Castle Rock News-Press 042513

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News-Press Douglas/Castle Rock 4/25/13

Castle Rock

Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 5

April 25, 2013

Free

A Colorado Community Media Publication

ourcastlerocknews.com

Urban renewal authority examined Economic-development group pushes proposal By Rhonda Moore

rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com

Among the new features at the 2013 Empty Bowl in Castle Rock was an area for kids’ activities including a sandbox, face painting and temporary tattoos. Photos by Rhonda Moore

Event delivers on potters’ promise Hundreds attend fundraiser to assist local crisis center By Rhonda Moore

rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com Visitors to the Empty Bowl saw a few new features at this year’s event, which made changes to make the fundraiser a more family-friendly event. The 2013 Empty Bowl was April 20 at the Douglas County Event Center in Castle Rock, with more than 500 advance tickets sold to raise money for the Women’s Crisis and Family Outreach Center. Now in its 13th year, the event features the work of area potters who donated about 2,000 original, hand-thrown bowls, which serve as a thank-you gift for attendees. Visitors also get a pass to sample the soups, breads and desserts donated by area restaurants. In years past, the event was on a Friday, with sales of the bowls reserved for the last hour of the event. This year, the Empty Bowl moved to Saturday and placed the bowls available for sale when the doors opened. The event also featured special display tables to recognize potters who donated 80 or more bowls, a kids’ play area for young children and a raffle in lieu of a silent auction. The Empty Bowl raises money for the Women’s Crisis and Family Outreach Center, which supports victims of domestic violence in Douglas and Elbert counties with a shelter, free counseling, legal advocacy and a 24-hour crisis line, among other things.

Castle Rock’s economic leaders hope the town agrees with them when it comes to an urban renewal authority. The Castle Rock Economic Development Council, with the help of town staff, has invested months of research into a URA to trigger economic growth. The research was launched after the town lost a number of potential new businesses because of the shortage of commercial and retail space in Castle Rock, said Frank Gray, president of the EDC. “We have a very low vacancy rate in Castle Rock and no blocks of contiguous space available,” Gray said. “There’s no room for growth or expansion. We needed to solve the short- and long-term space issues.” While the economic development council considered a number of options, the URA emerged as the front-runner, with a solution that opens the door for property owners to tap into financing secured by the potential increase in property value. To justify the establishment of an authority — which would encompass all of Castle Rock — the town must meet one of the state’s 11 factors for blight, according to a report from the consulting firm Ricker/ URA continues on Page 9

Sheriffs plan suit over laws Weaver among those opposing gun measures Nearly 2,000 bowls were donated by area potters for the 2013 Empty Bowl fundraiser for the Women’s Crisis and Family Outreach Center. The event was held on a Saturday this year, after years of being set for Fridays.

By Rhonda Moore

The Empty Bowl symbolizes the empty bowl left at the family table when a victim of domestic violence flees, said Jennifer Walker, executive director. “We thought we could do something new and wanted to create a more children’s friendly event,” Walker said. “We wanted it to be more of an open house atmosphere.” The center is recovering from one of its toughest years, with the loss of about $200,000 in federal grant money, Walker said. With more than 80 percent of its cli-

The list of sheriffs who plan to challenge the state’s new gun-control legislation has grown to include at least 40 of Colorado’s 62 sheriffs. Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap, Douglas County Sheriff David Weaver and Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson are among the group seeking to overturn the recently passed state laws, which set limits on ammunition magazines and expand Weaver background checks for firearms transfers. Independence Institute attorney David Kopel, who is directing the planned lawsuit, says the laws run counter to the Second Amendment and “violate the highest law in

‘This is an amazing community. That fact that we made it through is thanks to the community.’ Jennifer Walker, crisis center executive director

ents remaining violence-free for more than six months after receiving services, the center remained committed to finding ways to keep services running, she said. “We’ve done well without compromising the services we provide to our clients,” she said. “This is an amazing community. That fact that we made it through is thanks to the community.” The community this year included ceramic students from Rock Canyon High School who, under the tutelage of art teacher Daniel Gonzalez, donated hundreds of bowls to the event. Gonzalez has been guiding students through the Empty Bowl for about five years. “This is all on top of their Advanced Placement curriculum,” Gonzalez said. “I think it really opens their eyes to how art can be an integral part of the community. It’s been a great experience.”

rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com

Weaver continues on Page 9


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