BANDIMERE

their automotive machining and auto parts business and to provide “a place for people, especially for young people, to enjoy the speed and performance of the automobile and to get o the streets.”

In 1958, because of neighbors’ concerns in Arvada, the Bandimeres moved to what at that time was a remote area west of Denver against the hogback. Fast forward to 2023, and again, the venue is looking for a new home to allow drag-race enthusiasts to continue to enjoy the sport.

“As we close this chapter, our family is taking the time to re ect on the hundreds, maybe thousands, of memories on under Mountain, and they are great memories,” Bandimere Jr. said. “Our relationships with employees, racers, sponsors, sanctioning bodies, guests and service providers will remind us daily of what a privilege it’s been for my family to continue the legacy started by my parents.”

He said knowing how the Rooney Valley has grown, the family has been proactively looking for another location for about a year.

“Much the same as in 1956, the opportunity for a multi-use facility for drag racing is providing an exciting opportunity for our family, though a stressful one,” he said.

In 2021, the Bandimeres hosted a community meeting through Je co Planning & Zoning to rezone the 136-acre Speedway property to sig- ni cantly increase what the property could be used for including commercial and mixed-use residential developments. e proposed ODP would limit residential development on the site to a maximum of 400 units and contain triggers requiring retail development before commercial development could take place. skill set for a re department. She has no a liation with the department.

Je co Planning & Zoning has not responded yet about whether the rezoning request was formally led.

Challenges facing the department

Stajcar explained that many in the community don’t realize Foothills is a volunteer re department, and part of the board’s mission should be to communicate that information to the community, especially what it means to have volunteers protect them, and the board needed to learn what is important to residents.

Troyer advocated for a dashboard of critical metrics created by the board with the help of re ghters and department management to review regularly. at way the board wouldn’t get lost in the weeds but has a focus for its decision-making and direction.

Graf said the biggest challenges facing the department were recruiting more volunteers, which she called critical, and restoring trust and respect for the board by better communication with constituents such as having regular community meetings. Fire ghters, the board and the community must work together, she said, calling the board the glue that holds the department together.

Hartman agreed that trust needed to be rebuilt between the board, re ghters and citizens. He added that it was important to make sure re ghters had the safety equipment they needed, and he advocated for long-term planning to convey to residents what the department will need in the future.

Kirsch suggested the community needed to understand what it took to be a volunteer re ghter, so they would understand the importance of making re ghters’ jobs safer.

Miller wants to bring scal responsibility in the department, balancing the needs of the department with the community’s expectations, calling for leadership devoid of agendas. He wants to use his knowledge of special districts, boards and government to help the re board.

Beck said the re board needs to work collaboratively, and hiring Rod Cameron as the district’s chief was a step toward healing the hard feelings among volunteer re ghters.

Potential consolidation e candidates disagreed on whether it was a good idea for

Foothills to consolidate with another department such as Genesee Fire.

Kirsch said the consolidation 25 years into Foothills resulted in a stronger department, and whether to consolidate with another department should be decided by whether response times to emergencies would improve.

Miller said he couldn’t give a denitive yes or no on whether consolidation should be done, but he would consider it if re ghters could do their jobs better, if response times would improve and if consolidation would mean cost savings.

Stajcar said he saw a lot of positives in consolidation with the Genesee Fire Department because Foothills surrounds the Genesee district, suggesting that the synergies that would be created would make both districts stronger.

Troyer said it was premature to discuss consolidation because Foothills needed to get its house in order rst. Once that happens, she said, then the district can discuss a merger.

Beck was part of the consolidation e ort that created Foothills Fire 25 years ago, and he cautioned that it was a huge undertaking and suggested that boards should listen to re ghters because they must work together in a combined department.

Graf explained that consolidation may be the next logical next step for Foothills Fire, and if discussions get serious, they need to include the re ghters and the community.

Hartman said he would consider consolidating with another district, especially if it would improve the district’s obligation to protect citizens.

Balancing wants, needs

Regarding balancing the community’s wants with the re district’s needs, Beck, Graf, Hartman, Kirsch, Stajcar spoke about creating shortterm and long-term plans to help guide the district in subsequent years.

Troyer said she looks at the revenue side, wanting to nd other ways to bring more money to the district other than property taxes, and it was time for the board to act boldly to make decisions good for all in the district.

Beck said the district replaced a re truck this year without borrowing money and has done well in providing safety gear to re ghters. However, remodeling re stations or building new ones needed to be budgeted better.

Graf added that a station fund for repairs, renovations and more needed to be created similar to the truck-replacement fund the department has, so the district has available money.

Hartman said providing equipment and safety for volunteer reghters needed to come rst. en with short-term and long-term planning, the board can see if station improvements are needed. If they can’t be done within the current budget, then it would be time to reach out to the public to explain the needs.

Kirsch said it was important for the board to get to a position where it was not being reactive to requests for equipment, personnel or stations. e district must have a rm plan.

Miller suggested that the department needed to get its nancial house in order so it could live within its means.

Stajcar said while the district’s mill levy hasn’t increased, the district has received more money since property values have increased. He wanted to use a long-term plan to determine what the district could a ord.

Wildfire mitigation

With regard to wild re mitigation, Beck, Graf, Hartman, Miller and Stajcar agreed that grants, partnerships and community education would be the best way to help o set the high costs of doing the work for residents. Mount Vernon Canyon Club and Je co Open Space have done some important mitigation work on their properties.

Troyer said she would leave wildre mitigation issues to the operational sta , while Kirsch added that the department and the community should band together to gure out what can be done and what is beyond their control.

Miller added that it was di cult but important work, critical to the area’s safety, and the re department needed to play a role.

Recreation District expected about 100 people to help pick up trash around the lake, the attendance was a bit sparce on April 22 after six inches of snow fell overnight.

Since it’s virtually impossible to nd trash under the snow, EPRD sta created a scavenger hunt game to entertain attendees as they traversed Evergreen Lake and made their way into downtown Evergreen, where volunteers received discounts from businesses.

e scavenger hunt asked questions about the Lake House’s elevation, how many trash cans are around the lake, what types of sh are in the lake and more.

Snow akes were ying as EPRD o cials conducted a ribbon cutting to o cially welcome bear-resistant trash cans to the Evergreen Lake property. e rec district with the help of Barb Gertz with Bear Aware, a local organization dedicated to help bears and humans coexist, obtained a $68,000 grant to purchase the cans that will be located at several EPRD parks.

Attendees could pick up plenty of giveaways from water bottles and neck gaiters to wild ower seeds and coloring books for kids thanks to the 15 organizations who partnered with EPRD for the event.

Jason Badgley, CEO of Phunkshun, attended the Earth Day celebration, explaining that his company makes eco-conscious headwear created out of recycled plastic bottles for skiers and snowboarders because the environment is important to the mountain culture.

Organizing Earth Day activities

It’s been several years since Earth Day was celebrated at the Lake House. is year’s event was organized by EPRD’s Maddy Evans, who is passionate about helping the environment.

“I have always felt a commitment to the outdoors,” Evans said. “When I would go on runs or hikes, I would pick up trash along the way. en I found out I could mobilize others to make a bigger impact.” at’s why she’s also involved with Keep Nature Wild, organizing cleanups in the metro area.

“It’s important to be good stewards of the Earth,” Evans said. “We can make a tangible di erence.”

She added: “We have a beautiful community. We have so much open space and so much that the outdoors has to o er. Earth Day is to appreciate our planet and community. It’s a great time to be together and appreciate the planet.”

Helping out

Tom and Sandy Cox, who are members of the Evergreen Lake Ambassadors, stopped by the lake to grab trash bags and other items to help in their continuing e orts to keep the lake area clean. e ambassadors are a group with a vested interest in the welfare of the lake, Tom Cox explained.

Scott and Saraben Turner attended the Earth Day event with their children, Eliza, 7, and Ru n, 5. Saraben explained that the family was very involved with the rec district, and they saw the Earth Day event on social media.

“My kids didn’t want to miss it,” she said.

Eliza and Ru n had a good time using stamps and an ink pad at the Wild Aware booth. Wild Aware is an Evergreen organization that advocates for the safe coexistence of wildlife and humans.

Friends Jack Atkinson, 8, and Miles Shappard, 8, also attended the Earth Day event, but they’re veterans of trash pickups. e two, along with their dads and several friends, recently picked up more seven bags of trash plus lumber from around the ball elds and bike trail near Evergreen High School.

Dad Steve Atkinson said the kids made a game of the trash pickup, and the children learned how trashy people can be. e group picked up a lot of plastic bottles.

“We were by the creek,” Miles said, “and we decided we should clean it up. If we pick up trash, maybe other people will see what we’re doing and (pick up trash) too.”

Jack added: “If we don’t, the Earth will be destroyed over time.”

We have been dealing with LAM Tree Service for almost 30 years. They are extremely knowledgeable about trees, tree diseases, pests, re mitigation, etc. They are also highly professional. They give you a cost estimate and they get the job done on time and at or below the estimate. We wouldn’t consider dealing with anyone else.

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Conifer library input meetings e Conifer community is invited to provide input into what the Conifer library should be like and o er at two meetings in May. e Je erson County Public Library is studying whether it can move the library to a free-standing location and has budgeted $2.5 million this year to make the move. e library, which is at Conifer High School, is open when school is not in session. e loss of library hours precipitated library o cials to look at alternatives.

An in-person meeting will be on Saturday, May 13, at Conifer library and a virtual meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, on Zoom. Details will be forthcoming, and library o cials say people can choose one meeting to attend.

Library o cials began exploring other options when Je co Public Schools decided to change start and end times. Starting in mid-August, the library will open at 4 p.m. rather than 3 p.m. as it had in the past.

Expanded hours at Conifer library e Conifer library will be open during the day this summer when Conifer High School is not in session.

From May 28 until Aug. 12, the library will be open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and ursday, noon-8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. e library will continue to be closed on Fridays. is is the second year the library has o ered summer hours.

Speed limit decreasing on U.S. 285 near

King’s Valley e Colorado Department of Transportation wants to slow tra c near Richmond Hill Road and King’s Valley Drive, so it will lower the speed limit from 55 mph to 45 mph. e new speed limit will a ect the northbound lane from King’s Valley e new speed limit signage will be installed this summer. e Foothills Fire board last month decided to hire a chief in-house, and Cameron was the sole candidate. e district’s former chief, Alan Anderson, resigned in early December.

Drive to Richmond Hill Road, and the southbound lane from Richmond Hill to Sha er’s Crossing.

Cameron named Foothills fire chief Rod Cameron has been named the new chief of the Foothills Fire Protection District.

Cameron, who came to Foothills in 2012, has been the department’s full-time training captain since 2019. He has lived in the re district for 20 years.

Looking for Marshdale Elementary memories

Several longtime Marshdale Elementary School teachers are retiring this year, and the school is looking for former students, families and teachers to submit memories for memory books.

e teachers are Rose Bergman, Noel Vickers, Deb Potrykus, Sue Freytag, Mary Linehan and Rosanne Jalbert.

Include your full name and submit letters, messages, memories and photos by May 1 by emailing wendi. vanlake@marshdalepta.org; turn them in at the o ces of Marshdale, West Je Middle School or Conifer High School; or mail them to Marshdale Elementary, 26663 N. Turkey Creek Road, Evergreen, CO 80439.