June 4, 2015
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EnglewoodHerald.net A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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WHAT’S INSIDE
Pirates poised for new waters
Outside the octagon: Mixed martial artist “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey met fans at the Tattered Cover. See Page 5
A helping hand: Faith-based programs reach out locally and globally. See Page 16
A jump on the season: Englewood Invitational brings test for 15 teams. See Page 25 Kennedy Watson smiles with joy as if to say “I made it” as she waits to receive her diploma during the May 23 Englewood High School commencement ceremonies. Photos by Tom Munds
Commencement ceremony held for Englewood Class of 2015 By Tom Munds
tmunds@colorado communitymedia.com POSTAL ADDRESS
ENGLEWOOD HERALD
(ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 176-680) OFFICE: 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603 Centennial, CO 80112 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, the Englewood Herald is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603 Centennial, CO 80112 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legals: Fri. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 5 p.m.
PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
Valedictorian Kayla Mestes exchanges high-fives with members of the faculty as she leads the members of the Class of 2015 to their seats for the May 23 commencement ceremonies.
Family and friends filled about every seat in the field house stands and loudly cheered for their students as the members of the Englewood High School Class of 2015 received their diplomas during the May 23 commencement ceremonies. Most years, the commencement is held in Englewood High School Stadium. But this year, the decision to hold the ceremonies in the field house was made because the construction of the new north stands in the stadium was delayed until summer. The commencement followed tradition, with students marching in to the strains of “Pomp and Cir-
cumstance” and taking their seats facing the stage where they would receive their diplomas. Principal Jonathan Fore congratulated the students, as they were the 101st class to graduate from Englewood High School. “Your class has written some fine pages in the school history,” he said. “There have been academic and athletic achievements that are firsts for our school.” Some of the accomplishments he mentioned included the band winning state awards and the record-setting seasons of the softball team and the lacrosse team. Fore said graduates received about $450,000 in scholarships, which included two of the most competitive in the state, as Kayla Steffins was awarded a Boettcher Scholarship and Chad Glover was awarded a Daniels Scholarship. The program included music, including a solo by Mia Ingallina, Grads continues on Page 4
Denver takes over fire services
Englewood Fire Department had proud, 108-year history By Tom Munds
tmunds@colorado communitymedia.com A May 31 ceremony marked the final page of the Englewood Fire Department’s history and the first page in the Denver Fire Department’s chronicle of providing fire protection and emergency medical services for Englewood. The ceremony included a ringtone at noon announcing the end of the final shift of Englewood Fire Department. A minute later, the tone signaled the start of the first shift of Denver firefighters and paramedics in the two Englewood fire stations. The changeover occurred after approximately two years of discussion about how to deal with the rising costs of trying to maintain a stand-alone fire department at
an annual cost of about $9 million. A number of studies were conducted, and there were numerous discussions about solving the issue of aging equipment that needed to be replaced. When the Englewood City Council hired Eric Keck as city manager, they asked him to make finding a way to have dependable, affordable fire protection and emergency medical services for residents a priority. Several options were studied, and eventually Keck recommended contracting with Denver Fire Department for the services. He cited the fact the service would be what residents expect and the city would realize budget savings starting with the second year of the agreement. Denver allowed those Englewood firefighters who desired to test for and join its fire department. Most Englewood firefighters accepted the offer, a couple joined Fire continues on Page 4
Changes were still being made June 1 as the Denver Fire Department began providing fire protection for Englewood. The red Englewood fire truck was still in the driveway at the Jefferson station sitting beside the white Denver truck. Later that day, the Englewood truck was to be moved and the Denver truck and crew would be stationed there. Photo by Tom Munds