Hundreds of cars, trucks, tractors and motorcycles — old, new and everything in between — crammed into Elizabeth High School parking lot on Sept. 17.
A huge crowd of attendees came to the school to celebrate the beauty of automotive tradition and innovation for the first Elizabeth High School Car Show, planned to be an annual event going forward.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has made its way to Elbert County with the help of the Elbert County Early Childhood Council. In cooperation with the State of Colorado, the council will help provide free books to kids ages birth through 5 in most of Elbert County.
Parton’s program, which launched in 1995, gifts one book per month to children birth through 5 years old regardless of economic status. So far, nearly 190 million books have been gifted to the more than 2 million kids registered for the program.
Last November, Gov. Jared Polis released a video announcing the Colorado expansion of Parton’s Imagination Library.
“We know the most important factor in a child’s success is early introduction to books and we’re proud to start connecting more children to books with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” the governor said.
The Elbert County Early Childhood Council has worked diligently over the past several months to bring Parton’s vision to locals. Integrating the Imagination Library helps the Council to fulfill their mission of creating a community of well-rounded, happy, healthy, educated children and families.
SEE LIBRARY, A modified vintage White Super Power fuel truck was shown Sept. 17 at the Elizabeth High School car show. PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON Matthew Sauter, president of Elizabeth High School’s Skills USA Club, works at the car show that was hosted by the club for the benefit of the school’s automotive program.
Women age 18 and older who can demonstrate that a direct ancestor helped America achieve independence are eligible for membership in the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. The Colorado State Society of the NSDAR is explor-
in membership. The meeting will be held at the Elizabeth Library, 651 Beverly St. in Elizabeth.
Volunteer genealogists will be on hand to assist with family lineage research and help with the application process.
For more information about the Elizabeth event, contact the state organizing secretary, Carrie Klein, at stateorgsec@ coloradodar.org.
Health Fairs by 365 Health, formerly known as 9Health Fair, will offer free and affordable health screenings and resources in Kiowa from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 8.
The event will be held at the Elbert County Fairgrounds Exhibit Building, 95 Ute Ave. Services at the 365 Health events vary from site to site. For more information about Health Fairs by 365 Health; a complete list of health fair locations, dates, times and available screenings offered at each site; and to sign up, visit 365health. org/healthfair-locations.
Medical professionals will be onsite to offer advice and assistance and help participants to decide which screenings are right for them.
For those unable to attend a health fair, 365 Health and Quest Diagnostics have partnered to offer the same affordable health screenings at Quest Diagnostics Lab Patient Centers (PSC) located across Colorado. No doctor’s visit or insurance is needed.
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, health fair volunteers will be required to wear masks, and participants
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are encouraged to do so as well. While walk-up screenings will be accepted, appointments are recommended.
Each year, 365 Health relies on the dedicated support of volunteers to offer free and affordable health screenings and help improve health awareness. Those interested in volunteering for a community health fair are encouraged to visit 365health. org/volunteer-1.
“The legacy and deep connection to the community first established by 9Health Fair more than 40 years ago has today grown to include services, tools and resources that help Coloradans stay healthy 365 days a year, and the name 365 Health better represents our organization and its expanded slate of offerings,” said Gary Drews, CEO of 365 Health. “Nevertheless, community health fairs remain an instrumental part of our mission to positively impact the health of Coloradans, and we’re pleased to once again host fairs across Colorado this fall.”
The Colorado Sun is a journalistowned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself.
In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.
The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism. It covers everything
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Heidi Ganahl,
founder of the nation’s largest pet care franchise, Camp Bow Wow, is running against Jared Polis next month to be Governor of Colorado. Heidi is a mom of four beautiful young children and a mom on a mission to restore common sense in Colorado. As a CU Regent for the past six years, Heidi has been a champion for students, free speech, school safety, and affordability.
Under Jared Polis, Colorado’s crime and drug use epidemic has risen to Under Colorado’s use epidemic unprecedented levels. Colorado has the second highest drug addiction rate and the sixth highest suicide rate amongst kids in the country; 60% of Colorado children cannot read, write, or do math at grade level. “Our kids are in a crisis!” is often heard at large rallies around the state, in support of Heidi Ganahl for Governor.
Colorado’s schools are in rapid decline, with the most affected being schools are rapid those in the major Colorado metro areas (Jefferson County, Denver County, Arapahoe County, El Paso County, etc). Including parents in what happens in the classroom and school-choice is a top priority for Ganahl. Teachers and other public servants have been hamstrung by spending on high-level administrators.
When Heidi defeats Jared Polis on November 8th, she will become the Heidi 8th, first mom to occupy the highest office in the state!
To learn more about Heidi Ganahl and her candidacy for Governor, visit www.heidiforgov.com.
The school’s Skills USA Club hosted the event to benefit the school’s automotive program, bringing in 250 vehicles from across Elbert County, El Paso County and the greater Denver area.
The event raised $3,308 through various raffles, auctions and personal donations. Several companies and members throughout the Elizabeth community provided tools, gift certificates and merchandise for the raffles and auctions. The money raised from the event will go toward purchasing new tools and equipment for the school’s automotive program, which launched at the beginning of the current school year.
“We come to car shows to pass the Saturdays,” said Steve Goeglein of Black Forest, showing a 1965 REO Semi. “I was an auto shop student when I was in school, so we wanted to come out and show or support.”
In addition to the plethora of vehicles, the show also hosted several vendors and booths including collision repair companies, Kubota, food trucks and representatives from college programs.
“The car show was a huge success, and I couldn’t be more proud of the students that ran it,” said Derek Spohn, director of the Elizabeth High School automotive program. “The overwhelming
SEE
Three o cers of the Elizabeth High School Skills USA Club, from left: Linus Krause, Matthew Sauter and Liliana Oursbourn.
Vehicles lined up at the Elizabeth High School parking lot on Sept. 17 for the Skills USA Club car show that benefited the school’s new automotive program.
PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
Two vintage Fords were among the 250 vehicles on display at the Elizabeth High School car show on Sept. 17.
support did not go unnoticed.”
Spohn is an experienced teacher and expert in automotive mechanics. He worked as an automotive teacher at Ponderosa High School in Parker before being asked to start a new program in Elizabeth.
“This is my dream, to create something first year and see it through. I am over the moon,” said Spohn. “The more programs like this, the better it is for students. Not every student is going to go to college, and technical programs can give students other opportunities.”
There is a lot of student interest in the auto class at Elizabeth High School. The program now has 144 students taking classes, with the total school population just under 1,000 thousand. Though the program is new, there are several active students that worked together to organize and host the successful car show.
“This is a completely student-run thing. Every plan, every motion,” said senior Matthew Sauter, president of the Elizabeth High School Skills USA Club. “The program is great, and we want to help make it even better.”
Automotive students are required to complete industryrecognized safety training. Spohn hopes to have the
program accredited through the ASE Education Foundation within the next two years. Once the program is fully established, students who complete the required courses and training can leave Elizabeth High School as certified automotive mechanics, preparing them for the workforce.
“I’m going to be signing a contract with Ford after I graduate,” said Sauter. “Mr. Spohn got a contractor from Ford to come in and teach us the basics. As long as I’m able to get my training done this year, I’ve got a job right after graduation.”
Spohn hopes to evolve the program in a few years to offer night classes for faculty, parents and interested community members. Spohn argues that automotive maintenance is a “lost art” and hopes to spread knowledge to as many people as possible.
The Skills USA Club is planning to hold another car show next fall at the start of the 2023 school year. According to Spohn, the club may also hold a second car show this year in the spring.
The Elizabeth High School automotive class is currently taking donations of tools and equipment to help jump-start the program. Financial donations are also welcome. Due to space limitations, the program is not taking automobile donations at this time. To make a donation, please contact Derek Spohn at dspohn@esdk12.org.
Practice equipment used in the automotive class, which is in its first year at Elizabeth High School.
A vintage converted Volkswagen bus was among the 250 vehicles at the Elizabeth High School car show.
A vintage fire truck is driven through the Elizabeth High School parking lot on Sept. 17 as part of a car show that brought out 250 vehicles on a sunny Saturday. PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
The council is made up of members from the community, including principals, preschool directors, nurses, early childhood mental health specialists, specialists working with children and families with disabilities or in need of additional support, and others dedicated to helping the youngest members of the Elbert County community.
“We’re really thrilled to be able to offer the Imagination Library program. It’s something we’ve been working on for a while,” said Llan Barkley, Director for the Elbert County Early Childhood Council. “It’s a low cost way for parents to introduce the love of reading to their kids.”
Many parents in Elbert County are excited that the program is now avail-
able to residents. In an Elbert County
excitement for the potential new program.
“I’d love to sign up for something like this!” said Aly Thompson of Spring Valley Ranch. “Books are really important, and this seems like a great way to get more books in the house and a way to connect and help teach our kiddos. I also think the program would benefit Elbert County, helping kids learn about different cultures and ideas.”
Now a mother of 9-month-old twins, Thompson is thrilled for the news that Parton’s Imagination Library program is available to her children.
“We love to read. We read to our kids every night,” said Thompson. “At nine months they are very interested in holding and looking at books. This will give us the opportunity to
give them a variety of books. I’m going to the website right now to sign up.”
As of Sept. 20, there were 113 children registered within Elbert County. There are 31,668 registered in the State of Colorado. The Colorado division of the Imagination Library is funded in part by the Colorado Department of Education and the Department of Early Childhood.
Beyond the first year, continuation of the program is contingent upon funding raised through the Elbert County Early Childhood Council. The organization will be responsible for mailing costs for each book, approximately $2.10 per book.
“After the first year we have to fund the program ourselves,” said Barkley. “Our council is very small, so we’ll be asking local businesses for support to help raise money.”
Currently the Imagination Library online signup does not recognize
Elbert County residents who reside in the 80138 zip code — a Parker zip code that stretches into the northwestern corner of Elbert County. Any Elbert County resident who wants to sign up their child but resides in the 80138 area can email elbertearly@gmail.com to register manually.
To sign up for the program online, visit imaginationlibrary.com/ check-availability.
For information on Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, visit imaginationlibrary.com.
Donations to the Elbert County Early Childhood Council can be made through ececc.org or by checks made payable to the Elbert County Early Childhood Council and mailed to P.O. Box 2262, Elizabeth, CO 80107.
To learn more about the Colorado division of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, visit imaginationlibrarycolorado.org.
FROM Twins Lily and Oliver Thompson are 9 months old and love books. Their mom, Elbert County resident Aly Thompson, was signing up for the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, which is operating with the help of the Elbert County Early Childhood Council. Nine-month-old twins Lily and Oliver Thompson play with their books. Book-loving 9-month-old twins Lily and Oliver Thompson spend time with their father, Marc Thompson. PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON
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When Maria Judith Alvarez’ son was in elementary school, he once returned home from school with his lunch number written on his wrist. It was the school’s way of letting Alvarez know that her son owed lunch money.
“They weren’t going to give him any more food until I went to pay off the debt,” Alvarez told Rocky Mountain PBS in Spanish.
At the time, the family only had one car and one cell phone that Alvarez’ husband used most of the time for his job.
“Maybe they tried to get in touch with us with a phone call or a voicemail,” she said, “but with my husband working — you know how some men are — they don’t always answer the phone.”
Alvarez went to the school the following day to pay off the debt and put more money in her son’s account. “I wanted him to feel confident next time he stood in line for a school lunch,” she said.
Eight years have passed since that happened, but Alvarez said her son still doesn’t like to eat school lunch. “He waits until he comes home to eat,” Alvarez explained.
Her story and the stories she hears from many other moms in the Glenwood Springs are what motivated her to advocate for Healthy School Meals for All, a program that voters will decide on in the upcoming November election.
If voters approve Proposition FF, the state will create the Healthy School Meals for All Program, which will provide free school meals to students in public schools; provide grants for participating schools to purchase Colorado grown, raised or processed products; increase wages or provide stipends for employees who prepare and serve school meals; and create parent and student advisory committees to provide advice to ensure school meals are healthy and appealing to all students.
A “no” vote on Proposition FF means the current method of funding school meals will continue, where a family of four needs to be making less than $51,000 a year to qualify for free school lunch.
The program will be funded by limiting state income tax deductions
for households that bring in more than $300,000 a year.
Ashley Wheeland, director of public policy for Hunger Free Colorado, is an advocate of this ballot measure. “We know that when kids have food, they learn, they do better, [have] less behavioral issues and it decreases childhood hunger when school meals are available to any kid who needs it in school,” she said.
As part of COVID-19 relief, the federal government covered the costs of school lunch meals for all students over the last two years. However, that funding expired ahead of the 2022-23 school year and all school districts in Colorado — except for Greeley-Evans County School District 6 — returned to charging students for school lunch, except those who qualified for free or reduced lunch.
This ballot measure would continue that relief families felt for school lunches throughout the state. If passed, it will only impact the schools that sign up for the program.
“If I’m being honest with you, families need to make the hard decision of paying for rent or food,” Alvarez said. “I have four jobs to be able to provide for my children. We all think about the basic necessities: where to sleep, a roof over their heads, what to wear, what to eat. But one of these necessities is always affected to be able to provide fully for them.”
This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.
How to vote and more
BY SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUNColorado Election Day is Nov. 8 with a U.S. Senate seat, eight congressional contests, races for four statewide offices, 100 state legislative jobs, 11 ballot initiatives and more at stake at the county and local levels.
As part of our 2022 election guide, we’re here to answer some questions about voting and how the election works. Let us know what other questions you have by filling out the form at the bottom of this article and we’ll do our best to answer them.
Colorado has automatic voter registration if you get a driver’s license or interact in some other way with state government. But you may also register online with a valid driver’s license, Colorado identification card or Social Security number.
No. Coloradans may register in person or online to vote through Election Day. To receive a ballot in the mail, you must be registered by Oct. 31, and you will have to return it to a drop box or vote center.
How do I check whether I’m registered?
Check your voter registration by entering your name, ZIP code and date of birth. You may also change your address online. But if your name changed, you’ll have to fill out a paper form. If your registration says it’s “inactive,” that’s because you’ve missed voting more than once or your ballot was returned as undeliverable. You may re-register online or by submitting a paper request.
Oct. 17 is the first day that ballots will go out in the mail to registered voters and must all be mailed by Oct. 21. If you want to receive a ballot in the mail, you must register by Oct. 31. If your ballot doesn’t arrive, contact your county clerk.
What if I don’t receive a ballot in the mail?
Contact your county clerk’s office and they will be able to help you.
Once you’ve filled out your ballot, sealed it in the return envelope and signed and dated the envelope, put it in the mail or take it to one of 400 drop boxes or 350 voting centers. (Most voters drop their ballots off.) Your ballot must be received by 7 p.m. Nov. 8. The Colorado Secretary
of State’s Office says ballots should be deliver in person, not mailed, after Nov. 1.
You may sign up to use BallotTrax, and you’ll receive an email, text or both when your ballot is accepted.
What if I want to vote in person?
More than 350 voting centers will open Oct. 24 at the latest (some counties may open earlier). Contact your county clerk for nearby locations and hours where you may vote in person. Polls are open Saturday, Nov. 5; Monday, Nov. 7; and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8.
Do I need identification to vote?
If you vote in person or are voting by mail for the first time, you must present identification such as a driver’s license, U.S. passport or other identification on this list.
Where can I find more information?
To register online, check your current registration and get key election information, GoVoteColorado. gov is the place to start. It includes a variety of election information.
Where can I get more information about the state questions on the ballot?
Every election, the Ballot Information Booklet (known as the Blue Book) is produced by the state. It provides voters with impartial analysis of each initiated or referred constitutional amendment, law or question on the ballot. It includes a summary of the measure, arguments for and against, and a brief fiscal assessment.
Download a copy at bit. ly/2xjpqAd.
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.
Summer may be over, but annual summer roadwork continues in Douglas County. Well-maintained roads are safer and last longer. Doing this work safely takes us all. Please slow down and drop the distraction. For information road projects in your area visit DouglasRoadwork.com
Renew your driver license or motor vehicle registration and more from the convenience of your smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop. You can also renew vehicle registrations at MVExpress kiosks. Find information at DouglasDrives.com
Reach out to your Douglas County Master Gardenersthey are ready and waiting to help seven days a week. Send your questions to dcmgardenr@gmail.com or learn more by visiting douglas.extension.colostate. edu/horticulture/master-gardener/
Visit DouglasVotes.com to: Register to vote
Update your voter registration
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. 17.
Learn more at DouglasVotes.com or 303-660-7444.
Be among the first to receive news as it happens. Sign up by visiting douglas.co.us and searching for subscribe now. Select your specific news focus and delivery preferences. You can unsubscribe at any time. Don’t wait, sign up now!
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The term and the technique of xeriscaping was invented by Denver Water for the high desert, but it’s often been a hard aesthetic sell among consumers. Some thought of it as “zeroscaping” — as in zero appeal — and weren’t impressed with how much landscaping water the desert-style designs could save in their home yards.
But urban and suburban dwellers on the Front Range are starting to realize the days of unlimited expanses of unquenchable, green lawns are over. They suck down way too much Colorado River water, and they’re getting outlawed in some big cities, such as Aurora.
So, is an “oasis” home landscape the Goldilocks solution, just right for both water use and city climate comfort?
A new study from the Desert Research Institute and scientists at two Western universities seems to think so. The researchers compared both water use and air temperatures at three different levels of landscape: mesic, or traditional turf surrounding thirsty trees; what they call xeric, a dry landscape featuring drip-fed desert plants surrounded by dry rock or mulch; and a middle ground, oasis, where shade trees or shrubs and small turf islands break up a drier, resource-friendly landscape.
Play areas and structures give a nod to a more natural landscape inside the High Prairie Park.
The study of different scenes around Phoenix
be a winning compromise for arid urban climates like those in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Southern California. The oasis uses far less water than turf lawns, and still keeps ambient temperatures within the comfort range produced by the shadier, greener turf.
Air temperatures in the xeriscape plots averaged 5.4 degrees higher than the oasis or mesic, tree-turf style, according to the study, published in the journal Hydrology.
Researcher Rubab Saher of DRI’s Department of Hydrologic Sciences says this “best-of-both-worlds” effect is key to persuading the public, developers and city planners to go with the oasis style: They need to be confident that a water-friendly design won’t worsen urban “heat islands” that can make less thoughtful sections of metro Denver, Las Vegas or Phoenix a daytime hellscape.
Plus, the oasis designs are just more pleasant in the eyes of many residents.
“Removing turf grass from the landscape is an excellent approach for saving water, but if we remove all the turf grass, the temperature will go up,” Saher said.
grass removed, we also need to plant native and/or rainfed trees to make arid cities livable in the long run.”
Water analysts praised the report, and mentioned both the number of metro areas cutting back on turf and the plethora of places in Colorado that are demonstrating the oasis techniques on the ground.
“There’s just more and more momentum even in the last year,” said Lindsay Rogers, water analyst with the nonprofit Western Resource Advocates. “I’m glad these institutions are trying to get a better understanding of the landscape materials that could reduce or exacerbate urban heat island effect, because this is a critical issue when we talk about water-wise landscaping best practices, and it comes up a lot.”
Rogers would like to see the same scientific study of Colorado city environments to measure whether on-theground practices produce lower temperatures than similar designs in Arizona or Nevada.
Colorado landscapers tend to use more wood-based mulch than rock to replace large grass areas, and she wonders if those different
Colorado developers and water researchers are demonstrating various levels of the oasis style up and down the Front Range in an encouraging display of drought and climate adaptation, Rogers said.
The Painted Prairie housing development in Aurora is building water savings into its public parks and homebuilding sites. Northern Water, which supplies dozens of north Front Range communities, has an array of demonstration gardens at its Berthoud headquarters. Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University and others are also experimenting with plant and material mixes that can save water while cooling the landscape, she said.
Meanwhile, the cities discouraging traditional, curbto-curb turf are also trying to encourage alternatives to the southwest desert-style landscaping that gave xeriscaping a bad rep.
“We’re seeing many of our cities include parameters in their turf replacement programs that recognize the benefits of living plant materials, from reducing temperatures to creating
more pollinator habitat and providing shade,” Rogers said. That may include a minimum percentage of live plant materials or a minimum number of trees.
“They’re really trying to balance the need to reduce landscape water use with all of those other essential benefits that our landscapes need to provide for us,” she said.
The Desert Research Institute study, with co-authors from Arizona State University and University of Nevada Las Vegas, also looked at landscape impact on nighttime temperatures, and even whether placement of buildings or houses causes its own climate effect.
The middle-ground oasis style, while cooler in the daytime, did not show cooler temperatures than xeriscaping overnight, Saher said. The oasis design does not cool as fast at night as a more traditional green turf lawn. They can’t fully explain why that would be true.
And it appears that building placement can create cooling effects similar to turf lawns through strategic orientation of the shade the structures produce.
Saher says her next project will involve comparing the official watering recommendations from the increasingly stingy Southern Nevada Water Authority to how residents are actually watering their lawns.
“To see how far off or how close we are,” she said.
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.
The backyard of Christopher Stimpson, who chose to keep a small portion of grass during his xeriscaping e orts.
PHOTO BY LUKE ZARZECKI
Art: Hands-On Introduction to DSLR Photography (16+yrs)
@ 12am
Oct 6th - Nov 2nd
PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker
Evergreen Chamber Orchestra - Season Opener Concert (Denver)
Ballet Ariel presents 'Carnaval' and 'Sleeping Beauty's Dream'
@ 6pm / $20-$30
PACE Center Drive, PACE Center Drive PACE Center Drive, Parker. balletariel@comcast.net, 303-9454388
Trouble Bound: The Alley
Presents: A Night of Trouble
@ 6:30pm
The Alley, 2420 W Main St, Little‐ton
@ 2pm / $25
First Universalist Church of Den‐ver, 4101 East Hampden Avenue, Denver. board@evergreencham berorch.org, 303-670-6558
Adam’s Camp Reunion at the Ranch
@ 11am / $5-$25
Promise Ranch Therapies & Recreation, 873 Lake Gulch Road, Castle Rock. karli@ adamscamp.org, 303-563-8290
Big Head Todd and The Monsters: Breckenridge Brewery Hootenanny 2022
@ 11:30am
Breckenridge Brewery, 2920 Brewery Ln, Littleton
Bill Nershi
@ 6pm
Breckenridge Brewery, 2920 Brewery Ln, Littleton
Basketball: Youth-Girls - Ages 8 to 10 - Fall 2022
@ 9:30pm
Oct 10th - Dec 10th
Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker
@ 7pm
Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, Englewood
YS: 3-4 Sports Experience @ Eisenhower
@ 8pm
Oct 6th - Oct 27th
Denver Parks and Recreation (EIS), 4300 E Dartmouth Ave, Denver. 720-913-0654
Ipecac with Dead on a Sunday
@ 7pm
Moe's Original BBQ, 3295 S Broadway, Englewood
Dear Marsha,: DM at Brewabilty
@ 5pm
Brewability Lab, 3445 S Broadway, Englewood
Dirty Side Down Band: Dirty Side Down @ Q's Pub
@ 7pm
Q's Pub and Grill, 10133 W Chat�eld Ave, Littleton
Jeremy Camp: I Still Believe Tour
@ 6pm
Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch
Katy Nichole: I Still Believe Tour
@ 6pm
Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch
Gaelic Storm at Gothic Theatre (Denver, CO)
@ 7pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood
@ 11:01pm / $30-$40
Oct 6th - Oct 16th
Virtual, Anywhere
Quilting- Beginner
@ 2pm
Oct 7th - Dec 16th
Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora
Dead On A Sunday (album release show)
@ 6pm
Moe's Original BBQ, 3295 S Broadway, En‐glewood
Jane Monheit
@ 7pm
Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St, Lone Tree
Mikel Erentxun
@ 8pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora
Railroad Earth: Breckenridge Brewery Hootenanny 2022
@ 11:30am
Breckenridge Brewery, 2920 Brewery Ln, Littleton
First Annual Upstander 5K Run/Walk Bene�ting Bullying Recovery Resource Center
@ 11am / $20-$30 deKoevend Park and Shelter C, 6301 S University Blvd, Littleton
Ladies Night
@ 5pm / $5
Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora
Alexander 23
@ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood
Keith Hicks
@ 4pm Inverness Hotel, Englewood
Om (band)
@ 7pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood
powered byThis election year will have a lot of tax questions for voters to consider as they sort through ballots that are expected to hit the mail starting on Oct. 17. As our reporters have worked to break down what each community, county and school district is asking for, I have seen a lot of Facebook chatter about just voting no, sometimes citing interesting reasoning.
FROM THE EDITORWe can start with the Douglas County School District. It has been interesting to see the comments and opinions posted about the school district asking for a rather sizable bond and mill levy override. One of the main reasons for saying no seems to be centered around distaste for the current school board.
Thelma GrimesTo those saying no solely because of the board elected to the district, I say that may not be the best reason. You see, this funding, if approved, will benefit teachers and the district long after the terms of the seven members currently serving on the board end.
All seven of these board members have behaved in a way that makes citizens shudder. Whether on the minority or the majority, I can say citizens have a reason to be concerned. There are lawsuits, controversies and allegations that spread continuously.
Then, suddenly the board realized it wasn’t the best image to portray when asking voters to dig into their pockets and say yes to spending more money in taxes. Now, they have agreed to work together. Hopefully that continues after Nov. 8.
To those leaning on saying no — I say skip the board argument and look solely at what the district needs. Douglas County School District pays teachers less than neighboring districts. They have fallen behind in several areas.
If you disagree on what the district is saying in terms of how they will use the money — then say no. But, if the sole reason is a dysfunctional board — I would say give it a bit more thought.
Am I endorsing the proposed tax hikes — no. I am just adding to the conversations I am seeing spread throughout the community.
It is no secret that Colorado is not doing exactly what it should be doing at the state level to fund education. If Douglas County wants to continue to reach a level of excellence they require — more money has to come from you to do it.
In other ballot questions throughout the region, cities and towns in Arapahoe and Douglas counties are asking for continued open space taxes, increased lodging taxes and other measures.
As you read through all of these, again, I say do not look at the board approving the measures, but instead how they help or hurt your communities.
Many of these measures are aimed at beefing up public safety. Let’s face it, defunding the police cannot really be an option when Colorado leads the country in car thefts and major crime rates are going up across the Denver metro area.
Instead of judging the board or council, consider what the money pays for.
In 2021, Castle Rock probably got ahead of the crowd by asking voters for four ballot measures on an off year. I remember in discussions, Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bracken said he was worried too many tax questions may become confusing. They went with four — two passed.
There may be some of that in the 2022 ballot as more tax questions from multiple locations fill the ballot this year.
It may take time to sort through the language and truly make an informed decision. Just saying no could be tough given that the state is held hostage by TABOR, and getting more revenue streams for local municipalities is tough these days.
Thelma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.
Whenever he finished an amazing run, resulting in a touchdown, and having weaved his way through the defense and even running over a defender or slipping past another with some lightningquick footwork, he never carried on, didn’t even spike the football, he just glided over to the referee and handed him the ball. The NFL Hall of Famer and icon I am speaking about is Barry Sanders.
When Barry Sander retired, he had played in 159 games, had 110 touchdowns, 3032 receiving yards, and 15,655 rushing yards, for a total of 18,805 yards. Known as one of the fiercest and hardest-to-tackle running backs to ever play the game, but also recognized as one of the classiest players to ever take the field. Plenty of accomplishments with zero arrogance.
We all have completed something in our life where we had that tremendous sense of accomplishment. Maybe it was something in our personal life where we achieved a health, fitness, or financial goal. Or perhaps we completed a small project or much bigger endeavor where we took pride in the work we have completed. At work, we may have been promoted, received an award, or we were recognized for contributing to the growth of the organization. Again, it feels good, and whether we are recognized or not, we know in our hearts that we got the job done.
And as we accomplish our goals or contribute to success, people have an even greater appreciation and respect when
we walk humbly regardless of what we have achieved.
There are times where the accomplishment or achievement is so amazing that we cannot help but jump for joy and let out a shout or two. Celebrating is much different than arrogance. Especially when it’s a big win, or it’s been a longterm goal that was met or exceeded. Yes, for sure, party it up and celebrate while we enjoy those moments in time. Arrogance is when we change our demeanor, look down on others, walk with a new sense of entitlement, sharing and boasting of incredible deeds. The impact of arrogance can wreak havoc on relationships and even when making first impressions.
Recently I had an opportunity to spend a weekend with my in-laws. My brotherin-law and his wife, as well as her parents, had hosted his parents and my wife and I for the weekend at their summer home in Ocean City, Maryland. They had only bought the home recently, so it was our first time visiting them in their new summer home. When we arrived, the first thing on the agenda was to go for a tour on the boat. My brother-in-law took us around the bay and pointed out all the things and places they were excited about. We stopped at a couple of places for some drinks and food, and then made our way home.
What stood out to me as I watched my brother-in-law was his sense of accomplishment in life. He is only 38 years old, and I have watched him grow personally and professionally. He has risen through the ranks at work and now leads a team. His team walks with the same sense of achievement, but no arrogance, they are
SEE NORTON, P13Columnist those Elbert
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Michael Norton
BY TAMARA CHUANG THE COLORADO SUN
The way Diego Montemayor talks about Chamba, his Denver startup, makes one wonder why it didn’t exist before. Chamba is another job app, but, as with most startups, there’s a twist.
Chamba launched a bilingual app in April 2020 that connects Spanishspeaking workers with the employers who need them. In late July, Chamba narrowed its focus to the restaurant industry. That seems like good timing if you’ve been paying attention to the restaurant staffing woes and how hard it’s been to find people, especially for jobs busing tables, in the kitchen and other nontipped “back-of-the-house” work.
But Montemayor has a different perspective.
“There’s not a labor shortage. There’s a connectivity problem,” said Montemayor, Chamba’s cofounder and CEO. “And that’s what we’re solving here. We’re connecting restaurants to the talent that wants these kinds of jobs.”
Employers, he said, are “looking for talent in the same talent pool. They have not diversified where they search for talent and are looking in the same, common places.”
A number of companies are already promoting Chamba’s service on the app’s site, including Brothers BBQ. Within two days of using the app, the Aaron Nelsen, the general manager for two of the Denver-based chain’s locations, arranged three interviews and made a hire. “We picked the best candidate out of those three interviews,” he said in a video testimony on Chamba’s site. The Spanish-speaking employee started work the next day.
Chamba service really just helps employers look in a place they probably weren’t looking before. In a few short months, it’s helped 187 clients connect to workers in Denver and New York City, the only two cities covered so far. The app’s been downloaded more than 172,000 times from the Apple App store and 50,000 jobs have been posted, said Corina Hierro, Chamba’s community manager and a founding member. Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer David Ruiz oversaw the development of the app and led the team of developers in Colombia.
Chamba looks beyond the audience that typically relies on Indeed, LinkedIn and other English-heavy job sites. The app, available in Span-
ish and English, is marketed to the Latino community and helps job seekers create online resumes.
It also vets the employers by checking online reviews first. If the company passes muster, Chamba will talk to the owners or hiring managers to see how much investment they’re putting into workers. Employers that don’t seem to care can cause job seekers to feel lost, like they don’t matter, Montemayor said.
“If they’re spending a little bit of time with the talent, then that’s a good fit for Chamba,” he said.
Chamba is offering Denver restaurants free access to the app to advertise their job openings.
Chamba, which employs about 15 people, has big plans for growth. It’s a venture-backed startup with more than $1.1 million in seed funding so far, with some of it coming from local accelerator program Techstars last year. “Techstars became our megaphone,” he said. “It put us in front of people who were actually going to listen (to) the social impact that we were having on the community.”
To kick off the company’s Denver Startup Week presence, Montemayor was one of five newer founders getting a place on stage to grill — and be grilled — by a Colorado unicorn, or a company that has raised so much investment, its valuation tops $1 billion.
Mark Frank, cofounder of SonderMind, which helps people with mental health issues connect to therapists, was that unicorn founder. And the founders’ conversation focused on community, which is important to both companies. SonderMind, which employs 300 people, has raised more than $180 million, according to equity-tracking site Crunchbase.
“So, how did you get to 300 employees,” Montemayor asked Frank.
“Well, it wasn’t that long ago that we were a team of 15. Actually, it was three years ago at this time, we were a team of 18,” Frank said. “For us, what the bigger challenge has been how do we maintain our culture, which has been a real driver of our success. … I would encourage everyone to find ways to get together in person and do things virtually as well that can really home in on that community aspect.”
Montemayor said he considers Chamba a synonym for community.
“Everything we do is around community,” he said. “We build community by building trust and
that’s by showing who is behind the product. We get people that look like the people that we are helping and people who are going through the same experience as us.”
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.
there to get the job done. He works out and keeps himself in top physical condition. He practices his golf game and gets better all the time. When he gets a par or birdie, he is excited, but knows the next hole needs his focus. And now he is a part owner of a summer home with his in-laws. As I watched him last weekend, I was truly happy for him and his wife, they showed pride, but more than that they showed growth, appreciation, and joy, no arrogance.
We should take pride and experience joy when we achieve our goals, big or small, we should celebrate and let ourselves feel that true sense of accomplishment. I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can enjoy pride of accomplishment without the arrogance, it really will be a better than good life.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
Employees at the new Slim Chickens restaurant in Parker prepare meals during their first day open. PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLERInflation and rising in terest rates aimed at rein ing in rising consumer costs are causing Colora do’s economy to slow and stagnate, according to two economic and tax revenue forecasts presented Sept. 22 to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee.
The governor’s Office of State Planning and Bud geting warned the risk of a recession in the next 18 months has risen since June to 50%. And nonpar tisan Colorado Legislative Council Staff said there are a host of economic risks, including fallout from the war in Ukraine and the effects of the Federal Reserve tighten ing monetary policy even further.
“A recession could be a real possibility that you could be faced with,” said David Hansen, senior economist with Legisla tive Council Staff. “We don’t want to shy away from saying that.”
The upside is that the state’s job market remains strong, with unemploy ment hovering around 3% and two job openings available for every unem ployed person in Colo rado from March to July. And the governor’s office forecasts that the state’s economy is “expected to rebound by the end of 2023 and return to his torical growth in 2024” as inflation eases.
“We do think that the monetary policy circum stances that we’re cur rently under will lessen the amount of labor de mand,” said Bryce Cooke, the chief economist with OSPB, who said he ex pects the unemployment rate to hit 3.9% in 2023.
“But we don’t think it will get to the point where it’s a one-to-one ratio (of un employed people and open jobs).”
Despite the headwinds, tax revenues are still forecast to increase by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next sev eral fiscal years.
“Colorado’s economy is strong and will continue to grow in the months ahead,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a written state ment. He is expected to unveil his 2023-24 fiscal year budget, which will take effect July 1, 2023, in the next several weeks.
But the reality for state budget writers on the JBC is that while they are expected to have $1 bil lion more to spend for the 2023-24 fiscal year, accord ing to Legislative Council Staff, about 90% of that increase is expected to be consumed by the General Assembly’s existing fund ing plans.
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In other words, state lawmakers will have just $85 million to allocate to new initiatives when they convene in January after two years of unprecedent ed spending fueled by a stronger-than-expected economy and billions of dollars in federal aid. The news caused some jaws to drop — literally — Thurs day among the six mem bers of JBC.
That’s not fully ac counting for the effects of inflation on the cost of governing, which could ef fectively mean the budget will have to shrink.
“I think we’re in the red before we even start the race,” said state Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat and the incom ing chair of the JBC.
State Sen. Bob Rankin, a Carbondale Republican who sits on the JBC, is anxious about the pros pect of not being able to raise the pay of state employees as a result.
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, the 1992 constitu tional amendment passed by Colorado voters, limits increases in government growth and spending each year to the rates of inflation and population growth. But the inflation rate used to determine the cap comes from the previ ous calendar year, or six months before the start of each fiscal year.
Given high inflation rates, some JBC members have complained that the TABOR cap is lagging and thus constraining the budget, a problem that compounds over time as inflation keeps rising.
The TABOR cap for the 2022-23 fiscal year, which began July 1, was set us ing a 3.5% inflation rate when the inflation rate in the 2021 calendar year in the Denver-AuroraLakewood area is more like 8%. While the 2023-24 fiscal year TABOR cap will reflect that higher rate, it only builds off the TABOR cap set using the 3.5% rate.
And because of infla tion, the state is expected to collect billions of dol lars in tax revenue above the TABOR cap over the next three fiscal years, according to both eco nomic forecasts presented to the JBC on Thursday. That money will have to be refunded to taxpayers, however, so it can’t be used to combat the effects of inflation on governing.
Legislative Council Staff forecast revenue above the TABOR cap to be $3.63 billion in the current 2022-23 fiscal year, $2.28 billion in the 2023-24 fiscal year and $1.9 billion
in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The forecast from the governor’s Office of State Planning and Budget ing was far less rosy. The Polis administration forecast the revenue cap to be exceeded by $1.9 bil lion in the current 2022-23 fiscal year, $685 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year and $742 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
“On the surface, things looks great,” said Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat who sits on the JBC. “We have to deal with the stuff that is under the surface.”
Complicating the situa tion further are two mea sures on the November ballot that could reduce the TABOR cap excess by hundreds of millions of dollars in future fiscal years, if not eliminate the excess entirely.
Proposition 121 would cut Colorado’s income tax rate to 4.4% from 4.55%, a reduction estimated to slash state tax revenue by $412.6 million in the 202324 fiscal year. Proposition 123 would set aside up to 0.1% of taxable income each year for affordable housing, which is esti mated to shrink revenue by $145 million in the cur rent fiscal year and $290 million in the 2023-24 and subsequent fiscal years.
Under the OSPB tax revenue forecasts, the TABOR cap excess would effectively be eliminated by the passage of Proposi tions 121 and 123. Should there be a mild recession and tax revenue be lower than what’s forecast by OSPB, Propositions 121 and 123, should they pass, could go beyond eliminat ing the TABOR excess and force the legislature to re duce the size of its budget.
The majority of Colora do taxpayers already have
received TABOR refund checks — $750 for single filers and $1,500 for joint filers — for the previous fiscal year. But they can expect even more money in April.
The amount of money taxpayers will receive is based on their income level and is expected to range from $160 for the lowest earners (people who make up to $48,000) who are single filers to $506 for the highest earn ers (people making more than $266,000) who are single filers. The refund range jumps to $1,012 from $320 for joint filers based on their income levels.
Greg Sobetski, chief economist with Colorado Legislative Council, said the amounts will be final ized in the coming weeks as the state finishes its accounting for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which ended June 30.
Coloradans who filed their 2021 tax returns before June 30 have already received their $750 or $1,500 checks or will receive them by Sept. 30. Late filers who sub mit their returns before Oct. 16 will receive their checks by Jan. 31.
More information on the refund checks can be found at https://tax.colo rado.gov/cash-back.
It’s unclear whether Col oradans will get TABOR refund checks in future years given the uncertain ty around the economy and the passage of Propo sitions 121 and 123.
This story is from The Col orado 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 Con servancy, owner of Colo rado Community Media.
A bright smile spread across Michelle Ollerton’s face as she watched her 2-year-old son, Isaac, point to the colorful piñatas hanging above them in the cafe of Smoky Hill Library, trying to choose which one was his
Trompo,” a spinning top that is a popular traditional toy in Mexico? Or what about “La rosa,” the rose, or the monarch butterfly, which was his mom’s favorite? With about 30 options to choose from, it’s a tough
The piñatas are part of a new exhibit, called Celebrating Mexico/ Celebrando México, which debuted at Smoky Hill Library on Sept. 14 and will be open through Nov. 9.
About 40 people gathered to celebrate the opening of the exhibit, which was developed through a partnership between Arapahoe County libraries, Museo de las Americas and a local artist, Maribel
Arredondo said she will never forget the smiling faces she saw in the audience when she was introduced as the artist behind the exhibit. It almost made her cry to think of it.
“I’m really, really happy,” she said about the experience. “It has a lot of
Each piñata Arredondo created represents a part of Mexican culture. There are signs placed in the cafe that have QR codes linking to an informational page, in English and Spanish, that further describes the piñatas and their cultural significance.
“I think there’s a lot to learn. Each piñata tells a story, and I think those stories is where culture lies and where history lies,” said Anne Marie Boger, a community engagement coordinator at Arapahoe Libraries. “It’s a chance to learn and to relive and to celebrate.”
The piñata is a true icon of the Mexican identity, said Val Ponce, the membership and engagement manager at Museo de las Americas, a nonprofit Latin American art museum.
“Mexico is so focused around the idea of mestizaje — of the combination of cultures — and how a lot of the time, this combination brings very fruitful and very beautiful art, as well as different expressions of culture,” Ponce said. “I think that of all of the items that represent Mexican culture, piñata is a really great one because it represents the unions of cultures.”
Piñatas are believed to have two
different origins, Ponce said, with one being from China.
“It is said that during the time that the traveler Marco Polo was in China, he witnessed the celebrations that they had for their new year,” Ponce said, explaining piñata-style figures were part of the celebration.
Marco Polo then brought them to Italy, where they got the name piñatas, Ponce said. After that, the piñatas spread to Spain and then to Mexico.
“It was around the 16th century in which we started seeing the representations that we see today,” Ponce said, noting that piñatas were first made out of clay and then later made out of paper.
“However, recently it has been suggested that also with our indigenous origins, we were already celebrating with piñatas,” Ponce said, explaining some indigenous peoples may have used clay containers in a similar way for certain celebrations.
Arredondo’s favorite piñata in the exhibit is named “La alegría de la piñata” — which translates to “the joy of the piñata.” It’s her favorite because it is representative of history, since it is shaped like a traditional Mexican piñata with seven spikes on it.
When Spaniards conquered Mexico, they gave piñatas a religious meaning, Arredondo said. The seven spikes represented seven sins, and the blindfold people wore to break the piñata represented their blind faith. Once the piñata broke, what was inside the piñata represented the person’s blessings.
Arredondo said these traditional piñatas were often used during Christmas and Las Posadas, a religious, traditional celebration leading up to Christmas from Dec. 16-24.
A common question people ask Arredondo is if she gets sad when people break the piñata she’s created, she said.
“No, that is the point,” Arredondo said. “Piñata represents happiness and community.”
One of the piñatas on display in Smoky Hill Library on Sept. 14. PHOTOS BY TAYLER SHAW
One of the piñatas on display in Smoky Hill Library on Sept. 14 is of a sign that says, “Hola!”
The piñata exhibit has been months in the making. Planning began earlier this year when Museo de las Americas approached Arapahoe Libraries about co-hosting a traveling exhibit, Boger said.
Hosting traveling exhibits is something Museo is dedicated to because it helps prevent artwork from being left on the museum’s shelves and unseen by community members, said Claudia Moran, the executive director at Museo de las Americas.
“What we’re trying to do with these traveling exhibitions is to take the pieces out to the community,” Moran said. “Those pieces are for you to enjoy, to learn (from).”
Deciding to collaborate with Museo was a no-brainer, Boger said.
“In light of the museum and the library celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, it just felt like the perfect cohesion of goals and celebration,” Boger said.
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed in the U.S. from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. Moran also pointed out Mexican Independence Day is Sept. 16.
While Museo de las
Americas has had other traveling exhibits in the past, this one was different and really special because of the incorporation of a local artist who is part of the community, Moran said.
“She’s a wonderful artist,” Moran said about Arredondo. “She was all about having the exhibition and collaborating with Museo.”
Around April, the Museo team introduced Arredondo to Arapahoe Libraries, Boger said.
“It just felt like, why not also celebrate a local Denver artist? And she was just the perfect third addition to the partnership,” Boger said.
Although creating the
piñatas took about three months, the idea of a piñata exhibit crossed Arredondo’s mind about three years ago, she said.
Creating a piñata can be a long process, but it’s also very fun, she said.
Always a crafty individual, Arredondo, who grew up in Mexico, began making piñatas as a child, she said.
“Art is my thing. I really love it,” she said.
Arredondo said she moved from Mexico to Colorado 12 years ago — the age of her first son. She now has three children.
She worked as a dentist in Mexico, she said, but about four years ago, she decided to create her own business, Curious Paper Art by Mami-
bel, which promotes Mexican art and offers cultural workshops.
“Mamibel” is her nickname, she said, and “curious paper” relates to her desire to connect with people of other cultures.
“I’m very proud to be Mexican,” she said, explaining she enjoys teaching others about Mexican culture.
For Arredondo, it’s especially important to share her heritage with her children. She compares herself to the father in the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” a character who often spoke about the importance of having pride in the family’s culture.
Most of all, she hopes visitors of the exhibit gain a memorable experience from it, whether it be learning something new or taking photos of themselves with the piñatas.
“My word only today is thank you, because for me, it’s a great opportunity,” Arredondo said. “I’m super excited.”
Celebration for all Boger said she could not have asked for a better turnout or crowd for the exhibit’s launch.
“It is just spectacular,” she said.
Ollerton, a Centennial resident, learned about the event while at the library, she said.
“I lived in Peru for a yearand-a-half, so I wanted to come see these awesome piñatas and celebrate,” Ollerton said, describing the piñatas as very well made, detailed and fun.
“I like that it includes a lot of people, like specifically celebrating one group but in a way that everyone can feel involved and important,” she said about the exhibit.
Both Arapahoe Libraries representatives and Museo de las Americas representatives spoke about the value of their partnership, and expressed a desire to further pursue this type of work.
“We’re very happy to be here. I hope we can continue these trends (with) many other libraries,” Moran said.
Boger said Arapahoe Libraries looks forward to future traveling exhibits, and it is open to partnering with other cultural institutions in the region as well.
“I would invite all of you to go ahead and check out our piñata exhibit, and you’ll see that we are a combination of all kinds of different, beautiful cultures,” Ponce told the crowd of attendees. “And that is what we’re celebrating today.”
Those interested in learning more about the exhibit can visit: arap.li/3AeYXo9. To learn more about Arredondo’s business, visit: curiouspaperart.com.
One of the piñatas on display in Smoky Hill Library, as of Sept. 14, is of a sugar skull. PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAWPerhaps Americans took the title of Walt Whitman’s book of poems to his beloved country, “Leaves of Grass” too literally when they considered the American Dream.
“Whatever satisfies the soul is truth,” he wrote, and in the 1950s a growing satisfaction came from the American lawn.
Drive around Westminster’s Hyland Greens neighborhood and you’ll see that: a typical residential area with single-family homes fronted by well-manicured, lush, beautiful lawns.
Zoom into one of the cul-de-sacs off Lowell Boulevard, however, and find something different. It’s a microcosm of a larger paradigm shift starting to occur across the United States.
One of those cul-de-sac homeowners is Emily Brooks, who maintains an 11,598-square-foot yard.
Until last year, those yards were two green Kentucky bluegrass lawns. In 2021, she and her husband embarked on a project to replace more than 50% of the lawn with rocks, gravel and native plant species.
Saving water and investing in their home proved to be their driving force for the change. It wasn’t something they were used to. The two hail from the Midwest and Emily grew up in a Wisconsin home with a half-acre lot.
“It was all grass,” she said. “My dad bought himself a riding lawn mower and his weekend project in the summer was taking care of that lawn. Everybody took care of their lawn, that was the culture. The pride of ownership was reflected in what your lawn looked like.”
That viewpoint is changing with her own home in Colorado. She and her husband bought their first home in Hudson, Wisconsin with a brook running through their half-acre backyard. After moving to Colorado, water remains an important concern for her.
“There was water everywhere, but we don’t have that (in Colorado),” she said.
So she yanked out the portions of both her lawns, replaced them with less water-intensive plants and created walkways with gravel. She did what made sense — the majority of the change took place in her front yard since her dogs use the grass in her backyard. In the particularly sunny spots in the front, she replaced it with gravel since the grass didn’t grow well in the sun. She used gravel on the side of her house and made a utility space for trash bins.
Her backyard takes in a lot of heat and sun, making it hard to keep the Kentucky bluegrass alive.
Still, she wanted the grass aesthetic and plans to replace a portion with native grasses that don’t require much water and thrive in the sun. She added a patio as well.
She isn’t finished with the project but already saw large reductions in water. In July 2020 their household used 35,000 gallons of water. In 2022, they used 22,000 gallons.
Her neighbors took notice of the change and jumped in. Two homes in the cul-de-sac hired the same landscape designer and changed their yard to about 50% native species or xeriscape.
A 15-minute drive from the Brookses lives Christopher Stimpson with his wife. They replaced almost 75% of their outdoor space with less water-intensive options.
While Brooks decided to pay for a landscape designer and hire a company to do the dirty work, she realizes not everyone has the financial means. Or, they just want to do it themselves.
Stimpson decided to get his hands dirty and do it himself. Most of his costs came from buying rocks and gravel.
In his front, rocks and pebbles lie beneath a tree. Like Emily, the grass proved difficult to maintain because of the beating sun. In the back, a small patch of grass in a shady spot provides room for his dog and chairs to enjoy outside without the need for sunscreen.
Next to it is a deck with a vine climbing up the side to provide shade for a table. Even farther is a gravel area where his grandson used to enjoy digging and playing with the gravel.
“When my grandson was three, the thing he loved best was sitting in the gravel with a spade and a bucket,” he said. “Filling it up, emptying it, filling it up. He didn’t care about the grass.”
For Stimpson, who originally moved from London to New Jersey and then to Colorado, climate
played a role in his decision. Not only was his grass not doing well due to the weather, but he felt a moral responsibility to switch it out.
“It’s been true for many years that we’ve got a drying planet. The effects of water stress are going to be the chief impact of climate change on a state like Colorado, so anything we did to reduce our personal responsibility for that water stress was a positive move,” he said.
Even though Brooks and Stimpson both began replacing their lawns, they don’t doubt the benefits of lush grass. Brooks noted her dogs enjoy running in the grass and Stimpson enjoys sitting in his chairs that are on the grass. They’re good for recreation, too.
However, too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing.
Matthew Makley, a professor of history at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said the popular Kentucky bluegrass isn’t native to the United States at all.
Most historians believe the lawn started in Europe, most likely in France and England. Castles would clear the land around their immediate vicinity to allow for clear visibility in case of foreign advances.
