Littleton Independent 121621

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December 16, 2021

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

LittletonIndependent.net

VOLUME 133 | ISSUE 21

Despite fewer reported cases, COVID up in sewage tests Signs indicate more virus prevalence, but vaccinated people may not know they’re infected

He oversaw efforts to overhaul development and planning process

BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Testing of wastewater at the Englewood-Littleton sewage plant is finding record-high signs of COVID prevalence in the south metro populace, while the number of people receiving positive COVID tests has dropped — a situation that may show vaccinated people are not getting sick enough to feel the need to test, a Colorado researcher says. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Platte Renew, a wastewater treatment plant in Englewood that is the third largest in Colorado, has been on the front lines of helping health officials make sense of the state of the virus. SEE WASTEWATER, P10

BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Medical Center, in a news release. The new facility, dubbed a “cancer pavilion,” is set to centralize the various oncology services of the hospital’s Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute by connecting two of its East Hampden Avenue medical office buildings. The project is estimated to cost $25 million, with the hospital securing funding from various

Littleton City Manager Mark Relph announced on Dec. 8 that he plans to retire from his position on June 1, 2022. Relph has served in the role since May 2017. “My wife and I believe the time is right and we are looking forward to retiring on the Western Slope,” Relph said in a statement. “I’ve had a rewarding career but my work with the City of Littleton has been the most gratifying. We have accomplished a lot and I couldn’t have done anything without my talented staff and our supportive city council.” As city manager, Relph was charged with implementing the city council’s agenda as well as advising council on budgeting and long term goals. During his tenure, Relph oversaw implementation of several major council decisions that sought to overhaul the city’s development and planning process, such as the adoption of the Envision Littleton plan in 2018, the Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Master Plan in 2019 and the Unified Land Use Code this year. Relph also took a leading role in securing passage of Ballot Issue 3A in the November election, which raised the city’s sales tax by 0.75%. The initiative was seen as a crucial

SEE SWEDISH, P6

SEE RELPH, P27

Blair Corning, deputy director of environmental programs at South Platte Renew, stands on one of the plant’s clarifiers. Since the onset of COVID, the facility has been PHOTO BY ROBERT TANN sampling wastewater and sending it off for testing.

Swedish unveils plans for cancer center $25M project seeks to centralize services by end of 2022 BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Swedish Medical Center, a 408bed acute care hospital in Englewood, announced plans to build

Littleton City Manager Mark Relph to step down

a new cancer treatment center intended to open by the end of 2022. The hospital has been doing pre-construction work since April, according to hospital spokesperson Alyssa Parker, with construction expected to begin in January. “This effort brings together all of the components we have already built in our fight against cancer into a singular, dedicated space,” said Ryan Tobin, president and chief executive officer of Swedish

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20

REIMAGINING ‘NUTCRACKER’ Colorado Ballet’s production gets new garb P14


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