Brighton Standard Blade 012623

Our in-depth look at the housing crisis

Brighton housing authority seeks partners with new grant money

Authority interested in a food distribution programs, housing outreach

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Brighton Housing Authority has received $350,000 in federal grants to help the community recover from COVID-19, the agency announced Jan. 5.

Most of the new grants will be spent to help residents, individuals as well as families, navigate the housing market. at could include nding ways to purchase homes or qualifying for rentals.

Racial Inequities: Black Coloradans often face barriers in homeownership

the applicants visited properties, landlords denied their applications. is happened over and over again.

BY NINA JOSS AND HALEY LENA NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM; HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A few years ago, Aurora Warms the Night, an Aurora-based nonpro t serving people who need housing, ran into a challenge when assisting its Black clients in applying for apartments. When

So the team decided to take a di erent approach, sending in White volunteers to check out the apartments rst.

“I would send one of our employees or people that were White to look at the apartment — to get the pricing, get everything, to make sure everything was available,” said Brian Arnold, who was executive director of the group at

the time ve years ago. “After that, we did the application online and sent it in without them being able to see the person.”

Once the application got approved, the team at Aurora Warms the Night would let the real estate agents see the client was Black. Arnold said this process worked almost every time and became the organization’s own way of making a dent in the discrimination that people of color may face, but nd

A portion of the funds will also help with the food distribution bank at the authority’s Hughes Station property community room. Brighton Housing Authority Executive Director Debra Bristol said they are not experts in food access, so they will try to nd a partner willing to come to the Brighton community and expand their service area.

“We’re still in the capacity building stages, but what we tried to do for all of the a ordable housing projects here in the Brighton community, and in Adams County at large, is working with other service providers to identify gaps in the services, so that we can either help ll those gaps or help nd ways to create partnerships to ll those gaps,” Bristol said.

e authority earmarked $5 million previously awarded for the Brighton Ridge Project, building 264 apartments for households with a 60% median income – about $23,000 per year. e project comprises 96

BY LINDA SHAPLEY, PUBLISHER

If you’ve paid even just a little bit of attention to the news industry in the past decade, you know that it’s struggling. What you may not know is that community newspapers nationwide are closing at the rate of two per week.  e work of our journalists continues to be so critical for our society. We’re dedicated to keeping your city councils or school boards accountable and informing you about businesses and groups that make your commu-

To our readers

nity the great place where you have decided to live.

But the fact of the matter is, the materials that it takes to get a newspaper to your front door – the newsprint, the ink, the transportation fuel – have skyrocketed in cost.

So while it’s not in our nature to make essential news less a ordable, we’ve come to the point where we must raise our prices. Beginning March 1, the price of a subscription to any of our paid publications and for all-access digital will be $85 per year.

(We will still o er a discount for readers over age 65.)

At less than $2 a week, we believe that’s still a reasonable priceto pay for news you often can’t nd anywhere else.

If you’re not interested in a subscription, consider a contribution to bit.ly/ give2CCM, or at the QR code on this page.

Local news is a public good. Raising these prices is how we’ll do even more for our communities in 2023. I am grateful for your support.

Students spread kindness on Martin Luther King Jr. day.

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Students at Brighton Adventist Academy took the Martin Luther King Day holiday to not only learn about the civil rights movement and the famous people who created change in our country but also to give back to their communities.

“Brighton Adventist Academy educators are honored to inspire our students to give the highest respect to others. To follow Jesus’ example, we are to love our brothers and sisters and to be responsible citizens,” said Jodie Aakko Brighton Adventist Academy.

Martin Luther King Day started with kindergarteners, rst and second graders delivering handmade, cozy lap blankets to Riverdale Rehab “It was hard to determine who had

can guarantee freedom to its citizens.

Aakko said the students learned six decades of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, “ A challenge was laid before the Brighton Adventist Academy students, as they watched King’s October 26, 1967 speech to the students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, titled “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?”, Askko said.

Spreading Kindness

The student spent the remainder of the days giving back to the communities.

and Harriet Tubman, who was called Moses, and then they were taken back in time to the 1950s and 60s with a video on Rosa Parks following the Martin Luther King Jr. famous speech “I have a Dream.” en the students were assigned to map a freedom trail with an underground railroad as the trailhead.

“ e students had a class discussion then created posters about what their dreams were for our country,” Aakko.

After the students watched the videos, they completed a list of questions about the Journey of Freedom in our country. e assignment is about freedom and how our country

The sixth, seventh and eighth graders learned about kindness and spreading its message. They painted rocks with positive, encouraging, inspirational messages placing them at the park in town so that when a stranger walked by, it would make their day.

Later in the day, the students put together appreciation bags and delivered them to the Brighton Police Department and Brighton Fire Rescue Station.

The ninth and tenth graders learned about equal rights and respect for others with a class discussion following the assembling of one hundred burritos, and the students delivered the burritos to the homeless.

“The biography of MLK served as a key framework to the day’s quest. Teaching today means building a healthy community for tomorrow,” said Aakko.

Positive messages the students painted on rocks.

COURTESY BRIGHTON ADVENTIST ACADEMY

Learning he could succeed key for Brighton sculptor

Metal worker placed three pieces after competitons

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Yanney Channal was tired of being told he couldn’t do it.

But now the self-taught artist and sculptor from Brighton is placing three of his sculptures around the metro area, claiming the top spot in all three juried competitions.

“At the time, I didn’t have the condence to continue, I let people tell me I couldn’t do it. I allowed them to persuade and dictate my actions. I didn’t believe in myself I could do it,” Channal said.

A rst-generation American and son of a Cambodian immigrant mother, Channal grew up in Los Angeles. He moved east to Philadelphia at 26, starting a new life. at’s where he discovered that he could, indeed, do it.

“It was my introduction to a lot of things when I moved to Philadelphia, my rst job and my only job was at the Philadelphia Zoo. I was hired as an equipment operator, I also have carpentry a construction background too,” Channal said.

A year after starting in a maintenance mechanic position at the zoo, his supervisor asked him if he was interested in metalworking and welding.

“I have never done that or had no experience with welding (but) I jumped on it,” he said. “It was something di erent and learning techniques on my own and becoming better over time. I became good enough to fabricate things for the facility. I welded fences, gates, and things like that.”

He saved little pieces and metal scraps from each job, storing them in a bucket that was soon full.

“I was going to throw them away, but I thought I should make something out of these scraps,” he said. “So I started welding the smaller scraps together creating cool little sculptures.”

Channal also took on a part-time job at the Philadelphia Butter y Pavilion, building bug metal frames for the students.

“ e students would dress up the frames with recycled material. ey also o ered free space for me to work at the butter y museum. e rst thing I made was a bug,” Channal said.

Channal said he was getting inspired and started welding a sculpture on his own time, something bigger than hand-sized. at’s when people began downplaying his ambitions, so from 2015 to 2017, his personal project sat

in his garage gathering dust.

But something changed in 2017.

Channal was a good fabricator and metal worker for the zoo, so he started his personal project again and nished it – a metal stork.

“I spoke to the people at the zoo about my stork sculpture, showed them and I sold it to the zoo permanently. ey also had a global conservation gala at the zoo, they displayed it there. People were telling me that I should continue my art of sculpture,” Channal said.

Channal said an events coordinator at the zoo recognized that his was unique and good. and encouraged him to keep honing his skills.

“So from that day on – it was September 28, 2017 – I decided I’m going to become an artist,” Channal said.

From big city to Brighton

Channal stayed in Philadelphia for 11 years, moving his family to Brighton in July 2020 – right at the height of COVID. It was a di cult time for many, but his wife had family in Colorado and wanted to move to the state. And he was impressed with the state’s

reputation.

“Colorado is ranked highest in the United States for art opportunities. We pulled the trigger and moved out here to Colorado,” Channal said.

ey visited Denver and then came north to Brighton.

“I thought this is di erent,” he said. “I lived in major cities such as Los Angeles and Philadelphia my whole life. Coming here, it’s not a city. But my wife also liked Brighton too.”

Channal started to get involved with the art scene in Colorado and then joined CaFE, a website that helps artists nd clients and sell their work.  After numerous applications, he received opportunities to install three temporary public art metal sculptures in Northglenn, Lafayette and Aurora.

“ ey were all juried competitions and I received rst place in all three,” Channal said.

Making animals

Channal makes all of his sculptures with found scrap metal from a junkyard, kitchen tools, bathroom and anything made of metal, and he loves sculpting animals.

For Northglenn’s 2022 Art on Parade Program, he o ered his “ e America Steel Eagle.” e Eagle is at E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park, 11800 Community Center Drive, across from the Northglenn Recreation Center and Parsons eatre. It will be on view at the park until May 2023.

Channal said the Eagle started early on as a hobby, and he had not put much depth into it at rst.

“I found a key being thrown away that plumbers use to turn drains on and o to use on the bird. I wanted to create something big and meaningful, the American Eagle,” Channal said.

It was his second large-scale series sculpture. e wingspan represents freedom.

“When working at the zoo, they had tons of nails that were obsolete because we didn’t have the pneumatic tools to run them anymore. I used the nails for the feathers.”

For the Boulder Public Art Program in Lafayette, he o ered his butter y titled “Metamorphosis.” e butter y is at 105 S. Public Road in Lafayette.

Channal had been focusing on animal sculptures since working at the zoo, and the Butter y seemed like a good step. He researched information at Westminster’s Butter y Pavilion.

Channal went back to his mother’s roots for his piece that went to Aurora Art 2C on Havana Street. His sculpture of an Ox is titled “Kou-Prey,” a shorthaired ox with long horns found in the forests in parts of Cambodia, ailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

e Ox is in front of the countrywestern Stampede Club at 2430 S Havana St, Aurora.

Channal said wanted to create something big, like a dinosaur, but did have enough scrap metal. But he did have enough for the wild Ox that is native to his Cambodian heritage and the culture of South East Asia.

“It’s a forest-dwelling bovine species that was only found in Southeast Asia. In 1980 and 81 the king of Cambodia’s Norodom Sihanouk declared the wild ox as the national animal of Cambodia. It’s why I decided to sculpt an Ox,” Channal said

In his studio, Channal is currently working on a grizzly bear, a big horn sheep, and the Colorado wolf. He works at Lowes part-time to earn extra money and get out of the studio.

“When working long studio hours, it is nice to get out and socialize at Lowes,” he said. “When I moved to Brighton, I found that sense of community,” Channal said.

To see more of Channal’s work, visit: https://steelnpaci c.godaddysites.com/

Vanney Channal is working on the designs for his next sculpture in his studio.

COURTESY PHOTO

Handyman Connection Expands Colorado Footprint

Handyman Connection, a home improvement franchise for handyman services, is coming to Brighton and to Parker.

e Brighton franchise owners are Shane and Cynthia Cowan. Mike German holds the same spot for the Parker store.

German is from Parker.

“We are extremely impressed with the warm welcome our new business

PARTNERS

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one-bedroom units, 120 two-bedroom units, and 48 three-bedroom units consisting of an 11 three-story residential building with 24 individual units. is project is still in the planning stages.

Bristol said the housing crisis is too much for one organization and community to overcome and said the authority hopes to nd a partner, other developers or other a ordable

has received from the residents of Parker so far,” said German in a press statement. “We’ve found there’s no greater ful llment than providing a little home improvement help to those who need it most in our local community.

e Parker Handyman Connection store is at 1479 S Pine Drive, No. 3.

e Cowans are new franchisees to the business. ey were raised near Brighton. He worked as a senior

housing agencies, to promote their projects with possible resources.

“As a Housing Authority, we work with a diversity of organizations and service providers, and also developers, a ordable housing developers and the owners of Brighton Ridge project,” Bristol said.

Bristol said they would run the facility for them, and the partner would provide the expert service and not worry about paying rent.

“It some of the barriers that can be di cult for nonpro ts, especially in the economic climate that we’re currently in and even for nonpro ts and

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE

The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself. In this way, The Sun contributes to a more

vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and non-partisan journalism. It covers everything from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and

E AGLE VIEW A DULT C ENTER

1150 Prairie Center Parkway • Brighton, CO 80601 • 303-655-2075 • www.brightonco.gov

Eagle View Adult Center Update – Jan 25 – Feb 1, 2023

Eagle View Adult Center is open Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 303-655-2075 for more information. e January and February Newsletter is available.

Cards, Games and Pool

If you like to play games like bridge, pinochle, dominos, scrabble and pool… Eagle View is the place to get connected. Check out the newsletter for playing times.

