Week of June 30, 2022
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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 32
County names board members, director for new health department Process in crunch as deadline is Jan. 1 BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With half a year left before the dissolution of the Tri-County Health
Department, Arapahoe County has announced its five-person board, and the sole finalist for executive director, to helm future health services. “What we’re doing is unprecedented,” said Shawn Davis, a Coloradobased health care consultant who will serve on the county’s new Foundational Board of Health.
Following the breakdown of Tri-County, which for more than 50 years had been delivering health services to Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, Arapahoe has been in a race against time to create its own health department by Jan. 1, a day after Tri-County’s services will end. “We don’t have the option of delay-
ing it or asking for an extension,” Davis said. “We owe it to the county to be ready by Jan. 1.” As that deadline looms, the department’s new board expressed optimism that it is on track to provide high-priority services to the county’s population of just under 650,000 SEE MEMBERS, P6
COVID cases remain high in Arapahoe
More than 200 visit Centennial Bike to Work Day station
CDC metrics show strain on health systems BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Bike to Work Day station at Arapahoe Road Trailhead, located at 15200 E. Arapahoe Road in Centennial, said Raymond Winn, an open spaces planner and bicycle and pedestrian planner for Arapahoe County. The station was hosted by Arapahoe
Coronavirus cases in Arapahoe County are beginning to trend down after an uptick over the past several weeks that moved the county into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s worst COVID category. For the week of June 19, the seven-day rolling average for cases was 1,415, according to data from the Tri-County Health Department, which provides health services to Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties. Come Dec. 31, Tri-County will disband after Douglas County commissioners voted to split from the agency last year over masking policies and an inability to optout from health orders. The three counties plan to stand up their own
SEE BIKING, P8
SEE CASES, P11
From left to right: Sam Dale of the Giant of Centennial bike shop, Raymond Winn of Arapahoe County Open Spaces and Ian Latta of PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW Giant of Centennial pose at the Bike to Work Day station at Arapahoe Road Trailhead in Centennial on June 22.
Breakfast, maintenance provided BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
For many participants in this year’s Bike To Work Day on June 22, they weren’t just headed to work
— they were headed to one of the 186 stations offering snacks, refreshments and resources as part of the annual event. Between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., more than 200 people visited the
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19
Evergreen Jazz Festival Big Talent! Small Venues! Great Setting!
Order tickets by June 30th and SAVE!
EvergreenJazz.org 303-697-5467
July 29, 30 & 31