Cheers and laughter echoed along e Streets at SouthGlenn shopping complex as the City of Centennial and the YMCA of Metro Denver celebrated the opening of the Centennial YMCA Center of Generations.
Equipped with game rooms, tness equipment and interactive technology like a 3D printer, the center — located at 6972 S. Vine St. — aims to be a multigenerational
After Arapahoe County commissioners highlighted dozens of infrastructure projects and social initiatives they successfully supported in 2022, the State of the County address on June 7 took on a more serious tone.
“We have a substantial funding crisis,” District 5 Commissioner Bill Holen said.
American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds sustained many of the county’s initiatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as those funds run out, the county is facing the fact that in ation, increasing demand for services and TABOR restrictions have created a serious nancial problem that must be solved.
County accomplishments and ARPA funds
space for young people and older adults to enjoy.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am about this,” Centennial Mayor Stephanie Piko said during the June 7 grand opening. “ is was a long time coming.”
YMCA of Metro Denver President and CEO Sue Glass, a resident of Centennial herself, explained the initial conversations about a partnership with Centennial centered on how to address social isolation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
social isolation di ers from loneliness in that social isolation is a lack of social connections, while loneliness is the feeling of being alone regardless of the amount of social contact.
Older adults are at an increased risk for loneliness and social isolation as they are more likely to live alone, face health issues and experience the loss of family or friends, per the CDC. Social isolation signi cantly increases a person’s risk
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed ARPA to help the country recover economically from the impacts of the pandemic and recession.
Arapahoe County received a onetime allocation of $127.5 million to support vulnerable populations, businesses, health initiatives, housing, infrastructure, education, public health and county operations.
During the State of the County address, commissioners highlighted that ARPA helped them support the GOALS program, which stands for “generational opportunities to achieve longterm success.”
In partnership with Family Tree Colorado, Arapahoe County gave $1.2 million in one-time funding to support the creation of a GOALS early childhood education center for families experiencing homelessness.
“We did this because the GOALS program recently completed an evaluation of its rst cohort and the results were amazing,” District 1 Commissioner Carrie Warren-Gully said. “We are seeing generational poverty stop in its tracks. And we’re seeing people heal and strive for themselves.”
e county also contributed $1 million in ARPA funds to the Ready to Work program, which broke ground in early June for a new workforce and housing program in Englewood.
Overall, the county gave over $23 million to support programs related to homelessness and housing.
ey also used ARPA funds to support mental health services, a highlight being their allocation of $5 million to fund a new crisis and acute care center at Aurora Mental Health & Recovery.
“We know that many of our residents are still struggling,” WarrenGully said. “ e long-term e ects of the pandemic have been brutal on our emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. As a county, we want to
to upgrade the medical area of the county jail.
“While this doesn’t solve all of the jail’s aging infrastructure problems, it does create 37 new beds for mental and behavioral observation,” District 2 Commissioner Jessica CampbellSwanson said. “ is will improve our level of care, thereby reducing the negative impacts of detention on those struggling with physical and behavioral health issues.”
Outside of ARPA funds, the com-
faces by its most vulnerable populations.
ey also celebrated their programs for Veterans and the birth of Arapahoe County Public Health, which started providing services to residents at the beginning of the year after the dissolution of the TriCounty Health Department.
Arapahoe County’s funding crisis District 3 Commissioner Je Baker said the county is reaching the end of its ARPA funds.
“Although we’ve been able to do some amazing things and shepherd our community through COVID, almost all of the programs we’ve highlighted today are at risk of going away,” he said. “We need to make some tough decisions on where and how to apply our very limited budget.”
Baker said current growth projections predict the county will have 800,000 people by the year 2030. Baker said the county’s current revenues will put essential services such as public safety, human services, mental health programs and road maintenance at risk.
Keeping up with road maintenance is already a problem for the county, in which 40% of the roads are in “poor” or “very poor” condition and there are more than $500 million in backlog in deferred maintenance and capital projects, Campbell-Swanson said.
“A lot of people are asking us, ‘What happened? What went wrong that you guys are in this position now?’” Baker said in an interview with Colorado Community Media. “Nothing went wrong … the fact is that we were headed in this direction even before the pandemic.”
One driving factor to the nancial problem, Baker said, is in ation.
“ ese price uctuations of steel, asphalt and the cost of labor -- so the projects of working on our roads, which include asphalt, concrete and labor -- all of those prices have gone up.”
in ation, he said.
TABOR, an amendment to the state constitution, limits the amount of revenue governments in the state can retain and spend and requires voter approval for certain tax increases.
Warren-Gully said the costs of materials and labor are rising much faster than TABOR takes account for. She also said the growing needs and growing population of Arapahoe County means higher demands for its services.
“We need to be able to keep up with that,” she said. “People are needing our support, we’re providing it, and they’re being successful. But these issues are complex and they take a lot of work and a lot of dedication and funding.”
“To reach our vision for Arapahoe County, we have to stabilize our funding sources and modernize our nances,” Baker said.
In the coming months, the commissioners will consider several options to funding challenges, District 4 Councilmember Leslie Summey said.
One option is to ask voters to approve a new sales tax, which would create a dedicated funding stream for speci c services, she said. is would be modeled after the county’s open spaces sales tax.
Another option would be a ballot measure asking voters to remove the revenue cap of TABOR, an act commonly known as “debrucing.”
Commissioners will decide prospective ballot measures by August. If the commissioners decide to move forward with these options, the items would be in front of voters at the November 7, 2023 election.
“Nothing’s o the table,” Baker said. “We’re looking at (potential sales tax and debrucing ballot measures). But that doesn’t mean that we’re stopping trying to save as well. We’re continuing to tighten our belt and do more with less.”
On June 17, dozens of re trucks will cruise with lights ashing down Main Street in Littleton.
e convoy, which might look at rst glance like a spectacular emergency response, will be part of the 37th Annual Fire Parade and Muster, an event hosted by Mile High Hook and Ladder Club.
e antique re apparatus club hosts the free, family-friendly event on Father’s Day weekend in partnership with South Metro Fire Rescue each year.
e event will give attendees a chance to appreciate antique and modern re trucks, learn about re service history and experience the tools and tricks of emergency response personnel up close.
“We not only get to parade down Littleton’s Main Street, but it draws a crowd of (2,200 – 2,500) people and we get to show o our trucks so they get to admire them,” said Pete Webb, former president club member for over 20 years.
e parade will begin at Bannock Street and Littleton Boulevard at 9 a.m.
After the procession, re vehicles will gather in the parking lot at Arapahoe Community College for
the “muster” until 1 p.m. A muster is a gathering of re and rescue services that provides activities, education and entertainment to the community.
“Kids get to use real re hoses and they get to talk to remen,” Hook and Ladder member Mark Gorman said. “We cut some cars apart. e kids get to pick up the tools that the
remen use, and they ask questions and their imagination gets to run
Some highlights of the muster this year will include opportunities to ride a re truck, shoot a re hose, try on bunker gear and learn safety tips from e South Metro Safety Foundation, the Children’s Hospital Colorado Burn Camps Program, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, the National Weather Service
ere will also be a live automobile extrication demonstration, during which re ghters from South Metro Fire Rescue will use a piece of machinery called “Jaws of Life” to pry apart a crushed car to remove a volunteer “accident victim,” showing just one example of an emergency that re ghters respond to.
ere will also be a demonstration that shows the importance of sprinklers in extinguishing res.
“We also have a sprinkler trailer demonstration from the National Fire Sprinkler Association where they’re gonna have this trailer where they set a re to it and then sprinklers extinguish the re,” Webb said. “It shows the bene t of sprinklers, whether it’s in a commercial setting or a home setting.”
Attendees will get to watch the Children’s Hospital Colorado
Children’s One Flight Team land their neonatal/pediatric emergency helicopter.
Kids will also have the chance to do “maggot art” with the Arapahoe County Coroner, dipping live maggots into paint and letting them crawl around paper as they learn about entomology and forensic investigations.
South Metro Fire Rescue communications manager Eric Hurst said he appreciates the community connection that comes from the event each year.
“As a (South Metro Fire Rescue) employee who remembers going into the re muster when I was in elementary school, it’s just really cool for me to be able to be there and answer questions and inspire the next generation of our personnel to maybe want to apply one day,” he said.
Swedish Medical Center, the largest sponsor of this year’s event, will also be present at the event to talk about their level 1 trauma center, said Hook and Ladder member Paula Weins.
Hook and Ladder members recommend that families attending with kids bring a change of clothes for their children, as there are many opportunities for them to get soaked at the event.
County o ces closed
In observance of the State’s Juneteenth holiday, all Arapahoe County o ces will be closed Monday, June 19
2023
Bring a picnic, blankets and lawn chairs, and enjoy a movie under the stars at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds in Aurora. Featuring “Encanto” on June 22 and “The Secret Life of Pets” on June 29, with pre-movie themed games and activities, giveaways, and live entertainment. Screenings are in partnership with Arapahoe Libraries.
Tickets are $5 online / $7 at the door. 2 & under free. Details and tickets at www.arapahoecountyeventcenter.com/ picturesontheplains
Tickets on sale now! It’s time for carnival rides, rodeos, public competitions, fireworks, petting farm, and so much more! Get your tickets now for a presale $5 discount through July 1. Visit
When making your summer plans, are you hoping to hear live musical performances, partake in local cuisine, or get your face painted?
e City of Centennial has stacked its calendar with free events for people of all ages to enjoy this summer and fall. Here is a look at what is to come:
District summer socials roughout the month of June, the city will host district summer socials, which will have live music, food trucks and family-friendly activities, such as face painting and yard games.
ese informal gatherings bring together neighbors with their city council district representatives.
From 6-8 p.m. ursday, June 15, District 4 will hold its summer social at Indian Ridge Elementary, located at 16501 E. Progress Drive.
From 6-8 p.m. ursday, June 22, District 3 will hold its summer social at the Centennial Center Park, located at 13050 E. Peakview Ave.
Centennial Under the Stars
2023
e city’s annual celebration and concert, Centennial Under the Stars, is returning to Centennial Center Park from 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12.
e band Libélula will perform as the live opener before the headliner, 6 Million Dollar Band, takes the
stage. 6 Million Dollar Band describes itself as an 80s dance band. e event will feature local vendors, food trucks and family-friendly activities.
Centennial Chalk Art Festival Artists will decorate e Streets at SouthGlenn, located at 6851 S. Vine St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, as part of the annual Centennial Chalk Art Festival.
More than 30 chalk artists are expected to participate this year. In addition to admiring the artwork, attendees can enjoy live music, visit local vendors and participate in activities for the whole family.