VOA Lunch

A hot, nutritious lunch is provided by Volunteers of America, Mondays and ursdays at 11:30 a.m. Please reserve your VOA meal in advance: For Mondays reserve the ursday before, for ursdays reserve the Monday before.! Call Eleanor at 303-655-2271 between 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Mon. & urs. Daily meal donations are appreciated. $2.50 Donation per meal if age 60+ $8.50 Mandatory charge if under 60

Readers eatre Performance

Drop in for the free show! Play is done in time to enjoy the VOA lunch a erwards. RSVP for lunch two days in advance to 303-655-2271. urs. Jan 26 11:00 a.m. Free

em eir Bones

Do the dead speak from the grave? Find out by strolling through pictures of local cemeteries and a historical talk about tombstone symbolism and art. Presenter Jackie Smith. 1:30 p.m. urs. Jan 26 $5 Deadline: Tues. Jan 24

Spellbinders Storytelling

Stories help us make sense of our world, impart a lesson, pass down history, and more. Free, but please register. 12:30 p.m. Mon. Jan 30 Deadline: Fri. Jan 27

Denver Decades: 1960 - 1990

From 1960 to 1990, Denver went through trials and tumult before a new urban renaissance. Explore the development of three decades racing us toward a new millennium. Presentation by Denver History Tours. 1:30 p.m. Tues. Jan 31 $5 Deadline: Fri. Jan 27

project superintendent for a Denver contractor.

“With a full career already under my belt, I’ve lived the commercial side of the construction industry and look at our new Handyman Connection business with fresh eyes,” said Shane Cowan in the press statement. “I simply wanted to get back to helping people again. Cynthia and I now hope to utilize Handyman Connection

commercial space, the rent prevents them from expanding their services,” Bristol said.

e funding will also help develop homeownership navigation. One of the most signi cant gaps the Housing Authority sees, especially for rentals, is with the lack of housing stock. It’s challenging to keep up with demand.

“One of the issues is how can we alleviate some of the pressures on the existing housing stock to help people move through what we call the housing continuum,” Bristol said.

education.

Now, The Colorado Sun co-owns this and other Colorado Community Media newspapers as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. The Sun is CCM’s partner for

in Brighton as a positive force for our community.”

e Brighton store is at 1401 E. Bridge St., Suite 106.

Handyman began in 1991. It takes care of several home improvement and repair needs, from carpentry to ooring and electrical work, painting, plumbing and remodeling. Each franchise is under local control and operation.

“How can you get somebody from rental to homeownership, so that the rental units become available to those individuals who were maybe doubled up, living with another family?” she said. “We trying to focus on is developing a program that helps individuals navigate all of the homeownership resources out there, so they can find the best fit for them to make it a reality.”

For more information, contact the Brighton Housing Authority by phone at 303-655- 2160 or email info@brightonhousing.org.

statewide news.

For Colorado Sun stories, opinions and more, and to support The Sun’s misssion as a member or subscriber, visit coloradosun. com.

Mason launches DA academy in Brighton

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e 17th Judicial District Attorney O ce’s citizens DA academy began Jan. 11 in Brighton. e eight-week course will explain

how the DA’s o ce and the criminal justice system work. DA Brian Mason said it was the rst chance for his o ce to conduct a citizens’ academy since the pandemic.

More than 20 people were in attendance for the rst session.

12, 1935 - January 1, 2023

On January 1, 2023, Barbara White of Brighton passed away in her home at the age of 87 years old. She was born in December of 1935 in Denver to H. Alfred and Lila Krogh of Commerce City.

Barbara grew up on the family farm and ranch in Commerce City, Colorado with her three sisters, Shirley, Elaine, and Esther. She graduated from Adams City High School, class of 1953. According to Barb, she was the only member of the school’s swim team that didn’t know how to swim and the only member of the choir who didn’t sing.

Barbara met the love of her life, James White, while in high school. ey were married in 1955. e couple brie y lived in Florida while Jim was in the Military. In 1957 they moved to their home in Brighton, CO to farm, ranch, and dairy. e sweethearts had three children: Larry in 1957, Alan in 1959, and Terri in 1962.

If you knew Barbara, you know she loved to share her passions for gardening, cooking, sewing, canning, and raising animals especially with her children and grandchildren. Barbara loved her family deeply and welcomed everyone. Her home was one where you could always count on cherished family meals, stories, lots of laughs, hugs and her signature- “love you sugar.”

She truly was one of a kind and was always there for support. She continuously supported her husband, children, and grandchildren in their various interests.

Barbara was a 10-year member of 4-H, where she developed her love for animals. She showed cattle at the National Western Stock show in 1949. She was a proud member and past president of the Social Order of the Beauceant Organization which provided entertainment and hospitality for the Knights Templar, while also participating in many other philanthropic endeavors.

Barbara loved doing things with her family, including going on many traveling adventures. She and Jim bowled with the Wednesday NightBombers for 50 years. Barbara was a very loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.

Barbara is proceeded in death by her father, mother, three sisters, and husband Jim (2015).

She is survived by her children; Larry (Diane) White, Alan (Lela) White, Terri (Chip) Roberts, 8 grandchildren; Mike (Missy) White, Don White, Levi White, Eric (Hadley) White, Darby Barraza, Nala White, Paige (Taylor) Burkum, Kyla Roberts, 10 great grandchildren and brother-in-law Harlow Leeper. ey will always remember her kindness, generosity, and loving spirit.

Brian Mason, the district attorney for the 17th Judicial District, welcomes some 20 participants to a citizens’ DA academy Jan. 11 in Brighton.

Dora Meyer introduces herself to the members of this year’s citizens’ DA Academy in Brighton Jan. 11.

Amy Lodes tells the participants at this year’s citizens’ DA Academy what drew her to sign up for the eight-week course.

PHOTO BY STEVE SMITHS

allieventcenter.com

WHITE

Barbara Marie White

December

Dismantling the walls to wildlife in Colorado

Although never a big-game hunter, I have killed three deer in Colorado and likely gave a bull elk a terri c headache.

at’s not to mention my carnage among rabbits and other smaller critters.

Cars were my weapon, not guns. Driving at dusk or into the darkened night will inevitably produce close brushes with wildlife, large and small, on many roads and highways. Even daylight has its dangers.

Colorado is now rede ning that risky, ragged edge between wildlife habitat and the high-speed travel that we take for granted. State legislators delivered a message last year when appropriating $5 million for wildlife connectivity involving highways in high-priority areas.

In late December, state agencies identi ed seven locations where that money will be spent. ey range from Interstate 25 south of Colorado Springs to Highway 13 north of Craig near where it enters Wyoming. New fencing and radar technology will be installed. Highway 550 north of Ridgway will get an underpass.

e pot wasn’t deep enough to produce overpasses such as two that cross Highway 9 between Silverthorne

and Kremmling or one between Pagosa Springs and Durango. But $750,000 as allocated to design work for crossings of I-25 near Raton Pass with a like amount for design of an I-70 crossing near Vail Pass.

In this and other ways, Colorado can better vie for a slice of the $350 million allocated by Congress in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for improved wildlife connectivity.

is is on top of the overpass of I-25 planned for the segment between Castle Rock and Monument to complement the four underpasses installed in the widening project of recent years.

We are pivoting in how we regard roads and wildlife habitat. We have long been driven to protect human lives and our property by reducing collisions. Our perspectives have broadened. Human safety still matters, but so do the lives of critters.

When we built our interstate highway system between 1956 and, with the

completion of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon, 1992, we gave little regard to wildlife. ere were exceptions, such as the narrow underpass for deer in West Vail installed in 1969.

Biologists in the 1990s began emphasizing highways as home wreckers. Expanding road networks, they said, was creating islands of wildlife habitat. Fragmented habitat leads to reduced gene pools and, at the extreme, the threat of extinction of species in some areas, called extirpation.

I-70 became the marquee for this. Wildlife biologists began calling it the “Berlin Wall to Wildlife.” e aptness of that phrase was vividly illustrated in 1999 when a transplanted lynx released just months before tried to cross I-70 near Vail Pass. It was smacked dead.

With that graphic image in mind, wildlife biologists held an international competition in 2011 involving I-70. e goal, at least partially realized, was to discover less costly materials and designs.

Colorado’s pace has quickened since a 2014 study documenting the decline of Western Slope mule deer populations. In 2019 an incoming Gov. Polis issued an executive order to state agencies directing them to work together to

solve road ecology problems.

Two wildlife overpasses along with underpasses and fencing north of Silverthorne completed in 2017 have been valuable examples. Studies showed a 90% reduction in collisions.

“An 80 to 90% reduction right o the bat is pretty typical for these structures,” says Tony Cady, a planning and environmental manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

State agencies, working with non-pro t groups and others, have crunched the data to delineate the state’s 5% highest priority road segments. ese data may give Colorado a leg up on access to federal funds.

e two studies found 48 high-priority segments on the Western Slope and 90 east of the Continental Divide, including the Great Plains, reports Michelle Cowardin, a wildlife biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. e Craig and Meeker areas have lots of high priority roads, but so is much of I-76 between Fort Morgan to Julesburg has many high-priority segments.

Some jurisdictions are diving deeper. Eagle County has completed a study of

Sell the sizzle and buy the sizzle

Recently I went back and reread the book “Sizzlemanship” by Elmer Wheeler. Elmer Wheeler is credited with being one of the original pioneers of sales skills training and motivation industry. It’s classic stu and de nitely worth the read. e point, as you can guess by the title, is to sell what your product or service does, not what it is, meaning sell the sizzle and not the steak.

In today’s world we think about the sizzle as the KPIs, Key Performance Indicators, or the results that the company or the person purchasing the product or service might experience. For businesses and sellers, it’s making sure that we are focusing on that old radio station that buyers tune into, WIIFM, standing for “What’s in it for me.” Making sure that we know exactly how our product or service will contribute to the achievement of their goals and success.

Elmer Wheeler was way ahead of his time as we think about how business owners, entrepreneurs and salespeople think and sell. When we put the customer’s interests and results ahead of corporate pro t or commission checks, we will undoubtedly sell more of our products and services.

TANDARD BLADE S

A publication of

Contact

Changing the station from WIIFM to tuning into WIIFT, “What’s in it for them.”

Now, walk with me through the transition from sales to our everyday lives. How many times are we trying to sell someone on an idea, or to help out, volunteer, join an organization, or anything else where we are seeking to have our family or friends get involved with something or buy into our idea? Most times we focus on the help we need instead of what they might be able to experience by participating. If you have ever been in the role of a leader in any notfor-pro t organization, committee, or other function at your children’s school or at the house of worship that you attend, you probably know exactly what I am talking about.

Companies looking to get better in any area of business might consider thinking about the sizzle as looking at increasing revenues or increasing their average sales price. Maybe they are focused on improving margins,

STEVE

LINDSAY

win/loss ratios, or sales behaviors. ey may look to expand through upselling and gaining more market share. Or they may be interested in reducing sales cycle time or customer attrition.

But we as individuals also have values and things that we might consider our sizzle when deciding what is in it for us, or why we may choose to get involved. When we are thinking about getting better in an area of our lives we may look at increasing prosperity, strength, or endurance. We may have a desire to improve our health, happiness, or relationships. What gets us excited may be our pursuit of expanding our knowledge, our network, or our security as we think about retirement. And maybe for some of us it’s about reducing or eliminating something in our life such as dropping weight, easing our stress, or getting rid of bad habits.

We don’t buy a gym membership, treadmill, Peloton, Tonal or home gym equipment because of what it is or the brand, we make that investment because we have a desire to look di erent and feel di erent, the sizzle. We don’t give of our time to support a charity because we feel a sense of

obligation or we have to, we give of our time because we realize that as much as we give, we receive tenfold in return from a sense of grati cation as we see the results of our e orts in the smiles of those who we help, and that’s our sizzle.

Whether you run a business, lead a sales team, are a salesperson yourself, or if you are part of a not-for-pro t organization, a committee, or in some way tasked with seeking volunteers, remember to sell the sizzle and not the steak.

When you are making the decision to buy something or get involved in supporting a great cause, do you make the purchase or decision on what it is or on how it can impact you personally? I would love to hear your sizzle story at gotonorton@gmail. com, and when we can remember to tune into WIIFT, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

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The Long Way Home

The changing American dream and the obstacles some people face

BY MICHAEL DE YOANNA COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

e rst week of Colorado Community Media’s Long Way Home series focused on what many experts say is a housing crisis across the metro area. In short, housing is increasingly una ordable and inaccessible for Coloradans. Week two of our four-week series turns to how those issues look through the lens of race and younger residents, some whose experience of the American dream is changing..

Reporters Nina Joss and Haley Lena delve into the realities faced by would-be Black homeowners and others who nd skin color can be a factor in achieving their long-term dreams. .

Joss and Lena break down how the system can sometimes work against Black applicants. ey also uncover possible solutions, including an initiative from Realtors to provide training that averts subtle biases in the buying process.

Meanwhile, reporter Ellis Arnold asks a di cult question about metro area suburbs: why are they so White? ere’s no single answer, but some neighborhood covenants from a few decades ago

INEQUITIES

di cult to prove.

Because many of the individuals served by the group were facing homelessness and unemployment, Arnold acknowledged that these factors could have played a role in their initial application rejections. However, when they conducted the blind application process with the same nancial information, the applications were approved. For Arnold, this con rmed race was a barrier.

“ e racism is just so out there,” he said. “It was easy to realize it.”

