Fort Lupton Press 033023

FORT LUPTON PRESS

Engineer tells Nebraska Colorado has right to South Platte River flow

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado’s state water engineer has a message for the Nebraska ofcials doubling down on their commitment to a $567 million canal across the border:

You can build it, but the water may not come.

Colorado state engineer Kevin Rein acknowledges a historic compact gives Nebraska the right to build the canal at the South Platte River west of Julesburg. But in a ve-page response to Nebraska’s rst o cial evaluation of the plan, tacking closely to the direction set by Colorado’s attorney general, Rein says the actual water Nebraska is counting on may never show up.

e Nebraska report by an engineering rm makes multiple assumptions that Colorado disputes, in particular whether the water will be “physically available, or whether it’s legally available at the time when it’s physically available,” Rein said in an interview.

e Nebraska study “does not adequately consider future development” by Colorado of water in the upper section of the South Platte, a stretch running back from Washington County all the way up through Greeley, Boulder County and Denver, Rein’s letter says. e compact doesn’t give Nebraska any say over how much upper section water Colorado can use from the South Platte or how much water must be available at a key river gauge at Balzac, a ghost town near Brush.

Other failings of the study, Rein adds, include relying on lower section ows of irrigation water returning to the river that Nebraska doesn’t have a right to; not accounting for diversion rights at Julesburg Reservoir; and ignoring that the canal would be iced over and unable to deliver water across the border during some of the time

Coloradans could get up to $2.5 billion in tax refunds

Nebraska has a right to take it, from October to April.

Nevertheless, Nebraska is itching to start.

Nebraska is in talks to option or buy up land around Julesburg and to the west for canal construction, Rein said. Grassed-over scars of Nebraska’s un nished attempt at a Perkins Canal in the late 1800s are visible across northeastern Colo-

rado.

Colorado takes pains in its o cial response to say it has always honored a 1923 compact with Nebraska on how the South Platte operates, and always will. e letter, with extensive input from the Colorado Attorney General’s O ce, is not meant to be a hard “no,” Rein said.

going to higher earners — as long as the legislature doesn’t change the refund formula this year, as it did in 2022.  e forecasts are provided to the Colorado General Assembly to help lawmakers draft the state budget for the next scal year. e data presented in March to the legislature’s powerful Joint Budget Committee, which drafts the budget, is considered the most important each year because it’s used to set spending.  e good news for the legislature is that it will have all the money it’s entitled

Every year before Thanksgiving, First United Methodist Church in Fort Lupton and the Fort Lupton Food and Clothing Bank provide community members with food boxes. This will be the program’s 10th consecutive year. Above, Joe Hubert, left China Garcia and Sue Hubert with Change 4 Change, another organization that helps with the food drive. See more on Page 2.

SEE REFUNDS, P17

Jordan Harman is gathering the macroinvertebrate from the South Platte River for testing the water quality.

PHOTO BY BELEN WARD SEE SOUTH PLATTE, P

Improved golf cart path due for Coyote Creek

Fort Lupton council approves repairs to paths, other items at regular meeting

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e golf cart tracks at Fort Lupton’s Coyote Creek Golf Course will get a $300,000 upgrade, City Councilors agreed on March 21.

Colorado Paving, Inc was awarded the contract for about $300,000 for its repaving project at the golf course. e funds would be dispersed from the Golf Course Maintenance Fund.

Much of the asphalt paths throughout the course are pocked

with potholes.

“We advertised for a bid in February 2023, and on March 10, we received four bids,” said Public Works Director Roy Vestal. “ e low bidder was Colorado Paving and we are looking to execute a contract with them for the golf cart path replacement and asphalt paving.”

Mayor Zo Hubbard if the city has had experience with Colorado Paving. Vestal said it does.

In other business, council members approved the $1 million grant from the Colorado Department of Local A airs DOLA for improvements of Fort Lupton wastewater systems. All told, those improvements are forecast to cost about $25 million.

“It’s an application with the Energy and Mineral Impact fund for a $1 million grant to help apply towards our construction of a lift station

conversion of the wastewater treatment plant connecting its ows with Metro Water’s Northern Treatment Plant in Brighton,” Vestal said.

e mayor and council members also approved purchasing six shares of Fulton Irrigation from Howard Binder for $360,350 to add to the city’s water rights inventory.

Chris Cross, Fort Lupton City Administrator, said, the six shares will continue to improve Fort Lupton’s water portfolio.

“We have a 120-day due-diligence time that we can utilize with this agreement to ensure we get the acrefootage deed necessary out of them,” Cross said.

Council also approved hiring for two positions for the City of Fort Lupton for about $165,550.

City Clerk Mari Pena said her ofce will be hiring for a marketing and communications specialist.

Councilors also agreed to let the Public Works Department hire a public works sanitary supervisor.

Councilman Carlos Barron asked when will the position be advertised.

“We are currently working on the job descriptions, then we will move forward,” Pena said.

Two teens charged in March 16 shooting

Two teens are facing charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a handgun in the March 16 shooting near Brighton High school.

e District Attorney’s O ce announced ling charges against the two juvenile, ages 16 and 17, that left one person injured and closed forced Brighton schools into lockdown.

e shooting occurred at about 12:30 p.m. March 16 at South Ninth Avenue and Bush Street, across the street from Brighton’s Innovations and Options School and near Brighton High School.

In a statement to the press that afternoon, Brighton Police Chief Matt Domenico said police received reports of gun re there, nding the intersection littered with bullet casings when they arrived but no

victims on the scene. e victim had been taken to an area urgent care clinic.

Police began looking for vehicle and tweeted that potential suspects were sighted near East 120th Avenue and Salem Street. Police closed both Brighton and Prairie View High Schools and placed the cities other schools on secure status and lockout. Domenico announced that police had arrested two suspects

and the all clear was issued shortly before 3 p.m.

According to the District Attorney’s o ce, the two suspects are facing ve counts of First-Degree Attempted Murder, a second degree felony, and possession of a handgun by a juveniles. at is a second degree misdemeanor.

Both suspects are due in court May 4 at Adams County District Court in Brighton.

The Coyote Creek golf cart path asphalt needs upgrading. PHOTO BY BELEN WARD

STAFF REPORT

Aims campus o ers college for kids this summer

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Aims Community College is offering a summer program for students from ages 9 to 15 this June, offering classes in art, music, computer science, and sports.

The program, College for Kids (C4K), is a four-day program for youth. It’s low cost – $75 at the Greeley Windsor and Loveland campuses and $25 at the Fort Lupton campus, thanks to local support and donations. Each day offers morning and afternoon classes with two snacks and lunch.

Classes will be offered June 5-8 in Fort Lupton, June 12-15 in Windsor, June 19-22 in Loveland and June 26-29 in Greeley.

In addition, the program teaches the kids world topics, future career opportunities, and personal interests. The classes are fun and hands-on, according to organizers.

Youths age 13 to 15 can join the junior leader’s program to help instructors in the classroom while learning. If you want to become a junior leader, training for that role will be on Friday before the program begins. tion, visit: https://www.aims.

College for kids program teaching music.

edu/programs/college-kids. The program is filling up fast, so space is limited.

Work to widen 168th Ave. underway

Construction on the eastbound Weld County Road 2 / E. 168th Avenue widening project from Wagon Trail Avenue in Lochbuie to King Street in Brighton kicked o March 24. e project is expected to be completed in July.

During this time, eastbound and westbound thru tra c on WCR2 / E. 168th Avenue will be shifted north of the median onto the current west-

bound travel lanes. ere will be sporadic lane closures to eastbound thru tra c during this time between the working hours of 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Please follow all tra c control signage and obey the 50th Avenue to Bridge Street detour during these periods.

e following list of additional trafc impacts and recommended detours will help drivers safely navigate the closure during this time: Only right turns will be allowed

onto and o WCR2 / E. 168th Avenue at the intersections of Wagon Trail Avenue, Homestead Avenue, and King Street.

Eastbound WCR2 / E. 168th Avenue tra c out of the Berkshire neighborhood is recommended to use Willow Drive to Bonanza as a detour.

Eastbound WCR2 / E. 168th Avenue tra c out of Silver Peaks is recommended to use Jewell Street or Freestone Street in lieu of King Street.

60th Avenue will be closed from Husker Place / Sugarloaf Street to WCR 2 / E. 168th Avenue.

All tra c out of Pierson Park and Ridgeline Vista is recommended to use southbound N. 60th Avenue to the I-76 Frontage Road.

A voicemail hotline has been set up to address any questions or concerns you may have. Please call (720) 4856045 and someone will respond to your voicemail within 1-2 business days.

Brighton public works center approved

Work on $26 million Municipal Service Center to begin in June

BY SCOTT TAYLOR STAYLOR@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With design work for a new Public Works service center nished councilors cleared the way for work to begin on the facility’s construction.

Councilors approved a $26.1 million contract with FCI Constructors to build the new home for most public works functions, becoming Brighton’s base for streets maintenance, eet maintenance and parks and utility maintenance functions. It will also have a space for Brighton Police Substation.

Councilors rst approved the concept in March 2021. at allowed work on the design of the facility, which wrapped up this year. Councilors rst reviewed the designs at their Feb. 14 study session.

e city began looking at alternatives for a new maintenance facility in 2019. Each function within public works currently operates its own maintenance facilities.

“If anybody has a question as to why this facility is needed, we can take you on a tour of what they have now,” Mills said. “It’s embarrassing. It’s very embarrassing that a city of our size has the conditions that they are in now.”

e facility will include a 67,668-square-foot building on a 244,000-square-foot site. e center will be built on 15.5 acres the city

owns Northwest of Main and Denver streets, surrounding the Tractor Supply store. It replaces the facility at 4th and Longs Peak, according to Director of Facilities Patrick Rome. Rome said work should begin in June and wrap up in 2024.

“Everybody has put into this as it has moved forward,” Rome said. “We all ready to move forward with contractors in place. We are very optimistic to how it will go and look forward to having it.”

