Fort Lupton Press 011923

Our in-depth look at the housing crisis

BY TAYLER SHAW AND LUKE ZARZECKI COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

A home means everything to Shelley Gilson, a 50-year-old single mother of three girls who works as a guest service agent at an airline.  “It’s one word: priceless,” she

said.

e rising cost of housing in the Denver area has made it di cult for her to a ord a home. She spent years bounding around working for low pay, including to several a ordable housing communities across the state.

Eventually, more than a decade ago, she found a home at Orchard Crossing Apartments in Westminster. It is an a ordable housing community that includes Section 8 housing, the federal government program that provides vouchers to low-income families, the disabled and elderly.

Aims expands metal art program to Fort Lupton

Creative Welding program debuts in Fort Lupton this semester

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

O cials at Aims Community College are hoping their Fort Lupton campus can become the starting point for a new generation of metal artists.

“We want to expand the class to more folk and communities that want to learn how to create art with welding,” said Cody Jones, Department Chairman for the Welding and Technology Department for the Fort Lupton and Greeley Aims Community campuses.

Aims has o ered a welding program at the Greeley campus for ten years and the Fort Lupton campus for seven years. e Creative Welding class has been successfully taught at the Greeley campus, so the administration decided to bring it to the Fort Lupton campus.

is is the rst time the Creative Welding program will be o ered at the Fort Lupton Aims campus. It kicks o in this upcoming semester, set to begin in February.

e instructor for this class is Brian Martella, who owns Erie Atomic Forge & Welding. Martella and has an art sculpture degree from CSU.

“He has been running his own business in art sculpture and general metal fabrication for over 20 years and has been teaching at Aims for 10 years. He’s a fantastic instructor,” Jones said.

Jones said that each Creative Welding student works on their project, each with di erent ideas.

“ e class is designed for anybody — with zero experience or those who have been doing it for 10 to 15 years and may need little extra guid-

Weld Commissioners assigned new roles

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Weld County Commissioner Mike Freeman will take over as Commission Chair while Perry Buck will assume the role of Chair Pro-Tem for 2023.

Commissioners are required to select the chair and pro-tem and to make coordinator and advisory board assignments each year according to the county’s charter.

Freeman was elected to the chairman, and Perry Buck serves as chairwoman pro-tem. e chairperson leads the commissioner’s meeting, and when the chairperson is absent, the pro-tem oversees the meetings.

Freeman will also serve as the coordinator for six county functions: the departments of Finance and Administration, Accounting and Purchasing, Clerk to the Board, the County Attorney, Human Resources, and the Treasurer’s O ce.

Freeman will also serve on the

WELDING

FROM PAGE 1

ance on a particular project they are working on,” Jones said.

Federal Mineral Lease Board and Regional Communications Advisory Board.

Buck will serve as the coordinator for the departments of Health, the Coroner’s O ce, Information Technology, Justice Services, the O ce of Emergency Management, and Public Safety Communications.

Buck will serve on four advisory boards. She serves on the Bright Futures, Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board, the Update Colorado Economic Development Board; North Front Range Metropolitan Organization. Buck will also serve as an alternate member for the GreeleyWeld County Airport Authority and

shows females in these weld classes was about 8% last semester, and it’s increasing to 18%,” Jones said. “We are excited the Fort Lupton class is half-full of registered students already.”

In the classes, Jones said many artists and hobbyists are building end tables for their homes, some have built re pits and rewood holders, and some people are working on bumpers for their SUVs.

“ e primary student will become an artist and a lot of people come out of programs building kinetic sculptures,” Jones said.

Jones said the classes are smaller, about ten people, with a maximum of 15. It’s a class for both men and women.

“We typically have a large demographic of females in this class. e state data

e Creative Welding class starts at the Fort Lupton Aims campus every Friday on February 10 through April 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:35 p.m. e course is repeatable with a maximum of 12 credit hours.

Students interested in the Welding program should contact the Welding Department for advising and registration.

For information about Greeley classes, call 970- 339-6203 or email welding. greeley@aims.edu. For information about Fort Lupton classes, call 303- 7185345 or email welding.fortlupton@aims. edu.

the Pretrial Services Advisory Board.

Commissioner Kevin Ross will serve as the coordinator for the departments of Public Works, Facilities, Veteran Services, and Fleet Services.

Ross will also serve on the GreeleyWeld County Airport Authority and the Upstate Colorado Economic Development Board.

Commissioner Lori Saine will serve as the coordinator for the departments of Planning Services, the Oil and Gas Energy Department, and the Extension O ce. Saine will serve on the Extension Advisory Council and Island Grove Park Advisory Board.

Commissioner Scott James will serve as the coordinator for the Department of Human Services.

James will also serve on the 911 Emergency Telephone Authority Board, the Human Services Advisory Commission, Bright Futures, North Front Range Metropolitan Organization and as a non-voting member of E-470 Public Highway Authority.

Left, Commissioner Scott James, Commissioner Perry Buck, Commissioner Mike Freeman, Commissioner Lori Saine, and Commissioner Kevin Ross. COURTESY WELD COUNTY

Creative welding class to learn metal sculpting. COURTESY FORT LUPTON AIMS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Jan. 1

Police arrested a Fort Lupton woman, 33, at Paci c Court & 14th Street on a Weld County warrant for a domestic violence-related criminal mischief charge. She was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

A Fort Lupton man, 45, was taken into custody at Paci c Court & 15th street on a Weld County warrant for failure to comply with the conditions of probation. He was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

Police arrested a Boulder man, 40, at Denver Avenue & 14th Street on a protection order violation and a tra c o ense. He was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

BRIEFS

butter drive

e Tailtwisters 4-H Club’s fth annual Spread the Love Peanut Butter Drive continues through Tuesday, Feb. 14. It’s a bene t for the Fort Lupton Food and Clothing Bank.

Financial and canned donations are welcome. Donate peanut butter jars at the KM Cup, 721 Fourth St., Cinna-A-Brew, 2424 E. Bridge St., Brighton, or call 720-353-1649.

ONGOING

Splash pad

e city of Fort Lupton is searching for comments about and spon-

Jan. 2

Police issued a summons to a New York woman, 29, for causing a tra c accident and driving too fast for the conditions at U.S. Highway 85 & 14th Street.

A Fort Lupton man, 55, reported mail stolen from his mailbox in the 5000 block of Weld County Road 23.

Jan. 3

A Platteville man, 41, was arrested in the 600 block of 14th street on an Adams County warrant for failure to appear on a civil issue bond. He was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

Police arrested a Fort Lupton man, 21, at South Purman Avenue & Corvette Circle on a Weld County warrant for failure to comply with conditions of probations on domestic violence-related harassment charges. He was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

Jan. 4

A Dacono man, 22, was issued a summons at

sorships for a new splash pad. Sponsor funds will be used for the splash park and amenities. Call 303-857-6694

Donation time e Fort Lupton Food & Clothing Bank is asking for donations of canned fruits and nuts, varieties of dry pasta and pasta dinners, peanut butter and canned meat such as tuna (including the pouches). Other potential donations could include chicken, Vienna sausages, spam and salmon. e bank also needs personal items, such as toiletries and baby needs. Drop o donations at the food

U.S. Highway 85 & Weld County Road 22 for a careless driving accident at U.S. Highway 85 & Weld County Road 22.

Police arrested a Fort Lupton man, 18, in the 1400 block of Second Street for an Adams County Sheri ’s O ce warrant alleging failure to appear on a peace o ce charge. He was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

Jan. 5

Employees of Baessler Homes reported a theft from the property in the 500 block of South Rollie Avenue. e case is under investigation.

Jan. 6

A Longmont woman, 58, was issued a summons at U.S. Highway 85 & State Highway 52 for using ctitious plates and driving while her license was under restraint. She was also arrested on a Weld County warrant for failure to comply with conditions of probation on a vehicular eluding charge. She was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

and clothing bank’s back door, 421 Denver Ave., weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Call 303-8571096.

Walk with a doc Platte Valley Medical Center’s cardiac rehab team and Walk With A Doc will host monthly walks with Dr. Christopher Cannon, an interventional cardiologist at Brighton Heart and Vascular Institute. is is a walking program for everyone interested in taking steps for a healthier lifestyle. After a few minutes to learn about a current health topic from the doctor, spend the rest of the hour enjoying

a healthy walk and fun talk.

Blessings

in a Bag

Fort Lupton’s Backpack Program helps school children in need with a backpack of healthy food. It’s an allvolunteer program and is in need of volunteers. If interested in volunteering or donating, call 303-718-4440. Mail donations to Blessings in a Bag, 306 Park Ave., Fort Lupton 80621.

Drop-in child care e Fort Lupton Recreation Center o ers drop-in child care from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and ursdays. Call 303-857-4200.

Here are the police reports for Jan 1 through Jan. 6 to the Fort Lupton Police Department. Not every call made to the police is not listed on this report.

Fort Lupton’s Balcazar working toward state title repeat

BY JUAN ARELLLANO

SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

“Rylee is a tough worker,” Fort Lupton girls wrestling coach Chris Tijerina said. “She puts in the time, she works with all the girls. She makes all the girls in wrestling much better.”

As Tijerina describes junior Rylee Balcazar, it’s easy to tell that she is one of the leaders on the team and sets the example for the rest of the girls. Her hard work and dedication is re ected on the mat day in and day out, Tijerina said.

Balcazar placed third in the state tournament during her freshman year. Last year, during her sophomore year, she became the rst girls wrestling state champion in Fort Lupton school history. Her title was in the 100-pound weight class, and she became only the second girls state champion in Weld County history.

Despite being the defending state champion in her weight class, Balcazar said she’s had a rough start to the season, losing her rst match.

“ e girl I lost to came from California, and it was the rst match of the season. It was an eye-opener. I know people are trying to come at me and I was a bit hot-headed,” she said. “So now, I realize I really need to try harder.”

e coaching sta is aware that the eyes of other teams around the state are on Balcazar, which has been a double-edged sword throughout the season.

“ e unfortunate thing is because she is such a good wrestler, a majority of the time when we go to duals, girls will either go up in weight or down in weight because they don’t want to wrestle her. It makes it really di cult to get her matches, and most of the time, the only matches we get her are in tournaments,” mentioned Tijerina.

is season, the Bluedevils’ girls wrestling program is undefeated in four dual meets, plus a team championship in one tournament and a third-place e ort in another. at is extra motivation for Balcazar, as the state tournament is around the corner.

“Yes, I’m really motivated. I really want it again for the school and to motivate other girls on my team because I’m helping them out also. I don’t want to be the only one [state champion] this year,” Balcazar said.

“[Last year] was great. She was my rst state champion, so I loved it,” Tijerina said. “We’re working for state champion No. 2, for sure. We think we are going to win back-to-back and, if not, win again her third year. She’s pushing all the girls to be right next to her.”

Balcazar is not only a standout on the wrestling mat, she is part of the softball team that has gone to the state tournament several years running. She is on the varsity girls soccer team and also participates in track and eld.

“It keeps me in shape all year. is year, I might step away from soccer to continue my wrestling career in

freestyle. But I’m still going to be in soccer a little bit because I was in competitive also,” mentioned Balcazar.

e junior is living proof that hard work and dedication can help student-athletes accomplish their goals in whatever sport they participate. Tijerina is certain that she will accomplish her goals even after high

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school.

“She’s a great girl, and we want nothing but the best for her. We know she’s going to do great, we know she will do great when she graduates from here and be one of our college wrestlers that are going to succeed and, hopefully, bring a national championship,” the coach said.

Eight wrestlers place at Frederick Golden Eagle Invitational

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

FREDERICK -- Horizon’s Camden Neil took second place at 190 pounds at the Frederick Golden Eagle Invitational Jan. 14. He won his two contested matches by pinfall before losing to Vista Peak’s Ezekiel Taylor in the nals.

Jordan Harris was third at 215 pounds. His only tournament loss was in the semi nals. He beat Max Ray of Monrch, Tyler May of Silver Creek and Diego Vallejos of Northridge.

Kyler Manternach took fourth place at 157 pounds. Manternach received a rst-round bye, then split his four tournament matches. He beat Erie’s Wyatt Watson by decision and pinned Mountain Range’s Eric Ramirez in the consolation seminals.

As for the Mustangs, Zach Cronholm was second at 132 pounds. He pinned his first three opponents in less than 3 1/2 minutes. Max Vejnar was second at 215 pounds. He pinned his first three opponents in just about five minutes of mat time.

Fort Lupton junior Rylee Balcazar shakes the hand of Stanley Lake High School Girls Wrestling Coach prior to their duel on Wednesday Jan. 11, 2023 at Fort Lupton High School.

PHOTO BY JUAN ARELLANO

Borgmann, former CHSAA assistant commissioner, dies

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When former Colorado High School Activities Association assistant Commissioner Bert Borgmann died Jan. 9, Skyview girls basketball coach Chris Kemm summed up the feelings of many who are involved in high-school athletics in Colorado.

“Nooooo. Not another friend and one of the good guys,” Kemm tweeted. “My heart hurts. Bert helped me elevate my voice for highschool basketball in Colorado.”

“Shocked and saddened by the passing of retired CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann,” tweeted Cherry Creek High Schol Athletic Director Jason Wilkins. “Bert was a big deal and really good for kids. He advanced Colorado and put his soul into his work. Bert helped me out a great number of times. He is a legend in Colorado highschool sports”

Our Family Helping Your Family

Borgmann, who spent 33 years with CHSAA before retiring in 2021, died of complications from recent surgery. He was 67. His son,. Logan, made the announcement on Facebook.

“On Monday Jan. 9, at approximately 6 p.m., our father, Bert Borgmann, the strongest man I’ve ever known, left this mortal plane and went to be with our mom,” the post read.

“ e loss of my father was a surprise and de nitely has

been a very di cult time. We will miss him dearly and know that his in uence and mentorship spread far and wide.”

“My dad was one of the best people I’ve ever known. He was sel ess and caring. He loved sports and his family more than anything. I won’t remember him the way I’ve seen him the past few days, but I’ll remember him the way he looked when he walked me down the aisle on my wedding day,” said Borgmann’s daughter, Callie Kryder, on Facebook. “ e way he danced with me to a song picked out by my mom before she passed. I’ll remember the way he looked when Kyle and I told him that we were expecting. And the way I knew his smile lit up when we told him that we were having a baby girl.”

“We lost a great man and massive in uence on CO High School Basketball. RIP,” said Rangeview basketball coach Shawn Palmer on Twitter.

CHSAANow.com recounted Borgmann’s many awards during his 33-year tenure at CHSAA. He received the Jim Saccomano Award (National Football Federation – Colorado Chapter), the Ray Lutz Award (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference), is a member of the Colorado Dugout Club Hall of Fame (Colorado Baseball Coaches Association), received the NFHS Section 6 Citation Award for outstanding contribution to the mission of the NFHS, served as chair and acting member of the NFHS Press Committee and was a Lifetime Honorary Member of the International Association of Approved Basketball O cials Board 4.

“ e hearts of the CHSAA family are breaking tonight at the loss of a true champion for high school sports and activities,” tweeted CHSAA Commissioner Mike Krueger. “Rest in peace and love my dear friend. ank you for epitomizing servant leadership.”

“Wanna pass my deepest condolences to the family of Bert Borgmann, who passed away,” said Altitude Sports personality Vic Lombardi. “Bert was the backbone of CHSAA for so many years. A remarkable career serving youth in Colorado highschool sports.”

“So heartbreaking to lose a good man,” said Virginia Lorbeer, who helped Borgmann run the state basketball tournaments for several years.

“When I started as an AD, Bert was always there to talk to and get guidance from,” said Horizon’s Marty Tonjes on Twitter. “Loved our conversations about everything Colorado sports. He loved the preps.”

Borgmann grew up in Broom eld, graduated from Colorado State University and lived in Aurora.Service arrangements are incomplete. His wife, Alexandra Hays, predeceased him. Survivors include his two children, Logan and Callie, and his grandson, Connor.

24-Hour Phone Lines 303-654-0112 • 303-857-2290

Brighton: 75 S. 13th Avenue Obituaries, Arrangements and Resources Online at taborfuneralhome.com

January

Carl Dean Patton, 85, passed away December 11, 2022 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan.

Carl was born on January 1, 1937 to omas and Blanche (Hendrickson) Patton in Fort Morgan. He was the oldest of ten children, raised on the family farm in Roggen. Carl attended Kiowa’s one room schoolhouse until the 8th grade. He was a mechanic and spent his days farming and operating heavy equipment. He enjoyed driving truck, so he purchased a semi and started his own business, C&F Custom Hauling. Carl retired at the age of 84 and spent his last years turning wrenches with his son Tommy. He knew a little about everything when it came to xing things and was as tough as they come. Carl enjoyed shing and boating with his family and friends, telling jokes, and a tall glass of whiskey.

Carl was preceded in death by his parents;

and two sisters, Dorothy Ley and Betty Burnett.

