Wind Crest works to cut water use ahead of summer

Change comes over 2 years

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

One of Centennial Water and Sanitation District’s biggest users cut its outdoor irrigation usage almost in half over a two-year period by updating sprinkler systems and implementing drought-resistant landscaping.

Wind Crest, a senior living community on 85 acres in Highlands Ranch, was using over 33 million gallons of water on outdoor irrigation in 2020, which put them in the top ve biggest water users in the district, according to Centennial Water Conservation Specialist Paige McFarland.

So Wind Crest and Centennial Water partnered to conduct an irrigation analysis, which looked for ine ciencies, like sprinklers spraying sidewalks or spraying too long.

e analysis prompted Wind Crest’s resident action council to endorse a project to address water usage, resident Sara Jo Light said.

“We wanted to raise the bar and be consistent with e orts in the state,” Light said.

With the data from the analysis and overwhelming resident approval, Wind Crest began the process of switching out its irrigation system for a more water-friendly one. e changes made resulted in a savings of more than 15 million gallons in

2022, or a reduction of 45% from 2020.

With over a thousand sprinkler heads on the property and some as old as 15 years, replacing the system was no easy task. Wind Crest’s Senior Facilities Director Andrea Simmons said it was a team e ort over the course of several months.

“We did a lot of customizing and a lot of assessments, so we are hitting the grass areas, are we overshooting into the rocks or watering the sidewalk,” she said.

In addition, the community built 16 native-species gardens last year and, this year, will add a pollinator garden and begin to change out its landscape from turf to remediated soil, native grasses, drought-resistant trees and wild owers.

“Now going forward, we do a master landscape plan and start looking at what areas of grass we can start cutting back, so that’s what we’ll focus on this year,” Simmons said. “We’re hoping to keep seeing our (water usage) numbers decreasing because it was shocking to see the di erence.” e irrigation analysis helps water users pinpoint the big issues and prioritize changes, McFarland added.

McFarland said outdoor irrigation typically accounts for roughly half of the district’s annual water use, so changes to watering systems and landscaping can make a huge impact.

“ ere’s a multitude of bene ts beyond water conservation and water conservation is just the beginning of having a more sustainable landscape,” she said.

To support those e orts, Centennial Water o ers annual funding for homeowners associations to conduct irrigation analyses, like Wind Crest, on a rst come, rst serve basis. is year, Centennial Water budgeted $90,000 for irrigation analyses.

“It helps know where to begin because we can’t solve a problem if we can’t see what all the issues are,” she said. “It’s important to be an example and for everyone to equally do their part in relation to the amount of water they use.”

Being an example for other homeowner’s associations is why Light felt compelled to share the success at Wind Crest.

“I would love to see our property be a role model for all of Highlands Ranch,” Light said. “Our tagline for the project was ‘Protect the land, ensure your legacy.’”

All-American USFL nose tackle by the Pro Football Review in 1984, Tim said. Je then su ered a major knee injury, bringing his football career to a close. But as an athlete, he was only getting started.

At a gym in San Antonio, Je was o ered the opportunity to train to be a wrestler.

“Je , with his impressive physique, had done some bodybuilding competitions,” Tim said. “He trained for four months for his debut in professional wrestling in 1985.”

He carried the nickname “ e Missouri Tiger” into the new sport, competing for the Universal Wrestling Federation, World Class Champion Wrestling, United States Wrestling Association and American Wrestling Federation.

Among many accomplishments, he won the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Je Jarrett.

From stardom to the streets

After 12 years as a professional wrestler, Je decided to start a career that would take less of a toll on his body. He worked successfully in the automobile eld, but after a few years, he began to face some personal and nancial struggles.

“In 1999, Je left Gaylord Sales and Leasing and went to work for another dealer,” Tim said. “ ings didn’t work out well for Je and he blamed his personal nancial conditions and turned to becoming a bank robber.”

Je committed a couple bank robberies and served about 12 years in prison, Tim said at the service. While Je was in prison, his wife passed away.

“ at was a crushing blow to my brother,” Tim said. “After his release from prison, with no hope, Je went to live on the streets while self-medicating with whatever he could nd.”

Treasure House of Hope

For about two decades, Tim said, he prayed for his brother. In 2020,

Je said he was ready for a change. is is when he started participating in the Christian-based recovery program, Treasure House of Hope.

“It’s a house and it’s a safe place where broken, hurt … people come, voluntarily come here, and we saturate them with love, compassion, and give them hope for a better future, a better tomorrow,” said Anderson, the executive director.

At the home, Je joined other men who were struggling with addiction, mental health, homelessness and other challenges in a journey to improve themselves physically, mentally and spiritually.

During the year-long program, Je developed an identity in Christianity and was baptized. For his family and many in his church community, these decisions were monumental.

“ e best parts of the Je Gaylord story have been the last two years,” his nephew TJ Gaylord said at the memorial. “Je Gaylord nally coming to the Lord ... makes the story complete, makes it a story of joy instead of one of tragedy.”

After graduating from Treasure House of Hope in Aurora, Je stayed at the house to support the men by providing nutrition guidance and physical training.

“Everybody just loved Je , you know?” Anderson said. “He was just that kind of guy. He just always tried to help somebody else … that’s just who he was.”Living at Treasure House came with its challenges for Je , however. He was older than most of the other program participants and he tended to bottle up his frustration and pain, said housing director Rick Alston.

As time went on, Je began drinking again, Alston said, turning to alcohol as a remedy for signi cant pain from his athletic career. is resurfaced behavior was against house rules and began to impact others who also struggled with alcoholism.

“ e biggest problem that we began to have is that it started to a ect others in the home,” Alston said. “It did get to the point where we just could not have him in the home.” e Treasure House team found several alternative treatment facility options for Je , but he decided to return to the streets, Alston said.

Champion of love

On the day Je died, Tina Hayhurst, executive director of the Englewood organization Movement

5280, informed his family of his passing.

Movement 5280 acts as a support system for many who are unhoused, o ering shelter, food, clothing, showers, mental health support, housing navigation, health and dental services, addiction recovery services, Christian Bible studies and more.

Hayhurst said she wishes more people would recognize that those who struggle with homelessness are human.

“When you get to know them, they’re a person and they’re somebody’s son and daughter and uncle — and they’re not that much different from us,” she said. “We have a fear of what people on the streets are like. And when you sit with them and you have a cup of co ee with them, you realize that they’re just the same (as) us.”

During the last year of his life, Je re-started using several services that he relied on before Treasure House, including Movement 5280. Not only was he a part of the community, but he constantly brought others to help connect them with services.

“You can talk about a lot about his days in football … e champion I saw in him was, while he was on the street, he was helping others on the street to get services,” said Jim Hayhurst, a board member for the organization. “I don’t know that, if I was living on the streets, I could be as sel essly generous as he was in trying to help others.”

Je leaves behind the legacy of a gentle giant who, despite his challenges and mistakes, lived hard and loved even harder.

For Anderson, who has experienced homelessness herself, people like Je are worth getting to know.

“People are so beautiful,” she said. “Before you judge, before you be critical and stereotype, take a moment. It takes just as much energy to be negative and to be judgmental as it does to go and say ‘Hey, what’s your name? How did you get here? What could we do to get you out of here?’’ ... Just share some compassion. Just share some love. at’s all it takes.”