Canyon Courier 020923

Our in-depth look at the housing crisis

Gov. Polis stresses more housing is key to Colorado’s economic health

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

If lawmakers don’t act to make housing more a ordable now, “we will soon face a spiraling point of no return.”

at’s what Gov. Jared Polis said in January, during his annual State of the State Address. He noted myriad problems linked to rising housing costs.

People, he said, “are being forced out of their neighborhoods with no hope of ever living close to where they work.”

“ at means more tra c, lost time and money spent on long commutes, more air pollution, and greater economic and workforce challenges,” Polis said.

Polis added that rising housing prices are “putting the dream of homeownership out of range for

more and more Coloradans.”

e governor’s assessment squares with the ndings of Colorado Community Media in our four-week series exploring what many experts say is a housing crisis — one that a ects practically everyone in the Denver area. Lower-income workers are seeing larger chunks of their paychecks

SEE STRESSES, P12

Mushies Cup provides Evergreen Lake fun:

Area sponsors a variety of activities on Feb. 4

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Sixteen teams cried “mush” on Feb. 4 – more guratively than literally — during the inaugural Mushies Cup tournament at Evergreen Lake. e teams of two competed in races on the ice with one person pulling and the other riding in an in atable, and the goal was to make it through the course rst with a secondary goal of not falling.

e Mushies Cup was part of Chill Out Winterfest, a three-activity event of fun sponsored by the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce. e Mushies Cup was followed by Evergreen’s version of “ e Amazing Race” with teams of four solving clues at di erent restaurants and culminated in a teen glow skate at Evergreen Lake.

Couple with that, the Evergreen Downtown Business Association hosted an evening Sips & Chocolate Tour of 12 businesses sharing chocolatey treats and drinks.

e weather was perfect for the

SEE CHILL OUT, P2

CHILL OUT

winter fun.

e goal was to create some family activities and to get people out in the dead of winter, according to Nancy Judge, president of the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce. Downtown Evergreen and Evergreen Lake were lled with people enjoying the weather and the events the area had to o er.

At the Mushies Cup, footwear seemed to be a concern as contestants made their way to the starting lines. Some contestants wore hiking boots while others wore shoes with crampons. A team from the Evergreen Rodeo Association — Kit Childers and Randall Strain — decided to remove their cowboy boots and race in socks, hoping their socks would provide more traction.

“Cowboy boots don’t work,” Childers said.

Jessica Strain and Shaunda Young, also rodeo association members,

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said the two teams participated in the Mushies Cup to have fun and support the community.

“So many people come out for the rodeo parade (on Father’s Day weekend),” Young said. “We just wanted to give back.”

Teams competed several times just for the fun of it, with no one feeling overly competitive.

Leslie Demler, who recently moved to Evergreen, participated with her son, Jude, 5, on Team Husky. She said they wanted to support this new event.

Dear Davis Schilken,

Chris Barnes’ entire family participated in the Mushies Cup. e group originally came to Evergreen to skate but saw information about the race and decided to participate. ey brought friend Christina Zarate, visiting from New York City, who said trying to run on the ice in shoes was terrifying, so she was taking it slow.

Shannon Martin of Evergreen and Molly Hogan of Broom eld worked as a team during the Mushies Cup. “We’re having fun and trying not to fall,” Hogan said. “We have learned to start o slow, so we don’t slip.”

I just recently proposed to my girlfriend (now fiancée) and now her parents insist the two of us sign a prenup before we get married. How can I appease my in-laws while still protecting my rights?

Sincerely, Perplexed by a Prenup

Dear Perplexed by a Prenup,

enjoy an evening of whimsical food, drinks, fun, auctions, and dancing to the music of tunisia.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023 at the mount vernon canyon club at 5:30 pm

Peter & Meryl Sabeff

GOLD SPONSORS

Curt & Carol Linke Jim & Karen Smith

First off, let us congratulate your fiancée and you on your pending marriage. We hope your wedding day is as amazing as your life together will be!! Now, let’s get down to the business of nuptial agreements, which can either be done prior to or after marriage.

Marital agreements, both prenuptial and postnuptial, are a written contract executed between a couple to specify what will happen to the couple’s assets in the event of divorce or death.

Even if you build a happy, healthy marriage, one spouse will likely outlive the other. Marital agreements can give partners peace of mind about the financial future.

When you’re about to get married, divorce is the last thing on your mind. However, the reality is that between 40 and 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce. If you bring significant assets to your marriage or if your fiancée has significant debts, a pre-nuptial agreement is an important way to protect yourself financially. The attorneys at Davis Schilken, PC can draft a prenuptial agreement that details the assets and debts of both parties to be married and explain how property will be divided and support handled in the event of death or divorce. The agreement can encompass children’s and grandparents’ rights, if desired.

There are a few requirements that a nuptial agreement must meet before it becomes valid. These include the following conditions -

• The nuptial agreement must be written, signed, and notarized.

• The agreement must include valid disclosure of assets and financial obligations between both parties.

• Threats, force, or emotional duress must not have influenced the creation of the agreement.

• Terms of the agreement must not appear unethical or lacking fairness.

If nuptial agreements aren’t drafted correctly, they may do nothing but complicate things further. Unfortunately, just because you have created an agreement in writing doesn’t mean that it is presumed to be valid or enforceable. Therefore, it’s crucial that you have a nuptial agreement reviewed by a qualified lawyer to ensure everything is executed properly.

Contact the Davis Schilken, PC team with any of your Estate Planning needs (303) 670-9855. We offer no obligation in person or virtual meetings. We make estate planning simple!

Shannon Martin of Evergreen pulls Molly Hogan of Broomfield in the Mushies Cup.

PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Christina Zarate pulls Cayden Barnes, 12, in the Mushies Cup. Zarate, who lives in New York City, is visiting family, and she has never seen an event quite like the cup.

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Platte Canyon’s Wesseldine given state award

A Platte Canyon Fire Department’s assistant chief has been named the 2022 Walter Stonehocker Fire Instructor of the Year.

Mark Wesseldine, who also was the training chief for about a year for Elk Creek and Inter-Canyon re departments, was lauded by his peers as someone who has made a di erence in training re ghters through the years.

e award will be presented to Wesseldine in April by the Colorado Fire Training O cers Association.

Wesseldine retired from New York City’s Fire Department, known as FDNY, and moved to Colorado. He has been actively involved in training his entire re service career, according to Kevin Cashman with Platte Canyon Fire.

“Chief Wesseldine’s career spans duty assignments as a re ghter in the U.S. Air Force, to respected service with the Fire Department of New York within the infamous ‘war years’ through the era of 9/11,” Cashman wrote in his nomination letter. “Many re ghters would have ended their service proudly after a full term with one of the country’s most distinguished re departments.

However, Chief Wesseldine chose to continue sharing his well-earned knowledge with the combination re departments of Colorado’s U.S. 285 corridor, departments where he has been an active member for over a

decade.”

Wesseldine joined Elk Creek Fire in 2008 as a volunteer, and he has become Fire Chief Jacob Ware’s mentor and friend.

“We keep teasing him that he will never retire,” Ware said. “I am humbled and honored to call him a friend. He has taught our re ghters and myself over the years. He’s a great instructor, great at passing on what he knows. He is the consummate re instructor.”

In 2022 alone, according to Cashman, Wesseldine led a new recruit academy for four 285 corridor re

Mark Wesseldine, the Platte Canyon Fire Department’s training chief, has been named Fire Instructor of the Year by the Colorado Fire Training O cers Association. COURTESY PHOTO

SEE FIRE BRIEFS, P4

FIRE BRIEFS

departments, enlisted nationally recognized instructors for a weekend-long school bus extrication class and hosted a disabilities awareness course.

Wesseldine said he became a re instructor because he spent years learning from others how to do things the right way, and he wants to pass that along to new re ghters.

“I teach ( re ghters) that there’s one way of doing things: the right way,” Wesseldine said. “I won’t teach anything I haven’t done. I teach from the heart.”

Wesseldine said he retired from Plate Canyon Fire in 2018 but still provides training.

“‘Good enough’ is not in my vocabulary,” he said. “We do things the way the best re departments do it.”

Cashman wrote that Wesseldine was very deserving of the award.

“Forty years into his career, Chief

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Wesseldine still demonstrates the humility to evolve with the changing re service, progress his knowledge and calmly pass that knowledge on to the re ghters around him,” Cashman wrote. “ is dude embodies the heart of a teacher and walks the walk as a re ghter and re instructor. If there was a ‘Fire Instructor of the Decade’ award, I’d be nominating him for that one, too.”

Two house fires in Evergreen on Jan. 31 Evergreen Fire/Rescue with the help of Elk Creek Fire responded to two house res on Jan. 31.

A townhome re in the 4800 block of Silver Spruce Lane early on Jan. 31 was determined to be accidental, according to EFR. A woman in her 50s was found dead, and the Jeffco Sheri ’s O ce is investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

e re started at about 4 a.m., and the minus-11 degree temperatures made battling the blaze di cult, according to EFR spokeswoman Stacee Martin. Close to 25 re ghters were

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on the scene, and they worked hard to ensure the re did not move to other townhomes, she added.

Xcel Energy and Je co Road and Bridge were on scene.

Martin said a neighbor’s smoke alarms went o , and that person called 911. e Je co Sheri ’s O ce arrived quickly to the scene, which is near the corner of Highway 73 and Little Cub Creek Road, to get neighbors out of their homes.

EFR investigators are checking the area near a wood-burning replace as the suspected location where the re started. Martin reminds people to dispose of hot ashes carefully, to have their replaces and wood stoves professionally inspected and cleaned, and to have working smoke alarms.

EFR also responded to a house re at about 8:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in the 400 block of Aspen Way.

e homeowner along with two dogs made it out safely, Martin said, and re ghters rescued a cat. e second oor of the home sustained extensive damage.

Ice on the road and cold conditions made it challenging, Martin said, and the re’s cause is under investigation.

Elk Creek Fire and Clear Creek Road & Bridge assisted at the re that was located o Brook Forest Road.

Home burns in Pine Junction

Platte Canyon and Elk Creek re departments extinguished a house re in Pine Junction on Jan. 30. No one was injured.

Fire ghters responded to the call at 1 a.m. and found the roof on re. e rst level of the home sustained signi cant damage, Elk Creek Fire Chief Jacob Ware said. Investigators said the re started in the chimney and moved to the rest of the house. e couple and their three older children made it out safely, waking up to smoke alarms sounding in the house. By then, Ware said, the house was extensively involved in the ames.

Evergreen Fire/Rescue extinguished two house fires on Jan. 31, including this one on Silver Spruce Lane. PHOTO COURTESY OF EVERGREEN FIRE/RESCUE

The kitchen of a home in Pine Junction was badly damaged in a fire on Jan. 30. COURTESY OF ELK CREEK

The PCACC... one of our 25 for 285 who are building our new nonprofit radio station.

Resilience1220 names new executive director

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Resilience1220 has someone new at the helm.

e nonpro t organization that provides mental health counseling to those 12 to 20, plus o ering group sessions and working with parents, has named local Annie Cooley as its executive director. Cooley replaces Heather Aberg, who founded the organization with Jen Pearson in May 2019.

Cooley has been interim executive director since Aberg stepped down in November and has been working closely with Aberg through the transition, said Susan Kramer, chair of the Resilience1220 board.

“ e Resilience1220 board of directors is thrilled to have appointed Annie Cooley as executive director,” Kramer said. “She is passionate about the work and very committed to the organization and the young people of the mountain communities.”

Cooley joined the Resilience1220 panel of therapists in 2020. She was the organization’s group and intake coordinator, connecting young people and their families with Resilience1220’s therapists and support groups. For the past two years,

Cooley has overseen the 21st Century Grant, a partnership with the Clear Creek County School District that enables Resilience1220 to provide mental health-related activities for Clear Creek youth outside of the

school day.

“I’m so happy she’s in charge (of Resilience1220),” Aberg said. “She understands the people and the needs of the community. She is organized, kind and sweet as can be, and she totally understands what we’re doing and why.”

Cooley said a position like Resilience1220’s executive director has been one of her career goals.

“It’s such an important mission to provide mental health to youth and families,” she said. “I wanted to be part of making sure it kept going.”

She hopes to nd more grants that could help expand Resilience1220’s reach and to build more relationships with schools in the four-county area the organization serves: Jefferson, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Park. In the future, she’d like to see the organization reach out to children younger than 12.

“I hope we can reduce the stigma of mental health,” she said.

Cooley has a master’s degree in foundation of applied behavior analysis from the University of Cincinnati and an undergraduate degree in communications from Whitworth University. She is a Board Certi ed Behavior Analyst.

Since May 1, 2019, Resilience1220 has served more than 1,100 youth, 191 parents/guardians and 49 teachers in individual therapy, providing more than 7,744 hours of free counseling and more than 1, 465 hours of free case management.

Annie Cooley

COURTESY PHOTO

(Mock) Rescue on Bear Creek Lake

ghter pretended to be unconscious in the water while another called for help.

West Metro Fire does this sort of training annually in January or February, West Metro Fire spokesperson

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Despite this winter’s chilly temperatures and frozen lakes and ponds, West Metro Fire Rescue continues to prepare to rescue people and animals that fall through the ice.