Carl is survived by his three children, Don (Luann) Patton of Fort Lupton, Carlene Patton of Fort Lupton, and Tommy (Connie) Patton of Fort Morgan; six grandchildren, Mistie Coursey, Nicole Engbarth, Sandy Fry, Craig Patton, Autumn and Brittannie Ramirez; 12 great-grandchildren; four brothers: Jim Patton of Greeley, Ira and Clyde Patton of Roggen, and Roy Patton of Frederick; and three sisters: Carol Rice of Bridgeport, NE, Toby Schwindt of Wheatland, WY, and Ruth Collins of Crested Butte.

A memorial service will be held at Life Fellowship Church Friday January 20, 2023 at 2:00pm, followed by a time of fellowship and refreshments. Donations are being accepted to help o set funeral expenses at fundafamily.com.

Bert Borgmann and his son, Logan PROVIDED

PATTON

Carl Dean Patton

1, 1937 - December 11, 2022

VOICES

A new year, a clean slate

more on your bond or money market yields.

FINANCIAL STRATEGIES

As we usher in 2023, we say “good riddance” to the market mayhem of 2022. “A year to forget” is how one of our research partners dubbed 2022. Despite a modest rebound for many asset classes during the fourth quarter, 2022 turned out to be one of the worst years on record for multi-asset portfolios. ere were very few investment categories that posted positive returns for the full year. According to Ned Davis Research, it was the rst time on record that both the S&P 500 Index and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index lost more than 10 percent in a calendar year. is means there was nowhere to hide. Both conservative and aggressive investors likely lost money. Some bond funds, normally considered the safer haven in a portfolio, were down double digits for the year as interest rates pushed higher. e good news is you might be earning a little

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LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

Brett Lapierre, CFA cites stubbornly high in ation and aggressive rate hikes from most of the world’s central banks as two main reasons for the di cult year and weak performance across the nancial markets. e Russia/Ukraine con ict also added to the volatility, although it helped energy-related assets post positive results for the quarter and year. China shutting down for much of the year hurt exports and supply chains.

“ e U.S. economy showed more signs of slowing despite rebounding during the third quarter and likely seeing positive gains for the fourth quarter. e labor market remained one of the bright spots in the U.S. economy as the year ended, but the risk of a recession unfolding over the next 12 months remains elevated in my view,” says Lapierre.

During the fourth quarter, markets got a little reprieve with in ation data further improving and the Federal Reserve slowing down its rate hiking campaign. But the Fed has not quite nished raising rates yet. Nevertheless, interest rates were a little steadier during the fourth quarter than

earlier in the year with the 2-year U.S. Treasury yield nishing at 4.41%, up 19 basis points on the quarter, while the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield nished at 3.88%, up 5 basis points on the quarter. For the year, yields were up 363 basis points and 225 basis points, respectively.

is is signi cant movement in the xed income world where many retirees are invested. Designing custom portfolios this year will be crucial for investors, especially if you were able to tax-loss harvest last year. You have a clean slate to begin a new strategy in a new year that ts with your nancial plan. Don’t wait to get in front of your advisor while the year is young.

Brett Lapierre, CFA, is Senior Investment Strategist for Mariner Wealth Advisors

Patricia Kummer has been a certi ed nancial planner professional and a duciary for over 35 years and is Managing Director for Mariner Wealth Advisors, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser.

Our focus controls our balance

WINNING

As a part of his workout, he included time standing on in atable balance discs in between sets of weightlifting. His goal was to maintain his balance on the disc for 45 seconds while standing on each leg. Sometimes he stayed in balance for more than 45 seconds, and other times he lost his balance quickly. As I watched his routine, I became curious. When we both nished our workout, I approached him to ask about his workout and goals for the balance disc.

He shared with me that he was using the balance disc for several reasons. He wanted to make sure he was working on the little muscles around his ankles and knees. And he also felt like it improved his balance when walking, hiking, gol ng and skiing. en I asked him about why he was able to remain standing on one leg on the balance disc sometimes for a minute or more, and other times he lost his balance early or in just 10 or 15 seconds.

His response didn’t shock me. He shared that when he was able to maintain his focus on staying in balance on the disc, he could stay on for longer periods of time. He always stood in front of a mirror in the gym and would center his eyes on his chest in the re ection.

e times when he achieved the greatest success were when he remained focused on his position. However, he said that when he lost his balance early it was because he allowed his mind to drift onto other things going on in his life.

How many of us lose our balance in life when we allow ourselves to become distracted? We all want balance, yet too often we wind up being our own worst enemy as we spread ourselves too thin. When we do this, we invite distraction into our lives, knocking us o balance and out of harmony. And when we nd ourselves feeling like we have lost it and balance is nowhere to be found, we should remember the lesson from my friend in the gym and reacquire our focus.

lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SCOTT TAYLOR Metro North Editor staylor@coloradocommunitymedia.com

BELEN WARD Community Editor bward@coloradocommunitymedia.com

STEVE SMITH Sports Editor ssmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

TERESA ALEXIS Marketing Consultant Classified Sales talexis@coloradocommunitymedia.com

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

e rst thing we need to do is to understand our priorities and where we want balance and harmony in our lives. Once we are completely aware of what is truly important to us, then we can align our expectations and boundaries so that we don’t give way to the distractions that pop up. And most importantly, after establishing our priorities and setting our boundaries, is that we remain focused on the people, activities and things in life that bring us the greatest joy and satisfaction.

Let’s face it, distractions come at us all day long, life happens. ey come in the form of calls, texts, emails, news, social media, unexpected circumstances and situations. We can never completely avoid being sidetracked, but we can minimize our chances of being distracted by knowing and owning our priorities and remaining focused on those.

Not taking the time to think through and commit to what is most important to us is like trying to drive somewhere that we have never been without GPS or a map. And as the old quote by Lewis Carroll goes, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

Where are we missing our balance? Is it at home? At work? In our relationships? If we could improve the harmony in our lives, where would it create the greatest impact? For me, my balance comes when I remain focused on the ve Fs in life: my faith, family, friends, tness and nances, and in that order. And now thanks to my new friend from the gym, I can add the sixth F, focus.

Are you nding balance in the most important areas of your life? Would a little more focus and less distractions help you nd your balance? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we can maximize balance by minimizing distractions, 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.

Columnists

& Guest Commentaries

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The Long Way Home Examining the impacts of the housing crisis

People across the metro area are struggling to a ord a place to live. Minimum wage earners might spend upwards of 60% of their paychecks on rent. Many millennials, now entering their 40s, have accumulated less wealth than prior generations and are struggling to nd a rst home they can a ord. At the same time, those who might sell, baby boomers, are prone to hold onto their homes, unable to downsize in the supercharged market. ese and other factors, including homelessness, a history of racial disparities where 71% of white Coloradans own homes but only 42% of Black Coloradans do, and a slow down in building that began more than a decade ago during the Great Recession, add up to constitute what some experts call a crisis in housing a ordability and availability.

Over the last six months, two dozen journalists, editors and sta at Colorado Community Media worked to answer questions on why this is happening, how

TRICKLING UP

FROM PAGE 1

From work to school to neighborhood events, the program has created a way for Gilson’s family to be a part of a community. With housing and communities come resources, though not all are created equal.

Gilson explained that in her prior communities — predominantly lower socioeconomic status and people of color — it resulted in a lack of resources, such as academic and mental health.

at’s why she moved to Westminster, where she has lived for 12 years.

“I wanted my kids to have a stable education and stable housing,” she said.

It’s not just low-income residents who struggle to a ord housing. Across the metro area and along the Front Range, rising in ation and mortgage rates, a long-term building slowdown and increasingly crowded cities and towns have combined to create what some observers and experts say is a housing crisis.

More and more people throughout the metro area are nding the cost of renting or buying a home eating up signi cant portions of their budgets.

“ at’s the No. 1 reason that people move, is they can’t keep up with their rent (and) utilities payments,” said Heidi Aggeler, manag-

we got here and what the solutions are. e work to nd the answers carried our journalists along the Front Range to talk to mayors, housing authorities, experts and, most importantly, lower- and middle-class families experiencing the crisis rst hand.

Our reporters and editors also held focus groups, talking directly to prospective homebuyers, like the single mom worried that another rent increase could land her in her car and the real estate agent who understood the problems but worried about a lack of solutions.

Over the next four weeks, Colorado Community Media provides an in-depth look at how the current crisis impacts our communities. In Week 1, e Long Way Home breaks down how we got here. On Week 4, we look at how local, state and federal governments are investing millions of dollars into a range of possible solutions – from helping the homeless to a ordable housing programs.

ing director and co-founder of Root Policy Research, a Denver-based community planning and housing research rm.

ere’s a term for it: “cost-burdened,” which describes households paying more than 30% of their income on housing. A little more than 700,000 households in Colorado are cost-burdened, most of which are renters, according to a November 2021 report from Root Policy Research.

“We’ve never done a very good job of housing extremely low-income people and families and helping to move them out of poverty,” Aggeler said. “We’ve never had enough resources to adequately address that.”

People who make $25,000 or less a year have long faced a housing crisis on some level, Aggeler said. But now, the number of people who make more money and are feeling the pinch of high housing costs is growing.

It has become increasingly common for middle-income households with incomes of roughly $35,000-$75,000 to experience cost burden, according to Root Policy Research.

As long as Colorado continues to be an attractive place for people to move to, invest in and retire, Aggeler thinks housing challenges will continue.

ere are also too few options for would-be buyers. Many nd the cost of single-family homes beyond their reach but have few options a

Contributors to theproject include:

step below that, such as condos.

“If you believe that Colorado will be a place that employers will continue to want to move to, then I think … the outlook may not be good unless we accelerate production and density and fund housing at the level that is needed,” Aggeler said.

The cost of housing

Practically every community in the metro area is facing its own housing a ordability and availability issues. South of Denver, in Lone Tree, Mayor Jackie Millet said there is a “housing crisis.”

“I think it varies in severity throughout our state, but I do think it is a problem that is a ecting all of Colorado,” she said. “ ere’s so much supply pressure on our market right now that we have, then, created this crisis.”

Not everyone is describing it as a crisis, but those who use that word point to the numbers across the metro area, as the costs of singlefamily homes and townhomes have skyrocketed.

Northwest of Denver, in Arvada, the median sale price of a singlefamily home was $667,000 as of late 2022, according to the Colorado Association of Realtors. at’s up by 71% from 2017, when the price was around $390,000.

e story is similar in Brighton, northeast of Denver, where the median sale price increased by approximately $225,000 over that period.

Littleton, south of Denver, saw an increase of approximately $300,000 in the price of single-family homes from 2017 to 2022.

Lone Tree saw an increase of $473,750.

“What we have seen is our housing prices doubling and our wages have not been keeping up,” Millet said.

From 2000 to 2019, median rents rose at a faster rate than median renter household incomes did “in every Colorado county and city with 50,000+ residents,” according to Root Policy Research.

Many residents want a home of their own, Millet said.

“ at was our ultimate goal, and that is also the way most of us accumulated wealth,” she said.

When the cost of buying or renting is too high, however, people cannot establish these roots, she added.

Supply versus demand

One of the main causes of the rise in cost-burdened households and lack of a ordable housing is that production has failed to keep up with demand.

ere was a 40% decrease in the number of homes built between 2010 and 2020 in Colorado, according to the 2022 “A ordable Housing Transformational Task Force Report.”

Susan Daggett, executive director of the

Rocky Mountain Land

Use Institute, said the crash of 2007 a ected housing supply. People left the construction industry and many companies went bankrupt.

“ e housing market bottomed out, people left the construction industry, a lot of people went bankrupt,” she said.

At the same time that housing development slowed, Colorado’s population grew.

“In the meantime, the population has grown tremendously and the supply just hasn’t been able to catch up with that demand,” Daggett said.

In 2010, Colorado had a population of 5,029,196, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2022, the population was estimated at 5,839,926 — a roughly 16% increase.

As of June 2021, Colorado’s for-sale housing inventory was 13% of what is needed for a functioning sales market, according to Root Policy Research’s report. A functioning sales market means there are enough units so that people can move easily, such as being able to upsize or downsize, Aggeler said.

To return the housing market to a functioning level, Colorado would need an average of 44,250 units built each year until 2030, according to the report, published in November 2021.

is would be 1.6 times the state’s current production levels.

Ted Leighty — the CEO of the Colorado Association of Home Builders, an a liate organization of the National Association of Home Builders — said, overall, depending on who is talking, Colorado is somewhere between 175,000 to 200,000 units short of demand.

“ at’s really challenging to come back from, especially, you know, the pace by which we were able to produce new housing in Colorado,” Leighty said.

He hates to use the word “crisis” when discussing housing in Colorado, describing it instead as a major challenge.

Leighty explained the challenge comes down to the ve L’s — lumber and other building materials, labor, land, loans and access to capital, and local government. All have played roles in slowing down housing construction, especially since the Great Recession, leading to higher demand and decreased a ordability.

“ ese are always our main cost drivers for residential construction,” Leighty said. “All ve of those right now, and have been, unfortunately, for the last several years, been huge challenges for us.”

He said high lumber costs and some supply chain issues have improved marginally recently, but they still pose problems for developers.

Also, there is a labor shortage.

“We’ve seen a little bit of uptick in (the) labor participation rate for construction, but not nearly enough,” Leighty said. “We’ve got an aging skilled labor demographic, and we haven’t done a great job replacing that labor with younger, skilled laborers.”

In addition to training the laborers of the next generation, Leighty said a “sound immigration policy” could help bring more workers to projects.

“ ere’s a pretty big de cit, and we need to do all we can, policy standpoint and otherwise, to increase labor,” Leighty said.

During the pandemic, there was a

perception the housing market was hot, Leighty said.

“It was the most challenging hot market ever on record — to source materials, to source labor, to get projects through the pipeline was immeasurable in how di cult it was,” Leighty said.

The market cools

But there are signs the hot market is cooling.

Lending issues have recently risen to the top of many homebuyers’ concerns. Leighty cites concerns for in ation, economic uncertainty and rising interest mortgage rates.

Imagine a $500,000 home that roughly a year ago a person could buy at a 3% rate, Leighty said. eir monthly payment might be around $2,600.

By July 2022, as rates rose to roughly 5%, the payment for the same house would rise to $3,500. at’s an increase of more than 34%.

“So, how do you get back down to that $2,600, you know, something that’s more achievable for the average home buyer?” Leighty asked rhetorically.

In December, rates on a 30-year xed mortgage were more than 6.5%, according to Bankrate.

Higher mortgage rates caused a spike in cancellation rates for home-sale contracts last summer, reaching above 40% — causing further disruptions, Leighty said.

“By the time the home was ready, or maybe even wasn’t ready yet, they knew what their debt-to-income ratio was going to be and that it had increased immensely, and they could no longer a ord it, so they canceled,” he said.

By comparison, the cancellation rate was 13% in July 2021 and 18% in 2019.

Due to these high cancellation rates, it is likely there will be fewer homes on the market in the next few quarters, Leighty said, further exacerbating housing issues.

Yet Matthew Leprino, a spokesperson for the Colorado Association of Realtors, explained there’s an upshot for some potential homebuyers. ere are more homes available now than in years past as the market reacts to the changing economy.

“ e story that I’ve been telling a lot of clients lately is, ‘Yeah, you can pay a higher interest rate now than you were a year ago, but you’re paying $100,000

less for the house,’” he said. ere are more properties available now than any time since October of 2019, he said.

“It’s a better time to buy now than in the last three years,” Leprino said.

A balanced market’s months’ supply of inventory stands at about four months. For the metro area, October 2022 was the rst time that number hit two months or above since October 2019.

e metro Denver area hasn’t reached a balanced market for housing since at least 2014, when the Colorado Association of Realtors started tracking that data — and Leprino suspects it’s been much longer than that.

“Number one, houses are a lot more expensive than they used to be,” Leprino said. “Number two, there’s not enough of them.”

The role of local governments and zoning

Local governments have played a huge role in the lack of housing supply and lack of a ordability in Colorado, Leighty said.

He notes they play a role through their regulations, land use zoning and entitlement process and their fees.

Zoning can be a signi cant factor in the housing issues people see today, Aggeler of Root Policy Research said. It refers to when a city or county divides its land into di erent sections and designates an intended use for each, such as industrial or residential development.

“Really, the problem, it’s very simple: ere’s a scarcity of housing for people of all income levels,” said Pat Cronenberger, vice chairperson for South Metro Housing Options, the City of Littleton’s public housing authority. “Colorado is a popular place. People want to be here, and we have restrictive zoning laws that really don’t make it easy to build housing.”

“And that’s all contributed to high rents and big, skyrocketing home prices,” she said.

One of the more controversial zoning issues across the metro area is how dense a city can build.

“People are very afraid of adding units, very afraid of density — and I think probably overly so,” Aggeler said. “We should be zoning artfully, in a way that preserves what we love about communities but also provides opportunity for other people to live there.”

