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September 16, 2021
ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ElbertCountyNews.net
VOLUME 126 | ISSUE 31
Simla Day is small-town
treat
Voters to choose school board candidates
Children’s games, vendors are among attractions at Labor Day event BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Seats in four districts will be on various Elbert County ballots
The town of Simla celebrated its annual Simla Days festival on Labor Day, bringing together hundreds of locals and out-of-town visitors. From children’s games to local vendors, the event had activities for attendees of all ages. Dominick Black, a seven-year member of the Simla Board of SEE SIMLA, P10
BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Children are pulled throughout the park in a Simla Cubs train.
PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
Can Colorado GOP’s base get past 2020 to win in 2022? Unfounded claims of a stolen election test party’s game plan BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
Kristi Burton Brown, chairwoman of the Colorado GOP, appeared at a gathering of Republicans in
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12
Jefferson County this summer where she talked about how the party can attract unaffiliated voters and finally win again in 2022. Candidates need to look forward and talk about keeping taxes low and school choice, she said. “We have to become the party of ideas.” But when Burton Brown opened the hotel-conference-room gathering up for questions, the crowd didn’t want to discuss her talking points. They jerked the focus back
to the past. “The biggest issue for me is voter cheating and this whole national election, as we all know, was a set up,” a man said. “Has there been any talk of a forensic audit anywhere in this state?” a woman asked next. “If the Arizona audit shows the Dominion (Voting System) machines to be unreliable — and we
A thriving school system is dependent on a good school board. Elbert County voters in four school districts will vote for board candidates in this November’s election. School board races are officially nonpartisan. Below are the school board candidates, their hometowns and email addresses as listed by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office: Elizabeth School District • Craig M. Blackham Elizabeth cblackham61@hotmail.com
SEE REPUBLICANS, P16
SEE SCHOOLS, P3
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9/11 TRIBUTE ON WHEELS Local man on a 3,200-mile bike ride P4
2 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
Class-action suit targets Colo. child mental health gaps Plaintiffs include hospitalized teens from Castle Rock, Northglenn BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN
The exterior of Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, photographed on Oct. 18, 2019. PHOTO BY JOHN INGOLD/THE COLORADO SUN
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Colorado has lapsed on its obligation to provide mental health care for needy children, leaving them to cycle in and out of emergency rooms instead of receiving appropriate long-term care, according to a federal class-action lawsuit filed against the state Medicaid program. The lawsuit so far includes three anonymous plaintiffs, all teenagers who have for months or years been checked into hospital emergency rooms and psychiatric facilities but then were refused step-down residential treatment because no beds are available. The case is similar to major lawsuits filed in other states, including Illinois, which was forced to revamp its mental health system for children in a 2018 settlement. “Colorado needs a comprehensive mental health plan of care for these children, and there are significant gaps and missing links that need to be rectified,” said Robert Farley, the attorney handling the Colorado case who also successfully sued Illinois. “These children have legal rights to get the necessary services.” The three plaintiffs, identified only as A.A, B.B. and C.C., should have received intensive mental health services in their communities — an entitlement under federal law for children on Medicaid government insurance, according to the lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3, seeks class-action status to represent other children who have not received needed treatment. The children have been unfairly “institutionalized,” it alleges. One is a 13-year-old Northglenn boy who has been hospitalized at Children’s Hospital Colorado since March because the state has refused to pay for a less-restrictive residential treatment center. The teen, who has reactive attachment disorder and other mental health issues, remains hospitalized due to the lack of other options, according to the lawsuit. Another is a 16-year-old Castle Rock girl who has been in the emergency department at Children’s Hospital Colorado since July 31. The state has been unable to find a longterm residential program, despite looking out of state, according to the lawsuit. The teen, who is suicidal and has post-traumatic stress disorder and reactive attachment disorder, has been admitted to an emergency room 17 times because of her mental health struggles, the suit says. The child, who has busted open her head by banging it on the wall and tied sheets around her neck, has had to rely on emergency treatment while in crisis instead of receiving long-term care that would improve her mental health, according to the lawsuit. The third plaintiff is a 13-year-old Aurora girl diagnosed with major depression and an anxiety disorder
who has been hospitalized three times. She’s living at home but needs to go to a residential treatment center, which the state has not provided, according to the lawsuit.
Law creates entitlement Under federal law, children who qualify for Medicaid are entitled to receive medically necessary mental health services through a program called “Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Service.” The goal of the lawsuit, which names Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing Executive Director Kim Bimestefer, is to force Colorado to build a better spectrum of care so that children have more options other than emergency hospitalization, Farley said in an interview with The Colorado Sun. The state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing declined to comment, noting that it is against department policy to discuss pending litigation. The lawsuit comes at a pivotal time for Colorado, where suicide is the leading cause of death for young people and Children’s Hospital Colorado recently sent up a flare for legislative help because its emergency room is crowded with suicidal and depressed kids and teens. About 2,300 children received intensive community-based services through the state Medicaid department’s Children’s Extensive Support Waiver program, but in order to qualify, children must have an intellectual or developmental disability. Similarly, 163 children received services through the state’s Children’s Residential Program, but to qualify, children had to have a diagnosed intellectual disability. The system is discriminatory, Farley alleged, when only certain children can qualify for residential care. Farley initiated the lawsuit after receiving various calls for help from families in Colorado, he said. “You just can’t flip a switch overnight and create a mental health system for children,” Farley said, explaining that any changes ahead for Colorado are likely to take years. Some families are desperate In many states, mental health treatment for children is so inadequate that families get to the point that the only safe place they can find for their child is a psychiatric hospital, he said. Each time their child is stabilized and released, the options for step-down programs, such as day treatment or residential centers, are “slim to none,” Farley said, so the child goes home until the next emergency rush to a psychiatric facility. The situation gets so dire that some families eventually refuse to take their children home, which results in the hospital calling child welfare authorities. Under the custody of the child protection division, children receive placement in a residential treatment facility. “It gets to the point where families become desperate,” Farley said. “They don’t see hope. They don’t see progress. They get to the point where we have to do something.” SEE CHILDREN, P3
Elbert County News 3
September 16, 2021
SCHOOLS FROM PAGE 1
• Heather Booth Elizabeth hpbooth@me.com • David Patrick Eddy Elizabeth david.p.eddy@boeing.com • Cary Alan Karcher Parker cakarcher77@gmail.com Kiowa School District • Beverly Durant Kiowa bdurant8@aol.com • Donald Lee Gabehart Kiowa dgabehart@myedl.com • Sandra Kalisch Kiowa ckskckjk@gmail.com • Connie Miller Kiowa
cgustinmiller@yahoo.com • Danielle Ullom Kiowa danielleullom@yahoo.com Agate School District • Jennifer Leight Bracht Agate jennymaclennan44@gmail.com • Douglas James Purdy Agate dpurdy0010@yahoo.com Big Sandy School District • Daniel Lee Brown Matheson danlbrown@yahoo.com • Chad Maranville Matheson chad_maranville@hotmail.com • Greg Mitchell Simla gmitchell@bigsandy100j.org For more information on this year’s election candidates, please visit tracer.sos.colorado.gov.
CHILDREN FROM PAGE 2
Farley said he knows many kids, not just his 16-year-old Colorado client, who have had more than a dozen visits to the emergency room for psychiatric problems. “That’s not an unusual situation,” he said. “It’s not just somebody falling through the cracks. If you’ve had to go to the emergency room 17 times, something is not working.” In some cases, children are adopted from the foster care system and have severe mental disorders related to early childhood trauma, Farley said. Their adoptive parents struggle to get them help, despite having Medicaid coverage. Residential programs, which cost about $700 or even $900 per day, have been shrinking in Colorado, leaving families and the state to seek beds out of state. Colorado
needs to boost its options along the mental health treatment spectrum, including better in-home programs and community programs with the aim of keeping kids out of residential centers and hospitals, Farley said. In May, Children’s Hospital Colorado declared a “pediatric mental health state of emergency” and said its emergency rooms were overwhelmed by children in psychiatric crisis. Mental health emergency room visits were up 90% in April compared with April 2019 and the hospital reported seeing three or four kids each week who had just attempted suicide. This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
Old latex paint? Don’t flip out! Dry it out! Have you been stockpiling cans of latex paint, waiting for the next Douglas County Household Chemical Roundup? Good news – latex paint is water-based and safe to throw away, if prepared properly. If the paint is completely dry, simply remove the lid and throw the can away. If there is still wet paint in the can, mix in some dirt or cat litter to fully absorb it. Once it is dry, throw it away. Save yourself a trip to the Roundup (and the $25 contribution) if you have water-based paint. Remember, this only applies to water-based latex paint, and NO paint can be dumped in the gutter or thrown in the trash wet. Make a difference in keeping our waterways clean by practicing cost-effective ways to dispose of materials properly. Local stormwater agencies are teaming together 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.
T H IS ST ORMWATER MESSAGE B R OUGHT TO YOU BY
Visit onethingisclear.org to: • Report accidental and illegal dumping to your local agency • Search local volunteer events • Find more helpful tips If you have leftover paint, recycle it! Visit PaintCare.org to find a drop-off site near you. PaintCare sites accept house paint, primers, stains, sealers and clear coatings for free! Colorado Community Media agrees: Please recycle this newspaper responsibly and partner with our communities for a better tomorrow. Ad campaign creative donated by the Castle Rock Water, Stormwater Division.
4 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
Parker man bikes across U.S. in 9/11 tribute Cycling route stretches from Los Angeles to New York BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
During long days of cycling across the United States, Buck Buchanan sometimes peeks down at a small container attached to his bike handle. Inside are six photos showing the faces of men who died during or as a direct result of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. “I look down at their picture and think ‘I’m doing it for them,’” said Buchanan, a Parker resident. “Their sacrifice is something I don’t want to forget about.” A retired firefighter, Buchanan, 67, is the vice president of a national cycling club made up of fire service members called Fire Velo. He and 10 other former or current firefighters in the club decided more than a year ago to cycle across the country in commemoration of the 20-year anniversary of the attacks. The cycling group, made up mostly of 60-year-olds, has averaged about 100 miles of cycling every day with one rest day per week. The group started on the Santa Monica pier in California on Aug. 1 and has already traversed through the southwest, Texas, Oklahoma and much of the Midwest. As of Aug. 31, Buchanan and the team were in Columbus, Ohio with plans to ride on to the Pentagon and then finish their journey at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City by Sept. 9. By then, they will have traveled 3,300 miles SEE CYCLIST, P5
The Fire Velo cycling club poses for a photo in front of the Firefighters Memorial in Poelker Park St. Louis, Missouri durCOURTESY PHOTO ing their journey across the country.
PRESENTED BY
How Colorado health care is changing, and what it means for you.
A wide-ranging panel with news reporters and experts from Denver Health, Peak Vista and Kaiser Permanente discussing: Telehealth The changing patient experience How patients can stay ahead of the curve
Elbert County News 5
September 16, 2021
CYCLIST FROM PAGE 4
and climbed 100,000 feet of elevation gain in their up-and-down journey. “We want people to remember,” Buchanan said. “It was a horrible thing, but in the aftermath of it people really came together and helped each other and did whatever was needed and it was a very patriotic time. I guess we hope that people will maybe rekindle that feeling.” Throughout their journey, the cyclists have experienced a range of conditions, including extreme heat, humidity and rain. During the first leg of the trip, they saw temperatures over 100 degrees on days they were riding 100 miles. “We often started at 3:30 or 4 a.m. to get ahead of the temperature,” Buchanan said. Once they got to Oklahoma, they hit a wave of humidity and they rode in 95-degree temperatures with 95% humidity. Then they were hit by the rains from Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana Aug. 29 and then continued across parts of the U.S. “We’re like the postman,” Buchanan said. “We do it rain or shine.” The team’s oldest rider is 72 and the youngest is 26. The team also decided to make the journey a fundraising ride, raising money for several nonprofits benefiting firefighters including Fire Family Foundation and Friends of Firefighters. Each rider is committed to raising a minimum of $6,500 and the group has a goal of raising $100,000. Donations can be made at
firevelo.com. As they ride across the country, the team is followed by a motor home, a support trailer and two SUVs with ice, water and food for the cyclists. At night, the cyclists, along with their four-person support team, rest at various hotels along their route. Along the way to New York, the team also stopped at the site of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the national memorial near Pittsburgh of American Airlines Flight 93, which was one of the aircraft hijacked during 9/11. “What I’m looking forward to is just making that connection back at Ground Zero and visiting one of the stations where they’re going to have a little ceremony for the guys at that station who were lost,” Buchanan said. “It’s just important to keep the focus on that story and to ask people to not forget.” Buchanan retired from the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 2012, and in 2018 moved to Parker with his wife. “I want to get back to Parker, it’s such a great place,” Buchanan said. “We’re so happy to be a part of that community.” Because of the clear lid to the photo container on his bike, Buchanan rotates the top photo — the one he can see — every day. The men photographed were firefighters, a pilot and a first responder who later died from cancer. Some he knew personally, others were friends of friends, still others are victims to whom he’s only distantly connected. “The slogan after 9/11 was ‘never forget,’” he said. “And 20 years is a significant milestone.”
Buck Buchanan holds the photos he carries on his bicycle during a media event in St. COURTESY PHOTO Louis, Missouri.
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6 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
New mural brings dose of color to Dinosaur Ridge
Life-sized ‘geometric sculpture’ also planned BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Morrison’s Dinosaur Ridge has long provided a unique chance to see the footprints left by dinosaurs. But starting now, visitors will also get a fresh perspective of what it might have been like to see dinosaurs walk across the area’s prehistoric landscape. That perspective will come via a new mural covering two sides of the facility’s ticket booth at its visitor center, which depicts three dinosaurs walking across the mudflats that once characterized the area. The dinosaurs depicted include a large stegosaurus, the first skeleton of which was discovered at Dinosaur Ridge, and two long-necked apatosaurus. Artist Julia Williams said she was also planning to draw several tracks in the mud flat to reflect the fossilized footprints that can be seen at the site. Painting the mural has been “a perfect opportunity” for Williams, who goes
MORE FROM THE ARTIST To see more of Julia Williams’ work, including her other murals throughout the Denver metro area, visit thedesignosaur.com. by the artist name “The Designosaur” and has painted several murals around the Denver area, including a few depicting dinosaurs. “I’ve always loved dinosaurs since I was a little kid,” said Williams. “I feel quite a connection to them.” Kristen Kidd, the marketing and communications director for Dinosaur Ridge, said that affinity for dinosaurs made Williams a natural to design a mural for the visitor’s center, which already has several painted stegosaurus figures spread around its exterior. “Naturally when we learned about her, we were curious about what she might do here,” said Kidd in an email. “And her design knocked our socks off.” Williams, who lives in Superior, said the opportunity was also particularly exciting because she frequently visited Dinosaur Ridge while growing up in Arvada. “I couldn’t believe it when they called me,” she said.
Julia Williams paints scales onto a stegosaurus as she continues work on her mural at the Dinosaur PHOTO BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO Ridge ticket booth on Sept. 8. The stegosaurus is the Colorado state dinosaur.
One of Kidd’s trademarks is super bright colors. The Dinosaur Ridge mural, which has a color scheme consisting of bright purple, red, orange and yellow, is no exception. “I think it’s super warm and inviting and fun,” she
Golden-based artists Pat Madison and Jim Dickson will also soon be partnering on a new piece for the facility called “Eolambia.” The release describes that piece as a life-sized geo-
said. “I wanted to bring some sort of color to this area.” The mural isn’t the only new piece of artwork coming to Dinosaur Ridge. In a press release announcing the new mural, Williams explained that
SEE DINOSAUR, P7
XCEL ENERGY’S COLORADO’S POWER PATHWAY ROUTING AND SITING UPDATE Learn about progress on identifying transmission line routes and substation sites that will increase electric reliability, connect new energy resources in eastern Colorado and boost the regional economy. 76
25
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© 2021 Xcel Energy Inc.
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COLORADO
Si necesita asistencia o información en español, por favor contáctenos directamente al 855-858-9037 o ColoradosPowerPathway@xcelenergy.com.
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Elbert County News 7
September 16, 2021
September is National Preparedness Month Fire, floods and severe winter weather. Are you ready should a local emergency occur? For detailed information visit
ready.gov Voting open for Art Encounters outdoor sculptures
Julia Williams applies spray paint to a new mural at Dinosaur Ridge.
DINOSAUR FROM PAGE 6
metric sculpture of a plant-eating dinosaur called an eolambia that “will resemble a Rubik’s Cube with its multi-colored design.” The project will be visible to passing traffic along I-70, with its location and installation date to be announced soon. Madison created a a small herd of colorful geometric triceratops (done in a similar style to “Eolambria”)
PHOTO BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO
last year. It can be seen at the intersection of 56th Avenue and Highway 93, just north of Golden. Williams said the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge paid for both projects out of its budget, “We love that there are local artists who feature dinosaurs in their work — it just feels like a great fit with our vision of providing a place that not only educates visitors but sparks wonder and imagination,” Williams said. Dinosaur Ridge is also hoping to do more fun dinosaur art projects soon, she said.
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23 sculptures are showcased throughout Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker and Roxborough. You’re invited to visit the sculptures and nominate your favorite for a People’s Choice Award by Jan. 31, 2022. For art locations, voting online and more visit artencounters.douglas.co.us
Clean up and reduce wildfire risk Now is the time to clean up tree limbs, shrubs and brush from your property and reduce your wildfire risk. Dispose of them at the County’s slash-mulch site, 1400 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock. Open Saturdays-only from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through October. For more information visit douglas.co.us and search for Slash.
Looking for employment or career change? Whether you’re a young person looking for career guidance, have recently been separated from a job or are considering a new career path, Arapahoe/Douglas Works! provides a variety of no-cost employment assistance services. For more information and to get started visit adworks.org
Interested in becoming a foster parent or adopting a child? Information nights are free and open to anyone interested in learning about foster care and adoption. Join via Zoom Sept. 27 from 6-7:30 p.m. For more information call 303-636-1KID or register online at collaborativefostercare.com and select Information Night. FREE ONBOARD CREDIT
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Coordinated Election Nov. 2, 2021 Douglas County is Election Ready - Are You? Visit DouglasVotes.com to: Register to vote or check your status/affiliation Update your mailing address Watch videos to learn about election security Find a ballot drop box near you Registered voters in Douglas County, watch your mailbox for your ballot the week of Oct. 11.
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8 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
DAM’s ‘Oracles of the Pink Universe’ is magical exhibit BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A delightful small vacation is available at the Denver Art Museum through Oct. 10. Simphiewe Ndzube’s paintings and sculpture are shown in a colorful exhibit — “Oracles of the Pink Universe” — which offers a trip into the imaginary world of a young South African artist, born in 1990, who currently lives and works in Los Angeles. He has invented an intriguing world and presents images from it that reflect an arts education which blends European imagery, including “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch (ca. 1504), with Xhosa tribal mythology and other segments from here and there that reflect colorful imagined worlds — and today’s political realities.
The painting “Bloom of the Corpse Flower” from this exhibit is a recent acquisition by the Denver Art Museum, getting DAM in on the ground floor with a talented young artist who is just holding his first U.S. museum exhibit, but is expected to become a big name in future years. This plant appears in several paintings in “Oracles of the Pink Universe” and DAM director Christoph Heinrich writes in an introduction to the show catalog: “Ndzube’s work interrogates the legacies of apartheid based on his personal experiences, his Xhosa heritage and his knowledge of indigenous African and Eastern art.” In addition to application of paints, the artist at times includes actual garments, bits of fabric and other objects in collage technique. Colors are brilliant and sartorial styling is varied — we find a dude
striding toward us in a pink suit and brown fedora, while in “A Visit to a Mine Moon,” a headless character with black and white checked gingham shirt and yellow glove approaches one who floats upside down, with a left leg that turns into a snake. Above them, a third fellow floats, rowing a boat with oars capped with yellow gloves. On the next page, we find a fellow who looks as though he has a secret as he’s surrounded by dripping mustard colored clouds. In one painting stands the Djinguereber Mosque, located in Timbuktu, Mali, West Africa, with design attributed to Abu Es Haq es Saheli, built in 1327. A pictured sculpture shows legendary figure, “Bhekizwe, Riding Through the Garden of Earthly Delights” — another reference to the famous Bosch painting.
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A book about Simphewe offers an interview with Plumelele Tsabalala, where he states: “I have been making art from the moment I realized my consciousness, or rather, from the moment I realized I could do something with my hands … creativity has always been a kind of alternative space for me to understand the world. I make art to please myself F and surprise myself.” Ndzube later says, with regard to working as a Black artist: “Just being an artist from South Africa, I’m aware of a history of art that excluded black artists ... I acknowledge that my identity and where I’m from grounds the work, but I want my art to go beyond just me: I want to explore the limits of magical realism and its relationship to Third World countries.” SEE EXHIBIT, P9
Colorful artworks enliven Greenwood Village gallery BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
More than 40 assorted watermedia paintings are exhibited at the Curtis Center for the Arts, 2349 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village, through Oct. 30. What a pleasant way to spend an hour or so ... This statewide exhibit was juried for the Colorado Watercolor Society
by Karen Roehl, who lives in Denver, maintains a studio in the RiNo Arts District and teaches at the Art Students League of Denver. (Visitors can view several of the juror’s paintings at the rear of the spacious gallery, including a skillfully painted pair of horses.) Gallery director Chris Stevens said CWS members were urged to create “something different.”
The “Explorations in Watermedia” exhibition offers traditional watercolor landscapes and florals, as well as contemporary abstractions, still lifes, nature, animal and bird images and some works that are painted with opaque acrylics, also a watermedia, sometimes combined with the transparent paints and in other examples used alone. Style and technique varies widely,
meaning that the exhibit is a pleasure to peruse. Which is to say that works in this exhibit vary widely in style and content and offer a multi-faceted experience for a viewer. Allow time to wander through this light, airy gallery, circle through the center and stroll around the edges SEE GALLERY, P9
Historical program looks at mansion
A
40th anniversary celebration of the latest segF ment of history for the historic Highlands Ranch Mansion will take place on Sept. 20 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the upstairs auditorium at the Southridge Recreation Center, 4800 McArthur Ranch Road in Highlands Ranch. The first home was built on the site in 1891, and in the last 40 years it has become a landmark for a new community. The Highlands Ranch Historical Society will present Susie Appleby and Sherry Eppers in an in-person event that celebrates the landmark’s modern era, 1981-2021. open at 6:30 p.m. Free for Highlands Ranch HistoriSonya Ellingboe Doors cal Society members and a $2 donation is requested for non irst ations oundation HRHS members.
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SEE SAMPLER, P9 Invites you to attend the 8th Annual Denver American Indian Festival
Saturday & Sunday September 25 & 2 26 10 am N toations 6 pmFoundation First Come soar with us Riverdale Regional Park Adams County Fairgrounds th Invites you toto attend thethe 8th 8Annual Invites you attend Annual 9755 Henderson Road Denver American Indian Festival Brighton, American Colorado Denver Indian Festival
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Elbert County News 9
September 16, 2021
EXHIBIT FROM PAGE 8
During the pandemic, one needs to reserve a ticket in advance. Information: denverartmuseum.org, 720-9130130.
The Denver Art Museum, located at 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway in downtown Denver, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public events frequently are canceled or rescheduled. Check with organizers before you go.
GALLERY
exhibit. Susan Randolph’s “New Beginnings” portrays a start-up flower garden — something many viewers will relate to, while Doug Moench’s “Summer Sea Oats” combines a bit of coast with plants and soaring birds in a calm, quiet “day at the beach” piece. Jazzy and louder is Nancy Priest’s abstract work, “Miro Meets the Map Maker,” large and orange ... not to be ignored! Beatrice Trautman’s “Convergence,” an acrylic work, is almost overwhelmed by its smooth gold frame. Carol Newsome from Evergreen exhibits “Mahali,” a mostly submerged hippopotamus in a calm, sunny river, while “Birds on a Wire,” cliff swallows perched on a branch in another river, won second place. Curtis Center for the Arts is open 8: 30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free, parking on east side and across Orchard Road. 303-797-1779, greenwoodvillage.com/1247/Curtis-Center-for-theArts.
FROM PAGE 8
again to enjoy the play of light and shadow in the images, as well as individual technical skill and vision. As one enters the Curtis gallery, a burst of color meets the eyes in Tanis Bula’s “Mixed Flower Surprise,” a colorful image of a summer bouquet with tiger lilies, roses and other bright blooms. One can almost catch a scent in the entryway. This skillfully rendered painting was juror Roehl’s choice for Best of Show. A look at Bula’s website reveals her focus on bouquets, which must be a happy pursuit ... First Place ribbon went to “Peony” by Sally Huang-Nissen of Colorado Springs, reflecting traditional Chinese watercolor technique on this lush pink flower. Richard Forsyth’s “With Light, Color is Revealed” has a golden glow that draws one closer to see what’s happening, while Johanna Morrell’s “Nobody’s Voice But My Own” includes two panels, layered and contrasting with black markings on the clear top panel. Framing and presentation of these mostly small works varies considerably, adding more interest to this
SAMPLER FROM PAGE 8
Since the first mansion was built on the site in 1891, it has evolved and was renovated in 2010-2012. Watch for information about upcoming tours. See highlandsranchhistoricalsociety.org. Art by Aaron Contemporary abstract painter Patricia Aaron of Greenwood Village will exhibit her work widely this fall: Naropa University, Lincoln Gallery, Boulder, through December 10; Loveland Museum through Sept. 23; Elysium Gallery, Swansea, Wales in a three-year traveling Artnauts exhibit through 2024; Seidel City, Boulder Artnauts’ 25th Anniversary show fall 2021. (Artnauts is an artists’ coop). See patriciaaaron. com. Dresser Denver’s Kirkland Museum will virtually host “Join US Dresser Fest 21, a Five-Legged Chair; a Day of Learning,” on Sept. 18, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — an international festival. The museum hosts “Truth, Beauty and Power: Christopher Dresser and the Aesthetic Movement” through Jan. 22, 2022. Free, registration required. Donations to the museum or the Christopher Dresser Society welcomed. See kirklandmuseum.org. CORE CORE New Art Space at 6851 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood, includes
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public events frequently are canceled or rescheduled. Check with organizers before you go. Littleton’s Michelle Lamb among its members. She reports that members featured next, on Oct. 1, First Friday, will be: Tracy Russell, Barbara Veatch of Centennial, Chuck McCoy and Carol Bivins. First Friday Reception 4-10 p.m. Oct. 1; artists’ reception Oct. 15, 5-10 p.m. 303-2978428, coreartspace.com. Depot Littleton’s Depot Art Gallery hosts a show by eight new members through Oct. 17: Rebekah Griffiths, Lorraine Bonilla-Herrerra, Talia Johns, Mimsi Milton, Susan Meriman, Deanne Sander, Jaqueline Schuler and Darlene Wideman. Reception will be Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Depot, 2069 W. Powers Ave. in Downtown Littleton. Gallery open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. A “Fantastic Fall Show” will open at the Stanton Art Gallery at Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main Street, Downtown Littleton. Open during box office hours. See depotartgallery.org, townhallartscenter. org. Castle Rock History The Castle Rock History Museum at 420 Elbert St. will open an exhibit on telephones on Sept. 25, which shows how they have evolved over the years. Open Wednesday to Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Free, donations gratefully accepted. 303-814-3164, castlerockmuseum.org. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public events frequently are canceled or rescheduled. Check with organizers before you go.
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10 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
SIMLA FROM PAGE 1
Simla’s Pueblo Avenue was shut down to house nearly a dozen vendors.
Four-year-old Ilija Mease with his parents Ethan and Sahvanna Mease after the firefighter obstacle course.
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Charlotte Stafford of KoDraHealing LLC stands in front of her handmade soaps and lip balms.
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Trustees, served as one of the coordinators for the event. He has been involved with the Simla Days event since moving from Denver nearly a decade ago. “The event is amazing. It lets everybody in town touch base and gives the kids a chance to come out and play. Some people even come from Calhan, Elbert, and Kiowa,” said Black. The Simla Days event had nearly a dozen local vendors spread throughout the downtown park. At the head of the park greeting visitors as they entered the festival was Dancing Jaguar Coffee, a new business based in the nearby town of Elbert. At their tent, visitors could purchase either hot or cold brew coffee to sip as they perused the event. Joe and Erika Hulm, owners of Dancing Jaguar Coffee, import beans from Erika’s 50-yearold family farm in Honduras. “Tips and one dollar from each bag of coffee sold go toward helping fund a school on the farm for local children,” said Joe Hulm. “We are really trying to make positive change in the world.” Like Dancing Jaguar Coffee, handmade products were a highlight of the vendor alley. Charlotte Stafford of KoDraHealing LLC sold essential oil-infused soaps and lip balms while Nancy McJunkin of Phoenix Scents sold scented candles, handmade textiles and jewelry. They were among many other sellers of handmade products. Along with the vendors, the Simla branch of the Pines & Plains Library was present with countless books for attendees to take home at no charge. They also hosted a cornhole tournament for those interested. A highlight of the event occurred around 10:45 a.m. when a bright orange medic helicopter touched down on Sioux Avenue in front of the Big Sandy Fire Protection building. Event attendees were able to talk with Flight for Life Colorado registered nurses and pilots, sit in the cockpit, and learn about the inner workings of a medic helicopter. Next to the helicopter was an obstacle course for kids to experience what it is like to be a firefighter. Tiny children dressed up in firefighter uniforms maneuvered through tires, climbed through giant tubes, helped rescue fake people, and put out flameless fires. “I had fun,” said four-year-old Ilijah Mease of Simla. “My favorite part was putting out the fire.” Currently, Simla Day for 2022 is scheduled for next Labor Day, Sept. 5. For more information on Dancing Jaguar Coffee, including contact information, see facebook.com/dancingjaguar. For more information on Flight for Life Colorado, see centura.org/our-network/flightfor-life.
Elbert County News 11
September 16, 2021
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12 Elbert County News
LOCAL
September 16, 2021
VOICES
A Colorado mom-and-pop business inches closer to red ink
T
he new priorities of the United States Postal Service will be the end of our momand-pop business. Last summer, packages that our business shipped GUEST via USPS began to go missing or took COLUMN months to reach their destination. Over the last year, we have spent a massive amount of time and expense tracking down packages, sending out replacements, filing claims forms Alexa Metrick online or by phone, and communicating with frustrated customers. Boxes being shipped internationally are even worse, as they sometimes disappear into limbo for up to half a year, assuming they turn up at all. My parents own and operate a small business called Sopris Unlimited. Calling it a small business is a misnomer; it is literally a mom-and-pop operation. In 1982, my dad designed one of the first frame pack saddles for llamas and, three years later, he and my mom launched the family business. Our line of llama pack equipment is used by customers throughout the United States and across the world, from Norway to Australia, from Israel to Argentina. Although we started the busi-
ness in Carbondale, we are now based in the little mountain town of La Veta. We are not, nor have we ever been, a brick-and-mortar store; we started out with mail-order print catalogs, covers emblazoned with candid photos of my brother and me out on the trail with llamas. We now receive the majority of our orders through our website. But if you call our 800 number, my dad answers the phone, answers your questions, and takes down your order the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper. As you might imagine, the customer base for llama pack saddles is not large, and we are one of only a half-dozen sources for this type of equipment. Eleven years ago, we expanded our line to include gear for all of the smaller pack animals (including alpacas, goats, sheep, reindeer, yaks, and donkeys), but that still puts our annual receipts at $41,450,000 less than that of the average firm in our mail-order industry as designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration. And although the SBA doesn’t have a standard number of employees listed for the industry, I’d imagine we’re on the low end; over the decades, various members of one Old Order Amish family in Iowa have manufactured our product line by hand. This business has been a daily
presence in my parents’ lives for nearly 40 years. So it seems just a bit ironic that, of all the volatile market forces that have threatened it over those decades, our demise might come about because of poor management of the government agency that has consistently been ranked as America’s favorite by Gallup. The USPS is a vital service to rural America. Unlike our national postal service, private corporations such as United Parcel Service and FedEx are not federally mandated to deliver all mail to every address, no matter how remote, nor to do so for the same price as a delivery to an address in an urban distribution hub. The accessibility and affordability of the USPS is especially relevant to our business, as our employees and our customers are overwhelmingly rural. The future of the United States Postal Service has been under threats of privatization before Louis DeJoy was appointed Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, but the last year with him at the helm might be what finally does our family business in. Longer delivery times, higher prices, reduced hours, and closed stations are bad enough, but the number of packages we’ve had go missing over the last year has been devastating to our bottom line. DeJoy intends to make package
delivery the main product of the USPS over the next 10 years, and yet it is that very service that has failed our business, over and over again, during the last year and a half. We are inching nearer and nearer to the red because of mistakes made by the USPS; mistakes that rarely, if ever happened before 2020. When DeJoy’s new 10-year-plan, with its focus on cost-cutting at the expense of delivery performance, forces my parents to close down their business, I’m sure Wall Street won’t notice. No economic indicators will be affected and there won’t be a flood of unemployed workers looking for new jobs. But anyone who ships their products directly to their customers, from artists to inventors to llama pack saddle manufacturers, are being adversely affected. It will be that much harder for those of us who exist in niches to make a living at them. Alexa Metrick, of Golden, is a corporate librarian who does occasional contract work for the family business. This opinion piece is from The Colorado Sun, a journalistowned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
Rounding third base as fourth quarter nears
T
he fourth quarter of the year begins soon. Investors are still on the edge of their seats concerned about potential tax law changes and any Federal Reserve FINANCIAL policy that might spook the financial STRATEGIES markets. The economy is open … or is it? Pandemic concerns continue, schools are open, but some have reverted back to remote learning. Many employees continue to work Patricia Kummer from home. No wonder it feels like we are riding an economic seesaw. A deeper look boils down to a few
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distinct issues that affect investors: What will the Fed do? And will COVID-19 and its variants shut down the economy in a big way again? Our Chief Economist, Bill Greiner, believes our current elevated inflation numbers are largely based on the partial reopening, supply chain issues and pent-up demand for goods and services. This will likely calm down over time, Greiner says. This is key for the Fed to decide whether inflation is enough of a sustainable threat to raise interest rates in the near term. Last year, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell launched the framework to hopefully lead us back to more normal policy at the Jackson Hole Economic
Symposium. That may be slightly derailed this year based on an uneven labor market and surge of the coronavirus Delta variant, per Bloomberg News. It may be difficult for investors to be patient and watch for meaningful opportunities, rather than second-guessing how the remainder of the year will play out. The uncertainty in employment, education, inflation and interest rates may be here for a while. The first eight months of the year produced above-average investment returns, so what lies in store for the last few months of the year? You could think of this in a baseball analogy, rounding second base and safe at third. Now, do you wait for someone else to hit the ball? Or do you steal home plate before the next
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out? Think of what you don’t have control over and when to take action. Significant unknowns remain with the delta variant and how this will affect the economy in the long run. Many businesses feel they are behind by a year and a half by now, and some employees currently plan to remain home until next January. The macroeconomic picture is murky with a burgeoning federal deficit and global ramifications from China in addition to the Fed story and inflation.¹ The positives that help balance out the negatives are that we have high labor productivity, a strong money supply and positive corpo-
Columnists & Guest Commentaries Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Elbert County News. We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone. Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.
SEE KUMMER, P13 ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100) A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Elbert County News, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110
Elbert County News 13
September 16, 2021
Historic Denver highlights 50 places worth celebrating Residents encouraged to visit sites, in-person or virtually BY CLARKE READER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Most people in the metro area are at least a little familiar with historic sites like the Molly Brown House in eCapitol Hill and the Brown Palace hotel in downtown Denver. But there’s undoubtedly some who will not recognize the Rosedale House or the Wellshire Inn. The Wellshire Inn — located in the tWellshire neighborhood — was built in the 1920s as a golf club house. The Tudor building has since become an event center. “The size and architectural style are uncommon in Denver. The building is distinctive and a landmark, sitting up high above the golf course,” said Kendra Black, Denver lcouncilmember for District 4. “The story should be told and the building and course should be preserved.” Historic Denver wants people to know more stories like these, and that’s the aim of the new 50 Actions for 50 Places campaign. The project was launched to mark the 50th anniversary of the organization. “We wanted to try to recapture the original grassroots spirit that led us to preserve places that are important,” said Annie Levinsky, Historic Denver’s executive director. “At the time, we had one of the largest memberships in the country and we want to get back to that. People often
think preservation is something older people do, but it really is multigenerational.” The list of 50 places was gathered through a months-long campaign that solicited the Denver community for places and spaces that deserve to have their story told and memorialized in the coming years. Historic Denver received more than 100 nominations and selected options that recognize the full diversity of the city. The resulting list includes arts and entertainment sites, civic assets, cultural landmarks and homes. One such home is located at 780 Steele St. in the Congress Park neighborhood, which was the residence of Judge Raymond Jones, who was the first African American appellate judge in Colorado. According to information provided by Travis Leiker, president and executive director of Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, Jones attended Harvard, was a judge for 32 years and is a member of the Colorado Black Hall of Fame. “All too often, the stories of historically marginalized populations go untold and unrecognized. We discovered the same was true for Judge Raymond Jones,” Leiker said. “This property, and the story of Judge Jones, represent one’s perseverance, defiance against all odds, and should be a fixture in our community today and for our posterity.” Some of the places readily welcome visitors, while others are great for walking by to appreciate the design and its history, like the Rosedale House, 2199 S. Bannock St. The Rosedale House is one of the few remaining homes that were part The Rosedale House, 2199 S. Bannock St., is one of the sites included in Historic Denver’s 50 Actions for 50 Places campaign. The Rosedale House is one of the few remaining homes that were part of the town of Rosedale, which is now part of the Overland neighborhood. PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORIC DENVER
KUMMER FROM PAGE 12
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become reality. Make sure your plan is in order as we start the final quarter of a very unusual year. Check and see if you should adjust your taxable income, 401(k) contributions or realize capital gains or losses before year-end. There are a lot of opportunities to take better control of your finances before there could be changes next year, in interest rates, inflation or tax policy. Patricia Kummer has been a Certified Financial Planner professional and a fiduciary for over 35 years and is Managing Director for Mariner Wealth Advisors, an SEC
of the town of Rosedale, which is now part of the Overland neighborhood — not to be confused with the neighboring Rosedale neighborhood, which is just east of Overland. The modest Queen Anne home was part of the first development built by George Timerman in 1887. People need to know that street names and cities change over the course of 100 years, said Karen Jackson, owner of the home and nominator. “The original Rosedale is now Overland and was probably beautiful for decades. Over the years, many homes fell in disrepair, but I always knew it was a diamond in the rough,” Jackson said. “I feel like the home picked me and I’m the caretaker chosen to save the home and its history.” The actions that will be embarked upon are as varied as the sites themselves, Levinsky said. Some will require research about their history; others, technical assistance; and some, recognition through state or national programs. “We’ll be working with the property owners and community members who nominated the sites to develop a plan,” Levinsky said. “We’ve
raised $50,000 for the campaign, and residents can get involved by donating to our organization or a specific project.” Even if you’re not comfortable going out and about to see the sites in person, Historic Denver has you covered — on its website, you can virtually visit all the locations and learn something about them. “Preservation has a reputation for being reactive, but we want to get ahead of things and support these places and the people who take care of them,” Levinsky said. “Seeing these places is a great way to get to know the city.” Bringing these spaces and places more attention is what the campaign is really about, and if people can become more appreciative of what is around them, so much the better. “The home of Dr. Charles Blackwood, the first Black graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was recently demolished,” Leiker said. The home was located in Denver’s Whittier neighborhood. “This is a reminder that unless we focus our efforts on preserving the buildings and the stories that go with them, our city will lose out on its unique heritage.”
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14 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
Backcountry Wilderness Area thrives Conservation efforts, community programs make land a benefit to Highlands Ranch BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In Highlands Ranch, the more than 8,200 acres of open land known as the Backcountry Wilderness Area (BWA) is a special resource that is being preserved as open, natural space. In the 1980s, before housing construction reshaped Highlands Ranch, early visionaries wanted to make sure wildlife and grasslands were kept in place. As Mission Viejo worked out a land agreement with Shea Homes, part of the deal was to conserve 13 square miles of land between Castle Pines and Highlands Ranch. As part of the original agreement, once Shea Homes reached 90% buildout, the land was officially donated to the Highlands Ranch Community Association in 2010. Mark Giebel, director of the BWA, said the amount of thought that went into protecting this land is “incredible.” As modern-day Highlands Ranch celebrates its 40-year anniversary, Geibel said this land is a big piece to celebrate. “It’s super important to have this
At base camp, visitors enjoy time with a variety of animals, including goats that enjoy the attention.
Lindsey McKissick, outreach coordinator for the Backcountry Wilderness Area, points to the land covering more than 8,000 acres between Highlands Ranch and Castle Pines PHOTOS BY THELMA GRIMES that is protected from development.
kind of land agreement in place, especially as development continues,” Giebel said. “It is going to be clear how important this land deal was in the next few decades. This property is a gem because of where it is located and its size.” Sitting on top of one of the many dirt trails in the BWA, grasslands can be seen for miles, serving as a home for animals such as elk, mule deer, bears, mountain lions, eagles,
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coyotes, porcupines and birds to roam freely without the threat of human-caused destruction. “This is land that can never be developed,” said Lindsey McKissick, outreach coordinator for the BWA. “It is taken so seriously that on occasion, new levels of protection are even added to the management plan.” For many years, and to some degree today, McKissick said the BWA feels like a well-kept secret. Many residents still have no idea about the trail system throughout the property, or that through special planning, the land will continue to thrive thanks to the efforts of a small but dedicated staff. The BWA has seven full-time staff and some dedicated volunteers. “To this day, so many homeowners have no idea this exists in their big back yard,” McKissick said. “It is really tough to appreciate something you can’t really see or touch.” To help the community become more educated about BWA, McKissick said a carefully planned effort continues to bring the public into the area to learn about native grass-
lands, the importance of open space and wildlife in the region. In 2017, the BWA started hosting summer camps to educate area youths on the importance of the conservation project. In the first year, McKisskick said about 30 kids attended. This year, more than 1,300 kids participated in the camps where they travel the dirt trails, learn in outdoor classrooms and build forts. BWA also allows hiking, horseback riding and hunting opportunities. For those just wanting to learn more about the land, BWA offers educational tours. McKissick said through more community outreach, BWA hopes to raise awareness and encourage residents to continue supporting the conservation efforts. “If every household donated $20 each year, we would have so much extra to go toward fire mitigation and conservation efforts.” McKissick said. Because the land must be kept as open space, a lot of work goes into protecting it each year. McKissick said fire mitigation is a top priority as the BWA works closely with the South Metro Fire District to prevent a major wildfire. On a regular basis, South Metro Fire Rescue trains on the trails of the BWA, making sure firefighters know where each trail is located, SEE WILDERNESS, P15
Elbert County News 15
September 16, 2021
Getting the word out about the Backcountry Wilderness Area has taken some creativity. Yoga is now COURTESY PHOTOS offered regularly.
WILDERNESS FROM PAGE 14
giving them an advantage if a call comes in reporting smoke. “This high level of knowledge helps firefighters get to where they need to go without having them just out here running around in the woods,” McKissick said. “They know the trails, the roads and the spots where they need to be through
extensive training.” Einar Jensen, the risk reduction specialist for South Metro Fire, said the BWA has a great program and has done a great job coordinating with fire crews to protect the important piece of land. Jensen said South Metro Fire works with BWA staff to create an evacuation plan in case the public is onsite during a fire. Fire crews also work with BWA to conduct tree and weed mitigation, along with removing trees surrounding power lines, Jensen said.
Hidden cameras help gauge the wildlife in the area, including bears.
For further fire mitigation, McKissick said, BWA has an agreement with a local rancher to allow cattle to graze, keeping weeds and grass cut short. McKissick said the job of protecting wildlife is taken seriously. During tours, extra efforts are made to avoid disturbing animals, especially in the spring when mother elk are having baby calves. To really gain a sense of what kind of wildlife is in the area, BWA has posted water stations throughout the property. There is no natural
running water in the area, McKissick said, making these water stations pivotal for the animals. Over the years, McKissick said, the water stations have provided valuable information about local wildlife, and on occasion, great social-media entertainment such as a video of a baby bear cub that went viral. Learn more about the BWA in Highlands Ranch by visiting the website at hrcaonline.org/about-us/ who-we-are/backcountry-wilderness-area.