Councilors were emphatic in their support, with Mayor Greg Mills saying he completely supports it.

“It will give us room to grow as we grow as a city,” Mills said. “We will be able to serve the public better. is is going to be able to support this operation so much better.”

Councilor Clint Blackhurst noted that current city facilities are rented

from other groups or failing and Councilor Mary Ellen Pollack said it was long past due.

“ e current conditions are just an embarrassment,” she said. “I got a tour of the site and just said ‘Oh My!’“

Councilor Peter Padilla said he’s happy to see so many departments working together.

“We rarely see this number of departments get together and collaborate both on what they need and what they are able to give up,” Padilla said. “ e collaboration and cooperation and compromise between the number of departments engaged in this is just incredible. We’ve talked about having departments co-locate their services and being able to provide a building that meets all their needs is pretty incredible.”

5.00

BRIEFS

Cemetery Clean-Up Day

April 10-17 Hillside Cemetery

13750 Weld County Road 12

Item must be removed from graves and columbariums. Information can be found at http:// www.fortlupton.gov/201/cemetery rules and regulations or contact Mari Pena City Clerk 720-4666101.

City Clean-Up Day

The city will host a clean-up day from 8 a.m.to noon April 22, 800 12th St. Curbside pck up day for seniors and disabled citizens is Thursday, April 20.

This is for Fort Lupton residents only. The city will not accept industrial or commercial waste, concrete debris, household hazardous waste, regular curbside trash, or Freon-based appliances; for information, call 303-857-6694. Seniors and disabled citizens, please call to schedule pick-up no later than Tuesday, April 18.

Shred-It Day

The City’s annual on-site document shredding from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. April 26 City Hall-130 So. McKinley Ave. The service is open to all Fort Lupton residents and business owners. Bring bank statements and financial documents. CD’s old credit cards.

Easter egg hunt

The annual Easter egg hunt takes place at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 8, at Community Park outside the Fort Lupton Recreation Center, 203 S. Harrison Ave.

The traditional event also includes fresh coffee for the adults and fun for the kids.

Hunting areas are set off by age .. up to 3 years, 4- to 8-year-olds and 9- to 12-year-olds. Ten gold prize eggs will be in each of the hunting areas. There will be an opportunity for pictures with the Easter bunny, too.

Visit https://fortluptonco. gov/857/Easter-Egg-Hunt.

Great Plains Field of Honor

Pearson Park, U.S. Highway 85 and state Highway 52, will be the scene of a four-day display of the Great Plains Field of Honor. It runs from April 26 through April 28.

The event honors veterans and first responders. Vis.it https:// www.healingfield.org/event/fortluptonco23/.

Cinco de Mayo 5K

This year’s Cinco de Mayo 5K run will be at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, at Railroad Park, across the street from the Fort Lupton Recreation Center, 203 S. Harrison Ave.

Live music and prizes are part of the agenda as well. Visit https:// fortluptonco.gov/775/Cinco-deMayo-5K.

ONGOING

Splash pad

The city of Fort Lupton is searching for comments about and sponsorships for a new splash pad.

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

EASTER Worship HE IS RISEN

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 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 all-volunteer program and is in need of volunteers. If interested in volunteering or donating, call 303718-4440. 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.

Fort Lupton senior lunches

Senior lunches are available at noon Mondays at the Fort Lupton Recreation Center, 203 S. Harrison Ave. Sign up by noon the previous ursday. Call 303-857-4200, ext. 6166.

Co ee group

Fort Lupton’s weekly co ee group sessions are at 8 a.m. Wednesdays. Call 303-857-4200.

Silver Sneakers

Silver Sneaker Yoga is available Fridays from 9 to 9:45 a.m. and from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at the Fort Lupton recreation Center, 203 S. Harrison Ave.

Water aerobics

e city’s water aerobics class meets from 6 to 6:45 p.m. Tuesdays and ursdays at the Fort Lupton Recreation Center, 203 S. Harrison Ave. Call 303-857-4200.

Free short-term radon test kits

Weld County residents can receive a free radon test kit (one per household, while supplies last). Test kits can be requested online at www. drhomeair.com/weld, according to a statement.

Call the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment at (970) 400-2226 or visit: www. weldgov.com/go/radon.

Warm line up and running

Community Reach Center is o ering a warm line (303-280-6602) for those who want to talk to mentalhealth professionals about anxiety, lack of sleep and strained relationships, among other topics. e professionals can facilitate referrals to other programs for assistance. e line is not for crisis intervention. ose feeling unsafe or suicidal should call Colorado Crisis Services (1-844-493-8255) or text 38255 or visit the Behavioral Urgent Care Center, 2551 W. 84th Ave., Westminster.

Brighton’s community intake location is at 1850 E. Egbert St., on the second oor. It’s open from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesdays.

Alcoholics Anonymous

e Brighton chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous meets at 147 S. Second Place. Meeting times are 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sundays, noon and 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 6 p.m. ursdays and 9 p.m. Fridays. Call 303-659-9953 or visit www. brighton1aa.org.

Volunteers needed

Quali ed Listeners needs volunteers to drive veterans to and from appointments, run errands for veterans who cannot get out, handyman services, help administer veteran and family resource guide inventory in local libraries and veterans to be trained to become quali ed listeners.

Visit quali edlisteners.org/volunteerapp and ll out the form or call 720-600-0860.

Eagle Express rides

Barr Lake State Park will offer virtual rides aboard the Eagle Express. Join Ranger Michelle and her friends as they read a story about our natural world that is sure to entertain your preschooler while teaching them about plants, animals and our planet. Call 303-659-6005.

Help for vets

Quali ed Listeners, a veteran and family resource hub serving northern Colorado and southern Wyoming, has several power chairs, power scooters and electric wheelchairs available.

Friday, April 7, 6:30-7:30pm Good Friday Communion Service

Sunday, April 9, 10:30am-12pm Resurrection Sunday Worship

Easter Worship

Pen pals

Fort Lupton’s senior pen pal program through Twombly Elementary School is looking for participants. Learn more at: https://www.fortluptonco.gov/950/Senior-Pen-PalProgram.

Craft classes

Monthly craft classes through the Fort Lupton Recreation Center (203 S. Harrison Ave.) are available. Call 303-857-4200, ext. 6166 with questions.

e VA o ers urgent care services to eligible veterans, both at VA medical facilities or at several in-network urgent care clinics that are closer to home.

To nd the closest facility to you visit www.va.gov/ nd-locations or call 720-600-0860.

Quali ed Listeners also needs volunteers to drive veterans to and from appointments, run errands for veterans who cannot get out, handyman services, help administer veteran and family resource guide inventory in local libraries and veterans to be trained to become quali ed listeners.

FORT LUPTON POLICE BLOTTER

Here are the police reports for Mar. 11 to Mar. 17 to the Fort Lupton Police Department. Not every call made to the police is not listed on this report.

March 11

March 12

Police arrested a Fort Lupton woman, 54, in the 400 block of Harrison Avenue on a LaSalle PD warrant for failure to appear on a tra c o ense. She was held on bond at the Weld County Jail. A Littleton man, 52, was arrested in the 2000 block of Coyote Creek Dr. on a Je erson County warrant for probation violation. He was held on

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bond at Weld County Jail.

Police arrested a Fort Lupton man, 34, in the 1400 block of Dexter Street on a Weld County warrant for a weapons o ense. He was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

A Brighton man, 33, was issued a summons for causing a tra c accident at Fifth Street & Denver Avenue and leaving the scene.

March 14

Police arrested a Fort Lupton woman, 46, at 14th Street & Denver Avenue for DUI. She was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

An Ace Hardware store clerk reported a theft in the 200 block of Rollie Avenue. e case was under investigation.

A Fort Lupton 17-year-old male was issued a summons for causing a tra c accident and leaving the scene in the 500 block of Reynolds Street.

March 15

Police arrested a Commerce City woman, 30, in the 1300 block of Dexter Street for theft and pos-

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session of a controlled substance. She was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

Police took a 29-year-old ornton woman at U.S. Highway 85 & Weld County Road 22 for DUI, careless driving and failure to report an accident to police. She was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

March 16

Police issued a summons to a Fort Lupton woman, 29, in the 1800 block of Ivywood Street for an animal complaint alleging an animal running at large and without a rabies vaccination.

March 17

Police arrested a Fort Lupton man, 41, on a DUI, driving while license is under restraint and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was held on bond at the Weld County Jail.

Two Brighton males, 15 and 16, were issued a summons for tampering with a re hydrant and obstructing emergency personnel in the 100 block of First Street.

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John Romero May 23, 1937 - March 16, 2023

Architectural/Mechanical Memory 303-566-4100 obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com Self placement available online at thebrightonblade.com In Loving

Engineer. He is survived by his two children Matthew John Romero and Lisa Ann Romero. He was a very loving father who enjoyed playing golf with friends and spending time with family. We will miss him dearly.

Police issued a summons to a Longmont man, 26, for causing a tra c accident and driving too closely at the U.S. Highway 52 & Highway 85 ramp.

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Facing hard deadlines in water and in climate, too

The International Panel on Climate Change this week issued its latest report, warning of a dangerous temperature threshold that we’ll breach during the next decade if we fail to dramatically reduce emissions. A Colorado legislative committee on the same day addressed water withdrawals in the Republican River Basin that must be curbed by decade’s end.

In both, problems largely created in the 20th century must now be addressed quickly to avoid the scowls of future generations.

e river basin, which lies east of Denver, sandwiched by Interstates 70 and 76, di ers from nearly all others in Colorado in that it gets no annual snowmelt from the state’s mountain peaks. Even so, by tapping the Ogallala and other aquifers, farmers have made it one of the state’s most agriculturally productive areas. ey grow potatoes and watermelons but especially corn and other plants fed to cattle and hogs. is is Colorado without mountains, an ocean of big skies and rolling sandhills.

Republican River farmers face two overlapping problems. One is of declining wells. Given current pumping rates, they will go dry. e only question is when. Some already have.