For the rst time, the City of Centennial will host a “Sip in Centennial” event, combining its former Brew-N-Que and Whiskey Warmer events into one celebration. e event will be from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Centennial Center Park.
ere will be beer and liquor tastings, food trucks, live entertainment and yard games for community members to enjoy.
Sip in Centennial is free to attend but there will be tickets for purchase to participate in the alcohol tastings. Residents can get an alert when tickets go on sale by subscribing to the city’s special events noti cations: centennialco. gov/Government/Departments/ Communications/Noti cations.
BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
After what law enforcement has publicized as a case of “car sur ng” in Douglas County, a juvenile has been formally accused of crimes related to the incident.
Car sur ng involves riding on the outside of a moving vehicle being driven by another person. e activity is “incredibly dangerous” and the consequences can be fatal, the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce said in a news release.
e local district attorney’s o ce announced on Twitter in early June that a juvenile is facing charges of “vehicular homicide-reckless driving,” “vehicular assault-reckless” and “reckless endangerment.”
at’s according to the DA’s o ce for Colorado’s 18th Judicial District, which covers Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.
e case arose out of a May 5 rollover crash on Quarry Road near Finn Avenue in the Lone Tree where a teenage passenger died.
e sheri ’s o ce initially issued a May 30 news release that referred to what it called “the recent death of a teenager due to ‘car sur ng’ in Douglas County.”
In response to questions from Colorado Community Media, the sheri ’s o ce declined to specify
whether the teenager who died was one of the passengers who was leaning out of a window. e wording of the news release online had not been changed as of June 11.
e sheri ’s o ce again declined to comment on the question June 9.
e DA’s o ce on Twitter also referred to the situation as a “deadly ‘car sur ng’ case.”
A spokesperson for the DA’s ofce declined to comment on the circumstances of the car crash.
Two passengers were injured in the May 5 crash. One, a 16-year-old, who later died. Witnesses reported seeing two passengers in the back seat outside the car’s windows, according to the sheri ’s o ce. ( ere were four people in the car.)
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the victim’s family and friends during this unimaginably di cult time,” the sheri ’s o ce said in the news release.
Not ‘worth sacrificing your life’
e sheri ’s o ce has urged the public to be aware of car sur ng in Douglas County.
In recent weeks, Douglas County sheri ’s deputies have responded to six calls involving “youngsters” engaging in that behavior, according to the May 30 news release.
Recently, the sheri ’s o ce’s rst report related to car sur ng came
in on April 17.
“Prior to that, our tra c sergeant said he had not had a single report of this behavior in years,” said Deborah Takahara, a spokesperson for the sheri ’s o ce.
“Most of these cases involved juveniles, teenagers,” Takahara said on May 31. “We did learn yesterday of (one) case involving two people in their early 20s who were stopped by deputies.” e six reports had been spaced out over the past six weeks, Takahara said.
“No thrill or adrenaline rush is worth sacri cing your life or the lives of your friends or family members,” the sheri ’s o ce said in a news release.
Sheriff’s personnel urged the public to remember that drivers can face serious criminal charges, including the following: reckless driving, various seatbelt violations depending on the age of passengers, permitting a person to hang on or attach themselves to the outside of a vehicle, permitting a passenger to ride in an unsafe manner, reckless endangerment, thirddegree assault, vehicular assault or vehicular homicide.
A person not riding correctly could face a charge of “person hung on/attached themselves to the outside of vehicle,” according to the sheri ’s o ce.
Automated speed-enforcement cameras could become far more common across Colorado under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis this month.
e legislation was supported by transportation safety advocates and Democratic lawmakers who argued more speed and red light
enforcement cameras would lead to lower speeds and safer roads. Tra c deaths across the state hit a 40-year high in 2022 of 745 fatalities.
e bill allows local governments to use such cameras in more places, including busy — and deadly — arterial roads like Federal Boulevard in the Denver area. It also lifts
This Independence Day, give our streams a break. Not only are personal fireworks a fire danger, but also, their waste poses a threat to our waterways when not disposed of properly. Summer days in Colorado often bring flashing rain and thunderstorms that quickly wash away waste on streets and parking lots, sending them straight to the nearest stream. What isn’t collected and thrown away after the celebration may be gone before you know it. Take the time this holiday and clean up after yourself.
Local stormwater agencies are teaming up to bring you this message. We take this so seriously that we posted this ad rather than send you more garbage in the mail. One thing is clear: our creeks, rivers and lakes depend on you.
a limit that required police o cers to station speed cameras while they were in use. Denver o cials have said they support the bill.
“We need help,” city tra c engineer Emily Gloeckner said in May. “We don’t have the resources to be out there with a huge level of enforcement.”
e cameras are unpopular with some motorists. But research sug -
gests they are indeed useful tools in improving road safety.
“Speeding vehicles are one of the most common concerns we hear in the cycling community, and it is a major factor contributing to crashes and fatalities on Colorado’s roads,” Bicycle Colorado Executive Director Peter Piccolo wrote in an email. “We are pleased that the Governor prioritized road safety and signed this bill.”
e sponsors said they crafted the bill to “thread the needle” of safety needs and civil liberties. For example: First-time, minor o enders of
speed limits would only be issued a warning. e bill caps speeding nes at $40, though that can double for violations near schools. Signal violations would be limited to $75.
e bill also prevents a given government from “immobilizing” a vehicle if its owner doesn’t pay nes, and citations would not lead to points against a driver’s license.
Some Republicans worried the increased use of cameras would create a “surveillance state” and said local governments might use them to generate revenue.
“ ere’s a perverse incentive to
do these,” state Rep. Ken DeGraaf, R-Colorado Springs, said during a oor debate in May.
e Senate sponsor, however, told CPR News in March that the low ne amounts were chosen to ght the perception that the cameras were merely money makers. “ is isn’t about revenue, this is about safety,” said state Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster.
Story from Colorado Public Radio, which has a content-sharing agreement with Colorado Community Media.
But at South Platte Renew’s water festival on June 7, which is intended to be an annual event, families got to experience the fascinating, science-driven, and yes — even fun — world of water and natural resource renewal.
South Platte Renew is the third largest water renewal facility in Colorado, cleaning nearly 20 million gallons of wastewater each day. Co-owned by the cities of Englewood and Littleton, it cleans wastewater from 300,000 residents in these cities and other communities, according to its website.
In addition to wastewater, the plant cleans and renews naturals gases and solids, giving many forms of waste new uses in the environment.
“Really what we’re trying to do here is change the perception of wastewater,” said Kacie Allard, deputy director of business services. “We’re more than just a sewage plant. We renew resources, we capture gas, we bring our biosolids and landapply them to (farms) for agricultural use.”
At the festival, kids could build models of the river table, put pipes together to watch how water travels and do science experiments.
Tours were also available for families to see the plant and learn about the many scienti c processes that happen day-to-day.
“It’s a really big facility and just getting an understanding of the entire process is really — it’s awesome,” Allard said.
When South Platte Renew cleans wastewater, the water is returned to the South Platte River,
where it can be used downstream for recreational use, agricultural use or drinking water, Allard said.
“ e water that we put back into the river … at certain times, makes up 60% of the ow of the South Platte River, so it’s really substantial,” she said.
e wastewater cleaning process creates methane gas as a byproduct, marketing specialist Erin Bartlett said. Whereas most wastewater facilities burn o methane, which pollutes the environment, South Platte Renew instead cleans the gas and injects it into Xcel natural gas pipelines for reuse.
Biosolids are also cleaned to create fertilizers for farms in eastern Colorado.
“So everything that comes in that people consider a waste, we renew for reuse,” Bartlett said.
Highlands Ranch father David Tuchalski said he brought his 5-year-old daughter, Grace, to the event so she could learn more about where water comes from and how it’s cleaned.
“Just the festival atmosphere and getting to tour a plant and see how the water reaches our homes is important,” he said.
On the way there, Grace told her father she thought it would be boring. But as she got her hands dirty at the river table station, Tuchalski said she was already having a great time.
Partner organizations and departments including Englewood Public Works, South Suburban Parks and Recreation District, Red Rocks Community College, Emily Gri th Technical College, the Barr Milton Watershed Association and Denver Wastewater Management also had booths at the event.
When most kids hear “wastewater,” they don’t think of fun.Jackson Parsons, 7, said the water festival was his second South Platte Renew event because he went to a river cleanup before. When this picture was taken, he had already been to six stations. PHOTO BY NINA JOSS
PARADE: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Littleton Blvd West through Historic Downtown Littleton
MUSTER: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Arapahoe Community College 5900 S. Santa Fe, Littleton
FREE • EDUCATIONAL • FUN!
• Firefighters & Other First Responders
• Antique & Modern Fire Rescue Apparatus
• Rescue Demonstrations
• Fire Truck Rides
• Junior Firefighter Games
• Emergency Helicopter Landing
of premature death and is associated with a roughly 50% increased risk of dementia.
For young people, social isolation may impact a child’s mental health and lead to negative self-esteem and a fear of others, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“What has taught us over COVID is that we’re still people that require social interactions and that connection is so important,” Glass said. “For us, it was a no-brainer. And it was an opportunity for us to say, like, ‘How do we help solve this problem for the City of Centennial and the citizens?’”
From June 12 through June 16, the center will be open for tours between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Starting June 19, the center will start hosting programs including tness classes, esports drop-in sessions, nutrition classes and educational workshops.
Youth programs include esports, multimedia content creation
To help decide what programs the center should o er, an online survey that Centennial’s youth commission and senior commission helped design was conducted earlier this year to get residents’ feedback.
For young people, the center will initially o er programs such as a nutrition class, a mental health workshop, open hours for using the center’s “maker space,” and drop-in times for esports.
Esports refers to competitive video gaming, a eld that has quickly grown in popularity over the years. In the fall of 2022, it was sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA).
“Starting out this summer, we’re going to be doing some drop-in hours,” said Alex Kennedy, the senior manager of operations for the YMCA of Metro Denver. “And then for the
fall, we’re gonna be doing teams for League of Legends … and then some other competitive games.”
e gaming space in the center will also have a Nintendo Switch available to play Nintendo games, he said. e esports program is not just about enhancing one’s gaming abilities, though game strategy is part of it, said YMCA of Metro Denver’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth and Mission Kimberly Armitage.
“Our program is more about bringing the kids together for socialization as well,” Armitage said. “It’s about leadership and how you can be resilient.”
“ at’s what we do … is really help teach kids to be resilient and be able to build their whole self instead of just one part of that,” she continued.
Armitage said the City of Centennial’s youth commission helped design some of the things that the center has, such as the maker space where there is a 3D printer and a green wall for multimedia content creation.