About 40 re ghters practiced ice-water rescues on Feb. 1 on Bear Creek Lake and Crown Hill Lake, cutting holes in the ice. One re-

Ronda Scholting said, and the goal is for re ghters to be ready as soon as they get to the scene of a person or animal possibly falling through the ice of a lake or pond.

In the foothills, Evergreen and Elk Creek re departments also practice ice water rescues.

Evergreen Fire/Rescue, for example, does two trainings each winter, according to Einar Jensen, a

spokesman for EFR, especially with Evergreen Lake, Buchanan Ponds and other small bodies of water in the district. ere has only been one call for an ice water rescue in the last ve years, and the man and dog were able to get out on their own, Jensen noted.

“In December, we refresh all re ghters’ skills/knowledge for general ice safety so they can assist with shore support operations,” he explained. “In February, we provide the formal ice-rescue technician certi cation course for a smaller group of re ghters who are on the water rescue team here at EFR.”

Elk Creek does one to two drills in the water each season, Fire Chief

Jacob Ware said, usually in the Davis Ponds at Staunton State Park. InterCanyon Fire does not have an ice water rescue team.

West Metro’s Company 10 drove up in their re trucks on Feb. 1, one re ghter already dressed in a bright yellow suit speci cally used in icewater rescues because it oats. e re ghters call it a “Gumby suit,” according to Scholting, and there’s a suit on every re truck.

A re ghter puts on the “Gumby suit” while the truck is en route to the location, and the other re ghters grabs ropes. ey either throw a rope to the person in the water or the re ghter in the “Gumby suit” moves onto the ice to help the animal or unconscious person, tying a rope around them so the others can pull them to safety.

Lt. Kyle Loupee said ice-water rescues don’t happen very often, but they are high risk for the person or animal in the water and for reghters, hence the yearly training. He estimated that West Metro Fire responds to several calls a year.

Scholting added that animals more often than people fall through the ice, and the department would rather have people call rst responders to help rather than trying to do the rescue themselves.

Loupee said the training allows re ghters to use consistent tactics and to make sure the equipment is functioning properly.

“We make sure we’re ready if the need arises,” Loupee said.

West Metro Fire Rescue firefighters, one in a waterproof “Gumby suit” and another carrying a bag filled with ropes, prepare to participate in a mock water rescue at Bear Creek Lake Park. PHOTOS BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

A West Metro Fire Rescue firefighter prepares to put ropes around a firefighter pretending to be unconscious during a water-rescue exercise.

West Metro Fire prepares to help people, animals falling through the ice

West Metro Fire Rescue’s Lt. Kyle Loupee debriefs the firefighters in Company 10 after a mock-rescue exercise.

Je co Public Schools release data to be used for secondary school closures

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Je erson County Board of Education voted in November to close 16 elementary schools based generally on enrollment data and proximity to other schools — data that could be found on the FCB Dashboard.

On Jan. 31, the District released similar data for secondary schools that will be used to decide possible closures in Phase II of Regional Opportunities for riving Schools. e District stated that criteria for secondary school closures — possibly including K-8s — have not been decided yet, but said in the past that it will di er from the criteria for elementary school closures.  Data in the dashboard now includes building utilization and enrollment trends as well as nancials, sta ng information and more for all middle schools and high schools.

Capacity: the number of students that can be served in a school building

According to the dashboard, all high schools were above 45% capacity except for Arvada at 40%. e next lowest capacities were Pomona and Wheat Ridge at 57%. For middle schools, more were closer to that bar with Moore at 46%, North Arvada at 47% and Deer Creek at 49%. Most

others were above 70%, with a few at 60% and up.

Utilization : capacity for students versus how many are actually enrolled

For multi-level schools, like K-8s, all utilization percentages (capacity for students versus how many are actually enrolled) were above 60% except for Coal Creek Canyon K-8 at 49% and Je erson Junior/Senior High School at 55%.

School choice: Ability for students and families to choose which school best works for them

In terms of school choice, more high schools were choiced out of than in, though some only by a hair. e same went for middle schools, but by a much higher margin.

Looking ahead

Again, the District has not decided upon criteria yet for Phase II. For elementary school closures, the District looked at schools with fewer than 220 students or less than 45% utilization and if there was another school less than 3.5 miles away. But, this was considering factors that don’t apply to high schools and middle schools.

ere are many more elementary schools than high schools and middle schools, and capacities for middle schools easily approach and

exceed 1,000 students, with high schools easily approaching and exceeding 2,000.

In a statement released with the updated data, the District said the

Board of Education announced a special study session on Feb. 24 to discuss the dashboard data and the timeline for Phase II.

The Je co Board of Education on Nov. 10, the night of the Board’s final vote on elementary school consolidations. The Board unanimously voted in favor.

PHOTO BY ANDREW FRAIELI

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

The Colorado Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its enactment. Over the past 30 years, TABOR has saved Colorado taxpayers approximately 8.15 billion dollars. ere was a party held on Jan. 14 in Lakewood to commemorate this occasion.

For me, the key hallmark of TABOR is that any tax increases in Colorado must be enacted with the consent of Colorado voters. It is one thing when the people’s representatives pass a tax increase in a legislative body but it is another and far nobler function of our republic that voters have a chance to either approve or reject tax increases as a collective body. When the people are empowered to make those decisions directly it only can make our state stronger.

It is a misguided assertion by op-

BIG PIVOTS

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

Defending TABOR on its 30th anniversary

JOE WEBB

ponents of TABOR that TABOR proponents just wish to limit the growth of government and to nix needed and essential government spending. Untrue. TABOR proponents like myself just wish the voters to have more of a say in how government appropriates their money.

Voters have voted breaks upon TABOR in the past and they may just do so again.

What TABOR does is provide constraints on the revenue side of the Colorado state budget and local budgets around the state. It seems to me that the Colorado state budget ought to be examined as to how it is

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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produced. at is the aim of probably the next 10 columns I propose to write for Colorado Community Media.

It will be a di cult undertaking. If I am successful at conveying the information that I research and interview others about, what will happen is that I will convey merely a rudimentary understanding of how the Colorado state budget is formulated, processed and voted upon. I was told by one former member of the Joint Budget Committee that it takes years to really understand the budget. If that is the case then what I share may be inadequate.

But I am willing to try this and distill the knowledge that I accumulate by researching and digging by writing it in this column. If I do this, the problem is that I may fail in conveying something with only so many

KRISTEN FIORE West Metro Editor kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com

DEB HURLEY BROBST Community Editor dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com

RUTH DANIELS Classified Sales rdaniels@coloradocommunitymedia.com

words allocated per column. Correct me please knowing that I may have made an error in judgment, not intent.

Knowing the what and how of the appropriations process from formulation to request and nally a vote by the legislature is important. It is also important to examine the components of the budget both revenue and expenditures. We need to look at what exactly the revenue and expenditure side of the budget is composed. All of these parts create the budget for which TABOR is but one factor. TABOR deserves a defense on this its’ 30th birthday. But the best defense for anything is always rooted in an understanding of the primary issue for TABOR which is the Colorado state budget. Joe Webb is the former chairman of the Je co Republican party.

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Courier.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

Columnist

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Third-party vendor fees for property taxes

Happy New Year! As you know, property taxes fund critical services from Special Districts such as our Je erson County school district, re departments, public works, water, sewer, city services, public safety, etc.

For every dollar of property tax collected, 24 cents goes to Je erson County government for services and projects. e other 76 cents funds the services and projects of Je Co Special Districts.

Je erson County Treasurer’s

SCARANO

O ce uses a third-party vendor to collect property taxes online. e third-party vendor charges a vendor or “convenience” fee for their services. e fee goes directly to the vendor, not the Je erson County government. I have been able to negotiate a lower fee for credit card payments online. e credit card fee has been 2.5% of the property tax due, and now is 2.35% of property tax due.

ird-party online payment fees for property taxes (2023): Credit Card – 2.35% of property tax due (was 2.5%)

OBITUARIES

Stephen Patrick Scarano

January 28, 1949 - December 25, 2022

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our family’s beloved patriarch, Stephen P. Scarano. He departed peacefully from this life on Christmas night, surrounded by his girls after a valiant, yet brief, battle with cancer.

Steve is survived by his three daughtersGeneva, Taysia, and Allegra - and his three granddaughters - Nieya, Luca, and Isla; he leaves behind his wife Cheryll Scherer, brother Lenny Scarano, son-in-law Kris MacDonald, and former wife and mother to his daughters, Alexandra Jaeckel.

Steve grew up in North Caldwell, New Jersey where he graduated from West Essex High School class of 1968. He then attended e University of Nebraska, followed by e Brook’s Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California.

Steve was a world traveler; a man of adventure and opportunity. He embraced life’s challenges with courage and determination. After settling in the foothills

VARNADOE

of Colorado, he founded a successful executive search company. Eventually Steve’s passion for y shing led him to purchase “ e Platte River Cabins,” a historic property in Pine, Colorado, which he beautifully restored and opened as a destination for outdoor enthusiasts. In his later years, Steve built a rewarding career in real estate with Keller Williams.

Steve valued tradition, a strong work ethic and his Italian heritage. He was known for his impeccable style and most often seen wearing a suit, except when at the river, with a rod and reel in hand. His infectious smile and zest for life characterized his approach to every day, which he lived to the fullest.

He was a devoted father and friend. He will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.

e family with be holding a celebration of his life at Pine Valley Ranch in Pine, Colorado on June 11th, 2023.

W. Keith Varnadoe

June 25, 1955 - January 25, 2023

W. Keith Varnadoe, 67 of Bailey, Colorado became absent from the body and present with the Lord on Wednesday, January 25, 2023.

He was born June 25, 1955 at Flagler Hospital, St Augustine, FL to Merle and Harry Varnadoe. He grew up in Palatka, FL, then moved with his family to Clinton, MS and Fort Worth, TX, while his Dad was attending college and seminary. en they moved to Arcadia, FL where they lived for 5 years before moving back to Palatka. Keith graduated from Palatka Central High School in 1973. After graduation he attended the Bell & Howell School for Electronics in Atlanta, GA.

Keith returned to Florida after school and worked in the construction industry and that remained his career until the time of his passing. He loved to work with his hands. Building things was his passion. He also loved the outdoors and loved to hunt and sh.

Family was so important to Keith and he loved being back home with his family in FL every chance he got.

Keith was an elder in his church, Church of the Hills in Evergreen, CO and his church family was very special to him. He wore many hats at the church and loved doing whatever was needed there to serve the Lord.

Keith is survived by his mother, Merle Cannon Varnadoe, his brother, Je Varnadoe

(LoraLee) and sister, Marsha Varnadoe Rain, nieces, Lindsay VanLandingham, Kailah Rain and Taylor Rain, nephew, Scott Varnadoe, aunts, Ona McLean, Edna Bell and Betty Sue Varnadoe, numerous cousins, some of whom were like siblings to him, best friend, Katie Hunter, and her son Christian Hunter, who was his business partner and was like a son to Keith.

Keith is preceded in death by his father, William Harry Varnadoe, maternal grandparents, Kirby & Mabel Cannon, paternal grandparents E e Mae Leaptrot Varnadoe & James Paschall Varnadoe. Memorial service will be Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Francis Baptist Church. Visitation will be at 10 am with the service beginning at 11 am. Pastors Jason Sharp and Buddy Lynch will o ciate. Burial will follow at Oak Hill East Cemetery.

Flowers are gratefully accepted, or memorial gifts may be made in his name to the Francis Baptist Church Building Fund, 155 CR 309C, Palatka, FL 32177 or Church of the Hills, 28628 Bu alo Park Road, Evergreen, CO 80439 (Memorial Fund).

Memories and condolences may be expressed to the family at Keith’s Book of Memories page at www.johnsonovertur unerals.com.

Arrangements are entrusted to JohnsonOverturf Funeral Home in Palatka.

Debit Card – $3.95 per property tax payment

E-Checks – No Charge

For more information about thirdparty vendor fees, please contact the Treasurer’s O ce at 303-271-8330.

*As a result of the passage of SB21293 (in 2021), and due to the failure of Proposition 120, changes to the property tax assessment rates will take e ect for tax year 2022 payable 2023. e passage of SB22-238 (in 2022) changed the assessment rates for tax years 2023, 2024 and 2025.

As you can see in the chart (at-

DRAGE

tached), property tax rates decrease depending on the property type and scal year. Generally speaking, most residential property tax bills will be less in Je Co (approx. $25-$100 less) when they are mailed in January/2023 by the Treasurer’s O ce.

*Please note that some properties may not see a decrease in the property tax bill because of the circumstances of that speci c property.

Jerry DiTullio, Je Co Treasurer/ Public Trustee

303-271-8337 (O ce)

www.je co.us/Treasurer

Charles Justus Drage

September 15, 1943 - January 7, 2023

On Saturday, January 7th, Charles “Chuck” Justus Drage, loving husband, dad, grandpa and brother, passed away at the age of 79. Chuck lived an incredibly abundant life, with no regrets and left a beautiful legacy.

Chuck was born on September 15, 1943, in Longmont, Colorado, to Eleanor and Roy Drage. His early years were spent in Crook, Colorado. It’s here that Chuck and his brothers, Bob and Donald as well as sister, Carolyn, lived the best of small town, rural community life. ey learned about true hard work, family values and the Grace of God. Life took the family to Longmont, where Chuck attended Longmont High School. He continued on to Colorado State University where he was involved in ROTC, and here he discovered his love of ying. He was very involved in all things music, to include being a talented trumpet player in multiple bands. He was an active member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Chuck was a Rams fan for life!

