Centennial Citizen 010523

Counties navigate future after Tri-County Health breakup

fueled the breakup of Tri-County Health, the state’s largest local public health agency, serving Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties together for more than ve decades.

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e mask mandates implemented during the pandemic left a legacy in the region’s health care. ey

Douglas County o cials took issue with mask mandates put in place by the health agency. Looking back, Tri-County Health Director John Douglas, a doctor, said masks were meant to protect the public as

the virus swept through the metro area.

“I’m sorry the dynamics of the politicization of the pandemic put us in a place where we had to make choices, speci cally referring to the mask mandate, that were going to create acrimony with Douglas County,” Douglas said.

Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce deputy passes away

Kraig Conger su ered a major heart attack while on duty

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

An Arapahoe County Sheri ’s Ofce deputy died from a major heart attack while on duty on Dec. 28.

On Dec. 29. At 11:27 a.m., the sheri ’s o ce posted a Tweet announcing the passing of Deputy Kraig Conger.

According to the tweet, Conger was 51 years old and was passionate about his job. In addition to working as a law enforcement o cer, he mentored youth in the community and coached football, basketball and baseball.

“ ere is no doubt he had a signicant impact in this community and in his profession,” the sheri ’s o ce wrote in a statement on Facebook. “We are proud to have been his colleague and friend.”

Conger worked for the sheri ’s ofce for 22 years, spending his rst 13 years of his service in the Arapahoe County Detention Facility, according to the sheri ’s o ce.

After that, he worked in the Detention Services Bureau ADMIT program. ADMIT, which stands for “Arapahoe Diverts the Mentally Ill for Treatment,” is a specialized sentencing option for o enders to receive mental health and substance abuse treatment as part of their sentence, according to the sheri o ce’s website.

Tri-County Health Department’s choices were tough to make, he added, acknowledging some divided public. Still, he stands by the agency’s decisions and, citing research, said masks helped slow the spread of COVID-19.

Douglas County’s response was to opt out and create its own public health agency, which is now operating with a budget of its own.

That means Tri-County Health is left to fade away, toppled by the controversy, leaving each county to figure out how to provide and pay for public health services.

Public health departments do more than respond to pandemics. Tri-County Health provided no-cost cancer screenings, overdose prevention, and inspections to ensure the cleanliness of restaurants and health at child care facilities.

In the process of developing its own health department, Douglas County stayed ahead or on schedule to meet the Jan. 1 deadline. With restaurant and child care facilities already being inspected, and staffing levels at or above expectations.

Different plans

Tri-County Health marks its last day of regular business hours Dec. 30, nearly 75 years after the agency opened. But many of its

former employees will still carry out public health services under the newly-formed county health departments.

The Adams County Health Department planned to hire a total of about 170 employees, though that number was subject to change, Lynn Baca, an Adams County commissioner, said months ago.

Adams expected “at least 60 staff members” from Tri-County Health to come aboard its new department, Baca said. She and another Adams commissioner didn’t immediately respond for comment seeking an update on the agency’s progress.

In Arapahoe County, the new health department expected to hire “up to 180 people,” a county spokesperson said in August, though he didn’t specify how many were to come from Tri-

County Health

In Douglas County, with one issue in hiring an accountant, department officials said they should be fully staffed by the end of January with more than 40.

Adams and Arapahoe both appointed former Tri-County Health leaders to head their new health departments.

Douglas County, wealthier and less-populated than its neighbors to the north, has “decided to run things in a somewhat different way,” said Douglas, the Tri-County chief.

“They made the assessment that the county in general has a much higher level of health outcomes,” Douglas said, noting that STRIDE Community Health, a nonprofit health-care provider with locations around the Denver area, will provide sexual health and immunization services in Douglas County based on a partnership with the county.

The outgoing health chief said “there’ll be growing pains in setting that up.”

“There are a lot of folks in Douglas County who don’t need the kind of services Tri-County Health Department provides, but it’s certainly not everybody,” Douglas said, adding he has admiration for STRIDE.

Looking to disease response, if a new public health emergency arises, Tri-County Health won’t be there to send help from one county to another, Douglas said.

While mutual aid could occur among the three counties, “I think that is an area where things might be thinner,” he added.

Costs, priorities vary

The process of the three counties pulling out of Tri-County began with the Douglas County commissioners, who decided to immediately leave the health agency September 2021 after months of disagreements over COVID-19 protection measures. Douglas County formed its own health department and decided to contract to continue receiving many public health services from Tri-County until at least the end of 2022.

Adams County leaders decided to break from Tri-County soon after Douglas County did, but Adams’ choice to go alone on public health “had nothing to do with the pandemic or masking,” Baca previously told Colorado Community Media.

Differences of opinion on public health policy didn’t just

arise amid the pandemic, Adams County commissioners have told CCM, citing Arapahoe County’s budget restrictions and Douglas County’s priorities.

“We have different factors that affect our citizens in Adams County — we have air pollution, citizens working in industrial jobs. We’re addressing poverty. We have homelessness,” Baca said previously, noting Douglas County does not encounter those issues as much as other counties.

Different priorities could influence a difference in spending across the three counties.

Adams County’s contribution to Tri-County Health’s 2021 budget was $3.8 million, Arapahoe County’s contribution was $4.8 million and Douglas County’s contribution was $2.6 million, according to Tri-County.

The net cost for the first year of Adams County’s own health department could total between $11 million and $13 million, Baca has said.

“Our first year out, we’re looking at it’s going to be approximately 20 to 25 million dollars, with an estimated 12 to 14 million dollars in grants,” Baca has said.

Arapahoe County Commissioner Nancy Sharpe has said the county’s own health department will likely cost the county around $5 million per year, possibly even more.

Officials in Douglas County expect to keep costs down.

Fees could change

Douglas County’s new public health director, Michael Hill, previously told CCM the county’s health department will adopt the same fee structure as Tri-County initially but may consider suggesting fee changes later.

Asked whether fees for public health services will be higher under the Adams County Health Department compared to what the fees for the same services were under Tri-County, Baca previously said Adams County leaders haven’t discussed that level of detail during meetings.

She anticipated “that we would maintain the fee structure at least starting out. And then that would be a (future) board of health decision to make,” Baca previously said, referring to the policy-making body for Adams’ new department. She added: “We’re

at

decision

not looking

this

to adversely affect any of our residents.”

‘There are a lot of folks in Douglas County who don’t need the kind of services Tri-County Health Department provides, but it’s certainly not everybody.’

John Douglas, Tri-County health director

ARAPAHOE

Andrea Charlson talks to patrons about mulled wine on a cold day from behind the bar at Taaz Tavern on Nov. 17.

Refurbished Broadway bar takes it up a notch

IF YOU GO

BY RACHEL LORENZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

With decades of bartending and management experience between the two of them, the proprietors of Taaz Tavern have set out to bring a better bar experience to bustling South Broadway.

“We’re not just another bar,” Tom Charlson told Colorado Community Media. e new Englewood establishment belongs to him and his wife, Andrea Charlson.

Taaz Tavern o cially opened Oct. 1 at the corner of South Broadway and Amherst Avenue after a month of renovations and a two-week soft launch, the owners said. e location has been home to several other bars and restaurants over the years, most recently the Copper Pot.

By serving food that’s somewhere between standard pub fare and ne dining, Taaz Tavern is trying to be a little di erent from its competition, according to Tom Charlson.

In addition to burgers, sandwiches and tacos, more upscale items like steak, salmon and pasta grace the menu. For sharing, the

Taaz Tavern is at 2796 South Broadway in Englewood. It’s open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Saturday. On Sundays, it’s open from 10 a.m. until whenever the Charlsons decide to shut it down!

tavern has a charcuterie board and a hummus plate in addition to the customary chips and salsa or chicken wings. And with the arrival of winter weather, Taaz Tavern is serving up a rotating selection of warm, welcoming soup.

Born in Denver, Charlson has lived most of his life in Colorado, and his appreciation for the state can be seen throughout the business. A mural of the Maroon Bells adorns one wall of the dining room.

Art depicting the Centennial State’s other beautiful vistas is scattered throughout the rest of the venue.

e bar even o ers a Colorado Proud Plate which features a shot of Stranahan’s whiskey, a Coors Light beer and three Rocky Mountain oysters.

“ ey’ve got the texture of a fried pickle,” Charlson said of the appetizer. “But we give it with a spicy

SEE TAAZ, P8

Help shape our community by serving on one of Arapahoe County’s citizen boards and committees. New vacancies are now open to applicants. Your expertise is needed to help shape growth, distribute funds to arts and sciences partners, guide CSU Extension programming and many more!

Get involved by visiting arapahoegov.com/ citizenboards or scan the QR code with your smartphone.

Shovel Snow for Seniors

PHOTO BY RACHEL LORENZ

Snow dusts

Taaz Tavern, a new bar at the corner of South Broadway and Amherst Avenue in Englewood, on Nov. 17.

COURTESY PHOTO

Taaz Tavern open for business in former Copper Pot space

Free Christmas tree recycling in Arapahoe County

Locations in Littleton, Englewood, Centennial

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

South metro residents aiming to be more sustainable in 2023 can go green even sooner with free Christmas tree recycling options

Several parks and recreation districts and city governments including Littleton, Centennial and Englewood have set up dropo sites where residents can take their live Christmas trees to be recycled into mulch.

“Most trash and waste removal companies do not accept Christmas trees, so residents are encouraged to take advantage of this free program,” the City of Littleton said on its webpage for

Locations and schedules

e City of Littleton’s drop-o location at Cornerstone Park, 5150 S. Windermere St., opened on Dec. 26 and will be accepting trees until Jan. 15, according to Littleton Director of Public Works Keith Reester said the park hours are sunrise to sunset and expects people will drop o trees within these hours. People should follow the signs at the park to the designated tree dropo area.

South Suburban Parks and Recreation has a drop-o site at its Willow Spring Service Center at 7100 S. Holly St. is location is running from Dec. 26 to Jan. 15, according to administrative assistant Lisa Howell.

Howell said it is preferable that people drop o their trees between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. because the service center is open at these times.

Residents may also drop o their Christmas trees from Jan. 1 through Jan. 31 at four locations organized by the City of Englewood:

Bates/Logan Park (parking lot), 2938 S. Logan St. Belleview Park (lower east parking lot), 1225 W. Belleview Ave. Centennial Park (south parking lot), 4630 S. Decatur St. Miller Field (parking lot), 3600 S. Elati St.

Centennial residents may want to take their trees to the drop-o sites at Lookout Park, 5455 S. Riviera Way, and Piney Creek Hollow Park, 6140 S. Tower Road. ese sites are open Dec. 26 until Jan.

16 from sunrise to sunset.

e City of Centennial and its parks and recreation district partners also o er several locations for residents to drop o unwanted string lights for recycling at:

• Lookout Park, 5455 S. Riviera Way

• Piney Creek Hollow Park, 6140 S. Tower Road

• Centennial Civic Center, 13133 E. Arapahoe Road

• City’s Eagle Street Facility, 7272 S. Eagle Street

For all locations, residents must remove all decorations, nails, tree stands, lights and cables from trees before dropping them o . Plastic bags must also be removed from trees if they are used during transportation.

ese recycling programs o er a free alternative to other tree disposal options, including the Waste Management Transfer Station in Englewood or the regional green waste hauler A-1 Organics, both of which require a fee according to Reester.

Mulch pickup

Mulch from the trees will be used in the cities and across South Suburban parks, and will be available to the public.

During daylight hours at Cornerstone Park, residents can pick up mulch from Dec. 30 until it is gone, according to Littleton’s website. Residents are responsible for loading their own mulch and are encouraged to bring their own bags, trash cans, shovels and pitchforks.

Littleton residents may also pick up mulch at the northwest corner of South Prescott Street and West Prentice Avenue yearround.

When mulch from the Englewood drop-o site is available, the city will post updates and instructions for pickup at https:// www.englewoodco.gov/parksrecreation-library-golf/playenglewood/parks/park-programs.

Residents may schedule mulch pickup year-round.

According to the City of Centennial, free mulch is anticipated to be available on a rst come, rst serve basis at Lookout Park starting Dec. 28. Mulch will not be available for pickup on holidays, weekends or during snow events, according to the city’s website.

South Suburban Parks and Recreation will also have mulch available to the public, according to Howell. eir mulch pickup details can be found at https:// www.ssprd.org/willow-springservice-center.

It’s now the season for Christmas tree recycling.

PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW

CENTENNIAL’S YEAR IN REVIEW

TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

C entennial and Arapahoe County had a year full of news, with plenty of issues surrounding growth and development, breaking news involving Englewood police, food insecurity, longtime, treasured community businesses closing, and a surprise top read about seasoning on cottage cheese.

EDITOR’S PICKS FOR TOP READS

For Colorado Community Media, it’s not all about the stories that get the most clicks. Sometimes some of our most memorable and in-depth pieces may not be the most read, but they are important to our communities as our reporters dig deeper into local issues, providing news, features and investigations. Here are few of South Metro Editor elma Grimes’ top Arapahoe County stories for 2022:

1. Forced to Flee: A Venezuelan asylum-seeker charts her path in the Denver suburbs

Posted to the Colorado Community Media pages in December, this story takes us into the world of a migrant trying to raise a child and make her way through the U.S. court systems while missing a life and career

YEAR END, P7

she was forced to ee to survive. Robert Tann, who recently left the company, spent months talking to the woman, getting a true view of what it’s like to be in uncharted territory with rent prices, court systems and not knowing what will happen tomorrow.

2. Death doulas: Normalizing discussions of death and dying Community Editor Tayler Shaw brought us into a world of an evolving profession aimed at planning for the end of life. Shaw painted a picture in a world many of us never think about but the reality of assistance being needed in tough moments for a person, friends and family is important.

The south metro team for Colorado Community Media covers all of Douglas and Arapahoe counties. In 2022 the staff included South Metro Editor Thelma Grimes, Editor Scott Gilbert, current writers McKenna Harford, Haley Lena, Tayler Shaw, Nina Joss and Ellis Arnold and former writers Elliott Wenzler and Robert Tann.

COURTESY PHOTO

YEAR END

FROM PAGE 6

Centennial top 10 most read stories in 2022:

1. Cherry Creek softball coach arrested on a charge of felony criminal solicitation

In July, Cherry Creek High School softball coach Paul “Pablo” Severtson was arrested for felony criminal solicitation following an investigation into the suicide of a juvenile female in Virginia, the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce said in a news release.

2. Gotto is ahead in Araphoe County District 2 commission race

Colorado Community Media has some of the best election coverage in the region for local races. In the District 2 commissioner’s race, Republican Mark Gotto sought a seat. He was later defeated in the General Election by Democrat Jessica Campbell-Swanson.

3. FAA responds to Centennial Airport noise complaints concerns

Centennial ended 2022 with controversy as both Arpahoe and Douglas county residents came out against the increased noise and pollution from the small but busy airport. e subject matter is not concluded and will be followed closely in 2023.

4. Police evacuate Greenwood Village hotels, trade gunfire with bank robbery suspects

It was not a regular December weekday when police were called a bank robbery in progress in Greenwood Village.

5. Elections 2022 – Bob Andrews for Arapahoe County assessor

Bob Andrews, the Republican candidate for assessor, had big ideas and plans if elected. Andrews was defeated by the Democratic candidate in the General Election.

