LOCAL

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNUITYMEDIA.COM

Fort Lupton Police Chief John Fryar made a request of council Aug. 10 to help keep some of his offi cers on the payroll.

Council was in a town-hall format that night, so there was no decision.

“We looked at agencies to compare to ours, and we stayed in Weld County,” Fryar said. “We could see how fast things are changing just to keep up with our competitors.”

Fryar said the starting salary in Fort Lupton is $58,000. It’s as high as $66,000 in other parts of the county. There is no pay-for-progress procedure in the city. Human Resources Director Laura Howe said if Frederick’s police department comes out of a county salary survey, Weld County’s pay rates are higher than most of the Denver area.

“A lot of cities are moving fast,” Howe told councilors. “Law enforcement hiring is a challenge. More people are retiring. Fewer people are coming in. It’s not a unique problem to deal with. It’s getting to be an arms race in terms of pay.”

Some of Fryar’s list of retention suggestions included more money for retirement plans. The city and the police department members contribute 9.7 of the salaries. Fryar asked for an increase of 0.5 of 1 percent per year over the next three years.

Another item on Fryar’s list was allowing offi cers to take their patrol cars home. Offi cers can do so now, provided they live within 20 miles of the city.

“I’ve got nothing but good people,” Fryar told councilors. “I’d like to have a way to reward people who go above and beyond. I’d like the offi cers to be able to take their cars home. We won’t have enough cars to assign one to each offi cer. Frederick just entered into a lease program.”

Councilman Chris Ceretto agreed that it was time to let offi cers take their patrol cars home, though Mayor Zo Stieber said she’d seen several offi cers in their personal cars “who didn’t want to be exposed” in that fashion.

“One thing to keep in mind,” said Councilwoman

Shannon Rhoda. “It doesn’t matter what the pay is going to be. It’s going to be under what others do. That’s just the way it is. You can’t have it all. If we’re going to let them take the cars home, we have to make sure they aren’t taking them somewhere else.”

Council eyes ballot spot for marijuana grow question

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

FORT LUPTON – The ink hasn’t dried on potential ordinances that set up rules to allow medical and marijuana dispensaries to do business in Fort Lupton.

Now, the city council may place an item on the November ballot to allow marijuana grow operations, too.

Council has to make a decision by Aug. 31 to get the item on the ballot, according to city clerk Mari Pena.

Resident Leonard Toews brought up the idea of grow operations during the council’s Aug. 10 town hall. He called the potential growth of grow operations in town “massive.”

“The question is where are we at when we look at that potential,” he said. “It’s a great area. It’s industrial. There are good places to have grows. There is a lot of agricultural DNA in this area.”

Mayor Zi Stieber said the city of Pueblo had a huge grow operation.

“They started out at 1 percent and then ratcheted out,” Toews said. “Somewhere between 1 and 2 percent of potential business would be interested in coming to this area.”

Councilwoman Shannon Rhoda thought extra money from grow operations should go toward the police department, which will be in charge of enforcing whatever ordinances are in place.

“A lot of businesses have cameras that watch the harvest. That’s the insider piece,” Toews said. “If you’re going to spend millions of dollars, chances are you’re pretty well-established.”

Council’s Aug. 31 session is in a town-hall format, meaning there can be no decision. Council can call a regular meeting, though.

The next planned discussion of tweaking and adding the ordinances for medical and retail marijuana is on Aug. 17. Council hasn’t been able to decide how to choose the four businesses it will allow in town. Stieber favors a system that includes a lottery and some form of a merit system. Rhoda was concerned about a potential overlap of fi ngerprinting duties between the city and the state.

LIBRARY

are also seeing changes to costs not over months but over weeks. What I can tell you is that what we are seeing this week will literally be different next week.”

The library wants to move from Fort Lupton High School to a twoacre plot of land near the Safeway store, about a block from the city recreation center. Plans call for two facilities, one remaining inside Fort Lupton High School for students and the new facility for everyone else.

Board member Teri Kopfman said the library board and the High Plains Library District, which operates Fort Lupton’s Library, are under contract to buy the two-acre plot. If all goes to plan, work on the new building would begin in the spring of 2022, Matoba said.

Plans call for accessible parking on fl at paths to get patrons to and from the building. A multipurpose room will open up on the lawn, and it’s in front of the parking lot. There will be more parking spaces and Collector Road will have additional parallel parking. There will be up to three to four handicapped parking spaces and a drop-off space.

Inside features include community spaces in the multipurpose rooms, collection, reading and seating areas, a maker’s space for high-tech projects, a children’s area, teen or young adult and staffi ng and support space as well. Lobby space would connect to the adjoining multipurpose rooms when the library is not actually open. Plans call for one large multi-purpose room with a removable divider.

Board member Kopfman said the board began presenting their plans to the public in 2019, with plans for three public meetings to narrow down and settle on a fi nal design for the building. The board hosted two meetings before COVID-19 hit and the third meeting was postponed.

Matoba said the point of the Aug. 11 meeting was to discuss what part of the library residents would like to see trimmed and what they would like to see expanded. The current plan is to shrink the entire project, sacrifi cing enough space throughout the building to make the reduction barely noticeable.

“We are really taking a little bit out of everything,” Matoba said. “Our intent is not to eliminate a program function in any way — not to take out a quiet reading area or take out the children’s area but to take a little bit out of everything so all the major programs can remain.”

Resident Rachel Williams said she favored a more tactical reduction in space rather than just reducing everything slightly. She thought the library could make up the 1,000 square feet by reducing the lobby and new book space at the front. The library also could possibly sacrifi ce a dedicated activity area for children.

“I know the kiddos need a good place to move around, but if they have activity going on it could take place in the larger multi-purpose room,” she said.

For Williams, the multi-purpose rooms are key.

“With the community growing the way that it is, we need to be able to engage with all of our new members,” she said. “I think this is good for community building.”

Matoba said the board plans to host another design meeting later this fall.

Council fi eld grows in Fort Lupton

STAFF REPORT

As of last week, nine candidates were running for the various available positions on the city council in the November election.

Voters will choose a mayor (four-year term), a representative from Ward 1 for a four-year term, a representative from Ward 2 for a four-year term and two members to represent Ward 3. The top votegetter receives a four-year term, while the second-place fi nisher gets a two-year term.

Petitions for fi ve of the candidates – Mayor Zo Stieber (running for reelection), Councilwoman Shannon Rhoda (who wants to take Stieber’s place), Mike Sanchez and Bruce Fitzgerald (Ward 3 incumbents) and Ward 3 challenger Carlos Barron – were suffi cient.

The others who took out petitions as of last week were Scott Tipton (Ward 1), former City Administrator Claud Hanes (Ward 2) and present Weld Re-8 school board member Michelle Bettger (Ward 3), who’s also running for re-election to the school board.

To vote, you have to be a U.S. citizen, a state resident for at least 22 days and be at least 16 years of age. Online registration (provided you have a driver’s license or an ID card) is available at www.govotecolorado. com. That’s the same place where voters can change their registration cards and party affi liations.

Call 720-466-6101 for more information.

Three community projects already in the works

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Weld County’s Community Development Block Grant program received increased funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay for improvements within communities, according to a press release.

“These funds will help pay for community improvement projects and CDBG administrative costs from now to March 31, 2022,” Weld County Commissioner Chamanir Steve Moreno said in the statement

HUD increased funds from a bit more than $1 million in March of 2020 to almost $1.1 million after reviewing its consolidated plan.

According to Weld County officials, CDBG was developed in June 2020 as an intergovernmental agreement among 25 towns and cities for community improvements.

After feedback from residents, officials determined these communities need improvements, so the comments were added to the consolidated plan. CDBG Program Manager Don Sandoval brought it to attention to the board of county commissioners’ public hearing earlier this year.

The advisory committee started last fall to assist the CDBG staff with reviewing community improvement project applications from towns, cities and counties.

The committee brings tghe proposed development recommendations and funding allocations before the board.

From November and December 2020 and as of March, the board approved three community projects such as the Firestone expansion VIA transit service and the Evans Waters Efficiency program is in partnership with the Larimer County Conservation Corps to help low-to-moderate-income homeowners with replacing toilets and water fixtures.

According to officials, about 50 homes would benefit from these improvements. The third project is to pave two blocks of Idaho Street in Evans, replace the waterline and storm drainage and add a sidewalk. The Evans Water Efficiency program for Idaho Street is awaiting its sub-recipient agreement before its project can start even though it was approved by the board, according to the statement.

The application period opens for new submissions for future community improvement projects Oct. 1.

Re-8 approves redistricting but not make-up

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Weld Re-8 School District balanced out the representation in its seven director districts. But the question of composition is up to the voters, perhaps in November.

State law requires the district to apportion its districts based on the population of eligible electors in the district. In District C (Matthew Adame’s district), there were 25 percent fewer residents than the population in the district.

To solve the problem, the board added almost 500 residents to District C, added between 100 and 200 residents to districts A and B (their representatives are Jaime Sierra and Cody LeBlanc, respectively) and shrunk District G’s size by 400 residents. Kehle Griego was that district’s representative on the school board.

For most of the spring, the board leaned toward a five-district, two at-large membership. But the board voted that idea down in late June. Board member Jaime Sierra was in favor of this idea but wanted to be sure that Dacono had representation on the board. Homyak PK-8 School is the lone district school in Dacono.

The school board has had five members for several years. Sierra’s appointment to the board increased membership to six. But Griego stepped down this summer because of business commitments.

The reapportionment is due to take effect in time for the November election. However, the question of the number of at-large seats vs. director seats will be up to the voters.

HOSPITALS

workers must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1 as a condition of employment, meaning people could be fired if they don’t comply.

SCL Health -- parent of Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton -- is giving workers until Nov. 1 and won’t allow them to return to work if they remain unvaccinated beyond then.

UCHealth, Denver Health and Banner Health, as well as Kaiser Permanente, have previously announced vaccine mandates for employees. The city of Denver has mandated that all health care workers at facilities in the city, including nursing homes, be vaccinated.

“Vaccines are essential in the fight against COVID-19,” Jena Hausmann, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “With safe and effective vaccines widely available, this decision affirms our commitment to the safety and care for our team members and for those we serve.”

On Aug. 10, the Colorado chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics sent a letter to Gov. Jared Polis and state and local health officials urging orders requiring universal mask wearing in Colorado schools and child care centers, regardless of a person’s vaccination status. The Colorado Vaccine Equity Taskforce, a group of political and health leaders at dozens of organizations across the state, urged the same.

“Colorado students need access to safe, uninterrupted learning this school year,” Dr. Edward Maynard, the AAP Colorado chapter president, said in a statement. “The current patchwork of school policies across the state will result in more COVID-19 cases, more transmission of the virus, more quarantines and repeated school closures.”

But at a news conference on Aug. 12, Polis showed no inclination to issue new mask orders or vaccination requirements for health care workers.

Polis noted that, while more than 500 people are currently hospitalized in Colorado with COVID-19, including 17 children, the state is nowhere close to exceeding hospital capacity. Polis has said many times that ensuring the state stays within its hospital capacity is his “North Star” in making decisions about statewide protective measures.

The state has issued guidance to school districts urging mask usage, in keeping with recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Polis has left it up to school districts to determine whether to mandate mask-wearing — something that has led to a patchwork of rules across Colorado as kids return to classrooms.

On Au. 12, Polis reiterated the benefits of mask-wearing, while also downplaying the lack of a mandate.

“There is no silver bullet,” he said.

Speaking about masks, he added, “We believe they are part of a layered protection system that can keep kids safe.”

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.

Traditions passed down from generations

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Beyond the history and the sport, two very different riders at very different events at the Adams County Fair shared one thing: tradition.

The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and the Charreada rodeos bring to the Adams County Fair danger, excitement, toughness, and courage from two different types of cultures and family traditions.

Mason Ward, 20, from North Platte, Nebraska rides in the bucking bulls competition with the PBR Aug. 5. The tradition of riding bucking bulls started with his dad who rode professionally. Mason started his passion as a little boy bucking sheep and calves working his way to the bulls.

“The fact that you’re doing something that shouldn’t be done. I mean, there should be no reason why someone would be able to ride a 2,000-pound bull. The feeling when you ride, nothing in life matches to it,” said Mason. His family raises bulls so in his off-time Mason is busy taking care of the bulls. He continues to practice bucking on his bulls once a week. He runs every morning to keep in shape, build strength and fl exibility.

Mason said his toughest bull was in the June college fi nals. “It had never been ridden and he was a tough one.”

Mason’s plans for the future are to make it to the PBR World Championship Finals and then retire.

Charreada is an art of Mexican horsemanship a tradition that has been passed down to cowboys and senoritas. Maximiliano Moralez ,21, grew up in the small town Cuautlia, Jalisco Mexico, and was one of the featured riders at the fair on Aug. 8.

Charreada is where he learned the sport of Charreada horsemanship and has been in competition for over 10-years.

Moralez’s Charro Team performs all over Colorado lassoing wild horses, and bulls. They also perform the Paso Del Muerte meaning step to death jumping from one horse to another with elegance and showmanship. Moralez’s Charro team is performing every weekend all over the state of Colorado to make it to the fi nals. Moralez future is to continuing performing with the Charro team and win competitions.

“I’m very passionate about the sport and dressing like a Charro,” Moralez said. “You feel like you are in another country, like in Mexico.”

Charro Maximiliano Morales controlling the horse to walk backward and in elegant patterns. PHOTO BY BELEN WARD

Bettger, Adame joins school board race

STAFF REPORT

Weld Re-8 School District board members Michelle Bettger and Matthew Adame, both incumbents, announced they are running for reelection this fall.

Jamie Sierra, who joined the board this spring, also announced Suncor Air Monitoring Print Ads.pdf 2 8/10/21 10:38 PMher desire to run for a spot on the

school board.

“I am running for re-election because I feel the school board still has a lot of work to do with continuting updating outdated policies as well as rebuild the trust with the community again,” Adame said.

A total of fi ve seats are on the Nov. 2 ballot. The other contested districts are the vacant spot in District D and Kehle Griego’s former spot on the board. She stepped down this summer for business reasons.

Residents who have been registered electors in the district for 12 consecutive months and who live in one of the director districts are eligible to run. Residents convicted of committing sexual offenses against children are not eligible.

Those interested need to fi le a written notice of intention to be a candidate and turn in a nomination petition with at least 50 eligible voters who can vote in the regular biennial school election. Petitions are available at the district administration offi ce, 200 S. Fulton Ave. The deadline to submit the petitions is 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27.

CCND Air Monitoring is now providing continuous air monitoring information for the Commerce City and North Denver communities.

Learn more at ccnd-air.com.

Mobile app coming soon.

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Adams County commissioners signed off on the bulk of the plan for a sub-district around the Colorado Air and Spaceport but said they need more time to consider its plans. The reason is the planned Aerotropolis project was not part of the analysis.

Adams County Community Economic Development Department case manager Nick Eagleson presented the plans for Colorado Air and Spaceport to the Adams County Commissioners for approval in a public hearing Aug. 3.

“I did not see a mention of the CDOT reference or study of the Aerotropolis area,” said Commissioner Steve O’Dorisio.

The planning processes

Eagleson team posted a proposal and selected a consultant, Steven Chester, with Kimley-Horn in the spring of 2020. They also put together an advisory group, steering committee and stakeholder groups.

“I want to mention running concurrently is the Colorado Air Spaceport Master Plan, and Dave Ruppel, the director of CASP, is heading and focusing on expanding aerospace and spaceport capabilities while the subarea plan looks at the overall area outside of the spaceport,” Eagleson said.

Background

The intended vision is for the land use that surrounds CASP is development of infrastructure, roadways and public utilities. The sub-district plans are a guide for short- and long-term goals along with policies, standard and market potential, including jobs.

“We incorporated different plans and studies with multiple jurisdictions in the subarea, including the town of Bennett and the city of Aurora. We looked at the Aurora and Bennett’s comprehensive plans, including the Aurora transportation study and Adams County comprehensive plan as well,” said Eagleson.

Future planning process

Eagleson’s team developed focus group meetings to directly meet with residents, business owners and landowners.

“We also designated a website that was super handy and helpful to conduct online workshops and multiple surveys engaging with them to get public input,” he noted.

In feedback, the team developed six land use designations: industry hub, aerospace and innovation, light industrial, mixed-use industrial, green energy and sustainable agriculture, community hubs and neighborhood residential.

The team also received concerns from the public comments. The residents were worried about the future land use’s impact on property values and how would it impact business operations. Another question was if there would be added fl exibility for residential development in the town of Bennett.

The county’s comments revolved around using the sub-district plan in the transportation master plans and working on updating the comprehensive plan with “Advancing Adams.” Another area of interest was the potential of new parks, open spaces and trails within the sub-district.

“As far as outreach, we worked with the steering committee throughout the entire process, we saw what challenges and opportunities would be within the subarea,” Eagleson said. “We are also in collaboration between multiple jurisdictions such as the city of Aurora water and planning staff and Aurora Economic Development, Adams County and Metro Economic Development.” Other agencies involved are the city of Denver, Arapahoe County and representatives from the spaceport.

“When you brought forward plans to the board of county commissioners before, you laid out some options, do you remember what those were, can you walk through what are the fi nal outcomes?” asked O’Dorisio

“Those options were not of future land use but the current zoning within the subarea. We put out preferred alternatives and also a hybrid alternative of future land use recommendations on what it would look like, “ said Eagleson. “We asked for your feedback on what made the most sense. such as do we need a little bit more sustainable agriculture and green energy type of land uses? Or would you like to see those community hubs along certain corridors?”

“Of the three options, which was the most likely fi nal option,” O’Dorisio asked.

“The preferred alternative,” Eagleson said.

Commissioner Eva Henry also asked Chester with Kimley-Horn why wasn’t Areotropolis considered inside of the plan.

“I’m shocked you don’t know the plan he tells Chester especially when you are developing this in the area of the aerotropolis,” said Commissioner Chaz Tedesco. “I’m concerned that we are going by Denver’s vision of an aerotropolis, because we did have some confl ict about their vision as an aerotropolis and what our vision is as an aerotropolis.”

Tedesco recommended the team go back through the proposal and history.

“With a lot of the development that we are approving in that area, especially E-470, I’m a little shocked you didn’t incorporate Aerotropolis and yet Denver is putting its input when you are making those decisions and analysis,” said Tedesco.

“To clarify we did incorporate the Denver aerotropolis planning effort and some of the future visions in terms of land use and transportation into this plan.” Chester said. “I was just referencing the specifi c CDOT plan the commissioner brought up. I was familiar with that exact plan and the overall vision of aerotropolis planning with the city and the airport. It was incorporated and referenced during this planning effort.”

Raymond Gonzales, Adams County manager, injected and made a clarifi cation,

“I think that they are asking for is all the plans surrounding the CASP and just a list of them. I do know the CDOT aerotropolis plan was developed several years ago Commissioner O’Dorisio is referring to,” said Gonzales. “It might be the same thing you are referencing you just don’t know the exact titles. We just need to provide a list of those subarea plans that you used to help guide when you establish the subarea plan.”

“We will provide a more detailed list,” Chester said

Commissioner Lynn Baca said, “I think the 1-70 Regional Economic Advancement Partnership (REAP) would appreciate being involved in this. I-70 REAP is a regional local economic partnership which includes the town of Bennett and some other businesses and I would like to include special districts, like ARTA Aerotropolis Regional Transportation Authority.”

Gonzales recommended a continuance to a future study session -- the commissioners agreed -- and schedule a future date for adoption.

Land surrounding Colorado Air and Spaceport up for development.

COURTESY OF COLORADO AIR AND SPACEPORT