Mount Evans means healing

herd mix, for a bath and socialization. She said Timber has been lonely since he lost his buddy, so she also was looking at the adoptable dogs to see if she could nd Timber a new companion.

Ken Morrow sat outside the Ambary Gardens building with Cyrus, a 12-year-old Shih-tsu mix that he has been fostering for a while now. Morrow said it was good to keep socializing Cyrus and to let him meet people in hopes that he will be adopted soon.

Dana McMahon of Evergreen brought Guinness, a heeler mix, to the dog wash after a hike, noting that the cool water was a great end to the hike.

“ e dog wash was perfect timing,” she added.

Julie Martin of Kittredge was matter of fact about why she brought Ladybug, a 13-year-old golden retriever, to the dog wash.

“She was dirty,” Martin said. “I also wanted to support EAPL because they do good work.”

Good For You

A poster created by Ella Anderson, a sophomore at Evergreen High School, has been selected to promote this year’s Evergreen Jazz Festival.

e 20th annual festival is July 28-30 at four venues in Evergreen: the Evergreen Elks Lodge, Evergreen Christian Church, Evergreen Lake House and Troutdale Tavern.

Ella is the daughter of longtime Evergreen resident Kate Anderson and is an avid soccer player.

e nalists in this year’s poster contest are on display at Center for the Arts Evergreen and will be on display at the Evergreen Elks Lodge during the festival. Since 2006, EHS students have created posters in art teacher Andrew Spears’ computer graphics class, and about 40 posters are entered into the contest each year. ey are judged by Evergreen Jazz Festival representatives.

At this year’s jazz festival, some bands that are regulars will be joined by some newcomers, and James Dapogny’s Chicago Jazz Band, which performed at the inaugural festival, returns for this year’s event. Another highlight will be Double 88 during which dueling piano players will perform.

Tickets and more information about the bands and schedule are available at evergreenjazz.org.

Marilyn Saltzman of Conifer has received the 2023 Communicator of Achievement Award from the National Federation of Press Women, a prestigious award that has been given for 66 years. e Communicator of Achievement award is the highest honor bestowed by NFPW upon those members who have distinguished themselves within and beyond their eld. e recipient, chosen from nominees selected by state a liates from around the country, is recognized for exceptional achievement in the communications eld, as well as service to NFPW, the a liate organization and the community.

Saltzman, a member of Colorado Press Women, grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and after moving to Colorado in 1970, worked as a stringer and managing editor for the Golden Daily Transcript and as a reporter for the Denver Post. She served as manager of communications services for Je erson County Public Schools from 1982 to 2002, including managing community and internal communications related to the Columbine High School tragedy.

Now an author and the owner of Saltzman Communications, Saltzman is accredited in public relations and holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado-Denver.

She received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 from the Colorado chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Educational Achievements

McCue Behrhorst of Evergreen received a bachelor of arts degree in May from Hamilton College. A neuroscience major, Behrhorst graduated cum laude with departmental honors in neuroscience and completed a thesis titled “MOXDl/ TBHR a Protein in Search of a Function - e Role of Cell Death.” e following area students were named to the dean’s list for the spring 2023 semester at the University of Alabama. Students on the dean’s list have a 3.5 or higher GPA.

ey are Casmir Sadowski of Bailey, and Riley Capps, Kaia Cavin and Jordan Crawford, all of Evergreen.

Teagan McDonald of Morrison was named to the president’s list for the spring 2023 semester at the University of Alabama. Students on the president’s list have a 4.0 GPA.

Two Evergreen students were named to the dean’s list for the spring 2023 semester at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Students on the dean’s list must have a 3.7 or better GPA. ey are Sammy Smith, a junior journalism major, and Henry Anders Wellensiek, a freshman political science and economics major. e following area students have been named to the scholastic honor roll for the spring 2023 semester at Oregon State University. Students on the honor roll have a 3.5 or better GPA. ey are Bailey: freshman Gabrielle Fuentes, business administration; Evergreen: sophomore Kari L. Hoy, political science, and sophomore Sydney Van Der Zee, microbiology; Indian Hills: senior Erica Dietz, agricultural sciences; Morrison: sophomore Carl J. Benton, kinesiology, sophomore Avery J. Myers, environmental sciences, and freshman Abby J. Simmons, oceanography; Pine; junior Chloe H. Petitpas, business administration. rier request for information on his next steps.

Lute Douglas of Conifer was named to the dean’s list for the spring 2023 semester at Rochester Institute of Technology. Douglas is in the biotechnology and molecular bioscience program.

Ian Hamilton of Evergreen received a bachelor of ne arts degree in theater and performance in May from Emerson College.

Isabella Namaksy of Conifer has been named to the Plymouth State University president’s list for the Spring 2023 semester. To be named to the president’s list, a student must achieve a GPA of 3.7 or better.

A few residents along Hilltop Drive attended the July 18 Evergreen Fire/ Rescue board meeting to thank the board and Chief Mike Weege for hearing their concerns about safety and the lack of evacuation routes in case of a wild re or other emergency. About 100 people attended the June board meeting to urge the re department to be more forceful in explaining its concerns with narrow roads and emergency-vehicle access.

“We couldn’t be more happy with the board,” Eric Rothe, one of the leaders of the Hilltop residents, said. “ ere are a lot of roadblocks for the developer.”

He asked the re department’s new re marshal, Kevin Ferry, to strengthen the department’s position with the county regarding its concerns that Hilltop Drive’s width does not meet county standards, making it di cult for emergency equipment to get in when cars are trying to get out.

Weege said if Blueprint responds to all of the concerns, the department will have another opportunity to weigh in on emergency-response issues.

Ferry added that he was spending time getting familiar with the pro- posed Hilltop development and the community’s concerns.

“I concur with the chief,” he said.

“I will be getting with the (county’s) case manager to have a face-to-face discussion about our concerns to make sure our points are discussed.”

Fire board President Stacey Ballinger told sta that one of the key points the board learned from the Hilltop residents was that the re department needed to be more proactive when looking at issues with new development rather than the community feeling it needed to come to the board.

The proposal Blueprint has proposed building

Hilltop Townhomes at the east end of Hilltop Drive, which is o the Evergreen Parkway frontage road north of Stagecoach Park. e land was zoned for multifamily homes in 1982, so rezoning is not required, which means no public hearings before the Planning Commission and the county commissioners.

Libkey is proposing 1,800- to 2,000-square-foot townhomes with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. ey would be con gured in 10 buildings with three to seven units each, and each townhouse would have a sprinkler system. e price would be between $750,000 and $850,000.

Libkey has said he met with some neighbors about their concerns, and he’s willing to work with them.

“I’m available and my door is open for communication,” he said. “I am happy to eld concerns and questions and give feedback. … We have been trying to be patient and do the right thing.”

Sheri ’s O ce response

Hilltop residents wanted to make sure the re department had seen the Je co Sheri ’s O ce’s response to the proposed development.

Scott Pocsik, commander for the Je co Sheri ’s O ce mountain precinct, wrote in a letter to the county that he had concerns about putting a townhome development in the Wah Keeney Park neighborhood, noting that Hilltop Drive was a narrow twolane road that can’t be widened.

“ is roadway and particularly the location of the development does not have adequate access for re apparatus and emergency response vehicles in the event of a critical event, such as a wildland re,” Pocsik wrote. “Additionally, there is not an adequately secondary access route for this development. ese issues create a public-safety risk in the event of a need to evacuate the current homes as well as an additional 47 townhomes, while trying to allow access to re apparatus and emergency responders.” e county-maintained portion of Hilltop Drive is about 17 feet wide while the private portion is between 13 feet and 17 feet wide, residents say. According to Je erson County standards, in general, a road should be 20 feet wide with two-foot-wide shoulders on each side. e county said in a letter to Je co Planning & Zoning that it does not plan to widen the public portion of Hilltop Drive.

In the event of a wild re, the Je co Sheri ’s O ce is responsible for evacuations.

In its letter to the county, Evergreen Fire asked for more details on plans to widen the private portion of the road, which is east of Fir Drive, and noted the public part of the road is narrow, too.

Other issues

Among the issues delineated in the response letter are:

• Je co Planning & Zoning is asking for documentation from Blueprint that it has easements from 11 of the property owners along the private section of the road, so it can widen the road to county standards. Blueprint Investment Fund says it has those easements, thanks to a lawsuit, to widen the road, and it has agreed to put sprinkler systems into each townhouse.

• e letter discusses the concern about only one access road to the property.

“ e number of lots on Hilltop Drive with a single access point after Fir Drive exceeds the allowed units/ lots with single access,” the letter states. “As mentioned in the PreApplication response … a secondary access is required to add the proposed 47 units.”

Libkey told the Courier he tried to get an easement from property owners south of the property to create a second permanent access onto Chestnut Drive, but property owners were not willing to accommodate his request. He said he was willing to create an emergency-only access lane if he could get an easement.

• e letter asks for a southbound left-turn lane from Hilltop Drive to the frontage road that leads to Evergreen Parkway.

According to a tra c study provided to Je co by a consultant for Blueprint, Hilltop Townhomes is expected to generate about 346 weekday daily trips, and the consultant believed the tra c “will be successfully incorporated into the existing and future roadway network.”