“ ey want to learn how to do social
media safely, and that really came out loud and clear in our survey,” she said. is maker space is where people can learn to use the 3D printer as well as how to create podcasts, edit videos and create other content for social media platforms, Kennedy said.
“For us, we want a place for these teens to be able to go and know that they’re going to be safe,” Armitage said.
Older adult programs feature fitness, game sessions
For older adults, the initial programs available later this June include chair yoga, art journaling, corn hole teams, an Italian-themed nutrition class and card and board games sessions.
Marydean Purves, older adults program manager for YMCA of Metro Denver, spoke of partnerships the center has with both AARP of Colorado, which will share its programs with the center, and with Arapahoe Libraries.
“Arapahoe Libraries is just down the street,” Purves said, referring to the Southglenn Library. “ e county has an older adults program and they were very interested in both having access to the population that’s going to be here and sharing their resources.”
rough that partnership, the center will have a monthly book talk where someone will give short presentations on a variety of books so that people can decide what they may want to check out from the library.
e center’s tness room will have three anchor programs to begin with — SilverSneakers, chair yoga and Tai Chi classes, she said.
Leading up to the center’s opening, Purves said people have been calling and asking when the center would open.
“It’s thrilling to see it all come together,” she said.
When it came to creating this new center, Piko said she hatched the idea with Armitage while having lunch together a number of years ago. She has known Armitage for about 22 years, as their kids went to elementary school together.
“I’m very thrilled that we had the opportunity to build that relationship and to make it so that we can actually have our community build additional relationships by having a place where people are together,” Piko said about partnering with YMCA. “Relationships matter. Relationships is how we get things done.”
Armitage said the Centennial YMCA Center of Generations is one of the quickest projects she has ever pulled together.
“ e mayor and I started speaking about two years ago, and really about 18 months ago started working with her sta team,” she said. “I started going to senior commission meetings and youth commission meetings, and we did a survey to the community, we found a location, and it all just came together so fast and beautifully.”
e construction of the location, which is more than 6,300 square feet, was done within a roughly six-week timeframe, she said.
According to the drafted collaboration agreement between Centennial and the YMCA, the city will provide $215,000 in start-up funding to help cover the cost of things like supplies, maintenance and utilities.
For the remainder of 2023 and each calendar year thereafter, the city will provide roughly $179,000 in annual support funding, per the drafted agreement. To account for in ation, this amount will be adjusted upward each year by 5%, which means the annual support funding for 2024 will be $187,950.
“Building community is what we’ve been doing for almost 150 years in Denver,” said Angela Green Urbaczewski, the YMCA of Metro Denver’s chief brand and revenue o cer. “To be able to bring that to (a) new space and have such great partners in it is just wonderful.”
‘That’s what makes a healthy community’ e celebration of the center’s opening coincided with Centennial’s District 1 summer social, an informal gathering featuring live music, local vendors and family-friendly activities.
“ is is so exciting to have the YMCA in our neighborhood,” said District 1 Councilmember Candace Moon. “ e timing is perfect.”
District 1 Councilmember Robyn Carnes expressed her excitement for the center as well, saying she has two children in middle school.
“We need a place for them to hang out — a safe place for them to hang out,” Carnes said. “We want you to think of this as, like, sort of your community center, where you can come and interact with people of various ages. at’s what makes a healthy community.”
Smart growth and healthy communities are a focus in Arapahoe County, said Commissioner Jessica CampbellSwanson.
“Honored to be here, to celebrate with you all. Excited to see this grow and thrive here, as we create opportunities for communing together — and I think that’s so important across the generations,” she said.
Sen. Chris Kolker was among the elected o cials at the event. He represents Colorado Senate District 16, which includes e Streets at SouthGlenn area.
“I might be ghting the kids for the gaming center myself, so. Glad to see that we have another opportunity for … kids and adults alike to get together,” he said. “I de nitely will be promoting this.”
Armitage said it was awesome to see all the people who came to the center’s grand opening.
“What I’d like the community to know is … this is a place where they can come and socialize, have an opportunity to meet new people, and just have a place to not be isolated,” Armitage said. “It’s just a great feeling, knowing that the Y is going to continue to create connections within communities.”
ose interested in learning more about the Centennial YMCA Center of Generations can visit denverymca. org/centennial-cog.
If I did not already appreciate my dad, and other dads, last week was a good lesson in not taking them for granted.
In what could be labeled as a terrible rotten no good very bad day — my dad was put in the hospital with an infection that is now in his bloodstream. en, later in the day, I learned that a man I grew up around and worked with as a young journalist committed suicide, leaving behind two children and several grandchildren.
While the two of them have completely di erent circumstances – both of them matter to a lot of people, including me.
In both instances — they are good guys who got me thinking about the burdens the dads, especially the old-timers, tend to carry.
Starting with my dad — he’s Mr. Rough and Tough on the outside, but inside — he is a big softie. He spends mornings giving our dogs treats. Believe me, they line up waiting. My kids call him the Sugar King because he’s always got some kind of candy or cake ready for distribution to the grandchildren.
On June 9, I went from planning to write my regular tribute to my dad, with whom I have always had a close relationship, to re ecting on how important he truly is to me, my family and, of course, let’s not forget my dogs.
He does not want to be in the hospital — we have no idea when he will be released. We know it’s serious. We know he’s heavily medicated.
He had pains for several days but did not want to be a burden and, following suit with his generation, didn’t want to get treated or help. We, of course, made him go in.
His spirits are good and as we sit anxiously waiting to know if treatments are taking hold each
day — I pray that on Father’s Day, he will spend it in his recliner at home with me.
For my friend — he won’t be here this year to be appreciated by his children. Instead, he is gone. He was a police o cer with whom I worked with many times. He stepped in and helped on several occasions when my oldest brother did not always make the best decisions in his teenage years.
For my other brother, he gave a bit more insight into why he may have decided to commit suicide. My brother, who used to be a highway patrolman, told a story where he came to a scene to provide backup and there was our friend beaten within an inch of his life. My brother got him help.
After that, his storied career as a police o cer was over, he retired and spent many years dealing with PTSD, trying to overcome depression. A battle too often lost in our society today.
You see, we are so quick to villainize o cers today without knowing what they see and go through daily. My brother, also a father, does not have PTSD from his days serving in the U.S. Air Force. Instead, his demons all come from his days of serving in law enforcement.
ey see the worst of our society, from domestic violence to crimes, fatal car crashes and more. Until recently, they have been taught to tuck feelings away, and hide what they are going through.
After all, most of the dads and grandfathers in our society are taught that they must have some rough, tough exterior to lead their families, work and earn.
For me, this Father’s Day, I say we should all push for them to get help. In my dad’s case, realize it’s not a bother to take you for treatment. For others, it’s not something to be ashamed of to say, “Today, I need help.”
To all fathers — remember we know you are human. Be willing to accept that yourselves.
elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.
LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com
MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com
It was right before the pandemic of 2020 was announced. My wife and I had the opportunity to participate in a certi cation program put on by the Zig Ziglar Corporation. It is a program called Ziglar Legacy Certi cation, or ZLC for those who have gone through it and graduated. Although I was the previous president of the company, and knew the content in depth, I wanted to share this experience with my wife and carry the o cial designation as a Ziglar Legacy Certi ed trainer and coach.
e group that we joined was a ectionately known as ZLC23, as we were the 23rd group to complete the certication. On the very rst day we met our classmates, each came up with their own story, their business story, their personal story, and then there was their life story. We met Jessica, Shelly, Marvin, Sundiata, JillMarie, Brent, David, Amy, Jerrod, and a few others. But there was one woman who stood out amongst the rest, Jill. Jill’s smile, enthusiasm, and passion for wanting to complete the program and to begin helping others was contagious. Her energy and intentionality for being a di erence maker in the lives of others was abundantly clear. Her purpose and mission for attending were evident in how she
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participated in the learning through role playing, table exercise, and group discussions. I remember sitting next to her for two of those group discussions and table exercises. And I remember walking away from both feeling the impact of her presence and contributions to the conversations.
One of these exercises required us to share at our table what we liked, appreciated, or loved about someone else we had gotten to know during the week. We had to write it down privately on a note, and then read it out loud before handing it to the person at our table that we were writing about. I will share with you that the person reading the note and receiving the compliments was usually in tears, happy tears. As it was Jill’s turn to be the center of attention, we all eagerly wrote our messages of love, a ection, and appreciation. And as we all read our note, the consistency was unreal; Jill was light, love, passionate, determined, a role model of success, bright, beautiful, and someone who exuded the desire to help others.
Why am I sharing this story? Sadly, Jill passed away suddenly last month. Her beautiful smile to never grace this earth again, but that will bless the halls of heaven for eternity. ose of us who knew her well, knew all sides of Jill as we had three plus years to share calls, Zoom calls, webinars, texts, and emails. Some of us got to see her and be with her since we graduated ZLC23. And there wasn’t any one
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The small towns of Paonia and Hotchkiss in western Colorado are seeing fewer tourists this spring. Exceptionally high runo blew out a culvert on State Highway 133 about seven miles northeast of Paonia, which then allowed rushing water to carve a gully into the roadbed.
Back in August 2020, the Colorado Department of Transportation evaluated the culvert, found it vulnerable, and put it in a queue for repair, said CDOT spokesperson Elise atcher. But Region 3, encompassing northern Colorado, had 100 culverts needing work. e one near Paonia apparently landed too far down on the list.
In what might be termed an oversight, CDOT issued statements to the media labeling the washout a “sinkhole.” According to the United States Geological Survey, however, sinkholes have no entry or exit. ey occur when subsurface material caves in, usually during a drought.
e rusty culvert on Highway 133 crumpled on April 29, allowing the usually meek Bear Creek to start excavating the roadway. CDOT was alerted and began monitoring the situation. Meanwhile, drivers continued to use the road until the early morning of May 3, when high water pushed the culvert down the hillside. After that, a 10-foot-wide section of highway collapsed.
Over the next three weeks, high water gouged an ever-deeper streambed through the road.
Other road damage in the area was discovered May 24 when fast runo washed out the seasonal Kebler Pass Road. e Forest Service said that a paved section near the resort town of Crested Butte was gone.
According to Gunnison County Sheri Adam Murdie, “Kebler is a
of us who didn’t appreciate her e orts to worry more about us and how we were doing than how she was personally doing herself.
As the news hit our ZLC23 class, we reached out to one another for comfort and understanding; it’s one of the things that happen when you become Ziglar certi ed and connect with your classmates, you graduate as di erence makers in the personal, professional, and spiritual lives of everyone you have the opportunity to meet. And Jill epitomized that mission and purpose, she changed us all. Even when she was going through life’s challenges herself, she was the rst one to respond to a prayer request, jump into a conversation, or ask a meaningful question during a podcast or webinar.
