Riverdale park getting amphitheater Legislature asks voters to approve 10year property tax relief plan

BY JESSE PAUL AND ELLIOTT WENZLER THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado voters will decide in November whether to approve a 10-year plan to rein in skyrocketing property taxes, as well as whether the state should distribute about $2 billion in Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refunds checks next year in equal amounts rather than linking their size to people’s income level, with more money being sent to higher earners.

BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Adams County’s new Veteran’s Memorial will get a companion amphitheater across Mann-Nieholt Lake next year, county commissioners agreed May 9.

“When people are taking pictures and their event is backed up to the lake, they’ll have that battleship and that memorial in the background and that alone will justify this,” Commissioner Chaz Tedesco said. “Anybody that uses that facility will see it, and it can become an iconic place. People will see it in everyone’s background and they’ll want to see it and come there.”

Work on the county’s new Veteran’s Memorial, a replica battleship being built along the southern shore of Mann-Nieholt Lake in the Riverdale Park complex, is due to wrap up in the next couple of weeks. e memorial opens by Memorial Day,

May 29, according to Cyndi Stringham, Adams County’s manager of planning, design and construction. When nished, the memorial will be a life-sized model of the USS Colorado battleship, with the bow jutting into the lake and the current trail passing through the site. It will be surrounded by trails, memorial plaques and places to sit. It is the latest addition to the expansion of Riverdale Regional Park, which now includes the Adams County Fairgrounds, Waymire Dome and the recently opened Riverdale Animal Shelter.

Stringham and Parks and Open Space Director Byron Fanning presented two options for locating the amphitheater — alongside the memorial itself or across the water on Mann-Nieholt Lake’s northern shore. Both have advantages, she said. Using the southern side would allow the amphitheater and the memorial itself to share infrastructure, especially parking and bathrooms.

“ is site bene ts from co-location with the Veterans Memorial because of the presence of new facilities — water, power and electrical service extensions, including site lighting. Lake shore stabilization has already occured and can be extended for the amphitheater.”

Putting the amphitheater on the north side means the seats would be facing south, with views of the lake and Veteran’s Memorial.

It would be $1.5 million more expensive, she said. It would take up about three acres for the construction, walkways, and parking. e memorial would be the main view across the lake from the amphitheater, she said.

Commissioners agreed the north side of the lake needs infrastructure anyway.

“ at part is only going to expand,” Commissioner Chaz Tedesco said. “We have an opportunity to do it now, and we have grown our events in the park to warrant and support infrastructure like this. I think it enhances what we have on the north side.”

Overall, the project should cost $4.9 million. Of that, $462,000 has already been allocated to design the amphitheater and Congress has allocated another $750,000. Commissioners would need to allocate $1.7 million this year to pay to start e questions were placed on the November ballot on May 8 by Democrats in the Colorado legislature as the General Assembly wrapped up its 120-day lawmaking term. e legislature worked until about 10 p.m., just before its 11:59 p.m. deadline, to complete its work, when the Capitol carriage turns back into a pumpkin. e last few hours of the session were chaotic, with Republicans walking out of the House chamber in protest, Democrats in the House lambasting each other and the Senate limiting debate to stop a GOP libuster. e property tax plan, pushed for by Gov. Jared Polis, will appear on the ballot as Proposition HH and would work by tamping down the e ect of rising residential and commercial property values on the tax burden for homeowners and businesses.

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

SEE RELIEF, P5

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HEALTH CARE

Adams Health debuts mobile nursing unit P4

Courts o ering ‘Fresh Start Day’ on May 19

Courts in Adams and Broom eld counties will be o ering o cial forgiveness for some low-level and nonviolent crimes May 19.

e warrant clearance event is part of a partnership between the District Attorney’s O ce, the Court, the Public Defender’s O ce, the Adams County Sheri ’s O ce, and the Broom eld Police Department.

Adams County “Fresh Start Day” is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an hourlong break for lunch from noon until 1 p.m. May 19 at the Adams County Justice Center, 1100 Judicial Center Drive in Brighton. Adams and Broom eld counties are part of Colorado’s 17th Judicial District.

Low-level non-violent misdemeanor and tra c o enses, probation violation warrants and warrants for class 5 and 6 non-violent felonies can be considered for forgiveness.

Victims’ Rights Amendment Cases, Domestic Violence cases, weapons possession charges, sex o enses and class 1, 2, 3 or 4 felonies will not be considered and warrants from outside of Adams and Broom eld counties are not eligible.