Arnold’s group did not le any complaints because their main priority was getting their clients housed, and they found a way to do that. Colorado Community Media reached out to Aurora Warms the Night to see if this is still a strategy but did not get a response.

But once a Black client successfully got on a lease, Arnold said even more challenges ensued if they were looking to someday own a home.

“How do we get them from renting into homeownership?” he said. “ ose barriers seem to be some of the biggest.”

For decades, homeownership rates for Black people have lagged far behind those for White people. Census data released last month shows just how wide that gap is. More than seven in 10 White Coloradans and a little more than half of Latino residents own their homes, according to the 2021 ve-year American Community Survey. Only 42% of Black Coloradans own their homes.

Although Latino homebuyers in Colorado face many of the same barriers as Black homebuyers, their rates of homeownership have grown in recent years. For Black Coloradans, on the other

prove, in writing, that race was sometimes a factor in creating our communities.

Accessibility to housing isn’t only an issue of race. It’s an issue of income, as well. Many Coloradans simply can’t a ord to apply for a home, and some of them are rede ning their idea of the American dream as a result. Reporter Christy Steadman digs into this issue. When affordability, accessibility and fairness play a role, families are shifting away from the old dream in which people started a family and bought a home.

When rising home prices and in ation makes that next to impossible for many Coloradans, the American dream may shift from the idea that owning a home is the true measure of success. Still, across generations, many hold out hopes for homeownership.

Statistics, data and experts may have great information on how the market works, but it’s the people living through the crisis who matter the most.

To read all the parts of our Long Way Home series, visit https://coloradocommunitymedia. com/longwayhome/index.html.

hand, the numbers have remained stubbornly low.

ese trends hold across the metro area, with Adams, Je erson, Arapahoe and Douglas counties all showing higher rates of homeownership in White communities than in those of color.

e reasons for this gap are myriad, but over time, Black Coloradans have generally had less opportunity to build home equity and wealth to pass from one generation to the next. ese barriers mean many metro Denver communities lack racial and ethnic diversity. rough training and other measures, many are now trying to reverse this situation and improve access to housing for all.

A denied opportunity to build generational wealth

In 2021, eo E.J. Wilson and his wife started looking to buy a home in Aurora. Wilson is a Black college lecturer and non ction television host.

Like many Coloradans regardless of color, Wilson and his wife did not have enough money for a down payment in today’s expensive housing market, even though they both make a good living. In Arapahoe County, the median sale price of a single-family home increased by $180,000 over the past ve years, according to the Colorado Association of Realtors. In other metro Denver areas, the numbers have skyrocketed even more drastically.

While many White Americans may have bene ted from the e orts of their ancestors, particularly through inheritances, Wilson says many Black people, including him, were denied that possibility. In his eyes, that’s part of why homeownership has been so elusive.

“In what some of my elders have called the ‘illusion of inclusion,’ income is used as a metric to say that things are getting better for Black people,” Wilson said.

Contributors to theproject include:

But, he pointed out, income is di erent from wealth. For generations, “White America was building wealth, assets and the skill set and personnel to manage that wealth,” he said.

Wilson’s older family members, on the other hand, were not o ered the same opportunities, he said.

Wilson’s grandfather was in the Army Air Forces during World War II, a Tuskegee airman, one of a pioneering group of Black military aviators. When he returned to New York City after the war, he did not receive federally backed home loans like his White counterparts did.

“ ey basically shoveled these White vets from World War II into programs that gave them college money and programs that gave them homes in the

Theo E.J. Wilson holds a hat from the collection his grandfather, who was a Tuskegee airman in World War II, gave him.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEO E.J. WILSON

A New Vision

American dream changing for some Coloradans

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Amber Carlson is a Colorado native. She loves the Denver area for all its amenities — from outdoor recreation to the arts-and-culture scene. But with so many other people moving to the region because they also love those things, Carlson would consider moving away.

“I don’t blame people for wanting to live here,” she said. “It’s got a lot going on.”

Carlson doesn’t want to uproot from Colorado, but if she did, it would be because of the region’s skyrocketing cost of living.

“It’s di cult when you’ve lived here your whole life and it has become hard to stay,” she said.

Carlson is in her 30s. She went to Denver’s George Washington High School and is currently in graduate school at the University of ColoradoBoulder. She lives with her partner in a house in Wheat Ridge that he owns, a situation she feels fortunate to have. Otherwise, Carlson said, she is not sure if she would be able to a ord a rental on her own.

Her experience leaves her with questions about the idea of the American dream — owning a home. It is, for many, a dream of a single-

family home on a private plot of land in the suburbs, maybe with a picket fence and tire swing hanging from a lofty tree.

But younger people are changing their perceptions about what the American dream should be. Driving that change is the increasingly una ordable nature of housing, according to a few surveys, including one by Bankrate last year. It found that two-thirds of respondents cite a ordability as a major hurdle to homeownership. eir pinch points included everything from salaries that didn’t keep up to a lack of ability to save for down payments to high mortgage rates.

‘The American dream has decreased in relevance’

James Truslow Adams, a writer and historian, is credited with coining the term “the American dream” in 1931 — early in the Great Depression — in his book, “ e Epic of America.”

“ e American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,” Adams wrote. “It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous

circumstances of birth or position.”

Carlson re ects on all of that. She said that people began to conceptualize how to get their American dream — go to college, get a good job and buy a home — in the postWorld War II era.

“ ere was this idea that you could have all of this,” Carlson said.

More Americans these days, she said, are de ning success on their own terms. More folks might see homeownership as a relic, even something that holds them back in life, rather than necessary for all of their needs and desires.

“Buying a home is probably something that some people want,” Carlson said. “But I don’t think everybody wants or needs to buy a home.”

Others are holding onto the old idea. Bankrate found that homeownership remains a persistent part of the American dream. Homeownership is the “most-mentioned milestone” for Americans 26 and older, but younger Americans see it as less important. Gen Z, aged 18-25, doesn’t rank it as the top accomplishment like older Americans tend to.

Gen Z member Caitlyn Aldersea, a student at the University of Denver, is representative of the changing attitude.

She remembers as a young child how the Great Recession that began in 2007 a ected her family.

“ e American dream today is

A Look at the Suburbs

Map

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In 1967, Black Americans were mired in “the long, hot summer.” Frustrations over poverty, unemployment, discrimination and myriad other issues spilled into the streets, leading to clashes with police and arrests in many places, including Denver. e widespread tensions over race left President Lyndon B. Johnson searching for answers.

So, he issued an executive order for a report that would detail what caused the chaos. He wanted it to answer a crucial question: How can the country prevent more unrest in the future?

When the report arrived seven months later, it laid out hundreds of pages of analysis and recommendations for improving race relations in America.

But its message was best summed up in a sentence:

“To continue present policies is to make permanent the division of our country into two societies: one, largely Negro and poor, located in

A part of a map that shows housing areas where racially restrictive covenants were located in Je erson County. This part of the map includes part of Lakewood, Wheat Ridge and Golden. Red areas had the covenants, green areas did not and yellow areas were unclear. See the full map at tinyurl.com/Je coRacialCovenants.

much di erent than how my parents thought of it,” Aldersea said. “Today, it’s more based on what can be accomplished. It’s not shooting for the stars anymore.”

Aldersea’s personal de nition of the American dream includes a ful lling career, opportunities to be part of a community that one is able to give back to and the freedom to pursue personal interests. She believes housing should be attainable for everyone, but doesn’t think it de nes success or happiness.

Aldersea doesn’t envision ever becoming a homeowner. One reason is that she wants to be able to relocate as she pursues her career goals. Another is that she wants to travel and pay o student loans.

“I don’t think my wage or salary will ever help me a ord a house or mortgage,” Aldersea said. “A house would not be the only thing I’d have to focus on nancially.”

Time will tell whether homeownership will eventually become more important to younger Americans. According to Bankrate, the pull to own a home remains strong. Fifty-nine percent of Gen Z members want to own a home as a life goal, second only to having a successful career (60%).

For other generations, homeownership remains the top life goal and the likelihood of that increases with age. Eighty-seven percent of older adults, aged 68 and up, cite homeownership as integral to the American dream.

the central cities: the other, predominantly White and a uent, located in the suburbs and in outlying areas.”

In other words, the issue of where people can live was at the heart of the report. It all ties into the American dream, the idea of a family owning a home, building wealth as that home increases in value over time and being able to live in whatever neighborhood a family can a ord without fear of discrimination.

Yet more than half a century later, that divide between Black and White residents continues to complicate the dream in many parts of America, including the suburban towns and cities that surround Denver.  e divide is less stark and less known than it was in 1967, but its legacy is still alive in the metro area, where the Black population tends to live in Denver or Aurora, numbering in the tens of thousands in each city.

Elsewhere, Black residents number in the hundreds or just a few thousand while White residents make up strong majorities. White residents are 78% of the population in Arvada and 1% are Black. White residents are 80% of the population in Littleton and 2% are Black. White residents are 82% of the population in Castle Rock and less than 1% are Black.

experts dig for roots of racial separation in metro Denver

SUBURBS

So, why do the metro area’s communities look the way they do? e answer isn’t completely clear, but two map experts have delved into local property records, uncovering data that could help start to answer that question.

ey’re trying to discover what many have either forgotten or swept under the rug about parts of the metro area — or simply never knew.

ey’re digging in at the neighborhood level, looking for words in property documents — called “racially restrictive covenants” — that excluded people from housing by race. ey’re looking to discern the legacies that still echo in communities today.

Christopher iry, a map librarian at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, is one of the diggers. Discovering the covenants in Je erson County shocked him.

“ at blew me away that this rural county at the time would have them,” iry said. “As I tell people, ‘Yeah, the suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama, sure. But Je erson County? Come on.’”

‘Only persons of the Caucasian race’ iry, a longtime resident of Golden, took inspiration from the “Mapping Prejudice” project, an effort at the University of Minnesota to identify and map racial covenants.

He jumped into his work after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police o cer. e mapping is a tedious task of sifting through mostly mundane, uncontroversial rules, like how many feet a house must sit away from the road or bans on billboards in front of homes.

iry has examined about 1,000 Je erson County documents and found nearly 200 had some kind of race-based stipulation. He looked at documents from the 1860s to 1950, though most of them were from the 1910s to 1950.

Speci cally, he has pored over “plats,” or plans for new neighborhoods. e plat for one neighborhood — Cole Village, located along Colfax Avenue near Kipling Street in what’s now Lakewood — had this to say:

“Only persons of the Caucasian race shall use or occupy any building or any lot. is covenant shall not prevent use or occupancy by domestic servants of a di erent race.”

e document was registered with the county in 1945. at type of racebased language is now unenforceable but remains on o cial plats, property deeds and other documents, according to iry.

It wasn’t just developers who pushed such language, iry said.

Local elected and appointed ofcials of the government of Je erson County signed the documents, iry added.

He singled out some other examples:

• “Ownership in this subdivision shall be restricted to members of the Caucasian race,” says a planning document for Sunshine Park in Golden at Sunshine and High parkways, dated 1944.

• “Stipulate that no lot at any time shall be occupied or owned by any person or persons not of the Caucasian races. However, this provision shall not prohibit the employment of persons of other races by the occupants,” says the plan for Green Acres along 6th Avenue in what’s now Lakewood, dated 1939.

• “No (area) shall at any time be occupied or owned by any person or persons of other than the Caucasian race, however, this shall not prohibit the employment of persons of other races on the premises by the occupants,” says the plan for Happy Valley Acres in the Golden area at South Golden Road and Orion Street, dated 1939.

• “ e said (land) shall (be) used for no other purpose than for the building and maintaining thereon and the occupancy thereof of private residences by Caucasians, and the erection of necessary outbuildings,” says a planning document for part of the Indian Hills area, dated 1923.

iry has used his ndings to make a map of the parts of Je erson County where race-based rules were baked into the original plans of the housing developments.

Many are concentrated in what are now the Wheat Ridge and Lakewood areas, with a handful dotting the Golden and Arvada region. Others sit in the Evergreen and Indian Hills areas.

It’s not yet a complete picture.

iry is wary that he may have missed pieces. ough the map is a work in progress, it already has him wondering how the covenants still in uence lives today.

Beyond that, what can be done to right past wrongs.

His work has made one measurable impact. It has inspired the work of another mapper, Craig Haggit, a map librarian at Denver Public Library.

Haggit, who is looking into where racist restrictions lurked in the paperwork for housing in Denver, also wants to shed light on “the way forward” for communities.

“I feel like we can’t know where we’re going until we know where we’ve been and how we got there,” Haggit said. “Otherwise, you’re just (in) the dark.”

It could take years to look through all the documents. But so far, Haggit’s work has revealed racial restrictions in Denver that targeted people in “a mix” of ways.

“Sometimes, it’s excluding ‘Negro’ or ‘Asian’ or ‘Mongoloid’ or whatever terms they used. And sometimes it just says only White people” can live in a certain house, Haggit said.

His team at rst zeroed in on the 1930s because the Ku Klux Klan was

so active in the 1920s in the metro area. Since he’s in the early stages of the research, Haggit is unsure which neighborhoods were home to large concentrations of racially restricted housing.