Jill was a di erence maker.
bigger washout than Bear Creek and took the whole road out.”
e good news is that Gunnison County Road and Bridge acted quickly to begin repairs, with June 9 as the expected date of completion, said Sheri Murdie.
CDOT put the road-rebuilding job near Paonia out for an emergency bid in early May, and Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction, with an o ce in Frederick, Colorado, was awarded the contract May 16. at’s when the company began engineering work on what will be a temporary bridge, said CDOT’s atcher.
Physical construction began Tuesday, May 30, almost a full month after the roadway collapsed. atcher said work should be completed well before the end of June.
Judging from comments on social media, many local residents think the state moved far too slowly to x and reopen the highway.
“ ey could have dropped in a new culvert and back lled the roadway with gravel,” said Somerset Water Superintendent John Mlakar. As the Colorado Transportation Department will tell you, however, they have to proceed in a deliberate way.
Townsfolks are saying no one has seen road damage like this since the massive East Muddy Slide of 1986.
e mile-wide slide was threepronged and closed Highway 133 between Paonia and the town of Carbondale for four months.
Repairs progressed slowly as the landslides — which attracted geologists from all over the world — owed downhill, initially at one foot
I write this column as a tribute to Jill, a true ZLC’er class of ‘23. I write this to remind us that we all have something to give to others regardless of how short or long our lives here on earth are. We can smile, be kind, show our passion, know our purpose, and simply care about the person sitting across from us in the moment, because that is who Jill was, a living example to us all.
Is there someone who you need to tell how awesome they are before they are gone? Did this tribute connect with you? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can remember those who left their ngerprints of love and light on our lives, 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.
per hour, then slowing before grinding to a stop 216 days later.
e highway’s temporary repair — as the slide area is still considered active — involved lifting the road up 40 feet and dumping the sliding material into Muddy Creek. at xed the problem but reduced the capacity of Paonia Reservoir, which sits downstream of the slide. It was meant to hold 20,950 acre-feet, but the reservoir today holds roughly 16,000 acre-feet.
Meanwhile, Paonia, with a population of about 1,500, lacks bustle from visitors to wineries, restaurants, organic farms and shops. Julie Bennett, owner of Root and Vine Market and Qutori Wines on Highway 133, said visitors are down 50%.
A problem for nearby Somerset, population 100, has been sparse but fast-moving tra c. Mlakar said
that vans transporting coal miners around the washout to the West Elk Mine were ignoring his town’s 25-mile-per-hour limit, tearing by at 50 mph.
Local law enforcement is problematic, due to the resignation of a Gunnison County deputy. Until a replacement arrives, Delta and Pitkin County sheri ’s departments are helping out.
With road damage blocking two roads in Gunnison County and personnel changes to boot, Sheri Murdie admitted, “It’s been a heckuva time.”
Dave Marston is the publisher of Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonpro t dedicated to spurring conversation about the West. He lives in Durango, Colorado.
Search-and-rescue dogs embody the mail carrier motto: “Neither snow, nor rain nor gloom of night” will keep these trusty canines from their appointed rounds — searching for people or items with single-minded purpose.
For the dogs and their trainers who are part of the Colorado branch of SARDUS — Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States — training is a weekly, if not daily, endeavor to prepare dogs to certify in an area of search and rescue or to keep the dog’s skills sharp after certi cation.
“ e training continues for life,” said Cathy Bryarly, a retired Boulder sheri ’s deputy who trains search-and-rescue dogs. “ is has to be part of your life. It goes way beyond a hobby,
or it’s not going to work. It’s a calling.”
SARDUS members agree that it’s a labor a love based in their strong resolve to help others. Not only do the dogs and their handlers train multiple times a week, enlisting family and friends to hide, so the dogs have someone to search for, but handlers also attend seminars on a variety of topics and work together by laying trails for others to follow.
Trainers are always learning, so they can improve their canines’ ability to help in emergency situations.
Search-and-rescue dogs and their handlers are not paid; in fact, handlers spend a lot on the dogs, the equipment, the training and more. e goal is to be certi ed to go on missions, the term for helping law enforcement nd people, bodies or objects needed in an investigation.
Call the people trainers or handlers, but
more importantly, they’re dog lovers who want to work as a team with their pets to help others.
The humility of training
e trainers say it simply: Training their canines is humbling.
“Our dogs don’t make the mistakes,” Anjie Julseth-Crosby of Morrison said. “We do. ere’s so much to remember. e training is about me trying to understand what (the dogs) are saying. e human fails, not the dog.”
In fact, Julseth-Crosby, who started training her bloodhounds two years ago, has compiled a 19-page document called “ ings I wish I knew two years ago.”
Training involves having a dog follow a scent for several miles, helping the dog return to the SEE DOGS, P17
scent trail if needed and rewarding the dog when it nds the person or item it is directed to follow.
Training can be messy as canines follow the scent wherever it takes them over all sorts of terrain in all kinds of weather.
food or toys. Once you gure that out, then trainers must convince the dog to do what they want the pup to do for the reward. It begins with what is called a puppy run-away, where you get the pup to run after a person, and when the pup nds the person, the pup gets a reward.
at transitions to following a scent to nd a person.
“It’s just a matter of making it harder and harder to the point where a dog is searching 120 acres for one person or that trailing dog is following a 24-hour-old scent through a subdivision,” Bryarly said.
No matter what or who the dog is nding, it must go to it, stay there, lay down and point its nose, so the handler knows the dog is saying that the item or person is there.
Dogs cannot certify to be search-and-rescue dogs until they are at least 18 months old, but it usually takes two years or more for the rst certi cation, Bryarly said.
“Search-and-rescue dogs that are out in the public have to be just perfect,” Bryarly said. “ ey have to stay focused and not get distracted by other dogs, animals or people.”
Getting involved
irty years ago, Julseth-Crosby made a pledge that she would own a bloodhound and train it to be a search-and-rescue dog. at’s because Ali Berelez, 6, who had been kidnapped and murdered in 1993, was found four days after her abduction by bloodhound Yogi.
Julseth, at that time a single parent with a 6-yearold, felt kinship with Ali’s family. However, as a full-time teacher, Julseth-Crosby decided to wait to train when she retired in 2021. True to her word, she began training her bloodhounds Bruno and Miley.
Niamh Coleman of Nederland was looking for something to do with her dogs, thinking it was a casual pastime. Now search-and-rescue dog training is closer to an obsession.
a multiple-day-a-week job.
Jayne Zmijewski, who taught outdoor skills to rangers most of her life, said search-and-rescue dogs were a natural progression. She’s had four search-and-rescue dogs in the last 30 years, most recently her chocolate Labrador Kodi.
Teresa Verplanck of Bailey is training Lilo, a border collie mix, for wilderness searches. She called the SARDUS group she trains with wonderful, and trainers and dogs have become a big family.
Jake Udel, who lives near Rustic, Colorado, is a volunteer firefighter and medic, and he trains his dog, Java the Mutt, a Czech shepherd, “for the love of dogs, helping people and the activity.”
Julseth-Crosby said the number of hours can be whatever trainers can put in, but at a minimum eight hours a week, and some weeks, she trains or prepares for training as much as 40 hours a week.
The right breed
While just about any breed of dog can become a search-and-rescue dog, bloodhounds, shepherds and retrievers are the typical dogs people think of, but other breeds — if they have the nose for the work — can be certi ed.
“It works better to start with a breed that is bred to do this,” Bryarly said. “In fact, there are some breeders who breed speci cally search-and-rescue dogs. But sometimes you nd a dog that is good at this, and it’s a breed you never would have guessed could do this work.”
e most important thing, Bryarly said, is the bond that the dog and handler have with each other.
“People have told me over the years that they are amazed at something their dog does,” she said. “People think they are the smart ones, but the dog is the smart one. We are just trying to keep up with them.”
Starting early
Training starts early — when pups are a few weeks old.
“Start with a dog who has a high drive,” Bryarly said. “A high-drive dog is always busy and always wanting something to do. If that energy is not channeled right away, the pup will tear your house apart.”
Most canines prefer one of two types of rewards:
Melanie Weaver of Lafayette knew her dog, Lego,
Udel figures he’s been on 75 to 100 missions since he certified his first dog in 2005.
SARDUS
SARDUS, one of several search-and-rescue dog organizations in the country, helps smaller organizations test and certify dogs. To get the trailing or air-scent certification, which is usually the first certification a dog earns, the canine must follow a 24-hour-old trail to find a person. SARDUS only works with law enforcement, so a person cannot request a search-andrescue dog.
Bryarly said about 30 dogs in Colorado are certified by SARDUS with most of them trailing dogs — the most of any organization in the country.
Membership in SARDUS is $25, and some people join who don’t own dogs, but they want to help in other ways such as creating tracking trails or hiding from dogs, Bryarly said.
Trainers must be physically fit since they follow their dogs through all sorts of terrain, plus they take classes such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s incident command courses, so they understand the structure of incidents and managing evidence.
For the SARDUS trainers, the work is definitely a passion.
a German shepherd, needed a job to have a ful lling life, and Weaver was looking for something practical. Little did she know that training Lego would be
• Trailing: Dogs who can find scents by putting their noses to the ground.
• Air scenting: Dogs who find scents by putting their noses into the air.
• Avalanche: Some dogs are good at smelling human scents through snow.
• Water: Some dogs are good at smelling human scents through water.
“If you think of it as work, you won’t do it for 20 years,” Udel explained. “You have to adopt the (search-and-rescue) lifestyle. It’s a life-anddeath commitment for some people — certainly the people we are looking for.”
• Disaster search: Dogs can smell through debris to find people.
• Human remains: Dogs can be certified to find human remains.
• Wilderness: A type of trailing in remote areas.
in cities.
Ar tist Patricia Aaron has recently returned from a trip to Japan and Hawaii and feels inspired to make new paintings and prints. She will have work in “Oh, Honey,” an invitational show of encaustic art opening July 27 at PACE Center Gallery, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave. in Parker. See parkerarts.org.
Animal inspiration Abend Gallery, 1261 Delaware St., Suite 2, Denver, will host an exhibit “Wild at Art: A Four Person Animal-Inspired Exhibition,” through June 27. I hope the entire show will have the tongue-incheek flair of Claudia GriesbachMartucci’s “Lust for Life.” Others included in this show: Morgan Cameron, Marina Dieul and Lucia Heffernen. Visitors to this show will have fun making up stories about the paintings. Runs through June 27. Hours: noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays. 303-3550950, abendgallery.com.
Contemporary art
MCA-Museum of Contemporary Art, 1485 Delgany St., Denver, has new exhibits by Anna T. Souhlarakis, “Indigenous Absurdities,” and by Tomashi Jackson, “Across the Universe.” Rooftop party on June 30, with R&B music. 303-298-7554, mcadenver.org.
Ice cream social
Mark the calendar for the Highlands Ranch Metro District Ice Cream Social on Aug. 2 in Civic Green Park, 9370 Ridgeline Blvd. Music provided by the Highlands Ranch Concert Band and Swing Shift. Enjoy $2 prepackaged ice cream treats, cash only, as well as a variety of food truck offerings. See highlandsranch.org.
scan to learn more about our collective effort
Guild aids dance
The Denver Ballet Guild held its annual Le Bal de Ballet on June 10, honoring high school students from Colorado and their families: 2023 Debutantes and Young Men of Distinction at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and Sheraton Denver Hotel. The guild honored a number of young people from our south suburbs. Members award funds to area dance companies and sponsor a young dancer’s competition during the year.
Call for entries
Call to artists: Entries are being accepted via callforentry.org for the summer Best of Colorado Show that opens Aug. 8 at the Depot Art Gallery in Littleton.
Juror is Christian Dore. Open to all Colorado artists. Cash awards for winners.
Lone Tree
Lone Tree Arts Center is selling tickets for its next season now and you can pick and choose from a great variety of performances, getting a 10% discount when you pick three or four shows and 15% with five or more. See the website for choices. Starts with Lannie Counts: the Greatest R&B Songs Ever Written on Sept. 9. Box office is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. 720-509-1000, lonetreeartscenter.org.
Festival Park
e Castle Rock Band will celebrate Independence Day with a free outdoor concert of patriotic music on July 1 in Festival Park, Castle Rock at 7 p.m. Included: Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and the Gershwins’ “Strike Up the Band!”
Town Hall
Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center is selling tickets for the next season, 2023-2024. Included:
“All Shook Up” on Sept. 23-Oct. 22. “The Last Session,” Matilda,” Urinetown,” “raisin,” “Rd,” “Prom.”
The Annual Ovation Gala will be held on June 24. 303-794-2787, townhallartscenter.org.
Greenwood Village Reminder: The International Pastel Exhibit continues until July 1 at Curtis Center for the Arts, 2349 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village.
when you shop, bring your bagClaudia Griesbach-Martucci’s “Lust for Life” will be on display in Abend Gallery’s “Wild at Art: A Four Person Animal-Inspired Exhibition” through June 27. COURTESY PHOTO SONYA’S SAMPLER inviPikes
Thu 6/22
Jeffrey Dallet
@ 2pm Garden Plaza at Aurora, 14221 E Evans Ave, Aurora
Wind, Women, & Water Clinic
@ 4:30pm / $55 Cherry Creek Reservoir, 4800 S Dayton St, Greenwood Village. 303-757-7718
Dear Marsha,: Chats, Chews and Brews with Women Who Rock the Rockies @ 5pm Brewability Lab, 3445 S Broadway, Engle‐wood
Teague Starbuck
@ 5pm Modern Brew - Kitchen, Coffee, Bar, 8221 S Holly St, Centennial
Rotating Tap Comedy @ Coal Mine Ave Brewing @ 6pm Coal Mine Ave Brewing Company, 9719 W Coal Mine Ave unit a, Lit‐tleton
Fri 6/23
Flea Market @ 2pm Jun 23rd - Jun 24th Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora
LOS DADDYS @ 6pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora
KAOBA @ 6pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora
The Mssng @ 6pm
Comedian Jenny Zigrino: Jenny Zigrino in Castle Rock! @ 6pm Lost Coffee, 390 Perry St, Castle Rock
Moe's Original BBQ, 3295 S Broadway, En‐glewood
Anavrin's Day: Tailgate Tavern Main Stage @ 7:30pm Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker
Sat 6/24
God�esh @ 5pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood
Christopher Morse, Dave Tamkin, & Racyne Parker @ 7pm Western Sky Bar & Taproom, 4361 S Broadway, Englewood
Dave Tamkin: Western Sky Taproom @ 7pm Western Sky Bar & Taproom, 4361 S Broadway, Englewood
Los Angeles Negros @ 7:30pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora
Sun 6/25
Tue 6/27
RWQB Summer Camps JUNE 2729 @ 7:30am / $350
Jun 27th - Jun 29th
Lutheran High School, 11249 Newlin Gulch Blvd, Parker. 253-973-8170
Wed 6/28
Ladies Night @ 5pm / $10
Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora
Rick Spring�eld
@ 6pm Philip S. Miller Park, 1375 W Plum Creek Pkwy, Castle Rock
Sarah Darling: Good Vibes Tour/ Six One Five Collective @ 7pm
Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St, Lone Tree
Wake Up and Live - A Bob Marley Tribute @ 3pm Breckenridge Brewery, 2920 Brewery Ln, Littleton
HAIRBALL with special guests The UnderCoverGirls @ 6pm / $20-$40
The Amphitheater at Philip S. Miller Park, 1375 W Plum Creek Pkwy, Castle Rock
Thu 6/29
Advanced Wind, Women, & Water Clinic | Intro to Racing @ 4:30pm / $55 Cherry Creek Reservoir, 4800 S Dayton St, Greenwood Village. 303-757-7718
Jenny Shawhan @ 5pm
Blue Island Oyster Bar & Seafood, 10008 Commons St Ste 100, Lone Tree
CW & Twenty Hands High: Country Summer Concert Series @ 5pm ViewHouse Centennial, 7101 S Clinton St, Centennial
Among my emails is an invitation to artists to enter Core New Art Space’s exhibit, “Once Upon a Time,” at the gallery’s new location in Lakewood at 6501 W. Colfax Ave. (In the Hub, near Casa Bonita.) e title calls forth thoughts of fables and fairy tales, legend and lore, myth and magic ... It will be fun to see what materializes there!
e Open Call art show will be juried by Valerie Savarie, Denver artist and director of Valkarie Gallery in Belmar. She specializes in altered books, creating three-dimensional
to 30 and gallery hours are: ursday, noon to 5 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Visit the website at coreartspace.com for more information.
On a recent weekend, I visited the new Lakewood art space with my daughter and will certainly recommend it to readers. I very much wish Littleton could manage to open a similar gathering of galleries. With food court nearby, it works well for a family outing.
Included in the space with CORE New Art Space: Kanon Collective, 40 West Gallery, EDGE Gallery, Lakewood Arts, NEXT Gallery and Red Herring Art Supplies. e building was formerly a Denver Drumstick restaurant, and has changed its image smoothly into colorful art spaces — a creative hub for the community,
under a 40 West Arts organization that seems to keep growing.
We were happy to also see Benchmark eatre at 1560 Teller St., where the world premiere of “Stonewall” is running through July 1. Details at benchmarktheatre.com. (Lots of available parking nearby.) Was concerned about the venue after a long silence.
Parking is also available near the gallery space, although the proximity of Casa Bonita will no doubt a ect that somewhat!
e 40 West Arts District, a statecerti ed nonpro t arts district, collaborated with the LakewoodWest Colfax Business Improvement District to purchase and renovate the 11,000-square-foot building, which is now open during limited hours. 40 West is worthy of our attention and emulation, I’m thinking. Very e ec-
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CORE New Art Space members listed on the building include Gina Smith Asued, Earl Chuvarsky, Susie Beal, Michelle Lamb, Kathryn Cole, Kathy Mitchell-Garton, Barbara Veatch, Christine O’Dee, Chuck McCoy, Deborah Abbott, Richard Ne , Julie Vaught, Fred Becker, Chris Hudson, David Karim, Sam Smith and Edgar Dumas. I know they are all proud of this new move. Core New Art Space has made several moves — most recently to the old Pasternack pawnshop building farther west on Colfax. I’m sure this new location will work well for visibility for these artists, who take turns keeping the gallery space open and operating.
Also in the neighborhood is the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design at 1500 Pierce St., which adds to the arts atmosphere that develops in Lakewood.
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Art space is part of cultural complex on Colfax in Lakewood
The Stonewall uprising is a key ashpoint in 20th-century American history — one that changed the course of the struggle for LGBTQIA+ equality in the country. But a lot of what happened during the summer of 1968 is shrouded in memory and mystery.
And while there will always be questions that remain unanswered, the Benchmark eatre explores the events that lead to and followed the uprising in the world premiere of “Stonewall.”
“With how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go, it seemed like the right time to revisit Stonewall,” said Neil Truglio, director of the production and artistic director at Benchmark. “ e question for us was, how can we dramatize the events in a way that’s interesting and educational?
Developed by the creatives at Benchmark, 1560 Teller St. in Lakewood, “Stonewall” runs through Saturday, July 1. Performances are at 8 p.m. ursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.
e aim of “Stonewall” was to tell as accurate a story of what happened as possible, so the show was culled from actual interviews and information about the uprising and was inspired by members of the largest cast the space has ever seen. Since the crowds at Stonewall would have been incredibly diverse, diversity needed to be re ected in the production.
“We went about the piece by opening the casting as wide as we could,” Truglio said. “From the community that turned out to the auditions, we were able to create and elevate the characters we wanted to tell the story.”
While the creatives were building the show, it was almost impossible not to compare the situation at the time to where society currently is, especially with the rollback of trans rights in many states and book bans on LGBTQIA+ books. e resulting show serves as a dialogue between the past and present.
“A member of the cast was there at the time and said there’s too much of then in now,” Truglio remembered. “People still feel like second-class citizens and live their lives based on court decisions.”
e hope that audiences who see “Stonewall” come away willing to have conversations and think critically about what occurred at the time and what is happening now, according to Truglio.
“Every group, community and individual has their own vision of what Stonewall was like, so we wanted to
create a show where everyone who attends will learn something,” he said. “I hope audiences walk away with newfound knowledge and an appreciation for where we are today. People should see Stonewall as the beginning, not the end.”
For tickets and information, visit www.benchmarktheatre.com.
Have a laugh at DMNS
ere are all kinds of approaches to learning and one of the best has to be by pairing education with laughs. at’s just the method the Denver Museum of Nature & Scienceis embracing for the Science Riot: Standup Comedy for Science Fans event. e 21-and-older show will be held at the Morgridge Family Atrium in the museum, 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver, at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 16. According to provided information, the event feature local STEM professionals trying their hand at standup. Secure access to the event at www. dmns.org/visit/events-and-activities/.
Rock and roll with ‘Coco’ in Northglenn
I’d never have thought of pairing the music of Led Zeppelin with the timeless power of Pixar’s “Coco,” but I reckon that’s why I’m a columnist and not in charge of a city like Northglenn, which is doing just that to kick o its free Summer Concert & Movie series at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21.
Ten Years Gone, a Led Zeppelin tribute act, will kick o the event and entertain attendees at the Festival Lawn, 1 E. Memorial Parkway, until the “Coco” begins at dusk. ose looking for a quick bite can purchase food from one of the food trucks that will be on hand for the event.
All the details can be found at https://northglennarts.org/ programs/summer-concert-movieseries/.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Neko Case at the Denver Botanic Gardens
You can’t go wrong with an outdoor concert almost anywhere in the metro area — there is no shortage of great spots for music under the starts. But the Denver Botanic Gardens is a gem among gems, which makes it the perfect place to host a performance by Neko Case, who is, herself, a true gem in the alt rock world. rough her multi-decade career as a solo artist and a member of e New Pornographers, Case has rmly established herself as one of the best and most powerful vocalists working. And she’ll be stopping by the Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St. in Denver, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20. She’ll be joined by opener Nora O’Connor. Get tickets at www.ticketmaster. com.
Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.
BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
An e ort by conservative scal activists and GOP-led counties to block a 10-year property tax plan formed by Gov. Jared Polis and Democrats in the legislature from going before voters in November was denied on June 9 by a Denver judge.
Denver District Court Judge David H. Goldberg found that he didn’t have jurisdiction to consider the case. But he also rejected arguments that Proposition HH violates requirements in the state constitution that ballot measures deal with a single subject and have clear titles.
e plainti s in the lawsuit, led in May, included Advance Colorado, a conservative political nonpro t, and more than a dozen Colorado counties controlled by Republicans. Several GOP county commissioners and Republican current and former politicians also signed onto the legal action.
“Prop. HH undoubtedly violates the single-subject and clear-title provisions in our constitution,” Michael Fields, who leads Advance Colorado, said in a written statement Friday. “We plan to appeal this decision.”
e appeal will go directly to the Colorado Supreme Court.
Polis’ o ce said the governor “appreciates the court’s ruling to allow the voters the opportunity to enact Proposition HH as passed by the legislature.” Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, celebrated the ruling.
“I am pleased that the court today agrees that voters should have their say,” Fenberg said in a written statement.
Sen.Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat and an architect of the proposal, calling the ruling “clear
and decisive.”
Proposition HH was placed on the November ballot through a bill passed by the legislature in May. It’s meant to respond to massive increases in Coloradans’ property tax bills starting next year caused by a sharp spike in property values. e median increase in home values across the state in May when county assessors determined property values was 40% since June 2020, the last time assessors determined property values.
Here’s how it would work for residential property:
e residential assessment rate would be reduced to 6.7% from 6.765% in 2023, for taxes owed in 2024, and to 6.7% from 6.976% for taxes owed in 2025. e 6.7% rate would remain unchanged through the 2032 tax year, for taxes owed in 2033.
• In addition to the assessment rate cuts, residential property owners would get to exempt the rst $50,000 of their home’s value from taxation for the 2023 tax year, a $10,000 increase made through an amendment adopted Monday. Residential property owners would then get to exempt $40,000 of their homes’ values from taxation for the 2024 tax year. e break would persist until the 2032 tax year, except for people’s second or subsequent single-family homes, like rental or vacation properties, which would stop being subject to that bene t in the 2025 tax year.
Here’s how it works for commercial property:
• For commercial properties, the assessment rate would be reduced to 27.85% through 2026, down from 29%. e state would be required to evaluate economic conditions to determine if the rate reduction should continue. If the rate reductions per-
would be reduced to 27.65% in 2027, 26.9% in 2029 and 25.9% starting in 2031.
• For agricultural properties and properties used for renewable energy, the assessment rate would be reduced to 26.4% from 29% through the 2032 tax year. For properties that fall under both classi cations, such as those used for agrivoltaics, the rate would be cut to 21.9%.
Property taxes are determined by how much your county assessor values your property, what the state’s property assessment rate is and what your local mill-levy rate is.
A mill is a $1 payment on every $1,000 of assessed value.
Property taxes in Colorado are calculated by multiplying the statewide assessment rate by the value of a property — sometimes referred to as a market value — as determined by a county assessor. at number is then multiplied by the local mill levy rate.
(A mill is a $1 payment on every $1,000 of assessed value. So in order to gure out what your tax bill is you should multiply your mill levy rate by 0.001 and then multiply that number by the product of multiplying your property’s value by the statewide assessment rate. at’s how much you owe.)
So someone who owns a home valued at $600,000 and assessed at a 6.765% statewide residential assessment rate in a place where the mill levy rate is 75 would owe $3,044.25 in taxes each year. e formula to get to that number looks like this: $600,000 x 0.06765 x (75 x 0.001) = $3,044.25.
e proposal would also prevent many local taxing districts from increasing property taxes above the rate of in ation, though school districts would be exempt and local governments could override the cap after giving notice to property owners.
To account for the cuts, the legislature is planning to spend $200 million to repay local governments, including schools, for the additional revenue they would have collected.
e plan also calls for using about $250 million of the $2.7 billion Colorado is projected to collect in the current scal year, which ends June 30, above the Taxpayer’s Bill of
and spending, to further account for local districts’ revenue reduction.
What is TABOR?
e Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, is a 1992 constitutional amendment that requires voter approval for all tax increases in Colorado. It also caps government growth and spending, mandating that tax revenue collected in excess of the cap be refunded to taxpayers. e cap is calculated using in ation and population rates. Additionally, voters would be asked in November to increase the TABOR cap, which is calculated based on annual growth in population and in ation, by an extra 1%. (Any money collected over the cap has to be refunded.)
e change would reduce or eliminate the amount of money available for refunds in years in which the cap is exceeded. e change could mean voters won’t get billions in refunds over the next decade.
Finally, Proposition HH would set aside about $20 million each year for a state renter relief program — a late addition to the measure aimed at acknowledging the proposal mostly bene ts property owners.
If voters approve Proposition HH, that would trigger a change to how the state will distribute more than $2 billion in TABOR refunds next year. e money would be refunded through at-rate checks of roughly $650 or $1,300, depending on whether someone is a single or joint tax ler, as opposed to a system where the refund amounts are tied to which of six income tiers taxpayers fall into, with higher earners getting larger refunds and lower earners receiving less.
Advance Colorado, which is a dark money group, has already launched an ad campaign opposing Proposition HH. e Sun refers to political nonpro ts that don’t disclose their donors as dark money groups.
e Colorado Sun co-owns Colorado Community Media as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. It is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at coloradosun.com.
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A woman’s place is in the kitchen – xing the pipes, of course. Or maybe doing plumbing repairs in the bathroom, or perhaps, xing a client’s HVAC unit.
Emily Gri th Technical College in downtown Denver has been educating people for more than 100 years. Recently, it created a special focus to attract female students to study careers in the trades. ese female students were in the spotlight on May 9, when the Emily Gri th Foundation hosted an inaugural event at ReelWorks Denver called A Celebration of Women in Trades. It was a sellout with 256 attendees, and proved that more women are entering the elds that men have historically dominated.
“It was incredible,” said Robin Chalecki, president of the Emily Gri th Foundation. “We have not done a fundraiser lunch for a couple of years, since COVID. I wanted to host an event that really highlighted our students in the best way.”
Chalecki credits Emily Gri th students for their initiative and willingness to invest in themselves and their futures.
“Our students are so incredible, so entrepreneurial in spirit, investing in themselves to make their lives better,” she said. “It’s students that know the path they are taking.”
Emily Gri th has an 82% completion rate for its students, an 85% placement rate and a 99% success rate when it comes to students earning their licenses. More than 400 employers have hired Emily Gri th students.
Sarah Flores graduated from Emily Gri th last year with a certi cate in HVAC while also working full-time as a service technician for Timberline Mechanical Systems in Boulder, where she’s worked for four years.
Flores served in the Marines and earned a bachelor’s degree but decided against going into teaching because of a lack of jobs.
Her father was a second-generation plumber.
“I thought I’d go back to what I knew, which is plumbing,” Flores said. “Trades will always be a highdemand, steady job. I could get hired just about anywhere. ere’s a high demand for my skill set, particularly since I have both a plumbing and HVAC background.”
In the long view, Flores would like to get a managerial job or go into
engineering.
Catrina Peralta is studying CADBIM, which stands for computer aided drafting and building information modeling, at Emily Gri th and will nish her studies in April next year.
As the fourth child in a family of nine kids, she’s been working since she was 12 and has honed good work habits.
“I had to work really young to help out the family,” said Peralta, who is 36. She describes computer programming as “all these di erent tools to build a building — anything from ground up, designing windows, doors, xtures, where electricity is run.”
Peralta has a job, and is taking courses 10 hours a week in person and the rest online.
“ at’s pretty much why I chose Emily Gri th. ey’re exible,” Peralta said.
She’s also looking into internships through Emily Gri th. Peralta hopes to be in a management position by age 40 “and to learn the eld the best I can.”
e May 9 event included a panel of three women who work in trades — one from the automotive repair program, another from the welding program and the third is an apprenticeship instructor at Emily Gri th.
ey discussed why they entered these mostly-male elds.
“Our panelists were just fabulous,” Chalecki said. “ ey spoke about their journeys, why they came into nontraditional trades, why women should come into these elds — and the audience reacted positively to this.”
e event also included demo stations where attendees could learn more about industries that Emily Gri th students are studying, and students showed o what they learned from their classes.
Demo stations included water quality management, welding, and health sciences programs. One woman demonstrated how HVAC works. Auto repair students had an auto body repair simulator, and also demonstrated how to paint cars.
“We (still) have a ways to go get more women” in these elds, Chalecki said, adding that getting the message out that they have support is important.
But “more people in general are understanding the value of a trades education,” Chalecki said. “ at will mean that more women will arrive as well.”
Emily Griffith Technical College celebrates women entering fields traditionally held by menSarah Flores is a 2022 graduate from Emily Gri th Technical College’s HVAC program. COURTESY PHOTO
Following a four-hour trial on Monday, a judge will decide if four Douglas County school board members broke Colorado Open Meetings Law when they red former Superintendent Corey Wise last year.
Douglas County District Court Judge Je rey Holmes listened to arguments over whether board President Mike Peterson and board members Becky Myers, Kaylee Winegar, and Christy Williams violated the law when they participated in a series of one-on-one conversations to discuss a plan to terminate Wise.
In March last year, Holmes already ruled against the majority members of the school board, saying the conversations held outside public view do violate open meeting laws.
e majority school board members did not want to admit fault, choosing to appeal the initial ruling and rejecting a settlement. After school district attorneys missed the ling deadline for a jury trial, Holmes will again rule on the case brought to the courts through a lawsuit led by State Rep. Robert Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch.
Marshall is asking Holmes to nd
the board broke the law, prohibit future serial conversations on public business, and declare the decision to terminate Wise was invalid. Wise was red without cause in a 4-3 vote on Feb. 4, 2022.
Myers, Peterson, Winegar and Williams said they didn’t support the direction Wise was taking the district, including enforcing a mask mandate and implementing the district’s equity policy.
Prior to the board meeting, Peterson and Williams met with Wise on Jan. 28, 2022, telling him they had a four-vote majority and asking him to resign.
On Monday, Geo Blue, an attorney for Peterson, Myers, Williams and Winegar, argued that board members are allowed to have one-on-one conversations and maintained that there was no violation of the law because the conversations didn’t include debate or formal action regarding Wise’s position.
“ e legislature chose to say they are only public meetings if three or more members meet,” Blue said. “At the end of the day, so long as the votes are taken in public, with debate and with discussion, then there’s no harm to transparency.”
Colorado’s unpredictable weather led to several postponements and schedule changes, but the spring high school sports seasons ended when the baseball championships concluded despite the rain.
Teams from south metro schools won six state championships and several individuals also earned individual state titles.
Valor Christian won the Class 5A girls state track title, the girls golf championship and the baseball crown. Cherry Creek was the winner of the girls tennis team title and underRidge took home the 5A girls state soccer trophy. Mountain Vista was the 5A boys lacrosse state champion.
Colorado Community Media selected players of the year from south metro schools for the 10 di erent sports.
Girls tennis
Junior Jiselle Boker of Cherry Creek is being honored after winning her third straight state championship. She won her second straight No 3 singles title this season to go along with a share of a doubles crown won as a freshman. Boker also won her match in the team nals, which helped Creek capture the state team championship.
Boys track Drew Costelow, a Valor Christian senior who has signed to run at the University of Colorado, won his fourth and fth state titles after winning three last season after transferring from Center Grove (Indiana). Costelow captured the 800 meters state title in 1:52.17 and the 1,600 with a time of 4:11.88.
Girls lacrosse
Castle View senior Evie Tanella, who has signed to play at San Diego State, was very good toward the end of the season as she had 11 goals and ve assists in four state playo games. Tanella had 40 goals, 34 assists and 74 points for the season.
Girls track Mountain Vista senior Rachel Bair, a Utah commit, wrapped up her high school career in impressive fashion as she won state individual titles in the 100 meters with a time of 11.82 and the 400 meters in 56.05.Bair was second in the 200 meters nale.
Boys lacrosse
Mountain Vista’s Ethan Pearson, a senior who has committed to Towson University, helped the Golden Eagles win the state championship. He had 46 goals, 26 assists and 72 points for the season, and in four state playo s games he uno cially contributed ve goals.
Girls soccer underRidge’s junior goalkeeper
Becca Winton was a force leading the Grizzlies to the state championship. She and the Grizzlies had four postseason shutouts, including a 1-0 win over Rock Canyon in the state title game. Winton nished the season with a 0.500 goals against average and 74 saves, including nine in the state championship game.
Boys volleyball
Reece Lindstrom is the player who was a key to Legend’s success. e senior had 54 blocks, 239 digs, 927 assists and also contributed 78 kills. He will play next season at Merrimack College.
Girls golf Sophomore
Brenna Higgins helped Valor Christian win the 5A girls golf championship. She opened with a 6-under-par 66 at Black Bear golf course and nished tied for the medalist title with a 143 twoday total. She won the individual state crown after a onehole playo . Higgins was also rst in the Western regional tournament with a 1-under-par 70.
Boys swimming Junior Brodie Johnson of Cherry Creek won two titles at the state swimming championships. Johnson captured the 100 butterfly in 48.62 and was also on the Bruins’ first-place 200 medley relay team.
Baseball Valor Christian senior catcher Cashel Dugger was the Je erson County League most valuable player and he is the Colorado Community Media’s south metro baseball player of the year after hitting .493 with 20 runs batted in, 11 doubles, a .598 on base percentage and .656 slugging percentage. Dugger, who has signed to play at UCLA, had a hit in each of the Eagles’ six state playo games en route to the state championship.
Countless public pools opened over the Memorial Day weekend as schools let out and summer approaches. But whether they remain open throughout the season is another matter.
e state of Colorado is boosting aid along the Front Range and across the state to help local pools avoid that outcome.
Gov. Jared Polis announced nancial help on May 30 for nearly 50 cities and districts as part of the Lifeguard Training Initiative — a follow-up to his administration’s Pools Special Initiative, launched last summer.
e initiative was announced early this month at the Northglenn Recreation Center, along with administrators, local o cials, lawmakers and community members.
“We are making a splash with this exciting support for lifeguards, part of our ongoing work to make sure that pools can safely open earlier, expand hours, and stay open longer this summer,” Polis said in his announcement. “We are thrilled that so many local governments across the state applied for this funding so that families, friends, and neighbors can dive right into the summer.”
e grants, implemented by the state’s local a airs and labor departments, ranged from $1,000 requests to $20,000, the maximum. In the end, the state allocated mixed amounts, but exhausted almost all of the available funds, leaving just $200 to potentially allocate supplementally..
South Suburban Parks and Recreation District (SSPRD), which reported a signi cant shortage of
lifeguards earlier in the month, received $10,700 — the highest-allocated amount awarded to more than a dozen districts or cities. Cities like Aurora and Boulder received the same amount.
Part of the shortage lies with the expensive cost of training lifeguards. Many prospective employees may be dissuaded by the idea of paying to obtain lifeguard certi cation. ough it won’t solve the main shortage problem, having the funding helps, said SSPRD Aquatics Manager Karl Brehm, who came down from a lifeguard stand himself to talk to Colorado Community Media.
“It will help us reach a demographic that is lacking in having the funds upfront to start,” Brehm said.
“With the grant, we will defer the payment of those [lifeguard] certi -
cation costs.”
A full-course lifeguard training at South Suburban through Red Cross costs $175. Community First Aid, CPR and AED training/blended learning costs $80. But after 75 hours of work, South Suburban reimburses course fees [excluding the $40 certi cation fee].
Other communities received smaller amounts. e City of ornton got $6,892, Commerce City, $1,462, and Parker, $4,499. e Town of Castle Rock received $7,873 and Brighton received $1,687.
A national lifeguard shortage affects roughly a third of public pools throughout the country. Colorado has struggled similarly. e state grant money aims to help train and retain lifeguards, which can be difcult to do these days, according to Brehm.
“I have seen, more and more, less interest in the position,” Brehm told Colorado Community Media in May.
Brehm said South Suburban, like many other area pools, must hire throughout the season to try and maintain strong employee numbers. e funds from the state help provide time for pools to keep hiring and training ongoing, Brehm added. He described the support as not a favor, however, but a public service.
“It hearkens to a safety situation. People want to have the pools open. We want to have them open. But there’s a barrier that stands there,” Brehm said in response to the funding. “Having the state recognize that it is something that people want, and there’s a barrier to it, I look at it as a civic responsibility. ere is a need, and it is being met.”
“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”
learn more about the Baha’i Faith or find a gathering, please contact us.
More than $250,000 allocated to help open pools across the Front Range
‘We are thrilled that so many local governments across the state applied for this funding so that families, friends, and neighbors can dive right into the summer.’
Jared Polis, Colorado Governor
Steve Zansberg, Marshall’s attorney, argued that Colorado open meetings law prohibits elected ocials from any conversations about public business outside of public meetings, regardless of whether formal action is taken.
“All of those conversations of public business were meetings under the open meetings law, which de nes a meeting as any kind of gathering convened to discuss public business,” Zansberg said. “It doesn’t matter if a decision was made.”
e parties also disagreed whether Peterson and Williams’ meeting with Wise constituted an ultimatum for Wise to resign or be red.
In a recording of the meeting, submitted as evidence in the trial, Peterson told Wise if he didn’t want to resign, the board would move forward with termination.
“If you call us Monday and say ‘No, Mike, I don’t think I’d like to resign, I’d like to move forward with a termination,’ then we can get to a special meeting and appoint a hearing o cer,” Peterson said.
In testimony on Monday, Peterson said he, Williams and Wise discussed Wise’s options regarding ending his contract, but an ultima -
tum was never issued.
“We did not say ‘Superintendent you need to resign or else,’ we discussed the resignation as one of the many options he had available,” Peterson said.
In addition to arguments that the board didn’t violate open meetings law, Blue said if the judge nds serial meetings are illegal, he should decide that the board xed any violation of the law by holding the Feb. 4, 2022, meeting where they discussed and voted on Wise’s termination publicly.
“ e Feb. 4 meeting was a threehour long, properly convened meeting, in which the directors debated the issue and voted,” Blue said. “ e only conclusion this court can reach is that was a cure.”
Zansberg said the subsequent meeting does not x violations of open meetings law because the Feb. 4 meeting happened after Marshall sued the board.
“(Blue) has cited no case in Colorado where a public body cured an improperly made decision after a lawsuit challenging that decision was led,” Zansberg said.
Following testimony and arguments, Holmes said he would issue a written ruling within the week.
As of April 6, the school district has spent around $152,000 on legal fees in this case.
For updates on possible verdicts, visit the website at coloradocommunitymedia.com.
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 nonpartisan 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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Movement 5280, a regional program that helps struggling youth with housing and assistance, recently received a large nancial boost from Life. Church to continue expansion plans.
Life.Church donated $50,000, which includes $20,000 to help with building renovations for their new location.
With three Colorado locations, including Centennial in the Denver metro area, Life. Church, serves its surrounding communities by funding and volunteering with organizations that support the well-being of others, families, education and justice.
“Our heart is to get connected in the community and see what organizations are really impacting our city and how we can support that,” said Life. Church South Denver Pastor Zack Harris. “ at’s really the heartbeat of our church, to know our neighbors and know those organizations.”
COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION
CRS §38-38-103
FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0133-2023
To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:
On March 28, 2023, 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)
Judith A. Mainardi and Nicholas J. Mainardi
Original Beneficiary(ies)
Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as Beneficiary, as nominee for Freedom Mortgage Corporation, its successors and assigns
Current Holder of Evidence of Debt
Freedom Mortgage Corporation
Date of Deed of Trust
September 09, 2020
County of Recording
Arapahoe
Recording Date of Deed of Trust
September 16, 2020
Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.)
E0122431
Original Principal Amount
$248,000.00
Outstanding Principal Balance
$238,666.89
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.
Condominium Unit 7312B, Hunters Hill Condominiums, according to the Condominium Map thereof recorded on May 9, 1983, in Book 63 at Page 66 in the records of the office of the clerk and recorder of the County of Arapahoe, Colorado, and as defined and described in the Condominium declaration for Hunter Hill Con-
dominiums, recorded on May 9, 1983, in Book 3857 at Page 51, in said records, together with the exclusive right to use the following limited common elements: Covered Parking and Storage Space No 7312B. County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado.
Also known by street and number as: 7312 S Xenia Cir, B, Centennial, CO 80112.
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, 07/26/2023, 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: 6/1/2023
Last Publication: 6/29/2023
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: 03/28/2023
Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado
By: Michael Westerberg, 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 # CO21572
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. 0133-2023
First Publication: 6/1/2023
Last Publication: 6/29/2023
Name of Publication: Littleton Independent
COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION
CRS §38-38-103
FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0109-2023
To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On March 10, 2023, 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)
SUN LEE
Original Beneficiary(ies)
MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS BENEFICIARY, AS NOMINEE FOR UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS
Current Holder of Evidence of Debt
BARCLAYS MORTGAGE TRUST 2021-NPL1, MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES, SERIES
2021-NPL1, BY U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE
Date of Deed of Trust
September 17, 2018
County of Recording
Arapahoe
Recording Date of Deed of Trust
September 20, 2018
Recording Information
(Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.)
D8093648
Original Principal Amount
$319.00
Outstanding Principal Balance $310,663.82
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 7, BLOCK 30, SOUTHGLENN-FIFTH FILING, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.
Also known by street and number as: 7121 S. WASHINGTON STREET, CENTENNIAL, CO 80122.
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, 07/12/2023, 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: 5/18/2023
Last Publication: 6/15/2023
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: 03/10/2023
Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado
By: Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee
The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:
DEANNE R. STODDEN #33214
MESSNER REEVES LLP
1550 WEWATTA STREET, SUITE 710, DENVER, CO 80202 (303) 623-1800
Attorney File # 9629.0054
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. 0109-2023
First Publication: 5/18/2023
Last Publication: 6/15/2023
Name of Publication: Littleton Independent NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED OVERBID FUNDS CRS 38-38-111(2.5b)(3a,b,d)(5)
PUBLIC TRUSTEE SALE NO. 0367-2022
To: Obligor/Grantor(s) on the evidence of debt and/or Deed of Trust 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:
Name of Obligor/Grantor(s) on the evidence of debt and/or Deed of Trust
Victor R. Griggs
Address of Obligor/Grantor(s) on the evidence of debt and/or Deed of Trust 5942 East Irish Place, Centennial, CO 80112
Recording Date of Deed of Trust November 02, 2010
Recording Information D0112068
Legal Description of Property LOT 43, HOMESTEAD FARM FILING NO. 6, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. Street Address of Property 5942 East Irish Place, Centennial, CO 80112
NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED OVERBID FUNDS
I sold at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on 1/25/23, 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 Obligor/Grantor(s) on the evidence of debt and/or Deed of Trust 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 7/25/2023 as part of the "Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act", pursuant to Colorado law.
One of those organizations is Movement 5280.
Located in Englewood, and soon to be moving to a bigger location nearby, the nonpro t focuses on supporting at-risk young adults who have aged out of foster care or are experiencing homelessness.
In 2022, Movement 5280 served 805 individuals, 175 being youth, as reported in their 2022 Ministry Impact Report. rough donations, volunteers and fundraising - the organization provides meals, clothing, hygiene essentials, showers, mentoring, work program assistance and access to mental health care.
Movement 5280 envisions a world where young people who have been in state custody and foster care are not only employed but living in permanent and safe housing. To help young adults achieve these milestones, Movement 5280 has three primary focuses - survive, thrive and revive.
Tami Slipher is the director of development and community relations at Movement 5280.
“Our mission statement is to become a family of support to those that are navigating life on their own,” said Slipher. “We take a holistic approach
to what we do with homelessness and that’s why we have these three focus groups.”
In addition to the day center, the organization provides hot meals, clothing and showers to help individuals survive. Among the many resources to help the individuals thrive, they provide life and job skill classes, GED and education assistance and expert services for mental health, addiction recovery and housing assistance.
Revive is the organization’s faithbased component. Lost and Found Church provides a space for individuals to have a community to come back to, celebrate milestones and worship.
Many young people who attended Movement 5280 continue to avolunteer, whether it’s in the Job Readiness Program or attend the Lost and Found Church.
One individual who was one of the rst clients at the organization was slowly drawn to the unconditional love and support that Movement 5280 provided. Now they continue to work with Movement 5280 with one of their nonpro t partners.
is individual also engages with the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative and has experience with the Homeless Management Information System database which helps track people who might not have identi cation or phones. is system is used by Movement 5280.
First Publication: 6/8/23
Last Publication: 7/6/23
Name of Publication: Littleton Independent
Date: 4/19/23
Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado
By: Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee
©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 9/2012
Legal Notice NO. 0367-2022
First Publication: 6/8/23
Last Publication: 7/6/23
Name of Publication: Littleton Independent COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0105-2023
To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:
On March 10, 2023, 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)
JESSICA M. LUJAN-LADOW AND JOSEPH N. LADOW
Original Beneficiary(ies)
CHERRY CREEK MORTGAGE CO., INC.
Current Holder of Evidence of Debt
BankUnited N.A.
Date of Deed of Trust
June 24, 1999
County of Recording
Arapahoe
Recording Date of Deed of Trust June 29, 1999
Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.)
A9106655
Original Principal Amount
$151,750.00
Outstanding Principal Balance
$124,610.65
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 of the terms thereof
THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.
THE SOUTH 73.5 FEET OF THE NORTH 148.5
FEET OF THE EAST 125 FEET OF THE WEST
With some non-pro t organizations closing their doors during the pandemic, Movement 5280 started supporting smaller nonpro ts that needed a brick and mortar space to provide services.
“Due to that abundance of collaboration that we continue to do, we just started connecting the dots with a lot of resource providers,” said Slipher.
For example, on Wednesdays, the organization provides an all ages resource day where people can have a hot meal, take showers and go through the clothing bank.
As the organization has continued to grow, it became clear that a bigger space is needed to give participating nonpro ts the space they need, which would also allow them to expand.
In regards to expanded resources, after the death of a man who was part of the bike shelter program, o cials of the program decided they needed to create transitional housing.
“We are doing it in his honor… Corey’s house,” said Slipher. “We spent a whole year working on what it would look like to have Movement 5280 do housing alongside all the wraparound services that we currently do.”
After having been in conversations with the owners of the once Englewood Bible Church, the Arapahoe County Commissioners awarded Movement 5280 with a $1.5 million
155 FEET OF THE EAST 300 FEET OF BLOCK 31, WINDERMERE-GALLUP'S SUBURBAN HOME SUBDIVISION, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.
Also known by street and number as: 5978 SOUTH LOUTHAN STREET, LITTLETON, CO 80120-2051.
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, 07/12/2023, 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: 5/18/2023
Last Publication: 6/15/2023
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: 03/10/2023
Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado
By: Michael Westerberg, Public TrusteeThe 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 M. Chin #31149
Barrett, Frappier & Weisserman, LLP
1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80204 (303) 350-3711
Attorney File # 00000009747403
The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector
ARPA grant to purchase the church.
According to Slipher, the church sold a 34,000 square foot building that sits on two acres to Movement 5280 for $2.2 million and the organization mortgaged the balance.
In addition to the housing opportunity, with this larger space, the organization will be able to have a di erent room for an eye-doctor, therapists, dentists and other nonpro ts.
Movement 5280 is currently in the renovation phase, which will need about $1 million to complete, Slipher said. Renovations include putting in showers, sprinklers, new ooring as it is a historic building, new paint and a commercial kitchen. e organization has multiple ways for those in the community to get involved.
“Having more people see and know and be involved with [Movement 5280] would truly make a di erence,” said Harris.
With a goal to house up to 32 individuals, Slipher said the organization looks to provide assistance for 18 to 24 months.
“We try to be a support to all of the other nonpro ts so that when there are people in the cracks, we can help,” said Slipher. “ at is why we felt like doing transitional housing is our next step because we created such a family system here, that young people need that in order to thrive.”
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. 0105-2023
First Publication: 5/18/2023
Last Publication: 6/15/2023
Name of Publication: Littleton Independent COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0120-2023
To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:
On March 21, 2023, 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)
Jason Becker
Original Beneficiary(ies)
MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION
SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR HOMETOWN LENDERS INC., ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS
Current Holder of Evidence of Debt
COLORADO HOUSING AND FINANCE AUTHORITY
Date of Deed of Trust
March 05, 2021
County of Recording
Arapahoe
Recording Date of Deed of Trust
March 10, 2021
Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.)
E1040179
Original Principal Amount
$357,930.00
Outstanding Principal Balance $348,322.96
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.
APN #: 2075-34-1-33-037
Also known by street and number as: 10111 Inverness Main Street 317,
Englewood,
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, 07/19/2023, 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: 5/25/2023
Last Publication: 6/22/2023
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: 03/21/2023
Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado
By: Michael Westerberg, Public TrusteeThe 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 # 23-029481
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 DESCRIPTION 0120-2023 UNIT 317, BUILDING 10111, VALLAGIO NORTH, ACCORDING TO THE AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION RECORDED MARCH 17, 2009, UNDER RECEPTION NO. B9026798 AND THE TECHNICAL AMENDMENT RECORDED MARCH 26, 2009 UNDER RECEPTION NO. B9030048 AND THE PHASE 1 MAP RECORDED FEBRUARY 14, 2008 UNDER RECEPTION NO. B8018565 AND THE PHASE 2 MAP RECORDED MARCH 7, 2008 UNDER RECEPTION NO. B8027445, OF THE RECORDS OF THE CLERK AND RECORDER, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, STATE OF COLORADO. TOGETHER WITH THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE PARKING SPACE 89, AS A LIMITED COMMON ELEMENT.
Legal Notice NO. 0120-2023
First Publication: 5/25/2023
Last Publication: 6/22/2023
Name of Publication: Littleton Independent City and County
Public Notice CITY OF CENTENNIAL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING RESOLUTION 2023-R-32
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Centennial, Colorado will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. at the Civic Center located at 13133 East Arapahoe Road, Centennial Colorado 80112 (“Civic Center”) regarding Resolution 2023-R-32, A Resolution of the City Council of the city of Centennial, Colorado, amending the 2023 Budget and approving Supplemental Appropriations for the General and Street Funds. Copies of the Resolution are available for inspection on the city’s website: www.centennialco.gov or at the Civic Center. Any interested elector of the City of Centennial may file any objections on the proposed resolution with the City Clerk, in writing at cityclerksoffice@centennialco.gov any time prior to the public hearing.
/s/ Barbara Setterlind, MMC, City Clerk
Legal Notice No. 531532
First Publication: June 15, 2023
Last Publication: June 15, 2023
Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen
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Centennial Legals June 15,