Soon after graduation, Chuck started pilot training at Vance Air Force Base, and then on December 18th, 1966, Chuck married his college sweetheart, Carol Ja ee. ey recently celebrated fty-six wonderful years of marriage.

In 1967, commitment to service and love of country took Chuck and Carol to Beale Air Force Base in California. He was a proud Air Force pilot and served in the Vietnam War. Upon completion of his military service, he joined American Airlines and enjoyed thirty years as a commercial airline pilot on both domestic and international routes. Chuck absolutely loved his job and forever recognized the rare fortune of really doing what you enjoy.

Life with American Airlines lead Chuck and Carol to Crystal Lake, Illinois. It’s here that they raised three children; Stephanie, Scott and Brent, and they were the pride of his life. He was actively involved in all areas of their lives and held many roles, some to include soccer coach, scout leader, running partner, homework helper, ski buddy, faith leader, supportive and loving parent, and overwhelming in uence of all that is good.

Chuck and Carol had the good fortune of returning to their beloved Colorado in 1998, and settled in Evergreen. is chapter was a favorite in Chuck’s life and he reveled

in being back home, able to pursue retirement adventures and spend time with Carol and surrounding family. Chuck was an athlete; an avid runner, hiker and skier, he tackled adventures across Colorado and beyond. Together they traveled Colorado, the US and numerous countries around the world. He was blessed with the ability to be intimately involved in the lives of his two granddaughters, Sophie and Lindsay and grandson, Benjamin, and attended hundreds of piano and violin recitals, holiday plays and musicals, soccer games and ski races, class events and eld trips. He was 100% present in their lives and considered every moment with these kids to be precious.

Chuck is profoundly missed by all who loved him. He touched the lives of many and always asked how he may help others, with no expectation of anything in return. One great friend best described how we feel, with the following words, “We pray for strength to live life like Chuck would, smiling, helping others and caring genuinely.”

He loved God and attended Rockland Community Church and served generously in leadership roles for many years.

He loved his family, to include his wife, kids, grandkids, siblings, pets and others near and far.

He loved his country, Colorado and community, fought for freedom, volunteered endlessly, and embraced conservatism and the Republican party.

He expressed his love for all of these, every day, with unapologetic strength and pride.

Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Eleanor Drage. He is survived by his wife Carol Drage, daughter Stephanie Seybold(Tom), sons Scott Drage and Brent Drage(Jane), granddaughters Sophie and Lindsay Seybold, grandson Benjamin Drage, brothers Robert Drage(Sue), Donald Drage( Kristie), sister Carolyn Crawford(John) and many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 22 at 1pm at Rockland Community Church in Golden.

In lieu of owers, donations may be made to Rockland Community Church, Tunnels to Towers Foundation and Evergreen Animal Protective League in Chuck’s honor.

Evergreen athletes commit to sports in college

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Evergreen High School honored 14 athletes on Feb. 1 during National Letter of Intent Day — a day to laud their commitment to sports both in high school and as they move to the collegiate level in the fall.

Evergreen’s crop of new collegiate athletes will be spread across the United States as they take on their new roles as student-athletes.

Tommy Poholsky, football, University of Iowa

Kelten Ocasek, football, Denison University

Jordan Turnbull, football, University of Wyoming

Russ Woodward, football, Army-West Point

Poholsky will follow in his father’s footsteps, and coach Matt Van Praag said he knew since he coached the younger Poholsky in fourth grade that things would turn out well. Ocasek does whatever the coach needs him to do, Van Praag said, and he turned himself into a college football player. e coach called Turnbull an excellent player, joking that Turnbull wanted to play football somewhere warm, so he wound up going to college in Laramie, Wyoming. Van Praag said Woodward developed into an awesome defensive lineman, and playing for Army was a great opportunity.

Dillyn Collins, softball, California State University – San Marcos

Sidney Phillips, softball, Oakland City University

Coach Steve Nuccio said he has seen how dedicated and committed Collins was to the sport, and he knew Phillips would go further because of her grit and resolve to play the game.

Mikey Crane, lacrosse, University of Utah

Coach Mark Stapor said Crane deserved to play at the next level because he exempli es the team’s pillar including trust,

Celebrating 41Years

humility, accountability, respect and poise.

Bella Reece, lacrosse, University of Colorado

Jessica Stiller, lacrosse, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Averi Gardner, lacrosse, University of Colorado

Coach Rachel Sanford said coaching Reese, Stiller and Garner when they were younger was the reason she took the EHS coaching position. All three were positive, athletic and a joy to coach. She said Reece embodied leadership because she garnered respect from everybody on the team, Stiller embodied resilience because she came back to the sport after several knee injuries, and Gardner embodied perfection because of the work she put in to be her best.

Lindsay Jeans, soccer, Colorado School of Mines

PeterJeans, who coached his daughter for Evergreen, said he could testify to the amount of e ort and sacri ce that went into her signing to play for School of Mines. He said she raised the level of play in every game she was in.

Robert Sumner, soccer, Metro State University of Denver

Sumner did not play for Evergreen, instead playing for club team Real Colorado. Coach Peter Jeans said Sumner had a deft touch on the ball and his passing was “sublime.”

Justin C. Lipka, baseball, Fort Hays State University

Coach John Lipka said he was proud his son would be playing for a Division-2 program, and the coach said Justin had put in a lot of hard work to be recruited to play for Fort Hays.

Jameson Mott, basketball, Gettysburg College

Coach Maddy Hornecker said she rst met Mott when Mott was in sixth grade, and Hornecker didn’t believe Mott could become a better shooter, but she did. Hornecker called her an incredible person.

MEET DUKE!

Can you foster Duke email eaplevergreen@eapl.com He needs some time to chill and play ball and soak up all the human attention! He gives the most amazing “boxer” hugs! Duke is 5.5yo, 65.3#. He is athletic, loves a secure yard, has mastered a doggie door. He is crate trained, active, and food motivated for ease of adding new training skills. We suggest no cats or smaller pets due to his prey drive with the bunnies.

Evergreen girls soccer coach Peter Jeans photographs his daughter, Lindsay, with friends Helen Labrador and Harper Wertz after the letter signing ceremony. Lindsay will play soccer for the Colorado School of Mines.

PHOTOS BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Evergreen Athletic Director LeRoy Lopez welcomes family and friends to National Letter of Intent Day on Feb. 1. Fourteen athletes indicated their plans to play sports at a variety of colleges.

Evergreen football coach Matt Van Praag, center, stands with football players, from left, Kelten Ocasek, Russ Woodward, Jordan Turnbull and Tommy Poholsky after the National Letter of Intent Day ceremony.

Former Clear Creek deputy looks to get charges dropped

Kyle Gould’s defense filed a motion to dismiss his indictments in connection with the death of Christian Glass

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Former Clear Creek County Sheri ’s deputies Kyle Gould and Andrew Buen appeared in court for the second time on Jan. 30, with Gould’s defense looking to dismiss his charges and the people’s representation looking for a joinder of the defendants.

Kyle Gould and Andrew Buen were indicted in November for multiple counts of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment in relation to their roles in the death of Christian Glass, a 22-year-old Boulder man shot in Silver Plume in June 2022.

Gould’s defense led a motion on Jan. 26, 2023 for the court to dismiss indictments against him for lack of probable cause and insu cient indictment.

“Mr. Gould should not have been charged and he should not have been indicted,” said one of Gould’s

attorneys at the hearing on Jan. 30.

In the courtroom, Gould’s defense likened the case going to a grand jury to a sporting event being played with no opponent, due to the fact that going to a grand jury doesn’t allow the opportunity for a defense.

Glass’s parents, present at the hearing, felt di erently. ey welcomed the due diligence of the justice system.

“You have to trust in the people, and the people are disgusted,” said Sally Glass outside the courthouse.

Simon and Sally Glass told how hard it was to sit and listen to the defense, in Simon’s words, “ducking responsibility.”

“It’s incredibly hard to sit there and hear them basically try to get o ,” Sally said.

But, the defense presented its motion, despite opening with condolences to the Glass family.

“Truly, we do not believe there is probable cause that Mr. Gould committed any crime,” Gould’s defense said.

Gould’s defense said that he was home the night of Glass’s death and that he gave the best advice he could at the time from where he was.

e People of the State of Colorado led a motion on Jan. 24 for joinder to join the defendants.

e People’s cited CRCrP Rule 8(2) (b), Joinder of Defendants:

“Two or more defendants may be charged in the same indictment, information, or felony complaint if they are alleged to have participated in the same act or series of acts arising from the same criminal episode. Such defendants may be charged in one or more counts together or separately and all of the defendants need not be charged in each count.”

e next hearing for Buen and Gould will be held at the Clear Creek County Courthouse at 11 a.m. on

April 17. Similar motions to Gould’s defense are expected to be led by Buen’s defense in the coming weeks.

As they left the courthouse, Simon and Sally were surrounded with family and friends clad in pink, Christian’s favorite color. Friends helped the two out of the building, tears brimming.

“To be that physically close to the man that murdered our son, it’s just really hard,” Sally said.

Colorado DMV releases list of rejected personalized plates

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

SHIKAKA, VOTE and BULL are among some of the less “o ensive” personalized license plates that were rejected by the Colorado DMV last year.

“We love the creativity and personal pride Coloradoans take in picking their personalized plate,” DMV Senior Director Electra Bustle said in a statement. “While most personalized plates are approved, there are a small percentage that do not meet DMV standards and are rejected.”

Some of this percentage were warnings like “BACKTFU,” others profanity-laced skater sayings like “FIDLAR.” Multiple were political

statements and others were highly sexual.

e rejections themselves are partly done automatically through the DMV’s internal systems, according to the statement. It compares the request to an “o ensive and omit list” built over time using American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators recommendations, “known o ensive words and terms, as well as comparing what other states do not allow.”

According to DMV and Tax Communications Manager Derek Kuhn, the other part of the rejection process is through an internal committee.

A panel of three DMV sta members rotate reviewing plates agged

as o ensive in what Kuhn described as a “blind, independent review.”

“Each committee member does

their own research and votes blindly on the plates that they receive referrals for,” he said, with a two-thirds majority required to approve or deny a plate. e sta ers look at similar resources as the automatic system, but also Urban Dictionary and Google Translate.

ere is an appeal process, but Kuhn said it is rarely used. It involves going to the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Hearings Division for them to make a determination. is past year though, only one person appealed, and Kuhn said the DMV worked to recon gure the plate before the hearing.

“In the end, the customer was happy and no hearing was held,” he said.

Sally Glass, center, mother of 22-year-old Christian Glass who was shot by police after calling 911 for help, is flanked by his sisters Katie, left, and Anna, right as they attend a candlelight vigil in Idaho Springs, Colorado Sept. 20, 2022. PHOTO BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY

The Long Way Home

State leaders, communities search for solutions

BY MICHAEL DE YOANNA MICHAEL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

For a month, our reporters and editors brought you stories of your neighbors, your wouldbe neighbors and even people who struggle to survive under bridges. We are all a ected by the rising costs of housing across the Denver area.

e problem is clear: Prices for homes and rents have skyrocketed in recent years. And though the trend shows signs of leveling out, prices are nothing like they were just a few years ago. Jumps in values of hundreds of thousands of dollars were common in the past ve years. For instance, in Brighton, northeast of Denver, and in Littleton, to the south, home values rose $225,000-$300,000, respectively, between 2017 and 2022. Renters are also giving more of their paychecks to their landlords.

Experts at Denver-based Root Policy Research, which studies housing issues, say 700,000 Colorado families are “cost burdened.” e term describes households that devote 30% or more of their income to rent or mortgages. Alarmingly, even families earning as much as $75,000 can be considered burdened.

is week, we look at potential solutions, starting with some

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go to landlords. Young families can’t nd starter homes they can a ord. Retirees don’t see any attractive options for moving and downsizing, meaning their homes stay o the market, helping keep prices high.

“Just look west,” Polis said in his address. “In California, decades of poor planning has led to interruptions of drinking water and electricity for entire towns and cities, average home prices over $1 million in major cities and 16-lane freeways” with “bumper-to-bumper trafc.”

e governor then pivoted to what he sees as solutions. Since 2019, he said, billions of dollars have been invested in housing.

espoused by Jared Polis, the Democratic governor who last month surprised us with his intense focus on housing during his annual State of the State Address. Colorado “will soon face a spiraling point of no return” if housing remains on the course that it is now, Polis said.

Senior Reporter Ellis Arnold rushed to the Capitol for Polis’ news conference after the speech, getting a few o -thecu answers. Billions of dollars have already been spent in recent years to make housing more a ordable, the governor says. He highlighted federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, the stimulus that came during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, Colorado voters in November decided to earmark hundreds of millions of dollars a year through Proposition 123, which backs local housing affordability e orts.

Yet, for all the tax dollars involved, the governor says, “We can’t just buy our way out of this.” Local rules, like zoning, need to be addressed too, he said.

Experts have told our reporters the same. Reporter McKenna Harford looks at how changes to zoning, among other strategies, can make housing more a ordable. Meanwhile, reporter Luke Zarzecki looks at how the development of our

For instance, American Rescue Plan Act funds have gone toward projects around the state, he said. And Colorado voters in November passed Proposition 123, which is expected to bring hundreds of millions more dollars to a ordable housing e orts in the years ahead.

“But we can’t just buy our way out of this,” Polis added.

Public o cials, he said, need to break down rules that stand in the way of building more housing. at idea resonates with experts like Christy Rogers, who teaches housing policy at the University of Colorado Boulder.

“Where are our starter homes?” Rogers said. “Where’s our ability to provide housing for a bunch of di erent income levels?”

Many communities need more variety. Some need more

cities contributes to healthharming pollution and how ideas like better-planned transit can improve our air and reduce climate change. Reporters Belen Ward and Steve Smith look at tiny homes and how di cult it can be to nd a home, even with some help.

In the end, there is no one solution and, frankly, the problem looks like it will continue, and potentially worsen, in the months ahead. Yet we acknowledge e orts to reverse the trend, including collaborations between federal, state and local o cials on myriad projects in our communities. We also hope that they are successful and that Colorado does not turn into what Polis decries — his portrayal of California as a poorly-planned nightmare, where residents face shortages in drinking water, commute on clogged highways and pay $1 million for a typical home.

In the months ahead, we plan to follow up with o cials and hold them accountable for their promises to improve the situation. We will ask for speci cs and then seek out local leaders and residents for their reactions. We also plan forums where our readers and local leaders can join us to speak about the work that needs to be done. In the meantime, we welcome your letters with ideas.

density, housing units built closer together, she said.

Housing advocates often point to “the middle,” homes that are neither large, singlefamily units nor big apartment complexes. e middle consists of smaller single-family units and condos that get people their rst foothold in homeownership, a home that they can build equity in and, as their family grows, sell and reinvest the pro ts to upgrade to a bigger one.

e governor appears to be headed in a direction where that kind of market is more possible. He said he wants to “legalize more housing choices for every Coloradan” while “protecting the character” of the state.

Yet it is an idea marked

Contributors to the project include:

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mostly by the sweeping language of the governor’s speech — at least for now.

Colorado Community Media asked the governor for more details since his address. In one statement, the governor said only that “across our state we need more housing for purchase and for rent at a lower price, and I look forward to working on all ways we can help make this happen.”

In another sign, the governor touted Lakewood’s “forward-looking vision” after he visited an apartment complex that includes some belowmarket-rate units and sits next to an RTD rail line.

Big spending

Another hint at what the governor wants came in response to questions after his State of the State Address. Polis said that he doesn’t want the state to get mired in age-old local debates over what the ideal mix is between a ordable and market-rate housing.

“ ere is no state AMI gure that works for Summit County, for Denver (and) for Boulder,” Polis said, in a reference to area median income, a measure often used to determine who is eligible for housing assistance.

However the mix of new homes might look, Colorado is wading deeper into spending to boost the supply of less costly housing.

Just days before the governor’s speech, the state announced a new

program expected to help create up to 5,000 “high-quality, lowcost” housing units over the next ve years. e Innovative Housing Incentive Program directs funding to Colorado-based housing manufacturers in an e ort to boost the supply of houses that aren’t built traditionally. at includes modular homes, or factory-made houses, that are assembled at the location where the homeowner will move in.

Polis touted a company from the mountain town of Buena Vista, saying it “can build a home in roughly 18 working days, compared to close to a year for traditionally built homes.”

Alone, 5,000 new homes over several years won’t make a huge dent, but the state is also armed with other new initiatives.

Proposition 123 requires state ofcials to set money aside for more a ordable housing and related programs. e money could go toward grants and loans to local governments and nonpro ts to acquire land for a ordable housing developments.

Funds could also go to help develop multifamily rentals, including apartments, and programs that help rst-time homebuyers, among other e orts. As Proposition 123 ramps up, eventually about $300 million a year will be spent around the state on such e orts.

Polis’ o ce also highlighted how millions of dollars in federal economic recovery funds were spent amid the response to the coronavirus pandemic. In the last year, the state invested roughly $830 million into housing, including roughly $400

million based on funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act in programs passed by state lawmakers, including:

• A ordable-housing spending detailed in House Bill 22-1304, which provides grants to local governments and nonpro ts toward investments in a ordable housing and housingrelated matters.

• A loan program under Senate Bill 22-159 to make investments in a ordable housing.

• e loan and grant program under Senate Bill 22-160 to provide assistance and nancing to mobile home owners seeking to organize and purchase their mobile home parks.

• e expansion of the “middle income access program” of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority under Senate Bill 22-146. e authority, a state entity, invests in a ordable housing.

• e “Infrastructure and Strong Communities” program, also under House Bill 22-1304, to provide grants to enable local governments to invest in infrastructure projects that support a ordable housing.

ose investments build upon an additional $460 million in emergency rental assistance, $180 million in homeowner assistance and $7 million in vouchers that Colorado also invested using federal funds, the governor’s o ce told CCM.

Polis portrayed housing as integral to the fabric of Colorado, placing it in the larger context of climate, economic and water policy.

“Building smart, e cient housing statewide, especially in urban communities and job centers, won’t just reduce costs, it will save energy, conserve our water, and protect the lands and wildlife that are so important to our Colorado way of life,” Polis said.

Beyond spending, zoning is an important tool that o cials — from the governor to city leaders — are looking at tweaking in hopes of alleviating the rising cost of housing and its e ects on communities.

State role in the mix

It’s a conversation that is older than many Coloradans. Making the

BEST OF THE BEST VOTING STARTS

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case for new policies today, Polis harked back to changes from ve decades ago.

“ e last time Colorado made major land-use changes was in 1974 — before I, and most of you, were born,” Polis said. “We were a di erent state then.”

e governor’s o ce didn’t specify to CCM more about those changes, but at least two pieces of legislation arose that year that a ected how local governments regulate how land is used.

Polis seemed to tease at the possibility of state intervention in how local communities govern housing.

“Since issues like transportation, water, energy, and more inherently cross jurisdictional boundaries, it becomes a statewide problem that truly impacts all of us,” Polis said.

He spoke of the need for more exible zoning to allow more housing and “streamlined regulations that cut through red tape.” He touched on expedited approval processes for projects like modular housing, sustainable development and more building in transit-oriented communities.

e governor and his o ce also didn’t specify what changes to zoning policy he would support or oppose. Polis has not said that he wants the state to require zoning changes in cities. Instead, the governor spoke about the state leaning in on an existing policy.

“We want to lean in to allowing local governments to use tools like inclusionary zoning to help create the right mix for their community, and I think that local input in design is very important,” Polis said in a Jan. 17 news conference, following his address.

So-called “inclusionary” housing policies typically ask property developers to set aside a percentage of units in new developments for a ordable housing, although developers are given di erent options to ful ll those requirements, e Colorado Sun has reported.

e landscape of local governments’ power to a ect housing a ordability in Colorado saw a big change recently. In 2021, Polis signed state House Bill 21-1117, allowing cities to impose a ordable housing requirements on new or redeveloped projects, so long as developers or property owners have alternatives.

For example, they could trade those for a ordable units built elsewhere, pay a fee into an a ordable housing fund, or any number of other options, the Sun reported.

It’s unclear whether Polis would support anything further than the existing allowance for cities to use inclusionary zoning.

As of late January, the governor was focused on gathering input to work with state lawmakers and develop a proposal on land-use policy. As of press deadline, no bill had been introduced.

‘Can’t expect to lose money’

Polis noted the wide gap that has opened between housing prices and people’s income over the last several decades, putting homeownership out of reach for many families.

More government spending on housing is part of the solution to a ordability, experts told CCM, including Yonah Freemark, senior research associate at the nonpro t Urban Institute, based in Washington, D.C.

“Assuming that we can rely entirely on the private market to address the

Gov. Jared Polis takes questions from reporters at a news conference Jan. 17 after his annual State of the State speech.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

The battle over tiny homes began with a bill

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

For some Coloradans, the American dream is a spacious home. It might have four bedrooms, several bathrooms, high ceilings, a two-car garage and a yard with a vegetable garden. For others, the dream looks di erent — and the house, smaller. Much smaller.

A “tiny home” is a fraction of the dream, often a single room with a loft. And it can be had at a fraction of the price of a traditional home.

Tiny homes are a reality after Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 1242 last year. e law recognizes tiny homes as a new option amid skyrocketing home values. Prices have risen so fast in recent years that many Coloradans are simply priced out of the market.

e Polis administration, in an announcement, said the law is meant to “preserve and protect housing a ordability and expand access to a ordable housing.”

While tiny home builders have applauded the bill, it wasn’t always that way. Builder Byron Fears said the legislation in its current form almost did not come together.

“ ey didn’t have the realistic side of what a tiny home is about and what it takes to build a tiny home,” Fears said.

Fears is the owner of SimBlissity

Tiny Homes in Longmont. He is also on the executive committee of the nonpro t Tiny Home Industry Association, which launched in Colorado under the leadership of former Gov. John Hickenlooper and has expanded across the country.

But Fears said the original draft of the bill had the potential to put tiny home builders out of business.

He turned to state Rep. Cathy Kipp, D-Larimer County, one of the bill’s sponsors.

“We did a Zoom call the next day and then another Zoom call the following day with more people involved,” Fears said.

Boon to the industry

Eventually, changes to the bill came and the industry got on board.

e industry looks at tiny homes as a boon to the state’s tight housing market. And they’re supported by a movement: tiny-house advocates who emphasize the environmental and personal bene ts of living in smaller spaces.

e dwellings can be as large as 400 square feet but many are much smaller. Some cost around $50,000, with prices ranging up to $200,000, depending on size and amenities — a ordable, especially when compared to median Colorado home prices that are well above $500,000.

Like regular homes, they must pass a code inspection to hook up to water, sewage and utilities. e new law also addresses manufactured homes, also known as mobile homes, simplifying contract and disclosure requirements and establishing a raft of standards from escrow to inspections meant to protect homeowners.

Fears said legislators and others worked closely with builders, too. e new law relies on the 2018 International Residential Code model, building codes written by builders around the world and adopted by individual counties, cities and towns.

e IRC’s Appendix Q speci cally addresses tiny homes and spells out the size and shape of the buildings, stairway standards, lofts and doors.

From industry to county

It all may sound dull, but those residential codes are the bread and butter of the business because they standardize tiny homes, giving builders, local communities and buyers an idea of what they can expect.

But writing the codes for national industry standards is one thing, getting counties to change zoning laws is another. e new state law simply makes it possible for county o cials to adopt tiny home rules of their own, Fears said.

“It still going to take a lot of work to get the di erent counties to adopt the Appendix Q IRC, which is what most of the building requirements will be based around,” he said.  Fears’ group met with o cials in Adams County and said they were not interested. Adams County ofcials provided no comment when contacted by Colorado Community Media.

But Fears said other counties are amenable to the idea.

“Some counties are already starting to talk with us,” Fears said.

Weld County began allowing tiny homes even before the state law passed. Tom Parko, director of the Department of Planning Services, said the county created its own policy a couple of years ago allowing people to buy a parcel of land to park a tiny home.

“We wanted to make sure the tiny home was hooked up to either a well or a public water system for potable water and then also a septic system,” Parko said. “We still do require a permanent foundation. So, the tiny home cannot be on wheels. at would be considered more of an RV and a temporary situation.”

Requirements like that can be a sticking point for some buyers. Some tiny homeowners want to have

semi-permanent foundations that keep the homes secure but allow them to be moved. e state is working on clari cation about the foundations, Fears said.

“It is one of our most signi cant sticking points and that clari cation will become guidelines counties can adopt or not adopt,” Fears said.

Weld County has more to explore, Parko said. e current rules treat a potential tiny home community like a mobile home park.

“It would allow somebody to buy 40 acres, and then allow 20 tiny homes to park on one parcel very similar to what you might nd in a mobile home park,” Parko said.

Parko said it gets a little more complicated when considering utilities. Weld County is not a water and sewer provider in unincorporated areas and in communities like Fort Lupton.

Special districts and utilities need to provide those services.

“Also sewerage and septic also have to be addressed,” Parko said. “It’s those types of things we’re kind of batting around a little bit to accommodate more of a tiny home community. But we certainly allow tiny homes in Weld County, if it’s just one per parcel.”

With tiny home living an option, Parko recommended contacting the local planning and zoning depart-

ments in the county where you are interested in living before making a purchase to ensure they’re allowed.

But for residents and buyers of tiny homes, all the regulatory wrangling is worth it. Sandy Brooks is one of those people. She was 75 years old when she purchased her tiny home in 2019.

“I’m older than most, and tiny homes are wonderful for older people,” she said. “I would rather buy a tiny home and live in it for many years than pay a lot for independent living. I feel like I’m living independently now.”

Brooks describes her tiny home as akin to a small apartment. It has a bedroom, closet, living room, and ofce space. It even has a kitchen with a dishwasher and a bathroom with a washer and dryer.

“It has all the amenities, Brooks said. “I love it, don’t regret it, and am grateful. I love my location. I live in Durango on the side of a mountain. It’s beautiful.”

Brooks said her place is perched alongside 24 other tiny homes.

“An engineer, therapists, and retired people live here, and our community helps each other,” Brooks said. “We all communicate and respect each other, and it is a wonderful place to live.”

The living room of the Valhalla tiny home with stairs leading up to the bedroom with storage space within the staircase.