Leighty said some local elected of-

cials have expressed concerns that if they approve denser housing units, they could be recalled “because there’s so many people that believe we have — we’re growing too fast.”

“But the numbers belie all of that,” he said. “Our net migration is still positive.”

Net migration refers to the di erence between the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants throughout the year.

“ at’s how you’re going to attack this issue, right, is allowing greater density — taking down the land costs a little bit by being able to do more with less as far as more construction on less land,” Leighty said. “Zoning plays a huge role in our ability to bring new product on the market.”

A lot of communities in Colorado are mostly single-family homes, resulting in lower density and forcing developments to sprawl out.

With the dominance of single-family homes, many communities in Colorado face a “missing middle,” meaning there are not a lot of diverse housing options such as townhomes, cottage courts, accessory dwelling units and duplexes.

Part of the reason for that is because of a policy change, Leighty said.

“We made it really, really easy to sue for what they call ‘construction defects’ on multifamily for-sale condominiums,” he said.

Multifamily for-sale condominiums went from roughly 20% of the market to about 2% of the market when going into the recession, Leighty said. By 2017, it rose to about 12% of the market, but then the pandemic hit.

“If you kept that 20% pace of condominiums, you wouldn’t be in the same situation you are now. You wouldn’t necessarily be in market equilibrium, right? But you wouldn’t be … 200,000 units shy either,” Leighty said.

Condominiums are a really important product, he said, as they provide places for young professionals and families to achieve homeownership and for empty nesters to downsize.

“ at product has been absolutely missed in this marketplace and it has certainly contributed to our inability to keep up with demand,” Leighty said.

Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet said in 2004, she served on the city’s planning commission and approximately 20% of the new buildings were condos.

“To my recollection, in Lone Tree, we haven’t seen one in probably 15 years. And the ones that are being built in the metro region are either — they’re very, very expensive,” she said. “ at was our supply of entry-level housing, and it is no longer being produced.”

Millet thinks the constructiondefects law played a signi cant role in the supply of the entry-level housing market. She also knows of residents who wish to remain in the community and want to downsize, but cannot nd any a ordable options.

Typically, Millet believes the markets should resolve the issues themselves.

“But in my opinion, the markets have been corrupted by a number of things,” Millet said. “And so I do feel at this point, we must do something other than just complain about it, because we’ve seen it increase as a priority issue for our residents and our businesses.”

“If we just keep complaining about it, which is what we’ve been doing, without taking any kind of action to increase the supply of housing that people can a ord, the problem is just going to get worse.”

The perfect storm: Many factors lead to today’s housing crisis

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Kim Howard of Evergreen has been in her 2,600-square-foot home for 40 years. Now alone, the 70-year-old is looking to downsize and move closer to Denver, but she can’t nd a smaller home with the same or lower mortgage payments.

She feels guilty staying because she knows the house is a perfect size for a young family, but she’s staying because she can’t a ord to move. Rising interest rates in the last year aren’t helping, since that increases monthly payments on any home she could buy.

“I’m going to wait it out … because it has to make economic sense,” Howard said. “I can’t a ord to move, and that puts a damper on those who want to move in. We need more a ordable housing for retired and rst-time buyers instead of large, expensive homes that we can’t a ord.

“I feel kind of guilty. (Young families) are desperately looking to start their lives, and we senior citizens can’t a ord to move. Unless someone provides for those rst-time home buyers and for seniors who want to downsize, it’s not going to happen.”

Howard’s story is typical of the issues faced by many in the metro area when it comes to housing. While it seems like the crisis came on suddenly, it cannot be attributed to one moment or incident. Instead, think of it like the spokes on a bicycle wheel, with the center being the current housing situation.

Each spoke contributes to rising costs and shrinking availability, starting with the Great Recession that began in 2007, the loss of builders and labor, the dichotomy of home ownership between baby boomers and millennials, and more recently the pandemic, the consequences of the Marshall Fire and the popularity of short-term rentals.

Couple all that with population increasing in metro Denver, and it’s a recipe for disaster for many: higher home prices, increasing number of unhoused, lack of places to both buy or rent, frustrated home buyers and more.

A perfect storm has combined to create what many experts say constitutes a housing crisis throughout the Denver area and into the foothills — from Brighton to Empire and everywhere in between. It’s been brewing since the Great Recession more than a decade ago that created a harsh economic downturn, pushing skilled workers who built homes out of their careers.

It’s been exacerbated by a rising younger population and part-time residents who converted residences in some of the state’s most attractive settings into vacation homes, the skyrocketing costs of homes and increases in interest rates.

“ ere’s no incentive in the traditional market structure that we have around housing to build for those who are struggling economically,” said Phyllis Resnick, executive director and lead economist for the Colorado

Futures Center, an independent, nonpartisan, academic nonpro t. “We think (the housing market) is feeling unhealthy for folks because housing that is a ordable to lower-middle to low-income households is still very di cult to nd and isn’t probably being built at the rate it’s needed.”

Great Recession

e metro area’s housing challenges start with the Great Recession that began in late 2007, part of a national trend where the housing market crashed. Before the recession, rising home prices, loose lending practices and low interest rates were the norm. When the economy soured, many homeowners could not keep up with their payments, prompting a rash of foreclosures.

According to real estate data company RealtyTrac, 6.3 million homes went through foreclosure in the United States from January 2006 to April 2016, more than double the norm of around 250,000 foreclosures per year. According to the Colorado Department of Local A airs, from 2006 to 2016, Colorado saw 299,775 foreclosures.

With foreclosures came a glut of available homes that ooded the market, according to real estate agent Gaye Ribble with e Ribble Group, a real estate rm that o ers home-buying services across the metro area. In the Denver metro area at the peak of the recession, 45,000 homes were on the market, Ribble said, when a balanced market is roughly 10,000 to 12,000 homes.

“As a result, builders were reluctant to get back in and buy land, buy materials, pay wages and build — all the capital expenses they incur before selling a single home,” said Tupper Briggs with Madison & Co. Properties, a real estate agent for more than four decades. “ ey did not add to the supply of housing for years.”

In other words, Ribble said, “builders stopped building homes because of the glut, and some builders went out of business because of the lack of work.”

Loss of tradespeople

e Colorado Futures Center bears

out what Ribble noticed. A 2018 study by Resnick and Jennifer Newcomer, research director, examined the factors contributing to the growing cost of housing in Colorado. Much of it could be traced to the Great Recession. e decrease in units built after the recession was linked, in part, to limited amounts of developable land, rising material costs and little incentive to build entry-level housing, according to the study. A bigger issue turned out to be the closure of several local construction companies and the related issue of a shortage of labor in specialty trades.

“Labor was short, it was a mixed story on materials, and there were some regulatory barriers, but I think we came away thinking that part of the biggest problem was we lost a lot of people in the development and building ecosystem,” Resnick said.

According to a 2014 report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Housing: Before, During and After the Great Recession,” construction industries experienced signi cant job losses during the recession.

From 2003 to 2013, for example, the residential construction industry experienced a 26.8% decrease in employment, which the report said was “precipitated by the recent recession.”

e report also showed from 2003 to 2013, the number of businesses in the residential construction industry decreased by 10.8%.

Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet said she thinks the recession absolutely impacted the growth of housing.

“ e bottom fell out of the market, the tradespeople — we lost people in the trades, we didn’t have people coming into the trades, and we lost that time,” Millet said. “And it’s, you know, cyclical, so we have been playing catch-up ever since then.”

Ted Leighty, the CEO of the Colorado Association of Home Builders, said the Great Recession made a lot of people more cautious, including banks, lenders and builders.

ere were fewer land developers coming out of the recession, he said, so more builders have had to become their own land developers.

“ eir access to capital and their cost

of capital has increased greatly since the recession,” Leighty said.

Ribble added: “Not only every year are we lagging (in home construction), but we were never able to make up for six years with no new construction. During that time, population continued to increase.”

Population growth, interest rates

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the seven-county metro area has seen a substantial rise in population in roughly the past decade. Douglas, Arapahoe and Adams counties each grew by more than 80,000 people, with Je erson County gaining more than 45,000 people.

When the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates to move the United States out of the Great Recession, many more people who wanted to buy a home could. Rates remained low as the economy rebounded. at increased demand across the housing market. As demand rose, prices across the metro area began to skyrocket, creating a crunch. Fewer homes were available and many people were simply priced out of the market.

Real estate agents interviewed by Colorado Community Media agree that the Federal Reserve should have increased the ultra-low interest rates to keep the market more balanced.