6. Local teen fights eating disorder out of state Showing that the healthcare system is in crisis

TOP READS

FROM PAGE 6

3. With fentanyl deaths on the rise, south metro police, advocates grapple with solutions

Community editors McKenna Harford and Robert Tann teamed up to break down the e ect fentanyl is having on the region. From law enforcement to coroners and district attorneys,

when dealing with young patients, Children’s Hospital Colorado brought to light one family’s struggle. As a young teen battled an eating disorder over-capacity facilities in Colorado forced them to head out of state to Washington.

7. Shots fired at home in east Centennial

In a shocking news event, local residents were shocked when shots were red in the Piney Creek neighborhood. Subjects were later arrested for the incident.

8. Southglenn housing development While the development

experts break down how the rise of fentanyl cannot be ignored.

4. Average gas prices in Englewood, Littleton hover under $4 but are expected to rise

In 2022, there is no denying that families struggled with gas prices, rising in ation and supply chain issues. Robert Tann broke down what it meant to some local residents in Englewood and Littleton. Will 2023 be bet-

was approved in late 2021, one of the most read stories in 2022 had to do with a plan to dramatically reshape Centennial’s agship shopping center.

9. Hospital chief feels meant to serve others after battling cancer

Working at the Centennial hospital, the new ER chief talked about his bout with cancer and local work.

10. Lawsuit costs Tri-County health department

Tri-County Health was in the news a lot in 2022 as the decade’s long organization closed its doors. However, the closure did not come without questions, controversy and lawsuit.

ter? Only time will tell but we will be there for the updates.

5. As homeless numbers rise, Englewood, Littleton, Sheridan push for solutions ere is no debating that homeless issues have reached crisis levels in 2022 in the Denver metro area and nationwide. In Arapahoe County, o cials have worked all year to nd solutions to start addressing a growing problem.

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE

The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself.

In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

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

politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education.

Now, The Colorado Sun co-owns this and other Colorado Community Media newspapers as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. The Sun is CCM’s partner for statewide news.

For Colorado Sun stories, opinions and more, and to support The Sun’s misssion as a member or subscriber, visit coloradosun.com.

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Workers frame townhomes in Littleton.

FILE PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT

The outside of the Tri-County Health Department’s administrative o ce in Greenwood Village.

FILE PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

The Arapahoe County Administration Building on South Prince Street in Littleton.

FILE PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

’s

ce Deputy Kraig Conger su ered a major heart attack and died while on duty on Dec. 28.

DEPUTY

FROM PAGE 1

In 2017, Conger was recognized for his work with the the Russ Oberlin Respect for Law award by the Littleton Optimist Club for his commitment to his community and his service with the sheri ’s o ce.

Prior to his work at the sheri ’s o ce, Conger earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from Colorado State University and played basketball under

scholarship there, according to the sheri ’s o ce.

“Kraig, you will be missed but never forgotten,” the sheri ’s ofce’s Tweet said. “Rest easy friend, we have the watch from here.”

Several other rst response agencies including South Metro Fire Rescue, the Aurora Police Department, Castle Rock Police and the Littleton Police Department expressed their condolences in the comments.

Conger is survived by his wife Leslie, his son Kaleb and his daughter Hannah.

TAAZ

FROM PAGE 3

horseradish sauce to dip it in. at makes it really good.”

Andrea Charlson, who was born in Slovakia, has tended bar in the Denver area for 24 years. Several of the skilled bartenders that she’s met over the years have been hired to work at Taaz. In addition to slinging beer and whiskey, they mix up eyecatching cocktails like a raspberryred concoction with black sugar on the rim called the Taaz Love Potion.

But before providing their dishes and drinks to the community this fall, the Charlsons felt the centuryold building needed some cosmetic renovations. To open up the interior, they had three booths and a big refrigerator taken out of the bar and

dining area. e bamboo oor was sanded and re nished. Bathrooms were spi ed up with new tile and xtures. Holes in the drywall were repaired and then interior walls were retextured and painted.

“Totally remodeled the bar, top to bottom,” Charlson said.

e pair got keys to the site July 15 and the changes happened in August, Charlson said. He attributed the speed of the transformation to the lessons he learned in the 13 years he spent as a roo ng contractor before opening Taaz Tavern.

Whether using his management skills in construction or the hospitality industry, Charlson said he

Arapahoe County Sheri

O

CREDIT: ARAPAHOE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE TWITTER

“I like what we’re doing,” Charlson

In addition to wings, burgers and other pub favorites, Taaz Tavern o ers entrees like shrimp scampi pasta and black pepper encrusted steak with poblano mashed potatoes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAAZ TAVERN

The good and bad

ballot measures to bring in more funding failed. If we continue to pay teachers like crap — we are going to keep losing the best teachers and quality is going to continue to decrease.

EDITOR’S COLUMN

This month marks the one-year anniversary of me taking over as the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media. ese are 11 newspapers spanning over Arapahoe and Douglas counties and, to some degree, Elbert County. I say to some degree because we have a great member of our sta , Scott Gilbert, who deserves credit for going above and beyond as he took Elbert County duties to a high level this year. Let’s put him and his work with freelancer, Chancy Gatlin-Anderson, in the good column for all of 2022.

Beyond my o ce, as editor, I have seen a lot of great things happening throughout the Denver metro communities.

I continue to be thoroughly impressed with Littleton and the work the council and community do. It is a good community, setting a great example in many areas. Littleton’s council operates with the kind of forethought all our communities need.

I love their board that makes recommendations on the environment. To answer world problems, local work has to be done in our cities and towns. It’s not all about Washington all the time.

Another major example for Littleton is the fact that the city buys into the concept that a ordable housing is in crisis mode right now and programs must be approved to move forward and keep working-class families in the communities. When a teacher cannot a ord to live in the community in which they teach — it is a tragedy. When retail, restaurant and everyday workers are hard to nd — a lack of a ordable housing is the reason.

From supporting federal measures to creating their own programs locally, Littleton is thinking about sustainability, growth and stability. at is a good thing to have right now.

In Douglas County, a ordable housing is becoming even more scarce. I think Parker Chamber CEO T.J. Sullivan said it well when he brought up the ght against apartments and rentals. Without people working and living in our communities — they cease to function well.

One of my reporters recently talked about teachers in Douglas County driving through the metro area along I-25 and passing the neighboring district Cherry Creek knowing teachers there are paid more money. ey drive past the higher-paying district to Douglas County where they make less to do the same job. at is not good and not worth it to that teacher.

I was surprised that both the district’s

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

In the area of transparency — I have to say Castle Rock and Littleton are fantastic. Castle Rock creates websites that are informative, easy to maneuver and make me feel like they care if their citizens know what is happening.

eir sta is also top-notch. Led by Melissa Hoelting, Castle Rock’s communication operations are great. ey are proactive and when asked for interviews, information and their time, they are receptive.

e same can be said for Littleton.

Now the bad — law enforcement. One of my pet peeves since joining the media in Colorado is that common response — “It’s under investigation.” I fully agree that information must be protected to do the work good detectives and police have to do. However, when the public information o cer uses that “It’s under investigation” loophole to the point of abuse — I get completely frustrated.

e public’s right to know and the laws protecting that are there for a reason. When a police department says there is no further information and nothing further is happening with a case — I cannot really support the “It’s under investigation” response.

Trying to get information on the Charles Hay Elementary closing due to a potential threat in Englewood is a perfect example. Waiting and stalling to get the information we nally got is not necessary. Work with us — we work with you.

In Centennial and Arapahoe County I have loved watching the growth and commitment to dealing with homeless issues, even appointing someone to lead the e orts. I love it because this problem is not going away, cannot be ignored and cannot be shrugged o .

To end, I must say in regards to mental health issues facing our area and nation — it’s a mixed bag. In Douglas County the program is fantastic. Seeing Community Response Teams up close — I love the work and goals they have.

Arapahoe County is also following suit and improving mental health response operations.

However, after participating in the Douglas County Youth Congress program this year, I can say — we are not doing enough. ese teenagers spoke honestly about counselors being paid but not really listening, about fears of even speaking up and about all the stress and pressure they face without an outlet.

We have to continue the work to do better, since 2023 is now here.

elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

ERIN ADDENBROOKE

New year, new plans, new attitudes

WINNING

No matter where you are in the world, this week o ers us all the opportunity to enter the new year with a new plan and a new attitude. Even if we believe we have the right plan and a great attitude, there could be room for a little improvement raising the bar for ourselves and those around us. What if we could make the slightest incremental improvements to our existing plans and our outlook? I think you would agree that we would experience even greater results.

ese past couple of months have kept us busy with clients and internally with business planning, writing sales plans, prospecting plans, training plans, new onboarding plans, and working with clients and friends on creating and building vision boards that help provide visual reminders of our goals and what we expect the new year to bring. And if we forget or fail to plan, this old quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin still holds true all these years later, “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.”

Now some of us might be thinking that our plans are just ne, and our attitude is exactly where it needs to be. Whenever I hear this, I am reminded of something my great uncle Harry would always say, “ ere is nothing so good it couldn’t be better, and nothing so bad that it couldn’t get worse.” So, even if we believe our plans are solid and our attitude is good and positive, maybe we could take one last look at our plans and give ourselves a check-up from the neck up to try and identify any blind spots we may have missed.

When it comes to planning, I am a big advocate of using a planning tool. I am a little biased to the Ziglar Performance Planner as it is an annual planner that helps me not only manage my days and meetings, but it also helps me to plan out my goals for the year and track those goals each and every day. It also contains some of Zig’s most famous motivational quotes, and when I read those each day, it de nitely inspires me, and ensures my attitude is in the right place as I glance at those words of wisdom throughout my day. If you aren’t using one, I would highly recommend that you nd one that works for you and your schedule.

How do we develop and maintain a positive attitude in a world that can sometimes feel so negative? at is a question I receive from many of you throughout the year. And here at the beginning

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

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MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

THELMA GRIMES

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Littleton Independent (USPS 315-780)

A legal newspaper of general circulation in Littleton, Colorado, the Littleton Independent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

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Thelma Grimes

Shoppers face statewide fee for bags

after that date until their existing inventory is gone.

What if businesses don’t comply?

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado businesses are required to charge consumers a 10-cent fee for each plastic and paper bag they carry out of the store as of Jan. 1. at’s because of a bill passed by the state legislature in 2021 and signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat.

e fee, which isn’t subject to the state’s 2.9% sales tax, may be higher if a town, city or county enacts a higher charge.

People who are in federal or state food assistance programs don’t pay the fees as long as they can prove that they are enrolled in one of those programs.

Businesses are required to send 60% of the bag-fee revenue they collect to the municipality they operate in. If the business is within an unincorporated part of a county, the money will be sent to the county.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Show kindness, not cruelty

I was particularly moved by the homily given at Christmas morning Mass about “holy moments,” and how each of us can provide a powerful kindness to another person in need.

Just the week before, my granddaughter mentioned a children’s Christmas story book she had been given years ago, and it was such a sad story about a little girl. I said, “I think it was “ e Little Match Girl!”

For some reason, I had been thinking about that story too. How easy it would have been for someone to have seen that cold and hungry little match girl and provided her a “holy moment,” buying a few of her matches.

e sadness of this story came into sharp relief thinking about the Christmas Eve stunt Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pulled, sending three busloads of migrants to Washington,

NORTON

FROM PAGE 10

of the year is the perfect time to take control of our own attitude regardless of what the world throws our way. Setting our foundation upon an attitude that starts with gratitude. It’s really di cult to slip into a negative head space when we are grateful for everything we have and everyone in our circle of friends and family.

Maintaining a positive and healthy attitude isn’t just about gratitude alone, we also must be careful of what we allow to enter our minds. Again, here at the beginning of the year it is a fantastic time to create a reading calendar for the year of the good books that we want to read, books that inspires us and that keep us grounded. It’s a great time to

Local governments would be required to spend the money on the following initiatives:

• Bag-fee enforcement costs

• Waste-diversion programs, including outreach and education  e remaining 40% of the bag-fee revenue will be kept by businesses.

Stores that collect less than $20 in bag-fees in a given quarter don’t have to remit the revenue to their municipality or county and can keep the money.

Plastic bags will be banned in Colorado starting in 2024, with some exceptions e 2021 bill also bans the distribution of all single-use plastic bags in Colorado starting in 2024. But there are asterisks.

Restaurants that prepare or

D.C., where the migrants, including children, were dumped o in the bitter freezing cold without adequate clothing or shoes.

Shocked into action by this cruel Christmas Eve stunt were volunteers who provided “holy moments” of shelter, clothing, and food to these fellow human beings.

Perhaps some people applaud Gov. Abbott, as well as Govs. DeSantis and Ducey, for “owning the libs” by mistreating migrants. I would urge these folks to take few minutes to rst read the Hans Christian Andersen tale of e Little Match Girl and absorb the moral of the tale, and then read the Dec. 22 article in the News-Press headlined “Forced to Flee.” Perhaps it may prompt some “holy moments” of support for rational, comprehensive, and long-overdue immigration reforms.

Marilyn Beem Castle Rock

nd the podcasts that are lled with powerful and positive information that can motivate and challenge us to grow in mind, body, and spirit.

How about you? Is the new year the right time to reevaluate your plans? Are you failing to plan? Or are you all over this and have a brilliant plan and a wonderful attitude? Either way, I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can take the time to create a plan that will help us to achieve all that we hope to achieve in the new year, and support that plan with a positive attitude, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

serve food in individual portions for immediate on- or o -premises consumption would be exempt, as would stores that operate solely in Colorado and have three or fewer locations.

Businesses that are still allowed to o er plastic bags must collect a fee of at least 10 cents on each bag. e fee may be higher if a city or county enacts a higher charge.

Say goodbye to plastic foam

It’s not just plastic bags that are being done away with. e 2021 bill also bans polystyrene products — such as Styrofoam — across the state starting on Jan. 1, 2024.  e only exception is that restaurants will be able to continue using polystyrene products for takeout

Municipalities and cities will be able to sue businesses that don’t comply with the new bag-fee and styrofoam rules.

ey also may assess the following nes:

• $500 for a second violation

• $1,000 for a third or subsequent violation

e nes can be assessed per violation during a retail sale. In other words, if a business illegally handed out 10 plastic bags during one transaction, they would be considered to have violated the law only once.   e measure also repeals a state prohibition barring local governments from introducing restrictions on plastic materials that are more stringent than the state’s.

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

e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Lawmakers, Polis gave green light to new charge during 2021 session

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When two friends joined forces to donate socks to homeless shelters in January 2012, they had no idea it would lead them on a path to creating a nonpro t that has collected nearly one million pairs of socks for people in need throughout the U.S.

e Sock It To ‘Em Sock Campaign, co-founded by Sue Lee and Phillis Shimamoto, collects and distributes new pairs of socks for people experiencing homelessness and those in need, such as low-income families, Marshall Fire victims and migrants who arrived in Denver in late 2022.

Although it was more than a decade ago, Lee remembers nearly every detail of how the nonpro t originated. She was in the soup aisle at King Soopers, shopping for anksgiving dinner on a Tuesday night in 2011.

“As I was literally grabbing a can of cream of mushroom soup, written in my head were yellow block letters with a red outline, and it went like a marquee and went across my head, inside my head, and it said, ‘Sock It To ‘Em Sock Campaign, socks for the homeless.’ And it kept rotating,” Lee said. It made her stop in her tracks.

“Literally, it was written — so it wasn’t like a thought I had conjured up,” she said. “If the message were from God, I looked up and down the aisle to make sure nobody was around, and I said, ‘Seriously? You think I have nothing else to do?’”

e message kept repeating as she nished shopping. She walked to her car and, out loud, said, “OK, I’ll do it.”

“I got in the car and I called Phillis. And I said, ‘Phillis, you won’t believe what just happened. I might have gotten a divine message, I don’t know,’” Lee said.

Lee suggested they ask their friends to gather new pairs of socks through the end of December, and then take them to some homeless shelters in January.

“I was like, ‘Well, let’s do it,’” Shimamoto said.

During the rst week in January 2012, in 7-degree weather, Lee and Shimamoto took 575 pairs of socks to three locations.

“And at every location, they were saying, this is the number one clothing need,” Lee said.

Shimamoto said after they found out socks were “the most requested item and the least donated,” they decided to continue collecting socks.

“We said, well, let’s do what we can. Let’s try to make it as big as we can,”

Shimamoto said. “And who knew that after all this time, we would be on our way to a million socks.”

The value of socks

Educating people about the value of socks, especially to people experiencing homelessness, is part of the nonpro t’s work, Lee said.

ere are an estimated 10,857 people experiencing homelessness on a given night in Colorado, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

e research article, “Foot Conditions among Homeless Persons: A Systematic Review,” cited a study that found people experiencing homelessness walked a median of ve miles each day.

In another study, it was reported “that only 61% of homeless participants changed to a clean pair of socks daily.”

With walking being their primary mode of transportation, many people experiencing homelessness go through their socks fairly quickly, Lee explained.

“A pair of socks on a homeless person might last two to three days,” she said. “It’s really important to be — have those constant socks out there at shelter services and agencies for them.”

Lee said people sometimes only picture men as experiencing homelessness. However, a November 2014 report by the American Institutes for Research stated approximately 2.5 million children are homeless each year in the U.S.

“We had to educate people that … we need socks for men, women and children,” she said.

Something else Lee informs people of is the danger of foot ailments for people experiencing homelessness.

“One of the main reasons a person who’s homeless goes into the emergency room is a foot ailment, and they can die from that,” Lee said. “One way to stop that from happening is for them to have clean, dry socks to wear on a regular basis.”

“Every time someone gives socks, they should realize this might save a person’s life,” she said.

Eric Hill, an emergency medicine physician and the EMS medical director for the Medical Center of Aurora, said cold weather injuries and foot problems are high on the list of reasons people experiencing homelessness go to the emergency room.

“Especially around the wintertime, when you get really cold spikes, we tend to see more of it, especially in the days afterwards when they already have the frostbite,” Hill said. “ ey’re at a much higher risk just given their exposure levels and lack of appropriate clothing for that kind of environment.”

He noted people experiencing homelessness come to the emergency room for other, variable reasons, such as issues related to mental health and substance abuse.

“ ey may come in with (an) alcohol-related issue or drug-related issue, but when you’re actually evaluating them, you see that they actually have signi cant feet problems with that,” he said.

e toes are very susceptible to frostbite, he explained, saying having regular access to dry, clean socks is a big part of preventing foot ailments.

“Access to good footwear, waterproof, recurrent socks, is a great thing,” Hill said.

Becoming a nonprofit

After continuing their work of collecting socks in 2013, by 2014, Lee and Shimamoto realized they needed to o cially establish themselves as a nonpro t, which they did in 2015.

In the beginning, Lee and Shimamoto were counting, sorting, bagging and storing the socks themselves.

Now, members of the National Charity League do almost all of the counting, sorting and bagging for them, Lee said, and then the socks are stored in a storage unit until they’re ready for pickup from an organization that needs them.

e nonpro t collects and distributes socks in a variety of ways, and it has had in uence in least 47 states in the country, Lee said.

One of the methods for collecting socks is through sock ambassadors, which Lee said is any person, business, place of worship, or organization that collects new socks for the nonpro t.

“And then they get them to us, we count, sort and bag them, and we get them out to shelters, services and agencies,” Lee said.

Over the years, the nonpro t has given socks to more than 200 shelter services and agencies, Lee said. ey also give socks to individual people who may be assembling “blessing bags” and want to include socks in them for people experiencing homelessness, she added.

Among the extensive list of sock recipients is Cardenas Ministries, a family operated nonpro t based in Henderson, in Adams County, that hosts a range of events and initiatives aimed at giving back to the community.

“We just enjoy doing stu in the community, whether it’s for kids who are underprivileged or whether it’s for the women’s shelters, homeless,” said Valerie Soto, one of the family members.

“We were buying socks and we never had enough socks to give out,” Soto

said.

During one of their events, roughly four years ago, they connected with someone who introduced them to Lee and the Sock It To ‘Em nonpro t.

“Sue has just been a big blessing. We’ve been able to help so many people because of Sock It To ‘Em,” Soto said.

She said they’ve received thousands of socks from the nonpro t, which are distributed through e orts such as their holiday events, gift bags they assemble for people experiencing homelessness, and their school supplies donations to southern Colorado communities.

Recently, Cardenas Ministries’ had about 1,000 pairs of socks from Sock It To ‘Em to hand out during its December “Spirit of Giving Parade of Toys” event, in which they gave out hats, gloves, socks and toys to families at di erent housing developments in Brighton and Commerce City.

“ ey’re angels on earth,” said Gloria Estrada, the mother of Soto, about Sock It To ‘Em. “ e need is there.”

Soto said she can speak from experience, as when she was growing up, both of her parents were in college and there were “ ve of us kids.”

“We didn’t have enough clothes. We were very, very poor at that time,” Soto said. “And we would have to share socks.”

When children come up at the events and pick the pair of socks they want, it creates a good feeling, Soto said.

“Sock It To ‘Em, I’m telling you, they are just so amazing,” Soto said.

Cathy Law — the project manager for the Volunteers of America Colorado AmeriCorps Seniors Retired Senior Volunteer Program in Denver, Douglas and western Arapahoe counties — also praised Sock It To ‘Em for its partnership with Volunteers of America.

“It’s an amazing partnership,” Law said, explaining they rst connected in 2016. “Sue and Phillis give me a bunch (of socks), and then I can distribute them in the community because we have partnerships with these other agencies.”

Law said she’s taken socks to many di erent places, such as to the Volunteers of America veterans’ service center and to food banks Volunteers of America works with.

“I really feel like it’s a heartbeat in the community, where they’re connecting people,” Law said about Sock It To ‘Em.

“ ey’re showing you that an act of kindness can go so far,” she added. “And that if you believe in something, you can make it happen.”

e nonpro t’s impact is also

growing outside of Colorado, as Lee said the nonpro t gets submission forms from across the country of people wanting to do sock drives.

ere are also people called “sock sherpas” who o er to transport socks to areas outside of Colorado.

In some states, smaller networks of people working together to collect and donate socks are forming, Shimamoto said.

“ at’s always been our goal, is to be able to have pods of people in di erent states who can connect with one another and kind of build a small community,” Shimamoto said. “Hopefully, it just gets bigger and bigger.”

Support from Colorado cities, towns

Even before earning its o cial nonpro t status, Sock It To ‘Em began making a name for itself in Colorado cities and towns.

On the Friday before anksgiving in 2014, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock proclaimed the second Wednesday in December a “Sock It To ‘Em Work Day,” Lee said.

Following the proclamation, Lee emailed seven mayors the next Monday asking for their support as well.

e next night, she went shopping for anksgiving in the same King Soopers at the same time as she had in 2011.

“I’m in the soup aisle and literally, I’m grabbing a can of cream of mushroom soup, and my phone goes o in my pocket,” she said.

It was Catherine Marinelli, the executive director of the Metro Mayors Caucus, a voluntary, regional association of 38 mayors. She told Lee two mayors had forwarded the email Lee sent to the caucus.

“And she goes, ‘We love this idea,’” Lee said.

Marinelli invited members of Sock It To ‘Em to attend the caucus’ legislative holiday party, which was the same day as the proclaimed work day, and said the mayors would be bringing socks to donate.

“And that got some other mayors interested in us,” Lee said.

One of those mayors was Clint Folsom, who was the mayor of Superior from 2014 to 2022. e town began collecting and distributing socks to people experiencing homelessness, Lee said.

When the 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Boulder County, displacing residents, Shimamoto reached out to Folsom to donate socks.

In total, they donated about 16,000

pairs of socks, Lee said.

“It was really cool to be able to give back to them after all that they had given to the community all of those years,” Shimamoto said. “It really warmed our hearts to be able to see that come full circle.”

A lot of the 16,000 pairs that went to Superior came from other cities who held Sock It To ‘Em sock drives, Lee said.

“It was really emotional,” she said. e cities of Centennial, Greenwood Village and Englewood hosted sock drives again in late 2022, collecting new pairs of socks of all types and sizes through mid-January.

Schools have also joined in on the sock drives, such as High Five Preschool in Castle Rock, Bradford Primary School in Littleton, and Timberline Elementary School in Centennial.

Some schools, on the other hand, are the recipients of socks through the nonpro t’s sock drawer program.

ese drawers are typically implemented in Title I schools, which are schools receiving federal resources due to having a lower-income student population.

“Many of those kids go to school and they don’t have socks, and so we decided to do sock drawers,” Lee said. “And so we get them into schools and then we try to replenish them as we can.”

Some volunteers in the Retired Senior Volunteer Program gave back to Sock It To ‘Em by putting together sock drawers, Law said.

Since the 2022-23 school year began, the nonpro t established approximately 22 sock drawers in schools across the Denver metro area, Lee said.

Law re ected on how many people are involved in the collection and distribution of socks to people in need.

“By the time that individual gets that pair of socks, it’s not just a pair of socks. It’s those hands of love that say we’re thinking of you — and sometimes that’s more important, is just people knowing that someone’s thinking of them,” Law said.

Looking ahead

Sock It To ‘Em plans to celebrate collecting one million pairs of socks on Feb. 16, re ecting on how the nonpro t has grown over the past decade and how it can continue to do so.

Expanding the sock drawer program, as well as the sock ambassador program, across the country are on the list of goals Lee has for the nonpro t’s future.

Another goal is raising funds.

“It would be signi cant to raise a quarter of a million dollars — that

duties may include calling schools to see if they want a sock drawer, overseeing sock ambassadors, or transporting socks.

Lee encouraged those interested in learning more about the nonpro t and participating in it to ll out the submission form on their website: sockittoemsockcampaign.org.

Looking back at how the nonpro t has evolved over the years, Lee and Shimamoto encouraged people to pursue their ideas.

“If you have an idea, do it — and

don’t be afraid that you won’t know

in uence that will know how to help to ask themselves: “what if, what else

e two friends expressed gratitude for all the ways people have supported their vision and nonpro t.

“We wouldn’t be able to be able to do what we do if it wasn’t for them,” Lee said. “It’s thousands of people who have really participated in where we are today.”

“Everybody’s contribution has meant something to someone,” Shimamoto added. “And everybody who has contributed one pair of socks has contributed to this large amount that just keeps growing every year.”

Tammie Limoges, the chief development and operations o cer of the nonprofit, smiles alongside Sue Lee, showing o the sock drawers in the nonprofit’s storage.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUE LEE

Sue Lee, left, and Phillis Shimamoto pose next to their Sock It To ‘Em sign in 2015.

‘ENTANGLEMENTS’ WITH NATURE

Lens-based exhibit looks at how people relate to environment

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Metropolitan State University’s Center for Visual Arts starts o a new year with “Entanglements,” a new lens-based exhibit of works by 11 national and international artists, which will run from Jan. 13 to March 25 at the CVA Gallery, 965 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. March is Denver’s Month of Photography, and these works interpret artists’ views about how we, as humans relate to nature and its resources.  Eleven di erent views, that is ... e opening reception will be on Jan. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m., and the public is welcome to attend then or visit this handsome gallery. (Admission is free.) “Entanglements” was curated by Cecily Cullen and Natascha Seideneck, who teaches at MSU.  ere is an agenda stated: Artists hope to inspire viewers into action that is supportive of the natural environment. Check the CVA website for programmed events as some artists will be speaking at the gallery. Example: Amy Hoagland will speak at 5 p.m. on March 9 and Regan Rosburg will speak at 5 p.m.

IF YOU GO

The CVA is located at 965 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. (It has parking by the entrance.)

Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Admission free. 303615-0282, msudenver. edu/cva.

on Feb. 9. She has written a book called “Church of Water: A Portrait of the Arctic.” She teaches at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Lakewood.

Other artists with works included in “Entanglements” include: Persijn Brersen and Margit Lukacs; Dornith Doherty, Felicity Hammond, Jana Hartman, Marcella Kwe, Anastasia Samoylova, Sarah Sense and Alicia Wroblewska.

Hammond will have a photographic collage series titled “Hid-

den Gems,” described as “jumbled, chaotic mining landscapes with the detrius left by the mineral extraction industry.”

Hoagland’s installation, “ awing Web,” challenges the idea that human society exists separate from nature.

Broersen and Lukacs take recognizable landscapes and reimagine them in two works entitled “Mastering Bambi” and “Establishing Eden.”

Both lms feature familiar land-

scapes — familiar because they were used in popular lms, but minus the actors and set pieces ...

Hartman and Samoylova o er photographic series that juxtapose nature and human society while Sarah Sense (Chitimacha/Choctaw) studies the relationship of her ancestors to the environment through an exploration of their landscapes.

Rosburg calls a viewer to action with her work called “dear future” re ecting on what we could change by taking action now ...

Felicity Hammond’s “Hidden Gems,” a photographic collage series, will be part of Metropolitan State University’s Center for Visual Arts’ “Entanglements” exhibit.

COURTESY PHOTO

Metropolitan State University’s Center for Visual Art is located at 965 Santa Fe Drive in Denver.

FACEBOOK IMAGE FROM 2013

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ARTS: Mini Picasso @ Harvard Gulch @ 5pm

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ARTS: Pottery Open Studio (Session) @ Harvard Gulch @ 7:30pm Jan 14th - Mar 18th

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BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Honestly, it’s always been my dream job to have an endless supply of caffeine and unsupervised access to the internet.

And as the digital editor for Colorado Community Media, that dream is now my reality.

So along with scrolling endless hours of cat videos, it’s my job to navigate the information highway as I support an awesome team of journalists.

And along the way, I’ve stumbled across a few sites that I return to quite often, and I’d like to share some of my favorites with you this year:

1. Visual Capitalist

Designed mostly for investors and data nerds, I like this site because it breaks down complex news stories and ideas into easyto-understand visual elements. It stays current with global news and I find it simply fascinating.

2. ADSB Exchange

While there’s a lot of aircraft tracking apps out here, Like FlightAware, many of them are scrubbed and delay results. ADSB Exchange is a great way to track flights without filters. It is nearreal-time, and you can track an aircraft up to the gate if you like. It does not use FAA data, and you can see military aircraft as well. ADSB Exchange does not accept payment or requests to remove

aircraft from public tracking. Great tool for journalists.

3. Colorado Legislative Dashboard

When the state legislature convenes on Jan. 9, the fun begins under the big dome downtown. The Colorado Legislative Dashboard is a great way to track bills and to listen in on hearings in both the House and Senate. The only downer is it is not a secure site, meaning you may get warnings from your browser, and will not see the little padlock like most sites.