Sandy Brooks’ kitchen with dishwasher. COURTESY OF SIMBLISSITY

The tiny home owned by Sandy Brooks with her dog Zoey. PHOTO BY SANDY BROOKS

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Lisa Hojeboom has a new place to call home.

It’s a one-bedroom apartment near Chat eld Dam complete with a walkout basement, a washing machine and a neighbor’s water feature “that sounds like a babbling brook.”

It’s quite a change. Hojeboom spent a year and a half living in places other than apartments. She lived in her car. She lived in a shelter. She lived at the Northglenn Recreation Center, where she slept on the oor of the gym and could get a 30-minute shower for $4.50.

“ e rst thing I did when I moved in was soak in a hot tub,” she said. “It was so nice.”

She was among many forced out of living arrangements because of the high cost of housing.

“I never pictured myself in that situation,” she said. “I did what I had to do.”

Hojeboom lived with her brother, but soon had to move.

“New owners bought the place, and they were going to raise the rent,” she said. “When my brother found out, he bailed. I had no job. I had just broken my elbow and was out of work

Fighting the Odds

for six months. I was getting hired for full-time work and getting part-time hours.”

On top of that, Hojeboom said, she su ered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was on medication, making it di cult to work, not to mention driving to work.

But she did. She did it while struggling with numerous other health issues — from a blockage in her small intestine to insomnia. rough multiple visits to the hospital and bouts of extreme pain, she held onto various jobs.

After losing her home she went looking for a new place to live. But the $1,400 per month rents she could nd were out of her price range.

“ ere’s nothing to live on,” she said, a reference to how little money she would have left after paying rent.

“It’s ridiculous. I wasn’t the only one in this situation.”

She felt she had no other option.

“I couldn’t a ord living anywhere except my car,” she said. “I saw no end. I couldn’t a ord rent.”

Hojeboom found herself living on the streets.

“ ere was one industrial street in ornton, LeRoy Drive,” she said.

“One of the parks had a ush toilet. I was never harassed. But when I got to Northglenn, the police told me I couldn’t stay on the streets overnight. I stayed employed through this.”

She even worked in airport security. Hojeboom also had a job as a con-

struction site agger, one that paid employees by the day. While she was recuperating from illness, she carried a cardboard sign to solicit money.

“I was fortunate,” she said. “It was Christmas and people were generous. I made $200. I froze my ass o , but I did what I had to do.”

Eventually, Hojeboom got into the City of Northglenn’s temporary winter housing program, which ran from December 2021 and ended in August.

e partnership between Adams County, the city and the Denver Rescue Mission opened a temporary, 25-bed program inside the former Northglenn Recreation Center.

Northglenn’s program has since ended, but more programs are coming. Voters in November approved a ballot measure earmarking tax revenue for a ordable housing, and Gov. Jared Polis made the issue a point of emphasis in his ongoing agenda. ose who took advantage of the program met with case managers once a month.

“I slept on the gym oor on a mat for the last six months,” she told Colorado Community Media last year. “We were given breakfast, a sack lunch, a shower and a warm place to stay.”

Finding a permanent place wasn’t easy.

“I responded to ve ads,” she said. “Only one was legitimate. e rest were scams. I thought, ‘I’m not going to give you information if that’s the way you roll.’”

e one legitimate ad turned into her new home near Chat eld Dam. It’s the rst time she’s had roommates. e city of Northglenn paid her deposit and gave her $200 more than what was necessary to secure the unit.

It’s quite a turnaround. She’d owned her own home at one point.

“I am not a loser,” Hojeboom said. “I’ve had success in my life. My career just took some bad twists. Breaking my elbow? at sucks. Not collecting disability? at sucks.”

“Being homeless sucks. I went to a food pantry, but I had no refrigeration,” she added. “I had a cooler, but I couldn’t keep food. My eating habits were not ideal.”

“It’s been a trip.”

She landed a job as a medical transport driver for a rm associated with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

“My personality is perseverance, but I’m worried for people who don’t have it together,” she said. “What do landlords expect? ey are pricing everyone out of the market. Interest rates are going up, which will make it harder to nd homes.”

She drives a Jeep Wagoneer for her job.

“I never wanted to wave a cardboard sign,” Hojeboom added. “I’m resilient. I’m a diehard. I smile through the face of adversity. People like my spirit. I was an inspiration to a lot of people.”

Cities where six-figure salaries can’t buy homes

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Aldjia Oudachene’s Littleton home is “a wish come true.”

e house is close to the school bus stop, near work and even has a guest room where Oudachene’s father stays when he visits.

“We have good neighbors who have children the same age, so they play together and I’m so happy here,” Oudachene said.

Originally from Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, Oudachene, her husband and two children moved to Littleton in October 2020. In Algeria, Oudachene’s family lived in a house they could a ord on her and her husband’s incomes as French teachers. When they moved to Littleton, Oudachene said it was a challenge.

“When we came here, we started our life from nothing,” she said. “Here, to teach French, I have to learn English rst.”

To make ends meet, Oudachene and her husband took full-time positions with Walmart, but, even then, the high cost of housing put homeownership outside of their budget. Instead, they rented a two-bedroom apartment.

“With the apartment, life was stressful for us,” she said. “ ere wasn’t a lot of space and no place for (the children) to play.”

Oudachene’s family needed more space and privacy. So they kept looking for a house. Oudachene said her family friend told her about Habitat for Humanity. e national nonpro t vision is a “world where everyone has a decent place to live.” And a ordability is a major part of the organization’s vision.

e application process took about a year, but Oudachene said there was no way her family would have a house without Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver’s help. In the end, the organization provided an opportunity for the family to invest in a home within their budget.

“We would have had to wait to have the budget without Habitat,” she said. “It was so fast. Now, I’m happy to pay the mortgage because it goes into our home.”

From 2017 to 2022, the average home price in Littleton has gone up $300,000, but the city is not alone. Over the same period, Brighton saw home prices increase $225,000, Arvada saw a $275,000 increase and Lone Tree homes are up more than $470,000 on average.

As nding a ordable housing becomes harder for a growing number of Colorado families, municipalities and nonpro ts are looking to expand existing solutions like inclusionary zoning, community land trusts and deed restrictions.

Communities that have implemented one or more of these approaches report increasing their a ordable housing stock, though ofcials emphasized that the complexity of Colorado’s housing situation means there is no silver bullet.

However, across the board, a key element to getting support for the expansion of a ordable housing

programs is changing the mindset of who bene ts from them.  Supply, but for whom?

Another impact of rising housing costs throughout the metro area, many communities are reaching a critical point where a majority of workers can’t a ord to live where they’re employed.

Corey Reitz, the executive director for South Metro Housing Options, an a ordable housing provider that serves Littleton and Arapahoe County, said housing prices are now una ordable even for people who take home a solid paycheck. at includes earners topping $82,000, the median household income in Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties, according to data from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.

“In the past there was an a ordability issue around those lower (area median incomes), but we’re to a point right now where a ordability impacts so many people across a larger spectrum,” Reitz said.

Across the state, the share of housing a ordable to Coloradans has dropped signi cantly. In 2021, just 51% of the state’s housing stock was a ordable for median income earners. at’s down from 76% in 2015, according to research from the Colorado Futures Center, a nonpartisan research group out of Colorado State University.

Phyllis Resnick and Jennifer Newcomer, the authors of the study, said they believe the continuous rise in pricing, even as the housing supply grows, indicates a mismatch in the kind of housing needed and the kind of housing being built.

“ ere’s supply, but supply for who? At what monetary level?” Newcomer asked.

It looks like this: subdivisions of four- and ve-bedroom homes, handfuls of luxury apartments and few, if any, condos and starter homes.

“ e thing that we’re trying to gure out how to illuminate most speci cally is this nuanced distinction between total rooftops and this notion of supply with respect to availability,” Newcomer said.

Resnick said the current market doesn’t incentivize the construction of lower-cost housing. Per her 2021 analysis, housing values in Colorado would need to drop by roughly onethird to return to the 2015 levels of a ordability – something unlikely to happen, experts have told Colorado Community Media throughout our four-week housing series.

e ones feeling the crunch the most are those who earn the least money, though many of those struggling to a ord housing have aboveaverage salaries.

“I suspect when we nish our research, we’re going to nd that housing that is a ordable to people who are closer to the economic margins is sort of not feasible in the sense of being pro table for the folks who need to be out there building that housing,” Resnick said.

A Golden gap

Without the market providing entry-level housing or starter homes, nonpro ts and local governments have stepped in to try to ll the gap by subsidizing building and buying costs.

An extreme example is the city of Golden, where 95% of its workforce lives outside city limits.

Just this month, the city applied for a grant to support a $65 million partnership with Habitat for Humanity to construct 120 for-sale condos and

townhomes for residents making 80% of the area median income for households. at’s roughly $65,000 for an individual and around $93,000 for a family of four.

Golden recently completed a housing needs assessment in October, which found that both housing prices and rent increased exponentially in less than a decade. e cost of the average house in the city doubled between 2015 and 2022. For the rst half of 2022, the average single-family home sold for $1 million, up from $533,000 in 2015. is means even relatively highincome earners in Golden are considered by the city to be burdened by housing costs.

“ e majority of the housing that we’re projected to need in the next 10 years will need to serve households at or above 120% area median income,” Golden Housing Coordinator Janet Maccubbin said. “So you’re looking at households that would make well into six gures and yet there’s not housing that exists for them in Golden.”

Maccubbin said the newly formed A ordable Housing Committee is expected to meet in February and will begin to shape the city’s response and goals for addressing housing needs.

Land and options

Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver’s approach to providing a ordable housing is to tackle two of the most expensive elements of housing — land and labor.

CEO Heather La erty said the organization, which works in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas and Je erson counties, relies on partnerships with developers, as well as volunteers and program recipients to provide the labor.

To create a ordable housing that stays a ordable into the future, the organization utilizes Colorado Community Land Trust and deed restrictions. Under the land trust model, land is owned by a community trust or nonpro t, so homeowners only pay for the cost of the home.

e trust currently has 215 properties, including townhomes and single-family homes, which serve households at or below 80% median income.

“It used to be that if we could just create an a ordable product, it would be something that would be a ordable in the future, just naturally, and that’s not the case today,” La erty said. “What (the community land trust) does is, then in law in perpetuity, it only allows those homes to be sold to homebuyers in a similar income category. So it provides a ordability initially, but it also ensures 20 years from now it is sold with an income restriction.”

In addition to the trust, Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver also uses deed restrictions to ensure homeowners meet income requirements.

La erty said the models are successful because they provide lower-cost housing, while allowing

Aldjia Oudachene and, her husband, Idir Ouarab pose with their children, Yacine and Anais, at their home in Littleton. Originally from Algeria, Oudachene applied to Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver for a home in Littleton, where average home prices have gone up $300,000 between 2017 and 2022.

COURTESY OF ALDJIA OUDACHENE

homeowners to still build equity and eventually move into market-rate housing.

“What we nd is that a homebuyer is able to get into homeownership at a price point that works for them and they then are able to build equity,” she said “It’s really a steppingstone for people who are trying to get into homeownership and bene t from the equity homeownership allows households to build. But it also means that it’s not the kind of thing that happens for one family only.”

One of Colorado’s largest land trusts, Elevation Community Land Trust, which serves Denver, Boulder, Aurora, Longmont and Fort Collins, has created 700 a ordable homes and served around 2,000 residents in its rst ve years of operating.

Rodney Milton, a board member for the Elevation Community Land Trust and executive director of the Urban Land Institute, said another bene t to having shared land is it helps to prevent displacement and keeps communities intact.

“ e problem with reaping full equity is you can leave and the next person who buys the house could a ord to buy it at a higher price and you lose the a ordability,” Milton said. “( e land trust) locks in affordability, but it also locks in community dynamics.”

Habitat’s plan to purchase more land in its ve-county service area is evidence that the organization believes in the land trust model for successfully housing more people, La erty said.

“We don’t anticipate land getting any less expensive, even if the market cools,” she said. “We have an urgency and a problem today that we’re trying to meet, as well as a long-term problem that we anticipate, so we’re trying to solve for both today and tomorrow.”

La erty said one of the biggest challenges to expanding programs to serve more lower-income households and add moderate-income households is money. Last year, her organization received a $13.5 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, an Amazon stakeholder, which allowed the organization to buy more property.

Even still, La erty said that Habitat likely only meets “a fraction of a percentage” of existing demand.

“We have a need in the metro area for tens of thousands of a ordable houses,” La erty said. “ at’s why we need bigger, bolder action.”

Inclusionary zoning

Another tactic some municipalities

are taking is to use a relatively new tool in Colorado, inclusionary zoning ordinances. State lawmakers in 2019 approved a law to allow cities and towns to require developments to include a certain number of affordable housing units or pay fees.

So far, only six communities have implemented inclusionary zoning: Broom eld, Boulder, Longmont, Superior, Denver and, most recently, Littleton.

Littleton’s inclusionary housing ordinance, which went into place in November, requires all new residential developments in the city with ve or more units to make at least 5% of those units a ordable to people at or below 80% area median income for households, which is $62,000 for an individual or $89,000 for a family of four.

If developers do not include affordable units, the inclusionary housing ordinance will levy hundreds of thousands in fees against them to be paid to the city that can then be used on other a ordable housing-related projects.

With upcoming development in the city, more than 2,500 proposed housing units will now be subject to the ordinance, presenting the potential for at least 125 a ordable units.  Littleton District 3 Councilmember Steve Barr said at the Nov. 1 council meeting that he is “not under any impression that the ordinance is going to solve housing a ordability in Littleton or south metro Denver,”

but that it provides a critical tool for addressing the crisis.

Developers and others at the meeting voiced concerns about the ordinance making development too costly or di cult and warned it could result in a decrease in the overall available housing. Morgan Cullen, director of government a airs for the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, told the Littleton council that the ordinance could burden developers to the point where projects wouldn’t be pro table, resulting in no new developments.

“ e additional a ordable units required by this ordinance will not be built if developers and builders decide that Littleton is not a suitable place to invest in the future,” Cullen said.

However, Broom eld Housing Programs Manager Sharon Tessier said in an email that its inclusionary housing ordinance has resulted in 580 a ordable rental units and 43 affordable for-sale homes in two years.

She said when the ordinance was initially in place, a majority of developers chose to pay the fee instead of building a ordable units.

“It allowed us to provide seed money to our new independent housing authority, the Broom eld Housing Alliance, and other critical a ordable housing projects,” she said. “However, we recognized that we needed to make some adjustments to our original approach —

both based on the initial data from the program, as well as through comments from developers, other stakeholders, and the community — that create better and more balanced opportunities for developers to provide on-site units while still providing the option to pay the cashin-lieu fee.”

e original ordinance required for-sale single-family home developments with more than 25 units to restrict one-tenth of the units to 80% of area median income or pay a feein-lieu. e new ordinance, updated late last year, requires for-sale single family home developments with more than 25 units to restrict 12% of the homes to 100% area median income. It also increases the fee-inlieu based on market rate adjustments.

Tessier said the reason the inclusionary housing ordinance was implemented in 2020 was to provide the chance for more people to live where they work.

“ e idea was to expand housing a ordability and to target those households that typically fall in the middle of the housing needs spectrum, meaning it would bene t those who are low middle to middle income earners,” she said. “In other words, it assists essential workers like the people who teach our children, who ght res and keep our city safe.”

Nina Joss, Rob Tann and Corrine Westeman contributed to this story.

A 2022 study from the Colorado Futures Center, a nonpartisan research center at Colorado State University, found that statewide housing values need to drop by roughly one-third to meet the a ordability rate from 2015. At the county level, housing values would need to decrease between 15-60%. COURTESY OF COLORADO FUTURES CENTER

Metro Growth: The Hidden Cost of Urban Sprawl

BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Drive along the interstate into Colorado from its eastern side and the rolling plains slowly transform into vast hills of lights.

Shelley Cook, a former director with the Regional Transportation District and a former Arvada councilor, moved to the city in 1983. Back then, those lights weren’t as bright.

“(I moved) back when Olde Town was that sleepy little place and property values were cheap,” she said.

Over the decades, Denver and the cities and towns that surround it have grown together, absorbing wide open spaces in all directions. Every decade for almost a century, the region’s growth rate has outpaced the national average, according to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, and prices did too.

“People aren’t able to live right in Olde Town, property values are expensive,” Cook said.

In the last 10 years, the region grew fast, and the Regional Transportation District is keeping track. RTD expects the population to keep rising, from 3.36 million people in 2020 to 4.41 million by 2050.

at means more roads, more water pipes, more single-family homes and ultimately more greenhouse gas emissions. In the past 30 years, Colorado has warmed substantially, and estimates project a rise by 2.5-5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050.

“I’m very concerned too, have been for years,” Cook said. “But for the world, for the people who follow us and the people who live in other places and people in developing countries who are the hardest hit in many cases, I’m very, very concerned.”

Zoom in from the mounting pressures of a world issue and see Colorado’s local municipalities — and residents — at the forefront of a solution. Climate anxiety may be alleviated with solutions that aim to reduce emissions.

Housing is part of the equation. Increasing density, building developments near transit lines and planning for other vehicles, like e-bikes, can all be solutions to the climate crisis. ough, they may come with other issues too.

Higher density results in less lawn use, accessible transit increases ridershi[ and electric cars emit less pollution. However, people are less inclined to live in dense areas, funding for transit remains low and electric cars may outsource pollution elsewhere.

Part of the problem is traced to housing and the way Americans live, according to one study from the University of California Berkeley. Households in the United States alone directly or indirectly bear responsibility for about 20% of the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases, and those households represent only 4.3% of the total global population.

Local leaders have identi ed the scope of the problem, solutions and,

in some cases, new problems created by attempts at solutions.

Pouring sand on a map

Christopher Jones, director of the CoolClimate Network at the University of California, analyzed the relationship between density and carbon emissions per household.

To measure the carbon footprints, Jones and his team looked at six key variables to estimate consumption: household income, household/family size, size of their homes, home ownership, education level and vehicle ownership.

Overall, Jones said they didn’t nd any correlation between overall density and emissions. Looking at zip codes everywhere, there are very rural areas with very low emissions, very rural areas with high emissions, cities with low emissions and so forth.

However, there exists a strong correlation between dense cities and emissions.

“It’s only when you get into the very, very high density areas that you have low emissions,” he said.

Looking at New York City, those living in Manhattan or Brooklyn have low carbon footprints, but that doesn’t necessarily mean lower emissions overall. Large cities are associated with extensive suburbs.

“It’s like pouring sand on a map. You can pour more sand in the middle and the pile just gets bigger and bigger. What you really need to do is pour the sand in a cup on the map and have it go up without going out, and we haven’t seen that in the United States,” he said.

ey don’t know if density is causing sprawl: they just know that’s what happened historically.

“Large populous cities actually have higher carbon footprints overall, even while the people who live in the urban core, their carbon footprints are much lower. So what you really need to do is prevent sprawl,” he said.

Sprawl by design

e Denver area isn’t zoned for density. Instead, it encourages the kind of growth Jones nds problematic.

Jones sees building density as a

short-term solution to reducing carbon emissions from housing. Technology and decarbonizing the economy in the long term will be much more e cient. at serves those who don’t want to change their lifestyle, as well as those who can’t a ord to live in dense areas, since density sometimes leads to pricing owners out of the area.

In Colorado, vehicle fuel and electricity are the two highest contributors to one’s carbon footprint, according to the CoolClimate Network data.

“If you can get truly renewable electricity to power your vehicle and your home, that’s certainly the quickest thing you can do,” he said.  ough, that may take years to come.

Carrie Makarewicz, an associate professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Colorado Denver, said roughly 80% of land in the metro area is zoned for residential single-family homes.

“Of the percentage of land in the region (included in the Denver Regional Council of Governments, or DRCOG) that is zoned only for residential, whether the zoning is for low, medium or high density residential (but excluding agricultural land that allows residential), the very low density zoning is 83.9% of land. Our de nition of low density is almost exclusively single family detached,” Makarewicz wrote in an email.

Just 4.4% of the built housing units is for two-to-nine unit housing.

A lot of communities in Colorado are mostly single-family homes, resulting in less density and forcing developments to sprawl out. Within Denver metro communities, that means space is limited.

According to Root Policy Research, between 2000 and 2019, Adams County increased single-family attached homes by 34%, Arapahoe County by 26%, Douglas County by 76% and Je erson County by 11%.

Progress to diversify housing stock has picked up in some areas, such as in Douglas County. e county increased duplexes by 174%, developments with three to four units by 179%, developments with ve to 49 units by 220%, and developments

with 50 or more units by 471%.

However, numbers for denser residential developments are much lower than single-family homes. In 2000 in Douglas County, there were 54,428 single-family attached homes, 103 duplexes, 738 of three to four units, 4,453 of ve to 49 units and 773 of 50 or more units.  With most of the land zoned for single-family homes, the process for developers to build anything else is more arduous for them. It means they’ll most likely face hurdles, including public hearings and approval processes involving elected o cials.

Local purview

Zoning rules, infrastructure and transit between communities all impact climate change and a ordability. So does hyperlocal opposition to projects. at’s because housing plays a major role in how people live, and it’s decided by local electeds.

“Land use decisions are the purview of local governments exclusively,” said Jacob Riger, the long range transportation planning manager for Denver Regional Council of Governments.

It puts power within municipal government, since housing policy is local: cities set codes, they vote on plans for development and they decide how they want their land to look. at accounts for the housing stock today.

Infrastructure within cities can address climate change. Dense, walkable neighborhoods with public transit have the potential to lower carbon emissions and there are plans for such neighborhoods popping up along the Front Range — along with ghts over them.

Bill Rigler, principal at Boulderbased Greenlight Strategy, has seen it all.

“NIMBY tactics are literally the same in every community across the Front Range,” Rigler said. “I will never not be astounded by what a group of 10 or 15 angry individuals with the working knowledge of Nextdoor and Facebook can do to scuttle or dramatically alter the proposals for housing.”

NIMBY stands for Not In My Back Yard, but given the adamant opposition of groups to some projects, Rigler said a new attitude has appeared: “NOPE,” standing for Nothing On Planet Earth.

“ ere is rarely — if ever — a time I can think of where opponents to these projects have relied 100% on the truth. ey have a very uid relationship with facts,” Rigler said.  Rigler’s group works with developers to help get mixed-used and affordable housing projects approved and only accepts developments if they reach a certain standard regarding sustainability.

He noted each one he works on goes above city building requirements, like water usage, by a factor of two or three. Even so, approval isn’t guaranteed and extra e orts

A map of average U.S. household carbon footprint by ZIP code of a zoomed-in portion of Colorado. The blue ZIP codes have lower carbon footprints (mostly in Denver, Boulder and mountain counties) while red have higher carbon footprints. The map is a screenshot from the CoolClimate Network. https://coolclimate.org/ maps

COURTESY OF COOLCLIMATE NETWORK

GROWTH

FROM PAGE 19

by the developer increase costs.

Some of those NIMBY arguments cite defense of the environment, Rigler said. e groups cite dense developments as taking up land that would otherwise be used as open space, or that the new housing would attract more tra c, causing more pollution.

New research may counter those stances.

What about water?

When Makarewicz thinks about density and water use, she thinks of leakage from pipes.

“ ere’s a lot of leakage in our water pipes,” she said. “Each time you create those joints and individual pipes and stretch them farther out into undeveloped parts of the county, you’re losing water.”

She also thinks of lawns. Lower density areas usually require more square feet of lawns. With more units, less water is going towards Kentucky bluegrass.

Less density doesn’t always mean less water usage, either. She said it really comes down to per-person usage and how many water-based appliances are in the home.  at’s where more e cient technology plays a role. In Westminster, water consumption declined in the

past two decades despite an increase in population and commercial use. In fact, Westminster added 15,000 residents to the community and 150 new commercial business accounts. Senior Water Resources Analyst Drew Beckwith said technology affects a large portion of that decline, like newer high-e ciency toilets that use less water than older ones.

e question of how much technology can continue to improve remains, though Sarah Borgers, interim department director of Westminster’s public works and utilities department, thinks there’s much more room to grow.

“Industry-wide, I think the sense is we are not close to there yet. ere’s still a long way to go before we hit that plateau,” she said. “We don’t know what the bottom is, but we aren’t there yet.”

Pro-density ratings are low

e majority of Americans are increasingly opposed to the idea of living in dense areas. In fact, about 60% want “houses farther apart, but schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away.”

e number of Americans wanting homes “smaller and closer to each other, but schools, stores and restaurants are within walking distance” went from 47% in 2019 to 39% in 2021.

e Pew Research Center said the shift occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic with increased “telework, remote schooling and pandemic-

related restrictions on indoor dining and other indoor activities.”

Despite attitudes shifting against density, Riger said the region mostly will densify with many municipalities at build-out and reaching their outward boundaries as population increases.

“I think it’s going to be a mix of growing out and growing up,” he said.

With higher density comes transit options, because land use is a transportation strategy.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health, transportation was the second largest greenhouse gas contributor for the state by sector, losing to electric power as the rst.

With mixed-use, well designed, higher density areas, residents are able to walk more, reduce their travel times and distances, and have the ability to support transit lines and bike lanes.

An example could be seen in Olde Town Arvada.

Housing on transit lines

Since Cook moved into Arvada back in 1983, she’s seen the city transform into something di erent, crediting transit oriented development with bringing life into Arvada’s Olde Town.

Cook, along with several others, teamed up with Forward Arvada, a nonpro t looking to revitalize Olde Town in the 90s. ey tasked them-

selves with making an idea — to run a train line along decommissioned railroad tracks — into a reality to make sure Olde Town began to thrive.

Eventually, the G Line opened in 2019 and development began to spring up.

It didn’t happen without opposition, though. Residents voiced concerns over sacri cing the historical character of the town. In fact, the city faced lawsuits from a group called All the People regarding approving development plans to add to the transit oriented development, or TOD.

e city prevailed and the new transit oriented development transformed Arvada, Cook said. It created a center that attracts citizens from around the area and which bene ts merchants, restaurants and others.

All of that can also be attributed to the mixed-use, higher density design model, where someone can live above a bakery or right next to a co ee shop.

With less emphasis put on cars, which Cook sees as a good thing, residents can live in a place where they can walk to various places. She said it contributes to more of a family feel.

See more on urban sprawl online at coloradocommunitymedia.com/ longwayhome/index.html.

A train running along the G-Line departs the Arvada Olde Town station.

PHOTOS BY LUKE ZARZECKI

A man with his dog sits at the Arvada Olde Town station on the G-Line, waiting for the train.

Near 92nd and Lowell in Westminster, a car passes through a bike lane to turn right.

Silver Plume purchases 200 acres to preserve history

e land the town purchased has a history for Silver Plume that won’t soon be forgotten. e purchased area includes 95 mining claims and what was once the Mendota Mine, which saw its heyday in the late 1800s.

Doug Watrous, founder of Jack Pine Mining, was a xture in the Silver Plume community for years, known for his passion for mining.

Rutzebeck said.

e swath of land the town has purchased holds signi cance for the residents, both in its history and future.

“Silver mining is what built the town of Silver Plume,” said Silver Plume Mayor Sam McCloskey.

McCloskey has a personal connection to the area as well.

the history of silver mining in the area.

“For 30 years, one of the goals of the historic agencies in the district has been to secure the mountainsides in the districts,” Neely said.

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e town of Silver Plume recently purchased 200 acres of Brown Gulch and Republican Mountain in an e ort to protect cultural resources, preserve open space and protect the history of the town.

On Jan. 30, town o cials closed on the historic land purchase after raising $600,000 in just shy of a year.

e town of around 200 people saw donations from businesses, foundations and individuals from the community.

STRESSES

a ordable housing need is, I think, unrealistic and unlikely to address the needs of the people who have the lowest incomes,” Freemark said.

Ron roupe, associate professor of real estate at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, said “it’s inevitable” that government must provide the needed funding to bolster the supply side of the housing market.

“We do things (on) the supply side, but it’s not enough,” roupe said. “And you can’t expect a developer to build something and lose money.”

Spending from higher levels of government could bene t in particular the suburbs, which are struggling with housing a ordability but have less political appetite to tackle the problem themselves, Freemark said.

“Ultimately, the most exclusionary

Fabyan Watrous, Doug’s wife, managed Jack Pine mining until her death in 2017. She served as a Clear Creek County Commissioner for many years and was also an important facet in the community, according to Fabyan Watrous’s daughter, Debbie Rutzebeck, who sold the town the land.

Doug acquired multiple mining claims from his father in Clear Creek County, but Mendota Mine in Silver Plume was always his “pride and joy,” Rutzebeck said.

“ e family believes he would be happy to see its heritage preserved,”

places, which are often suburbs, have no incentive to invest in a ordable housing” because “they don’t see affordable housing as (needed) by their residents,” Freemark said. at said, creating housing a ordability for key workers like teachers, police and re ghters is an important part of the puzzle for communities, roupe said.

“You lose your teachers, and then you lose the quality of your schools, and it hurts the area. Same with police and re,” roupe said.

In the larger business community, housing plays a crucial role too, Polis said.

“Coloradans have to be able to afford to live in our communities where they can earn a good living, and companies need to be able to nd the workers they need to thrive,” he said in the speech.

‘We are not California’ e governor’s one-liner when speaking about housing — “We are not California. We are Colorado” —

“It’s near and dear to me because I had several of my ancestors who worked these mines,” he said.

McCloskey likened the land purchase to a 200-acre museum, due to all the historical signi cance the area holds.

e area is also home to a bighorn sheep herd, which the land purchase will protect by designating the area as open space.

Cynthia Neely was the project manager helping to facilitate the land purchase. She explained the area is part of the Georgetown-Silver Plume National Landmark District, which has the purpose of preserving

raises the question of where the state could be headed if it doesn’t change course.

Net migration, the di erence between the number of people coming into and the number of people leaving an area, has long been positive in Colorado. In 2015, net migration was about 69,000 people, according to the State Demography O ce. Although the number reached a recent prepandemic low in 2019 with about 34,000, newcomers are still owing in.

“ ere are (home) buyers moving in from out of state, and many of them come from higher-priced areas, so they don’t have sticker shocks,” roupe said, speaking to the sustained high demand and high prices in metro Denver.

Looking to the future, roupe doesn’t think the metro Denver housing market is on a similar trajectory that large metro areas such as New York City and San Francisco have experienced in terms of high housing

Not only does this 200-acre land purchase include the iconic Mendota Mine, but the sites of an estimated 20 mines that saw active operation in the 19th century, according to Neely.

Neely hoped that beyond the preservation of the cultural remnants of the mines and the protection of nature, the area could become a space for people to learn about the rich history of Silver Plume.

“We want to share a story,” she said.

Now, the town waits for the completion of the conservation easement of the area, which will likely take a few more months due to weather.

prices.

“New York is a coastal city and a nancial center — same with (several) California (cities), San Francisco. We’ll never be that. We’re our own animal,” roupe said.

“ e choice between those cities and Denver pricing-wise has been extreme; it’ll tighten up. It’ll never be their prices, but it’ll tighten up,” roupe added.

Freemark noted that geographically, Denver has less of a physical barrier to new construction than in places like San Francisco — and that New York City is largely surrounded by water.

Rogers, the teaching assistant professor in the program for environmental design at CU Boulder, described the metro Denver housing market’s future in terms of uncertainty.

“I think that we are in a place we’ve never been before, so I can’t extrapolate the future from that,” Rogers said. “I feel like we’re in unknown waters.”

The Silver Plume Board of Trustees closed on the property on Jan. 30, 2023.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE Mayor Sam McCloskey put the o cial seal on the documents.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE

The small town of Silver Plume raised $600,000 in less than a year to purchase an area of land with a rich history

A large group of women and men pose in front of the Victoria Tunnel and the Mendota Mine near Silver Plume. HISTORY COLORADO

Educational Achievements

e following area students were named to the honor roll at Oregon State University. Students named to the honor roll have a 3.5 or greater GPA. ey are: Gabrielle Fuentes, of Bailey, a freshman majoring in university exploratory studies; Jenna M. Stricker, of Conifer, a freshman majoring in general engineering; Cyrus Bickell, of Evergreen, a freshman majoring in electrical and computer engineering; Kari L. Hoy, of Evergreen, a sophomore majoring in political science; Sydney Van Der Zee, of Evergreen, a sophomore majoring in microbiology; Erica Dietz, of Indian Hills, a senior majoring in agricultural sciences; Carl J. Benton, of Morrison, a freshman majoring in kinesiology; Avery J. Myers, of Morrison, a freshman majoring in environmental sciences; Abby J. Simmons, of Morrison, a freshman majoring in Marine studies; and Chloe H. Petitpas, of Pine, a sophomore majoring in computer science.

Samantha Swenby, of Evergreen, has been named to the fall 2022 dean’s list at Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Pennsylvania. Students named to the dean’s list have a 3.5 or better GPA.

Alexa Weakley, of Evergreen, has been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. ose named to the dean’s list are in the top 20% in their division. Weakley is earning a bachelor of science

degree in nursing.

Kayleigh Milligan, of Morrison, was named to the fall 2022 president’s list at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. ose named to the president’s list are in the top 3% in their division. Milligan is earning a bachelor of arts degree in English literature.

Katherine Hood, from Evergreen, has been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. Students named to the dean’s list have a 3.0 or better GPA. Hood is majoring in molecular genetics.

Avery Wilson, of Evergreen, and Ava Gardner, of Morrison, have earned the highest honors on the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire.

ree students from Evergreen were named to the fall 2022 dean’s list at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. ey are freshman Sarah Jermano, who is majoring in nursing; senior Daniel Matthew, who is majoring in mechanical engineering; and sophomore Kira Semmens, who is majoring in English and creative writing.

Isabella Namaksy, of Conifer, has been named to the Plymouth State University president’s list for the fall 2022 semester. To be named to the President’s List, a student must achieve a GPA of 3.7 or better. Namaksy is an adventure education major.

ree area students were named

to the fall 2022 president’s list at Southern New Hampshire University. Students on the president’s list have a 3.7 or better GPA. ey are: Austin Barnes and Carine Frye, both of Evergreen, and Kevin Rhyden, of Morrison.

Madeline Seiberlich, of Evergreen, was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. Seiberlich is a student in SDSU’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Conner Brook, from Morrison, and Alexis Goldman, from Evergreen, have been awarded the Dean’s Award with Distinction to the spring 2022 semester at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. Students with 3.6 or higher GPAs earn the award.

Vivian Levine, from Evergreen, was named to the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s dean’s list for the 2022 fall quarter. Students named to the dean’s list have a 3.2 or higher GPA. Levine is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in architectural engineering.

Stephen Douglas was recently named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester at Albion College in Albion, Michigan. Dean’s list honors are given to students who achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Douglas is majoring in sports communication. He is the son of Scott Douglas of Conifer and Janet Douglas of Tucson, Arizona, and is a graduate of Conifer High School.

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We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.canyoncourier.com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the print version of the paper. Items will appear in print on a space-available basis.

WEDNESDAY

Conifer Area Council Town Hall meeting:  e Conifer Area Council Town Hall meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, at West Je erson Middle School. Among the topics to be discussed are the Conifer library, a Je co sheri update and the 285 corridor re department survey results.

or visiting https://tinyurl.com/ ykzs2ej7.

and Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen. ese programs are for kids who love being outdoors and learning about nature and science. For more information and to register, visit www.EvergreenAudubon. org and click on Events.

ONGOING

LGBTQ+ teen book club: Resilience1220 is o ering a LGBTQ+ teen book club that meets from 4-6 p.m. the fourth Monday at the Resilience1220 o ce next to the Buchanan Park Recreation Center. e group’s rst book is “Hell Followed With Us.” For more information and to register, visit R1220.org.

THURSDAY

Evergreen chamber mixer: e Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce will host a mixer from 5-7 p.m. ursday, Feb. 9, at the Design Showroom, 3045 Whitman Drive, Evergreen. In conjunction the showroom will have an open house, where the community can meet designers and tour the showroom.

SATURDAY

Snowshoe hikes: Explore the beauty of Colorado’s winter wonderland on a guided snowshoe hike in Georgetown. Kimberly Knox of Georgetown Outdoor Discovery and Evergreen Audubon’s Emma Vasicek will lead hikes on Feb. 11, March 4 and April 1. For more information and to register, visit www.evergreenaudubon.org/events/snowshoehike-with-georgetown-outdoordiscovery-january-2023.

UPCOMING

New Year, New You: Resilience1220 is o ering a workshop that meets for ve days for teens to learn how food they eat changes their day, to nd a word for the year through movement, to show selflove and to create vision boards to embrace their identities. e workshop will meet from 4-5 p.m. Feb. 13-16 and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 17 at Clear Creek High School on Floyd Hills. For more information and to register, visit R1220.org.

Free legal clinic: A free legal clinic for people with no attorney will be from 2 to 5 p.m. ursday, March 2. By telephone or video, volunteer attorneys will answer questions, help ll out forms, and explain the process and procedure for all areas of civil litigation. Pre-registration for individual 15-minute appointments is available by calling 303-235-5275

“Spirit of Love” show: Shadow Mountain Gallery in downtown Evergreen will have its “Spirit of Love” Valentine’s show and sale through March 4. All items are made by local artists e gallery, which is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, is next to Beau Jo’s Pizza.

Young Writers’ Conference: e Young Writers’ Conference will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. ursday, March 30, at Marshdale Elementary School. Register by Feb. 28. For registration and event questions, email kirstin. pulio @je co.k12.co.us.

Evergreen Audubon Explore More: Registration is now open for Evergreen Audubon’s Explore More after-school programs starting the last week of March at Marshdale and Wilmot elementary schools

Hiwan Museum winter hours: Hiwan Museum has shortened winter hours for tours, open ursday and Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and weekends from noon to 4:30 p.m. Private tours of large groups may be accommodated when the museum is closed by calling Erica Duvic at Hiwan Museum at 720-4977653.

Community Bible Study: Several community Bible study groups are available — women (in person and online), co-ed young adults, school age, preschool & babies. is year’s study covers six books of the Bible: Philemon 1, 2, 3, John, Jude and Revelation. In-person classes are ursday morning at Rockland Community Church in Genesee, Tuesday night at Bergan Park Church in Evergreen

SEE HAPPENINGS, P25

and Wednesday morning at Conifer Community Church in Conifer. More information is available at cbsclass. org/evergreengolden.

ESA EverGREEN Re ll Station: EverGREEN Re ll Station (re ll your laundry detergent, lotions, soaps and more.  We have many sustainable products available).  e Re ll Station is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m. It is located upstairs in the Habitat Restore in Bergen Park, 1232 Bergen Parkway.

Support After Suicide Loss: Heartbeat and Resilience1220 o er Support After Suicide Loss from

5:30-7 p.m. the fourth ursday of the month for ages 14 and older. Join in-person or online. Suggest donation is $15. For location, visit R1220. org.

History Happy Hour: e Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society will host a History Happy Hour from 4:30-6:30 p.m. the second Friday of each month at Hiwan Museum. Join us in a round table discussion on any and all aspects of history with topics driven by the attendees.

Sensitive Collection: Resilience1220 o ers a monthly workshop for highly sensitive people to help them live healthy and empowered lives from 3:30-4:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month via Zoom. Visit R1220.org for more information.

Caregiver support groups: Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice o ers two monthly groups to provide emotional support services for caregivers helping ill, disabled or elderly loved ones. An in-person support group meets every third Monday from 4-6 p.m. at 3081 Bergen Peak Road, Evergreen, and a virtual support group meets every rst Tuesday from 10 a.m.-noon via Zoom. Call 303-674-6400 to learn how to connect to the group virtual call. For more information visit mtevans.org/ services/emotional-support/.

Parkinson’s disease support group: A Parkinson’s disease support group meets the rst Friday of the month from 1-3 p.m. at Evergreen Christian Church, 27772 Iris Drive, Evergreen. For more information, email esears@parkinsonrockies.org.

Dental Insurance

Mountain Foothills Rotary meetings: Mountain Foothills Rotary meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays both in person at Mount Vernon Canyon Club at 24933 Club House Circle, Genesee, and via Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting at https://us02web. zoom.us/j/81389224272, meeting ID 813 8922 4272, phone 346-248-7799.

Beyond the Rainbow: Resilience1220 o ers Beyond the Rainbow, which is two support groups that meet from 7-8:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month. One is a safe group for those 12-20 and the other is group for parents and caregivers wanting support for raising an LGBTQ child. To RSVP, contact Lior Alon at lior@wisetreewellness.com.

WORSHIP DIRECTORY

ASCENT CHURCH

“Real people pursuing a real God”

All are Welcome

Sundays at 10am

In-person or Online

www.ascentchurch.co

29823 Troutdale Scenic Drive, Evergreen

BERGEN PARK CHURCH

Bergen Park Church is a group of regular people who strive to improve ourselves and our community by studying the Bible and sharing our lives with each other.

On Sunday mornings you can expect contemporary live music, Children’s Ministry that seeks to love and care for your kids, teaching from the Bible, and a community of real people who are imperfect, but seek to honor God in their lives. We hope to welcome you soon to either our 9:30AM or 11:00AM Sunday service.

Search Bergen Park Church on YouTube for Livestream service at 9:30am 31919 Rocky Village Dr. 303-674-5484 info@bergenparkchurch.org / www.BergenParkChurch.org

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH SERVICES

28244 Harebell Lane

Sunday Service & Sunday School 10am

Wednesday Evening ZOOM Meeting 7:30pm

Contact: clerk@christianscienceevergreen.com for ZOOM link Reading Room 4602 Pletner Lane, Unit 2E, Evergreen

OPEN TUE-SAT 12PM - 3PM

CHURCH OF THE CROSS

Please join us for Sunday worship at 28253 Meadow Drive, Evergreen or visit www.churchotc.com

8:30am Traditional Service

10:30am Contemporary Service

Communion is served every Sunday at both services. All are welcome! Visit our website at www.churchotc.com for info on church activities. 28253 Meadow Drive, Evergreen • 303-674-4130 • o ce@churchotc.com

CHURCH OF THE HILLS PRESBYTERIAN (USA)

Serving the mountain community from the heart of Evergreen Worship 10:00 a.m.

Reverend Richard Aylor

O ce Hours: Tu-Thur 9:00 - 4:00; Fri 9:00 - noon Bu alo Park Road and Hwy 73 www.churchofthehills.com

CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION EPISCOPAL

In-Church: Sunday Communion Quiet Service 8:00 am & with Music 10:15 am 10:15 am only Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86017266569

In-Meadow: 2nd Sunday of the month at 9:30 a.m. --June through September— 27640 Highway 74 – ¼ mile east of downtown Evergreen at the Historic Bell Tower www.transfigurationevergreen.org

CONGREGATION BETH EVERGREEN (SYNAGOGUE)

Reconstructionist Synagogue

Rabbi Jamie Arnold www.BethEvergreen.org / (303) 670-4294 2981 Bergen Peak Drive (behind Life Care)

CONIFER CHURCH OF CHRIST

“Doing Bible Things in Bible Ways”

11825 U.S. Hwy. 285, Conifer, CO 80433

Sun: 9:00a.m. Bible Study-10:00a.m. Worship; Wed: Bible Study 7:00p.m.

EVERGREEN CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) 27772 Iris Drive, Evergreen - 303-674-3413

www.EvergreenChristianChurch.org - eccdoc01@gmail.com

Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m., with communion every Sunday

We are an inclusive faith community and welcome you to join us in our new ministry journey.

DEER PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Pastor Joyce Snapp, Sunday Worship 10 AM

Located one mile west of Pine Junction just o Rt. 285 966 Rim Rock Road, Bailey (303) 838-6759

All are welcome to our open/inclusive congregation!

EVERGREEN LUTHERAN CHURCH

5980 Highway 73 + 303-674-4654

Rev. Terry Schjang

Join us for Virtual Worship on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EvergreenLutheranChurch

Sunday Worship uploaded by 10am. www.evergreenlutheran.org + All Are Welcome!

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY CHURCH – EPC 1036 El Rancho Rd, Evergreen – (303) 526-9287 www.lomcc.org – o ce@lomcc.org

Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m., with communion every Sunday

“Real Church In An UnReal World”

A community empowered by the Holy Spirit which seeks authentic relationships with God and others to share the good news of Jesus with Evergreen, the Front Range and the world. Come as you are, all are welcome!

MOUNTAIN REVIVAL CHURCH

“Baptizing the Mountains in Jesus Name”

Sundays 11:00 am & Wednesdays 7:00 pm

Location: Aspen Park Community Center 26215 Sutton Road, Conifer, CO 80433

(Additional parking at the Park & Ride next to Big O Tires) 720-770-0380 Call, Text, or Just Drop In www.mountainrevival.org

PLATTE CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH

Located: 4954 County Road 64 in Bailey. O ce hours MWF 8am-1pm 303-838-4409, Worship & Children’s Church at 10am

Small group studies for all ages at 9am

Transitional Pastor: Mark Chadwick Youth Pastor: Jay Vonesh Other activities: Youth groups, Men’s/Women’s ministries, Bible studies, VBS, MOPS, Cub/Boy Scouts.

ROCKLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH

“Connecting all generations to Jesus”

Please check our website, www.Rockland.church, for updated service times ¼ mile north of I-70 at exit 254 17 S Mt. Vernon Country Club Rd., Golden, CO 80401 303-526-0668

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF EVERGREEN

Rev. Sarah Clark • 303.674.4810 • www.evergreenumc.org

3757 Ponderosa Dr. across Hwy 74 from Safeway in Evergreen

Join us in person every Sunday at 10:00am for worship “Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Minds”

UNITY OF THE FOOTHILLS

Transforming lives through the power of Love

Join us on Sundays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., in person or on Zoom, for a unique, member-led service. Each week a member volunteer presents a spiritual topic of their choice along with discussion questions. Attendees are encouraged, not required, to share their experiences and views on the chosen topic. We find our discussions to be lively, thought provoking, and meaningful. We are an all-inclusive community and welcome all perspectives. 28577 Bu alo Park Road, Suite #120 • Evergreen, Colorado • 80439 Email:

CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ

©

TRIVIA

1. ART: Where is the Prado Museum located?

2. GEOGRAPHY: What is the only country that the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn pass through?

3. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin phrase “tempus fugit” mean?

4. MATH: What is another name for the division sign?

5. MUSIC: How long did it take singer Bob Dylan to write the big hit “Blowin’ in the Wind”?

6. ANIMAL KINGDOM: How many times on average does a ruby-throated hummingbird ap its wings in one second?

7. MOVIES: Which movie features the line, “Keep the change, ya lthy animal”?

8. LITERATURE: Which novel features four children named Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy?

Solution

9. TELEVISION: What is Joey’s famous line in the sitcom “Friends”?

10. ANATOMY: What is a common name for the pinna in human anatomy?

Answers

1. Madrid, Spain.

2. Brazil.

3. Time ies.

4. Obelus.

5. 10 minutes, according to Dylan.

6. About 50 times.

7. “Home Alone.”

8. “ e Lion, e Witch and the Wardrobe.”

9. “How you doin’?”

10. Outer ear.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Crossword Solution

Careers

Help Wanted DRIVER

Class B CDL propane delivery truck driver for Spring Valley Gas, Elizabeth.

P/T & F/T positions; responsible for propane delivery and customer service.

HazMat/Tanker endorsement.

Propane certification a plus. Insurance age requirement 26 with clean MVR. SVG is building a team, not just a job!

Starting salary based on experience & qualifications. Call 303-660-8810.

DELIVERY DRIVER

Independent Propane Company has openings for a full-time delivery driver in our Pine Junction office.

Here’s your chance to avoid the metro rat race and enjoy working in the mountains year round. Apply with a company that is family oriented, cares for people, pays a competitive wage, and has a superior benefit package.

CDL with no air brake restrictions, Haz-mat and tanker endorsements are required; but the company will train and assist the right person in obtaining these. Salary range between $25.00-$28.00/hr. Successful applicants will be positive thinkers in good physical condition with excellent mechanical aptitude.

DOT Alcohol/drug compliant employer.

Apply at 67302 US Highway 285 in Pine Junction (south of the lighteast side); Or send your resume to:

Human Resources

INDEPENDENT PROPANE COMPANY

PO Box 300 Pine, CO 80470 Or email at: kcarson@ipropane. com

Support Dental Assistant: Conifer General Dentistry practice is looking for the right person. Dental experience not necessary but healthcare experience is preferred. Great people skills and a positive attitude are a must. Please send resume for consideration to reception@ coniferdentalgroup.com. Please no phone calls.

Career Opportunites

Help Wanted

Live In Caregiver/ Life Facilitator

Seeking an experienced caregiver to live in and care for a lady recovering from cancer in a beautiful home in Evergreen ,CO. A vehicle and valid driver license required. Duties; driving in snow,preparing meals,refilling prescriptions,grocery shopping,house cleaning,on call 5 days a week,managing calendar. Professional non-smoker wanted no pets. Vaccinations required. Looking for a long term Live in companion. Knowledge of diabetes is a bonus. On call 24/7 5 days a week with two days off. Send resume; aspenpark13@gmail.com

Clear Creek County is hiring with new higher pay rates! Apply at: 403 Argentine Street in Georgetown.

Career Opportunites

Market Place

Classifieds

Misc. Notices

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

Merchandise

Health & Beauty

VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS!

50 Generic Pills SPECIAL $99.00 100% guaranteed. 24/7 CALL NOW!

888-445-5928 Hablamos Espanol

DENTAL INSURANCEPhysicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurancenot a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-855-526-1060 www.dental50plus.com/58 #6258.

Medical

Attention oxygen therapy users! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7

Miscellaneous

The Generac PWRcell solar plus battery storage system. Save money, reduce reliance on grid, prepare for outages & power your home. Full installation services. $0 down financing option. Request free no obligation quote. 1-877-539-0299

Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-855-948-6176

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! GIBSON, FENDER, MARTIN, etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. TOP DOLLAR PAID.

CALL TOLL FREE 1-866-433-8277

Attention Homeowners! If you have water damage and need cleanup services, call us! We’ll get in & work with your insurance agency to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP! 855-7677031

Become a published author. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author`s guide 1-877-729-4998 or visit dorranceinfo.com/ads

Free high speed internet if qualified. Govt. pgm for recipients of select pgms incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet. Android tablet free w/one-time $20 copay. Free shipping. Call Maxsip Telecom!

1-833-758-3892

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debrisblocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-833-6101936

HughesNet– Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live.

25 Mbps just $59.99/mo! Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499-0141

Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up.

100% tax deductible. Call 1-800245-0398

Do you know and LOVE search engine optimization and content marketing? Do you have web development skills and know WordPress well? VERY reliable HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS are also welcome. No criminal records. Working from HOME may be possible.

Do you have experience as a content creator, writer, or author? Would you love to write about history, art, jewelry, coins, watches, and other interesting topics? If so, please contact us! We have an exciting and fun job to offer. Working from home is possible.

Miscellaneous

MobileHelp, America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long term contracts! Free brochure! 1-888489-3936

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months!

Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 855-761-1725

Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service.

Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time!

Financing available. 1-855-4171306

Caring for an aging loved one?

Wondering about options like seniorliving communities and in-home care? Caring.com’s Family Advisors help take the guesswork out of senior care for your family. Free, noobligation consult: 1-855-759-1407

DISH TV $64.99 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR included, Free Voice remote. Some Restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23. 1-866-479-1516.

Miscellaneous

Switch and save up to $250/yr on talk, text & data. No contract or hidden fees. Unlimited talk & text with flexible data plans. Premium nationwide coverage. 100% U.S. based customer service. Limited time get $50 off any new account. Use code GIFT50. 1-855-903-3048

Musical Instruments

Pramberger Baby Grand Piano Ebony Black. 10 years old. Rarely Used. Excellent Condition. Perfect for a school or church. $16,000, negotiable Michael 303-520-1000

Sponsor Spotlight

Our club has more than 100 members from all walks of life. We like to have fun and we organize social functions throughout the year.

• We meet once a week at Evergreen Country Day school; Fridays at 7.00 a.m. for breakfast. There is no meeting commitment – attend as many or as few as you like.

• Our meetings, events and speaker schedules can be found at EvergreenRotary.org, along with details about our local and international committees and projects.

• Dues are $38 monthly.

Questions? Email us at info@EvergreenRotary. org and we’ll get back to you.

The Evergreen Design Center: One Historic Location… Ten Unique Design Stores

The EDC showrooms o er everything for your home: furniture, interior design services, kitchen and bath cabinetry, hand-knotted rugs, original art, lighting, custom framing, landscaping, hardwood ooring, and home accessories. Customers will receive expert advice combined with friendly, knowledgeable service. The Evergreen Design Center 27965 Meadow Drive evergreendesigncenter.com