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16 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
REPUBLICANS FROM PAGE 1
use those machines — what’s our game plan?” another man wanted to know, referencing a Republican-led recount in the Phoenix area. As Colorado Republicans look to 2022 with hopes of bouncing back from two election cycles of defeat, their game plan for how to move forward is clashing with an attachment among the party’s base to unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. It’s not clear if the two pursuits can successfully coexist. “The election-fraud claim does pose a special challenge, because the base is especially riled up about it and swing voters are especially turned off by it,” said Daniel Cole, who leads the Republican campaign operations for state House and Senate Republicans. The same debate is playing out in other states, including Arizona, where a Republican audit of 2020 ballots in Maricopa County is dragging on. Trump, who continues to question his loss last year, fell short in the state by more than 10,000 votes. A previous recount of Maricopa County’s ballots found no problems. A push from some in the Colorado GOP to cancel the 2022 primaries to cut unaffiliated voters out of the process and allow party insiders to select the GOP nominees is an extension of the baseless voter fraud anxiety. Unaffiliated voters have been able to vote in partisan primaries in Colorado since the 2016
i t i r a t f s 2 s t
i a t “ a s
Supporters of then-President Donald Trump gathered on all four corners at University Boulevard and Highlands Ranch Parkway PHOTO BY JOHN LEYBA/SPECIAL TO THE COLORADO SUN on Election Night, Nov. 3, 2020, waving flags and playing music.
passage of Proposition 108. For instance, state Rep. Ron Hanks, a Fremont County Republican who has been one of the loudest voices in Colorado when it comes to questioning the 2020 presidential election results, said opting out of the state-run primary is a step toward election integrity. Randy Corporon, a Republican national committeeman and conservative talk radio host, has been advocating on his KNUS show for the primaries to be canceled for the same reason.
There’s no place like hope.
“The Republican Party can take … power away from Jena Griswold and the state by reclaiming their own primary,” he told listeners recently, referring to the Democratic secretary of state, who is Colorado’s top election official. Priscilla Rahn, vice chair of the Colorado GOP, recently said she supports canceling the 2022 primary, calling into question Griswold’s ability to fairly oversee the contest. “Ask yourself this: “Do you trust her to administer an honest election and not interfere against Republicans?” Rahn wrote in an Aug. 21 letter. But Dick Wadhams, a former chair of the Colorado Republican Party, sees major peril for his party if it continues to beat the drum on election fraud and opts out of next year’s primaries. “There is no way a Republican can win in 2022 for statewide office and, frankly, in a bunch of competitive districts around the state,” he said of the scenario. Unaffiliated voters made up 43% of registered voters in Colorado at the end of July, compared to Republicans at 26% and Democrats at 29%. “They keep talking about how these unaffiliated voters are going to defile our process because they are
o W going to be nominating a bunch of 2 moderates and liberals,” Wadhams s said. “I read that kind of stuff, I f listen to it, and I’m thinking: ‘Any a Republican candidate for statewide W office who doesn’t think about the unaffiliated voters during their s primary isn’t serious.’” t Wadhams said it would be disas- a trous for Republicans if questioning the 2020 presidential election results w becomes a litmus test for primary d candidates. Burton Brown, who hasn’t taken T c a public stance on the question of whether to cancel next year’s GOP c primaries, appears to agree, urging s v Republicans to move on from last a year. “The more we talk about the past, t the more we talk about what happened instead of what we are going l c to do in 2022, the more our candie dates are put at a disadvantage,” w she said at the Jefferson County Republican event, “because we are T c focusing on something we cannot c control.” Still, she said, questions about f election integrity are posed “all s around the state.” i The Colorado GOP is encouragSEE REPUBLICANS, P17
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Elbert County News 17
September 16, 2021
REPUBLICANS FROM PAGE 16
ing people who are concerned about the state’s voting processes to “get involved” and “get your eyes in the room” by becoming poll watchers and election judges. But she said there has been no proof of mass fraud in Colorado and that the only sure way for Republicans to lose in 2022 is for the party’s voters not to show up on Election Day because they think their vote won’t count. Election security was not explicitly on the list when Burton Brown and other top Republicans earlier this month rolled out a 10-point “Commitment to Colorado” aimed at attracting unaffiliated voters and serving as the party’s 2022 platform. State Rep. Dave Williams, a Colorado Springs Republican, thinks the GOP shouldn’t shy away from election integrity issues and that it needs to push for policy reforms. “It does no one any good to stay out of the fight or not engage,” said Williams, who favors canceling the 2022 primaries. “We need to be able to secure our elections but also prepare for 2022 with the fundamentals — find and recruit candidates, set them up. We can’t ignore one or the other.” He thinks both can be addressed simultaneously — and he also thinks that unaffiliated voters care about election integrity. Even if there are Republicans who want to move on, 2020 continues to dominate the spotlight. Most recently, that’s because of Tina Peters, the GOP clerk and recorder in Mesa County who is under criminal investigation after election system passwords and a copy of a voting equipment hard drive were allegedly taken from her office and then leaked online. Peters’ case has generated headlines in Colorado for weeks. She has cast doubt on the 2020 presidential election results, allying herself with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Trump supporter who has peddled conspiracy theories about last year’s contest. Seth Masket, who leads the Center for American Politics at the University of Denver, suspects that election integrity questions will persist. “If you make that (stolen election) argument, it’s pretty hard to pivot
away from,” he said. “It’s kind of a difficult place that Republicans have painted themselves into.” Ryan Winger, a pollster with Louisville-based Magellan Strategies, thinks the divided focus among Republicans is “symptomatic of a larger problem.” “Many in the GOP fail to understand unaffiliated voters and consequently fail to grasp why they lose elections,” he said. “Sure, making election integrity a major focus will likely scare off unaffiliated voters who didn’t vote for Trump and who the GOP needs to win over, but in a world where there is no dispute about the 2020 result, unaffiliated voters still aren’t flocking to Republican candidates.” Others, like state Rep. Colin Larson, a Ken Caryl Republican who is eyeing a 2022 congressional bid, doesn’t see election integrity as being the main focus of GOP voters. He’s bullish on his party’s chances next year. “It’s not something I’m inundated with,” he said about election security questions. “The vast majority of people in my district are talking to me about school issues right now. And then after that it’s crime.” Cole, the strategist leading election efforts for Colorado’s legislative Republicans, thinks that even if there is an election integrity focus among the GOP base “it poses a … familiar challenge.” “How to appeal first to the base in the primary election and then to swing voters in the general election?” he said. “This is an issue every cycle on both sides of the aisle. And there are always voices who think Republicans can’t hold the base and the middle together. In 2016, Jeb Bush said: ‘You have to lose the primary to win the general.’ But it turned out he was wrong.” The Colorado GOP’s central committee will decide whether to cancel the party’s 2022 primaries on Sept. 18. Colorado Sun staff writer Daniel Ducassi contributed to this report. This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
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Rally attendees listen to speakers from the lawn of the Colorado state Capitol during a pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6, the same day as the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington . PHOTO BY ERIC LUBBERS/THE COLORADO SUN
‘How to appeal first to the base in the primary election and then to swing voters in the general election? This is an issue every cycle on both sides of the aisle.’ Daniel Cole
18 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
Softball shutout is stuff of Legend Parker-area team wins 8-0 against rival Rock Canyon BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Cameron Ponich, softball pitcher for Legend High School in Parker, has a habit of picking up a little dirt before delivering a pitch. Ponich was not only picking up dirt and wiping it off before each pitch, she was also wiping out batters for Highlands Ranch’s Rock Canyon High School in an 8-0 Continental League shutout victory on Sept. 8 at Legend. “I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s just a habit of mine and a superstition,” Ponich explained of her custom of grabbing a little dirt. The junior right-hander scattered just five hits and struck out 15 batters as the Titans, ranked fourth in the Class 5A CHSAANow. com poll, improved their overall record to 9-3. Ponich kept her rise ball low against the Jaguars of Rock Canyon, which made her curveball and screwball more effective, and the league strikeout leader raised her total to 86 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched. Ponich surrendered two hits and a walk in the third inning as Rock
Canyon loaded the bases but she got the third out of the frame on a ground ball to second base. “Usually I use my rise ball because it’ll make them go under the ball when they swing,” she said. “My favorite pitch is the curveball.” Ponich had two hits and drove in a run in Legend’s nine-hit attack. “I don’t usually hit for my non high school (club) team but I like hitting so I come through a little bit and I get hits sometimes,” said Ponich. “It was really important to win, especially since it was our first league game, and it sets the tone for the rest of the season and the rest of the league games.” Legend’s junior shortstop Kaylynn English went 2-for-3 with a double and triple. She scored twice and raised her team-leading batting average to .614 Emma Harrington also had two hits for the Titans. “I could definitely sense that she was on,” said Legend coach Kristen Shirk when asked about Ponich. “We talked before the game to see how she was feeling and she said she was ready to go. Her stuff was moving, which is always a plus.” Legend won back-to-back state softball titles in 2017 and 2018, SEE SOFTBALL, P20
Legend shortstop Kaylynn English fields a high bouncing grounder during the game against Rock Canyon on Sept. 8. English had two hits in the game, which the Titans PHOTOS BY JIM BENTON won 8-0.
Legend junior pitcher Cameron Ponich allowed five hits and struck out 15 batters in an 8-0 shutout victory over Rock Canyon on Sept. 8.
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Elbert County News 19
September 16, 2021
Denver Art Museum’s Martin Building reopens after $150M project BY MAGGIE DONAHUE DENVERITE
For more than three years, the north side of the Denver Art Museum campus has been closed for renovation. But soon, just in time for what is now known as the Lanny and Sharon Martin Building’s 50th anniversary, visitors will finally get to see inside the eight-floor structure designed by Gio Ponti, as well as the new Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center. The reimagined campus will reopen to the public with a free admission day on Oct. 24. The newly restored Martin Building offers 33,328 square feet of new gallery and public space, educational programming, artist interactions, expanded outdoor spaces, and sweeping views of the city and mountains. It also features the new Jana & Fred Bartlit Learning and Engagement Center, which offers more than 17,600 square feet of programming space, workshop rooms, community galleries and interactive gathering spaces, including activations by artists Frankie Toan and Moe Gram. The 50,000-square-foot Welcome Center, which connects the Martin Building to the museum’s Frederic C. Hamilton Building to the south, will offer ticketing guest services, programming spaces, an art conser-
vation and technical studies laboratory, and two new dining spaces, including the quick-service Café Gio and the Ponti Restaurant, which features a locally sourced menu by James Beard Award-winning Denver chef Jennifer Jasinski “We are looking forward to being open for creativity, joy and wonder – welcoming our community into new, dynamic spaces this fall, to explore art, world cultures and their own creativity,” museum director Christoph Heinrich said in a press release. Press materials also say that as part of the Martin Building’s redesign, its galleries have been updated with a commitment to inclusion. Some of those initiatives include highlighting more contemporary and community artists, as well as including bilingual art labels in both English and Spanish throughout the entire museum campus. Some of the updated or new collection galleries include the Northwest Coast and Alaska Native galleries, Indigenous Arts of North America galleries, Latin American Art and Art of the Ancient Americas galleries, Asian Art galleries, European Art Before 1800, Textile Art and Fashion and Photography galleries, and Western American Art galleries. The first floor of the Martin Building, which once was used pri-
marily as art storage, will operate as the 6,500-square-foot Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Gallery. The space will open with “ReVisión: Art in the Americas,” an exhibition highlighting about 180 works from the DAM’s Latin American and Art of the Ancient Americas collections. The renovations cost $150 million to build. Denver Art Museum Board Chairman Lanny Martin and his wife Sharon Martin, for whom the Martin Building is named, contributed the first $25 million. Voterapproved Elevate Denver Bonds covered an additional $35.5 million, and the museum helped cover the rest by matching public investment dollars at a three-to-one ratio. The renovated campus will reopen to the public Oct. 24 with an opening day celebration from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. While it’s free to attend, guests must reserve tickets, which will be available starting Sept. 17. And if you’re a member and you want to check out the campus early, you can attend a Member Preview on Oct. 21, 22 or 23. You can find more information on museum admission online at denverartmuseum.org. This story is from Denverite, a nonprofit Denver news source affiliated with CPR News. Used by permission. For more, and to support Denverite, visit denverite.com.
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20 Elbert County News
September 16, 2021
C R O S S W O R D SOFTBALL P U Z Z L E FROM PAGE 18
which is a reminder for this year’s team. “I told the girls the other day, this is a brand new (Continental League) season,” said Shirk. “We want to win (championship) banners. We want to fill the gym with banners. Conference is the first step. We use our non-conference to figure out things and we are really young this year. We only have two seniors. “We have done quite well in our non-conference. I hope we continue to grow. At times we see our youth but then we see some brilliant things that can happen.” Rock Canyon is also a young team. The two-time defending league champions who were the top-seeded team in last season’s state tournament saw its record dip to 6-6. “We’ve come from a position of significant experience and ability to significant inexperience and a lot of potential,” said coach Michael DeSimone. “We have moments when we can see that brilliance and unfortunately some times when we are learning.” Senior Kristen Remley had two of Rock Canyon’s hits while Savannah Avery, Sydney Boulaphinh and Sloane Sprague had the other three hits for the Jaguars, who went 60-11 over the past three seasons.
Legend junior pitcher Cameron Ponich throws a pitch Sept. 8. The Titans scored an 8-0 shutout victory over Rock PHOTO BY JIM BENTON Canyon.
“We’ve built a legacy,” said DeSimone, who had just four seniors suited up for the Legend game. “We worked hard for many years to build this up and we can’t lower the standards because we’re not ready for the moment. We’ll continue to build and get better. We’re such a tale of two teams. They are great kids and they know what they have to do.”
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September 16, 2021
Elbert County News 21
Classifieds Real Estate Business for Sale/Franchise Dairy Queen Grill & Chill Business For Sale Greenwood Village off I-25 Location Annual Sales $600,000 Plus Owner’s benefit $170,000 Plus Full Menu , 1900 Sq Ft 42 Inside 20 Patio Seating Raja 321-689-6568
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Miscellaneous Best satellite TV with 2 year price guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 844-842-4469 2 belt buckets. U shaped turquoise (stone) and silver (color) $85. Black Hills gold belt bucket $150. 4 sets of Cross Pen and Pencil. $25 per set or $100 for all plus 3 extra pens and pencils plus refills. Call 720-532-5257 Imogen G3, 16 cell, 2019. Imogen G5, 16 cell, 2019. New $400 each. Asking $100 each. _ Conference Folding Table, 18”x72”. $45 Call 720-344-4705 Long distance moving: Call for a free quote from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving! Speak to a relocation specialist 888-721-2194
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22 Elbert County News
Classifieds
September 16, 2021
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Elbert County News 23
September 16, 2021
Garden is hub for charity, plant enthusiasts Members of Lone Tree group run composting, food bank BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Phil Rahrig bustled from zucchini patches to green bean plants to sprawling cantaloupe, a watering hose in tow. He once worked as the CEO of an international trade association. Now retired, he spends much of his time at the Lone Tree Community Garden, tending to the same plot he’s had for three years. Rahrig amends the soil, so he likes to stay in the same spot. “I’m trying cantaloupe for the first time this year,” he said. The Lone Tree resident doesn’t just garden, but also serves on the garden’s board, which helps govern the 52 available plots located next to Lone Tree Elementary. The garden, a Denver Urban Gardens affiliate located at 9375 Heritage Hills Circle, draws people for various reasons. A sustainability-minded hobby. A respite from work. Making
dinner with ingredients harvested that afternoon. What they all share is a love of gardening, members said. The garden is also a hub for charity. Members are required to spend two hours each month helping maintain the grounds. But on their own accord, gardeners rally each week to fill coolers with produce and donate it to the Covenant Cupboard Food Pantry. Elizabeth Chandy organizes the food pantry effort. “I am constantly looking for ways to reduce my carbon footprint,” she said by email. “Finding sustainable food options is big on my list, so apart from joining a local (community supported agriculture program), I started growing vegetables in my backyard and composting vegetable waste.” She joined the sunny Lone Tree Community Garden because her backyard did not have sufficient light for good crops. After two years as a member, her garden plot began to flourish and produced more food than she could personally use. Chandy realized other members had the same issue, and so she started gathering items for the food bank. She called her first drop-off
“an amazing feeling.” The garden is sometimes a recipient of charity too. Store manager at The Home Depot Brian Blecha was dropping his son off at Lone Tree Elementary when he noticed the garden’s fence looked worn. A few calls later, he and store employees were spending two days in July cleaning up the site with a grant through The Home Depot’s foundation. “Home Depot takes pride in our community, we are always trying to be part of the community,” he said. Crews stained the fence and built taller borders around each plot to stop soil that was spilling out. They donated tools to the tool shed for gardeners’ use. The store gave more than $7,000 worth of supplies and manpower to the garden, Rahrig said. “This fall we’re actually going back again because we couldn’t do all of it with the plants already growing,” Blecha said. It felt good to be back in the community after the pandemic stalled much of the store’s volunteer work, Blecha said. He also met more residents and was surprised to learn how many people garden at the site. Sharron Prusse has been garden-
ing there four years. She proudly points out the memorial plot for a fallen veteran, the community plot, and one planted by students at the elementary school. “Everybody in this garden has a different style,” she said. Some people plant an all-vegetable garden. Some only plant flowers. Others plant both. The garden is organic and people plant marigolds to help repel insects, Prusse said. In Prusse’s plot grow white pumpkins, cucumbers, dahlias, onions, beets and spinach. “I tried potatoes this year just for the heck of it,” she said. Mostly, Prusse likes the socializing. She learns from other gardeners about new cultures and recipes she can try with the foods she plants. The garden is full this year. More people usually have interest in a plot than what’s available, Rahrig said, although different gardeners get memberships each year as people come and go. He expects there will be seven to 10 plots available in April that will get filled up with new gardeners. “When you pick tomatoes and zucchini in the afternoon and you have it for dinner, it’s hard to beat,” he said.
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Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals City and County Public Notice Notice of Board Vacancy and Invitation to Submit Letter of Interest for Appointment Elizabeth School District Board of Education August 23, 2021 The Board of Education of the Elizabeth School District is accepting Letters of Interest from persons interested in serving on the Board of Education from the date of appointment in October 2021 until the next regular biennial school election in November 2023. The Board will appoint an eligible candidate after receiving Letters of Interest and interviewing candidates in public. To be eligible for appointment, each candidate must be a registered elector of the school district for at least twelve consecutive months prior to the date of appointment. Any person who meets the qualifications and who desires to be considered for the appointment is invited to submit a written Letter of Interest with the executive assistant of the Board of Education by 4 pm on September 24, 2021, at the district office located at 634 S. Elbert St., Elizabeth, CO 80107. The Board will interview prospective candidates in public on Monday, October 4, 2021, in a Special Meeting starting at 6 p.m. The signed Letter of Interest should include: • Full Name of the Candidate • Contact Information • Physical Address of the Candidate • Affirmation of At Least 12 Months of Residency in the District • A Current Resume • Answers to the Following Questions (maximum of 400 words for each answer) 1.Why do you want a position on the Elizabeth school board? 2.What is your view about the future of the school district? 3.What are the most important characteristics of a school board member and how will you demonstrate them? For further information, contact Kristen Harris, Executive Assistant to the Board of Education, at kharris@esdk12.org or 303-646-1836.
Legal Notice No. 24690 First Publication: September 9, 2021 Last Publication: September 16, 2021 Publisher: Elbert County News Public Notice The Kiowa Creek Community Church, 231 Cheyenne Street, Kiowa CO., hereby notifies all concerned parties that as of April 30, 2021, that it is no longer a member church of or affiliated with The Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) or its affiliate Denver Presbytery. Kiowa Creek Community church is now an independent non-denominational Christian Church as of the above stated date. Legal Notice No. 24688 First Publication: September 2, 2021 Last Publication: September 16, 2021 Publisher: Elbert County News
legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com
ment) taxes assessed against said mineral rights for the year 2017; That said mineral rights was taxed or specially assessed in the name(s) of TIMOTHY E. SCHMITT for said year 2017; That on the 6th day of July 2021, said assigned said certificate of purchase to The Julie A. Hudson Living Trust dated July 8, 2020; That said The Julie A. Hudson Living Trust dated July 8, 2020 on the 2nd day of August 2021, the present holder of said certificate (who) has made request upon the Treasurer of said County for a deed to said mineral rights; That a Treasurer's Deed will be issued for said mineral rights to The Julie A. Hudson Living Trust dated July 8, 2020 on the 30th day of November 2021, unless the same has been redeemed;
Misc. Private Legals
Said mineral rights may be redeemed from said sale at any time prior to the actual execution of said Treasurer's Deed.
Public Notice
This Notice of Purchase has also been published in Colorado Community Media on September 9, 2021, September 16, 2021 and September 23, 2021.
NOTICE OF PURCHASE OF MINERAL RIGHTS AT TAX LIEN SALE AND OF APPLICATION FOR ISSUANCE OF TREASURER'S DEED To Every Person in Actual Possession or Occupancy of the hereinafter Described Land, Lot or Premises, and to the Person in Whose Name the same was Taxed or Specially Assessed, and to all Persons having Interest of Title of Record in or to the said Premises and To Whom It May Concern, and more especially to: TIMOTHY E. SCHMITT PO Box 5006 Carefree, AZ 85377 You and each of you are hereby notified that on the 27th day of November 2018, the then County Treasurer of Elbert County, in the State of Colorado, sold at public tax lien sale to the following described mineral rights situate in the County of Elbert, State of Colorado, to-wit: Subdivision: SEVERED MINERALS, Subdivision: SWEETWATER FARMS MINOR SUBDIVISION Lot: 2 Certificate Number: 2018-02624 and said County Treasurer issued a certificate of purchase therefore to . That said tax lien sale was made to satisfy the delinquent mineral rights (and special assess-
Witness my hand this 31st day of August 2021 /s/ Lisa Mackiewicz, Assistant Treasurer of Elbert County, Colorado Legal Notice No. 24693 First Publication: September 9, 2021 Last Publication: September 23, 2021 Publisher: Elbert County News
Water Court Public Notice DISTRICT COURT, WATER DIVISION 1, COLORADO AUGUST 2021 WATER RESUME PUBLICATION TO: ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN WATER APPLICATIONS IN WATER DIV. 1 Pursuant to C.R.S. 37-92-302, you are notified that the following is a resume of all water right applications and certain amendments filed in the Office of the Water Clerk during the month of AUGUST 2021 for each County affected.
21CW3165 44 DELBERT, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company, 10860 Democrat Road, Parker, CO, 80134. James J. Petrock and Eric K. Trout, Hayes Poznanovic Korver LLC, 1999 Broadway, Suite 3200, Denver, CO, 80202 APPLICATION FOR PLAN FOR AUGMENTATION IN THE NOT-NONTRIBUTARY UPPER DAWSON AQUIFER IN ELBERT COUNTY. Subject Property: 161.0627 acres located in the SW1/4, Section 22, Township 6 South, Range 65 West of the 6th P.M., Elbert County, State of Colorado, as shown on Exhibit A (“Subject Property”). Applicant is the sole owner of the Subject Property. Prior Decree: Case No. 2005CW80, decreed on July 6, 2007, quantified the groundwater underlying the Subject Property. Applicant is the owner of the following amounts of groundwater as decreed in Case No. 2005CW80: Aquifer Annual Amount (acre-feet) Upper Dawson (NNT) 35.3 Lower Dawson (NT) 27.4 Denver (NT) 104.1 Arapahoe (NT) 64.4 Laramie-Fox Hills (NT) 53.2 Additionally, an augmentation plan was approved in Case No. 17CW3183, and amended in Case No. 18CW3198, for use of 5.25 acre-feet per year of not-nontributary Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater in up to seven (7) individual wells on the Subject Property. By this Application, Applicant is requesting use in an additional eight (8) individual wells on the Subject Property. Well Permits: There is one existing Upper Dawson Aquifer domestic well on the Subject Property under Well Permit Number 82156-F. This well is permitted pursuant to the plan for augmentation decreed in Case No. 17CW3183 and will continue to operate under its existing permit. Additional well permits will be applied for prior to construction of additional wells. Jurisdiction: The Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this application pursuant to C.R.S. §§ 37-90-137(6), 37-92-203(1), 37-92-302(2). Summary of Proposed Plan for Augmentation: Groundwater to be Augmented: 6 acre-feet per year for of Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater. The Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater will be used in up to eight (8) individual wells on the Subject Property. Each well with withdraw 0.75 acre-feet per year, as follows: 0.4 acre-feet per year for in-house use, 0.3 acre-feet per year for up to 6,000 square-feet of irrigation, and 0.05 acre-feet per year for watering of up to 4 large domestic animals. Water Rights to be Used for Augmentation: Return flows from the use of not nontributary and nontributary groundwater and direct discharge of nontributary groundwater. Statement of Plan for Augmentation: The Upper Dawson Aquifer groundwater will be used for domestic purposes, including in-house
use, irrigation, stockwatering, and fire protection. Applicant reserves the right to amend the amount and uses without amending the application or republishing the same. Sewage treatment for in-house use will be provided by non-evaporative septic systems. Return flow from in-house use will be approximately 90% of that use, and return flow from irrigation use will be approximately 15% of that use. During pumping Applicant will replace actual depletions pursuant to C.R.S. § 37-90-137(9)(c.5). Depletions occur to the Cherry Creek stream system and return flows accrue to that creek system and are sufficient to replace actual depletions while the subject groundwater is being pumped. Applicant will reserve an equal amount of nontributary groundwater underlying the Subject Property to meet post pumping augmentation requirements. Applicant requests the Court approve the above requested augmentation plan, find that Applicant have complied with C.R.S. § 37-90-137(4) and water is legally available for withdrawal, find there will be no material injury to the owners of or persons entitled to use water under any vested water right or decreed conditional water right, and grant such other and further relief as is appropriate. 3 Pages. WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED OR HERETOFORE ADJUDICATED THE WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED BY THESE APPLICATIONS MAY AFFECT IN PRIORITY ANY WITHIN THIS DIVISION AND OWNERS OF AFFECTED RIGHTS MUST APPEAR TO OBJECT WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY STATUTE OR BE FOREVER BARRED. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that any party who wishes to oppose an application, or an amended application, may file with the Water Clerk, P. O. Box 2038, Greeley, CO 80632, a verified Statement of Opposition, setting forth facts as to why the application should not be granted, or why it should be granted only in part or on certain conditions. Such Statement of Opposition must be filed by the last day of OCTOBER 2021 (forms available on www.courts.state.co.us or in the Clerk’s office) and must be filed as an Original and include $192.00 filing fee. A copy of each Statement of Opposition must also be served upon the Applicant or Applicant’s Attorney and an affidavit or certificate of such service of mailing shall be filed with the Water Clerk. Legal Notice No. 24700 First Publication: September 16, 2021 Last Publication: September 16, 2021 Publisher: Elbert County News
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Elbert County Legals 9.16.21 * 1
24 Elbert County News
FREE ADMISSION!! Holiday Craft Show & Mini-Market
September 16, 2021
Third Annual
Saturday Dec. 11 8am - 4pm
Sunday Dec. 12
8am - 2pm
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Douglas County Fairgrounds 500 Fairgrounds Dv. Castle Rock, CO.
Come shop for unique gifts and special items during the annual Colorado Community Media Holiday Craft Show and MiniMarket; With more than 100 exhibitors filling the Douglas County Fairgrounds, this is the best place to find that special, personal gift for friends and family. The show will feature handmade crafts in all areas from metal and leather, to flowers, baskets, ceramics, and so much more.
Vendor applications being accepted now. Apply Today Contact Event Producer Thelma Grimes at tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com All applications must be approved to participate