Baby boomers, millennials and shortterm rentals

Adding to the housing challenges is stagnation. Baby boomers, those nearing retirement age and older, aren’t leaving their homes. Meanwhile millennials, some now new to Colorado and in their 40s, are looking to get into their first home and sometimes even a second home such as a short-term rental that can be used for both vacation and added income..

Boomers, many of whom are empty nesters, aren’t downsizing for many reasons. While some simply don’t want to move, others want to downsize but can’t nd a good deal on a home in the community they want.

According to Jackie White, a real estate agent in the Conifer and Evergreen area for nine years, if a baby boomer sells a home for $1.5 million, that person isn’t going to nd a home about half the size for $750,000.

“That doesn’t feel good to them,” White said. “Add to that, because of low inventory of homes, kids can’t afford to buy homes in the communities they grew up in, so there are fewer multigenerational families in one community. Kids can’t easily check in on their parents.”

Many millennials can’t a ord homes that are for sale. at eventually will

Shelley Gilson smiles at the playground at Orchard Crossing in Westminster on Sept. 27, 2022.

PHOTO BY ANDREW FRAIELI

Low Rate of Pay:

How minimum wages are failing to keep pace with housing costs

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In recent years, minimum wages have slowly increased, with Denver reaching $17.29 an hour, and the suburbs surrounding the city being lower, based on the state of Colorado’s minimum of $13.65 an hour.

While workers have welcomed the increases, apartment rental prices have outpaced those gains for workers, with almost 60% of a minimum wage worker’s paycheck expected to go to a landlord.

at’s the highest proportion in a decade, and a calculation that doesn’t include other expenses, such as utilities.

“We’ve seen over the years that the minimum wage actually erodes over time, and periodically has to be readjusted,” said economist Markus Schneider.

Schneider, chair of the Economics Department at the University of Denver, said these cost-of-living adjustments to the minimum wage do help workers — both Denver and the state make adjustments to their minimum wages — but despite increases, the adjustments don’t completely stave o the consequences of rising in ation and skyrocketing housing costs on low-income workers.

Even after a decade, workers are still forced to dedicate too much of their salaries to housing, and it’s only worsened.

A “living wage” is what is needed to keep up with the costs of living, the “very ne line between the nancial independence of the working poor and the need to seek out public assistance or su er consistent and severe housing and food insecurity,” according to MIT’s Living Wage calculator. MIT describes it “as a minimum subsistence wage.”

For the metro area, that living wage is $19.62, well above the state minimum wage and even Denver’s. e cost-of-living adjustment that both minimum wage rates are tied to is called the Consumer Price Index — a “positive step in the right direction,” according to Schneider.

“At the same time, the minimum wage is below a living wage,” Schneider said. “It’s, at best, going to keep it in proportion.”

at means the disparities won’t grow as badly as they could, but will still not keep up with a living wage.

In 2010, the state minimum wage was $7.24 an hour. Rent for a studio in the metro area was $638, according to U.S. Housing and Urban Development fair market rent data. at came out to half of a worker’s wages, which the National Low Income Housing Coalition — a nonpro t that aims to end the a ordable housing crisis through policy and data research — deems una ordable, as is anything upwards of 30% of wages spent on rent and utilities. e coalition considers paying upwards of 30% as placing workers at risk for homelessness.

By 2023, the situation had only grown worse for minimum-wage workers. While their wages rose to $13.65 an hour, metro-area studio

apartment rents hit $1,390, meaning workers have to pay almost 60% of their wages to keep a roof over their head.

Part of the gap between the index increases and rent is inequality, Schneider said.

CPI is calculated by looking at how much change there is in the average price of household items, food, energy, rent, electronics and more, weighted by how big that category is in the household budget. is calculation is for the entire metro area, though. With di erent parts having di erent wages and costs of rent, the CPI can become skewed for some.

“ e CPI for Colorado is going to be very responsive to what’s happening in Denver just because that’s the big population center,” Schneider said. “We know that Denver has actually had a hotter housing market, and housing is a big component of what that living wage means.”

However, higher minimum wages do not cause rents to increase, in his view.

“ ere’s really not much evidence for it — in the ranges that we’re talking about raising minimum wages,” he said. “If we raised it by a factor of two, or even of ve, then yes, that’s probably a big thing. But we’re talking about just getting closer to a living wage — I’m very skeptical that it’s a big e ect.”

“Certainly not a big impact on the price aspect, because even when people get up to that living wage, it’s really only going to impact relatively cheap housing, and relatively bottom end of the rent market — you’ll see some of those rents go up a little bit. But the average rent in Denver isn’t going to budge much.”

is leads to CPI not adjusting enough for the lowest wage earners in the metro area, and not keeping up with their rising rents. As Schneider said, the adjustments are better than nothing, but still do not set mini-

mum-wage workers to earn a living wage — a goal that, since more than a decade ago, has only become further away.

“When people make more money, particularly at the bottom end, when we’re talking about pushing poverty line or at least well below the living wage, they’re likely to move to a nicer neighborhood or closer to a nicer school, which means the rents in the places that they were living won’t be a ected that much,” Schneider said.

According to MIT, a “livable wage” for Colorado is about $19.16 an hour, and the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area “livable wage” is even higher at $19.62 per hour. Current minimum wage in the state is far less at $13.65 an hour, with Denver’s being $17.29 per hour. Both the state and Denver may be increasing minimum wage year over year to follow in ation or cost of living, but they may never actually reach a “livable wage” when they are already so far behind.

Colorado state’s minimum wage, and Denver’s own minimum wage, rise incrementally based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). is is functionally a measurement of the cost of living, measured by the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. It includes food, housing costs, transport, medical care and recreation among others, all broken down to smaller parts like gas, and electric bills. MIT’s “living wage” considers many of the same categories, but is stricter.

“ e living wage is the minimum income standard that, if met, draws a very ne line between the nancial independence of the working poor and the need to seek out public assistance or su er consistent and severe housing and food insecurity,” according to MIT’s Living Wage calculator. “In light of this fact, the living wage is perhaps better de ned as a minimum subsistence wage for persons living in the United States.” eir calculator uses Fair Market

Rents (FMRs) — which “represents the cost to rent a moderately-priced dwelling unit in the local housing market” — along with local utility prices, to determine housing costs.

According to e National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a nonpro t that aims to end the a ordable housing crisis through policy and data research, anything upwards of “the generally accepted standard of spending no more than 30% of gross income on rent and utilities,” is considered una ordable housing, though. is brings needed wages, according to NLIHC, even higher than MIT’s livable wage that already lies on the razor’s edge of nancial independence and public assistance.

Other major costs in MIT’s calculation are food and transportation, which take up another $9,160 per year — $4,153 and $5,007 respectively. Housing, food and transport together take up 75% of their salary — which leaves some room for the $4,814 cost for “clothing, personal care items, and housekeeping supplies,” and $2,768 for medical care, but none for the $7,929 in annual taxes.

MIT speci es that the calculation “accounts only for the basic needs of a family. It does not account for what many consider the basic necessities enjoyed by many Americans,” such as dining out and other forms of entertainment, but it also “... does not provide a nancial means for planning for the future through savings and investment or for the purchase of capital assets.”

And this is all for single adults without children. A single adult with one child brings the livable wage from $20.61 an hour to $39.96.

NLIHC’s “Out of Reach” reports use “housing wage” as the wage a full-time worker must make to a ord FMRs without spending over 30% on rent. For a studio apartment in Denver with an FMR in 2022 of $1,236 per month, the “housing wage” would be $23.77 an hour before taxes — 1.5times what a minimumwage worker currently makes. is is even higher than MIT’s $20.61 an hour “livable wage” for a studio apartment and even includes utilities, as MIT’s wage is only enough to be on the brink of nancial ruin.

Based on NLIHC’s metric, no housing in Denver is actually “affordable” to a minimum-wage worker. It may never reach this point either.

Denver’s 2020 minimum-wage ordinance began with increasing minimum wage to $12.85 per hour in January 2020, then $14.77 in January 2021, then $15.87 in January 2022, and $17.29 this year.

From now onward, it’s tied to CPI. According to the ordinance, “the Denver minimum wage rate shall increase by an amount corresponding to the prior year’s increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index …” But this wage is already below the “living wage” determined by MIT, so staying on par with the CPI will only ever keep the minimum wage stable, not increase its value.

With voter approval, the state will embark on how to have more a ordable housing statewide. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

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Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Drums of the World (1/22) @ 8:30pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Mon 1/23

Money Matters: It’s your dough, make it stretch @ 5:30pm

Anythink Huron Street, 9417 Huron Street, Thornton. swhitelonis@any thinklibraries.org, 303-452-7534

Birthday Celebration (Jan) @ 8pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Candlelight Dinner Theatre/Motones & Jerseys

@ 11:45pm

Fort Lupton Recreation & Parks De‐partment, 203 S Harrison, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Fri 1/20

Breakfast Burrito Bingo 1/20 @ 4pm

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Fort Lupton Community / Recreation Cen‐ter, 203 S. Harrison Avenue, Fort Lupton. 303-857-4200

Cowboy Dave: National Western Stock Show rodeo after party

@ 9:30pm

Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St, Denver

Eric Golden @ 7pm

Vfw Post 7945, 10217 Quivas St, Thornton

Sun 1/22

World of Beers Series 21+ @ 2am

Jan 22nd - Jan 21st

Offsite, 6060 E Parkway Drive, Commerce City. 303-289-3760

Sled dog talk with Chloe, Nog‐gin and their musher Karen @ 2pm

Anythink Brighton, 327 East Bridge Street, Brighton. rbowman @anythinklibraries.org, 303-4053230

100 Things to Do Before You're 12 @ 5pm

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

National Pie Day @ 10pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Tue 1/24

New Year, Get in Gear! @ 1am

Jan 24th - Apr 12th

Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Avenue, Commerce City. 303-2893760

Colorado History Center (1/24) @ 4pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Tuesday Movie Matinee at Eagle Pointe 1/24

@ 8pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Wed 1/25

Fitness for the Family

@ 1:30am

Jan 25th - Mar 7th

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Coffee with Charity Clifton from Oak Street Health (1/25)

@ 4pm

Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Thu 1/26

Jenny Shawhan @ 4pm

Harry's at Magnolia Hotel Denver, 818 17th St, Denver Full

Professional Rodeo @ 2pm

Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St., Denver

Hiking Program- Barr Lake @ 8pm

Offsite, 6060 E Parkway Drive, Commerce City. 303-289-3760

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Crossword Solution Solution

1. e Mississippi. 2. “Westworld.” 3. Twister. 4. Lyndon Johnson. 5. 1955. 6. “Family Feud.” 7. A peahen. 8. Seven. 9. Palmolive dishwashing liquid. 10. Blood poisoning. (c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

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Karsh Gabler Call PC Alan E. Karsh, #1620 Fred Gabler, #8978 1658 Cole Blvd., Bldg. 6, Suite G10 Lakewood, CO 80401

Phone Number: 303-759-9686 E-mail: akarsh@karshgabler.com fgabler@karshgabler.com

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANT ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES WHO MAY CLAIM AN INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS ACTION

You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend against the claims of the complaint filed with the court in this action, by filing with the clerk of this court an answer or other response. You are required to file your answer or other response within thirty-five (35) days after the service of this summons upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete on the day of the last publication. A copy of the complaint may be obtained from the clerk of the court.

DATENUMBCOMPANY AMOUNT

12/13/202272687ACTIVE CABLING & COMM LLC2813.58

12/13/202272688ALONDRA FLORES 98.00 12/13/202272689AMAZON.COM 597.37 12/13/202272690ANDREW MARTINEZ 250.00 12/13/202272691AUSMUS LAW FIRM PC 1200.00 12/13/202272692BADGER METER 6019.88 12/13/202272693BUTLER SNOW LLP 15000 12/13/202272694CHRISTOPHER CROSS 83.75 12/13/202272695CITY OF FORT LUPTON 543.20 12/13/202272696CITY OF FT LUPTON-UTIL INVOICE10879.92 12/13/202272697**Void** 0.00 12/13/202272698CODE RED AUDITS, LLC 1695.40 12/13/202272699 COLORADO ANALYTICAL LAB 452.00 12/13/202272700COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA127.64 12/13/202272701COMCAST CABLE COMM, LLC 174.61 12/13/202272702CONTINENTAL PARTITION SYS LLC6980.00 12/13/202272703CORE&MAIN LP 49.70 12/13/202272704DIG DEEP RESEARCH, LLC 5000.00 12/13/202272705DP GUARDIAN INC 52642.00 12/13/202272706ERIKS NORTH AMERICA INC 170.92 12/13/202272707FASTENAL COMPANY 01COFTL 60.80 12/13/202272708GREELEY LOCK & KEY 212.50 12/13/202272709HAYES POZNANOVIC KORVER, LLC4450.50 12/13/202272710INSIGHT PUBLIC SECTOR INC23221.69 12/13/202272711KASEYA US LLC 9939.62 12/13/202272712KIMBALL MIDWEST 287.76 12/13/202272713L.G. EVERIST, INC 987.43 12/13/202272714 LOUIS A GRESH 1500.00 12/13/202272715MATTHEW EATON 250.00 12/13/202272716 NEWMAN TRAFFIC SIGNS 121.92 12/13/202272717OFFICE DEPOT 1975.73 12/13/202272718 O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 418.74 12/13/202272719PEAK FORM, LLC 425.00 12/13/202272720PETTY CASH-FINANCE 282.67 12/13/202272721QUADIENT FINANCE USA INC 682.13 12/13/202272722R & L TIRES 48.00 12/13/202272723R & M SERVICES 63.13 12/13/202272724RAQUEL FERSZT 270.00 12/13/202272725REDI SERVICES, LLC 900.00 12/13/202272726SOUTH PLATTE VALLEY 50.00 12/13/202272727STERICYCLE 30.00 12/13/202272728TAIT & ASSOCIATES, INC. 640.00 12/13/202272729TODD HODGES DESIGN, LLC 7697.50 12/13/202272730UNITED POWER 31475.60 12/13/202272731**Void** 0.00 12/13/202272732**Void** 0.00 12/13/202272733UPLIFT DESK 76.00 12/13/202272734USA BLUE BOOK 2620.87 12/13/202272735UTILITY NOTIFICATION CENTER384.80 12/13/202272736VALIC RETIREMENT SERVICES COMP300.00 12/13/202272737VERIZON WIRELESS SVCS LLC5091.05 12/13/202272738WASTE CONNECTIONS OF COLO, INC1607.47 12/13/202272739WELD CNTY CLERK/RECORDER6652.50 12/13/202272740WELD COUNTY ACCTG DEPART7444.63 12/13/202272741WHITESIDE’S BOOTS AND CLOTHING319.96 12/13/202272742WILLIAMS AND WEISS CONSULTING2557.50 12/13/202272743XCEL ENERGY-GAS 2118.66 12/20/2022727443 CORNERS OILFIELD SERVICES, INC.298.13 12/20/202272745AMANDA HERRMAN 393.75 12/20/202272746AMAZON.COM 38.97 12/20/202272747ARBITRAGE COMPLIANCE 350.00 12/20/202272748AUTOPLEX RESTYLING CENTERS, INC1449.00

If you fail to file your answer or other response to the complaint in writing within thirty-five (35) days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be rendered against you by the court for the relief demanded in the complaint without further notice.

This is an action to quiet title to the following described real property in Weld County, Colorado:

Parcel A:

A part of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 13, Township 5 North, Range 66 West of the 6th P.M., County of Weld, State of Colorado, and being more particularly described as follows:

Commencing at the Southeast corner of said Section 13, and considering the East line of said Section 13 as bearing North 00°26’00” East, and with all other bearings contained herein relative thereto; thence North 00°26’00” East, along said East line and the center line of 23rd Avenue, 578.90 feet; thence North 89°34’00” West, 50 feet to the True Point of Beginning, said point being the intersection of the West right of way line of 23rd Avenue and the North right of way line of 27th Street; thence continuing North 89°34’00” West, along said North right of way line of 27th

Public Notice

Street, 671.00 feet; thence North 00°26’00” East, 203.10 feet; thence North 23°35’43” East, 58.48 feet; thence North 00°26’00” East, 104.00 feet; thence South 89°34’00” East, 47.92 feet; thence South 89°35’22” East, 600.08 feet to a point on the West right of way line of 23rd Avenue; thence South 00°26’00” West along said West right of way line, 361.10 feet to the True Point of Beginning (“Parcel A”).

Parcel B:

A Part of the Southeast ¼ of Section 13, Township 5 North, Range 66 West of the 6th P.M., County of Weld, State of Colorado, and being more particularly described as follows:

Commencing at the Southeast corner of said Section 13, and considering the East line of said Section 13 as bearing North 00°26’00” East, and with all other bearings contained herein relative thereto; thence North 00°26’00” East, along said East line of Section 13 and the center line of 23rd Avenue, 578.90 feet; thence North 89°34’00” West, 50 feet to a point, said point being the intersection of the West right of way line of 23rd Avenue and the North right of way line of 27th Street; thence continuing North 89°34’00” West along said North right of way line of 27th Street,

12/20/202272749BADGER METER 32.04 12/20/202272750BAESSLER RESIDENTIAL CO, LLC848.35 12/20/202272751BANK OF COLORADO 237.82 12/20/202272752BUCKEYE CLEANING CENTER1957.84 12/20/202272753BURNS & MCDONNELL ENG CO INC130052.96 12/20/202272754CEM SALES & SERVICE INC 780.00 12/20/202272755CINTAS FIRST AID & SAFETY 76.21 12/20/202272756CIRSA 482.00 12/20/202272757CLEAN CUT FENCING 5500.00 12/20/202272758CODE-4 COUNSELING 450.00 12/20/202272759 COLORADO ANALYTICAL LAB 48.00 12/20/202272760CO ASSOC OF CHIEFS OF POLICE405.00 12/20/202272761COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA828.16 12/20/202272762COMCAST CABLE COMM, LLC 326.53 12/20/202272763CUMMINS ROCKY MOUNTAIN LLC672.00 12/20/202272764DHM DESIGN CORPORATION18889.70 12/20/202272765EQUIPMENTSHARE.COM INC 296.20 12/20/202272766FARIS MACHINERY COMPANY1697.00 12/20/202272767 FIESTA TIME INC 290.00 12/20/202272768FORT LUPTON CAR WASH 245.50 12/20/202272769FRONT RANGE LUMBER COMPANY33.21 12/20/202272770GoTo TECHNOLOGIES USA, INC.399.53 12/20/202272771GRAVES CONSULTING, LLC 1400.00 12/20/202272772GREEN MILL SPORTSMAN’S CLUB150.00 12/20/202272773HOLLAND SIGNS, INC 37850.00 12/20/202272774KAYLA BARA 120.00 12/20/202272775KONE INC 140.80 12/20/202272776KYLE CROSBY 475.00 12/20/202272777LANGUAGELINE SOLUTIONS 58.22 12/20/202272778LASTPASS US LP 5727.82 12/20/202272779LEGACY SCHOOL OF DANCE LLC2107.00 12/20/202272780MINUTEMAN PRESS 120.49 12/20/202272781NEOGOV 297.02 12/20/202272782NORMAN’S MEMORIALS INC. 120.00 12/20/202272783 O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 244.97 12/20/202272784PERKINS + WILL, INC. 5400.00 12/20/202272785PLACER LABS, INC. 9500.00 12/20/202272786PLAINS EAST MECHANICAL SERV LLC1482.25 12/20/202272787PROCODE INC 50166.72 12/20/202272788R & L TIRES 401.03 12/20/202272789R & M SERVICES 1526.79 12/20/202272790REDI SERVICES, LLC 180.00 12/20/202272791SYNERGETIC STAFFING LLC 952.01 12/20/202272792THE CONSOLIDATED MUTUAL 442.60 12/20/202272793 TYLER TECHNOLOGIES 6051.48 12/20/202272794UNITED SITE SERVICES 212.92 12/20/202272795USA BLUE BOOK 844.82 12/20/202272796VALLEY FIRE EXTINGUISHER 215.27 12/20/202272797WAGNER EQUIPMENT CO. 705.29 12/20/202272798WAXIE SANITARY SUPPLY 253.92 12/20/202272799WELD COUNTY SCH DIST RE812714.14 12/27/202272800AAA AUTO PARTS INC 517.78 12/27/202272801ADAMSON POLICE PRODUCTS 67.45 12/27/202272802AFLAC 2389.34 12/27/202272803AIMS COMMUNITY COLLEGE 21.00 12/27/202272804ANTHONY GOMEZ 748.77 12/27/202272805BADGER METER 936.00 12/27/202272806BURNS & MCDONNELL ENG CO INC79516.79 12/27/202272807CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 1590.00 12/27/202272808CIRSA 400533.45 12/27/202272809COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA142.41 12/27/202272810COMCAST BUSINESS 2205.30 12/27/202272811DELUXE 1575.81 12/27/202272812GCS PLASTER LLC 16000.00

671.00 feet to the True Point of Beginning; thence continuing North 89°34’00” West, 268.64 feet; thence North 43°01’00” West, 317.06 feet; thence North 46°57’31” East, 189.94 feet, (Also known as North 46°59’00” East, recorded as North 46°49’00” East, 189.97 feet), thence South 89°34’00” East, 371.86 feet; thence South 00°26’00” West, 104.00 feet; thence South 23°35’43” West, 58.48 feet; thence South 00°26’00” West, 203.10 feet to the True Point of Beginning (“Parcel B”).

Also known as: 2305-2401 West 27th Street, Greeley, Colorado 80634.

Dated: January 10, 2023.

Karsh Gabler Call PC /s/ Alan E. Karsh Alan E. Karsh, #1620

Attorney for Plaintiff

Legal Notice No. FLP776

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 16, 2023

Publisher: Fort Lupton Press ###

12/27/202272813JOHN DEERE FINANCIAL 72.89 12/27/202272814LL JOHNSON DISTRIBUTING 831.60 12/27/202272815NEOGOV 8728.00 12/27/202272816OFFICE DEPOT 103.37 12/27/202272817 O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 173.45 12/27/202272818R & L TIRES 80.00 12/27/202272819THE CONSOLIDATED MUTUAL 139.06 12/27/202272820TODD HODGES DESIGN, LLC10918.75 12/27/202272821TOSHIBA FINANCIAL SERVICES1137.15 01/03/202372822ADAMSON POLICE PRODUCTS153.85 01/03/202372823ADT SECURITY SYSTEM 138.95 01/03/202372824ARCHIVESOCIAL INC 6287.40 01/03/202372825AUSMUS LAW FIRM PC 11340.00 01/03/202372826BADGER METER 12016.87 01/03/202372827BRANDING BY BRE 3100.00 01/03/202372828CASELLE, INC. 3900.00 01/03/202372829CHURCHICH RECREATION LLC34142.80 01/03/202372830CIVICPLUS 9532.20 01/03/202372831CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP 1464.75 01/03/202372832COLONIAL LIFE 105.96 01/03/202372833 COLORADO ANALYTICAL LAB 48.00 01/03/202372834COMCAST BUSINESS 2359.82 01/03/202372835COMCAST CABLE COMM, LLC 220.05 01/03/202372836FARIS MACHINERY COMPANY 180.23 01/03/202372837FORT LUPTON FOOD AND CLOTH BANK52.50 01/03/202372838INSIGHT PUBLIC SECTOR INC7077.42 01/03/202372839INTELLICHOICE, INC. 1491.95 01/03/202372840JOHN DEERE FINANCIAL 39.00 01/03/202372841LINDA KUDRNA 151.25 01/03/202372842NORMAN’S MEMORIALS INC. 120.00 01/03/202372843OFFICE DEPOT 800.48 01/03/202372844OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT INT128063.10 01/03/202372845PEAK PERFOR COPIER AND SUP INC7250.00 01/03/202372846PETTY CASH-FINANCE 71.50 01/03/202372847R & L TIRES 15.00 01/03/202372848SOUTH PLATTE VALLEY 3250.00 01/03/202372849STATE OF COLORADO 1702.00 01/03/202372850STERICYCLE 63.89 01/03/202372851SYMMETRY ENERGY SOLUTIONS LLC4018.18 01/03/202372852TOSHIBA FINANCIAL SERVICES283.52 01/03/202372853UNITEDHEALTHCARE INS COMPANY1446.05 01/03/202372854WAGNER EQUIPMENT CO. 6163.50 01/03/202372855WASTE CONNECTIONS OF COLO, INC284.18 01/03/202372856XCEL ENERGY-GAS 737.69 12/29/202272857 T CLIFFORD THOMSON 488.38 01/03/202372858AMERITAS LIFE INSURANCE CORP7513.48 01/03/202372859STANDARD INSURANCE CO. 5559.02 12/16/2022DFT0002086BANK OF COLORADO 6002.88 12/16/2022DFT0002087BANK OF COLORADO 725.83 12/16/2022DFT0002088VALIC_1 36267.43 12/16/2022DFT0002089IRS 58702.32 12/16/2022DFT0002090CO DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE10977.00 12/15/2022DFT0002091IRS 15.06 12/30/2022DFT0002095VALIC_1 35444.01 12/30/2022DFT0002096IRS 62146.65 12/30/2022DFT0002097CO DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE11524.00