Later during medieval times, Monks brought cuts of turf into their monastery gardens and cultivated them because of the connection between the color green and rebirth.
In the 1500s and 1600s, lawns began to grow more popular within the wealthy classes of Europe for both recreation and enjoyment. Due to the time and labor required to maintain the lawn, it became a symbol of wealth.
Then the English began sailing to North America, landing in Jamestown in 1607. Their livestock could not tolerate the native grasses of the new land, and so Kentucky bluegrass began to take root.
“Bluegrass that we think of today with American lawns is actually indigenous to parts of North Africa and Europe,” Makley said.
Seeing the odd crop not just as a support for livestock, there is a status to having a lawn — and the 17thcentury American colonies were status-bound. Social classes were clearly articulated and observed.
“American colonists were desirous, they wanted to establish themselves as wealthy landholders and it was critical for them to do that in a new place. They were planting not just the grasses, but a new social order, a new economic order as well,” he said.
A xeriscaped section of Emily Brooks’ front yard. Emily Brooks showcases the front of her house where she xersicaped over 50% of her outdoor space. PHOTOS BY LUKE ZARZECKI
It’s tied to colonization and democracy, too.
“Often we find moving lockstep with colonization is the fundamental transformation of the landscape, and then over generations, a reimagining of what has happened to fit the conquest narrative,” Makley said.
That reimagination may be taking place today.
Lawns are ingrained in American culture and imposed by convention.
That’s what Paul Robbins, dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found in his research for his book “Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are.”
His research showed lawns in America mostly began to boom in the 1950s, and rarely are lawns peoples’ first choice. Homeowners associations enforce their upkeep, construction companies lay out single-family home lots with leftover space and social pressure for green grass to maintain property values is imposed by neighbors.
Backing that up, he conducted a national survey that showed the people who use lawn chemicals are more likely to say those chemicals are bad for water quality, children and human health than those who don’t.
“People who are intensive lawn managers feel really crappy about it. They feel guilty, but they feel that they have to do it for their neighbors because of the homeowners association, or whatever else,” he said.
He did find that there are many people who feel great satisfaction from mowing their lawn, and the smell of fresh-cut grass brings nostalgia.
However, he learned that most felt ambivalent about lawns.Which led him to ask — why do they exist, then?
Much has to do with the chemical industry that needs to dump agricultural chemicals somewhere. In other countries around the world, those markets topped out and farm-
ers remain efficient in their use of nutrient inputs and pesticides.
Scott’s, a leading company in the lawn care industry, figured out push advertising. Robbins believes that’s a reason they’ve been successful.
“Scott’s learned that you say, ‘Here’s a product that will solve all your problems. Go ask for it by name.’ It totally changed the industry because they need people to buy this stuff. There’s an economy behind it, it employs a lot of people and it has to keep going. That’s pretty depressing,” Robbins said.
There are benefits. Lawns provide space for kids to play in, they serve as an aesthetic and cool off the urban heat island.
Even so, other options can provide those benefits. Parks can socialize the cost of lawns, and native plants can provide another aesthetic while cooling off urban areas.
“The benefits are marginal, whereas the costs are enormous,” he said.
As well, his research also found chemicals used for lawns end up indoors. In one experiment, analytic chemists walked across chemically treated lawns with white boots and then walked indoors. They measured the amount of chemicals that ended up inside and how long they persisted. Turns out, the chemicals remain in house dust for a long time — chemicals that are known to cause mutations and can cause cancer.
“There’s no question that the health costs outweigh the health benefits of having an intensively managed lawn,” Robbins said.
Just as they were hundreds of years ago, lawns today are also seen as a status symbol. Beyond that, Robbins’ research showed respondents often said “What goes on outside the house tells you what goes on inside the house,” indicating they are also an indicator of morals. That’s tied to social psychology. Many places in the world don’t maintain lawns, so it’s a learned behavior.
“Lawn care companies who are trying to expand their markets have to really work hard when they go
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outside the United States to convince people that it’s worth putting the money and the time into having a lawn,” Robbins said. “If they’re going to expand the number of intensive lawn care users, they have to teach people to care about it.”
However, lawn social psychology in the U.S. seems to be changing.
Kelly Moye, a realtor in Boulder and Broomfield counties, has been selling homes since 1991 and she’s seen a shift away from lawns in buyers’ demands.
In the 1990s and 2000s, she said a bright green, lush lawn was a real selling point for single-family homes. Now, people are more environmentally and cost-sensitive — they see lawns as requiring more money for maintenance and using water where it isn’t needed.
The decision to have a lawn or a xeriscaped garden doesn’t affect the home value either, she said, as long as it looks well kept.
Robbins noted that the money used for maintaining a lawn could be used to remodel a kitchen or a bathroom, which can increase the value of a home more so than a lawn.
“What will change the value of the house is if it doesn’t look nice. If it’s just dirt and it’s kind of scratchy and it’s got weeds and it’s not well kept, that will deter from the price of the home,” Moye said.
In fact, she said most people
prefer a native species or xeriscape garden in the front of their house and grass in the back for dogs, kids and barbecues.
However, it depends on the location and the neighborhood.
“I believe it goes back to the neighborhood. Well-groomed landscaping in Cherry Creek will carry more value, I believe, than a well-groomed yard in Boulder,” said Tom Cech, the founding director of One World One Water Center.
In Moye’s experience, attitudes among people are trending more towards sustainability. Moye said buyers want smaller spaces, smaller carbon footprints and less grassy lawns.
Stimpson has seen that change walking around his neighborhood. Many of his neighbors already have or started to change what their outdoor spaces look like. Although, he still notes a divide within the community.
“The divide I think is people with the big lawns feel that they worked hard to get this aesthetic addition to their lives and that this is important enough to them,” he said. “They don’t want to let it go and they think of xeriscaping as an inferior alternative.”
Robbins noted it’s important to consider whether alternatives to lawns are actually sustainable. He said artificial turf is an interesting case. With turf’s growing popularity, questions remain: how much oil does it take to produce the plastic? How will turf affect water runoff?
Will water coming off the turf be contaminated with plastic and get into the drinking water?
He doesn’t know the answer to these questions, but they’re worth asking.
“What we replace lawns with is the next most important question,” he said. “I don’t think we got a good answer for that yet.”
He said replacing grass with native species can be a great alternative, though it may not serve all the functions a homeowner may want it to serve. For example, walking barefoot on it can be difficult and not maintaining it properly can turn into a mess.
However, native species can support pollinator species and reduce the need for fertilizer.
“They tend to not need a lot of fertilizer because they’re sort of adapted to our climate and soils,” said Mari Johnston, a natural resource extension agent at Colorado State University.
As well, they create miniature habitats in backyards for birds, insects and pollinators. Planting native species helps native insects because they support each other and the entire ecosystem.
“By including native plant species in our gardens, we’re not
only ensuring that those species continue to play their key parts in the Colorado ecosystem, but we’re providing much-needed resources to insects and to birds and other Colorado wildlife — food, shelter, materials for rearing their young,” said Ashley White, the Butterfly Pavilion’s Community Habitats Manager.
Despite what the future holds, the tide seems to be turning when it comes to lawns in the American West.
“People are unlearning what they learned and learning something very different, which is water is more important than that lawn,” Robbins said.
A bee searches for pollen on one of Emily Brooks’ native plants.
PHOTO BY LUKE ZARZECKI
