Elbert County News 010523

Road plan is tied to growth

Understanding master proposal for Elbert County

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Over the course of the past few years, Elbert County has seen steady commercial and residential growth. For the Town of Elizabeth and the western part of the county,

that growth will continue for the foreseeable future, bringing in new businesses and many more residents.

Elbert County is currently in a transition from a rural, agricultural community to increasingly becoming a Denver metro suburb. One of the biggest concerns about this transition and the incoming development is the increasing tra c and wear and tear on the roads.

“I’ve lived here for 20 years and I

worry about tra c. It’s already gotten overwhelming on Highway 86 around the Walmart,” said Barbara Tu s, a resident of the Elizabeth area, in a phone interview from Dec. 26. “As much as I don’t like seeing the change, I can’t stop it. Elbert County needs to step up and x the tra c.”

In 2021, a transportation master plan was prepared for Elbert

Study eyes rejection of church

Elizabeth-based seminarian looks

for research participants

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Christianity is the predominant religion in Elbert County, with churches scattered across the area welcoming local residents each week. For many believers, church is seen as a safe space for praise and community. However, some who once felt welcome in the church no longer do.

Elizabeth-based doctoral researcher Alena Lamirato is working to gain a better understanding as to why people leave the church as well as their current general feelings about the church. She also wants to know whether or not a person’s previous experience led them to feel negatively toward the church. Currently, Lamirato is a student at the United Lutheran Seminary working toward her Doctor of Ministry.

For her research project, Lamirato is seeking interview participants. She is looking for anyone who has grown up in a Christian church and has left for any reason with no plan to ever return. For the purpose of this research, “church” is de ned as any Christian community of two or more people who gather to engage in Bible study, to pray, or to take part in any other Jesus-based activity.

ose who currently attend a house church or regular Bible study do not t the parameters of the research. Lamirato’s goal is to collect the information of 100 individuals.

Study participants will answer

CITY TO THE SLOPES Initiative aims to help city kids make tracks

The site of the future Delbert Road extension in the area of the Independence subdivision.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

State spends unprecedented money on homelessness

BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado has more money than ever to spend on solving homelessness, as well as the most comprehensive data to date about how many people need services.

Still, the crisis is expected to get worse before it gets better, as the total economic impact of the global pandemic has yet to emerge and the array of solutions now in the works will take years to fully materialize, according to a panel of experts who met Friday in downtown Denver.

“We have a lot of catching up to do because this has been an unfunded crisis for so long,” said Cathy Alderman, communications director for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

Colorado has for a few years dedicated about $9 million in state funds for housing, adding about $45 million annually in 2019 through what’s called a vendor fee for a ordable housing. Legislators also have tagged unclaimed property funds for a ordable housing, although the law is activated only in certain years because of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. is year, the govern0r’s budget includes plans to spend $200 million on homelessness initiatives,

“But that’s not enough,” Alderman said. “ e federal government certainly hasn’t kept up with the scale of the crisis across the country. And this one-time infusion of funds gives us a huge opportunity, but if we’re not planning for what happens at the end of it, I don’t know that we can make promises beyond it.”

e state O ce of Homeless Initiatives, part of the Colorado Department of Local A airs, is seeking proposals from local governments to create a Denver regional navigation campus, a central spot for housing, food, therapy and other services. It’s also expected to begin work early

kins, east of Denver, where people living outdoors and in shelters would go to receive treatment and job training before getting help nding long-term housing.

“We have an unprecedented amount of funding coming our way,” said Kristin Toombs, director of the state O ce of Homeless Initiatives.

At the city level, meanwhile, Denver’s O ce of Housing Stability in its three years of existence has overseen the addition of 2,000 a ordable homes and 225 supportive housing apartments, which come with mental health, substance abuse and other services to help people stay housed. e o ce, in conjunction with other organizations, has 1,500 housing units in the pipeline, said Britta Fisher, executive director.

e city’s O ce of Housing Stability budget for housing and homelessness is now at $270 million, up from about $28 million a few years ago.

e boost comes in part because Denver voters approved a 0.25% sales tax for homelessness passed in 2020 and reapproved it this year.

To better gauge the scope of the problem, the state in the past few years expanded its “homeless management information system,” which keeps track of how many people need services and what kind. People who are homeless or at risk of losing housing are entered into the system with a unique identi cation number, tied to their name. e system allows service providers in Denver to see that a person who was staying in a Denver shelter is now getting services in Grand Junction, for example.

More than 100 nonpro ts and government agencies in the sevencounty Denver metro area enter data into the system, including about 90% of all shelters.

About 32,000 people in a year seek out homeless services across Colorado, according to the system. State o cials are beginning to use it, too, to determine which programs are working and adjust investments in homeless prevention, Toombs said.

“We can’t help you if we don’t know you exist,” she said. “It also enables us to really make sure that we have an understanding of how the programs are doing, so not just the need, but the impact of that work.” e goal is that all service provid-

executive director of the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative, which oversees the system. “It allows us to really see in real time what we actually need to be planning for, and that is incredibly important,” she said.  e same morning as the panel discussion, a group of people who are homeless or recently were homeless spoke out at a city-organized homeless advisory meeting. Members of Housekeys Action Network Denver, an advocacy group with members who have lived outdoors and had their belongings taken in city sweeps of encampments, said they are grateful for the in ux of funding but that they also want immediate action.

“ ey didn’t address any of the immediate needs that are going on right now,” said Ana Miller, who was homeless for three years until getting an apartment through a voucher program a few months ago. “ ey’re still sweeping people when it’s way too cold to be sweeping. We still have one of the largest lack of bathroom access in the entire country. I mean, there’s nowhere to use the restroom.”

Teri Washington, who for years lived in Denver shelters until getting housing six months ago through the Coalition for the Homeless, said one of the hardest parts of living on the streets was limited access to running water and toilets, since many of the nonpro ts that help the homeless lock their doors at 7 p.m. Also, Washington said, she felt like she was regularly told that she didn’t t the criteria for certain housing or jobs programs, and that many who are homeless can’t qualify for programs because they lost their identi cation, sometimes during a city camp cleanup.

“We really want water,” she said. “We want to be able to bathe. We want to be able to maintain a daily life, like when we were in a home. But we have so many restrictions. I’ve never done drugs, and the guidelines were strict for me.”

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

In a September 2020 file photo, a man dismantles a canopy during a sweep of a homeless camp along the South Platte River. There is currently no permanent emergency shelter in Littleton, Englewood or Sheridan for those who are homeless.

FILE PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT

Crisis is still expected to get worse before any improvement

PROPOSAL

FROM PAGE 1

County by Kimley-Horn, a planning and design consulting rm. e Elbert County Commissioners, Elbert County Planning Commission, Elbert County Transportation Advisory Committee and Elbert County Core Management Team worked to develop the plan. e plan was developed with the input of more than 450 Elbert County residents. e Elbert County Transportation Master plan is not a regulatory

document. According to the plan, the document is meant to establish a transportation vision for the county. e plan takes into consideration projected future commercial and residential development. According to the document, 104 potential roadway improvement projects were identi ed from past planning e orts, from the rst round of public engagement, from county sta and from de ciencies identi ed by the existing and future conditions analysis. ese projects include paving of gravel roadways, new roadway

The Elbert County Master Transportation Plan can be accessed at tinyurl.com/ELBTransportationPlan.

PROPOSAL

FROM PAGE 4

corridors, reconstructing roadways and bridge improvements among others. ese projects were run through a rigorous prioritization process, and planning-level cost estimates were developed and compared to available funding.

Most of the funding for the potential projects will come from various federal, state and local sources.

ese include the Elbert County Sales and Use Tax Fund, the County Impact Fund and the Highway Users Tax Fund. Additional supplemental funding is also being sought by the county to cover remaining costs.

e county has determined project priority based on a data-driven analysis of seven key categories:

Urbanizing/Rural

Safety

Operational E ciency

Preservation & Resilience

System Development

Economic & Multimodal 7. Local

Preference

Based on these categories and the county’s scoring schematic, projects addressing future anticipated congestion issues, particularly in the northwestern area of Elbert County, scored better than elsewhere in the county. Additionally, projects addressing de ciencies, such as ongoing maintenance issues, poor pavement or bridge conditions, or ooding issues score better than others. From their study, a total of

over $200 million in potential roadway improvements were identi ed. ere are several roadway projects that have already been committed by Elbert County in the current Capital Improvement Program, other jurisdictions and private developers that impact the county’s transportation system.

One committed roadway improvement is the extension of Delbert Road in the northwestern portion of the county. e new roadway connection will extend Delbert Road past Singing Hills Road toward the Independence subdivision. is extension has proven to be contentious among local residents. In an April 29, 2021 meeting with representatives from the Independence development, several locals shared their frustrations with the planned expansion. One anonymous resident said “don’t you even dream of coming after my land.”

Other locals, particularly those residing in Independence, are excited for the extension of Delbert Road. “I can’t wait for the new road,” said Independence resident Shelly Mendez. “It will save us a lot of time getting to Parker and Aurora.”

To view the Elbert County Transportation Master Plan, visit tinyurl. com/ELBTransportationPlan. Here you can nd a full list of potential future projects as well as related graphs, maps and projected nancial impact.

To view the Elbert County Capital Improvement Program Transportation Projects for Fiscal Years 2021-2025, visit tinyurl.com/ ELBCapitalImprovements.

Your Douglas County Health Department is fully launched

The Douglas County Health Department is now providing all public health services in Douglas County. How did we decide which services to provide? We listened to you. Learn more and read the Public Health Improvement Plan online. douglas.co.us and search Health Department.

Christmas tree recycling

Douglas County provides several drop-off locations to recycle your Christmas tree. For locations, dates, and instructions on how to prepare your tree for recycling, visit douglas.co.us and search for Christmas tree recycling

Skip the trip - motor vehicle services just a click away

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

Are you a Douglas County property owner?

Your property tax statement or postcard notification is scheduled to be delivered the week of Jan. 16

Pay your taxes online at douglascotax.com

More information visit douglas.co.us/treasurer

Distribution of your taxes yourdougcotaxes.com

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 the meeting via Zoom on Jan. 9 or Jan. 23 from 6-7:30 p.m. Call 303-636-1KID for more information, or to register online, visit collaborativefostercare.com

What’s happening with your County government?

Our commitment to open and transparent government includes online posting of information about public meetings at which the business of government is conducted. To view public meeting agendas, participate in-person or remotely, or watch select meetings via live stream, visit douglas.co.us and search for Business Meetings / Public Hearings.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day o ce closure

Douglas County offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, 2023.

Many services are available at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

Visit douglas.co.us

The intersection of Singing Hills Road (County Road 166) and Delbert Road.

PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

RESEARCH

FROM

four questions, taking up only ve minutes of their time. Participants may complete the survey via email, Facebook messenger, phone call or in person.

e study is quantitative, meaning that the data will be displayed numerically for analysis. Survey answers will be categorized into different reasons people have left the church. ere will be no transcripts of the conversations in the nal dissertation and names of survey participants will not be published. In an interview from Dec. 27, Lamirato said she hopes to gather this data for her project, but that the Christian community could also use further understanding as to why

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people leave the church.

“ e church as a whole needs a better understanding of why people have left and if there is anything that needs to be done to heal the relationships with those who have left,” said Lamirato. “It’s not to get people back, but an act of reconciliation.”

For her research, Lamirato is choosing to focus on her local community and wants to stress the importance of understanding the rural way of life.

“I have a love for rural communities and think too often they are ignored by researchers,” said Lamirato. “I’m curious to see if people in rural locations have a di erent feeling toward the church than urban or suburban people do.”

To participate in the study, contact Alena Lamirato at alamirato@ uls.edu.

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Scholar and researcher Alena Lamirato is working toward a Doctor of Ministry degree at United Lutheran Seminary.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALENA LAMIRATO

Thu 1/12

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Legacy Point Elementary

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Legacy Point Elementary, 12736 Red Rosa Cir, Parker. 515-7080433

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ARTS: Preschool Pottery @ Harvard Gulch

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Harvard Gulch Recreation Center, 550 E. Iliff Ave., Denver. 720-913-0654

ARTS: Art Adventures @ Harvard Gulch @ 11pm

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Harvard Gulch Recreation Center, 550 E. Iliff Ave., Denver. 720-913-0654

ARTS: Piano Class: Beginning/In‐termediate @ Southwest @ 11:45pm

Jan 12th - Mar 16th

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Ball Hockey: Adult - Coed Winter 23 -Thursday @ 2am

Jan 13th - Mar 16th

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Walnut Hills Elementary @ 2:45pm / $356

Jan 13th - May 26th

Walnut Hills Elementary School, 8195 E Costilla Blvd, Centennial. 515-708-0433

Heritage Elementary @ 3:30pm / $356

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Cherokee Trail Elementary, 17302 Clarke Farms Dr, Parker. 515-708-0433

ARTS: Mini Picasso @ Southwest @ 5pm

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Southwest Recreation Center, 9200 W. Saratoga Pl., Denver. 720-913-0654

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Fleming Mansion Open House Tour (for future customers)

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ARTS: Pottery Open Studio (Session) @ Harvard Gulch @ 7:30pm Jan 14th - Mar 18th

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YS: 5-14 Cheerleading @ Harvey Park @ 11:30pm

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National Western Stock Show Rodeo @ 5:30pm

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DJ Rockstar Aaron: Forbidden Bingo at 'Bout Time Pub & Grub @ 8pm

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Time for resolutions

It

’s that time of year again when the New Year’s resolution topic comes up. What can we do better in 2023? How can we improve ourselves? Should I really have a resolution?

EDITOR’S COLUMN

I’ve heard a lot of people over the last few years say they are not doing resolutions anymore. Saying it’s a bad tradition. e more I think about it, the more I have mixed feelings on the topic.

I am a person who does not necessarily wait for a new year to think about how I can improve myself. As a bit of an overachiever, assessing and reassessing myself in life at work, at home and personally is a regular occurrence.

However, with a new year, I often re ect on what I am proud of in the previous year and what I think I can continue doing well and improve on in the new 12-month cycle.

For 2023, my goals are a little di erent than in past years. So often, I set high expectations for how I can do more at work. A big one is always re ecting on what I need to do to be a better parent.

In 2023, one of my goals is centered more on myself. A common statement made to me throughout the years is, “You need to cut yourself a break.” I wouldn’t say that is only in 2022. In fact, I can’t remember a conversation about something I feel I have failed at or not done to my standards in which my parents, husband and other family members have not told me to cut myself a break.

Maybe this can be the year where I take their advice. ere were so many things in 2022 that were out of my control, but I still held myself accountable.

As many of my family and friends will say — It could be I hold myself accountable to a fault. Maybe a lot of us do.

As moms, we are hard on ourselves. Our child makes a mistake — we re ect on what we did wrong as a parent. Maybe they just make mistakes, and our job is to teach them past it and not think it’s something I, or we, did.

I will stand up and say I often blame myself and create plans on what to do when my kids do something. Again, in 2023, I will work harder to teach the kids but work to cut myself a break.

In regular life, I hope to cut myself a break and work a little less hard and stay a little less busy and go back to enjoying some of my hobbies in the New Year.

On a personal note, I love crafting. I make Tshirts and signs, and can spend hours creating things to usually give away. In 2022, I can probably count on one hand the number of projects I did because there were so few.

is hobby allows me to shut o my mind and relax. I am an overthinker on every level. In 2023, working to shut my brain o is me trying to better myself.

Do I know if this will work? I do not know, but I know the point of resolutions is to try to do better in an area of our lives that needs improvement. In 2023, I’m sure I am not alone in thinking that being more vigilant and thoughtful to our own personal needs is not a bad place to start in the new year.

elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

LINDA

LOCAL VOICES

A

WINNING

New year, new plans, new attitudes

No matter where you are in the world, this week o ers us all the opportunity to enter the new year with a new plan and a new attitude. Even if we believe we have the right plan and a great attitude, there could be room for a little improvement raising the bar for ourselves and those around us. What if we could make the slightest incremental improvements to our existing plans and our outlook? I think you would agree that we would experience even greater results.

ese past couple of months have kept us busy with clients and internally with business planning, writing sales plans, prospecting plans, training plans, new onboarding plans, and working with clients and friends on creating and building vision boards that help provide visual reminders of our goals and what we expect the new year to bring. And if we forget or fail to plan, this old quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin still holds true all these years later, “By failing to plan, you are preparing to

LINDSAY

ERIN

AUDREY

ERIN

fail.”

Now some of us might be thinking that our plans are just ne, and our attitude is exactly where it needs to be. Whenever I hear this, I am reminded of something my great uncle Harry would always say, “ ere is nothing so good it couldn’t be better, and nothing so bad that it couldn’t get worse.” So, even if we believe our plans are solid and our attitude is good and positive, maybe we could take one last look at our plans and give ourselves a check-up from the neck up to try and identify any blind spots we may have missed.

When it comes to planning, I am a big advocate of using a planning tool. I am a little biased to the Ziglar Performance Planner as it is an annual planner that helps me not only manage my days and meetings, but it also helps me to plan out my goals for the year and track those goals each and every day. It also contains some of Zig’s most famous motivational quotes, and when I read those each day, it de nitely inspires me, and ensures my attitude is in the right place as I glance at those words of wisdom throughout my

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Elbert County News.

We

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

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.

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POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Elbert County News, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

Thelma Grimes

At the end of “A River Runs rough It,”Norman Maclean says he is “haunted by waters.” It’s a beautiful turn of a phrase, but what does it mean? We generally think of haunting in terms of ghosts in a haunted house or cemetery. In them, the ghosts are real entities, men without skin as Toni Morrison describes them in “Beloved.” In Maclean’s story however, the haunter is not an entity, but a memory, one that took up residence and became etched in his psyche so powerfully that it wouldn’t release its grip. Adding to the depth of the mystery is Maclean’s associating his memories with water, which in Jungian psychotherapy is the realm of the unconscious.

Norman Maclean was a real person who decided to tell the story of his family with an especial focus on his brother, Paul. Without Paul, the story falls short, even becomes trite. It is Paul we nd captivating. Incredibly awed, making poor decision after poor decision, yet remaining endearing. As his father says at the end. He was beautiful. Still, why relate a story of one’s family?

Yes, “A River Runs rough It”is a captivating tale, but why does it have staying power, given it was published in 1976 and made into a lm in 1992? Besides, nearly everyone has a tale of their family in which some crazy bat-doodoo stu took place. e reason is that it’s for that very reason: “A River Runs rough It” is a timeless archetypical tale about a family and one of

NORTON

FROM PAGE 8

day. If you aren’t using one, I would highly recommend that you nd one that works for you and your schedule. How do we develop and maintain a positive attitude in a world that can sometimes feel so negative? at is a question I receive from many of you throughout the year. And here at the beginning of the year is the perfect time to take control of our own attitude regardless of what the world throws our way. Setting our foundation upon an attitude that starts with gratitude. It’s really di cult to slip into a negative head space when we are grateful for everything we have and everyone in our circle of friends and family.

Maintaining a positive and healthy attitude isn’t just about gratitude alone, we also must be careful of what we allow to enter our minds. Again, here at the beginning of the year it is a fantastic time to create a

A haunting novel

JERRY FABYANIC

its incorrigibly endearing member. By doing a masterful job, Maclean avoids falling into the trap of writing a novel — actually, a novella — about a human condition that isn’t novel. To this day, it remains a story in which many nd meaning even though their circumstances are vastly di erent from life in rural Montana a century or so ago. Even if readers and viewers aren’t haunted by memories of their family and coming-of-age years as Norman was by his.

We can, however, become haunted in other ways than through personal memories. Artfully moving tales, because of their author’s mastery of the craft of storytelling and writing, can also strike a chord outside the realm of Mnemosyne.

ose stories resonate despite the reader not sharing experiences of the characters or being unable to immediately identify with setting or story arc. “Beloved” is such a novel for me.

I read “Beloved” many years ago. But with the unseemly hyperbolic controversy stirred up by book banners and other doltish types —politicos who feed like vampire bats o the blood of rabid ideologues —I decided to reread it. e timing could not have been more propitious. I began reading it while Judge and soon-to-be Justice Ketanji Brown

reading calendar for the year of the good books that we want to read, books that inspires us and that keep us grounded. It’s a great time to nd the podcasts that are lled with powerful and positive information that can motivate and challenge us to grow in mind, body, and spirit.

How about you? Is the new year the right time to reevaluate your plans? Are you failing to plan? Or are you all over this and have a brilliant plan and a wonderful attitude? Either way, I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can take the time to create a plan that will help us to achieve all that we hope to achieve in the new year, and support that plan with a positive attitude, 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.

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE

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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

from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education.

Now, The Colorado Sun co-owns this and other Colorado Community Media newspapers as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. The Sun is CCM’s partner for statewide news.

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Jackson was being grilled by inquisitors who posed as senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was humbling to watch how she withstood the assaults with stoic dignity, which made me wonder from where such powerful transcendental grace comes.

Before reading the story itself, I read the foreword by Toni Morrison in the Vintage International 2004 edition. In it she wrote about how the story came into being. e core was based on an account of Margaret Garner, who had escaped from enslavement and then murdered one of her children and tried to kill the others rather than see them hauled back into inhuman bondage. Morrison said her intent was to kidnap the reader and throw them into an alien environment so they would share the same experience as the novel’s characters. On that, she was most successful. All that I had previously read and saw through photos from the era served as background. is time “Beloved” took me there. I was on the plantation and the Ohio River and in ramshackle 124, the place Sethe nally call home. I saw the brutal mutilation of her back and of her

mind, yet sat in wonderment in her determined stoicism.

ere was a new report of a parent who said their child, a high school IB — International Baccalaureate — student, had nightmares while reading “Beloved.” Consequently, the parent wanted “Beloved”banned from their child’s school. At rst, I rolled my eyes and thought, Helicopter parent not allowing her child to grow up. I felt sad for the student and others like them sensing the taunting and ridicule they might have to endure at the hands of their peers. But after rereading the novel, I appreciated more fully the young person’s disconcertment. e story is incredibly haunting, to the point it might cause some to experience nightmares. But if I were their parent or teacher, I would work to help them understand how that was a very good thing. Because, truth be told, at times we need to be literarily kidnapped and brutalized for us to understand and accept hard truth of those who were literally.

Jerry Fabyanic is a former Clear Creek Courant columnist and author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.”

Columnist

Loveland Ski Area partnered with the Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project to get fifth-graders onto the ski slopes

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Coloradans can always look to the west and see the mountains in the distance, but for some who live in the inner cities of Colorado, actually getting to the mountains can be a bigger task. irty- ve fth-graders hit the slopes in Loveland for the rst time on Dec. 13, some even experiencing the mountains for the rst time.

Students from Laredo Elementary School in Aurora came to Loveland Ski Area to ski with professional skier and Snow Sports Hall of Fame inductee Chris Anthony.

Anthony has been working with kids for many years and has hosted his youth program at Loveland for the past three.

e Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project works to improve the lives of kids through educational enrichment. One of the ways the foundation does this is by busing classes of fth-graders out to Loveland ski area to spend a day learning to ski.

Anthony’s foundation pays for the bus, winter clothes, ski rentals and passes for the children to come experience the slopes. Most kids who come have never skied, and some have never spent time in the mountains despite living in Colorado.

Peter Zola is the teacher for the fth-graders at Laredo Elementary School.

“Every year we have at least two or three kids who have spent most of their life out on the plains in sight of the mountains but never in the mountains,” Zola said.

Zola has been taking his class to ski for eight years and said he always sees great behavior out of his students during this trip. He attributes that success to the active learning the kids get to see and experience on the mountain.

Anthony sees kids get o the bus with a wide range of emotions, from excitement to nervousness for the day. After a day on the slopes, he sees a common thread between all of them.

“No matter what, at the end of the day, all of them, you can see a bright light ignited in the process,” Anthony said.

Some of the kids were star-struck upon seeing Anthony, one even asking the hall of famer to sign his lunchbox.

After donning their coats and dancing out the

morning jitters, the fth-graders were ready to go get tted for skis.

irty- ve fth-graders getting tted for boots, skis and helmets all at the same time was a bit chaotic, but the sta ers at Loveland have done this before. e kids buzzed with excitement and quickly learned about the cumbersome feeling of ski boots.

After getting their skis ready to go, the kids

Loveland saw flurries all day while the kids skied.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE

I guess I felt a little wobbly, but it was pretty easy,” she said.

Hernandez also had some advice for other kids who might be learning to ski for the rst time.

“It’s really a fun experience, but I do recommend having some ski clothes because of how cold it is, and because you’re going to fall,” she said.

She also went on to say how much of a blessing Chris Anthony was to her class and how happy she was that they even got the opportunity to come.

After lunch, the kids got their skis back on and some of them graduated from the Magic Carpet over to the ski lift. Skiing down the hill was a good opportunity to work on turns and pizza wedges for the fth-graders.

Anthony himself skied along with the kids throughout the day, helping to pick them up when they fell. His presence made the day even more exciting for the kids, with high- ves all around.

Hernandez and other students agreed that if they had the opportunity to ski again, they would de nitely take it.

Two students pose with their ski instructor and teacher, Peter Zola. PHOTOS

ELZZ

Sports betting tax haul is expected to double

Could reach $24M

Colorado budget analysts expect tax revenue from sports betting to double in the coming year in what would amount to a touchdown, a eld goal and a safety for the Colorado water projects.  e Governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budgeting and the nonpartisan Legislative Council Sta project that sports betting tax revenues will be as high as $24 million in the 2022-23 scal year, which began July 1. Of that money, $22.5 million would go toward the Colorado Water Project, the plan aimed at ensuring Colorado has enough water for its growing population amid climate change-induced drought.

e state collected only about $12.4 million in sports betting taxes in the 2021-22 scal year, which ended June 30, about $11.4 million of which will go toward the water plan. Hence, the touchdown ($6 million), eld goal ($3 million) and safety ($2 million) analogy.

Bryce Cook, chief economist for OSBP, said the reason for the big forecast increase is that the legislature passed a bill this year limiting the number of free bets that sports betting operators can o er starting Jan.1. (Colorado imposes a 10% tax on casinos’ net sports betting proceeds. A free bet doesn’t generate any proceeds.)

“We’ve also just seen record wagers this year in sports betting,” Cook said.

When voters passed Proposition DD in 2019, allowing sports betting in Colorado, nonpartisan legislative analysts expected Colorado to make about $16 million each year in sports betting tax revenue. e state is authorized to collect up to $29 million in sports betting tax revenue annually under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

e OSPB, in its quarterly economic and tax revenue forecast presented to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee on Dec. 20, said the agency expects the state to collect $25 million in sports betting tax revenue in the 2023-24 scal year and $27 million in the 2024-25 scal year.

Legislative Council Sta had similar sports betting tax revenue projections, forecasting $22 million in the current scal year, $26.2 million in the 2023-24 scal year and $28.9 million in the 2024-25 scal year.