Please email the O ce of the Public Defender to determine if you are eligible at warrantforgiveness.brighton@ coloradodefenders.us.

CCPD Introduces Online Crime Reporting

Form e Commerce City Police Department has a new online reporting tool allowing the public to report some non-emergency crimes and receive a police report immediately without having to speak to a police o cer.

Community members can now conveniently report incidents that do not require immediate o cer intervention, such as fraud, identity theft, lost property, theft/shoplifting (less than $2,000), and vandalism. e new form is online now in English and Spanish at c3gov.com/ReportACrime. Residents should always call 911 for emergencies.

More online reporting e city is introducing two new online systems in the coming weeks to streamline numerous processes through the city website. Starting May 8, all Commerce City licensing, permitting, and development processes can be submitted in one easy location. eTRAKiT is the city’s new online permitting system, which o ers an easy, convenient way to apply for many di erent types of city permits, business licenses, and much more. You can submit applications for development projects, add contractors to your project, pay fees, download permits, schedule inspections, see inspection results, and much more without leaving your home or o ce.

Our new Citizen Request Management system “Access C3” will update your user experience to help you submit and track your concerns through our website and/or our brand new Access C3 mobile app. Using AccessC3, you can report concerns, ask questions, track updates on your reports, and see similar reports made in the city via enhanced software.

For questions, residents should contact the department or division they are working with.

County hosts mass wedding June 10 Adams County Pride Fest will host a mass wedding ceremony on June 10, penned Marriagepalooza, and will be hosted by drag queens Stella Diver and AllSpyce.

All couples are welcome to participate and, according to Adams County

Spokesperson Nikki Kimbleton, a limited-edition marriage license will be available. ose licenses will be printed on special paper and have a special design, though the details aren’t nalized yet.

According to a news release, Stella Diver, one of 2023’s “10 Freshest Faces of Colorado Drag” by Westword magazine, will be o ciating the ceremony and AllSpyce, a nominee for Westword’s 10 Freshest Faces of Colorado Drag, will be the Maid of Honor.

To participate, a marriage or civil union license must be purchased between May 9 and June 9 at the Adams County Clerk and Recorder’s O ce. For the limited edition marriage license, this application must be completed. Couples also must be checked in by 1:30 p.m. on the day of the ceremony, which will begin at 2 p.m.

Walk with a doc is is a walking program for everyone interested in taking steps for a healthier lifestyle. After a few minutes to learn about a current health topic from the doctor, spend the rest of the hour enjoying a healthy walk and fun conversation. It’s a great way to get out, get active and enjoy all the bene ts that come from walking.

Platte Valley Medical Center’s cardiac rehab team and Walk With A Doc will host monthly walks with Dr. Christopher Cannon, an interventional cardiologist at Brighton Heart and Vascular Institute.

‘Taking No Chances’ e 17th Judicial District Attorney’s O ce and e Link, a community resource and assessment center in ornton, are o ering free, 10-week programs to families of Adams county teenagers to help develop personal and interpersonal drug-resistance skills.

Sessions are from 5:30 to 6;30 p.m. Wednesdays. Call 720-292-2811.

Boards/commissions’ openings

Commerce City has openings for several of its boards and commissions, including the city’s cultural council, the housing authority and the Derby review board.

Visit https://www.c3gov.com/ Home/Components/Form/Form/703 16b05422c448492c51da0f0e0fd86/ to sign up.

Legal self-help clinic e Access to Justice Committee hosts a free, legal self-help clinic from 2 to 3:30 p.m. the rst Tuesday of every month. e program is for those who don’t have legal representation and need help navigating through legal issues. Volunteer attorneys are available to discuss such topics as family law, civil litigation, property and probate law. Call 303-405-3298 and ask for the Legal Self-Help Clinic at least 24 hours in advance.

Help for vets

Quali ed Listeners, a veteran and family resource hub serving northern Colorado and southern Wyoming, has a number of power chairs, power scooters and electric wheelchairs available.

To nd the closest facility to you visit www.va.gov/ nd-locations.

Quali ed Listeners also need volunteers to drive veterans to and from appointments, run errands for veterans who cannot get out, handyman services, help administer veteran and family resource guide inventory in local libraries and veterans to be trained to become quali ed listeners. Call 720-600-0860.