Bad news: Inflation continues in Denver metro area

Good news: It’s slowing

BY SARAH MULHOLLAND COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

ere is a little bit of good news for consumers who’ve watched prices for just about everything tick up dramatically — prices are now rising more slowly in Denver as federal regulators try to keep in ation in check.

An index that measures prices for everything from gasoline and groceries to airplane tickets and housing increased by 6.4 percent in January compared to 2022, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. at’s down from an annual increase of 6.9 percent in November, the last time the rate was calculated. At this time last year, prices were surging more than 9 percent in Denver. e trajectory mirrors the national trend, with U.S. prices up 6.5 percent in January. at’s good news for consumers that have watched the bills for everyday items grow unabated for more than a year. But still, in ation is stuck far higher than the government’s target rate of between 2 percent and 3 percent.

they’re not rising as fast as a year ago. For instance, fruits and vegetables cost almost 13 percent more than they did at the same time last year. And household energy bills are up more than 13 percent. On the ip side, used car prices have fallen more than 10 percent.

Since November, prices for food broadly speaking are up 2 percent and used car prices are down about 4 percent.

Newly released data on spending in the U.S. shows that retail sales jumped in January, meaning people remain largely undeterred by how expensive things are. While that’s good news for the overall economy, it’s not great news when it comes to putting the brakes on in ation.

e persistent price increases mean the Federal Reserve is likely to keep raising interest rates, making it more expensive to borrow money and slowing demand for large purchases that many people take out loans to buy. e central bank’s efforts have already slowed demand in the housing market. Home prices in Denver, Colorado’s largest housing market, are down about 1 percent since last year, after a record-setting run of double-digit gains during the pandemic.

Nancy

Judge,

President/CEO, Evergreen Chamber of Commerce

In the Denver region — which includes Adams, Arapahoe, Broomeld, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Je erson and Park counties — prices for a lot of things remain stubbornly high, even if is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org. e survey e board debated whether to survey property owners or residents, taking into account renters, for example, and board members ultimately decided to survey residents since they can use district facilities, too, and property owners, while they pay property taxes, might not live in the district.

Recreation Center and acquiring existing empty buildings to allow more o erings rather than building new facilities.

Board members said they were glad to have the feedback from community members, who made their voices heard despite the district not being able to be everything to everyone.

Originally, the consultant advised surveying about 7,000 households in the district, but the board has asked what the additional cost would be to survey all 9,000 homes in the district.

Board members realize that some community wants are not feasible, such as discounts for district residents for skating at Evergreen Lake because Denver owns the property, and such discounts can’t be offered based on the agreement with Denver.

Only one person per household will be allowed to answer the survey, and board members are weighing the survey’s length against getting information they need to help make better decisions on the district’s future.

“If the survey is too detailed, they won’t answer; if it’s too high level, we don’t get data we need,” board e bond question e bond that is almost paid o was approved by voters in 2000, and that money went to pay for land adjacent to Buchanan Park so the district wouldn’t lose it to development. e other is to also ask for additional money, and according to Colorado law, the bond question must be speci c in delineating what projects the money would be used for. at’s why the district is embarking on a strategic-planning process. e last time voters passed an EPRD bond request was in 2005.

President Don Rosenthal said. e board hopes to mail postcards to households in early March with a QR code and passcode, so people can take the survey online. An option will be available to get a paper copy of the survey.

Board members haven’t decided whether to ask voters for more money, and they have two options. One is to ask voters to continue paying the same amount of property taxes after a bond is paid o in 2025. at would provide the district with about $1 million a year that it could use for maintenance or new projects.

Board member Betsy Hays said when she joined the board in May, one of the rst things she heard from Rosenthal was that the board needed to create a strategic plan, rather than talking about creating one. It was time for the board to take some action.

“Ultimately it is up to the ve of us to discern what is best, so the public will vote for it,” board member Peter Eggers said. “We have to agree based on public input and what we can actually do. e next question is, Do you ask for more? Will the mood (of the voters) allow us to do that?”

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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.

FRIDAY

Land of Oz bene t gala: Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice will host the Land of Oz bene t gala starting at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at Mount Vernon Canyon Club in Genesee. Costumes are encouraged, and the event includes food, drinks, auctions and dancing to the music of Tunisia. Tickets are $100 per person and are available at mountevans. org/gala.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”: Ovation West is performing the comedy “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” from Feb. 24-March 12 at Center Stage in Evergreen. Rated PG-13. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $32 for adults and $28 for seniors, and may be purchased at ovationwest.org.

TUESDAY

Navigating the Unhoused Crisis: e League of Women Voters of Je erson County and Je erson Unitarian Church Community Action Network will co-sponsor a virtual panel discussion Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 6-7:30 p.m. to explore what can be done in Je erson County to ease the plight of the unhoused. e public is invited to join via Zoom. ere is no charge to attend, but registration is required at https://bit.ly/3DRkhkW. For more information, visit LWVJeffco.org.

UPCOMING

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 Area Republican Club: e Evergreen Area Republican Club will meet at 6 p.m. March 1 in the Evergreen Fire/Rescue Administration Building, 1802 Bergen Parkway. Guest speaker is Antonette Smith with Americans for Prosperity. Check the evergreenarearepublicanclub.org website for more information. Independents and una liated welcome.

Evergreen chamber monthly breakfast: e Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly breakfast from 7:30-9 a.m. Wednesday, March 1, at Troutdale Tavern. For more information and to register, visit evergreenchamber.org. e Kids Are Back art show: Shadow Mountain Gallery will again display artwork by local elementary school children. “ e Kids Are Back!” e display is in recognition of National Youth Art Month and includes artwork from six schools: Wilmot, Marshdale, KingMurphy, e Bergens and Parmalee. Open houses will be Friday, March 3, from 5- 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 5, from 2-5 p.m. e show will run from March 3-26. Shadow Mountain Gallery is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in downtown Evergreen between Java Groove and Beau Jo’s.

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

“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.

285 TechConnect Radio Club: e 285 TechConnect Radio Club for ham radio enthusiasts interested in its technical aspects, will hold its monthly meeting from 10 a.m. – noon Saturday, March 4, at e Bridge Church at Bear Creek, 3101 S. Kipling St. in Lakewood. For more information, visit https://na0tc.org/.

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 March 4 and April 1. For more information and to register, visit www.evergreenaudubon. org/events/snowshoe-hike-withgeorgetown-outdoor-discoveryjanuary-2023

Rockies Springtime art show: Shadow Mountain Gallery

Where to shop for clothes, gifts, furniture, window treatments, will display artists’ renditions of springtime in a wide range of media – from March 5 through April 29. One-of-a-kind artwork will be priced for every budget. Shadow Mountain Gallery is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in downtown Evergreen between Java Groove and Beau Jo’s. receives $25, second place $20, third place $15.

Evergreen chamber mixer: e Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce will host a mixer from 5-7 p.m. ursday, March 9, at Restoration 1 of West Denver in Wheat Ridge. In conjunction the showroom will have an open house, where the community can meet designers and tour the showroom.

Shadow Mountain Legacy: e Conifer Historical Society is sponsoring a program called e Shadow Mountain Legacy at 2 p.m. March 26 at the Little White Schoolhouse, 26951 Barkley Road in Conifer. Tickets are $10-$12 and may be purchased at ConiferHistoricalSociety. org/tickets.

Foothills Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show: Foothills Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show will be April 1-2 at Evergreen High School. e show, sponsored by Evergreen and Conifer Rotary, will be from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. ere is no entry fee, though bringing two nonperishable food items for Evergreen Christian Outreach is encouraged. Net proceeds are distributed as grants for charitable causes through the Evergreen and Conifer Rotary Foundations. For more information, visit foothillshomeshow.com.

Ongoing

“Chapter Two:” Evergreen Players will perform “Chapter Two” by Neil Simon March 10-26. Friday and Saturday are at 7 p.m. and Sunday matinee performances are at 2 p.m. Shows are at Evergreen Players Black Box eatre, 27886 Meadow Drive, Unit B, Evergreen. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.evergreenplayers.org or by calling 720-515-1528.

Mountain Area Democrats: Mountain Area Democrats meet the fourth Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. through April at United Methodist Church of Evergreen, 3757 Ponderosa Drive, Evergreen. For more information, email MountainAreaDems@gmail. com.

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.

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 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.

Art of the Egg: e 15th annual Art of the Egg decorating contest sponsored by Go Paint! is in full swing. Decorate your ceramic egg by March 19. Cost is $15, with a portion of the proceeds going to Resilience1220. Age groups are up to 8 years old, 9-13 and 14 and older. Voting will take place March 22-31, and winners will be noti ed April 1. First place

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 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 dona- tion 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.

Mountain Foothills Rotary meetings: Mountain Foothills Rotary meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays both