Centennial Citizen 123021

December 30, 2021

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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of

VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 6

Elves for Seniors makes deliveries County program helps more than 200 seniors

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Several senior citizens in Englewood and Littleton were treated to Christmas gifts last week as part of the Arapahoe County Elves for Seniors program.

According to information provided by Arapahoe County spokesperson Luc Hatlestad, the program is made possible by the county’s “internal homemaker staff.”

Even with the increasing number of COVID cases in the area, Hatlestad said county staff made their way out on Dec. 20 to hand deliver gifts to some of the community’s senior citizens.

To make the program possible, Hatlestad said the county partners with Home Instead, an organization that coordinates online donations via Amazon.

Through the program, Hatlestad said county staff selected 60 seniors this year, delivering gifts in Littleton and Englewood.

Describing some of the stops on Dec. 20, Hatlestad said it was worth it given how seniors would read the SEE SENIORS, P17

More roads will use technology to adapt lights to traffic conditions

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Leonard, an Englewood resident, and service dog Rhett enjoy gifts from the Elves for COURTESY OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY Senior program.

My Name Is ... Daniel Arsenault ‘Disney On Ice’ performer, Centennial native, former South Suburban ice skater I am 27, and I am currently a resident of Jefferson City, Missouri. I lived in the Denver area starting at age 2, and Centennial from age 16 to 25.

My mom had always loved ice skating as a girl, and so she

Centennial’s ‘intelligent’ stoplight timing to expand

would take me and my siblings skating when we were young as a fun family activity that we could all do together. Eventually, she signed us up for lessons, and at the age of 8, I started really learning to ice skate. I learned

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | SPORTS: PAGE 16

the basics of skating and then went into playing hockey, which I really enjoyed, and still enjoy very much today.

I first began figure skating at the age of 14 after pursuing hockey for several years. I switched from hockey because I was a competitive sibling and thought I could be better than my sisters.

SEE MY NAME, P11

With so many major streets running through Centennial, traffic has remained a top concern for the city, and a project to better adjust traffic lights will soon come to more of the city’s large roadways.

An early phase in the project — carried out on Yosemite Street — reached completion in October 2020, and the adaptive traffic-light system is set to expand in 2022 to other major corridors in the city.

Here’s a rundown of how Centennial’s “Intelligent Transportation System” works and where changes are coming soon.

Adding technology “Intelligent Transportation Systems” is a blanket term that refers to technologies that can help address transportation issues, according to Anna Bunce, the city’s traffic engineer.

“ITS devices and applications can include many different things,” such as real-time adaptive traffic signal changes along with cameras for monitoring traffic conditions, Bunce said.

The cities of Centennial, Greenwood Village and Lone Tree SEE TRAFFIC, P22

TESTING ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIMITS Was Sun Temple even more complex than believed? P12

2 Centennial Citizen

December 30, 2021

State’s fiscal outlook keeps getting better Larger TABOR refunds on the horizon

21 fiscal year, which ended June 30, prompting an income-tax rate reduction to 4.5% from 4.55%, and an additional sales tax refund payment, on average, of about $70.

Joint filers will receive $166 on average.

Even though Colorado’s tax revenues are expected to be strong, there are still problem areas in the state’s economy.

Inflation in the Denver metro area was 6.5% overall in November, or 5.2% excluding the energy and transportation sectors, which tend to be more volatile and are experiencing much larger rates of inflation at the moment: 36.6% and 20.5% respectively.

“Energy and transportation are really the driving forces behind inflation,” said Jeff Stupak, an economist with Legislative Council Staff.

BY DANIEL DUCASSI AND JESSE PAUL COLORADO SUN

Economists are more optimistic about Colorado’s tax revenue future than they were three months ago, even though labor and inflation strains continue and amid uncertainty caused by COVID-19.

The headwinds have so far not been “strong enough to slow the impressive growth,” said Meredith Moon, the deputy director of the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting.

OSPB and nonpartisan legislative staff presented separate, but equally rosy budget forecasts to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee on Friday. Economists for both agreed that state tax revenue will end up higher than previously expected.

The nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff estimated there will be nearly $800 million more in revenue for the state’s general fund this fiscal year, which began in July and ends June 30, than they predicted in September, and more than $500 million in additional revenue for the next fiscal year than their previous forecast showed.

That compares with slightly lower estimates from OSPB economists who say there will be about

While inflation goes up, the Colorado economy continues on a steady pace to recovery.

PHOTO BY ANDY COLWELL

$700 million more in revenue for the state’s general fund this fiscal year than in their last forecast, and about $420 million more for the next fiscal year than they previously thought.

“Colorado’s economy is coming

back strong,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a written statement. “This forecast shows a robust recovery.”

Outlook barely affects budget The improved outlook ultimately means little for how much state lawmakers will have to spend in next year’s budget. Tax dollars in the next three fiscal years were already expected to exceed limits on state revenue in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, meaning the Friday forecasts predicting even more tax dollars flowing into state coffers simply means that more money will have to be refunded to taxpayers.

Nonpartisan legislative staff now anticipate about $2 billion of annual TABOR surplus revenue in each of the next three fiscal years, well above the $550 million to $900 million in excess predicted in September, when they last presented to the JBC. OSPB’s forecast was a bit less optimistic, predicting $2 billion in excess revenue in the current fiscal year, and $1.7 billion in excess revenue in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years. That’s still well above the $697 million to $1.1 billion in excess revenues they forecast in September.

If the revenue projections hold, taxpayers will see an income tax rate reduction and sales tax refund checks in the mail for each of the next three fiscal years.

Democrats could try to ask voters to let the legislature keep the excess revenue. They have also been mulling policy mechanisms that don’t require voter approval that would let the lawmakers keep some of the surplus money, including by moving money around to make it exempt from the TABOR cap and expanding existing tax credits, like the child tax credit and the earnedincome tax credit.

The TABOR cap was exceeded by about $454 million in the 2020-

Supply chain issues fuel inflation Stupak said that ongoing supply chain issues paired with healthy demand also put positive pressure on inflation, but that he hopes by 2022 some of those pressures will wane.

The most obvious example is in the automobile market. As supply chain shortages have constrained the supply of new cars, the price of used cars has ballooned.

Additionally, Bryce Cooke, chief economist for OSPB, said he expects that inflation tied to housing prices will pick up around the same time other supply chain issues are resolved. That could put more pressure on Colorado’s already-strained housing market.

Colorado’s labor market, meanwhile, has been on the rebound, with 86% of jobs lost during the pandemic recovered. About 10,000 jobs are being regained each month.

By June, nonpartisan legislative staff expect all jobs lost during COVID to have been recovered.

But the job market is not recovering at the same pace for all sectors of income earners and in all areas of Colorado.

For instance, there are still about 16,000 pre-pandemic food service jobs that haven’t been filled, and job recovery for people making less than $27,000 a year has been far worse compared to workers earning $60,000 a year or more.

The good news for workers is that “wages and salaries are on the rise,” according to Cooke. And OSPB doesn’t expect the trend to change.

In fact, much of the revenue increases forecast Friday are being driven by personal income taxes.

Stupak cautioned that the pandemic “remains in the driver’s seat” and the new omicron variant continues to fuel uncertainty.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Centennial Citizen 3

December 30, 2021

New Fetch! launches in Centennial, metro area In-home pet care, walking among services offered by franchise STAFF REPORT

New Fetch! Pet Care, a franchised provider of professional dog walking and in-home pet sitting services, is now available in Centennial and nearby communities, including Highlands Ranch, Littleton and Cherry Creek.

Nicole Yates is leading the efforts to bring the program to Denver metro cities. According to the press release, Yates will focus on exceptional service and reliable care, offering a range of services for furry, feathered and scaly family members, including puppy checkins, private dog walking, pet sitting, overnight care and pet transportation.

“I have always loved animals and our family currently has a puppy, so I can understand why people consider their pets to be part of the family,” said Yates. “We expect the best care possible for our dog, and as such, Fetch! Centennial will provide clients with that same level of service that ensures animals are safe, happy and well cared for.”

As a professional franchise specialist, Yates said she knows the value of this specific business model. She recognizes franchise ownership allows for flexibility with the potential for significant income. When Yates began researching franchise opportunities, she said she hoped to find a business that would use her problem solving and customer service skills. After learning about Fetch!, she signed on quickly.

In addition to managing her new business, Yates is a busy wife and mother. She is involved with a local children’s publication and charity events and is beginning to form partnerships with animal rescue organizations in and around Centennial.

Yates hand-picks and thoroughly trains each dog walker and pet sitter on her team. Each pet care provider is bonded, insured, background checked and has specialized skills in caring for dogs, cats, birds and other caged animals. To establish a relationship between the Fetch! team member and the prospective client, and to ensure a good fit for all, Yates offers a free consultation.

For a free consultation with a member of the Fetch! Centennial team, call 720-741-1709 or email nicole.yates@fetchpetcare.com.

Rasmussen Mechanical moves to Centennial Operations had been based in downtown Denver area STAFF REPORT

Rasmussen Mechanical Services has shifted its operations out of their downtown Denver area facility to a new location in Centennial, located at 15335 E. Fremont Drive.

The move comes in response to tremendous growth and as a strategic change to better serve the communities in the surrounding area.

“We serve the entire east side of the state and this move situates us better geographically to serve our current customers and those in the surrounding area,” said Cullen King, Colorado location manager.

“It puts us outside of downtown which will allow for quicker response times when emergencies arise” The move also comes in response to continued company growth.

Rasmussen Mechanical Services has grown from a single location in 1990 to seven locations and more than 220 employees today.

“Having this larger facility will help us continue the trajectory of growth that we have experienced in 2021,” King said. “In our new facility we will now have room to increase our parts inventory, create a dedicated fabrication area as well as give us the office space for the personnel growth we are experiencing and anticipate to continue.”

Rasmussen officially opened at the new location on Dec. 20.

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4 Centennial Citizen

December 30, 2021

Littleton nonprofit gives grants to documented immigrants

Immigration Pathways has hosted past workshops with Arapahoe Community College members.

Money goes toward scholarships, low-income assistance

BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Immigrant Pathways Colorado, a nonprofit based in Littleton, said

it has awarded more than $100,000 in grants to immigrants in the Denver-metro area, a milestone for the organization after it began offering grants in 2010.

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“It feels pretty amazing,” said Susan Thornton, a former Littleton mayor who founded the organization in 2009. The nonprofit is completely community funded and receives no federal or state assistance, said Thornton.

“I was really amazed that a volunteer board of directors can do so much,” she said.

While the program focuses on immigrants living in the Denver area, Immigrant Pathways has awarded money across Colorado to lower-income, documented immigrants for a variety of initiatives such as English lessons, citizenship applications and driver’s licenses.

The nonprofit also awards scholarships to immigrants attending classes at Arapahoe Community College (ACC). As of 2021, the organization has awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships, according to Marie Perrin-McGraw, assistant director of operations and stewardship at ACC. About $1,000 goes to each student.

“Our partnerships with our community are crucial with our mission of removing barriers to education and creating those community partnerships,” PerrinMcGraw said.

Since Immigrant Pathways began working with ACC in 2017, McGraw said the program has been crucial for opening more doors to students.

“It opens a whole new way of looking at their educational path and giving them confidence to apply for funding and knowing that there’s external groups, like (Immigrant Pathways), actively wanting them to move forward,” she said.

The money given by Immi-

grant Pathways is doubled by a statewide program, the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, that matches every $1 of the scholarship, providing students up to $2,000 from the money they secure from Immigrant Pathways.

Along with ACC students, Immigration Pathways works with several immigrant service organizations to identify applicants who may be eligible for a grant.

This includes the Littleton Immigration Resources Center and the Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning in Denver.

While Immigration Pathways receives larger donations of around $1,000 every year from organizations like the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Colorado chapter, it mainly relies on smaller donations from individuals across the metro area.

“It’s a non-stop effort to educate the community about what we’re doing,” Thornton said. “Most of what we raise comes from people in the community who believe in our work.”

Thornton said she’s proud of the progress and growth the nonprofit has made. As it celebrates its $100,000 grant landmark, its members are preparing to bring help to incoming refugees from Afghanistan throughout Colorado, with around 2,000 anticipated for the Denver metro area.

Thornton said the organization is anticipating an influx of grant requests, but she remains hopeful that the community that has supported Immigrant Pathways will continue.

“America has always been a land of immigrants,” she said. “And people look to us for humanitarian leadership.”

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Centennial Citizen 5

December 30, 2021

Free tree recycling runs through Jan. 14 Service provided for Littleton, Englewood and Centennial residents

BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Starting Dec. 26, South Suburban Parks and Recreation will offer free Christmas tree recycling in the Littleton-Englewood area and in Centennial until Jan. 14.

The service is in partnership with the City of Littleton and has been promoted as a sustainable and environmentally friendly way for residents to dispose of their real Christmas trees after the holiday season ends.

“Most trash and waste removal companies do not accept Christmas trees, so we encourage residents to take advantage of this free program,” South Suburban said in a news release.

Residents will need to remove all decorations including lights, ornaments, garland, tinsel and stands before dropping off the tree to be recycled. Fake trees will not be accepted, South Suburban said.

Residents can drop off trees at Cornerstone Park at 5150 S. Windermere Street at the corner of West Belleview Avenue and South Windermere Street in Englewood. In Centennial, trees can be dropped off at the Willow Spring Service Center at 7100 South Holly

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From Dec. 26 to Jan. 14, South Suburban Parks Parks and Recreation will be offering free Christmas tree recycling at two metroa COURTESY OF SOUTH SUBURBAN PARKS AND RECREATION area locations.

Street.

Both sites will be open for dropoff seven days a week from sunrise to sunset.

The trees will be chipped on-site.

Beginning Dec. 30, residents can pick up free bags of mulch from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays at the Willow Spring site and during daylight hours every day at

Cornerstone Park. Mulch is also available from the City of Littleton throughout the year at the northwest corner of South Prescott Street and West Prentice Avenue.

South Suburban said residents are responsible for loading the mulch, encouraging those interested in taking advantage of the free program to bring bags or

trash cans along with a shovel or pitchfork.

The service has been offered every year since at least 2014, according to Becky Grubb, South Suburban spokesperson, and sees thousands of trees recycled.

Last year, the Centennial location recycled more than 2,200 trees, Grubb said.

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6 Centennial Citizen

December 30, 2021

Recovery campus planned to fight homelessness Battle over location is likely on horizon

BY JENNIFER BROWN COLORADO SUN

Officer Ricky Stegmaier with the Lone Tree Police Department shines his flashlight over an urban encampment used by people experiencing homelessness. Items left behind at the site -- located behind a trash compactor at a local store — included cooking supplies PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER and tent components.

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Eight years ago, Colorado repurposed an old Army fort surrounded by farm fields into a homeless recovery center, a peaceful campus on the plains, far from the gritty streets where its residents previously slept.

More than 1,700 people have lived at Fort Lyon, about three hours from Denver in Las Animas, and about half of them left with housing.

Now, as Denver and its suburbs are dotted with tents and parks have been shut down to clean up trash, plans are in the works for two more recovery campuses — both much closer to the epicenter of Colorado’s homelessness crisis.

Gov. Jared Polis has tagged $45 million in his budget request to turn a former, now-empty youth corrections facility in the mostly vacant fields not far from Denver International Airport into a site that could house up to 350 people.

The second recovery campus is planned for a to-be-determined location in the Denver area — whether that’s in the city proper or one of the suburbs is unknown.

And judging by the “not-in-mybackyard” fights over Denver’s sanctioned tent camps during the last year, the metro area will at some point in the near future begin arguing over which neighborhood or suburb should host the project.

For now, though, talks are in the works about what the recovery campus should include and a wish list is beginning to take shape: an all-encompassing residential center where people could receive medical detox, addiction treatment, job training and peer mentorship from folks who’ve experienced addiction and homelessness. Ideally, residents could stay as many months as they needed — up to two years even — and walk out with enough stability to work and pay rent.

The governor has asked for $50 million for the Denver-area project, which, like the AdamsArapahoe county campus, would be funded from one-time federal coronavirus aid in the American Rescue Plan. The plan is to have Denver’s Department of Housing Stability collaborate with various other city and county agencies and nonprofits.

“This is exactly what our community is crying out for us to address,” said Britta Fisher, who heads the city’s Department of Housing Stability.

The key to getting people off the streets and into treatment is having space ready at the moment they’re ready to accept it — not two weeks later, or after telling them they need to visit multiple government offices to obtain a

valid ID, she said.

“If you’ve come to that decision, in that golden hour where you’ve decided ‘I need to do something about my addiction or about my mental health,’ and then you face a daunting gantlet to get services, … it’s very easy to see that one more barrier can set somebody back to say, ‘Ugh, I can’t do this right now,’” she said.

Opioid crisis plays role Fisher points to the opioid crisis and the skyrocketing deaths from counterfeit opioid pills laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has caused 624 deaths in Colorado so far this year. While about 1% of Denver residents are homeless, 17% of overdoses last year were among people who are homeless.

In 2020, 370 people in Denver died of drug overdoses and this year’s deaths are on track to climb even higher.

The Denver area lacks enough medical detox options, as well as residential programs for people who need treatment and lack insurance or are on Medicaid.

Right now, those who can get beds typically are allowed to stay for about 14 days, which is not nearly enough time to stabilize after potentially years of living on the streets, Fisher said. And outpatient programs that send people back to their tent or a shelter at night do not work, she said.

“You can’t go home to the street and think that is going to be a great environment to support sobriety,” Fisher said.

The homelessness and drug crisis is so huge that Fisher suspects Colorado would have no trouble filling up two new recovery campuses in addition to Fort Lyon. “At this point, we are in such a crisis that I think we need a lot of beds,” she said. “We need more beds, more infrastructure, more staffing to help with what we are facing as a community.”

As for where this new center would go, Fisher said she’s still focused on the model and not the location. It’s possible, she said, that instead of one large campus, the recovery center ends up split among two or three locations – one with medical detox, another with job training, etc. She wants to hear ideas from the suburbs.

“There are lots of regional partners here and they may have opportunities that they may want to bring forward and say, ‘We think this place could make sense for this and here’s how and where,’” Fisher said. “I don’t think this is a Denver-only or even a Denverled. I think this is really about the region coming together. It’s not anything any one city can necessarily pull off on their own. There are folks in every community that need these types of services.”

“Each county needs to contribute” Jefferson County, which has no homeless shelter, is working to stand up two “housing navigaSEE HOMELESS, P7

Centennial Citizen 7

December 30, 2021

HOMELESS FROM PAGE 6

tion” centers that would include shelter beds as well as permanent housing. Kelli Barker, who coordinates services for the homeless in JeffCo, is already facing a host of questions about where those navigation centers will go — and trying to balance the NIMBY sentiment with selecting neighborhoods that would qualify the projects for tax credits.

“I have no easy solution,” she said. “Community engagement is really important for any site. It’s an urgent public need and ultimately it has to go somewhere.”

Barker wholeheartedly supports a homeless recovery campus for Denver and its suburbs. “This would be so huge for the metro area,” she said. “Each county needs to contribute to the solution.”

Services would be needed Wherever it’s located, the recovery campus needs an array of services so “people can chart their own pathway” to recovery, Barker said. Some might need medical detoxification to begin. Others will need medication-assisted treatment, such as methadone or suboxone. Later, they will want community college courses and training in auto mechanics or culinary arts. Most of all, people will need the space and time to recover, she said.

Living on the street or in shelters, people are in a constant

state of crisis. “We know from the way our brains work that when you are in survival mode, wondering, ‘Where am I going to sleep tonight, where am I going to use the restroom,’ you are living minute to minute,” she said. “You can’t address any long-term goals.

People use (drugs) to survive on the streets, to numb the pain of being in survival mode.”

But when people who are homeless move into housing, with support from peers and therapists, their “nervous system relaxes” and they can start to “address the underlying trauma,” Barker said.

The governor’s office said “all possibilities to bring this to fruition are still being considered,” and emphasized the need for a collaborative effort among various cities and counties.

“In the wake of this pandemic, we have seen a rise in homelessness in many cities that need bigger, bolder solutions in partnership with local governments who ultimately must deliver results for their communities,” Polis’ spokesman Conor Cahill said in an email. “We look forward to discussing details in the coming months.”

Fort Lyon has 49% success in permanent housing Fort Lyon sits on 552 acres in the Lower Arkansas Valley, where a grassy oval is surrounded by dorm-style living as well as homes that once housed Army officers.

Last fiscal year, 390 people lived at Fort Lyon, before the pandemic caused the recovery campus — run by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless — to take a

break from admitting people from March-June 2020.

Most of those 390 people came from Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, and most returned to the Denver area, though some got jobs and housing in the community around Las Animas, according to an annual report from the Coalition for the Homeless.

Of the 390, 49% left with permanent housing. The average stay lasted 11 months.

A statewide referral network – including mental health centers, detox and substance abuse treatment clinics, the criminal justice system and the Coalition for the Homeless medical clinic – invites people to move to Fort Lyon.

James Ginsburg, who ran Fort Lyon for its first 5 1/2 years and now runs a nonprofit for the homeless in Lakewood, hopes to help develop plans for a Denverarea recovery campus. He has no doubt it would fill up — about 30 people each morning come to his nonprofit, called RecoveryWorks, for hot showers and food. The center, which also has 10 beds for people who are homeless and need acute medical care, spends each afternoon helping people apply for housing.

The region is in major need of long-term, residential care to help people break the cycles of homelessness and addiction, he said.

“People spend 40 years getting ill and it’s going to take longer than 30 days to get well,” Ginsburg said. “At the end of the day, people don’t want to self-destruct. But it’s the only life they’ve known.”

Ginsburg said he is hopeful

that, especially after the way the pandemic exposed the depth of the homelessness crisis, that the public will support the homeless recovery campuses. He wants people to see that having a recovery center in the neighborhood is better than having people without homes sleeping in doorways and setting up tents along sidewalks.

“Everybody says they want it, just not in their neighborhood,” he said. “We have to continue to articulate the truth. Ignoring it is not going to make it go away.”

To serve the city and the suburbs, a new Denver-area recovery center is likely to sit closer to homes and businesses than the campuses of Fort Lyon and the potential Adams-Arapahoe site, which is the former Ridge View Youth Services Center.

Ridge View, most recently a privately run program for teenage boys, is a 560-acre campus with seven living areas. The vast property has an industrial kitchen, an auto mechanic workshop, a football field and gymnasium.

Funding for the two new recovery campuses is part of a $200 million package proposed by Polis that also includes a competitive grant program for local communities to build shelters and housing.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

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8 Centennial Citizen

December 30, 2021

As COVID persists, school life starting to feel normal Educators, students remain optimistic as challenges remain

BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It had been more than a year since her students performed in front of their parents.

When Euclid Middle School Principal Cindy Corlett finally got to see two concerts this past month, her emotions were overwhelming.

“I literally was brought to tears by having our students be able to perform and the parents there to be able to see it,” Corlett said. “We went almost 500 days without having a concert, and a middle school shouldn’t be that way.”

As schools across Littleton prepare to enter what will be a third year of learning in the era of COVID-19, educators and students said they have finally begun to feel a sense of normalcy again — even if the future remains uncertain.

For Corlett, the return of live performances and other extracurricular activities has brought back an important element of school that had been missing for students.

“It’s so great to see because it builds community. It connects our kids and we’re so happy that we’re able to do additional activities,” she said. “For some students that’s the highlight of their day, and it makes their learning easier when they can go to their passion areas. Whether it’s the music or sports, that’s a key piece to what they do and who they are.”

Adam Williams, who coaches girls basketball at Littleton High School, said having sports back has “been huge.” Williams was able to see his high schoolers through a half season this past spring as well as enjoying the return of summer camp.

“It’s really good for kids, mentally, to have them engaged in positive activities,” he said.

Since being back on the court, Williams said, his focus has been less about wins and losses and more about appreciating the time spent together.

“We use the term ‘family’ in our program a lot and it did feel really family oriented,” he said. “Just

being able to go back out and be together and compete. It feels a little bit more normal this year.”

But the pandemic’s effects on learning remain.

Aside from the tangible marks COVID has left on classrooms, such as masks, students are still readjusting mentally to in-person learning.

Littleton Public Schools brought all its students and teachers back for full-time, in-person classes last spring, marking a full school year since the district switched from remote or hybrid learning. For some students, the change presents a challenge.

“The last couple years, I’ve kind of felt like a new teacher again,” said Williams, who teaches social studies to middle and high schoolers at Options Secondary Program in addition to his basketball coaching duties.

While online, Williams said, some students were struggling to stay engaged. Once they returned to the classroom, they continued to find it hard to meet the expectations of in-person learning, with students expected to participate more than they may have during a remote class.

“Just being together with a group of people again, for a lot of kids, was difficult,” Williams said. “You have kids who started the year as a ninthgrader as their first year in high school this year, and they haven’t had a normal year of school in a year and a half.”

Williams said he knows there will still be “hiccups or bumps along the way,” as he looks to next semester.

Since returning to in-person classes, Williams said he has had several students who’ve had to quarantine after being exposed to COVID. When that happens, students can access their missed lessons and coursework online through Google Classroom.

Even with the online access of their lessons, students returning from quarantine can struggle catching up, Williams said. But every week that students are back in class he notices progress.

“I think kids are getting there.

They’re getting back to being used to being in the classroom and engaging in things,” he said. “I feel like I’m seeing the stamina come back a bit, but there’s still gaps … I think we just have to do our best to get them back to where they need to be whilst also affording the kids grace

as well.”

Along with coursework, students are also getting back to a more routine social life with peers, something that Options high schooler Travis Hancock said he missed most during the first year of the pandemic.

“It feels amazing, this is what I remember school (being) like,” Hancock said. “I love going to school. I love socializing.”

Before his school returned to in-person learning, Hancock barely saw friends and spent much of his time social distancing. He lives with his grandparents and said the early months of the pandemic were especially difficult as he grappled with social isolation and trying to make sure his household was safe from the virus.

“COVID was really hard around my house,” he said. “I noticed my mental health went down a lot. Not being able to see friends, hang out.

My 10th-grade year was kind of a blur.”

Being back in school full time, Hancock said he feels energized again to engage in classes and with friends, bringing a school life that has begun to feel more like a preCOVID experience.

With one year left before he graduates, Hancock is currently taking concurrent enrollment classes at Arapahoe Community College (ACC), something that wasn’t a victim of COVID-shutdowns thanks to ACC’s ability to offer classes online.

ACC President Stephanie Fujii said the pandemic showed that the college could offer classes and resources in ways it hadn’t before.

“Students actually like virtual services,” Fujii said.

With about 80% of the college’s students attending classes parttime, many are working or raising families. Fujii said keeping online services is needed to meet students’ needs even after the college’s campuses fully reopened this fall.

But the virus is still presenting obstacles for ACC as it looks to next semester. ACC recently implemented a vaccine or testing mandate for all students and employees who plan to return to any of its three campuses in Littleton, Parker or Castle Rock for the spring semester and beyond.

With a renewed threat from the rapidly spreading omicron virus, Fujii said vaccination and testing will be crucial to ensuring the cam-

A woodwork class at Options Secondary PHOTOS BY ROBERT TANN Program.

Masks are still required in all Littleton schools, but educators say most students are fine with wearing one if it means remaining in the classroom.

Students have now been back in the classroom for a full school year, marking the beginning of a return to normal for most Littleton schools.

pus can remain open.

“These are not necessarily easy times,” Fujii said. “We all thought COVID would be done.”

While uncertainty may loom for educators across Littleton, educators say schools are better positioned than ever to respond to whatever the pandemic may bring their way.

“I always feel optimistic about the future,” said Corlett. “We have experiences, we have ideas … when (COVID) first started we had no idea how to do that.”

Keeping schools open will be vital for student success, said Corlett — something that, before COVID, was often taken for granted.

“The thing that I didn’t really realize is how limited our time is together,” she said. “And now, I realize the gift that it is each day.”

To advertise your place of worship in this section,

call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email eaddenbrooke@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

Serving the southeast Denver area

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Centennial Citizen 9

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10 Centennial Citizen

LOCAL

December 30, 2021

VOICES Some say it’s the best week of the year

H

ere we are in one of those years where Christmas and the New Year are bookending a full week.

And it seems like whenever this happens, many treat it as just another work week, while others take full advantage of an extra week between the holidays where it may not be quite as busy at work. And there are many companies who have moved to giving the entire week off as an extra benefit to their teams.

Why do some feel like it’s the best week of the year? Since I am one of those people, I thought I would ask around and see why others might feel the same way.

Many affirmed my thinking. It’s a great week to decompress after a long year. And many of the folks I spoke with lumped 2020 into this year as well because of the pandemic and overall craziness of that year they didn’t have time to sort it all about last year. This year they shared that they were really looking forward to taking a breather, even if it’s just an extra day or two and not the whole week.

Some families booked a vacation, others just planned local activities. There were several people who shared that they usually start taking down their decorations immediately after Christmas, but this year, they thought they might leave them up just a bit longer.

WINNING WORDS

Michael Norton

H

Brandon Davis

I N D E P E N D E N T An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of

A publication of

Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: CentennialCitizen.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100

veloped strength that could create blind spots for me. I find that being as optimistic as possible is my best approach, only if I am willing to scrutinize my planning and set my expectations having carefully thought through the realities of life.

As I challenge my optimism with a dose of reality, it forces me to become even more creative, to think through contingency plans, and to still try and come up with a way to achieve my goals and dreams no matter what life throws my way. Do I eliminate some of what I had been planning? Absolutely. Do I add more than what I had initially planned for the year? For sure. And the bottom line is that by taking this extra time to focus before the year begins, I go into the new year with greater confidence.

Is this the best week of the year for you? Do you take time to recharge before the new year begins? Or are you racing to complete everything you can before the year runs out? I would love to hear your story at mnorton@tramazing.com, and when we balance our optimistic planning through the lens of reality, it really will be a better than good year.

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.

Answers are available on Medicare

ave you ever had a question concerning Medicare, but not sure about who to turn to for the answers? Tired of all the advertisements from various plans ALWAYS trying to sell you something? Need some local advice how to protect your Medicare benefits from suspected Medicare fraud, abuse or errors?

There are two (2) local programs that are federally funded to help answer your questions and offer some advice to protecting your Medicare benefits!

The first program is the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (known as “SHIP”). It is a program of dedicated, certified, and trained counselors. These counselors have gone through intensive training on the various parts of Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plans, and Medicare Supplements policies (known as Medigaps). Our SHIP counselors understand that circumstances differ between one beneficiary and another. Even if you are currently working, have job insurance, and are eligible for Medicare, we can help provide advice on your options.

If you are transitioning from Medicaid to Medicare due to eligibility, SHIP can

LIVING AND AGING WELL

The full week is giving a lot of people a chance to complete projects at work or at home. And a few shared that they felt like they could get more done because there are fewer distractions.

For me, I always loved the week between Christmas and the New Year because it gave me time to reflect on everything that happened during the year. And although I have already planned out my 2022, I take this week to review my plan in greater detail, adjust if I need to, and wrap my head around what the new year will bring, trying to do as my good friend Tom Ziglar suggests, “Expect the best, prepare for the worst, and capitalize on what comes.”

We know that change happens. Change is constant. Change shows no prejudice.

As predictable as change is, the actual changes that come our way are so unpredictable. This means we must ready ourselves for the changes as best we can. And for me, this week is the perfect time to connect my head and my heart as I expect the best, prepare for the worst, and position myself to capitalize on whatever comes.

This week between the holidays, looking at my plan, I want to make sure that I examine every aspect of life, the spiritual, mental and physical, and through the lens of reality. The reason I call out “reality” is because my nature is to be positive. And sometimes this is an overde-

provide next-step advice to you on making that transition as smooth as possible.

Whether you are thinking about Medicare, already enrolled, or have a question for a friend or family member, we can help you find the answer to these questions!

The second program is the Senior Medicare Patrol (also known as “SMP”) which provides advice and education to people with Medicare and caregivers to protect beneficiaries from suspected fraud, errors and abuse. The purpose of the Senior Medicare Patrol is to empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to protect, detect and report health care fraud, errors and abuse.

If you are new to Medicare or currently enrolled, it’s NEVER too late to learn how to protect and safeguard your healthcare benefits. This program can help equip you on how to protect healthcare information (i.e. your Medicare card and number).

Your Medicare Summary Notice is a quarterly record from your plan displaying where you used your Medicare card for services. It may say “This is NOT a bill” but it’s important to take a few minutes to review it to make sure there are not

any errors! Lastly, the Senior Medicare Patrol serves as a local resource for you to report any suspected Medicare fraud or insurance agent marketing violations (e.g., uninvited calls or visits).

These two programs are at NO COST to you and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Insurance.

Brandon Davis is the Program Director at Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.

Please join us for our next virtual online presentation at 10 a.m. on Feb. 3, when Davis will present about these programs and how they can help answer your Medicare questions. For additional information please visit www.drcog.org/SHIP or call SHIP at 1-888-696-7213.

This column is hosted by the Seniors’ Council of Douglas County. For more information, please visit www.MyDougCoSeniorLife.com, email DCSeniorLife@ douglas.co.us or call 303-663-7681.

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant

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Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Citizen. We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

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Centennial Citizen 11

December 30, 2021 Club, held at the (former) South Suburban Ice Arena.

Every spring, they put on (a large) amateur ice show … with a cast of kids and adults sometimes 200 strong, featuring everyone from tots barely able to skate, to Olympians in guest performances. It is a show that every kid at that rink spends all year looking forward to, and it brings so much joy to both the skaters and the parents who get to watch them fall in love with performing under the spotlights.

Every year, I was able to learn something new about performing from the amazing directors and coaching staff they had, and it bred and solidified my desire to perform professionally one day.

Daniel Arsenault is a skater for “Disney On Ice” and grew up in the Denver area, COURTESY PHOTO including in Centennial.

MY NAME FROM PAGE 1

‘Out of my shell’ The thing that started my love of performing actually had nothing to do with skating — it was through speech and debate. I competed in debate for three years in high school, but my senior year, one of the other students convinced me to do an interpretive speech with her. It was an experience that really forced me to come out of my shell, and through it, I discovered that acting and bringing characters to life was a challenge that was thoroughly enjoyable.

National contender After high school, I attended Arapahoe Community College for two years to be able to continue training, and throughout this time I competed in the pairs discipline of the United States Figure Skating competitive pipeline. Three times I competed in one of the three sectional championships that are held across the U.S., and twice I was fortunate enough to advance from them to the national championships at my level.

Left a mark One of the greatest influences on my performances is Sally Smith, the Denver Colorado Figure Skating Club’s beloved performance coach.

She is one of those people that is always pushing you to be better, no matter how good you already are, and does so in a way that made skating more fun for me. Through her lessons, I was prepared with the skills necessary to be a successful professional performer.

Coming to Disney “Disney On Ice” is a well-known

destination in the figure skating world for people who want to continue their careers beyond their time in the competitive scene, and any skater can send in a video showcasing their skills to the talent director. I was fortunate enough to meet the talent director in person at a competition and then attended an in-person audition, after which I was offered a position in the company.

This (current) show, “Dream Big,” is all about dreaming and setting those big goals for yourself.

One of my favorite segments of the show is “The Princess and the Frog” because Tiana takes that message of dreaming big and isn’t afraid to work to make her dreams come true!

Behind the scenes I also sharpen all the performers’ skates on the show. I spent several years working at a pro shop in the old South Suburban Ice Arena, honed my sharpening skills there and now I get to travel the world while I sharpen skates for many incredible skaters.

If you would like to suggest someone for My Name Is ..., or if you would like to be featured in the segment, contact Ellis Arnold at earnold@coloradocommunitymedia.com or 303-566-4109.

South Suburban memories I skated in many amateur shows during this time as well ... The best show to skate in though was “Showtime On Ice,” a production of the Denver Colorado Figure Skating

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Memory In Loving

Place an Obituary for Your Loved One. 303-566-4100 obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com Self placement available online at CentennialCitizen.net

12 Centennial Citizen

December 30, 2021

LOCAL

IS COLORADO HOME TO AN

LIFE

ANCIENT

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY? The question is testing archaeological limits

BY DAVID GILBERT COLORADO SUN

O

n the winter solstice in 1997, Greg Munson stood beside an unusual basin pecked into the stone along the exit trail to Cliff Palace, grandest of the cliff dwellings in southwestern Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park.

As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, Munson, a former Mesa Verde park ranger and researcher, watched as the sun appeared to plunge into Sun Temple, an enigmatic structure perched on a promontory atop Chapin Mesa across the canyon from his vantage point.

“It was amazing to think that maybe I was the first western person to see this event in nearly 800 years and recognize it for what it was,” Munson said.

Munson and his colleagues may have been looking at one of the most advanced astronomical observatories in the ancient world, according to recent studies by data scientist Sherry Towers.

Researchers have long theorized that Sun Temple contains solar, lunar and

astronomical alignments in its placement and architecture, and Towers’ research suggests it could be far more complex than previously believed. But unraveling Sun Temple’s mysteries is made more difficult by the troubled history between researchers and the descendants of the people who built it.

Towers’ research uses computer modeling to theorize that Sun Temple is shot through with sight lines pointing not just to the rise and set of the sun at crucial dates, such as equinoxes and solstices, but to lunar cycles and an array of major stars that figure into Pueblo cosmology that may have its origins among the Ancestral Puebloans.

Towers has also further developed theories that Sun Temple’s construction incorporates advanced geometry, including a standard unit of measurement, and walls built to the proportions of the golden rectangle and Pythagorean 3:4:5 triangles.

“It’s sheer genius,” Towers said of Sun Temple’s construction. “The architect did this with no known writing or numerical system, no computers.

IMAGES: TOP LEFT: Dr. Sherry Towers at the edge of the cliff beside Sun Temple in 2015. Towers believes the enigmatic structure may have been an advanced astronomical observatory. COURTESY PHOTO TOP RIGHT:Cliff Palace in the 1930s. NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE

BOTTOM LEFT: December sunshine over Sun Temple. PHOTO BY JEREMY SHOCKLEY BOTTOM RIGHT:A diagram of Sun Temple drawn by pioneering archaeologist J.W. Fewkes.

NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE

‘Some feel we shouldn’t be preserving these sites, that we should allow them to decay as Mother Nature intended. But that’s contrary to our policy to preserve these places for future generations.’

Elizabeth Dickey, Mesa Verde National Park’s head of cultural resources They laid it out with yucca cords and sticks. They were the Michaelangelo of their time.”

Mesa Verde National Park, established in 1906, features some of the most well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan sites in the Southwest. More than 22,000 people may have lived on and around Mesa Verde at the beginning of the 1200s.

But by the beginning of the 1300s, the area was depopulated, likely as a result of

a prolonged drought or other social pressures.

The inhabitants largely resettled in Arizona and the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, where their descendants live today as the Pueblo and Hopi people.

(The park’s former inhabitants were once called the Anasazi, though the term – which is commonly cited as meaning “ancient enemy” in the Diné language – is considered derogatory

by Pueblo people and has

fallen out of use).

Mesa Verde’s crown jewels are its cliff dwellings, sprawling structures built in alcoves beneath the mesa tops, with likely uses including habitation, food storage, ceremony and ritual. More than 600 cliff dwellings are scattered throughout the park, though they represent just a fraction of the more than 5,000 known archeological SEE MESA VERDE, P13

Centennial Citizen 13

December 30, 2021

MESA VERDE FROM PAGE 12

sites within park boundaries.

Amid this archaeological treasure trove, Sun Temple stands out.

Built nearly 800 years ago by the Ancestral Puebloans, Sun Temple shows no signs of habitation – no hearths, no food storage, no trash middens. The D-shaped 122-foot-by64-foot structure encloses several roofless circular rooms. They do not appear to be kivas, the subterranean rooms used for ceremonies and rituals. Nor were they tall enough to be watchtowers.

“We know it’s monumental public architecture,” said Elizabeth Dickey, Mesa Verde National Park’s head of cultural resources. “But how was it used? That we can’t say.”

Finding alignments Towers’ work follows earlier hypotheses about the site’s astronomical alignments, dating to the earliest modern researchers. Sun Temple was first excavated by J.W. Fewkes, a pioneering archaeologist and ethnographer who worked in the park in the early 20th century – and gave Sun Temple its modern name. Fewkes theorized that Sun Temple’s south wall was aligned to the summer solstice sunrise, though later investigation found the wall is off from the sunrise by several degrees.

Nevertheless, in the decades that followed, researchers built on Fewkes’ theories, owing in part to Sun Temple’s commanding view of the surrounding landscape, and growing awareness of the Ancestral Puebloans’ knowledge of astronomy.

Munson, who along with other researchers surveyed Sun Temple in the 1990s and 2000s, studied the alignment between the winter solstice sunset and the pecked basin at Cliff Palace across the canyon.

Towers, who built on work by Munson, Kim Malville and Dr. Jonathon Reyman, said her research brings a new data-driven, analytical approach that has been lacking in archeoastronomy — the study of how ancient people observed the heavens.

“You can find alignments in almost any building if you go looking for them,” Towers said.

To check her work, Towers created a computer model of Sun Temple, then rotated it in more than 200 configurations. She said only in its real-world positioning does Sun Temple most closely match the alignments of major stars in the mid-13th century, when Sun Temple is believed to have been built.

As her research has broadened, Towers said she believes many sites around Sun Temple may hold more astronomical alignments.

From a boulder covered in ancient carvings at nearby Balcony House, Towers says the winter solstice sunrise would appear to emerge from the vertex of an L-shape formed by a cliff face and the top of Chapin Mesa across the canyon, though she has not yet had a chance to observe the phenomenon in person.

Towers acknowledges that while her research is intriguing, she has

had little discourse with Pueblo and Hopi people about it.

“These places are considered sacred, and there’s a lot of trust that needs to be built to achieve that relationship,” said Towers, who is working for the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Germany. “I wish I lived in Colorado so I was in a position to work on that. Would Pueblo people see value in the work I do? Maybe, maybe not.”

Living, breathing places Observing the movement of the heavens has been important to Pueblo and Hopi people throughout their known history, said Phillip Tuwaletstiwa, a Hopi geodesist.

“There were very precise ways of tracking the sun,” Tuwaletstiwa said. “The job fell to a man our people called the Sun-Watcher, who observed the solar journey.”

Observing the sun was important timekeeping for both agricultural and ceremonial functions, he said, calling the solstices – the longest and shortest days of the year – important dividing lines.

“The sun actually appears to stand still for a few days on either side of the solstice,” he said.

“Pinpointing the exact day can be tricky. In our communities, on the winter solstice, we worry. If we aren’t walking the proper path, following the Hopi way, will the sun leave its winter house? It’s a period of apprehension. When it moves after a day or two, there’s a sigh of relief.”

Observing the movements of the sun and moon demonstrate a fundamental Hopi belief in the dualities of existence, Tuwaletstiwa said.

“Shadow and light, birth and death, sun and moon,” he said.

“The sun is predictable, steady.

It comes up every day, and if you watch its movements for a year, you’ve nailed it. The moon is nothing like that. It appears and disappears, and its full cycle across the sky, what’s called the lunar maximum and minimum, takes years to observe. The opposites in nature help balance each other.”

Tuwaletstiwa, as a geodetic surveyor, helped measure the orientation of ancient buildings in Chaco Canyon, a major Ancestral Puebloan cultural center in northwestern New Mexico. His measurements helped form the underpinning of research hypothesizing that Chacoan buildings were also built around numerous astronomical alignments.

He hasn’t made up his mind on Towers’ theories, saying the SunWatcher system was so effective without advanced architecture that he believes sites like Sun Temple — or the Sun Spiral, an apparent astronomical observatory on Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon — may have been places for communities to collectively celebrate solar and lunar cycles rather than to strictly measure points on the calendar, such as the winter solstice on Dec. 21 this year.

The cyclical nature of time speaks to a mindset Tuwaletstiwa wishes modern researchers could better grasp: that to Pueblo and Hopi people, places like Mesa Verde are not abandoned.

“We don’t like that word, aban-

doned,” he said. “We don’t think in terms of the time between events. We have migrated many times. We didn’t vanish. We were many places before Mesa Verde, and many places after. I visited the veterans’ cemeteries in Normandy, and I treated them with respect and gratitude. In Chaco and Mesa Verde, those are my ancestral people. I need to treat them with respect as well. To us, these are living, breathing places.”

Tuwaletstiwa said it’s difficult to conclusively speak to the connection between modern Hopi and Pueblo astronomical observances and those of the Ancestral Puebloans, because there are dozens of beliefs and customs among different clans and groups.

And yet, between the analytical nature of archaeology and the intimate nature of Indigenous heritage and spirituality, Tulawetstiwa sees another complementary duality.

“When we talk about Mesa Verde, tree ring studies, carbon dating and DNA are one side, and the stories and spirits of Native people are on another side,” he said. “They can inform each other. I don’t see them as in conflict.”

Drawing archaeology and ethnography closer together is an essential task to understanding places like Sun Temple, said Munson, the researcher whose studies helped inform Towers’ work.

“The architecture, the way things were built, that’s the ‘how,’” Munson said. “The ethnography, the people, that’s the ‘why.’ Without the why, there’s now how.”

Munson founded the Society for Cultural Astronomy in the American Southwest, or SCAAS, an organization that invites Indigenous scholars to participate in archeoastronomy research. The group is also raising funds to preserve and digitize Fewkes’ work, which includes significant ethnographic resources recorded at the tail end of the 19th century.

Repairing damaged trust Though the distance between archaeologists and the descendants of Ancestral Puebloans is narrowing, generations of strife can take time to overcome, said Tim Hovezak, the former head of cultural resources at Mesa Verde.

“To say there’s damaged trust is putting it mildly,” he said. “There’s been a long history of exploitation of people who were at the time

powerless to do anything about damage to their cultural heritage.”

Though the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde were known to the Pueblo, Hopi, Ute, Diné and other Native people for centuries, they were largely left alone. But white settlers in the late 1800s began pillaging the sites almost as soon as they discovered them, knocking down walls and hauling off wagonloads of artifacts to sell to collectors. Some early archaeologists exhumed human remains, shipping them to far-flung museums.

“Some of us are actively working to restore trust,” Hovezak said.

“We’re trying to be more cognizant of Native views, and the Pueblos are becoming more proactive on their own behalf.”

Several Pueblo groups either declined to comment for this story or did not respond to requests for comment.

Some differences will likely remain, said Dickey, the park’s current head of cultural resources.

“We listen closely to descendant groups, but we can’t always enact their wishes,” Dickey said. “Some feel we shouldn’t be preserving these sites, that we should allow them to decay as Mother Nature intended. But that’s contrary to our policy to preserve these places for future generations.”

Early attempts at stabilizing sites were haphazard. Fewkes poured Portland cement atop Sun Temple’s walls, a practice that would “leave us aghast today,” Dickey said.

Dickey said the Parks Service takes a “light hand” with preservation, employing stonemasons who specialize in ancient-style stone cutting and mortar mixing.

Deciphering the mystery of Sun Temple may continue to prove elusive, Dickey said.

“A lot of the tribal members we consult with will tell us they know what these places were used for, what they mean,” Dickey said. “But they say it’s not for us to know.

These are private, sacred things.

Our insatiable curiosity is disrespectful to them. As scientists, we want to know everything. We want to dig until we find the answers.

But sometimes, we have to learn to let go.”

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.

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December 30, 2021

Paleontologist to speak at Newman Center

G

erman/Moroccan paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim will talk about his search for clues to prehistoric life in the deserts of North Africa, which was a large river system in the Cretaceous Period. He will speak at the Newman Center, University of Denver at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 9.

See NewmanCenterPresents.com or call the box office: 303-871-7720.

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Town Hall “Little Shop of Horrors” will run from Jan. 28 to March 6, augmented by a “Spotlight Series, “ in cooperation with Arapahoe Community College (“Feed me, Seymour: Anthropomorphism and the Suspension of Belief,” Dr. Cheyne Bamford). Box office: 303-794-2787, ext. 5 for tickets and information, or townhallartscenter.org. Town Hall is at 2450 W. Main St., downtown Littleton.

Buntport/Stories on Stage “High School Confidential” is the result of this year’s cooperative program by Stories on Stage and Buntport Theater Company, which will be performed in-person

on Jan. 16 at Su Teatro, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver at 7 p.m. It will be available online afterwards and a link will be provided for virtual performance ticket holders. Single tickets cost $22. storiesonstage. org, 303-494-0523.

Benchmark Benchmark Theatre Company, started by Littleton actor Hayley Johnson, will present a world premiere of “Our American Cousin: A Nation Divided,” developed and directed by company members Mark Stith and Neil Truglio.

The 2021/2022 season is themed “Aftermath,” in response to the period of dormancy the theatre and other cultural organizations endured in response to the pandemic and subsequent shut-down.

Six artists look at how the country found itself on the precipice of the destruction of democracy.

Developed by directors Marc Stith and Neil Truglio. Cast: Shannon Altner, Chris Kendall, Bruce Laks, Suzanne Nepi, Josiah Peters and Ryan Omar Stack. Through Jan 29.

Benchmarktheatre.com. Theater is at 40 West Arts District, 1560 Teller St., Lakewood. Tickets: $30, general admission, $25 senior/stu-

German/Moroccan paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim inspects a spinosaurus skull. He will speak on Feb. 9 in the Newman Center at the University of Denver. COURTESY OF NEWMAN CENTER

dent/military. For ages 13 and up.

Curious “The Sound Inside” by Adam Rapp plays Jan. 15 to Feb. 12 at Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St., Denver. It was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2020. Tickets: curioustheatre.org, 303-623-0524.

O’Keeffe photographs The Denver Art Museum announces a collection of nearly 100

photographs by painter Georgia O’Keeffe will be exhibited after three years of research by Lisa Volpe, associate curator of photography at Museum of Fine Art Houston. The exhibit will run from July 3 through Nov. 6, 2022.

More on this later.

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public events frequently are canceled or rescheduled. Check with organizers before you go.

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16 Centennial Citizen

LOCAL

SPORTS

December 30, 2021

BOYS TENNIS Matt Batmunkh was undefeated during the season and the Cherry Creek senior won the No. 2 singles title at the Class 5A state tournament at the Gates Tennis Center in Denver where the Bruins won another state crown.

12 players from south metro area noted for achievements in fall sports

BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A

fter each season, Colorado Community Media selects Players of the Year for each sport, so it is time to reveal those honored for 2021 fall sports.

Legend junior pitcher Cameron Ponich struck out 204 batters during the regular season and helped the Titans win the Class 5A state championship.

FILE PHOTO

SOFTBALL Cameron Ponich hurled Legend to the 5A state championship. The junior had 204 strikeouts with a 1.45 earned run average and was tabbed as Pitcher of the Year.

Meredith Barnhardt, a sophomore on Lutheran’s undefeated Class 3A state championship team, is the Player of the Year. She hit .609 with 65 RBI and 12 homers.

VOLLEYBALL Senior Carter Booth was a big reason why Cherry Creek won the 5A state championship.

The senior had 335 kills, a 55.4 kills percentage and a .453 hitting percentage. She also had 127 blocks and 35 service aces.

Cherry Creek’s Carter Booth prepares to serve during the Region 1 state volleyball tournaPHOTO BY JIM BENTON ment on Nov. 6.

Senior Riley Stewart of Cherry Creek was the dominant girls cross country runner of the fall and won her third straight individual state title. FILE PHOTO

CROSS COUNTRY Cherry Creek senior Riley Stewart was once again the dominant girls runner and captured her third straight individual 5A championship with a 27-second victory advantage in the title race.

She finished in 17:20.9.

Sophomore Tanner Brown of Chaparral was a surprise winner of the boys Runner of Year after he captured the 5A state title with a new personal best of 15.44.70.

Meredith Barnhardt of undefeated Lutheran hit .609 with 65 RBI and 12 FILE PHOTO homers.

Jack Pucciano of Castle View looks to take a loose ball and make a play during a 1-1 tie against Regis Jesuit in a Sept. 14 PHOTO BY JIM BENTON match.

FILE PHOTO

GYMNASTICS Kate Bryant, a junior at Heritage, won individual state championships on the vault in free exercise to garner Player of the Year honors.

BOYS SOCCER Jack Pucciano, a senior at Castle View, recorded a point in every game this season and finished with league-leading 41 points on 14 goals and 13 assists.

Senior Matt Batmunkh of Cherry Creek was undefeated during the season and won the No FILE PHOTO 2 singles state tennis championship.

BOYS GOLF Arapahoe senior Will Kates won the Class 5A individual golf title for the second time in three years in Colorado Springs when he rolled in a birdie putt on the second playoff hole. In seven of the 12 rounds played during the fall season, Kates Arapahoe senior Will was under-par.

Kates won his second He had only two 5A individual golf title rounds over par in three years with a all season and a birdie putt on the secseason average ond playoff hole. FILE PHOTO of 69.9 for all his rounds. Arapahoe won the state championship.

FOOTBALL Valor Christian senior running back Gavin Sawchuk was an obvious pick as Offensive Player of the Year. He gained 2,004 Valor Christian running back yards this FILE PHOTO season for an Gavin Sawchuk. average of 7 yards per carry and scored 28 touchdowns.

The Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year also caught 10 passes, averaging 15.2 yards per reception, and wound up as Valor’s all-time rushing leader.

Cherry Creek junior linebacker Blake Purchase is the Defensive Player of the Year.

Purchase, whose older brother Myles is at Iowa State and was the 2020 Defender of the Year, made 83 tackles, had 12 sacks and two interceptions during Creek’s run to the state title.

FIELD HOCKEY Ellie Johnson assisted on the game winner in Regis Jesuit’s championship win over Colorado Academy. The senior had 11 goals and 13 assists for the season.

Centennial Citizen 17

December 30, 2021

C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E

SENIORS FROM PAGE 1

cards and happily open gifts.

For one resident, Leonard, gifts were not only provided to him, but county residents also included a special bone for his service dog, Rhett.

Another resident whom county staff called Thor was especially happy to get a visit given he is still recovering from some health issues.

Hatlestad said Thor was excited to open his gift, which turned out to be a new phone. Thor told his gift givers that he is hoping for snow this Christmas and excited to have a new phone that will work a lot better than his old one.

On average, Halestad said, gifts are valued at $50, but sometimes a senior may really need/want a microwave or phone, allowing gifts to be a little more expensive.

“The recipients are chosen based on their needs — most of them don’t have family or friends close by, and some have none at all,” Halestad said. “Our staff members provide recommended gifts based on conversations they’ve had with their clients and their familiarity with the clients’ needs.”

Another visit was to Virginia, who besides getting a giant word search book, was excited that the Meals on Wheels program also came to her home earlier in the week, Halestad said.

“We don’t specifically ask them, in case we can’t fulfill a specific request, but we provide heartfelt and meaningful gifts based on their needs,” Halestad said. “The program runs year-round but is especially heartwarming during the

Virginia, a participant in the Elves for Seniors program in Arapahoe County, gets excited about her new word search book.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY

holidays.”

In 2021, Hatlestad said, the Elves for Seniors programs has served more than 230 residents in Arapahoe County, noting that the number is a lot lower than county officials would like.

“COVID has made many seniors, or their family members, reluctant to receive weekly staff visits at home,” Halestad said.

Hatlestad said the program is mostly funded by Community Service Block Grant dollars, which only covers a portion of the overall need to keep the program going. The Arapahoe County Board has also contributed additional financial assistance from the county’s general fund, he said.

Through a five-year partnership with Home Instead, Hatlestad said, the program solicits donations from a donor network. To contribute, learn more by visiting the website at beasantatoasenior.com.

Hatlestad the program is open to residents of all ages but seniors are those in most need, noting that some clients are over 90 years old.

Thor, recovering from some health issues, is happy to have visitors and receive a new phone from the county program.

Answers

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December 30, 2021

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Centennial Citizen 21

December 30, 2021

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22 Centennial Citizen

December 30, 2021

TRAFFIC FROM PAGE 1

collaborated in the past few years on a pilot project to reduce traffic congestion in the area.

The cities partnered on Yosemite Street between Lincoln and Belleview avenues to install sensors that enable the timing of traffic signals to be adjusted “in real time” as traffic patterns and volumes change throughout the day, according to the city’s website.

Adaptive traffic signal operations became active within Centennial on the Yosemite Street corridor in late 2020, according to Kelly Ohaver, a Centennial city spokesperson.

Spreading the idea Centennial plans to expand the adaptive signal system to the Arapahoe Road and Dry Creek Road corridors west of Interstate 25, eventually adding the technology to other major roads east of I-25, such as Smoky Hill and Jordan roads and Himalaya Street, according to the city’s website.

The adaptive technology could be fully deployed on those corridors within Centennial at traffic

signals owned and operated by the city in mid- to late 2022, according to Ohaver.

Because of Centennial’s snaking city boundaries, it can sometimes be confusing to identify when a location is or isn’t in Centennial.

Arapahoe Road touches different municipalities as it spans through Centennial, and Arapahoe between I-25 and Parker Road is part of a state highway.

“We are, however, actively working on cross-jurisdictional coordination with multiple other adjacent jurisdictions to be able to share information regarding traffic signals and other ITS devices,” a statement from Ohaver said.

How it works Different types of sensors each have their own methodologies for measuring travel time between sensor locations, but “most typically use various types of anonymized data from electronic devices to identify when a vehicle passes by multiple sensor locations,” the statement from Ohaver said.

“No one is watching or tracking a specific vehicle, driver or passenger,” the statement added.

Before the arrival of adaptive traffic signal technology, certain traffic signals operated with time-

based programming, as is the case for most major corridors, according to the statement.

Under the old method, “different timing plans would be active for different times of day and different days of the week, which can be very effective for managing typical recurring traffic congestion such as that experienced during rush hours,” the city’s statement said.

Adaptive technology won’t always bring a large shift in traffic quality, but there are times when it’s especially effective, the statement continued.

“Adaptive traffic signal operations will not always produce dramatic improvements over a well-managed, regularly-retimed corridor during those regular recurring congestion events but can be much more effective when it comes to applying different timing parameters to unexpected changes in condition like a highway incident that pushes more traffic onto surface streets,” the statement said.

Other components Back in 2016, the city had no existing closed-circuit television cameras, according to Centennial’s 2016 Intelligent Transportation System Master Plan. As of

CLASSIFIEDS

2019, the city had 62 intersections at which closed-circuit TV cameras are operational, according to city staff. The cameras are separate from the adaptive timing project, according to the city’s statement.

“Centennial does have a majority of signalized intersections equipped with pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras. These cameras are typically used to investigate traffic signal timing and operational concerns reported by constituents prior to dispatching field staff for additional troubleshooting,” the city statement said.

The cameras “may also support (city) staff in reporting incidents to emergency services that are impacting traffic so that they can be cleared in a more timely fashion,” the statement said.

“Video from these cameras is not recorded or stored,” the statement added.

“Intelligent Transportation Systems” devices can also include weather stations, according to Bunce. As of the 2016 plan, road weather stations were operating within the city at four intersections.

The stations collect various data: air temperature, relative humidity,

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Centennial Citizen 23

December 30, 2021

TRAFFIC FROM PAGE 22

road surface temperature and condition — such as dry, wet or ice — and wind speed, according to the plan.

At that time, road weather stations were operating at the following intersections: Jordan Road and Fremont Drive, Arapahoe Road and Vine Street, Quebec Street and Cos-

tilla Avenue, and County Line Road and Chester Street. The hardware, which is owned by the city, is mounted on traffic signal poles, according to the plan.

“Additional weather stations and data (e.g., visibility, which is not currently provided) could be used to support automatic selection of weather-related timing plans,” the plan says. “The additional information could also be used to plan and manage snow-removal operations.”

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE The Colorado Sun is a journalistowned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself.

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The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism. It covers everything

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals Public Trustees NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED OVERBID FUNDS CRS 38-38-111(2.5b)(3a,b,d)(5) PUBLIC TRUSTEE SALE NO. 0399-2019 To: Record Owner of the property as of the recording of the Notice of Election and Demand or other person entitled. You are advised that there are overbid funds due you. This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust and Notice of Election and Demand: Name of Record Owner as evidenced on the Notice of Election and Demand or other person entitled Floyd I. Bilderback Address of Record Owner as evidenced on the recorded instrument evidencing the owner's interest 3921 S Hazel Court, Englewood, CO 80110 Recording Date of Deed of Trust April 02, 2015 Recording Information D5032221 Recording Date of Notice of Election and Demand August 02, 2019 Recording Information of Notice of Election and Demand D9077688 Legal Description of Property SEE ATTACHED LEGAL DESCRIPTION PURSUANT TO QUIET TITLE DECREE RECORDED OCTOBER 10, 2018 AT RECEPTION NUMBER D8100130 ADDING THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION TO THE DEED OF TRUST. Street Address of Property 3921 S Hazel Court, Englewood, CO 80110 NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED OVERBID FUNDS I sold at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on 10/13/21, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, to the highest and best bidder for cash, the real property described above. An overbid was realized from the sale and the funds must be claimed by the owner or other persons entitled thereto within six months from the date of sale. THE STATE OF COLORADO REQUIRES US TO NOTIFY YOU THAT YOUR PROPERTY MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO THE CUSTODY OF THE STATE TREASURER IF YOU DO NOT CONTACT US BEFORE 11/16/2021 as part of the "Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act", pursuant to Colorado law.

First Publication: 12/30/21 Last Publication: 1/27/22 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent Date: 12/6/21 Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee 0399-2019 LEGAL DESCRIPTION ALL THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED LOT OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE AND STATE OF COLORADO, TO WIT: LOT 15, SHERIDAN ESTATES, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. BEING THE SAME PROPERTY CONVEYED

TO FLOYD I. BILDERBACK BY DEED FROM JUDY A. CROSS, FORMERLY KNOWN AS JUDY ANN WITTY AND JUDY A. WITTY RECORDED 7/22/1983 IN DEED BOOK 3920 PAGE 614, IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK AND RECORDER OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO. Legal Notice NO. 0399-2019 First Publication 12/30/21 Last Publication 1/27/22 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0082-2021 To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On October 26, 2021, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) PATRICIA A MITCHELL Original Beneficiary(ies) MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR MOVEMENT MORTGAGE, LLC, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS Current Holder of Evidence of Debt FINANCE OF AMERICA REVERSE LLC Date of Deed of Trust March 12, 2021 County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust March 30, 2021 Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) E1052669 Original Principal Amount $1,233,562.50 Outstanding Principal Balance $224,657.68 Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. SEE ATTACHED LEGAL DESCRIPTION Also known by street and number as: 4 MEADOWLARK LANE, LITTLETON, CO 80123.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST If applicable, a description of any changes to the deed of trust described in the notice of election and demand pursuant to affidavit as allowed by statutes: C.R.S.§ 38-35-109(5) LEGAL DESCRIPTION HAS BEEN CORRECTED

BY SCRIVENER'S AFFIDAVIT RECORDED 10/14/2021 AT RECEPTION NO. E1156914 IN THE RECORDS OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY. NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein,

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 02/23/2022, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)' heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys' fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication: 12/30/2021 Last Publication: 1/27/2022 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED; DATE: 10/26/2021 Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: Alison L Berry #34531 Nicholas H. Santarelli #46592 David R. Doughty #40042 Lynn M. Janeway #15592 Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990 Attorney File # 21-025954 The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose. ©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015 0082-2021 EXHIBIT A THAT PART OF LOT 8, BLOCK 2, COLUMBINE HEIGHTS, FIRST FILING, DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 8; THENCE EASTERLY ALONG THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT 8 TO THE EAST LINE OF SAID LOT 8; THENCE SOUTHERLY ALONG SAID EAST LINE A DISTANCE OF 10 FEET; THENCE WESTERLY AND PARALLEL TO THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT 8 TO A POINT ON THE WEST LINE AND 10 FEET SOUTH OF THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 8; THENCE NORTHERLY ALONG SAID WEST LINE A DISTANCE OF 10 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING. ALL OF LOT 9, BLOCK 2, COLUMBINE HEIGHTS, FIRST FILING, EXCEPT THAT PART DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 9; THENCE EASTERLY ALONG THE NORTH LINE TO THE EAST LINE OF SAID LOT 9; THENCE SOUTHERLY ALONG SAID EAST LINE A DISTANCE OF 13.58 FEET; THENCE WESTERLY TO A POINT ON THE WEST LINE AND 14.50 FEET SOUTH OF THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 9; THENCE NORTHERLY ALONG SAID WEST LINE A DISTANCE OF 14.50 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. Legal Notice NO. 0082-2021

First Publication: 12/30/2021 Last Publication: 1/27/2022 Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Though not anticipated, in the event either public hearing is required to held by a virtual meeting service such as Zoom, the date and time of the meeting shall remain the same as stated above but the City’s website shall provide immediate notice of the change in meeting format and provide a means of accessing the virtual meeting via the internet as soon as practicable. In addition, you may call the City of Centennial Community Development Department at 303-754-3308 to obtain the internet link to the meeting if held by virtual format.

City and County Public Notice CITY OF CENTENNIAL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING AN APPLICATION FOR A HOTEL & RESTAURANT JANUARY 6, 2022 Notice is hereby given that the Centennial Liquor Licensing Authority will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, January 6, 2022 at 10:00 a.m., via Virtual Meeting, to consider an application for a new Hotel & Restaurant license for Olive Branch Grill, LLC dba Olive Branch Grill, located at 6583 S. Parker Rd. Suite 100, Centennial, CO 80016 The applicant is an LLC: Olive Branch Grill, LLC 4601 S. Lewiston Way Aurora, CO 80015

Further information concerning the proposed Rezoning Plan may be obtained by e-mailing centennialplanning@centennialco.gov or calling the City of Centennial Community Development Department at 303-754-3308.

Legal Notice No. 529891-61891 First Publication: December 30, 2021 Last Publication: December 30, 2021 Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen

Bids and Settlements

Public comment will be heard at the virtual hearing or written communications regarding the issuance of this license may be submitted to the Liquor License Administrator, via email at clovelace@ centennialco.gov by no later than January 6, 2022 at 8:00 a.m.

By order of Barbara Setterlind, City Clerk December 13, 2021.

Public Notice NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT 2021 Pavement Preservation Program Project No. 19-05-01 Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Section 38-26107, C.R.S., that the City of Centennial, Colorado (the “City”) will make final payment at the hour of 10:00 a.m. on January 13, 2022 (the “Final Settlement Date”) to the following contractor:

Legal Notice No. 529881-61881 First Publication: December 30, 2021 Last Publication: December 30, 2021 Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen

A-1 Chipseal Company 2505 E. 74th Avenue Denver, Colorado 80229

Public Notice

(hereinafter, the “Contractor”) for and on account of all work completed by the Contractor on City Project No. 19-05-01, including for purposes of this Notice of Final Settlement on (the “Project”).

CITY OF CENTENNIAL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS CITY INITIATED REZONING (CZONE-21-00004) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY OF CENTENNIAL WILL CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO REZONE SEVEN (7) PARCELS CURRENTLY ZONED GENERAL COMMERCIAL (CG) TO BUSINESS PARK 50 (BP50).

The seven (7) parcels are associated with 12250, 12300, 12350, 12400, 12500, 12600, and 12650 E. Arapahoe Rd., comprised of an area that is approximately 25.7 acres.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will make a recommendation on the rezoning plan at a public hearing on January 12, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard.

The City Council will consider the rezoning plan at a public hearing on January 18, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard.

The hearings will be held in City Council Chambers, Centennial Civic Center, 13133 E. Arapahoe Road Centennial, CO 80112 at the above noted date and time.

A live broadcast of the meeting may be found at: https://www.centennialco.gov/Government/ Mayor-Council/City-Council-Meetings/AgendasMinutes

1. Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has an unpaid claim against the Project for and on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, or other supplies used or consumed by the Contractor or any subcontractor in or about the performance of said work, may at any time up to and including the Final Settlement Date, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim.

2. Any such claim(s) shall be filed with the City Clerk at 13133 East Arapahoe Road, Centennial, CO 80112 prior to the Final Settlement Date.

3. Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement or claim prior to the Final Settlement Date will relieve the City from any and all liability for such claim.

Legal Notice No. 529890-61890 First Publication: December 30, 2021 Last Publication: December 30, 2021 Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen

###

Centennial Legals 12.30.21 * 1

24 Centennial Citizen

December 30, 2021

An edition of the Littleton Independent

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