October was the second highest month in terms of total sport betting wagers in Colorado since sports betting began in Colorado in May 2020. About $526 million was wagered, a 17% increase over the prior month and a 7.2% year-over-year increase. e October wagers netted the state $2.3 million in tax revenue.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

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Shoppers face statewide fee for bags

cluding outreach and education

e remaining 40% of the bag-fee revenue will be kept by businesses.

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado businesses are required to charge consumers a 10-cent fee for each plastic and paper bag they carry out of the store as of Jan. 1. at’s because of a bill passed by the state legislature in 2021 and signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat.

e fee, which isn’t subject to the state’s 2.9% sales tax, may be higher if a town, city or county enacts a higher charge.

People who are in federal or state food assistance programs don’t pay the fees as long as they can prove that they are enrolled in one of those programs.

Businesses are required to send 60% of the bag-fee revenue they collect to the municipality they operate in. If the business is within an unincorporated part of a county, the money will be sent to the county.

Local governments would be required to spend the money on the following initiatives:

• Bag-fee enforcement costs

• Waste-diversion programs, in-

Stores that collect less than $20 in bag-fees in a given quarter don’t have to remit the revenue to their municipality or county and can keep the money.

Plastic bags will be banned in Colorado starting in 2024, with some exceptions

e 2021 bill also bans the distribution of all single-use plastic bags in Colorado starting in 2024. But there are asterisks.

Restaurants that prepare or serve food in individual portions for immediate on- or o -premises consumption would be exempt, as would stores that operate solely in Colorado and have three or fewer locations.

Businesses that are still allowed to o er plastic bags must collect a fee of at least 10 cents on each bag. e fee may be higher if a city or county enacts a higher charge.

Say goodbye to plastic foam

It’s not just plastic bags that are being done away with. e 2021 bill also bans polystyrene products — such as Styrofoam — across the state starting on Jan. 1, 2024.

e only exception is that restaurants will be able to continue using polystyrene products for takeout after that date until their existing

inventory is gone.

What if businesses don’t comply?

Municipalities and cities will be able to sue businesses that don’t comply with the new bag-fee and styrofoam rules.

ey also may assess the following nes:

• $500 for a second violation

• $1,000 for a third or subsequent violation

e nes can be assessed per violation during a retail sale. In other words, if a business illegally handed out 10 plastic bags during one trans-

action, they would be considered to have violated the law only once.   e measure also repeals a state prohibition barring local governments from introducing restrictions on plastic materials that are more stringent than the state’s.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

PUBLIC COMMENT

with the Commission no later than the deadline provided above. Please see Commission Rule 507 at https://cogcc.state.co.us, under “Regulation,” then select “Rules.” Please note that, under Commission Rule 510.l, the deadline for petitions may only be continued for good cause, even if the hearing is continued beyond the date that is stated above. Pursuant to Commission Rule 507, if you do not file a proper petition, the Hearing Officer will not know that you wish to formally participate in this matter and the date and time of the hearing may change without additional notice to you. Parties wishing to file a petition must register online at https://oitco.hylandcloud.com/DNRCOGExternalAccess/Account/Login.aspx and select “Request Access to Site.” Please refer to our “eFiling Users Guidance Book” at https://cogcc.state.co.us/ documents/reg/Hearings/External_Efiling_System_Handbook_December_2021_Final.pdf for more information.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if any

lic%20Comment_20210309.pdf, or may use the eFiling system outlined below.

PETITIONS

DEADLINE FOR PETITIONS BY AFFECTED

PERSONS: February 20, 2023

Any interested party who wishes to participate formally in this matter must file a written petition

Any Affected Person who files a petition must be able to participate in a prehearing conference during the week of February 20, 2023, if a prehearing conference is requested by the Applicant or by any person who has filed a petition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information, you may review the Application, which was sent to you with this Notice. You may also contact the Applicant at the phone number or email address listed below.

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Lawmakers, Polis gave green light to new charge during 2021 session