LOCAL

Wartner, who also pitches on the Warriors’ baseball team.

“I joined because it was based on sports,” Wartner said. “I’ve done color commentary so far. I like to talk. I like to talk to new people. I was nervous at fi rst, but it’s become routine now. I even did play by play of a basketball game.”

Khloe Gould is not interested in being on the air. She’s more at home behind the scenes.

“I’ve loved the class from the fi rst day,” said the FHS freshman. “I’ve learned a lot .. how to set up a broadcast, how to take it down, how to set up a tripod, how to set up a stream. It’s a top priority.”

Hayden Delier doesn’t want much to with the on-air piece either. But if it’s cameras, Delier is right there.

“On-mic? No,” he said. “I’m not super comfortable with it. I’ve learned to tell a story and to get different angles. Our basketball team had a pretty good season (it made the Final Four for the fi rst time since 1956). We were able to add more depthto our story by not making it about interviews but about the team as a whole.”

Josh Bailey has done color commentary and play by play for basketball games this season.

“I was nervous, thinking I was speaking in front of thousands of people,” Bailey said. “But I thought I could do it.”

Wartner loves to talk sports.

“But now, I’ve seen there is a deeper part of the game than what’s on the surface,” he said. “It’s given me the idea to go in and look at more teams’ stats.”

“It’s easy to commit to this,” Gould said. “I really like the techie stuff, the bigger cameras. Games are the fi rst priority.” Delier agreed.

“I enjoy the camera work and the photography. I take a lot of pictures of our sports teams,” Delier said. “I run the live streams at the church I go to, so that translates to this well.”

Exposure to other announcers

Marisol said the class listened to audio recordings of several announcers, some of whom yell and scream and some of whom are quieter. One of the more frequent voices on those recordings is that of former Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Vin Scully. He called Hank Aaron’s 715th career home run in 1974 – the record-breaker at the time – and then let the crowd roar for more than 90 seconds without saying a word.

“If you get a good call of a play, it makes a more memorable broadcast,” Bailey said. “I called a gamewinning play, and then I let the moment happen. I let the fans rush the court before I said anything else.”

COUNCIL

“We could not be successful” with this option, the staff notes said.

Council’s vote was unanimous.

Supplemental budget

Council also unanimously approved a $1.9 million supplemental budget resolution, retroactive to Dec. 31.

Financial Director Leann Perino said fi ve funds — the street improvement sales tax fund, the cemetery fund, the stormwater drainage enterprise fund, the golf course enterprise fund, the utility wastewater enterprise fund — overspent their budgets last year. The amounts ranged from $120 to more than $1.5 million.

Staff notes said approval means the expenses and end-of-year fund balances are correct and brings the balances back into line with state law.

There was no discussion. ation sales tax fund.

Doug Cook, the aquatics supervisor for the Fort Lupton Recreation Center, said the total cost for the courts -- including fencing -- totaled $55,000 and would come in under budget. Work could start as soon as mid-May.

Subdivision improvement

Council’s last expenditure approval — by another unanimous vote — involves an agreement for more than $1.6 million worth of subdivision improvements at the Cottonwood Greens subdivision near Ninth Street and College Avenue. Council OK’d the subdivision’s fourth planned urban development in November.

The agreement calls for the construction of water, nonpotable water and sanitary sewer main extensions inside the fourth fi ling for the Cottonwood Greens subdivision.

Public Works Director Roy Vestal said the contract also includes roadway construction, landscape and storm drainage improvement systems. it also includes money for the city to improve parts of Ninth Street on the southern edge of the development.

Staff notes said the developer, Cottonwood Development Partners, has to construct certain public improvements as a condition of subdivision approval.

Zach Wartner of Frederick High School helps prepare the opening for an upcoming FHS soccer broadcast.

Career aspirations

All four want to continue in their respective areas of interest in broadcasting when that time comes. Delier was a bit more hesitant than the others.

“How do I get in? Is the creative side what people want?” Delier asked. “The more I get into it, the more I can see doing this and some cinematography.”

“I’d love to do something like this,” Gould said. “I want to get more in-depth with this, but I really enjoy it.”

4 Fort Lupton Press

A program to end homelessness

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Northern Colorado Continuum awarded $1.45 million in federal funding to help the homeless in Weld and Larimer counties, according to a news release.

“In our fi rst time applying to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a Continuum of Care, the NoCO CoC received funding renewals for several permanent supportive housing, voucher and rental assistance projects,” said Kelli Pryor, the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care director.

Part of the funding is targeting homelessness, Pryor said.

“We were also granted competitive funding for Homeward Alliance’s regional homelessness data with a information system,” she said. “A new effort that will assist housing domestic violence survivors, as offered jointly by United Way and domestic violence service providers in the two counties.”

Homeward Alliance of Larimer County and United Way, and the continuum group work with over 40 services providers in two counties to get the homeless into a home. The continuum group was founded in January 2020, before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s the only third continuum of care developed out of its existing continuum.

In the fi rst year it was established, it was awarded $1.8 million from HUD and $2.3 million from the state of Colorado. The funds helped the homeless with housing from the impacts of the pandemic. According to offi cials, the funding helped about a hundred people into homes.

“This HUD award is the culmination of a number of years of effort that led to becoming our own Continuum of Care,” added Melanie Woolman, vice president of community impact with United Way. “It is an affi rmation of how well our providers in Larimer and Weld counties are doing in helping those that they serve to get back into housing. While not enough to do the whole job, the funding will accelerate their efforts. Plus, if we continue to perform well, it is likely that HUD will maintain if not increase the amount of resources year-after-year.”

Visit www.NoCOCoC.org or contact Kelli Pryor at KPryor@UnitedWay-Weld.org or 970-473-5121 to fi nd out more.

Roger Barget won the large clock that was ra ed o by the Fort Lupton Copper Kettle restaurant drawing contest. The ra e was open to any guests that visited

the restaurant on the opening of their drawing contest in January. PHOTO BY FRANCES LABARBERA

THE IT CROWD

Study eyes societal e ects of free diapers for needy

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A national study of diaper use is looking at the economic and health impacts of providing diapers to families in need, according to a press statement from the United Way of Weld County.

The Covering Weld Diaper Bank of Weld County and Aurora diaper bank WeeCycle are participating in a National Diaper Bank Network’s (NDBN) study, according to the press release.

“We know that diapers change lives,” said Amelia Ritchhart, family support coordinator with United Way of Weld County. “This study will help us prove it and provide our funders with more details about this need. “

The study looks at the soft impact on a community’s economic viability if diapers are available or not, she said.

“Most Northern Colorado child care providers require parents to provide diapers. No diapers mean no child care, and that keeps parents out of work, school and other essential activities,” she said. “By working with a team of economists, we’ll be able to quantify the impact of free diapers that supplement a family’s existing supply.”

According to offi cials, families nationwide are impacted when they are unable to afford diapers. One in three families has a limited income to buy diapers and keep an adequate supply each month to keep babies clean, dry, and healthy. Around the country, 250 diaper banks help to fi ll the gap.

National Diaper Bank Network will be conducting the economic study Covering Weld Diaper Bank of Weld County and WeeCycle, which are members of NDBN, a network of diaper banks that effi ciently provide for community needs with high standards of transparency.

“We’re grateful to have Covering Weld and WeeCycle as part of the Economic Impact Study,” said Joanne Goldblum, NDBN CEO. “Some of the best diaper banks from coast to coast are part of this work. We know that many assumptions get made about the people we serve. This is a chance for families experiencing diaper need to have their voices heard.”

A small pilot study that NDBN conducted showed that when families received free diapers from a diaper bank, they had extra money for other expenses. According to offi cials, the children had fewer diapers rashes with fewer visits to see the pediatrician.

“This study, like all our work, would not be possible without our partners,” said Lindsey Zaback, development director with WeeCycle.

“We are so grateful to be collaborating with agencies that both help families with their immediate needs and are dedicating time to explore the root causes of poverty and diaper need. The data from this study will be used to inform policy and to create lasting change for those experiencing diaper need in Colorado.”

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

United Power offi cials were excited as they opened their newest ChargePoint EV station along Interstate 27 April 20.

“I’m 100% excited! It’s essential because it fi lls this charging desert that is 30 miles between Thornton and Loveland,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s president and chief executive offi cer. “So, people are coming off the highway now have an opportunity to stop and charge. As we fi ll in infrastructure, that’s more and more important as EVs become more popular.”

The EV charging station is open to charge up with a 62.5 kW direct current fast charge off the northern Interstate-25 corridor for drivers traveling between Thornton and Loveland. Its new charging station is at United Power Carbon Valley Offi ce at 9586 W. 1-25 Frontage Road, Longmont.

“This is very exciting. It’s accessible not only to people in the Carbon Valley but to travelers along the I- 25 corridor and gives them a reason to stop,” said Jenn Venerable, Carbon Valley Chamber of Commerce executive director. “United power is a great partner and is involved with the community-at-large and the business community- a supporter of everything going on in Carbon Valley.”

In addition, customers can sign up for a ChargePoint’s mobile app account, and an activation card is mailed to their homes. This EV charger is funded with a grant from TriState Generation & Transmission.

“We are excited to have one here at this facility. It’s really important because were are on I-25 and it has easy access for people to charge up. This is the third EV charger we have added and it is United Power largest district, “ said Ursula Morgan, chairman of the board of United Power Chairman.

On May 11, 2021, an EV faster charger was installed at Market Street Mart in Keenesburg, just off of Interstate 76 northeast of Denver. The company’s fi rst EV charging station was installed at the United Power’s Coal Creek offi ce in 2019.

According to offi cials, United Power and the National Electric Highway Coalition’s goal is to provide EV charging stations by 2023. They estimate that by 2030 there will be about 22 million electric vehicles on the road, so offi cials predict there could be a need to build and install more than 100,000 fast chargers.

“Nearly 5,000 United Power members own electric vehicles,” said Gabriel. “We stand committed to strategically deploying a charging network capable of supporting our members and the thousands of others who commute daily throughout our territory.”

To learn about EV chargers, visit the online educational portal; savings calculator and additional information are available for members interested in EVs at www.unitedpower.com/ChooseEV.

Ursula Morgan, United Power chairman of the board with the new EV charging station o of North Interstate 25 corridor. PHOTO BY BELEN WARD

Colorado’s 1st youth TEDx event to be held April 30

BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A Shark Tank contestant. An entrepreneur. A 16-year-old junior in high school.

These all describe Jack Bonneau, but most recently he is the organizer of the TEDxYouth@CherryCreek event that will take place on April 30 at Legacy High School in Broomfi eld. “I really wanted to give you the opportunity to share their ideas just like I had,” he said.

Bonneau has presented two Ted Talks in the past. One was about how kids can be their own role models and another on the importance of youth entrepreneurship in today’s education.

He dipped his toes into the business world at age eight when he started Jack’s Stands and Marketplaces sold lemonade, ice tea and other young entrepreneur’s products. The motivation was a LEGO Star Wars Death Star his father told him he had to buy with his own money.

His latest business is called Teen Hustl, which is a last-mile delivery service delivering packages, restaurant food, groceries and more all on electric scooters and bikes.

Now, he’s organizing the fi rst youth TEDx event in Colorado with 17 students presenting on a wide variety of subjects, including happiness as a service, pronouns, the future of artifi cial intelligence and more.

Shining a light on youth

He thinks the youth has a special voice that isn’t always heard.

“We hear all the different perspectives from adults but rarely do we shine a light on the youth who will be our future and who have so much to say,” he said.

Michael Jenet, Co-Curator of TEDx Cherry Creek, said they have hosted teenagers in the past, but this is the fi rst event in Colorado strictly hosting youth.

“A lot of teenagers have been on our stages over the years, but we’ve never done an all youth event,” he said.

He hopes it’s the fi rst of a potential annual event that would be hosted at different high schools each year.

The students go through professional training on how to give a Ted Talk. TEDxCherry Creek worked with them for three months.

Tickets are available at TEDxYouth@CherryCreek - Events - Universe.

Jack Bonneau, but most recently he is the organizer of the TEDxYouth@CherryCreek event that will take place on April 30 at Legacy High School Local company, Veteran owned, Integrity focused

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Change the action and change the outcome

Just like many of you, sometimes I get so overloaded with work that I fall behind a little and need to play catch up. This happened to me earlier this week. With a big writing project due, as well as several other initiatives, I was starting to feel a little stressed out. And as I thought about all the writing I had to do, it was overwhelming and probably the last thing that I wanted to begin doing.

Although I didn’t feel like doing it in that moment, I grabbed my second cup of coffee and headed to my desk surrounded by research material and started writing. Did I feel like writing at first? No, I didn’t. But once I took the action to get started, my attitude improved, so my thinking improved, and within two days I completed the project.

In last week’s column I shared how changing our thoughts could change our outcomes. Staying with that same theme, I wanted to share how changing our actions will also change our outcomes. There are always times where we don’t feel like doing something, especially something hard, or taking on a task that sucks the energy from us. When that happens it’s easy to give in and walk away. But if we start doing the work or the task, we usually wind up working ourselves into a better mood. There has always been a healthy debate about this topic. Does attitude drive the behavior, or does the behavior drive the attitude? There are people who believe that applying a positive mindset can help them overcome the barriers and they can start doing the work. They change their action by first changing their attitude. This works well for those people who have this capability, but it doesn’t work for everyone.

There are others who believe that by jumping in and starting the work regardless of how they feel, they will tell you that after taking step one and starting, steps two, three, four and more propel them into doing the task with a much better attitude. These are also the people who will usually look for the hardest or biggest project or task that needs to get done and do that one first. If there is a difficult or challenging conversation that needs to take place, it’s going to be their first call.

For those of us who work out there are those mornings or days where we just don’t feel like it. Some give in and crawl back under the covers. And some know that all they must do is get up, get to the gym, begin a run, or jump on a bike and within just a few minutes of acting, they are happy and motivated as they work towards their health goals.

When it comes to prospecting most salespeople will own up to the fact that they dislike cold calling or making phone calls to find their prospects. It’s really their least favorite thing to do. But again, once they take that first step, take the action of making that first call, they will generally get fired up as they set appointments and make some sales. They change their attitude by changing the action, and by doing both they create a solid sales funnel and enjoy the commissions that they earn.

It doesn’t have to be an “either or” situation. I prefer the word “And” over “Or” any day. When I can combine a healthy positive attitude while also taking the actions necessary to achieve my goals, I find that approach always works better for me personally.

What do you think, do you rely on your state of mind to determine the actions you will take? Do you trust in your actions and that they will lead to a better attitude on your way to getting things done or achieving your goal? I would love to hear your story at mnorton@xinnix.com and when we can change our actions and our thoughts to change our outcomes, it really will be a better than good year.

WINNING WORDS

Michael Norton

Michael Norton is the grateful president of XINNIX, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.

Time to change direction for high-school sports

The shortage of offi cials in highschool sports has been welldocumented.

A survey of state high-school associations indicated about 50,000 individuals ended their days as highschool offi cials since the 2018-19 school year.

In addition to trying to interest more people in offi ciating high school sports, the National Federation of State High School Associations and leaders in state associations have been attempting to retain the thousands of men and women who are serving as high school sports offi cials.

However, unacceptable behavior by coaches, parents and other spectators has pushed many offi cials to the sidelines. After all, why would anyone who is trying to help high-school students compete on the fi elds and courts want to be harassed, ridiculed and abused - sometimes even physically - while trying to do their jobs?

If this current trend is going to be reversed, we must determine why people feel compelled to mistreat offi cials at high school sporting events.

Some of those possible reasons were discussed last week in Indianapolis at the fi rst NFHS Offi cials Consortium. With everyone in agreement that the offi ciating profession - particularly at the youth and high-school levels - is in crisis mode, leaders from all levels of sports discussed problems and shared possible solutions during the three-day meeting.

After listening to survey results from leaders with the National Association of Sports Offi cials that indicated continued declines in the number of offi cials, veteran NCAA basketball referee Chris Rastatter offered two thoughts as to why many spectators act in a negative manner toward offi cials.

First, he said it has become commonplace for individuals involved in covering sports - radio and television announcers and other media - to dissect and judge the work of offi cials. As a result, with human nature being what it is, the coverage is often slanted in a negative manner.

As this type of repetitive negative coverage has continued over time, it has empowered those watching sports to be judge and jury as well. If the person broadcasting a game can criticize the offi cials, why can’t the spectators do the same?

Second, the boorish behavior of fans attending sporting events is being normalized. What used to be good-natured heckling has turned mean, insulting and violent. National surveys have shown that almost one of every two offi cials feel threatened after offi ciating a game. Unfortunately, this type of behavior is almost anticipated at sporting events.

Others voiced similar sentiments during the consortium and agreed that changes are needed in the general public’s perception about men and women who offi ciate sports in our country. In some cases, people go to sporting events not to watch and enjoy the game but to yell at the offi cials. This must stop.

While our focus is on high-school sports, the criticism of offi cials and bad behavior of fans at the college and professional levels has a trickle-down effect. The negative perception of offi cials did not occur overnight and cannot be changed instantaneously, but a shift in a more positive direction must begin now.

Everyone must be involved in these changes - students, parents, coaches, administrators and those in the media. Bad behavior has been handed down and become anticipated and expected, but changes must occur.

Those individuals watching and covering high-school sports must turn their focus to the student-athletes playing the games and away from the individuals offi ciating the contests. As this shift happens, a more positive behavior will become normalized.

Despite some of the negative behavior issues in high-school sports, almost 70,000 individuals have expressed an interest in offi ciating the past four years through the NFHS’ Become an Offi cial program. Imagine how many people would be interested in continuing a career in high school sports if they were actually praised and appreciated for their efforts.

Behaviors can be changed, but it will take efforts from everyone to turn the ship in a more positive direction.

GUEST COLUMN

Karissa Nieho

Karissa Niehoff is the Chief executive offi cer for the Indianapolis-based National Federation of State High School Associations.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Garden tips a treat

I am writing to respond to the April 4, 2021 article entitled “5 Tips for Gardening with Kids.” I appreciate this article because I currently babysit a 3-year-old who loves gardening, but I have never gardened and therefore know nothing about gardening with a young child. This article showed me how to safely garden with a child. Even though this article was published a year ago, this is my first time reading from this newspaper. I look forward to reading more articles from this newspaper in the future.

Elsie Rabus, Thornton

FORT SERVING THE LUPTON COMMUNITY SINCE 1906

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