One clue could be redlining, a term that refers to marking areas red on color-coded federal maps in the 1930s, re ecting the practice of restricting access to home loans in certain areas, partly based on race. at disparity stood in the way of homeownership for majority-Black areas and other groups in urban cities.

ough he doesn’t know yet, Haggit expects that the neighborhoods that were not redlined — the ones deemed higher class — would have the restrictive deeds because they were trying to keep certain people out.

In Denver, redlining zeroed in on predominantly Black neighborhoods, but it also covered neighborhoods where other ethnic or religious groups were present, according to the Denver redline map as displayed by the “Mapping Inequality” project from the University of Richmond and other university teams.

Denver’s redlined areas at the time included some western parts of the city and areas that surrounded downtown. But the map also redlined a small part of Aurora along Colfax Avenue — and parts of west and central Englewood. (A sliver of Je erson County in the Edgewater area landed on the map too, though it was rated slightly higher in yellow.)

e map re ected the view that people of certain backgrounds negatively a ected the values of homes.

In Englewood, for example, an “encroachment of Negroes” in an area near what appear to be railroad tracks was listed under “detrimental in uences” in comments that accompany the map.

And for the Five Points area near downtown Denver, comments mention “Negroes, Mexicans and a transient class of workers.”

Just to the east, comments called the neighborhoods “a better Negro section of Denver” and “one of the best colored districts in the United States.”

“Were it not for the heavy colored population much of it could be rated” higher, the comments say, appearing to use the term “colored” to refer to residents who were not White.

E ects linger ‘to this day’ ough the picture isn’t entirely clear yet, what experts already know suggests that policies that deepened racial disparities in uenced the makeup of today’s suburbs.

One driver of suburban growth that was especially visible was the American GI Bill — or the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 — that provided World War II veterans funding for college tuition and low-

interest mortgages. But not everyone reaped the same rewards because of the covenants that the mappers at the local libraries are looking into, along with unequal access to GI Bill bene ts for White veterans compared with Black veterans.

e disparities played into how largely White the demographics in the suburbs turned out to be, said Christy Rogers, a teaching assistant professor in the program for environmental design at the University of Colorado Boulder.

“ at has consequences for intergenerational wealth,” Rogers said.

In other words, though the descendants of White military veterans saw their homes rise in value over the decades, essentially becoming investments, many Black families encountered barriers and that had a ripple e ect as they could not pass down as much wealth to their children and grandchildren.

Rogers, who is White, knows this rsthand.

“My dad got the GI Bill, and he went to college and bought a house,” Rogers said. “So, our family could draw on our home value to send me to college.”

It took decades for federal lawmakers to ban the practice of racially restrictive covenants. ey were banned in the months after the “long, hot summer” of 1967 — through the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which bars discrimination in the sale, rental and nancing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion or sex. e act also prohibited redlining.

What’s left today is a puzzle in places like Je erson County, made even harder to discern after booming growth since the mid-1900s. It is di cult to tell how much past covenants shaped the suburbs, said iry, the Colorado School of Mines librarian.

“With that said, you cannot discard the fact that these covenants did exist,” iry said.

e prevailing attitudes of racism at the time still may have made Black families feel unwelcome in certain neighborhoods, iry said.

ere is evidence that the researchers are onto something. In Minnesota, researchers looking into Minneapolis and its suburbs discovered a “bonus value” persists today among White homeowners who bene ted from restrictive covenants.

“We document that houses that were covenanted have on average 3.4% higher present-day house values compared to houses that were not covenanted,” according to a 2021 University of Minnesota study entitled, “Long Shadow of Racial Discrimination: Evidence from Housing Racial Covenants.” “We also nd that census blocks with a larger share of covenanted lots have smaller Black population and lower Black homeownership rates.”

e study also noted, “the racial

An example of a racially restrictive covenant from the restrictions for an area called North Lakewood Heights, dated 1939, according to map librarian Christopher Thiry. It says: “No (land) shall at any time be occupied or owned by any person or persons of Mongolian or Negro races.” COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER THIRY

INEQUITIES

suburbs,” Wilson said. “Imagine if my grandpa would have got the property that he would have got had he been White in New York City. How much would that be worth today?”

Many Black veterans faced issues using the programs o ered by the GI Bill. ey often could not access banks for home loans, were excluded from certain neighborhoods and faced segregationist policies. Instead of a home in the suburbs, and despite his service to his country, Wilson’s grandfather wound up in low-income housing. ere, he raised Wilson’s father, who was not able to attend college.

“ e only physical thing that I have from (my grandfather) besides his DNA is a collection of hats … that shouldn’t have been the case,” Wilson said. “I should have more from him than his name, his genes and some hats.”

In that era, federal authorities also made color-coded maps that re ected the practice of restricting access to home loans in certain areas, largely based on race. is practice is known as “redlining.” People of color were also excluded from obtaining housing through “racially restrictive covenants,” or text written into property records that was used to prevent people of certain races from purchasing certain homes.

Some exclusionary policies, which have been documented in the Denver area, left a toll that’s evident in communities of color today.

Family wealth is a good measure of that. In 2019, the median White family in the country had about $184,000 in wealth compared to just $38,000 and $23,000 for the median Hispanic and Black families, respectively. at’s according to data from the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances. ese numbers speak to the notion of generational wealth. Generational wealth is anything of nancial value that is passed from one generation to another — including money, property, investments, valuable heirlooms or businesses.

“ ink about the wealth that was created during (the ‘40s and ‘50s) that White families have been able to leverage generation after generation, either to send their kids to college, to be able to start a business, to writing a check for their loved ones to be able to have money for (a) down payment in order to buy their own home and continue that generational wealth transfer,” said Aisha Weeks, managing director at the Dear eld Fund for Black Wealth, a Denver area group that emphasizes homeownership. “ at wasn’t available in mass for Black and African American families.”

A family’s primary residence is typically their most valuable asset, according to the National Association of Realtors.

It’s not just the monetary value of a house and property that adds to wealth. ere are tax bene ts for homeowners and people can borrow against a home’s equity to start a business or to help with unexpected bills. Homeownership also provides stable housing, which has been shown to positively impact health and educational achievement. ese factors can, in turn, improve a person’s economic prosperity.

Trying to change the equation

e Dear eld Fund for Black Wealth o ers down-payment assistance loans with no interest and no monthly payments up to $40,000 or 15% of the purchase price for Black homebuyers.

“We acknowledge that there’s a generational wealth gap, and so Dear eld Fund is walking alongside our clients and borrowers to say, ‘We will provide that down-payment assistance,’’’ Weeks said.  is program helped Wilson and his wife buy their home in Aurora.

In addition, the fund also o ers advice and education on how to build wealth.

“We know that there are so many pitfalls and just things that, as a community, we have not learned at the dinner table like our counterparts,” Weeks said. “ ere’s a lot of power in the knowledge information transfer that happens within other communities that we need to make sure that families are understanding.”

at issue of being at the proverbial dinner table comes up a lot for communities of color. Without an example to follow, some rst-time homebuyers don’t know where to begin. According to Alma Vigil, a local loan o cer assistant, families who do not own homes often do not pass along information about how to own and maintain a home.

To address this challenge, the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority o ers homebuyer education programs to teach Coloradans nancial skills and the steps to homeownership.

ese classes are o ered in English and Spanish in an e ort to remedy language barriers, which can add challenges for potential homebuyers who do not speak English.

“ ere’s very (few) Spanish speaking loan o cers,” said Vigil, who is Hispanic and speaks Spanish herself. “ ere are some that claim to speak Spanish, but they’re not very uent. So it becomes a huge problem, especially with lack of understanding.”

In order to close the gaps, some lenders across the metro Denver area provide services in Spanish. A list of Spanish-speaking lenders can be found on the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority’s website.

e issue isn’t just one faced by Hispanic and Latino communities. A report by the National Coalition for Asian Paci c American Community Development found language barriers are also often a challenge for members of the Asian American community when pursuing homeownership. In addition to conversations with lenders, real estate paperwork and documents rarely come in languages other than English.

Debt-to-income ratio

Over the last couple of years, Brandon Stepter, a community consultant, has been working in Broom eld. In an e ort to bring more people of color into the community, Stepter looks at housing infrastructure, housing practices and community practices.

Stepter and his wife, Gabrielle, both of whom are Black, have been renting in Aurora but have recently been looking to purchase a home.

“We thought we would be pretty solid in that regard and we both make a decent amount of money,” Stepter said. “We thought we would be able to start looking, even in this market, to try and nd an equitable home that ts our budget.”

Stepter, who also works as a healthcare administrator, and his wife, who works for a technology company, said they are trying to gure out how to pay o their student debt so they can get a home loan within the next couple of years.

“I think right now what we’re seeing is a lot of younger African Americans who are in copious amounts of student debt and that has been preventing them from owning a home,” Stepter said.

Debt-to-income ratio is often a signi cant barrier for Black people who are looking to buy a home because that number is assessed when underwriters are deciding whether or not to give a mortgage, according to Jice Johnson, founder of the Black Business Initiative.

e Black Business Initiative is a Denver-based organization that focuses on economic equity in the Black community.

“In America, you are encouraged to graduate high school and go to college,” Johnson said. “Typically speaking, because you don’t have access, when you go to college you’re not going to pay for college outright. Instead, you’re going to get a student loan … So it increases the debt side of your ratio by a lot, oftentimes preventing you from purchasing a home.”

Black college graduates tend to owe thousands of dollars more in student debt, on average, than their White peers. According to a 2016 report from the Brookings Institution, the amount can exceed $7,000 at the date of graduation.

Black and Hispanic workers also tend to be paid less than their White counterparts, according to many studies on the subject. In 2020, Black workers in Colorado earned 74% and Latino workers in Colorado earned 71% of the hourly earnings of White workers, according to numbers from the 2020 ve-year American Community Survey.

“So you go to school, you get the degree, which is what you’re supposed to do to get the high-paying job,” Johnson said. “Now you come out and you have debt and also your income isn’t as high as it should be. So, your entire debt-to-income ratio doesn’t allow for you to purchase a home.”

Discrimination

In a national statistical analysis of more than 2 million conventional mortgage applications for home purchases, a data-based news publication called e Markup found that lenders were 40% more likely to turn down Latino applicants for loans, 50% more likely to deny Asian/Paci c Islander applicants, 70% more likely to deny Native American applicants and 80% more likely to reject Black applicants compared with similar White applicants.

Even for families of color that may not struggle immediately with wealth and knowledge disparities, discrimination persists in the housing market. People of color are often treated di erently in appraisals, lending practices and neighborhood options.

Stories about what that looks like in the Denver area abound. Johnson of the Black Business Initiative lived in Westminster before moving to Aurora. When she was staging her home to sell, her real estate agent gave her some advice.

“It was encouraged for me to make sure I had no family photos up,” she said.

Meanwhile, she visited homes for sale that had photos of White families.

Johnson said it was good business advice. Her Black Realtor, Delroy Gill, understood the landscape and was looking out for her.

“ at’s my Realtor trying to get me top dollar,” she said. “ e question is, why would (leaving) my photos prevent me from getting top dollar?”

Gill said the practice of taking down photos removes potential hurdles that could occur for his clients. For Black clients, race is sadly one of those hurdles that could a ect how appraisers, inspectors and potential homebuyers view the home, he said.

“We do know racism is a real thing,” he said. “And it exists in every facet of life. So therefore, when you are faced with the unknown, it’s better to make the adjustments based on how society is versus taking the risk of creating more damage on Black wealth by them receiving less funds for their homes.”

e advice Gill gave Johnson was not unique. Paige Omohundro, business development manager at the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority said her team heard similar stories in recent focus groups with real estate agents, nonpro ts, lenders, housing advocates and people trying to achieve homeownership in Black and African American communities. She said these stories were shared by members of Hispanic and Latino communities as well.

Gill said that because of his precautions, discrimination rarely impacts his clients’ sales. One time, however, the preparation was not enough.

A couple of years ago, Gill was working with an interracial couple to sell their home in Parker. When the appraiser arrived, the Black husband was leaving the property.

“I own investment properties in the area, so I know the area very well,” Gill

Figure shows median family net worth by race. The “other” category contains Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, and multi-race households.

CREDIT: FEDERAL RESERVE SURVEY OF CONSUMER FINANCES; 2019

INEQUITIES

“And

to live in the neighborhood. So the value that we gave to the house was very appropriate — and the appraisal came in $100,000 less (than our value).”

According to Gill, the buyers, who were White, decided to pay the extra $100,000 out of pocket because they knew the original asking price was fair.

“ e agent and the buyers thought that the price was reasonable and that the appraiser made a big mistake,” Gill said. “We tried to dispute the appraisal and failed. He said he’s not going to change it.”

Gill said the homebuyers noted that the low appraisal was probably due to racial discrimination.

According to a 2021 study by Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored mortgage-buying company, this experience was not rare. Black and Latino mortgage applicants get lower appraisal values than the contract price more often than White applicants, according to the study.

e study found that, based on over 12 million appraisals from Jan. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2020, 8.6% of Black applicants receive an appraisal value lower than contract price, compared to 6.5% of White applicants. In the study, Freddie Mac said it would be valuable to conduct further research to understand why this gap exists.

In a report by the National Fair Housing Alliance, however, personal stories like that of Gill’s clients make the case that the appraisal gap comes from racial or ethnic discrimination.

One of these stories, originally reported by the Washington Post, was about a mixed-race couple in Denver. An appraiser greeted by the White wife valued the house at $550,000, whereas one greeted by the Black husband valued it at $405,000. e lower value appraisal report explicitly compared the home to others in a nearby predominantly Black neighborhood, even though that’s not where the house was located.

Since 1968, housing discrimination based on race has been illegal under the Fair Housing Act. Nine years before that federal law was signed, Colorado was the rst state to pass its own fair housing laws, according to the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. Although it is illegal, discrimination in housing based on race or color still happens, according to the Department of Justice. e department has led cases related to lending discrimination, including a 2012 Wells Fargo case in which the bank was forced to pay a settlement for its pattern of discrimination against quali ed Black and African American and Hispanic and Latino borrowers.

ere are e orts to change the process. According to the Urban Institute, a nonpro t research organization, 89% of all property appraisers and assessors are White while only 2 percent are Black and 5 percent are Hispanic. Addressing the lack of diversity in the profession could improve outcomes for Black and Hispanic communities, the organization said.

e Appraiser Diversity Initiative, a program led by mortgage-buying companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

INEQUITIES, P12

INEQUITIES

FROM

and civil rights organization the National Urban League, is teaching new potential appraisers with a diversity of identities in an effort to close this gap.

Approaching inclusion in real estate from a wider perspective, a program through the Urban Land Institute Colorado works to train women and people of color in development. This program, called the Real Estate Diversity Initiative, aims to create urban landscapes that serve diverse communities.

“I think trust in communitybuilding is key,” Executive Director Rodney Milton said. “When developers build projects, they need community support because they’re shaping the community. And who better to be equipped to strengthen a community, to build it out, to revitalize it, then the folks who are from that community?”

Welcome to Fairhaven

Housing is a source of discrimination complaints. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission Annual report found that 14% of complaints were claims about housing issues.

Chantal Sundberg, a Black Realtor who works in the metro Denver area, said she has not witnessed or experienced discrimination in her work with her clients, most of

whom are Black.

“Everyone is treated equal, whether it’s borrowing or buying homes,” she said.

Sundberg witnessed the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when hundreds of thousands of members of a minority ethnic group called the Tutsi were murdered by members of the Hutu ethnic majority. In her eyes, although it might be important to talk about topics of racial discrimination, focusing on them too much can have unintended consequences.

“When we emphasize them so much, it creates more division rather than unity,” she said.

Still, discrimination is an ongoing concern for the National Association of Realtors and Brokers.

Sundberg said Realtors are trained to address discrimination issues.

And to Gill, the Realtor who helped Johnson sell her home, the association’s training is not enough to help all real estate agents.

“Race is a part of it, but it’s not the in-depth, you know, ‘how to understand if you’re being a racist or not,’” he said.

To address such concerns, the association released an immersive online simulation in 2020 that aims to train agents to recognize and avoid acting on their own biases.

The program is part of the association’s Fair Housing Act Plan, which leaders created to emphasize accountability and culture change. The training is meant to make housing more accessible and

affordable to people of color.

A White Colorado Community Media reporter went through the online simulation, which takes place in a fictional town called Fairhaven. The simulation puts a person in the shoes of potential homebuyers who are experiencing discrimination.

One scenario is based on a federal court case, Clinton-Brown v. Hardick. In 2020, Todd Brown and Ebony Clinton-Brown filed a suit against Helene L. and John Hardick alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act and Rhode Island law.

The case claims the Hardicks noticed Clinton-Brown’s first name and asked their real estate agent if Ebony was Black. When they learned she was, the Hardicks refused to sell their property and the agent withdrew the listing upon the Hardicks’ request, ceasing communication.

Throughout the simulation, agents attempt to theoretically sell four homes within six months while coming across day-to-day happenings including the views of colleagues and encounter issues like language barriers. The simulator provides for moments of reflection in the sales process. At the end of the training, agents are given feedback.

According to Alexia Smokler of the National Association of Realtors, the organization decided to pursue the simulator after a Newsday investigation revealed alleged housing discrimination on Long

Island, New York.

“We wanted to show how discrimination plays out in real life scenarios and so we drew on real fair housing cases and frequently asked questions from our members to create these simulated scenarios so they could see how discrimination looks,” Smokler said.

Scenarios in the simulation are based on true stories. They include testimonials to show discrimination from the perspective of race, disability and LGBTQ+ identities.

“We’ve had people tell us watching these videos — they’re very emotional videos — that they are in tears, that they’re angry, that they’re going to stand up for their clients and also we’ve had folks say ‘I wasn’t aware of these sorts of things are going on’ and ‘this has really opened my eyes,’” Smokler said.

Brian Arnold, who used to work with clients at Aurora Warms the Night, said training like Fairhaven could help combat discrimination. But he noted that since the Fairhaven simulation is not a mandatory step in real estate agent licensing, it is challenging to ensure people who need the training actually do it.

makeup of neighborhoods determined in preceding decades persisted, where the region was highly segregated with White families primarily residing in suburban areas and Black families within select neighborhoods (in) parts of Minneapolis.”

“ is segregation has continued for more than fty years, suggesting the highly long-lasting e ect that covenants had on the racial distribution of the region,” according to the study.

Rogers at CU added that moving to the suburbs could be more di cult for residents in redlined areas who may not have the money to move.

“Redlined areas to this day (sometimes) have lower appraisal values compared to a house across the street that’s not in a redlined area,” Rogers said.

The path forward

Many Denver-area suburbs have large White majorities today. About

20 cities, towns or rural counties have a larger proportion of White residents than the national rate and the Colorado rate — many by a large margin, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

In Cherry Hills Village, a wealthy suburb that borders Denver, the number of Black Americans amounts to 0% of the population. Just a few miles away, the population is 17% Black and 44% White in Aurora, one of Denver’s most diverse suburbs.

Aurora is an exception, not the rule. Many of Denver’s other older suburbs are much less diverse.

Several Adams County cities have large Latino populations, but even though they’re suburban, the cities still tend to have lower-income neighborhoods closer to Denver and more expensive housing farther north.

Still, the suburbs don’t entirely look like they used to, according to Yonah Freemark, senior research associate at the nonpro t Urban Institute, based in Washington, D.C. “Overall, the suburban parts of the nation have transformed dramatically and have become more diverse

over time,” Freemark said. at’s in terms of age, ethnicity and race, and income, Freemark added.

In the future, some suburbs will likely undergo a “steady transformation” toward increased mobility, such as having more public transportation, Freemark said. Other changes could include more e orts to get people walking and biking, with the transition of suburban storefronts and strip malls into more walkable neighborhoods, he added. e path forward for the suburbs may involve a continued increase in diversity of residents, Freemark said.

But that depends on whether states and the federal government will expand support and requirements related to a ordable housing, Freemark said.

“We’re going to need signi cant public investment and changes to public law to support those outcomes,” Freemark said. “Otherwise, little is going to change.” e a ordability issue transcends race, with many people simply priced out of the housing market and those who are in it struggling to a ord what they need for their

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families. In 2010, the median singlefamily home price in metro Denver was about $200,000. It was roughly triple that as of 2022.

Coupled with a ordability is an availability issue that local rules play a role in exacerbating. Large-lot zoning — planning for houses to be built on large portions of land — is one major issue. In other words, there are too many large homes being built and too few starter homes, leaving prospective rst-time homebuyers with few options, perhaps even relegated forever to renting.

Thu 1/26

EP Ballet Folklorico -Perform ages - 8-17 (Wed)

@ 12:30am

Jan 26th - May 31st

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

University of Denver Hockey vs. Colorado College

@ 7pm / $25-$100

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Ski & Ride

@ 2pm

Jan 28th - Jan 29th

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Full Cord w/ Elle Michelles

Grateful Holler "Live on the Lanes" at 100 Nickel (Broom�eld)

@ 7pm

100 Nickel, 100 Nickel St, Broom‐�eld

The Wizard of Oz

@ 7:30pm / $15-$20

Broom�eld Auditorium, 3 Commu‐nity Park Road, Broom�eld. mariejose@danseetoile.org, 720938-3030

Friday Bingo at Eagle Pointe 1/27 @ 8pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Sat 1/28

Colorado Avalanche vs. Anaheim Ducks

@ 7pm / $55-$999

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Fri 1/27

50+ Weight Room Orientation

@ 12:30am

Jan 27th - Jan 26th

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Recess Games

@ 1:30am

Jan 27th - Jan 26th

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Potluck (1/27)

@ 6pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Winter Bingo Potluck

@ 7pm

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Bald Eagle Walk @ 9am / Free

Barr Lake State Park, 13401 Pica‐dilly Rd, Brighton. 303-659-4348 ext. 53

Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues

@ 1pm / $99-$999

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Colorado Mammoth vs. San Diego Seals

@ 7pm / $20-$999

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

River Spell @ 8pm

Odde's Music Grill, 9975 Wadsworth Pkwy N2, Westminster

Mon 1/30

Book Bingo - January @ 11pm

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Dinner Out Salt Grass Steak House (1/30) @ 11pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Tue 1/31

Crackpots & Panera @ 4:30pm

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

2023 Travel Film Series: Germany and Switzerland

@ 10am / $22

Parsons Theatre, 1 E. Memorial Parkway, Northglenn. mstricker@ northglenn.org, 303-450-8888

Parent/Tot - Artic Animals

@ 8pm

Feb 1st - Feb 22nd

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Discovery Kids- Kids on The Move

@ 9pm

Feb 1st - Feb 23rd

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Thu 2/02

Family Makerspace

@ 1am

Feb 2nd - Feb 1st

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Boot Camp Feb 2023 @ 1am

Feb 2nd - Feb 27th

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Parent/Tot - Farm Animals (Bilingual)

@ 4pm Feb 2nd - Feb 23rd

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Science Saturday

@ 2pm

Anythink Wright Farms, 5877 East 120th Avenue, Thornton. mhibben @anythinklibraries.org, 303-4053200

Intro to DJI Robomaster

@ 5:30pm

Anythink Wright Farms, 5877 East 120th Avenue, Thornton. mhibben @anythinklibraries.org, 303-4053200

Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans

@ 8pm / $10-$3410

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Wed 2/01

World Class Train Series-The Train De Luxe Rail Safari (2/1) @ 8pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors @ 7pm / $54-$6705

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Anavrin's Day: Thurdsay Night @ Hoffbrau @ 9pm

Hoffbrau, 9110 Wadsworth Pkwy, West‐minster

Strange week for PVHS girls basketball team

Snowbad roads

keep team o floor until first game of the week

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Coaches in most any sport don’t sign up for the sort of week that faced Prairie View HIgh School’s girls basketball team the week of Jan. 16.

A snowstorm? Sure. It’s part of the routine of winter sports. A snow day and a resulting lack of practice/ games? at’s part of the routine –on occasion – too.

But PVHS coach Sam Mackall wasn’t about to let his players drive over ice and snow to practice until the roads were safer. Result? PVHS’ rst encounter with a gym oor was a Northern League contest against Fort Collins Jan. 20.

e Lambkins rode a 17-point performance from Avery Alcaraz to a 51-23 win over the T-Hawks. Alcaraz scored 14 of those points in the rst quarter. Jocelyn Kramer scored 10. PVHS’ top scorers were Hannah Deshazer and Celicia Robles, who

scored 10 points. Robles scored the last eight points of the game for PVHS.

Early on, the Lambkins didn’t score a lot of points o PVHS mistakes. at wasn’t the only thing that pleased the coach.

“We called some good defense, and they shut them down for almost three minutes, and it was against their starting team,” Mackall said. “We scored five points in that stretch. I was happy with that stretch. They (Fort Collins) have really good ball movement, and it showed some of our weaknesses, too. Overall, coach is happy.”

On top of a week’s worth of weather issues, PVHS doesn’t have a long bench.

“We actually have only six on varsity,” Mackall said. “It’s a doubleedged sword. But we have to train the younger ones for next year, too.”

PVHS hits the road for a game against Mountain Range Thursday, Jan. 26, Tip time is 7 p.m.

“We haven’t done bad against certain teams. We’re still trying to grind down. The girls we have are big on books and classes,” Mackall said. “These are my girls. I treat them as my daughters. I don’t want them driving on black ice. It would

hurt driving to practice at 5 a.m.”

one Raven place at Top of Rockies wrestling tournament

BHS’ BravoPacker claims individual title

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

LAFAYETTE -- Brighton’s Dylan BravoPacker captured the 285-pound championship at the Top of the Rockies wrestling tournament at Centaurus High School. After a rst-round bye, BravoPacker, the defending state champion in the weight class, pinned all four of his opponents. His shorttest match was 29 seconds against Pueblo East’s Kaden Holmes. He pinned Cheyenne ?East’s Charlie Green in 1:45 for the title.

Ethan Mora took fth at 106 pounds. After a quarter nal round

Prairie View’s Amber Jansen puts the defensive clamps on Fort Collins’ Iiyssas Silhasek during the team’s game Jan. 20 in Brighton.

PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH

Severance’s Brennan Taylor looks for an advantage while Riverdale Ridge’s Alex Smith sprawls during a 150-pound, first-round match at the Top of the Rockies tournament Jan. 20. Taylor won the match by a score of 11-5.

PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH

CHSAA signs partnership with Children’s Colorado

Pair to educate regarding high school sports-based health issues

STAFF REPORT

AURORA – e Colorado High School Activities Association and Children’s Hospital will work together to bring educational services from the hospital to CHSAA member schools.

New Commissioner Mike Krueger

and assistant Commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig said the hospital would o er statewide outreach programs and present discussions on high school sports-based health issues, such as concussion prevention, cardiac health and sports asthma programs.

“Partnering with Children’s Hospital Colorado provides our sta and our membership an opportunity to serve and grow alongside a recognized leader in medicine within our state,” Krueger said in a statement on CHSAANow.com. “ e health and wellness of our coaches, students and

athletes is always our top priority. Having a partner like Children’s Hospital will allow us to continue to expand our e orts.”

“ e mission and vision for both CHSAA and Children’s Hospital Colorado strongly align to continue to provide the safest opportunities for our young Colorado athletes through the most up-to-date policies and research-driven best practices,” Roberts-Uhlig added in the statement. “Children’s Hospital Colorado is one of the nest hospitals in the country, with sports medicine experts who are

geared exclusively to growing athletes while keeping student safety at the forefront.”

In the statement, Christy Dobson, the executive director of corporate and community development at the hospital, said o ering the education services will provide “expertise that’s close to home.”

“ is statewide outreach will continue to allow us to support children and families nationwide by providing them with high-quality guidance, and we’re thrilled to be that trusted expert opinion,” she said.

ROCKIES

FROM PAGE 14

loss, he had to win two straight matches in the consolation round to get into position to place. He beat Poudre’s Marcus Bekkedahl 9-3 in the fth-place match.

BHS nished sixthk in the team standings. For the Ravens, AJ Hague was third at 120 pounds. His only loss was in the semi nals, a 3-2 decision against ompson Valley’s Jackzen Rairdon. Hague won his next two matches, a 2-1 win over Broom eld’s Cody Tanner and a 7-6 win over Je erson’s Samuel Rosales.

RRHS was 34th in the team standings.

Brighton and Riverdale Ridge high schools were among 46 high schools from Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado to send teams to the annual Top of the Rockies tournament at Centaurus High School.

Instead of an extravagance, he says, crossings are becoming a cost of doing business.

FROM PAGE 6

wildlife connectivity, and in the Aspen area, a non-pro t called Safe Passages has secured funding to begin identifying highest-priority locations in the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys. ese new studies attest to a shift in public attitudes. Rob Ament of Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute says wildlife connectivity is becoming institutionalized in how we think about transportation corridors.

is is happening internationally, too.

“My world is just exploding,” he said while reciting crossings for elephants in Bangladesh, tigers in ailand and work for other species in Argentina, Nepal, and Mongolia.

If in some ways a long time in coming, we are rede ning the relationship between highways and wildlife.

Check out other work by Allen Best about climate change, the energy transition and other topics at BigPivots.com.

Fort Lupton’s Christopher Galicia puts the squeeze on Brighton’s Daxton Hruby during a first-round, 175-pound match at the Tournament of Rockies at Centaurus High School Jan. 20. Galicia won by pinfall in 4:21.

Legacy’s Quinn Funk is on his way to a first-period pin of Brighton’s Sean Rundgren in the opening round of 190-pound matches at the Top of the Rockies tournament Jan. 20. PHOTOS BY STEVE SMITH

Give the Gift of 4-H

Start the new year o right. Enroll your children in the Good Luck 4-H Club. Do you want you and your children to make new friends? Do you want your children to get involved in hands-on projects to help them succeed in life? If so, enroll in the Good Luck 4-H Club at the Good Luck 4-H Club Discovery Day and Open House between noon and 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. at the Good Luck Building at the Riverdale Regional Park and Fairgrounds.

Discovery Day is where all can meet adult projects and learn what your children can pursue in the club. We have everything from animal projects to tabletop projects! Almost everybody thinks 4-H is just about animals, but it’s not! Farm or not, we have something for you to love.

Why should you enroll your children in 4-H? Simple. To learn life skills, leadership, public speaking, self-esteem, communication, and planning. Our club is super welcoming, diverse, and respectful. People of all ages are welcome! Over the year, you will put together your projects for the Adams County Fair in the summertime!

Call Organizational Leader Gloria Cundall at 303-659-5559.

Brighton Cultural Arts Commission grants

e Brighton Cultural Arts Commission is accepting proposals for the use of 2023 lodging tax funds for Brighton-based organizations directly involved in promoting the

community to visitors and businesses. Grants support activities that strengthen economic development, fund special events, assist cultural arts facilities, and promote tourism and related activities that inspire people to spend money in Brighton.

e committee seeks organizations and teams that have demonstrated the ability to administer cultural projects, contributed to the community, and have demonstrated ability to create overnight stays. Visit www.brightonco.gov/190/ Brighton-Cultural-Arts-Commission. e deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27. Applicants will be interviewed Monday, March 6. All awarded lodging tax grant purchases must be made by Nov. 30. Contact David Gallegos at dgallegos@brightonco.gov

ONGOING

‘Taking No Chances’

e 17th Judicial District Attorney’s O ce and e Link, a community resource and assessment center in ornton, are o ering free, 10-week programs to families of Adams county teenagers to help develop personal and interpersonal drug-resistance skills.

Sessions are from 5:30 to 6;30 p.m. Wednesdays. Call 720-2922811.

Brighton adds new ChargePoint stations e city of Brighton announced it was opening three new charging stations for electric vehicles. e stations are at the Brighton

Recreation Center at 555 N. 11th Ave. Eagle View Adult Center at 1150 Prairie Center Parkway. and Platte Valley Medical Center at 1610 Prairie Center Parkway. e rst hour of charging is free at each location. e locations have two stalls and two charging stations each that operate much like a parking meter, with a $2-per-hour charging rate after the rst hour.

For other ChargePoint station locations, visit https:// uk.chargepoint.com/charge_point. For more information, please contact Assistant Director of Public Works Chris Montoya at cmontoya@brightonco.gov.

Museum volunteers e Brighton City Museum needs volunteers to help with visitors, research and collection projectbased duties.

Call Bill Armstrong, museum specialist, at 303-655-2288.

Water audit program e city of Brighton and Resource Central teamed up to provide a free water audit for businesses and homeowner associations. e program aims to help residents and cities increase water use e ciencies and reach conservation goals. Call 303-999-3824 or visit https:// www.brightonco.gov/589/WaterAudit-Program

Legal self-help clinic

e Access to Justice Committee hosts a free, legal self-help clinic from 2 to 3:30 p.m. the rst Tuesday of every month. e program is for customers who don’t have legal

representation and need help navigating through legal issues. Volunteer attorneys are available to discuss such topics as family law, civil litigation, property and probate law.

Call 303-405-3298 and ask for Legal Self-Help Clinic at least 24 hours in advance.

Sidewalk, curb and gutter program

e city of Brighton’s 50.50 Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter program is underway. e program helps ease the nancial costs of maintenance and replacements, according to a statement. Property owners are responsible for that maintenance work. e program halves the replacement costs between the city and the property owner. e program began in 2004. Last year, it assisted 14 homeowners. e city says the program has saved about $75,000 worth of repairs. Visit www.brightonco.gov/50-50 to apply. Call 303-655-2036 with questions.

American Legion meets in Brighton

American Legion Post 2002 meets regularly the second ursday of each month, and all veterans are invited to attend. e meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the United Power headquarters building, 500 Cooperative Way.

Senior meals

Eagle View Adult Center will serve hot VOA lunches on Mondays and ursdays. Advance reservations are required. Call EVAC 303655-2075 for more information.

Shakeup urged in state emergency management

six months to one year, to develop a plan for the division, but immediate steps should be taken to improve accountability.

BY OLIVIA PRENTZEL THE COLORADO SUN

A new leadership model and “senior leadership intervention” is needed at Colorado’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in order to build trust and e ective communication, a third-party consulting agency said in an assessment report, after receiving consistent feedback from employees describing the leadership in charge of the state’s response to natural and public health disasters as “dysfunctional.”

e 29-page assessment, completed Jan. 19 by Denver-based consulting agency Investigation Law Group, revealed concerns about the division’s three directors and made several recommendations to improve workplace culture, communication and address concerns about leadership accountability.

e consultants recommended the division overhaul its leadership model and hire a deputy director to oversee the three o ces and communicate the structure to its employees, citing employee confusion about work responsibilities. ey also suggested an independent party work with the senior leadership team, for

e state hired the consulting agency in August after allegations arose of aggressive and inappropriate behavior from one of its directors, Mike Willis. An internal investigation later revealed “concerning statements” about equity, diversity and inclusion within the state’s division that responds to all types of disaster in Colorado.

e report did not identify any director or employee by name.

A majority of the employees interviewed (70%) said they were overall satis ed with working for the department, feel respected by their manager and peers, and are proud to tell others that they work for the department, according to the assessment.

But the division was consistently described as “siloed” and employees described a lack of understanding of roles and responsibilities. Employees described the executive leadership team as “dysfunctional,” which they said trickled down the ranks and created distrust and eroded communication, the assessment said.

e consulting agency found that employees had little faith that the director had adequately addressed these concerns and were concerned about workplace culture further deteriorating.

In a statement ursday, director Stan Hilkey said the assessment will help clarify areas that need improve-

ment, calling the state’s Department of Public Safety a “learning organization” with “a culture of continuous improvement.”

“Strengthening workplace culture, harmony and satisfaction depends on the unity of e ort from all of us, and I’m con dent that together we can further align these values with the excellent and critical work that you are known for,” Hilkey said.

In the assessment, employees identi ed good communication with their direct managers, good collaboration with their colleagues and exibility with their remote work environment.

Top concerns listed in the survey included the need for training opportunities for advancement, lack of leadership accountability, poor communication and a toxic work environment. Some employees also identi ed concerns about sexism, di erent treatment based on race and behaviors that are counter to an inclusive environment, according to the assessment.

As part of the assessment, the consulting agency conducted site visits and selected 26 employees and leaders to interview, while seven others volunteered to participate, according to the assessment. About 83% of the department’s employees participated in an online survey.

e state paid $40,000 to Investigations Law Group to evaluate the culture, structure and e ectiveness of the division, according to the state’s online database of vendors.

O cials sought an independent review after a Denver Post investigation documented allegations against Willis during his ve years at the helm of Colorado’s response to natural and public health disasters. Willis has been suspended twice in the past two years for his behavior that included intimidating workers, throwing objects in rage and berating female employees, the Post reported.

In previous statements to e Colorado Sun, Hilkey said actions have been taken to address employee concerns and Willis’ workplace behavior, and Willis said he took responsibility for his “missteps at DHSEM” and that some events described in e Denver Post article “simply did not happen.”

During the state’s subsequent internal investigation, several employees complained about discrimination, harassment, retaliation and other alleged workplace violations during interviews, state documents show. e worker who lodged the complaint accused the division’s leadership of creating a toxic work environment and failing to provide leadership and enforce policies.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Report says ‘intervention’ is needed among senior leadership

TRIVIA

1. MUSIC: Which band sang the theme song to TV’s “Friends”? 2. ANATOMY: What is the only bone in the human body that isn’t attached to another bone nearby? 3. LITERATURE: What is the setting for the “Anne of Green Gables” novel series? 4. TELEVISION: Who plays the lead role in the sitcom “Mr. Mayor”? 5. GEOGRAPHY: Where are the Spanish Steps located? 6. HISTORY: How long did the rst man in space, Yuri Gagarin, orbit the planet? 7. AD SLOGANS: Which restaurant chain advises customers to “eat fresh”? 8. SCIENCE: What is the only form of energy that can be seen with the human eye? 9. ANIMAL KINGDOM: With which animal do humans share

98.8% of their DNA? 10. MOVIES: Which movie features the famous line, “I see dead people”?

Answers

1. e Rembrandts (“I’ll Be ere for You”). 2. e hyoid bone. 3. Prince Edward Island. 4. Ted Danson. 5. Rome, Italy. 6. 108 minutes. 7. Subway Restaurants. 8. Light. 9. Chimpanzee. 10. “ e Sixth Sense” (1999). (c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Careers

Help Wanted

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Real Estate & Rental

Rentals

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3 BD, 2 BA Brighton house for rent with garage & basement. $1800/mo. 720-308-4279.

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2 bicycles, single bed complete never used, wheelchair, new poker table and shop vacuum. All for $500 or best offer. Will sell single items as well. Call 720-465-9022

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Medical

Attention oxygen therapy users!

2.8

Director of Physical Therapist Assistant Program

Full-time faculty. The Director of the PTA Program manages the program in accordance with the mission, core values, and purposes of MCC. The individual serves in both an administrative position and faculty position. The Program Director is responsible for administrative and scal management of the PTA program, marketing, and recruitment, mentoring part-time instructors/faculty, accreditation

Master’s degree from an accredited physical therapist program. Must have an unrestricted Licensed Physical Therapist or Physical Therapist Assistant in the State of Colorado.

Nursing Faculty

Full-time faculty, responsible for teaching, recruiting, advising and outreach to the communities served by MCC.

Master’s degree in nursing or a bachelor’s degree in nursing with a plan to complete an MSN degree is required. Must have a Colorado R.N. license and 4000 hours of veri able nursing experience in the last ve years.

For full announcement and to apply, visit: https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/jobs/ For questions call 970-542-3130. EOE.

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call

Legals

City and County

Public Notice

DISTRICT COURT, COUNTY OF ADAMS, STATE OF COLORADO

ADAMS COUNTY COMBINED COURT

Court Address: 1100 Judicial Center Drive Brighton, CO 80601

CONSOLIDATED NOTICE OF PUBLICATION

– DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE

Notice is hereby given that in the following proceedings filed in the Court under the Uniform Dissolution of Marriage Act, the Court has found that due diligence has been used to obtain personal service of process within the State of Colorado or that efforts to obtain the same would have been to no avail.

Pursuant to C.R.S. 14-10-107(4)(a), one publication of the following shall be published once during the month of January 2023. A copy of the Petition and Summons may be obtained from the Clerk of the Combined Court. Default judgment may be entered against you if you fail to appear or file a response within 35 days of this publication.

Case Number Names of Parties

2022DR1348 CLARA ESTHER PRIETO TADEO VS CUSTODIO SANCHEZ NARANJO

2022DR30821 KAREN D SHELTON HASKINS VS RODNEY CLYDE HASKINS SR

2022DR1385 SANDRA JANE STILSON VS RALPH COREY STILSON

2022DR1761 AEVIN MICHAEL DAVID PERABO VS JOSE CARLOS HERNANDEZ ALANA PERCY Clerk of the Combined Court

Date: January 19, 2023

By: Madeline Scholl Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. BSB2097

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023 Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Public Notice

DISTRICT COURT, COUNTY OF ADAMS, STATE OF COLORADO

ADAMS COUNTY COMBINED COURT Court Address: 1100 Judicial Center Drive Brighton, CO 80601 CONSOLIDATED NOTICE OF PUBLICATION – ALLOCATION OF PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Notice is hereby given that in the following proceedings filed in the Court under the Uniform Dissolution of Marriage Act, the Court has found that due diligence has been used to obtain personal service of process within the State of Colorado or that efforts to obtain the same would have been to no avail.

Pursuant to C.R.S. 14-10-107(4)(a), one publication of the following shall be published once during the month of January 2023. A copy of the Petition and Summons may be obtained from the Clerk of the Combined Court. Default judgment may be entered against you if you fail to appear or file a response within 35 days of this publication.

Case Number Names of Parties

2022DR1651 RUBI ORQUIDIA CHACON TALAVER VS JESUS ALBERTO GONZALES CERA

2022DR30933 PATRICIA FLORES CONTRERAS VS GUMERCINDO DIAZ LANZA

ALANA PERCY

Clerk of the Combined Court

Date: January 19, 2023

By: Madeline Scholl Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. BSB2098

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Metropolitan Districts

Public Notice

CONVOCATORIA A NOMINACIONES

Artículos 1-13.5-501; 1-13.5-303, C.R.S.

A QUIEN CORRESPONDA y, particularmente, a los electores elegibles del Distrito Metropolitano de Case Farms, ciudad de Brighton, condado de Adams, Colorado (el “Distrito”).

303-566-4123

POR EL PRESENTE, SE INFORMA que se celebrará una elección el 2 de mayo de 2023, entre las 7:00 a. m. y las 7:00 p. m. En ese momento, se elegirán dos (2) directores para estar en funciones hasta mayo de 2025, y se elegirán dos (2) directores para estar en funciones hasta mayo de 2027.

Los electores elegibles del Distrito interesados en servir en la junta directiva pueden obtener un Formulario de autonominación y aceptación del funcionario electoral designado (Designated Election Official, DEO) en 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, CO 80122 o por vía telefónica en el número 303-858-1800, lunes a viernes en horario de 8:00 a. m. a 5:00 p. m. Los formularios de autonominación y aceptación también están disponibles en línea en https:// whitebearankele.com/.

La fecha límite para enviar un formulario de autonominación y aceptación es el cierre de operaciones (5:00 p. m.) del viernes 24 de febrero de 2023. Si el DEO determina que un formulario de autonominación y aceptación no es adecuado, el formulario puede modificarse antes de las 5:00 p. m. del 24 de febrero de 2023. Se recomienda la presentación anticipada, ya que no habrá lugar para la corrección de formularios inadecuados después de la fecha y hora límites. Para ser un candidato no registrado, se debe presentar una declaración jurada de intención en la oficina del DEO antes del cierre de operaciones (5:00 p. m.) del lunes 27 de febrero de 2023.

ADEMÁS, SE NOTIFICA que la información sobre cómo obtener una boleta de voto en ausencia se puede solicitar al DEO, y las solicitudes para la boleta de voto en ausencia deben presentarse ante el DEO a más tardar al cierre de operaciones (5:00 p. m.) del 25 de abril de 2023.

DISTRITO METROPOLITANO DE CASE FARMS

Por: Funcionario electoral designado

Legal Notice No. BSB2096

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade Public Notice

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

§§ 1-13.5-501; 1-13.5-303, C.R.S.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and, particularly, to the eligible electors of the Greatrock North Water and Sanitation District, Adams County, Colorado (the “District”).

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on May 2, 2023, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, two (2) directors will be elected to serve until May 2027.

Eligible electors of the District interested in serving on the board of directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form from the Designated Election Official (“DEO”) at 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, CO 80122 or via telephone at 303-858-1800, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Self-Nomination and Acceptance Forms are also available online at https://whitebearankele. com/.

The deadline to submit a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form is the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, February 24, 2023. If the DEO determines a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form is not sufficient, the form may be amended prior to 5:00 p.m. on February 24, 2023. Earlier submittal is encouraged as the deadline will not permit curing of an insufficient form after this date and time. An Affidavit of Intent to be a Write-In Candidate must be submitted to the office of the DEO by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Monday, February 27, 2023.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that information on obtaining an absentee ballot may be obtained from the DEO, and applications for an absentee ballot must be filed with the DEO no later than the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on April 25, 2023.

GREATROCK NORTH WATER AND SANITATION DISTRICT

By: Designated Election Official

Legal Notice No. BSB2091

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Public Notice

LLAMADO DE CANDIDATURAS

§§ 1-13.5-501; 1-13.5-303, C.R.S.

A QUIEN CORRESPONDA, y, en particular, a los votantes del distrito de Greatrock North Water and Sanitation, ciudad de Thornton, condado de Adams, Colorado (el “Distrito”).

POR LA PRESENTE SE DARÁ AVISO que se hará una elección el 2 de mayo de 2023, entre las 7:00 a. m. y las 7:00 p. m. En ese momento, y por cada Distrito, se elegirán tres (2) directores para servir hasta mayo de 2027.

Los votantes del Distrito interesados en formar parte de la junta directiva pueden obtener un formulario de autonominación y aceptación del representante electoral designado (Designated Election Official, “DEO”) en 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, CO 80122 o por teléfono al 303-858-1800, entre las 8:00 a. m. y las 5:00 p. m., de lunes a viernes. Los formularios de autonominación y aceptación también están

disponibles en línea en https://whitebearankele. com/.

La fecha límite para enviar un formulario de autonominación y aceptación es al cierre de operaciones (5:00 p. m.) el viernes 24 de febrero de 2023. Si el DEO determina que un formulario de autonominación y aceptación no es suficiente, el formulario puede modificarse antes de las 5:00 p. m. el 24 de febrero de 2023. Se anima a presentar el formulario anticipadamente, ya que la fecha límite no permitirá corregir un formulario incompleto después de esta fecha y hora. Se debe presentar una declaración jurada de intención para ser un candidato en la oficina del DEO antes del cierre de operaciones (5:00 p. m.) el lunes 27 de febrero de 2023.

ADEMÁS, SE DARÁ UN AVISO que puede obtenerse información de cómo obtener una boleta de voto en ausencia del DEO, y que las solicitudes de una boleta de voto en ausencia deben presentarse ante el DEO a más tardar al cierre de operaciones (5:00 p. m.) el 25 de abril de 2023.

DISTRITO GREATROCK NORTH WATER AND SANITATION

Por: Representante electoral designado

Legal Notice No. BSB2092

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade Public Notice

NOTICE OF VACANCY

ON THE

DIRECTORS

OF

BOARDS

OF BRIGHTON RIDGE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1 & 2

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the Brighton Ridge Metropolitan District Nos. 1 & 2 (the “Districts”), City of Brighton, Adams County, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 32-1-808, C.R.S., that one or more vacancies currently exist on the Boards of Directors of the Districts. Any qualified, eligible elector of the Districts interested in serving on the Boards of Directors for the Districts should file a Letter of Interest with the Boards by 5:00 p.m., on February 6, 2023.

Letters of Interest should be sent to Brighton Ridge Metropolitan District Nos. 1 & 2, c/o WHITE BEAR ANKELE TANAKA & WALDRON, 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, CO 80122.

BRIGHTON RIDGE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1 & 2

By:/s/ WHITE BEAR ANKELE TANAKA & WALDRON Attorneys at Law

Legal Notice No. BSB2085

First Publication: January 26, 2023 Last Publication: January 26, 2023 Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade Public Notice

A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS (NOTICE BY PUBLICATION OF) TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and, particularly, to the electors of the HAZELTINE HEIGHTS WATER AND SANITATION District of ADAMS County, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on the 2nd day of MAY, 2023, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, two (2) directors will be elected to serve 4-year terms. Eligible electors of the HAZELTINE HEIGHTS WATER AND SANITATION District interested in serving on the board of directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance form from the District Designated Election Official (DEO):

SHIRLEY SABIN (Designated Election Official) 303-916-3800 (DEO Telephone)

The Office of the DEO is open on the following days: Jan 23 – Feb 24, M-F from 1-4 p.m.

The deadline to submit a Self-Nomination and Acceptance is close of business on FEB 24, 2023 (not less than 67 days before the election)

Affidavit of Intent to Be a Write-In-Candidate forms must be submitted to the office of the designated election official by the close of business on Monday, FEB 27, 2023 (the sixty-fourth day before the election).

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, an application for an absentee ballot shall be filed with the designated election official no later than the close of business on Tuesday preceding the election, APRIL 25, 2023.

Hazeltine Heights Water and Sanitation District

Shirley Sabin

Designated

Election Official Signature

Legal Notice No. BSB2072

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that there has been filed with the Board of Directors of South Beebe Draw Metropolitan District (the “District”), Adams County, a petition praying that certain property, which is described below, be included into the boundaries of the District. The owners of one hundred percent (100%) of the property identified in the petition have given their consent to the inclusion of the property into the District’s boundaries.

Pursuant to § 32-1-903 CRS, as amended, the District’s meetings may be conducted electronically, telephonically or by other virtual means. Accordingly, notice is hereby given to all interested persons that they shall appear at a public hearing to be conducted virtually at 4:00 pm on Friday, January 27, 2023 and show cause in writing why the petition should not be granted. Members of the public may attend the public hearing by joining the video conference on https://us06web.zoom. us/j/88004489644, or by telephone on 1-719-3594580 (Meeting ID 880-0448-9644). The Board of Directors of the District, in its own discretion, may continue the hearing to a subsequent meeting.

The petition for the inclusion of property was submitted by Western Equipment & Truck, Inc. and WETCO Farms, Inc. whose address is 2055 1st Avenue, Greeley, CO 80631. The property for which inclusion is sought is generally described as a parcel of land in Weld County at 13799 County Road 5, located south of Highway 66 and approximately 0.4 miles west of WCR5, and a parcel of land in Weld County at 32584 County Road 50, located on the south side of Highway 34 approximately 0.6 miles southeast of the intersection with WCR50.

A full and complete legal description of the property petitioned for inclusion is on file at the Law Office of Michael E. Davis, LLC, 1151 Eagle Drive, Suite 366, Loveland, CO 80537, and is available for public inspection during regular business hours 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF SOUTH BEEBE DRAW METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

By:LAW OFFICE OF MICHAEL E. DAVIS, LLC

Attorneys for the District

Legal Notice No. BSB2099

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Public Notice

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS §§ 1-13.5-501; 1-13.5-303, C.R.S.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and, particularly, to the eligible electors of the Case Farms Metropolitan District, City of Brighton, Adams County, Colorado (the “District”).

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on May 2, 2023, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, two (2) directors will be elected to serve until May 2025 and two (2) directors will be elected to serve until May 2027. Eligible electors of the District interested in serving on the board of directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form from the Designated Election Official (“DEO”) at 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, CO 80122 or via telephone at 303-858-1800, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Self-Nomination and Acceptance Forms are also available online at https://whitebearankele.com/.

The deadline to submit a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form is the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, February 24, 2023. If the DEO determines a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form is not sufficient, the form may be amended prior to 5:00 p.m. on February 24, 2023. Earlier submittal is encouraged as the deadline will not permit curing of an insufficient form after this date and time. An Affidavit of Intent to be a Write-In Candidate must be submitted to the office of the DEO by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Monday, February 27, 2023. NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that information on obtaining an absentee ballot may be obtained from the DEO,

Regarding: Lot 44, Block 7, Riverdale Farms Residential Subdivision, 2nd Filing, County of Adams, State of Colorado

Also known as: 8553 Monroe Ct, Denver, CO 80229

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS, Please take notice:

You and each of you are hereby notified that a Sheriff’s Sale of the referenced property is to be conducted by the Civil Division of the Sheriff’s Office of Adams County, Colorado at 9:00 A.M., on the 2nd day of March 2023, at 1100 Judicial Center Drive, Brighton, Colorado 80601, phone number 303-655-3272. At which sale, the above described real property and improvements thereon will be sold to the highest bidder. Plaintiff makes no warranty relating to title, possession, or quiet enjoyment in and to said real property in connection with this sale.

**BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE CASH OR CERTIFIED FUNDS SUFFICIENT TO COVER THEIR HIGHEST BID AT TIME OF SALE. **

Further, for the purpose of paying off, curing default or redemption, as provided by statute, intent must be directed to or conducted at the above address of the Civil Division of the Sheriff’s Department of Adams County, Colorado.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY.

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Published In: Brighton Standard Blade

NOTICE OF RIGHT TO CURE AND RIGHT TO REDEEM

RE: Sheriff’s Sale of Real Property pursuant to Order and Decree of Foreclosure and C.R.S. 38-38-101 et seq.

This is to advise you that a Sheriff sale proceeding has been commenced through the office of the undersigned Sheriff pursuant to a Court Order and Decree dated September 21, 2022, and C.R.S. 3838-101 et seq., by Riverdale Farm Homeowners’ Association, the current holder of a lien recorded on June 16, 2017 at Rec. No. 2017000051951, in the records of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Adams, State of Colorado. The judicial foreclosure is based on a default under the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions of Riverdale Farm Homeowners’ Association, recorded on 08/12/2010 at Reception No. B592466 in the records of the Clerk and Recorder of the County of Adams, State of Colorado. The Declaration and notices, as recorded, establish a lien for the benefit of Riverdale Farm Homeowners’ Association, WHICH LIEN BEING FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY AND IMPROVEMENTS.

You may have an interest in the real property being affected, or have certain rights or suffer certain liabilities or loss of your interest in the subject property as a result of said foreclosure. You may have the right to redeem the real property or you may have the right to cure a default under the instrument being foreclosed. Any Notice of Intent to Cure must be filed no later than fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the date of the foreclosure sale. A notice of intent to cure filed pursuant to section 38-38-104 shall be filed with the officer at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to the first scheduled sale date or any date to which the sale is continued.

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.

A notice of intent to redeem filed pursuant to section 38-38-302 shall be filed with the officer no later than eight (8) business days after the sale.

In this regard, you may desire and are advised to consult with your own private attorney.

IF THE BORROWER BELIEVES THAT A LENDER OR SERVICER HAS VIOLATED THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT IN SECTION 38-38-103.1 OR THE PROHIBITION ON DUAL TRACKING IN SECTION 38-38-103.2, THE BORROWER MAY FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE FEDERAL CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BURAU (CFBP), OR BOTH. THE FILING OF A COMPLAINT WILL NOT STOP THE FORECLOSUE PROCESS.

Colorado Attorney General 1300 Broadway, 10th Floor Denver, Colorado 80203 (800) 222-4444

www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov

Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau P.O. Box 4503 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 (855) 411-2372

www.consumerfinance.gov

Plaintiff, Riverdale Farm Homeowners’ Association v.

Defendants, DOUGLAS LEROY ROSE

Denver bought one-way bus tickets for 1,900 migrants

Where they went

BY JENNIFER BROWN AND JOHN INGOLD THE COLORADO SUN

Denver spent nearly a half-million dollars last month buying one-way Greyhound bus tickets to other cities for 1,900 migrants who arrived here after crossing the U.S. southern border, according to data released Friday to e Sun by city o cials.

e most popular destinations were New York and Illinois, but also Florida, Georgia and Texas.

e spending does not include tickets purchased by the city so far in January, or spending by the state, which paid for chartered buses for four or ve days this month to send groups of migrants to other destinations, mainly New York City and Chicago.

Denver sent 399 migrants to Chicago and 345 to New York City in December. e city also sent 122 to Atlanta, 95 each to Miami and Orlando, and 68 to Dallas. In all for the month, the city spent $492,000 on bus tickets.

State o cials have not yet responded to requests from e Sun for an accounting of the number of people taken to other cities on char-

tered buses.

Sending migrants to other destinations has been controversial.

e mayors of New York City and Chicago last week sent a letter to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis saying they “respectfully demand that you cease and desist sending migrants” to their cities. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and New York City Mayor Eric Adams said they had received hundreds of migrants from Colorado since December.

Polis said Colorado was stepping in to help people, mainly from politically unstable Venezuela, reach their nal destinations, where he said they had family or friends. He estimated 70% of migrants who arrived in Colorado during the past month were trying to get somewhere else. But he called o the chartered bus operations after talking to Lightfoot and Adams last week.

Denver o cials, meanwhile, reiterated Friday that none of the migrants was asked to leave the city, which has been housing hundreds of people each night in three emergency shelters set up to handle the in ux of newcomers, many of whom have arrived without warm clothing and wearing sandals. Since Dec. 9, more than 4,100 migrants from Central and South America have arrived

Public Notices

Further, you are advised that the parties liable thereon, the owner of the property described above, or those with an interest in the subject property, may take appropriate and timely action under Colorado statutes, certain sections of which are attached hereto.

In order to be entitled to take advantage of any rights provided for under Colorado law, you must strictly comply and adhere to the provisions of the law. Further, you are advised that the attached Colorado statutes merely set forth the applicable portions of Colorado statutory law relating to curative and redemption rights; therefore, you should read and review all the applicable statutes and laws in order to determine the requisite procedures and provisions which control your rights in the subject property.

DATED in Colorado this 6th day of December 2022.

Sheriff of Adams County, Colorado

By: Kathy Grosshans Deputy Sheriff

ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF:

ORTEN CAVANAGH HOLMES & HUNT, LLC

1445 Market Street, Suite 350 Denver, CO 80202

Statutes attached: §§38-37-108, 38-38-103, 3838-104, 38-38-301, 38-38-304, 38-38-305, and 38-38-306, C.R.S., as amended.

Legal Notice No. BSB2057

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Misc. Private Legals

Public Notice

Notice of Demand

On August 19, 2022, Dale M. Doughman, Personal Representative for Howard and Irene Doughman, did file a notice in accordance with C.R.S. 7-42-114 to 7-42-117 which states the following:

COMES NOW Dale M. Doughman, , Personal Representative for Howard and Irene Doughman, after first being duly sworn, does state under oath that the Farmers’ High Line Canal and Reservoir Company certificate number 5331 for one quarter (0.25) share has been lost, mislaid, or destroyed and that said certificate is the property of Howard and Irene Doughman and has not been transferred or hypothecated by the said stockholder. Demand for issuance of a duplicate certificate in accordance with C.R.S. 7-42-114; 7-42-115 and 7-42-117, is hereby made.

Farmers’ High Line Canal and Reservoir Company will issue on or after March 19, 2023, a duplicate certificate to Howard and Irene Doughman or their legal representative or assignee, unless a contrary claim is filed with the Farmers’ High Line Canal and Reservoir Company, prior to March 19, 2023.

Legal Notice No. BSB2074

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 16, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of KAREN M. BACA

aka KAREN MARGARET BACA aka KAREN BACA, Deceased Case Number: 2022 PR 31069

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before May 26, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Mark Katopodes

Personal Representative 7278 Secrest Court Arvada, CO 80007

Legal Notice No. BSB2087

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: February 9, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade PUBLIC NOTICE

in Denver.

“I want to ensure that it’s doubly clear that each of these passengers have asked for assistance to get transportation to these destinations and we facilitated their trips by purchasing tickets,” said Mikayla Ortega, a spokeswoman for Denver’s O ce of Emergency Management, which is operating the emergency shelters.

Denver’s one-way ticket purchases and the Democratic governor’s short-lived chartered busing operation thrust the state into a national controversy that began last spring, when other governors began sending migrants around the country.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, sent thousands of migrants to Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York during the spring and summer. And on Christmas Eve, two buses dropped o about 100 people outside the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington. e White House blamed the Texas governor, who said he was fed up with federal immigration policy. In September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, spent state funds to round up about 50 migrants in Texas and y them to the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, calling it a relocation program.

Colorado o cials have said they

do not believe the migrants were sent here by any other state, but that they organized their trips based on information from nonpro ts and fellow travelers. Word spread quickly that Denver, a so-called sanctuary city because local law enforcement does not cooperate with immigration o cials seeking to deport people for not having required documentation, had warm shelter beds and food.

e migrant arrivals dropped o this week, down to about 50 people per day rather than more than 100 per day a couple of weeks ago. Denver planned to begin dismantling the shelters, consisting of cots and mats in the city’s recreation centers, and asked more community groups to step up to house migrants.

About 500 people were sleeping in the city’s three shelters each night this week, and about 550 at other shelters in the community.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Estate

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before May 26, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Stanley L. Smith Personal Representative 920 Holly Street Denver, CO 80220

Legal Notice No. BSB2088

First Publication: January 26, 2023 Last Publication: February 9, 2023 Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Joan Cecile DeNovellis, aka Joan C. DeNovellis, Deceased Case Number: 2022 PR 30957

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before May 26, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Rhonda Joanne DeNovellis-Smith and Toni Marie Zuniga, Personal Representatives 1510 28th St. Ste.275 Boulder CO 80303

Legal Notice No. BSB2094

First Publication: January 26, 2023 Last Publication: February 9, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Rudolph K. Ulibarri, Sr., deceased Case Number: 2022PR31071

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before May 26, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Karen F. Bath

Personal Representative 564 E 116th Avenue Northglenn, CO 80233

Legal Notice No. BSB2093

First publication: January 26, 2023

Last publication: February 09, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Diana Louise Wetzel, deceased Case Number: 2022PR31049

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before May 12, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

80249

Legal Notice No. BSB2069

First publication: January 12, 2023

Last publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Sharon Bandelin, a/k/a Sharon L. Bandelin, a/k/a Sharon Louise Bandelin, Deceased Case Number: 2022 PR 31035

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Casey L. Williams, #39117

Attorney for Christine Gardalen

Personal Representative 203 Telluride Street, #400 Brighton, CO 80601

Legal Notice No. BSB2084 First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of SEVERN ANN CHUMLEY, a/k/a SEVERN A. CHUMLEY, a/k/a SEVERN CHUMLEY, Deceased Case Number: 2022 PR 31073

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before February 3, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Patricia Rankin, Esq.

Counsel for Alexander Chumley

Personal Representative

The Germany Law Firm, P.C. 600 17th Street, Suite 2800 South Denver, Colorado 80202

Legal Notice No. BSB2075

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Steven T. Mascarenaz,

To the parents, guardian, or other respondents named above, GREETINGS: Brenda Caffo, Johnny Marcum

You are hereby notified that a verified petition has been filed in the above named Court in which it is represented to the Court that said child are alleged to be dependent and neglected; for the reasons set forth more fully in said petition, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference for greater certainty.

You are further notified that the parent-child legal relationship may be terminated by this action, if prayed for in the petition.

You are further notified that the Court has set said petition for hearing on the 9th day of February, 2023 at the hour of 11:30 a.m. You are hereby notified to be and appear, at said time, before this Court located at the Adams County Justice Center, 1100 Judicial Center Drive, Brighton, CO 80601.

Witness my hand and seal of said Court this 13th day of January, 2023.

Alana Percy Clerk of the District Court

Legal Notice No. BSB2086

First Publication: January 26, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Brighton Standard Blade

of Joseph Leroy Gantt a/k/a Joseph Gantt a/k/a Joseph L. Gantt a/k/a Joe L. Gantt, Deceased Case Number: 2022 PR 31055

Jamy Wetzel-Little

Personal Representative 18933 East 53rd Avenue Denver, Colorado