More immediate is how these wells have depleted ows of the Republican River and its tributaries into Nebraska and Kansas. ose states cried foul, citing a 1943 interstate

compact. Colorado in 2016 agreed to pare 25,000 of its 450,000 to 500,000 irrigated acres within the basin.

Colorado has a December 2029 deadline. e Republican River Water Conservation District has been paying farmers to retire land from irrigation. Huge commodity prices discourage this, but district o cials said they are con dent they can achieve 10,000 acres before the end of 2024.

need more help as the deadline approaches. is all-or-nothing proposition is not academic. Kevin Rein, the state water engineer, testi ed that he must shut down all basin wells if compact requirements are not met. e focus is on the Republican’s South Fork, between Wray and Burlington.

Allen Best

Legislators were told that relying solely upon water that falls from the sky diminishes production 75 to 80 percent.

In seeking this study, the river district wants legislators to be aware of what is at stake.

Lenz told me. e farmers began large-scale pumping with the arrival of center-pivot sprinklers, a technology invented in Colorado in 1940. ey’re remarkably e cient at extracting underground water. Now, they must gure out sustainable agriculture. at’s a very di cult conversation. Aquifers created over millions of years are being depleted in a century.

Last year, legislators sweetened the pot with an allocation of $30 million, and a like amount for retirement of irrigated land in the San Luis Valley, which has a similar problem. Since 2004, when it was created, the Republican River district self-encumbered $156 million in fee collections and debt for the transition.

It’s unclear that the district can achieve the 2030 goal. e bill unanimously approved by the Colorado House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee will, if it becomes law, task the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University with documenting the economic loss to the region - and to Colorado altogether - if irrigated Republican River Basin agriculture ceases altogether. e farmers may

Rod Lenz, who chairs the river district board, put it in human terms. His extended-family’s 5,000-acre farm amid the sandhills can support 13 families, he told me. Returned to grasslands, that same farm could support only two families.

An “evolution of accountability” is how Lenz describes the big picture in the Republican River Basin. “We all knew it was coming. But it was so far in the future. Well, the future is here now.”

e district has 10 committees charged with investigating ways to sustain the basin’s economy and leave its small towns thriving. Can it attract Internet technology developers? Can the remaining water be used for higher-value purposes? Can new technology irrigate more e ciently?

“We do know we must evolve,”

e Republican River shares similarities with the better-known and much larger Colorado River Basin. e mid-20th century was the time of applying human ingenuity to development of water resources. Now, along with past miscalculations, the warming climate is exacting a price, aridi cation of the Colorado River Basin.

Globally, the latest report from climate scientists paints an even greater challenge. To avoid really bad stu , they say, we must halve our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. ey insist upon need for new technologies, including ways to suck carbon out of the atmosphere, that have yet to be scaled. We need that evolution of accountability described in Colorado’s Republican River Basin. We need a revolution of accountability on the global scale.

Allen Best, a long-time Colorado journalist, publishes Big Pivots. You can nd more at BigPivots.com

Adding value through relatable life experiences

Robin was one of the newest and youngest members of the team attending the training session. As the facilitator shared ideas, strategies and tactics for dealing with the various situations that the team may encounter, she found herself really leaning in to try and absorb and retain as much as she possibly could. It was harder for her because other than a few part-time jobs and her education experiences, Robin could only image some of the scenarios as they were being explained.

Sean was in the same training session, and although new to the company, he had many years of experience in the industry. Since he had been in the industry for so many years, he had a lot of knowledge that others in the training class had lacked. Sean also brought with him so many relatable life and work

Contact

Mailing

experiences, making it easy to connect the concepts being taught to his job func-

During an exercise the facilitator paired the newest person with the most experienced person to go through the exercises together during the training. at meant that Robin, the new college graduate, was partnered with Sean, the most tenured person in the training. Initially both Robin and Sean felt uncomfortable about the pairing. Sean believed he would learn nothing from someone so young and inexperienced and that he would have to do most of the work. Robin was intimidated at rst and just wished that she would have

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher 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

been paired with someone closer to her own age.

By the end of the training Robin and Sean were working and collaborating so well. At the end of the day the facilitator asked for lessons learned from the training. Robin shared that although Sean was much more experienced, that his willingness to share information and connect real-world stories to the exercises helped her to connect the dots better to the concepts being taught. And Sean shared that although he believed that his young counterpart could ever teach, “ is old dog any new tricks,” that Robin’s natural curiosity taught him that he certainly did not know it all and it reminded him of the need to be more curious himself.

I don’t know about you but I get to experience this very thing every day. Our own team is made up of

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

some very young, incredibly bright, extremely driven, and curious team members. We are also blessed with, let’s just say, a little more gray than the rest of the team and lots of lessons learned over the years. And we have others on the team somewhere along their own career and life journey that bring so much to the team in the way of critical thinking, wonderful experience, and knowledge. What makes our team meetings work so well is that those of us who have been around for a while appreciate the new thinking and insights that those just coming into the business are bringing to each situation or opportunity. And I watch in awe as the seasoned veterans share their wisdom through role plays and pressure testing ideas while the younger team members really pay

SEE NORTON, P10

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Press. We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to staylor@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

Thu 3/30

Trevor Noah

@ 8pm Bellco Theatre, 1100 Stout Street, Denver

Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans

Pelicans

@ 8pm / $29-$3970

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Fri 3/31

Standley Lake Bird Walk

@ 7am

Standley Lake Regional Park, 8600 Simms Street, Westminster. prl@ cityofwestminster.us, 303-6582794

Mon 4/03

World Party Day @ 5pm Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

Who Loves April?

@ 7pm

Apr 3rd - Apr 24th

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

The Well @ 7pm HQ, 60 S Broadway, Denver

True Crime and Teatime @ 5pm

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

Wed 4/05

Hot Buttered Rum @ 6pm

eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St, Boulder

Clay Creations @ 11:30pm

Apr 5th - Apr 26th

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

John Mayer - Solo @ 7:30pm / $49.50-$199.50

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Colorado Mammoth vs. Las Vegas Desert Dogs

@ 7pm / $20-$999

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Dive Bards @ 7pm

Trailside Saloon, 10360 Colorado Blvd, Thornton

Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars @ 7pm / $79-$999

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles

Football Club @ 7:30pm / $25-$999

DICK'S Sporting Goods Park, 6000 Victory Way, Commerce City

Sun 4/02

80's Prom 21+ @ 1am

Apr 2nd - Apr 1st

Severo Y Grupo Fuego

@ 8pm American Legion, 5421 E 71st Ave, Commerce City

Phat Daddy

@ 9pm

Hoffbrau, 9110 Wadsworth Pkwy, West‐minster

Red Sweater and Volunteer Social at Eagle Pointe

@ 10:30pm

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

Sat 4/01

Easter Eggstravaganza

@ 4pm Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Dr., Commerce City. 303-2893760

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

Rose's Pawn Shop: Larimer Lounge @ 7:30pm

Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver

Joy Oladokun @ 7:30pm

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Cir, Denver

Club Level Seating: John Mayer @ 7:30pm / $199.50

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

April Showers @ 8pm

Apr 3rd - Apr 24th

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

Archery @ 10:30pm

Apr 3rd - Apr 5th

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

Tue 4/04

Boot camp April 2023 @ 12am Apr 4th - Apr 26th

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

Gambling Trip-"The Century Casino"(4/4) @ 3pm

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

Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors @ 6:30pm / $74-$6705

Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver

Mad Science @ 4pm Apr 4th - Apr 25th

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

Thu 4/06

Family Makerspace @ 12am

Apr 6th - Apr 5th

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

Nutrition Wednesdays @ 1:15am

Apr 6th - Apr 26th

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

Job and Career Fair @ 12:30pm

Fort Lupton High School, 530 Reynolds Street, Fort Lupton. jhowell@weld8.org, 303-547-7725

Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals @ 2:10pm / $50-$350

Coors Field, 2001 Blake St., Den‐ver

powered by

Area massage therapists laud the benefits of the practice on their clients’ ailments, stress

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Ca ring, compassionate hands — and sometimes feet — are used by massage therapists to help improve the lives of their clients. Massage is an ancient practice, and there are more than two dozen types throughout the world, therapists say.

Four massage therapists interviewed by Colorado Community Media say massage has become more accepted by the public, and more scienti c research is being done to document the health bene ts.

Massage can help with pain and injuries; decrease muscular tension; reduce blood pressure, swelling and in ammation; release endorphins; and much more, according to massage therapists.

“Even people who don’t have speci c problems can bene t from massage,” Destine Robertson with Alpine Medical Massage in Centennial and Conifer said. “Everybody has so much stress, and massage can help relieve that.”

People’s perceptions of massage have come a long way, the therapists said.

“A lot of people think of massage as pampering and relaxing,” Ti any Shocklee with Hearth re erapeutics in Golden said, “but it can help people who have many other issues, too.”

A blend of massage styles

Massage therapy is not an easy profession, requiring hours of training, a certi cation exam and licensing in Colorado.

“It’s become a more regulated eld,” said Mary Davis with Healing Traditions Bodywork in Evergreen, “which I think is best. I think it’s needed and necessary to protect people when they are potentially vulnerable going in for a personal treatment like massage.”

But education doesn’t stop at the 600 hours of initial training for most therapists. ey continue to learn di erent techniques to add to their repertoire.

“ e single most popular, most widely done type of massage in the

U.S. and maybe in the world is Swedish massage,” Davis said. “ at is part of your basic training. It is a bit lighter, more relaxing, with long strokes. en what I do and what a lot of therapists do is integrative massage. We have received additional training in areas that have spoken to us.”

Davis said most of the time she’s integrating di erent styles and techniques in one massage.

“I have a toolbox, and I pull different things out based on what I’m feeling that day in their tissues and what they need,” she explained.

Jenna Courage of Littleton erapeutic Massage Center said she has blended together many styles to create her own technique.

“I make each session specialized for each client,” Courage explained. “Some techniques I use on one client but not another. I feel like I am learning from my clients. ey come in with something new, and I gure out how to work with it, then take that knowledge and use it on someone with a similar issue.”

A satisfying career

Some massage therapists like Shocklee chose the practice as their rst career, while others nd massage therapy along their career paths. Davis and Shocklee have been massage therapists for 19 years, while Robertson has spent 22 years in the profession and Courage 31 years.

“Massage is important for me,” Shocklee said. “It’s what I’m meant to do. It helps me stay connected to myself. For me to go to work feels very focusing and a relief from other parts of my day that may be chaotic. It’s doing something that is single-minded by working with one person.”

Courage was working on a premedicine degree when she realized she had a strong interest in alternative health care. She visited a massage school and signed up the

CIRCLE PHOTO: Mary Davis with Healing Traditions Bodywork in Evergreen uses her forearm to massage areas of a client’s back.

Destine Robertson with Alpine Medical Massage in Centennial and Conifer massages a patient’s back.

Ti any Shocklee with Hearthfire Therapeutics in Golden massages a client’s shoulder. Shocklee also o ers ashiatsu massage during which she uses her feet.

TOUCH

FROM PAGE 8

next week.

Robertson, for example, worked in a bakery before moving to massage therapy, quipping that kneading bread dough helped pave the way to her next career. However, she said she should have known that massage therapy was her calling because as a young girl, she rubbed her grandmother’s shoulders. Her grandmother suggested massage therapy as a career.

Davis had a 20-year career in the nonpro t sector rst.

“I like doing things that help people, but I didn’t want to make the commute and sit in an o ce,” Davis said.

Helping others

e massage therapists agree that they continue to practice massage therapy for so many years because of the relationships they have with their clients and because of their ability to help others

with a multitude of issues.

“It’s a pretty amazing feeling to have somebody come in (for a massage) in pain or with an issue that is a big problem in their lives, and you’re able to gure out how to work with them to help either greatly improve or resolve that issue,” Courage said. “Just the feeling of seeing them feel better, to know that they are healthier, happier, more functional in their lives, and you helped create that.”

Shocklee added: “I feel like it’s very rewarding being able to increase people’s wellbeing. It de nitely can be therapeutic for me to help other people and make them feel better. For me personally, doing things like continuing education so I can keep learning new things and taking care of myself have helped me to be able to do it as long as I can. When I rst started, I didn’t think I’d be doing it that long.”

Davis says she usually see an immediate impact from the massages she provides.

“It really motivates me and makes me feel good,” Davis said. “It gives meaning to my work. I feel like I am having a positive impact on people’s lives.”

that are similar to yogic stretching. The therapist uses palms and fingers to apply firm pressure to the body, and you will be stretched and twisted into various positions. Myofascial release therapy: involves releasing sti ness in the fascia, the connective tissue system that contains each muscle in the body. The therapist uses massage and stretch to any areas that feel tense with light pressure.

John F. Barnes Myofascial Release: a treatment used to treat chronic pain from the following: back, neck, menstrual, jaw, headaches, and others.

Ashiatsu massage: a technique where massage therapists use their feet to apply deep pressure to your body. It’s often called barefoot massage. Methods allow the deep tissues, joints and muscles to be massaged while easing the nervous system.

Reiki: a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is based on the idea that an unseen life-force energy flows through people and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s life-force energy is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Seeds of inspiration grow for six-year-old author

New book signals launch of a kid-focused publishing company

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A Mom and her business partner hope that a six-year-old, inspired to write and publish a book that would be “in all the bookstores,” will inspire other young authors to get themselves published.

Six-year-old Saige Moore signed and read her rst book “People, Plants, Family, and Friends: Where Love Begins “at Brighton’s Shades of Divine Christian bookstore on March 18. e book also is the debut for Bookworm Publishing, a Brighton-based brand for kids books written by other kids.

“We are excited to be part of this journey with Saige and Bookworm Publishing, “ said Billie Ortega, owner of Shades of Divine. “Saige is setting the stage for so many of our youth and will touch so many without even knowing it. She has been selling her book for the past couple of weeks and young adults are read-

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Protect United Power, remove Rose

We want to thank the United Power Board of Directors for following the Bylaws of our co-op and “thoroughly investigating” Mr. Dave

ing her book.”

Saige loves people, plants, family, and friends that make up her surroundings so much she made it the title of her book. She attends Kindergarten at Flatirons Academy, a Christian School in Westminster. Saige has two siblings: a three-yearold brother Gage and a sister, Kilee, 22.

“My book is about how you should always love God, “ Saige said.

Seeds of inspiration

Saige’s mom Emily Moore said she was working on writing her own memoir last summer one Saturday afternoon. Saige was watching and it inspired her to write a story and create a book of her own. Saige developed a prototype of her book with construction paper and used staples as binding.

“I asked her what are you doing?” Emily said. “She said I’m writing a book about people and plants. She began to tell me that her book would be in all bookstores and I saw a seed of inspiration, watered the seed, and watched it grow into a book that would inspire other kids to tell their stories.”

Emily Moore said she had developed a working relationship with book publisher Andrea Lende and

Rose resulting in the resignation of his seat on the Board “before a decision on the complaint was reached by the Board” as per the Minutes of the January 24 special board.

her adult publishing company Beatitudes Publishing. So she sent a video of Saige talking about her book to Lende, to see if she had an interest.

“I’m also an entrepreneur, I’ve always looked for that opportunity to teach my kids that you can take something from start to nish, and do anything you set your mind to do, so we decided to publish her book and that’s where it all began,” Emily Moore said.

Andrea Lende is a best-selling author and speaker in her own right and has written ten books.

“I’m entrepreneurial spirit as well so Emily and I started thinking, what

Some background: Late last year, a group of very concerned Brighton and Commerce City area citizens called and then submitted a written letter of Complaint to the Chairman of the United Power Board of Directors alerting the Board of our knowledge of Dave Rose’s on-going breach of his duty of con dentiality, his unacceptable conduct, possible malfeasance and altogether lack of professionalism with regards to his representation of the members of the cooperative and what was known to be damaging statements he has made that damage the membership in our opinion.

Unfortunately, Dave Rose continues to spread his untruths and misstatements to all who will listen to him including using Letters to the Editor, contacts in his political circles in Adams County, Brighton and elsewhere, and any other forms of communication at his disposal.

e Board has taken the high road on this, but we feel miss-truths must be refuted in order to maintain a healthy board representation.

Dave Rose’s objectives are to now

NORTON

FROM PAGE 6

attention. We are all learning from one another regardless of age or experience.

When we do not know what we do not know, it’s a best practice to stop pretending to be a no-it-all. And that’s something I will also brag on my team about, no one is afraid to ask for help. Our team culture is to be there for one another and help in any way that we can, respecting that everyone on the team brings relatable life experiences regardless of age. It’s about who they are and what they bring that matters most.

if we could start a publishing company for children’s books written by kids for kids,” Lende said. “In a number of ways, it opens up the path for future authors that shouldn’t have to wait until they’re of my age or Emily’s age to start writing.”

Saige is the founder and part owner of Bookworms Publishing and her mom and Lende are part owners too.

“She is super adorable. When it’s your kid, it’s always going be cute, but it’s special that other kids will also be a part of it,” Matt Moore, Saige’s dad, said.

try to remove the Directors who simply followed the rules and stood up to his bad behavior as we asked them to do. We were prepared to remove him from o ce if they could not do so using their proper procedures and we still are prepared to take a stand against someone who simply wants to be important, doesn’t know how to act and loves to create havoc where none is necessary.

ank you again to Chairman Martin, Vice Chair Vigesaa, and all the Directors who took a stand in what must have been an ugly ordeal for months.

We encourage the members of United Power to verify what we’ve stated here, do your due diligence before voting and do not listen to gossip, innuendo and misinformation being circulated by him and certain current South and East candidates who are friendly with Mr. Rose and keep his attempts at retribution in mind in coming months and years.

Betty Albright, Brighton

How about you and your team?

Is everyone valued and respected for what they bring to the opportunities and meetings? Is everyone learning to be more curious and instead of telling, asking better questions? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail. com, and when we can openly talk about, share, and learn from one another’s life experiences, 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.

Emily and Saige Moore with her book she published. PHOTO BY BELEN WARD

Spring Sports Calendar

STAFF REPORT

Fort Lupton High School

Baseball

Mar. 11: e Academy 11 a.m.

Mar. 14: @Weld Central 4 p.m.

Mar. 16: Je erson Academy 4

p.m.

Mar. 29: Greeley Central 4 p.m.

Mar. 31: ornton 4:30 p.m.

Apr. 5: Je erson 4 p.m.

Apr. 7-8 @ Platte Valley/Valley tournament

Apr. 10: @Arrupe Jesuit 6 p.m.

Apr. 12: Englewood 4 p.m.

Apr. 17: Bennett 4 p.m.

Apr. 19: @Arvada 4 p.m.

Apr. 24: @Middle Park 4 p.m.

Apr. 28: Platte Valley 4 p.m.

May 1: DSST-Montview 4 p.m.

May 3: Bruce Randolph 4 p.m.

May 6: Valley 11 a.m.

May 8: @Sheridan 4 p.m.

May 10: @Platte Canyon 4 p.m.

May 11: @Westminster 4 p.m.

May 13: @Peak to Peak 10 a.m.

May 19-20: Regionals

May 26-27: Second round state tournament

June 2-3: State nals

Boys volleyball

Mar. 6: Riverdale Ridge 5 p.m.

Mar. 9: DSST-Conservatory Green 5 p.m.

Mar. 11: @Eaglecret tournament

8 a.m.

Mar. 14: Severance 5 p.m.

Mar. 28: @Stargate 5:30 p.m.

Mar. 30: Stargate 5 p.m.

Apr. 4: Faith Christian 5 p.m.

Apr. 6: @Peak to Peak 5 p.m.

Apr. 8: @Douglas County tournament

Apr. 11: @Windsor Charter 5 p.m.

Apr. 13: Eagle Ridge Academy 5 p.m.

Apr. 18: @Faith Christian 5:30 p.m.

Apr. 20: Peak to Peak 5 p.m.

Apr. 25: Windsor Charter 5 p.m.

Apr. 27: @Eagle Ridge 5:30 p.m.

May 2: League tournament

May 6: Regionals

May 11-13: State boys volleyball tournament

Girls soccer

Mar. 10: DSST-Byers 4 p.m.

Mar. 28: @Sterling 4 p.m.

Mar. 31: Fort Morgan 6 p.m.

Apr. 1: @Je erson 11 a.m.

Apr. 3: @Greeley Central 6 p.m.

Apr. 5: @Bennett 6 p.m.

Apr. 12: @KIPP Denver Collegiate 4:30 p.m.

Apr. 15: Bruce Randolph 11 a.m.

Apr. 17: @Weld Central 6 p.m.

Apr. 19: e Pinnacle 6 p.m.

Apr. 21: @Arvada 4;30 p.m.

Apr. 26: @DSST-Montview 4 p.m.

Apr. 29: Middle Park 11 a.m.

May 2: Englewood 6 p.m.

May 5: Arrupe Jesuit 6 p.m.

May 11: State playo s Girls tennis

Mar. 9: @Aurora Central 4 p.m.

Mar. 14: Englewood 4 p.m.

Mar. 28: Je erson 4 p.m.

Mar. 30: Skyview 4 p.m.

Apr. 1: @Gateway 9 a.m.

Apr. 4: Adams city 4 p.m.

Apr. 11: @ ornton 4 p.m.

Apr. 13: @Arvada 4 p.m. (TBA Colorado League tournament)

Apr. 25: @Dawson School 4 p.m.

Apr. 27: @berthoud 3:30 p.m.

May 2: Brush 4 p.m.

May 5: regionals

May 11-13: State tennis tourna-

ment

Coed track

Mar. 10: @Berthoud HS 1 p.m.

Mar. 17 @Weld Central

Mar. 31: @Erie

Apr. 7: @Longmont HS 1:30

p.m.

Apr. 21: @Northridge HS 2 p.m.

Apr. 21: @Holy Family HS 8;45

a.m.

Apr. 28: @Eaton HS 8:45 a.m. (Weld County championships)

May 2: @Frontier League meet, Je co Stadium

May 5: @Elizabeth HS 11 a.m.

May 12: @Longmont HS 9:55

a.m. (St. Vrain Invitational)

May 18-20: State track meet, Jeffco Stadium

Frederick

Girls golf

Mar. 14: @Fox Hill CC 9 a.m.

Mar. 21: @Boomerang Golf

Course 9 a.m.

Mar. 28: @ orncreek 9 a.m.

Mar. 30: @Mariana Butte Golf Course 1 p.m.

Apr. 5: @Quail Dunes 10 a.m.

Apr. 10: @ e Olde Course 9:30 a.m.

Apr. 17: @Common Ground noon

Apr. 20: @Eaton CC 9 a.m.

Apr. 27: @Coyote Creek

May 9: @Niwot noon

May 15: @Quail Dunes 9 a.m.

May 17: @ e Knolls 9 a.m.

May 23: Regionals at Fox Hill, Longmont

May 30-31: State 4A golf, orncreek GC

Girls soccer

Mar. 9: @Longmont 6:30 p.m.

Mar. 14: Mead 6 p.m.

Mar. 15: @ ornton 4:30 p.m.

Mar. 28: Greeley West 6 p.m.

Mar. 30: @Greeley Central 6

p.m.

Apr. 4: Roosevelt 6 p.m.

Apr. 5: @Mountain View 6 p.m.

Apr. 7: Erie 6 p.m.

Apr. 11: Severance 6 p.m.

Apr. 13: @Riverdale Ridge 6 p.m.

Apr. 18: Northridge 6 p.m.

Apr. 20: @Niwot 6 p.m.

Apr. 25: @Fort Morgan 6 p.m.

Apr. 27: Skyline 6 p.m.

May 1: @ ompson Valley 6 p.m. Track and eld

Mar. 10: @Mead 2 p.m.

Mar. 18: Warrior Invitational 9 a.m.

Mar. 23: @All-City Stadium 11 a.m.

Apr. 1: @University HS 9 a.m.

Apr. 8: @North eld HS 8:30 a.m.

Apr. 15: @Longmont HS 8:30

a.m.

Apr. 21: @Holy Family 1 p.m.

Apr. 29: @Eaton 9 a.m.

May 5-6 @Longmont HS

May 12: @Fort Collins HS 2 p.m.

May 18-20: State 4A track meet, Je co Stadium

Addison Koeppen of the Warriors clears one of the last hurdles in her heat of the 100-meter hurdles at the 45th annual Boulder County track and field championships at Broomfield High School April 2022. FILE/ STEVE SMITH

Fort Lupton shortstop Javier Ortiz covers second base as Lyons runner Finn Oetting reaches safely during a game at Fort Lupton High School in March 2022.

Polis targets local land use in bid to make housing less costly

BY JESSE PAUL AND ELLIOTT WENZLER THE COLORADO SUN

Fast-growing, housing-strapped Colorado communities would be barred from limiting construction of duplexes, triplexes and add-on housing units under a marquee measure unveiled in March by Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic state lawmakers aimed at addressing the state’s housing crisis by increasing residential density.

e land-use bill would also block limits on how many unrelated people can live in the same home and prevent Colorado’s largest cities from restricting what kind of housing can be built near transit stops. A separate measure, meanwhile, would ban municipalities from imposing new growth caps and eliminate existing ones.

e land-use proposal would apply di erently throughout the state depending on population size and housing needs, with the biggest impacts on Colorado’s most populous cities — Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Lakewood, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction — but also rules for rural communities and resort towns, which have faced their own unique housing struggles.

“ is is an a ordability crisis around housing in our state,” Gov. Jared Polis told e Colorado Sun. “Absent action, it’s only going to get worse. We absolutely want to move our state in a way where homeownership and rent are more a ordable, and this will help get that done.”

Polis said the bills — one of which is expected to be more than 100 pages long — represent the most ambitious land-use policy changes in Colorado in about 40 years. e policy changes will take years to go into e ect, but the governor said if the state doesn’t act, Colorado could start to look like California, where homes are even less a ordable, and tra c is worse.

“We want to make sure we get ahead of the curve,” he said.

Local government leaders have been wary of the proposals, previewed in the governor’s State of the State address in January, because of how it would restrict their power to

create and enforce housing policies.

“Respectfully, get o our lawn,” Kevin Bommer, executive director of the Colorado Municipal League, said at a gathering of local o cials in February when describing negotiations on the legislation with Polis’ o ce.

e organization’s board voted to oppose the land-use bill last week, Bommer said. “CML opposes this sweeping and breathtaking attempt to centralize local land use and zoning policy in the state Capitol, while doing nothing to guarantee a ordability,” Bommer said in a written statement, also calling the measure a “breathtaking power grab.”

e only Colorado mayor who spoke in support of the bill at a Capitol news conference on March 22 rolling out the legislation was Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett. “ ere’s still some work to be done and I’m sure there’ll be changes hashed out,” he said. “But there is so much at value here.”

e bills are also expected to meet erce pushback from the few Republicans in the legislature, who are in the minority in the House and Senate and have little say over which measures pass or fail.

e measures have been the talk of the Capitol since the 2023 legislative session began in January, but the details of what’s in the legislation have been under wraps until now. Democrats will have less than two months to pass the bills through the House and Senate before the lawmaking term ends in early May.

e governor’s o ce says the landuse bill was drafted after more than 120 meetings with housing and business experts and local o cials and through research on similar policies passed in other states. Oregon, for instance, passed a law in 2019 requiring cities with a population greater than 1,000 to allow duplexes, while cities with more than 25,000 people must allow townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes.

Rep. Steven Woodrow, a Denver Democrat who will be one of the prime sponsors of the land-use bill, said the measure is supposed to

A view of Lone Tree homes from Blu s Regional Park and Trail. PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW

SEE LAND USE, P13

prevent some Colorado communities erecting barriers to development while their neighbors sprawl out of control, which can cause gentri cation and water issues.

“We have to do this at the state level because local political pressures are such that it hasn’t been hasn’t been done until now,” Woodrow said.

e measure reshaping land use in Colorado would apply only to municipalities, not counties. e governor’s o ce and the bills’ sponsors believe they can impose policy restrictions on cities and towns because housing is an issue of statewide concern, a position that could be tested in court.

“Research has shown that increasing housing supply, like building units like duplexes and townhomes, can increase a ordability,” Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, a Commerce City Democrat and a lead sponsor of the bill, said at a news conference as the bill was unveiled. “Yet these types of housing are often prohibited in many of the communities that need them the most. And that doesn’t make sense.”

An unanswered question is whether developers will take advantage of the bill, should it pass.

“I think that people are anxious to provide housing,” said J.J. Ament, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, which supports the bill. “I don’t think it really is a capital problem in Colorado. It is regulatory and environment. I think the capital will ow because the demand is there.”

e legislation is slated to be formally introduced this week. e measures were described in detail to e Sun by their sponsors and the governor.

e requirements will vary for di erent parts of the state depending on which of ve categories they fall into based on their population and housing needs. Here’s how the requirements would break down:

Tier 1, with cities that include: Arvada, Aurora, Boulder, Brighton, Broom eld, Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Commerce City, Denver, Edgewater, Englewood, Erie, Federal Heights, Glendale, Golden, Greenwood Village, Lafayette, Lakewood, Littleton, Lochbuie, Lone Tree, Longmont, Louisville, Northglenn, Parker, Sheridan, Superior, ornton, Westminster and Wheat Ridge.

Outside of the Denver metro area, Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Colorado Springs, Fountain, Grand Junction and Pueblo would also be considered Tier 1 cities.

Cities in this category have a population of at least 1,000 and are in a metropolitan planning organization — such as the Denver Regional Council of Governments — with a population greater than 1 million and in a Census Urbanized Area with a population greater than 75,000. Cities with a population greater than 25,000 and in a metropolitan planning organization with a population less than 1 million would also fall into this category.

Tier 1 cities would be most affected by the land-use bill. ey would be prohibited from restricting duplexes, triplexes and multiplexes up to six units, as well as accessorydwelling units, sometimes referred to as ADUs or granny ats. ey would also be prohibited from requiring parking tied to those kinds of housing.

ADUs are habitable structures that are on the same property as a house but a separate building, such as an apartment over a garage. Many municipalities across the state restrict where and how they can be built.

Tier 1 cities would also have to allow the construction of multifamily housing near transit centers, which are de ned as the half-mile area around xed-rail stations.Cities wouldn’t be allowed to require new, o -street parking for multifamily homes built in transit corridors, though developers could provide any amount of parking they feel is needed.

Tier 1 cities would also be subject to development guidelines aimed at promoting housing density and walkable communities around socalled key transit corridors, which are de ned as areas within a quarter mile of bus-rapid-transit and highfrequency bus routes.

Finally, Tier 1 cities will also be required to complete a housing needs plan based on a state housing needs assessment, as well as participate in long-term planning to stop sprawl and address environmental concerns, like greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and limited water.

Tier 1 cities have the option of meeting minimum land-use requirements set by the state, which the governor’s o ce refers to as the “ exible option.” If not, they would be forced to adopt a state-developed land-use code. e state code would be created by Colorado Department of Local A airs regulators at a later date.

Tier 1 cities would have to submit codes compliant with the bill to the state by December 2024. Any Tier 1 cities that don’t meet the minimum standards under the legislation’s so-called “ exible option” would be forced to operate under the model land-use code starting in December 2025.

SEE LAND USE, P24

e engineering formulas and legalese are meant to say, “ ere may be things that you didn’t consider, that will reduce the amount of water you’ll be able to yield,” Rein said.

Nebraska surprised Colorado and Western water watchers in early 2022 with a revival of the ancient Perkins County Canal plan. (Perkins County is on the Nebraska side of the border, though the canal may or may not actually run through it.) Nebraska’s governor warned Colorado had plans to use up all available South Platte River water before it left the state just northeast of Julesburg, and that the only way for Nebraska to secure its rights was a $500 million canal allowed in the compact.

Nebraska needs the water for its agriculture-based economy and for recreation, state o cials said. e state’s legislature quickly agreed, and voted to launch engineering studies and start setting aside money for eventual construction.

A year ago, Rein and the o ce of Gov. Jared Polis said they hadn’t heard many details of the canal plan directly from Nebraska engineers. e Nebraska consultants’ report was delivered to the state legislature in “Nebraska stands to lose the water supply that provides bene ts to its residents if it does not build the project,” the study concludes. If begun in earnest in 2023, the report estimates,

SEE SOUTH PLATTE, P15

The South Platte River is seen from overhead in Sedgwick County on March 16, 2022.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN / THE COLORADO SUN VIA REPORT FOR AMERICA

SOUTH PLATTE

the canal could be owing by 2033.

At the 500 cubic feet per second rate the canal has a compact-codi ed right to draw from the Colorado side of the South Platte, the project would deliver about 78,400 acre-feet to Nebraska in an average year for irrigation and storage, the study says. By comparison, Denver Water’s Dillon Reservoir in Summit County can hold 257,000 acre-feet of water. (An acrefoot provides a foot of irrigation water to one acre for a season or supplies two to four typical city households for a year.)

If expected Colorado river development projects take away 50% of the current remaining supply in the South Platte, the study adds, the canal could still deliver 69,900 acrefeet to Nebraska each year. e water could support 1.6 million irrigated acres in Nebraska and bolster municipal supply to faster-growing eastern cities such as Omaha and Lincoln.

Total economic bene ts from the project would range from $698 million to $754 million, an enticing payo for the $567 million project cost, the study adds.

Part of the study’s optimism about how much Colorado water it can get stem from a disagreement over the extent of climate change. Colorado forecasters and engineers predict continuing heavy impacts on the South Platte Basin from an ongoing drought and temperature and snowpack pressures. Nebraska studies “ nd more moderate temperature

changes and even stabilized precipitation patterns” for the lower section of the river, the Nebraska report said.

Nebraska’s Deputy Director of Natural Resources Jesse Bradley said the Colorado state engineer’s letter fails to account for the fact that the Nebraska supply study “used a conservative approach.” Bradley’s email attached a photo from near Julesburg showing strong river ow on March 14.

“Even assuming that ows entering the lower section are zero, there will still be signi cant ows available for the canal,” Bradley wrote. Bradley said his photo showed South Platte River ow at the state line near Julesburg was 260 cubic feet per second on a day Nebraska would have the right to divert, even though ows were near zero at the gauge dividing the river’s upper section from the lower section.

“In addition, this does not account for the many junior Colorado recharge projects in the lower section that are currently diverting, but would be curtailed to meet Nebraska’s demand,” he added.

“We have not had the opportunity to discuss the letter with Kevin (Rein) and hope to do so in the future,” Bradley said.

e Colorado response letter on future water supply does not include an extensive environmental analysis of the canal’s impacts. But previous studies have warned canal engineers may never overcome the South Platte ow requirements of the Endangered Species Act. e Nebraska report says the canal may actually improve conditions satisfying a 2006 interstate pact to support South Platte wetlands wildlife, but doesn’t explain how

1-877-328-1512

taking more water out before the Nebraska border would achieve that end.

Nebraska o cials have said in some conversations they feel a canal could be completed within four years, said Joel Schneekloth, a regional water resource specialist at Colorado State University. But the likely litigation over EPA environmental impact rules alone could drag on for years, Schneekloth added.

Nonpro ts and water agencies along both the North and South extensions of the Platte River, and the mainstem after they meet 90 miles east of Julesburg, have fought for decades over providing enough water and habitat for whooping cranes.

Northern Water in Colorado started planning the two-reservoir Northern Integrated Supply Project in the early 2000s, and only in late 2022 received its nal federal permit, Schneekloth said. at project faces still more opposition lawsuits.

South Platte River environmental issues will “come into play, and that’s going to be an issue that will be adjudicated,” he said.

In prepared remarks at a January water congress, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser listed many reasons why the Nebraska canal is “Stated simply . . . both unwise and unlikely.”

Schneekloth, as well as water experts on the Nebraska side of the border, agree with the Colorado engineer’s pointed questions about where exactly Nebraska can nd the water to ll the canal.

With low o -season ow and all the senior water rights diversions allowed above the Nebraska canal spot, Schneekloth said, “we’re starting

out with basically a dry river at that point.”

While the Nebraska legislature moves forward, they’re hearing from local academics who are similarly skeptical.

“ ere are a lot of senior users in the basin who would basically be able to take the water, so I’m not even sure legally if this canal would really be able to appropriate water out of the South Platte,” an appropriations committee heard in 2022 from Anthony Schutz, a University of Nebraska associate law professor, according to Nebraska public radio.

Nebraska o cials said in their response email to e Colorado Sun that they have “discussed alternatives” to the canal with Colorado that would allow their state to divert South Platte water in a di erent location that would reduce any impact to Colorado landowners.

“ at alternative was dismissed by Colorado, as they indicated they would not recognize Nebraska Compact rights unless the diversion is located” southwest of Julesburg and the tiny hamlet of Ovid.

As for Nebraska shrinking from the implications of the Colorado engineer’s hydrology-questioning letter, Schneekloth is not expecting surrender.

“ ey’re dead serious about this,” he said.

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

Why so many Colorado cars have expired license plates

Situation is widespread

BY PAOLO ZIALCITA COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

eodore Shille was driving home from the grocery store when he noticed something. During the short trip, he passed three cars that had expired temporary license plates or no plates at all.

It wasn’t the rst time he had seen this near his Denver home; a few days before he wrote in to CPR News and asked, “what’s the deal with all the cars driving around without a license plate, or with an expired temporary plate?”

It’s a question that regularly appears on a local Reddit message board.

And it’s something this reporter has seen, as well. When I started looking into this story, I stood at a busy intersection in Westminster near the entrance to U.S. 36 on a Sunday morning to count the number of cars I saw with expired temporary license plates or no plates. Within 10 minutes, I saw 10 cars.

Why are there so many cars on Colorado roads with expired plates?

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, before vaccines were readily available, county Department of Motor Vehicle o ces were closed frequently and experienced supply chain issues for materials needed to make the plates. Could that still be a ecting permanent license plate turnaround times? Are

drivers lax in getting their plates updated, or is something else happening?

According to Adam Wilms, director of vehicle services at the state DMV, that early pandemic slowdown has come and gone.

“You’ll see appointments ranging from same day to, I would say, a max of three or four days out,” he said.

But that only covers one aspect of the process to acquire permanent plates. It really begins once someone purchases a vehicle from a dealership.

After all the forms are signed, the dealer has 30 days to forward the title paperwork to your county DMV o ce for processing. Jessica Ramirez, who manages titles for GoJo Auto in Denver, said this part usually goes smoothly for her, but there are exceptions.

“Every deal’s di erent. I have three right now that aren’t good,” Ramirez said. “Sometimes it’s a trade-in and we pay out the lien and the bank doesn’t send us the title. Or it gets lost in the mail, so I have to wait for a lien release and then get a duplicate title. ere’s lots of things that could delay it.”

e county DMV has 30 days after it receives the title to process the paperwork and send the buyer a “Title Complete Notice” via mail. Ramirez said she heard from the people she sends paperwork to that there are potential slowdowns there, as well.

Derek Kuhn, a spokesperson for the state DMV, said that all Colorado counties should be caught up on

title processing by now, except for one.

“Our team con rmed that Denver County DMV is running behind on processing title paperwork, but we believe they should be caught up in a couple of weeks,” he said.

Department spokesperson Courtney Meihls said the Denver County DMV wait time is currently 30 days: “Denver is experiencing a backlog due to sta ng issues, and because our branches operate di erently than other [motor vehicle] branches throughout the state.”

If drivers don’t receive their permanent plates within by the time the temporary plates expire, Meihls continued, the DMV branches will provide extended temporary plates.

After the local DMV mails that Title Complete Notice, the process to get permanent plates varies by county.

In Denver County, for example, buyers can either register their vehicle over the phone or visit a branch ofce. Buyers may be required to bring documentation, like proof of ownership and insurance, into their local DMV o ce.

All that’s left to do is pay for registration fees, which can vary depending on the age, weight and value of the vehicle. Fees can amount in the low hundreds, while some vehicles may garner a nal fee of well over $1,000. Fees help pay for vital infrastructure across the state.

“What most people don’t realize is that a signi cant portion of [registration fees] goes to the county, so that pays a lot of your county taxes,” Wilms said. “In addition to that, it’s your road and bridge taxes and

Tra c on intersate 25 in Denver COURTESY OF CPR

REFUNDS

to.

e bad news is that the in ation rate used to calculate the TABOR cap lags current economic conditions.

at means that while the legislature would seem to have more money to spend next year, the amount is actually lower than this year’s when adjusted for real-time population and in ation increases.

In fact, Greg Sobetski, chief economist for Legislative Council Sta , told the JBC that even without TABOR state budget revenue isn’t expected to keep up with in ation and population increases.

“We expect those revenue increases to not make up for the budgetary pressures that arise from in ation and population,” he said.

Still, state tax revenue is expected

PLATES

fees. A lot of the money goes to the highway user tax fund and funds the repairs and the creation of our roads and bridges throughout Colorado.”  e road to obtaining permanent plates should take 60 days, at most. But for Kyle Spence, it took six months.

“As soon as I actually purchased the car and left with it, that’s when everything started falling to pieces,” Spence said.

When his rst set of temporary tags expired in November, he called his dealership, a national chain, in orton which told him they hadn’t submitted any documents to the state.

“ ey never really gave me a reason for it,” he said.

By January, Spence’s second set of temporary tags were due to expire, and he hadn’t received the Title Complete Notice from the DMV. So, he took matters into his own hands.

“ ere’s a way that you can look up your VIN number of your vehicle, [and] whether or not you have a title number,” he said. Spence took the title number to the tax collector’s o ce without his Title Complete Notice and eventually got his

to exceed the TABOR cap through the 2024-25 scal year, which begins on July 1, 2024. at’s assuming Colorado voters don’t approve more reductions in the income tax rate — as conservatives are pushing for — and the legislature doesn’t pass new bills o ering tax breaks.

ere’s also a proposal swirling at the Capitol to ask voters to forgo their TABOR refunds and send the money to K-12 schools instead.

e TABOR cap was exceeded last scal year by $3.7 billion, which prompted refund checks to be mailed to Coloradans last year. Another round will be mailed out in April, as well.

Legislative Council Sta and the governor’s o ce shared good and bad news about the state’s economy.  Overall, the state’s economy, like the nation’s, is slowing in the wake of rising interest rates set by the Federal Reserve. Unemployment

permanent plate. He acknowledged, however, that persuading the o ce to go through the process without the notice was di cult.

For Kate McElhaney, the road to permanent plates has been similarly rocky. In November, she bought an electric vehicle and by February, she was still waiting to obtain permanent plates.

“I don’t know where the holdup is. Is it with the dealership? Is it with the DMV? I’m not really sure,” she said.

Neither her dealership nor the DMV have answered her questions. And with the tax deadline quickly approaching, she isn’t sure how to le to get the state’s electric vehicle tax credit.

“If I don’t get my car registered until after April 15, what does that mean?” she asked. “Do I just surrender my tax credit or can I go for it in this calendar year? I don’t know and I can’t really nd any information on that.”

But what about people driving around with long-expired temporary plates, or cars with no plates?

Until recently, Colorado only penalized people with expired vehicle registration. But earlier this month, a new law went into e ect that aims to reduce the number of cars with expired temporary license plates by introducing new nes to people late

in Colorado, however, remains low — 2.8% in January, which means it has returned to pre-pandemic levels — and isn’t expected to rise too much.

Legislative Council Sta forecasts the unemployment rate to be 2.9% at the end of 2023 before increasing slightly to 3.1% in 2024. e Governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budgeting says there are two job openings in Colorado for every unemployed person.

Coloradans’ personal savings, meanwhile, have shrunk amid high in ation, while credit card balances have risen.

“Some households may still have excess savings, but most lowerincome households spent down the excess savings acquired early in the pandemic,” Louis Pino, an LCS analyst, told the JBC.

Bryce Cooke, chief economist with OSPB, said if there is an economic

with the registration of their temporary plates, as well as permanent ones.

In response to the DMV’s renewed hard stance on all unregistered vehicles, some state law enforcement agencies said they would take more consistent action against cars with expired plates or no plates.

Colorado State Patrol, the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce, and other police departments recently said they will begin pulling over people for unregistered vehicles.

e Denver Police Department, however, signaled that unregistered vehicles are low on their priority list.

“Consistent with our commitment to Vision Zero, Denver Police O cers generally focus on safety violations when conducting tra c enforcement. When they are not responding to reports of crime, o cers are encouraged to engage in proactive e orts, to include enforcing trafc and parking violations,” DPD said in a statement.

Police departments aren’t the only entity with the authority to enforce registration laws. In Denver, a division of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure handles parking violations and citations around the city.

at division — the Right of Way Enforcement — issued about 92,000 citations in 2022 to cars break-

downturn, Colorado will be well positioned to weather it.

“If the gap between the workforce and job openings remained similar to where it is now, you would see that people wouldn’t be losing jobs,” he said.

Cooke said bank failures in the U.S. and internationally are a real economic risk, though it will be tempered by the federal government’s willingness to respond to the situation.

Overall, Lauren Larson, who leads OSPB, said these are “uncertain economic times.”

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

ing municipal code 54-62, which prohibits having either an expired license plate or no front license plate. at’s about 7,000 more citations than were issued in 2019.

John LeDrew has received several of those tickets.

About a year ago, he began leasing a plug-in hybrid and has been driving with expired temporary license plates since they rst expired. He wasn’t told by his dealership or the DMV that he could obtain more temporary license plates.

“I did the calculation, the fees were like $600. I went [to the DMV] to register and get those tags, but it turned out to be closer to $1,400,” LeDrew said. “I couldn’t a ord that at the time. So, I asked what my options were and he said, ‘you just drive around with expired tags.’ I said, ‘alright, cool.’ And I just left.”

LeDrew has been trying to save up to a ord his permanent plates, but owning a small business and having a commission-based salary makes his nances di cult to predict. He believes he’s close, but more tickets could set him back.

“It’s just one of the constant battles we have to manage,” he said. is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ

©

TRIVIA

2. MOVIES: Which movie was the rst sports lm to win the Best Picture award?

3. U.S. PRESIDENTS: How many former rst ladies are still living?

4. TELEVISION: What is the name of Bart’s teacher on “ e Simpsons”?

5. LANGUAGE: What does the Japanese phrase “domo arigato” mean in English?

6. CHEMISTRY: What is the lightest element?

7. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Who is Marie Laveau of New Orleans?

8. AD SLOGANS: Which product was advertised with the slogan, “Great taste, less lling”?

9. U.S. CITIES: In which city would you nd omas

Solution

Je erson’s Monticello?

10. LITERATURE: Who wrote the autobiography “Dreams From My Father”?

Answers

1. Four: California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

2. “Rocky” (1976).

3. Five: Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and Melania Trump.

4. Edna Krabappel.

5. ank you.

6. Hydrogen.

7. Famous voodoo queen.

8. Miller Lite beer.

9. Charlottesville, Virginia.

10. Barack Obama.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

NOW HERE’S A TIP

* awing frozen water pipes can be very tricky. Some people use a hot pad wrapped around the pipe; others have been known to use the hair dryer method (electricity and water don’t really mix; be careful). Hopefully you learned any lessons the easy way this winter, but if you had to patch any pipes, make sure you get them repaired asap. Sometimes people forget as soon as the weather turns nice. -- A plumber in Illinois

* When drilling holes in the wall, you can tape an envelope, open side out, to the wall just under where you will be drilling. Open the envelope up a bit so that any dust will fall directly down into the open envelope. It will keep your working area nice and neat!

* To make a special quilted keepsake, sew together baby’s receiving blankets.

* Want a delicious coating for chicken? Try basting with mayonnaise and then dip in crushed crackers. e crumbs

stick well to the mayo, and it’s especially delicious with crushed butter crackers, like Ritz.

* When washing stockings by hand, add a tablespoon of vinegar to the rinse water. ey will keep the stretch better. Also, if you line-dry them outdoors, slip a spoon or a few coins into the toe. is will keep them from twisting up in the wind.

* If you, like me, are washing your winter sweaters to pack away, add a bit of hair conditioner to the rinse. Also, don’t try to pull them into shape when drying. Just lay at to dry. If you have a screen, you can set it up so that the sweater dries from both sides. is is best. -- D.Y. in Kentucky Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

FLASHBACK

1. Which song had to be changed before it could get radio airplay because it started with the sounds of a siren?

2. Name the artist who wrote and released “For the Love of Him.”

3. Who had an international hit with “Up in a Pu of Smoke”?

4. Who used the stage name Lobo?

5. Name the song that contains these lyrics: “I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king.”

Answers

1. “Indiana Wants Me,” by R. Dean Taylor in 1970. e police siren at the beginning of the song caused drivers to pull o the road, thinking the siren was real.

2. Bobbi Martin, in 1969. For a real treat,

search YouTube for Martin’s videos, especially “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

3. Polly Brown, in 1974. While it climbed charts worldwide, it ranked highest (No.

3) on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart.

4. Roland Kent LaVoie, singer-songwriter of the hit “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo.”

5. “ at’s Life,” made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1966. It’s been widely used, including in the Tony Hawk’s Underground

2 video game in 2004. e song was rst recorded, however, by Marion Montgomery in 1963.

(c) 2023 King Features Syndicate

Real Estate & Rental

Home for Sale

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2 BD, 2 BA house, 2 car detached garage, fenced yard/patio. N/P. 1 yr. lease, $1500/mo, $1500 damage deposit.

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COMMERCIAL SPACE

142 6th St., Frederick. 1000 sq. ft., $995 plus deposit. Call Carolee, 303-857-8777 or Amanda, 970-381-2578.

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Help Wanted

Director of Student Re-Entry

The Director is responsible for identifying student populations who have not graduated but have left MCC with few remaining requirements left to nish their degree/certi cate.

Title V Director

The Director is responsible for ensuring activities of the grant are implemented, monitoring projects, collecting data and assessing project success, reporting as required to the U.S. Department of Education, monitoring the project budget, and adhering to all program regulations.

Manufacturing Pathways Advisor

The Advisor develops the manufacturing pathway pipeline throughout the college service area. The position advises current and prospective students about college and career opportunities in the manufacturing industry.

Student Support Specialist

The Student Support Specialist is responsible for providing support and training to students in the operation and use of instructional equipment for in-person and remote learning.

Nursing Faculty

Full-time faculty, responsible for teaching, recruiting, advising and outreach to the communities served by MCC.

Master’s degree in nursing or a bachelor’s degree in nursing with a plan to complete an MSN degree is required. Must have a Colorado R.N. license and 4000 hours of veri able nursing experience in the last ve years.

Director of Physical Therapist Assistant Program

Full-time faculty. The Director of the PTA Program manages the program in accordance with the mission, core values, and purposes of MCC. The individual serves in both an administrative position and faculty position. The Program Director is responsible for administrative and scal management of the PTA program, marketing, and recruitment, mentoring part-time instructors/faculty, accreditation compliance, revising program layout and delivery as appropriate to expand the program.

Master’s degree from an accredited physical therapist program. Must have an unrestricted Licensed Physical Therapist or Physical Therapist Assistant in the State of Colorado.

For full announcement, requirements & employment application, please visit https://morgancc.applicantpro.com/jobs/ or call 970-542-3130. EOE.

NOTICE OF CANCELATION OF ELECTION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the FrederickFirestone Fire Protection District, Weld County, Colorado, that at the close of business on the sixty-third day before the election, there were not more candidates for director than offices to be filled, including candidates filing affidavits of intent to be write-in candidates; therefore, the election to be held on May 2, 2023 is hereby canceled pursuant to section 1-13.5-513 (1), C.R.S.

The following candidates are hereby declared elected:

Legals

OF

COLORADO

/s/ Sue Blair

Designated Election Official Contact Person for the District: Sue Blair, Designated Election Official Community Resource Services 7995 E. Prentice Avenue, Suite 103E Greenwood Village, CO 80111 303.381.4960 (voice) 303. 381.4961 (fax) sblair@crsofcolorado.com

Legal Notice No. FLP835

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: March 30, 2023

Publisher: Fort Lupton Press Public Notice

NOTICE OF VACANCIES

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly, to the electors of the Peaks Industrial Metropolitan District, City of Dacono, Weld County, Colorado (the “District”).

NOTICE IS GIVEN that two (2) vacancies have occurred on the board of Directors of the District (the “Board”). Two (2) directors may be appointed by the Board to serve until the next regular election of the District in May 2023.

Any eligible elector of the District may submit a letter of interest of the offices of the District’ s legal counsel, Mill Law pllc 1555 California Street, #505, Denver, CO 80202. Letters of interest meeting the requirement of § 32-1-808 C.R.S., must be returned within ten (10) days of the publication of this Notice, which date is April 10, 2023.

The Peaks Industrial Metropolitan District

By: /s/ MILLER LAW pllc

Legal Notice No. FLP838

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: March 30, 2023

Publisher: Fort Lupton Press Public Notice

NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF REGULAR ELECTION BY THE DESIGNATED ELECTION OFFICIAL FOR THE DEER TRAILS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Deer Trails Metropolitan District, Weld County, Colorado, that at the close of business on the sixty-third (63rd) day before the election or thereafter there were not more candidates for Director than offices to be filled, including candidates filing affidavits of intent to be write-in candidates; therefore, the election to be held on May 2, 2023, is hereby cancelled.

The following candidates are declared elected:

Srinivasa Yarlagadda

Four-Year Term to 2027

Sarada Yarlagadda

Four-Year Term to 2027

Vacancy

Four-Year Term to 2027

Vacancy Two-Year Term to 2025

Vacancy

Two-Year Term to 2025

DEER TRAILS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

By:/s/ Sarah H. Luetjen

Designated Election Official

Legal Notice No. FLP834

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: March 30, 2023

Publisher: Fort Lupton Press

Public Notice

NOTICE OF VACANCIES

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly, to the electors of the Dacono Estates Metropolitan District, City of Dacono, Weld County, Colorado (the “District”).

NOTICE IS GIVEN that two (2) vacancies have occurred on the board of Directors of the District (the “Board”). Two (2) directors may be appointed by the Board to serve until the next regular election of the District in May 2023.

Any eligible elector of the District may submit a letter of interest of the offices of the District’ s legal counsel, Mill Law pllc 1555 California Street, #505, Denver, CO 80202. Letters of interest meeting the requirement of § 32-1-808 C.R.S., must be retuned within ten (10) days of the publication of this Notice, which date is April 10, 2023.

Dacono Estates Metropolitan District.

By: /s/ MILLER LAW pllc

Legal Notice No. FLP837

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: March 30, 2023

Publisher: Fort Lupton Press

Misc. Private Legals

Public Notice

Nikolaus Arnusch, who’s address is 34527 County Rd. 6, Keenesburg, Colorado 80643 and who’s phone number is (720) 383-2051, has filed an application for a Regular (112) Construction Materials Operation Reclamation Permit with the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board under provisions of the Colorado Land Reclamation Act for the Extraction of Construction Materials. The proposed mine is known as Arnusch Gravel Pit #3, and is located at or near Section 23, Township 1 North, Range 63 West of the 6th Prime Meridian. The proposed date of commencement is April 2023 and the proposed date of completion is December 2027. The proposed future use of the land is pastureland. Additional information and tentative decision date may be obtained from the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, 1313 Sherman Street, Room 215, Denver, Colorado 80203, (303) 866-3567, or at the Weld County Clerk and Recorder’s Office; 1150 “O” Street, Greeley, Colorado 80631, or the above-named applicant. Comments must be in writing and must be received by the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety by 4:00 p.m. on May 10th, 2023.

Please note that under the provisions of C.R.S. 3432.5-101 et seq. Comments related to noise, truck traffic, hours of operation, visual impacts, effects on property values and other social or economic concerns are issues not subject to this Office’s jurisdiction. These subjects and similar ones, are typically addressed by your local governments, rather than the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety or the Mined Land Reclamation Board.

Legal Notice No. FLP840

First Publication: March 30, 2023

Last Publication: April 20, 2023

Storage

Tier 2 is next, which includes Dacono, Fort Lupton, Firestone, Frederick, Evans, Berthoud, Johnstown, Timnath, Eaton, Miliken, Severance and Monument.

ey are de ned as cities in a metropolitan planning organization that have a population of between 5,000 and 25,000 and in a county with a population greater than 250,000.

Tier 2 cities would be prohibited from restricting accessory-dwelling units and parking associated with ADUs, though they would be able to block duplexes, triplexes and multiplexes. ey would also be exempt from provisions around transit centers and corridors.

ey would, however, still be required to conduct housing needs assessments and create the same type of long-term housing and sprawl and environmental plans.

Tier 2 cities would have to submit codes compliant with the bill to the state by December 2024. Any Tier 1 cities that don’t meet the minimum standards under the legislation’s so-called “ exible option” would be forced to operate under the model land-use code starting in December 2025.

Another category is dubbed, Rural Resort Job Centers. is category includes Aspen, Avon, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Dillon, Durango, Frisco, Glenwood Springs, Mountain Village, Silverthorne, Snowmass Village, Steamboat Springs, Telluride, Vail and Winter Park.

Rural resort job centers are de-

ned as municipalities that have a population of at least 1,000 and at least 1,200 jobs and are outside of a metropolitan planning organization. ey also have regional transit service with at least 20 trips per day. is category is intended to prompt local governments to work with their surrounding region to address housing shortfalls. e communities would be required to allow ADUs but then have to develop a regional housing needs plan to identify where zoning should happen for duplexes, triplexes and other multiplexes. e communities

would also have to work together to boost transit corridors and housing surrounding them.

“ ere’s often a dynamic in rural areas where people may live in one community but work in another, and because of that the additional exibility is that they can reach agreements with their partner communities to have a more regional approach to some of the goals that are in the bill,” Moreno said.

Like Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, rural resort job centers would have the ability to choose between a minimum level of housing policies while

maintaining some of their own design standards or be forced to adopt a model land-use code that will be created by the state. e speci cs on those two options are not laid out in the bill and would be determined later by state regulators.

“ e goals aren’t as stringent as the (ones for) urban municipalities,” said Moreno.

Rural resort job centers would have to submit land-use codes compliant with the bill to the state by December 2026. Any rural resort job centers that don’t meet the minimum standards under the bill’s exible option would have to operate under the state’s model land-us code starting in June 2027.

Yet another category is called NonUrban Municipalities. Any municipality with a population greater than 5,000 falls into this category — as long as it’s not in another category — including Alamosa, Brush, Cañon City, Carbondale, Cortez, Craig, Eagle, Fort Morgan, Gunnison, La Junta, Lamar, Montrose, Ri e, Sterling, Trinidad and Wellington. Non-urban municipalities would be prohibited from restricting accessory-dwelling units but won’t have requirements around duplexes, triplexes and other multiplexes or transit-oriented development. ey also won’t need to prepare a housing needs plan.

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

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

retirement.

Workers frame townhomes in Littleton.

PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT