenge, inventing a tool to quickly and cheaply detect lead in drinking water. For that, she was inspired largely by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

Gitanjali wowed Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” in 2018 while showcasing her lead-detecting device and corresponding app, stunning him with her young age and scientific know-how.

She landed a spot on the 2019 Forbes “30 under 30” list for science.

In addition to lead-detecting devices, Gitanjali created an app called Epione, which helps battle the opioid epidemic by providing people with pain management. The app connects to a device that can show how dependent a person is on opioids.

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Gitanjali Rao, 15, is the first-ever Kid of the Year named by Time magazine.

She’s also taken aim at cyberbullying and staggering youth suicide rates in Colorado. Gitanjali created another app and web extension called Kindly, which uses artificial intelligence to flag language that

COURTESY PHOTO

might qualify as bullying and alert the author. Kindly users can choose to rewrite their message or proceed with sharing it.

SEE KID, P26

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DECEMBER 20

at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum

at Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight

7711 East Academy Boulevard, Denver, CO 80230

13005 Wings Way Englewood, CO 80112

10 AM - 4 PM

12 PM - 4 PM

December 15, 2020 • 9am - 3pm December 17, 2020 • 3pm - 9pm 488 Main Street, Black Hawk, CO

Apply before you arrive at MonarchBlackHawk.com

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Centennial Citizen 17

0December 10, 2020

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Thu 12/10 CNA Competency @ 9:30am / Free-$120 Amity Healthcare Group Education Center, 5600 South Quebec Street, Suite 109A, Greenwood Village

Nursing Competency @ 10:30am / Free-$175 Amity Healthcare Group Education Center, 5600 South Quebec Street, Suite 109A, Greenwood Village

Journey Christmas Gathering

Colorado Concealed Carry -Black Friday / Holiday Special @ 9:30am / $25-$110 2186 S Holly St, 2186 South Holly Street, Denver

Dec. 12 Free Preview Music Class for Kids (Centennial, CO) @ 10am / Free CMA of Centennial, 7562 S. University Blvd. #BB, Centennial

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@ 1pm / Free Denver First Church, 3800 East Hampden Avenue, Englewood

Sun 12/13 Sunday Worship Service @ 8:15am / Free Ridgeline Community Church, 555 Her‐ itage Avenue, Castle Rock

Castle Oaks Church Worship Service @ 9am / Free Castle Oaks Covenant Church, 826 PARK STREET, Castle Rock

Centennial Covenant Church @ 9am / Free Centennial Covenant Church, 401 West Mineral Avenue, Littleton

DFC Sunday On-Campus Worship 9:30am Service

ARTShop - "Hold Your Space" Create Your Own Journals

@ 9:30am / Free Denver First Church, 3800 East Hampden Avenue, Englewood

@ 6pm / $40 Discover Your Spiritual Gifts, 5808 S Rapp St, Suite 275, Littleton

Sunday Service Attendance / FWC Centennial, CO

Fri 12/11

@ 10am / Free Family Worship Center, 6395 S Clarkson Street, Centennial

Featured Dog Chiropractic Pop-Up Event @ 11am / Free Chuck and Don's, 5926 S Holly Street, Greenwood Village

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Crossroads Young Adults @ 6:30pm / Free Crossroads Community Church, 9900 South Twenty Mile Road, Parker

Thu 12/17 3to5 Club Aurora @ 8am / Free 3000 S Parker Rd, 3000 South Parker Road, Aurora

Introduction to SoulCollage® @ 2:30pm / $40 Discover Your Spiritual Gifts, 5808 S Rapp St, Ste 275, Littleton

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Welcome Party December 13 @ 12:15pm / Free Parker Performing Arts School, 15035 Compark Boulevard, Parker

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Community Movie Night: Tuning In

Gingerbread House Decorating Night: December 17

@ 5pm / Free Discover Your Spiritual Gifts, 5808 S Rapp St, Ste 275, Littleton

@ 4pm / $45-$90 Jingle Bell Bar, 6785 E Chenango Ave, Denver Art Journaling with Create By Cari

Featured Holiday Fairy Playshop @ 2pm / $25 Discover Your Spiritual Gifts, 5808 S Rapp St, Ste 275, Littleton Kids Cooking: Holiday Cookies @ 4pm PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

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@ 6pm / Free 3243 S Parker Rd, 3243 South Parker Road, Aurora

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One Up Sunday Nights @ 6pm / Free Denver First Church, 3800 East Hampden Avenue, Englewood

@ 4pm Parker Recreation Center, 17301 E Lincoln Ave., Parker

@ 8:15pm Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker

@ 5:30pm / $165 Dec 11th - Dec 12th Private Residence, 1105 Bulrush Drive, Castle Rock

American Red Cross Community CPR/AED and First Aid

Tue 12/15

@ 4pm Parker Recreation Center, 17301 E. Lincoln Ave, Parker

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@ 6:30pm / Free 6500 W Coal Mine Ave, 6500 West Coal Mine Avenue, Littleton

Sat 12/12 CCW/NRA Basic Pistol Shooter Course @ 9am / $150 Regus - Colorado, Greenwood Village DTC Crescent VI, 8400 East Crescent Parkway, Greenwood Village

Paint and wine class @ 5pm / $40 350 Perry St, 350 Perry Street, Castle Rock

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Peppermint Collage Class by Laura Heine

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3to5 Club Castle Rock @ 11am / Free Premier Members Credit Union, 6355 Promenade Parkway, Castle Rock

Christmas in Castle Rock @ 7pm / Free Renaissance Secondary School, 3954 Trail Boss Ln, Castle Rock

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The best place to promote your events online and in print. Visit us @ https://littletonindependent.net/calendar

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18 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

Some skiers plan season away from resorts Colorado survey finds fear of COVID, more inclination to use backcountry

BY JASON BLEVINS THE COLORADO SUN

Since 2006, Magellan Strategies has polled voters, helping to measure Colorado’s political winds. Last month they turned their analysis to skiers, asking a mountain of questions about the pandemic-muddled season.

The political strategy firm’s survey of 788 Colorado skiers — about 480 of them living near ski areas and the rest hailing from the Front Range — showed a surprisingly large number pondering a season on the sidelines. About 31% of the respondents said they were not planning to ski this season because of the pandemic. And 39% said they had not purchased a pass this season, which means they likely will not be riding chairlifts since most resorts are using day-ticket supplies to control crowds.

The poll, conducted between Nov. 10 and Nov. 16, had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

The skiers who said they were ready to sit out the season cited fears that others might not follow safety guidelines outlined by resorts — like social distancing and mandatory masks — as well as a frustration over reservation systems and concerns

Crowds at the base of Arapahoe Basin ski area on Nov. 25.

over costs in a declining economy.

A very large number of skiers thought that skiing would be shut down due to the pandemic at some point this season, with 36% of respondents giving a shutdown a 5050 chance; 29% guessing there was a 75% chance resorts would close; and 18% saying resorts would most certainly close.

“That really does show you there are not a lot of optimistic people out there, with a majority of the community looking ready or assuming

it will be shut down at some point,” said David Flaherty, the co-founder and chief executive of Magellan Strategies.

But a majority of respondents — particularly skiers under 25 — expressed trust that resorts would provide quality turns even with new rules to limit the spread of COVID-19. And 69% said they were confident the rules installed to limit COVID-19 would protect visitors and employees.

When asked what kind of rules would help them feel most protected from COVID-19, most skiers suggested protocols that resorts already have planned for the season: limiting capacities, requiring masks, distancing skiers in lines, cleaning and restricting indoor activities and access.

Magellan’s study — which included questions suggested by The Colorado Sun — detailed hundreds of verbatim responses that explored beyond statistics. Those comments about why skiers might avoid riding lifts this season are telling, with both ski-town locals and Front Rangers worrying about a flood of travelers from afar and the spread of the virus in resort shuttles, restaurants and lodges.

“I can go a year without skiing downhill,” said a Park County woman who is “strongly” considering not skiing this season.

“Because travel now is stupid and frivolous,” said a Pitkin County man.

“I will ski no matter what, but it may just be alpine touring in the backcountry,” said a Routt County woman.

Flaherty’s survey also explored if and how skiers planned to explore the snowy backcountry. About 62% said they had skied in the backcountry before. And 81% of the roughly 300 skiers who said they had never ventured into ski terrain beyond a resort boundary said they did plan to do it this season. That mirrors a growing recognition that backcountry use will spike this season as resorts work to control crowds and access during the pandemic.

When skiers who intended to explore the backcountry were asked about their plans, 42% said they intended to buy avalanche safety

PHOTO BY JESSE PAUL/THE COLORADO SUN

equipment and take an avalanche awareness course. About 26% said they planned to take a course, where, by the way, the need for safety equipment like a beacon, shovel and probe pole will be emphasized loudly and frequently.

Of the nearly 500 skiers who had experience in the backcountry, 37% had both safety gear and education; 20% had equipment but no formal avalanche education; and 29% said they had neither gear nor education.

That last number — more than 140 people — saying they had ventured into the backcountry, but had no avalanche education or safety equipment, has Colorado’s searchand-rescue teams on edge. Volunteer rescuers and avalanche educators are worried that an influx of new backcountry travelers in Colorado’s notoriously dangerous avalanche terrain could lead to more incidents and calls for help.

“Avalanche danger is going to be insane, not because of snow but too many people not knowing what they are doing in the backcountry!” an Eagle County man said.

Finally, the survey asked for general thoughts about the upcoming season, and that’s where the long-held animosity between locals and visitors became most apparent.

And beyond worries about the virus, locals are concerned the reservation system at some resorts might limit their access.

“Locals lay the framework yearround. Keep their voice heard in decision-making meetings,” said a Boulder County man.

“I think we should be encouraging less tourists if anything — they’re the ones that are bringing the pandemic here and don’t follow our guidelines,” said a Pitkin County woman.

Flaherty said it was interesting to see the varying viewpoints between skiers near resorts and those who travel to ski.

“Locals really wanted their voice heard,” Flaherty said.

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.

Centennial Citizen 19

0December 10, 2020

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20 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

Denver Christkindl Market is rare holiday holdout Fixture of season returns downtown as pandemic has limited number of celebrations

BY HANNAH METZGER THE DENVER GAZETTE

As one of the city’s last remaining holiday celebrations, the Denver Christkindl Market is trying to keep the magic alive for the community while supporting small businesses.

The annual event has brought German and European holiday traditions to Denver for 20 years with local and international small business vendors. And it’s one of the city’s only celebrations not canceled

by COVID-19.

“People are out here to support the market. They want to make sure we can come back next year,” said William Reed with the GermanAmerican Chamber of Commerce, which runs the market.

This year, the market was moved from Skyline Park to a 60,000-square-foot section of Civic Center Park to allow for social distancing and a one-way directional flow. The market is also imposing 75-guest maximum capacity in each of its two zones.

Reed said the market is now almost always at capacity with people regularly waiting up to an hour and

Astrid Hausdoerfer organizes ornaments at the Old German Christmas booth at the Denver Christkindl Market at Civic Center Park in Denver on Nov. 24. The annual authentic German and European holiday traditional market is hosted by the German American PHOTO BY CHANCEY BUSH/THE GAZETTE Chamber of Commerce and features local and international vendors.

a half on the weekends just to enter.

With other iconic celebrations, such as Colorado Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” and the Parade of Lights, being modified or canceled, Reed said the market is more important to the holiday season than ever.

“There’s nothing to do and this is an opportunity for them to go outside,” Reed said. “It’s a really magical experience in a way that

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you can’t access this year.”

Besides just holiday fun, this year the market is also providing essential funds for numerous small businesses.

The market hosts dozens of small businesses including Björn’s Honey, Unique Glass Ornaments, Chocoidea, Corey’s Chocolate, Winterborn Alpaca, Burton’s Maplewood Farms, Travel Posters, Wise Elk and Bob’s Roasted Nuts.

Bob Stephens with Bob’s Roasted Nuts said the Christkindl Market is his business’s only event this year that hasn’t been cancelled.

“We are very thankful to have the opportunity to make a living and have some sense of normalcy throughout the holiday season,” said Stephens, who has participated in the market since 2011.

This is the first year that Corey’s Chocolate has been a part of the market. Corey Crespi said his 3-year-old business relies on in-person events like farmers markets and festivals to get by.

“This market is very important to us,” Crespi said. “We have invested significantly in this market and we believe it will be a huge success …

We are excited to be vendors in such a well-established and successful Christmas market.”

However, the market is still facing challenges.

Luca Modolo from Chocoidea said his sales are down 50% compared to last year. He said Chocoidea’s sales during the market are of “vital importance” to the business’s success.

The Germany-based chocolate store has been traveling to Denver since 2017 to participate in the market.

“I had extreme difficulties and risked a lot … to be able to be present in Denver,” Modolo said. “It took considerable efforts, not only economic.”

Bob’s Roasted Nuts also expressed trouble with not being allowed to pass out samples due to COVID-19.

And Wise Elk said it was very difficult for them to find staff this year because of fear of contact.

Reed said though all of the mar-

ket’s huts are being utilized this year, most with returning vendors, the market lost some of its regulars over COVID-19 economic impacts.

Reed said a Danish pastry vendor that usually has a triple booth at the market had to drop out entirely.

“This is the only chance to make the money this year and they’re really reliant on it,” Reed said.

In addition to helping fund the vendors’ businesses, the annual market is also essential to the German American Chamber of Commerce.

Reed said the market is one of the only fundraising events for the chamber and its main source of revenue. And while sales are being made, they’re noticeably lower than previous years.

The success of this year’s market could make or break the market’s ability to return in future years.

And for some, that would mean devastating the culture of Denver.

Astrid and Mario Hausdoerfer from Unique Glass Ornaments said to them, the market is about preserving tradition.

The Hausdoerfers have sold their handmade German glass ornaments at the market since 2009. They have watched the market grow year by year and are always enamored by watching people experience their culture.

“Our markets are more than a place to have an income,” the Hausdoerfers said. “The main thing is we can keep our five-generation tradition of glassblowing. We can keep a very old profession.”

“We can have a flourishing city only if we use it. So come out to the Christkindl Market to keep traditions.”

The Christkindl Market market will be open until Dec. 23. Admission is free.

The market is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Beginning Dec. 17, it will close at 9 p.m. every day.

For more stories like this, subscribe at denvergazette.com.

Centennial Citizen 21

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22 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

CREEK FROM PAGE 1

regular season, was inserted as a wildcat quarterback during the Bruins’ playoff run, and the move to that formation paid dividends.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior who has committed to play at Iowa State rushed for two touchdowns, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass as top-seeded Cherry Creek blanked No. 2 Valor Christian, 21-0, to win Creek’s second straight state title.

Creek was 14-0 last season and concluded a 9-0 campaign this year in an abbreviated season plagued with COVID-19 restrictions.

The win over Valor was the 23rd consecutive victory for the Bruins, who last lost in the 2018 state championship game against the Eagles.

Valor suffered its first loss in eight games and never got its fast-paced, high-scoring offense in gear against the Bruins, who took a 21-0 lead into the scoreless second half.

Purchase scored on a 31-yard run to put Creek in front with 7:45 left in the first quarter. He scored on a three-yard run on the Bruins’ second possession of the game with 34 seconds still to be played in the first quarter.

“I said it before the season started and before this game that he’s (Purchase) the best all-around football player in the state,” said Logan. “He’s a multi-talented athlete. He’s very smart. He has great hands, he can cover, he can tackle, can run routes and can catch the ball. I have yet to find something he can’t do.”

Purchase pointed to the team’s hard work in a diffi-

The Cherry Creek Bruins celebrate their repeat performance as 5A state champions by defeating Valor PHOTO BY PAUL DISALVO Christian 21-0 in the 5A state final Dec. 5 at the CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl.

cult season for help securing the back-to-back championships for Creek.

“It feels great,” he repeated. “I will give credit to all my teammates and people that helped me out and all the coaches that put in the work to make me the best player I could be. It felt great to be the wildcat. We waited until the playoffs to put it in.

I was just happy I was put in the position to make plays.”

Purchase, who had 103 yards and scored two touchdowns in Creek’s 35-7 semifinal win over Pomona, finished with 113 yards rushing against Valor, and his offense added to the 106 rushing yards that James Walker II gained against the Eagles.

Creek senior quarterback Julian Hammond was 18-22-1

for 180 yards and one touchdown. He tossed a 33-yard TD pass to Chase Penry, who had eight catches in the game. Gunnar Helm caught five passes.

“I felt overall we played good but we should have cleaned up some of the penalties,” said Hammond.

“It was good to see we could move the ball. It feels great to know I could lead the team to two state championships in my three years.”

Creek, which according to Logan had five or six players on this year’s team that were playing in the 2018 loss to Valor, finished with over 400 yards in total offense but missed two field goals and had 13 penalties for 111 yards. Valor, a team that came into the title contest averaging 39 points and 410

yards of total offense per game, was held to 178 yards of total offense and was saddled with the shutout setback.

Valor’s Gavin Sawchuck, the state’s top Class 5A rusher during the regular season, broke loose on a 57yard run in the third quarter, but the Bruins contained him to 153 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Sawchuck’s long run set up Valor for a chance to get on the scoreboard with a first down at the Creek 14yard line, but Eagles’ quarterback Sean McNair was under heavy pressure on a fourth down pass, fumbled, and Branden Jackson recovered as the Bruins ended the scoring threat.

Valor’s quick running of offensive plays didn’t seem

to bother the Bruins defense.

“We worked on it all week,” said Purchase. “It was the thing we worked on every day and that’s the thing we knew would make the game for us. Basically it was just making sure we got back to the line of scrimmage and made sure we got the calls from the sidelines.”

Valor coach Donnie Yantis hopes his team learned something from the loss, which gave Creek a 2-1 edge in state title games against the Eagles.

“I’m proud of our team that battled through adversity all season with this pandemic,” Yantis said. “It wasn’t our night, we didn’t play well and didn’t coach well. Hats off to coach Logan, his staff and players.

They performed well and earned the win. We will be back. This type of loss will be a motivation to our program moving forward into the off season.”

It was the 11th state title won by Cherry Creek.

Logan has coached nine for state championship teams, including three at Creek, which made its third consecutive appearance in a state title affair.

“It’s always exciting when you finish at the end of the year and have a chance to win,” said Logan. “It never gets old. The faces change, every season is unique and every team is unique. It’s hard to do (win back-to-back state titles). This season was a big challenge for my kids, my staff and myself.

This is my 28th year and I never had a season like this with so many distractions, so many protocols and so many things you couldn’t do in practice. We tried to abide by them all and it made it very challenging.”

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Centennial Citizen 23

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24 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

Colorado’s space race taking off Colorado Air and Spaceport officially signs agreement to build a spaceplane

o

p r z w a

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Colorado has made its giant leap toward the future of passenger space travel to Europe within an hour by 2028.

The Colorado Air and Spaceport, Director Dave Ruppel signed an agreement with Shuji Ogawa, CEO, and CTO, PD AeroSpace, LTD Dec. 2 to start the process to develop a fully-reusable horizontal suborbital passenger space plane called Pegasus at its Nagoya, Japan facilities.

“This morning we signed this important dream agreement. It marks an important step in the process of turning our facility at Colorado Air and Spaceport into a world-class point of operations for our Aerospace Partners, like PD Aerospace reaction engines and many more,” said Jim Siedlecki Adams County Director of Public Information.

Ogawa, in his Nagoya, Japan headquarters, signed a Japanese language copy of the agreement while Adams County Manager Raymond Gonzales signed the English language copy during the Zoom meeting while Adams County Commissioners watched. Then, both men documents on the Zoom screen in celebration of a new frontier.

a o s e a A e o P i i l t A t S

Colorado Air and Spaceport Director Dave Ruppel and the Weld County Commissioners traveled to Nagoya, Japan to sign the letter of intent, and to meet the PD Aerospace staff in Hekinan city, which is just outside of Nagoya. Japan. The group is standing behind COURTESY OF PDAS c an example of an experimental model of a X02A high speed flight plane.

According to Ogawa, space planes would fly up to 34,000 feet outside the Earth’s atmosphere, spending between four and eight minutes in zero gravity. Then, as the earth rotates, the space plane will fly back down and could land anywhere in Europe within 60 to 90 minutes. The long-term objectives are to build a space hotel and do space mining.

Important milestones

In 2011 Adams County began its

quest for a spaceport site operator’s license through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) office of commercial space. The spaceport site license was awarded in August of 2018 to the former Front Range Airport in Watkins, Colorado.

Former Front Range Airport is located 35 minutes from downtown Denver it was renamed Colorado Air and Spaceport.

“With a robust Aerospace industry in Colorado there was immediate in-

t terest from potential Partners here a in America, in the state, and across the globe by the spring of 2019,” said t Siedlecki.

Later in the spring of 2019, Colo- m rado Air and Spaceport received its r operator’s license. So, spaceport and G Weld County officials traveled to the a research and development facility i f and met with the PD Aerospace staff in Hekinan city, which is just c E a SEE SPACE, P25 D D

b g s a a i a i r

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Centennial Citizen 25

0December 10, 2020

SPACE FROM PAGE 24

outside of Nagoya, Japan.

The PD Aerospace vehicles launch profile matched the license for Colorado air and Spaceport for a horizontal takeoff and landing. There will be no vertical vehicle landings at the site.

“It was their team’s ambition and aspiration that led to the signing of a letter of intent in Tokyo,” said Siedlecki. “As of Dec. 2, we’re excited to announce that we are advancing that relationship with PD Aerospace leaders from these two entities that signed a memorandum of understanding. It will outline PD Aerospace’s intentions to define its mutual roles and milestones to implement our partnership and collaboration. Also, it begins coordination with the United States Federal Aviation Administration to begin their test flights here in the U.S,” Siedlecki added.

There will be various spaceport conditions, environments as well as testing that are incorporated into the agreement for the vehicle design.

Gonzales said the Dec. 2 event was the culmination of plenty of work.

“Today’s signing of the MOU marks important progress in our relationship with PD Aerospace,” Gonzales said. “It is truly has been a collaborative effort when meeting the PD Aerospace. We have the full support of the Colorado space coalition the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and National Trade Metro Denver Economic Development and Aurora Economic Development Corporation.”

“We are all so grateful to have bipartisan support from our congressional delegation in gaining the site operator’s license from the FAA and our elected officials at the state and local levels have been backing our activities at Colorado Air and Spaceport signing. This MOU is more than one small step in our relationship with PD Aerospace.”

What does this mean for PD Aerospace?

Ogawa said the agreement is a crucial step for both Colorado and Nagoya.

“I would like to express sincere appreciation to those who are engaged in a discussion of this MOU and with Adams County and Colorado Air and Spaceport and other relations,” Ogawa said. “Thank you very much. It is a notable important step for our future. We can begin the collaboration coordination activities with the Federal Aviation Agency.

We can incorporate various conditions and the environment of the spaceport into our vehicle designs.

We will certainly be faced with a lot of challenges. We have some time, but I confident that we will achieve those together with the spaceport.”

Adams County Commissioners were also bullish.

“When we arrived at PD’s research and development facility the connection was instant their team of hard-working dedicated employees made us feel right at home,” Adams County Vice Chairperson Commissioner Mary Hodge said. “They were wearing blue jeans and they had their sleeves rolled up. These are Adams County people. I am so excited about the future and the vision

The future of Colorado Spaceport facility where passengers will board spaceplanes for COURTESY OF COLORADO AIR AND SPACEPORT tourism travel.

Air and Spaceport Director Dave Ruppel is in the agreement to build out the spaceport infrastructure to support the PHOTO BY BELEN WARD spaceplanes.

Shuji Ogawa, CEO, and CTO, PD AeroSpace, LTD signed the agreement to build the spaceplane for future passenger PHOTO BY BELEN WARD travel.

we share with PD Aerospace and the future of the Aerospace industry.”

Commissioner Eva Henry also noted that the teams were ready to get to work.

“I want to highlight the fact that PD Aerospace was just like Adams County wearing blue jeans. I want to let Shuji know I’m wearing blue jeans,” Henry said. “PD Aerospace is developing a space vehicle that matches our license at Colorado Air and Spaceport. It’s a bit early to start booking your flights.

She also applauded outside investors from both countries.

“This is a company with significant investor’s expertise and support,” she said. “I want to congratulate PD Aerospace for their ongoing commitment to the research and testing during these challenging times and I want to say welcome to Adams County.”

Commissioner Chaz Tedesco said the agreement has been a long time coming.

“This is a tremendous day. Today’s announcement is the result of creating and building relationships with the right people and the right partners for our communities and Colorado Air and Spaceport will be taking the next step with PD Aerospace,” Tedesco said. “We continue to receive inquiries from other space-related companies here in Colorado and around the country and the world. We know this is an important next step for PD Aerospace and our team here in Adams County. And of course, the incredible staff at Colorado Air and Spaceport. Thank you very much.”

passengers and two pilots to operate the plane. The testing site will be on the small island of Shimoji-Shima, Japan.

PD Aerospace will start testing and its business operations in 2024 at the spaceport. The official rollout could be 2028.

“We are developing the reusable winged rocket and jet of the spaceplane. We are looking forward to maximizing space utilization for private sector demand such as space tourism. Transportation is our key technology. It is the combustion mode feature which changes from jet to rocket mode. It was patented in 2012,” said Ogawa.

What are the plans for PD Aerospace?

The first phase is the development of the engine, the next phase is to design the airplane which would a sub-orbital for horizontal taking-off and landing and reusable with a new Concept X engine and a communication system. It will hold six

What are the plans for Colorado Air and Spaceport?

Colorado is currently number 11 of 12 license commercial spaceports and 12 more that are waiting to become spaceports.

“This is a very important industry and there’s a lot of activity,” said Dave Ruppel Director of Colorado Air and Spaceport. “Colorado, of course, is the number two aerospace economy in the country. They are lots of aerospace jobs here with nine of the prime aerospace companies, and over 500 other aerospace companies with suppliers in our proximity.

It’s kind of an industry ecosystem,” Ruppel added.

According to Ruppel, Colorado aerospace infrastructure, 190,290 are employed in space-related jobs.

And $3.5 billion in Colorado’s payroll. Colorado is the third-highest awardee of NASA prime contacts.

Also, it is a location of choice for other international companies such as Astroscale and Ispace.

The future goal is for space tourism, point-to-point travel. Also, the spaceplanes would do deliveries to the space station such as payloads and satellites. Also, micro-gravity research experiments.

“There would be astronaut train-

ing and education manufacturing and also the development of the types of systems that support those activities as we create that aerospace ecosystem out of Colorado Air and Spaceport,” said Ruppel.

Another goal spaceport is looking at hardware testing and evaluation. And, eventually, get re-entry licensed for other types of space vehicles.

“Also adding technology development following with hypersonic technologies, data fusion centers, and a workforce that will support those types of developments,” said Ruppel.

The spaceport is an FAA licensed commercial launch site facility, with sub-orbital spaceflight capabilities for horizontal launch using reusable launch vehicles such as the concept X, dual propulsion system “Pegasus” that will be designed specifically for the spaceport.

It has a control tower, business services, and two 8,000 feet runways with over 1,000 acres for development. Over 6,500 acres for rail service and a business park on the south side of the airport, and 700 acres on the east side for rail and a business park. They are surrounded by more than 10,000 acres for future industrial-zoned land with water access, wastewater, electricity, data, and gas.

Ruppel said, “I think it was one of the things that stand out is the amount of room for development on and around the facility.”

The spaceport is in the process of planning the infrastructure, development, and funding.

“The spaceport master plan, which is similar to an airport master plan looks at the infrastructure development and the funding for infrastructure and forecasting of the types of business interests in the area and the future for us. Also, we look at the area around the Colorado Air and Spaceport the sub-area,” said Ruppel.

According to Ruppel, Adams County is evaluating the land users and the zoning to make sure the spaceport has compatible land uses in those areas that will protect the spaceport’s future.

“It’s the reason that we are here today. We are very happy to have a relationship with PD Aerospace and are excited to see their ongoing development and their efforts in Japan,” said Ruppel.

Currently, at spaceport Reaction Engines from the United Kingdom are doing high-temperature engine testing technologies at one of their facilities both for aviation and for aerospace.

Also, New Frontier Aerospace will be doing some compound testing at the spaceport. It is a type of technology for a hypersonic aircraft. It’s just testing, not flying a vehicle.

“We are excited to have them on board as well,” said Ruppel.

“It’s important to remind everyone that we aren’t just selling our assets at a Colorado air and Spaceport to these companies. We are selling Colorado in the important quality of life. We all enjoy our state’s reputation as a global leader in Aerospace.

It is important to these companies as Colorado’s ongoing commitment to a high-tech employment stateof-the-art research facilities in our universities and military installations,” said Siedlecki.

26 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

C R O S S W O R D KID P U Z Z L E FROM PAGE 16

Gitanjali said her biggest motivation is knowing people in the world need help, that her generation is facing global problems never seen before and that she can use technology to help address those issues, such as climate change.

Most important to her is the time she spends mentoring other students.

Gitanjali runs workshops roughly three times a week, impacting approximately 150 students across them.

In total, she’s mentored thousands of students, parents and educators.

She wants other young people to dream big and know they can do anything “they put their mind to.”

“Imagine how cool it would be if a whole group of innovators and a whole army of youth looked to solving issues in our society,” she said.

Local school leaders joined in congratulating Gitanjali.

Douglas County School District interim Superintendent Corey Wise in a statement commended Gitanjali for her “amazing accomplishment” earning national recognition “at such a young age.”

“It is a true testament to her ability and dedication to making the world a better place. For Gitanjali, the sky’s the limit and we are so proud of her,” Wise said.

Executive Director of STEM School Penny Eucker said Gitanjali never rests and inspires everyone at STEM through her dedication to giving others a better life.

“When adults fret about the state of the world with poverty, climate change or COVID, I always interject that help is on the way with students like Gitanjali. She has taken our most challenging problems as a student and fearlessly works toward solutions,” Eucker said.

Gitanjali has already set her sights on a new problem to solve.

She’s back to focusing on clean drinking water after watching a documentary about young boys in Africa forced to rely on water without any knowledge of what’s in it, including parasite or other living organisms.

“It’s so appalling to see people not have access to clean drinking water,” she said.

She’s not sure what she hopes to do in the next five years, or after.

She changes her mind often, she said, but thinks she might end up working in product development.

Her immediate goal is to broaden the scope of her workshops so she can reach more young people unsure of where to start in pursuing their dreams.

“I’m more of a go-with-the-flow person,” she said. “I will continue making change. I will continue making a positive impact.”

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Centennial Citizen 27

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28 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020D

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals Public Trustees COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0193-2020 To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On September 18, 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) ARTHUR C WEBER III AND EVONA S BOWEN Original Beneficiary(ies) U.S BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION ND Current Holder of Evidence of Debt Citizens Bank, N.A., formerly known as RBS Citizens, N.A. successor by merger to Charter One Bank, N.A. Date of Deed of Trust February 23, 2005 County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust March 08, 2005 Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) B5033051 Original Principal Amount $38,000.00 Outstanding Principal Balance $24,680.32 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. THE EASTERLY 48.50 FEET OF THE WESTERLY 156.00 FEET OF LOTS 1 & 2, BLOCK 15, BOULEVARD GARDENS, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. Also known by street and number as: 2676 W DARTMOUTH AVE, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80110.

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.

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0192-2020 To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On September 18, 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) Alberta 8081 East Orchard, LLC Original Beneficiary(ies) The PrivateBank and Trust Company Current Holder of Evidence of Debt CIBC Bank USA, an Illinois state chartered bank, formerly known as The PrivateBank and Trust Company Date of Deed of Trust February 17, 2017 County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust February 17, 2017 Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) D7019916 Original Principal Amount $7,910,700.00 Outstanding Principal Balance $7,910,700.00 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. See Exhibit A Also known by street and number as: 8081 E Orchard Rd, Greenwood Village, CO 80111.

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, 01/13/2021, 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.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 01/20/2021, 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: 11/19/2020 Last Publication: 12/17/2020 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

First Publication: 11/26/2020 Last Publication: 12/24/2020 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

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

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;

J. Thomas Macdonald #11394 David A. Brewster #52481 Catherine M. Clendinning #40471 Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff, and Ragonetti PC 950 17th Street, Suite 1600, Denver, CO 80202 (303) 825-8400 Attorney File # 160395.0049

DATE: 09/18/2020 Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado By: Susan Sandstrom, 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 # 00000008964934 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. 0193-2020 First Publication: 11/26/2020 Last Publication: 12/24/2020 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: 09/18/2020 Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

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 0192-2020 EXHIBIT A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF PREMISES A PARCEL OF LAND BEING ALL OF LOT 9 AND A PART OF LOTS 10 AND 11, ALL IN BLOCK 7 OF A SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 16 (AS RECORDED IN BOOK 2, PAGE 10), TOGETHER WITH A PART OF TRACT 5 OF A SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 21 (AS RECORDED IN BOOK1, PAGE 12), TOGETHER WITH THOSE PORTIONS OF EAST ORCHARD ROAD AND SOUTH ULSTER STREET, AS DEDICATED BY SAID SUBDIVISION, ALL BEING IN TOWNSHIP 5 SOUTH, RANGE 67 WEST OF THE SIXTH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO, MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 9, BLOCK 7; THENCE NORTH 00 DEGREES 03 MINUTES 01 SECONDS EAST AND ALONG THE WEST LINE OF SAID LOT 9, A DISTANCE OF 20.00 FEET TO

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THE TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING; THENCE CONTINUING ALONG SAID WEST LINE, A DISTANCE OF 305.32 FEET TO THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 9; THENCE NORTH 89 DEGREES 31 MINUTES 38 SECONDS EAST ALONG THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT 9, A DISTANCE OF 200.00 FEET; THENCE NORTH 13 DEGREES 45 MINUTES 33 SECONDS WEST AND RADIALLY TO A CURVE ON THE SOUTHERLY BOUNDARY LINE OF THE SUBDIVISION OF GREENWOOD PLAZA SECOND FILING AMENDED PLAT (AS RECORDED IN BOOK 25, PAGES 70 AND 71), A DISTANCE OF 276.00 FEET TO A POINT ON SAID CURVE; THENCE NORTHEASTERLY ALONG SAID SOUTHERLY BOUNDARY ON A CURVE TO THE LEFT, HAVING A CENTRAL ANGLE OF 100 DEGREES 41 MINUTES 25 SECONDS AND A RADIUS OF 50.00 FEET, AN ARC DISTANCE OF 87.87 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE NORTH 65 DEGREES 33 MINUTES 02 SECONDS EAST ALONG SAID SOUTHERLY BOUNDARY ON A LINE RADIAL FROM THE PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED CURVE, A DISTANCE OF 365.60 FEET TO THE POINT OF INTERSECTION WITH THE SOUTHWESTERLY RIGHT-OF-WAY LINE OF COLORADO STATE HIGHWAY 1-25; THENCE SOUTH 24 DEGREES 26 MINUTES 58 SECONDS EAST ALONG SAID RIGHT- OF-WAY LINE, A DISTANCE OF 306.79 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION WITH THE WESTERLY RIGHT-OF-WAY LINE OF SOUTH ULSTER STREET, AS PLATTED BY SAID A SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 16; THENCE SOUTH 16 DEGREES 08 MINUTES 50 SECONDS EAST, A DISTANCE OF 214.42 FEET TO THE POINT OF INTERSECTION WITH THE EASTERLY RIGHT-OF- WAY LINE OF SAID SOUTH ULSTER STREET, SAID POINT ALSO BEING 60.00 FEET EAST OF AND OPPOSITE THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF SAID LOT 9; THENCE SOUTH 00 DEGREES 06 MINUTES 10 SECONDS WEST ALONG SAID EASTERLY RIGHT-OF-WAY LINE, A DISTANCE OF 324.77 FEET TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF LOT 8, BLOCK 6 OF SAID A SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 16; THENCE SOUTH 22 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 23 SECONDS WEST, A DISTANCE OF 99.54 FEET TO A POINT ON THE CENTERLINE OF SOUTH ULSTER STREET, AS PLATTED BY SAID A SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 21, SAID POINT LAYING 62.00 FEET SOUTH OF THE NORTH QUARTER CORNER OF SAID SECTION 21; THENCE NORTH 80 DEGREES 40 MINUTES 40 SECONDS WEST, A DISTANCE OF 658.48 FEET TO THE TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING. EXCEPT THAT PORTION CONVEYED TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS IN DEED RECORDED OCTOBER 17, 1985 IN BOOK 4574 AT PAGE 269.

ALSO EXCEPTING THAT PORTION TAKEN BY RULE AND ORDER RECORDED SEPTEMBER 2, 2004 UNDER RECEPTTION NO. B4157204.

Legal Notice No. NO. 0192-2020 First Publication: 11/19/2020 Last Publication: 12/17/2020 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0190-2020 To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On September 8, 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) Stephen A Flynn Original Beneficiary(ies) MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR IMPERIAL LENDING, LLC, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS Current Holder of Evidence of Debt U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee for the C-BASS Mortgage Loan AssetBacked Certificates, Series 2007-CB6 Date of Deed of Trust March 26, 2007 County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust April 03, 2007 Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) B7041402 Original Principal Amount $152,750.00 Outstanding Principal Balance $122,891.47 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 7, BLOCK 1, SOUTHPARK SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 3, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO A.P.N.: 2077-32-1-05-130 Also known by street and number as: 7703 CURTICE WAY #F, LITTLETON, CO 80120.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUM-

BERED 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, 01/06/2021, 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: 11/12/2020 Last Publication: 12/10/2020 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: 09/08/2020 Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: Lynn M. Janeway #15592 Alison L Berry #34531 David R. Doughty #40042 Nicholas H. Santarelli #46592 Elizabeth S. Marcus #16092 Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990 Attorney File # 19-022822

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Centennial, Colorado will conduct a public hearing on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. regarding Ordinance 2020-O-08 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CENTENNIAL, COLORADO, ADDING A NEW FIDUCIARY FUND AND AMENDING SECTION 4-8-20 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE ENTITLED “SPECIAL FUNDS”. The public hearing will be held virtually, via the City’s website at: www.centennialco.gov. Copies of Ordinance No. 2020-O-08 are available for inspection by the public on the City’s website: www.centennialco. gov. Interested parties may file written comments with the City Clerk, at: www.councilcomments@ centennialco.gov or by recording a voice message via 303-325-8087. Any written comments received will be provided to City Council prior to the Public Hearing and made part of the record. Citizens wishing to speak during the Public Hearing, may access the virtual meeting via instructions published on the December 14, 2020 Agenda at: https://www.centennialco.gov/Government/MayorCouncil/City-Council-Meetings/Agendas-Minutes. /s/Barbara Setterlind, MMC, City Clerk Legal Notice No. 524760-300800 First Publication: December 10, 2020 Last Publication: December 10, 2020 Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen Independent

Public Notice

©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015 Legal Notice NO.: 0190-2020 First Publication: 11/12/2020 Last Publication: 12/10/2020 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT Covid Cares Act Project No. 20-09-04 Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Section 38-26107, C.R.S., that the City of Centennial, Colorado (the "City") will make final payment at the hour of 10:00 a.m. on December 28, 2020 (the "Final Settlement Date") to the following contractor: Jordy Construction 1212 S Broadway, Suite 100 Denver, CO 80210

(hereinafter, the "Contractor") for and on account of all work completed by the Contractor on City Project No. 20-09-04, including for purposes of this Notice of Final Settlement on (the "Project").

City and County PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF CENTENNIAL NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Monday, December 7, 2020 the Centennial City Council passed on first reading: ORDINANCE NO. 2020-O-08 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CENTENNIAL, COLORADO, ADDING A NEW FIDUCIARY FUND AND AMENDING SECTION 4-8-20 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE ENTITLED “SPECIAL FUNDS” The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk.

The ordinance may be obtained by contacting the City Clerk, 303-754-3324. The full text of the ordinance is also available on the City’s web site, www.centennialcolorado.com.

By: Barbara Setterlind, MMC, City Clerk Legal Notice No. 524759-300799 First Publication: December 10, 2020 Last Publication: December 10, 2020 Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen Independent

1. Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has an unpaid claim against the Project for and on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, or other supplies used or consumed by the Contractor or any subcontractor in or about the performance of said work, may at any time up to and including the Final Settlement Date, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim.

2. Any such claim(s) shall be filed with the City Clerk at 13133 East Arapahoe Road, Centennial, CO 80112 prior to the Final Settlement Date.

3. Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement or claim prior to the Final Settlement Date will relieve the City from any and all liability for such claim.

Legal Notice No. 524763-300801 First Publication: December 10, 2020 Last Publication: December 10, 2020 Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen Independent

“Trust Us!” ###

PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF CENTENNIAL NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Monday, December 7, 2020 the Centennial City Council passed on second and final reading: ORDINANCE NO. 2020-O-07 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CENTENNIAL, COLORADO, REZONING CERTAIN PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SOUTH BLACKHAWK STREET AND EAST FREMONT AVENUE FROM BUSINESS PARK (BP100) AND INDUSTRIAL (I) TO PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD) UNDER THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, AND AMENDING THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk and is also available on the City’s web site, www.centennialcolorado.com. The ordinance may be obtained by contacting the City Clerk, 303-754-3324.

Legal Notice No. 524758-300798

PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF CENTENNIAL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Bids and Settlements

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.

by a vote of 9 in favor and 0 against.

(First published August 6, 2020)

First Publication: December 10, 2020 Last Publication: December 10, 2020 Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen Independent

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Centennial Legals 12.10.20 * 1

32 Centennial Citizen

December 10, 2020

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