EASTER

Amphitheatre stage is a dream come true for the musicians.

“It’s on the bucket list for most musicians,” Steinbach added.

Bauer said when she went to a concert at Red Rocks when she was 7, she knew she wanted to perform on that stage.

Swearengin said playing this Easter gig has been a huge blessing for both his calling as a pastor and his lifelong enjoyment of music.

is year, three of the band members’ daughters joined on stage: Conifer High School freshmen Mattie Brown and Lily Harwood, and West Je erson Middle School eighthgrader Megan Swearengin. Megan explained that the three got to perform thanks to a pinky promise. Dad Lance promised the girls could sing with Blood Brothers if they played the Sunrise Service a second time.

While attending Sunrise Service is pretty special, performing at Red Rocks is even more special, according to the girls.

“You can see the sun rise every day, but performing at Red Rocks is amazing,” Lily said.

e band got its name when Harwood sent Swearengin a song called “Blood Brothers,” and Swearengin thought it would be a great name for a band. In 2022, when the Colorado Council of Churches asked for videos of bands interested in providing music for Sunrise Service, Swearengin took a chance and sent one in. e band was selected and has returned for its encore performance.

The attendees

Young and old attended Sunrise Service, all agreeing that Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a special place with beautiful views. Couple that with the picture-perfect sunrise and the 40-degree weather, and the service was a superb event.

Kevin and Rebecca Moots traveled from Parker to Morrison to attend the service with their children for the rst time.

“We are very blessed to be here,” Rebecca said. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Kristen and Matt Maloney of Idaho Springs brought their sons Luke, 7, and Gram, 3, who were wide awake as they waited for the service to begin. is was also their rst time attending the service.

Don and Sarah, who live in Morrison, attend Sunrise Service occasionally, and this year the early service close to home was helping since they were hosting Easter dinner for family.

“ is is unique,” Don said. “ is is a one-of-a-kind experience.”

Sarah added: “We are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and the joy of the day.” e candidates also will be available to talk with constituents before and after the Conifer Area Council Town Hall meeting from 7-8 p.m. April 19 at West Je erson Middle School. e election will be in-person from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at Elk Creek Fire Station 1. e top three vote-getters will serve four-year terms on the board.

Hugh Morgan of Windsor and Stacey Banks of Golden also attended for the rst time.

“ is is a great opportunity to enjoy the beautiful weather and celebrate Christ’s resurrection,” Banks said.

Morgan added that the turnout was impressive.

Anyone who wants to vote by absentee ballot must request the ballot in writing by April 25 to the re district’s designated election o cer by using the form available at elkcreekfpd.colorado.gov/transparency/elections. Directions for getting the ballot and returning it are on the form.

The candidates

Devaney, the administrative manager for the Evergreen Metro District, said she brings experience with special-district operations to the Elk Creek Fire Protection District. Her husband has been an Elk Creek volunteer re ghter for 14 years, so she understands how the district functions from that perspective.

MacPhee has law and accounting degrees, and while she has no connection to the re department, she says she would provide homeowners’ perspectives to the board. She said she has nancial acumen and knowledge of the area to help her in decision making.

Newby, who has served on the Elk Creek board for a year, said he brings more than 40 years of managing technical teams, including understanding how to read, generate and stick to a budget. His experience includes managing complex situations and measuring performance.

Wagner, a former Elk Creek volunteer re ghter, owns his own business and said he understands nancials. He said the district needs to make sure it is not spending more than it needs to while making sure the district runs well.

Woods, who has a master’s degree in nance, has been serving on the Elk Creek Fire board since 2019 and is its treasurer. In 2018, Woods collaborated with the Elk Creek Fire board president on a presentation to the Je co Planning Commission on extreme wild re risk.

Peterson, who was unable to attend the candidates forum, grew up in Evergreen and now lives in Conifer. According to his Facebook page, Peterson “understands the unique challenges we face when it comes to re safety. He is passionate about making sure that we have the resources and infrastructure in place to protect our homes, families and natural beauty.” He says he has strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of the importance of community involvement.

Proposed consolidation e Elk Creek Fire Protection District is considering whether to consolidate with the North Fork and Inter-Canyon re departments, and the departments’ boards of directors will decide by Sept. 8 whether to put the issue to a vote in November. e consolidated department would encompass about 400 square miles, and voters in all three re dis-

See For Yourself

Watch the Elk Creek Fire candidates forum here: https://youtu. be/3BL2eW3QR7E tricts must agree to consolidate and to pay additional property taxes that will balance the rates for all property owners in the new district.

Two candidates generally support consolidation, while three aren’t convinced it’s the right move for the Elk Creek Fire Protection District.

Woods, who serves on Elk Creek’s consolidation committee, said she supports consolidation, saying it would improve emergency response times for everyone in the large district.

“A consolidated department would pool its resources, and there would be no competition for volunteers,” Woods said. “ e assets will come from all parts of the district.”

Devaney said on the surface, she supported moving forward with consolidation.

“I have my concerns, but right now my positives outweigh the negatives,” she said. “When we look at consolidating revenue streams, that enables the whole organization to fund necessary capital improvements in a streamlined capacity.”

Wagner said he wasn’t sure about consolidation yet because the information the three re districts are providing wasn’t complete, adding it was all about cost and bene t for Elk Creek.

Newby said while he wasn’t against consolidation, he did not have enough information to make an informed decision.

“What I am asking for is the real on-the-ground truth of the needs assessment in terms of a budgetary plan, so we can make a decision,” Newby said. “Right now, community members and voters are not getting that information, and we won’t get that information … because the information is not available.”

MacPhee agreed: “ is is a government entity, so we must balance taxpayer resources with the needs of community. When we talk about consolidation, there will be the same assets but with the bigger entity. I’m open to being convinced that consolidation is the right thing to do, but right now, I’m not convinced.”

Shadow Mountain Bike Park e application for the proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park recently was submitted to Je co Planning & Zoning, and if approved, Elk Creek would be responsible for emergency medical services in addition to those provided by bike park sta . e candidates agreed that more calls would tax Elk Creek’s emergency medical services since more calls would cause more EMS personnel to be at multiple calls at once. e bike park proposal is symptomatic of any large development proposed along the U.S. 285 Corridor since it would add more stress to emergency services.

MacPhee suggested that Elk Creek charge fees to the bike park to o set its EMS costs, while Newby added that taxpayers should not have to pay for services that the re department provides to one business or development.

Wagner did not have an opinion

O cials discuss local and county issues at Evergreen forum

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Local, county and state o cials reminded residents at a town hall meeting on wild re risk that it will take everyone working together to help curb the threat of wild re in the foothills.

“If there’s one thing I hope you will take away, and many of you are already aware of this: ere is no one strategy to address preparing for wild re,” Je erson County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper told about 150 people at the meeting on April 8.

Jess Moore, Evergreen Fire/Rescue’s wildland project coordinator, reminded the group that preparing for a wild re is like a three-legged stool, requiring all three legs to become e ective: fuel-break halos, which slow wild res; defensible space around homes, which creates a bu er between homes and vegetation; and home hardening, which means making homes ignitionresistant by clearing gutters, using less- ammable materials on homes and more.

Speakers at the forum at the Evergreen Fire/Rescue Administration Building discussed topics ranging