4. Otter AI

In my younger days, I used to have beautiful penmanship. And then I became a reporter. Now my handwriting borders somewhere between Sanskrit and Charles Manson. I tend to take very detailed notes, but at the end of the day, I often can’t read my own writing. Otter AI takes meeting notes in real time and will generate an automated

Deborah’s list of utterly mind-blowing, ‘tripendicular’ websites

summary for you. If you have a little time to play around with it, there’s a treasure trove of features that will make taking notes a breeze. It also records audio to go with your summary and has a handy calendar to schedule recurring recordings. The free version is worthy of your inspection.

5. We Transfer

Ever need to send a huge file— photos, video, slide deck—to someone who doesn’t have DropBox or a Google drive? We Transfer is for you. No membership required. Simply upload your file, add your email and short message that is delivered to the recipient’s email, and that’s it. It’s free and will even send you confirmation when the message has been opened.

6. Tiny Wow

Need to convert a PDF to a JPG but don’t have an Adobe account? TinyWow does this and more. There are simple programs that can remove backgrounds from images, generate FAQs and even create captions for your Instagram account. And the list of video options is off the hook.

7. FEMA Mobile Products

This is probably one of the best apps from the government I’ve stumbled onto in years. As the name implies, it’s an emergency preparedness app that allows you to receive real-time weather alerts, send notifications to loved ones and locate emergency shelters in your area—or wherever you may be traveling. Great to

keep an eye on weather conditions if you’ve got kids in college out of state.

8. MyNoise.net

Need to block out the world when an airline ticket to an abandoned island is not in the picture. Grab your earbuds and hit this site. Nice quite relaxing noise to help you concentrate and focus without background distractions. I personally like the brown noise, but you can set custom configurations for your individual preferences.

9. Excel Formula Bot

I love spreadsheets. I’m just not so good at building them. I know what I want, it’s just all that math that slows me down. This website will transform your text instructions into Excel formulas with the help of artificial intelligence. It’s awesome—sorcery worthy of a look!

10. My Radar

My personal favorite weather app and website. Easy to use and very accurate. I’ve sat on my deck with a glass of wine and watched storm cells pass by me within a block. Better yet, if you’re a weather nerd, there are multiple layers you can add from winds to aviation METARs. It also shows where TRFs (temporary flight restriction are posted. It will provide the dates and the posting authortiy. Great way to track anticipated VIP arrivals.

Editor’s Note: Deborah Grigsby is the digital editor for Colorado Community Meda.

Buntport Theater comes through again

SONYA’S SAMPLER

New from Buntport eater: “ e Death of Napoleon: A Play in Less an ree Acts” brings an interpretation of history from the highly entertaining Buntport eater Company, playing from Jan. 27 to Feb. 18 at its theater, 717 Lipan St., Denver. is clever group writes its own material and says the ticket price is “Name your own price.” ey request that audience members wear masks, please. 720-946-1388, buntport.com.

Depot Art Gallery

e Depot Art Gallery, 2069 W. Powers Ave. in downtown Littleton, will open a New Members Show on Jan. 10 and resume hours : 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Free parking, admission. Housed in

a historic Santa Fe RR station. See depotartgallery.org.

‘Master Class’

Opening at Littleton Town Hall Arts Center on Jan. 12: “Master Class” for ve performances. TownHallArtsCenter.org.

Stories on Stage

Stories on Stage: “Hall Pass to the Galaxy” plays at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 at Su Teatro, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. 303-494-0523, storiesonstage.org.

Curtis Center “Wild!” is the name of an exhibit by the Studio Arts Quilt Association at Curtis Center for the Arts from Jan. 7 to Feb. 25. It

features 30 artists who were invited to let their imagination take them on a journey to a wild place. Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 14. Admission free. Gallery open 8:30-4:30 Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. 303-797-1779, 2349 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village.

Englewood concert

Englewood Arts Saturday Chamber Music of the Masters: Jan. 28, 2 p.m. Silver Ainomae, cello. Tickets: $30/$25/$10. 303-8068196, englewoodarts.org.

Saving Places Conference

Saving Places Conference will be held

COURTESY PHOTO

CROWSS UP DRO ELZZ

SAMPLER

FROM PAGE 16

Feb. 8-10, in-person and online. Embassy Suites by Hilton, Boulder. Contact Colorado Preservation Inc., coloradopreservation.org or 303-893-4260. Register online: SavingPlacesConference.org. Tours of Boulder. Summer on the road sessions: Aug. 25-26 in La Junta. New livestreaming option.

Piano concert

Pianist Andrew Todd will perform on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. at Littleton United Methodist Church, 5894 S. Datura St., Littleton.

Littleton Symphony

e Littleton Symphony performs a “Winter Concert of Masterpieces” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, at Littleton United Methodist Church, 5894 S. Datura St., Littleton. Tickets: 303933-6824.

Littleton art sale

e “A ordable Art Show” at Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St. in downtown Littleton, runs through Feb. 6, with all pieces priced at $200 or less. Watercolors, oils, pastels, photography and mixed media pieces. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and during performances.

Lone Tree

Tony Award-winning actress Laura Benanti performs at Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree at 8 p.m. on Jan. 13. Tickets: $45-$65, 720-509-1000, lonetreeartscenter.org.

Denver Art Museum

Denver Art Museum continues “Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools: 300 years of Flemish Art” through Jan. 22 and has opened “Rugged Beauty: Antique Carpets from Western Asia,” introducing weavers from the 1500s to 1900s. rough May 28, 2023. Open every day. In May, Hamilton Building collection galleries will be reintroduced with the African collection, Modern and Contemporary Art and Arts of Oceana collection. See denverartmuseum.org.

Arvada Center

Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, has announced its Black Box Repertory Company and scheduled ornton Wilder’s “Our Town” from Feb. 24 to May 21 and “ e Book Club Play” from March 17 to May 18. Members are Lavour Addison, Claylish Coldiron, Diana Dresser, Tresha Farris, Kate Gleason, Geo rey Kent, omas MorganArzola, Frank Oden, Samantha Piel, Josh Robinson, Archer Rosencrantz, Emily Van Fleet and Matt Zambrano. See arvadacenter.org.

Answers

This publicity image for Buntport Theater’s “The Death of Napoleon” is an altered version of “Portrait of Napoleon at Fontainebleau” by Paul Delaroche.

CLASSIFIEDS

Help Wanted

LEGITIMATE WORK AT HOME

No Sales, no Investment, No Risk, Free training, Free website. Contact Susan at 303-646-4171 or fill out form at www.wisechoice4u.com

CyberSource Corporation

CyberSource Corporation, a Visa Inc. company, currently has an opening for Software EngineerSr. Consultant (multiple openings) (REF56680F) in Highlands Ranch, Colorado to: Improve the data quality/accuracy of all SRE reports. Work to automate all SRE reports using Hadoop, Cassandra, Oracle, Jira, and AskNow data sources along with Pentaho/PowerBI for the presentation layers. Position reports to the Employer’s Highlands Ranch, Colorado office and may allow for partial telecommuting.

Qualified applicants should apply by emailing resume to uscareers@ visa.com. Must reference job code: REF56680F

System Site Reliability Engineer

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Job Location: Centennial, CO Requirements: BS or equiv. in EE, IT, etc.

+3 yrs. exp. req’d. Exp. w/ UCaaS, Python, Bash, Linux OS, Jenkins, GitLab, CI/CD & VoIP req’d.

Mail Resume: RingCentral, Inc. Attn: HR Dept. 20 Davis Drive Belmont, CA 94002

Help Wanted

Light Housework Needed

Help Wanted for light housework in Highlands Ranch area. Own car needed. $25 per hour plus gas. (303) 791-6070

Visa U.S.A. Inc. Visa U.S.A. Inc., a Visa Inc. company, currently has an opening for Sr. Software Test Engineer (multiple openings) (REF56663L) in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Job duties include: Design, create, and execute test plans and test cases Risk and Debit Processing Services applications from business requirements and conceptual documents. Create, modify, and improve automated test suites, and setup, configure, and maintain software test environments.; Manager (multiple openings) (REF56316W) in Highlands Ranch, CO. Job duties include: Maintain and support of applications/services running on the HP Nonstop Blade and X86 platforms. Code and Implement One-Off and BAU requests. Develop and implement tools to automate configuration changes and operational procedures. All positions report to the Employer’s Highlands Ranch, CO office and may allow for partial telecommuting. Qualified applicants should apply by emailing resume to uscareers@visa.com. Must reference job code.

CLASSIFIED AD SALES 303-566-4100 classifieds@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SERVICE DIRECTORY ADS Contact Erin, 303-566-4074 eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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CLASSIFIEDS

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Health

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Medical

Attention oxygen therapy users! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. Free info kit. Call 877-929-9587

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Colorado Statewide Network

PUBLIC NOTICES

OF TRUST.

Legals

Public Trustees

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION

CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0540-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On October 21, 2022, 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)

Sterling J Steed and Amber K Steed

Original Beneficiary(ies)

Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. ("MERS"), as beneficiary, as nominee for Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Inc., Its Successors and Assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt NewRez LLC, F/K/A New Penn Financial, LLC, D/B/A Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing Date of Deed of Trust

September 09, 2016

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

September 13, 2016

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) D6102260

Original Principal Amount $270,000.00 Outstanding Principal Balance $236,787.92

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.

LOT 20, BLOCK 2, SOUTHGLENN NINTH FILING, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO

Also known by street and number as: 7333 S Washington Circle, Centennial, CO 80122-1402.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, 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, 02/22/2023, 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: 12/29/2022

Last Publication: 1/26/2023

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: 10/21/2022

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:

Erin Croke #46557

Steven Bellanti #48306

Holly Shilliday #24423

Ilene Dell'Acqua #31755

McCarthy & Holthus LLP

7700 E Arapahoe Road, Suite 230, Centennial, CO 80112 (877) 369-6122

Attorney File # CO-22-945118-LL

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

Legal Notice NO. 0540-2022

First Publication: 12/29/2022

Last Publication: 1/26/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0554-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On November 1, 2022, 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) Julie Brown

Original Beneficiary(ies) WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt COLORADO HOUSING AND FINANCE AUTHORITY Date of Deed of Trust April 20, 2007

County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust April 23, 2007

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) B7050779

Original Principal Amount $174,166.00

Outstanding Principal Balance $151,376.16

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.

LOTS 13 AND 14, BLOCK 21, SHERIDAN SUBDIVISION, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

Also known by street and number as: 1810 W Girard Ave, Englewood, CO 80110.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, 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, 03/01/2023, 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: 1/5/2023

Last Publication: 2/2/2023

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: 11/01/2022

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 N. April Winecki #34861

David R. Doughty #40042 Nicholas H. Santarelli #46592

Lynn M. Janeway #15592

Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990

Attorney File # 22-028628

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

Legal Notice NO. 0554-2022

First Publication: 1/5/2023

Last Publication: 2/2/2023

Pursuant

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.

LOT 8, BLOCK 1, SOUTH PARK, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

Also known by street and number as: 6492 SOUTH CEDAR STREET, LITTLETON, CO 80120.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, 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, 02/08/2023, 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: 12/15/2022

Last Publication: 1/12/2023

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: 10/07/2022

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:

Anna Johnston #51978 Ryan Bourgeois #51088 Joseph D. DeGiorgio #45557 Randall Chin #31149 Barrett, Frappier & Weisserman, LLP 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80204 (303) 350-3711

Attorney File # 00000009622739 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

Legal Notice NO. 0523-2022

First Publication: 12/15/2022

Last Publication: 1/12/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0533-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On October 14, 2022, 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) CAROL A. RIGDON

Original Beneficiary(ies)

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., AS BENEFICIARY, AS NOMINEE FOR LIVE WELL FINANCIAL, INC., ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC Date of Deed of Trust February 23, 2017

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust March 02, 2017

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) D7024666

Original Principal Amount $381,000.00

Outstanding Principal Balance $135,149.13

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.

LOT 12, BLOCK 2, UHLMAN SUBDIVISION SECOND FILING, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

Also known by street and number as: 3296 S FOX ST, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80110.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, 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, 02/15/2023, 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: 12/22/2022

Last Publication: 1/19/2023

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: 10/14/2022

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:

Amanda Ferguson #44893 Heather Deere #28597 Toni M. Owan #30580 Halliday, Watkins & Mann, PC 355 Union Blvd., Ste. 250, Lakewood, CO 80228 (303) 274-0155 Attorney File # CO11046

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

Legal Notice NO. 0533-2022

First Publication: 12/22/2022

Last Publication: 1/19/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

City and County

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT

FIRST AMENDMENT TO CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT

2022 Street Rehabilitation Program Project No. 21-01-02

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 27, 2023 (the “Final Settlement Date”) to the following contractor:

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. 2710 Wycliff Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27607 (hereinafter, the “Contractor”) for and on account of all work completed by the Contractor on City Project No. 21-01-02, including for purposes of this Notice of Final Settlement on (the “Project”).

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. 530914-60914

First

APPROVING THE 4TH AMENDMENT TO THE PEAKVIEW PLACE MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN (PUD-22-00001).

The Planning and Zoning Commission will consider the Ordinance at a public hearing on Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 6:00 pm. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard.

The City Council will consider the Ordinance at second reading and public hearing on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 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 dates and times.

Further information concerning the proposed Ordinance 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. 530917-60917

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 5, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen Public Notice

ARAPAHOE COUNTY NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CASE NOS.

PF22-003

AND

USR22-002,

OUR LADY OF LIGHT MONASTERY/ FINAL PLAT AND USE BY PECIAL REVIEW

PROPOSAL: The Final Plat proposes to subdivide approximately 107.62 acre parcel into five lots located at the southeast corner of N. Calhoun Road and E. U.S. Highway 36. Lots 1, 2, 3 and 5 are to be developed for single-family residential and Lot 4 is proposed to be developed as a monastery for the Capuchin Poor Clares of Denver. The monastery will house a maximum of 15 sisters who are devoted to lead a cloistered life centered on prayer. The monastery will consist of a chapel, community room, library, refectory, kitchen, garage, and offices along with private bedrooms and bathrooms for the sisters. The proposed monastery is being reviewed through the Use by Special Review process.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on January 24, 2023 at 9:30 A.M., or as soon thereafter as the calendar of the Arapahoe County Board of County Commission permits, a public hearing will be held; at which, all interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard concerning the above-described PF22-003 and URS22-002, Our Lady of Light Monastery Final Plat and Use by Special Review. The public hearing will be held at 5334 S Prince St., East Hearing Room, Littleton CO 80120, with the option to participate remotely. The agenda will typically be posted by the Friday afternoon preceding the hearing and can be viewed on our website at https://arapahoe. legistar.com/Calendar. You can also listen to, or speak at, the meeting by calling 1-855-436-3656. To join the speaking queue, press *3 on the telephone keypad.

More information about this proposal is available at the offices of the Arapahoe County Public Works and Development Department, Planning Division, 6924 S Lima St., Centennial CO 80112 (please call ahead to schedule an appointment if you plan to walk-in), by calling 720-874-6650, or by emailing planning@arapahoegov.com during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday).

Joan Lopez, Clerk to the Board

Legal Notice No. Arap 1136

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 5, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen

Bids

Notice

of 10:00 a.m. on January 27, 2023 (the “Final Settlement Date”) to the following contractor: Paonia, Inc. 5055 List Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80919

(hereinafter, the “Contractor”) for and on account of all work completed by the Contractor on City Project No. 21-12-01, including for purposes of this Notice of Final Settlement on (the “Project”).

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. 530918-60918

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 5, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen