Littleton Independent 011923

Our in-depth look at the housing crisis

BY TAYLER SHAW AND LUKE ZARZECKI COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

A home means everything to Shelley Gilson, a 50-year-old single mother of three girls who works as a guest service agent at an airline.

“It’s one word: priceless,” she

said.

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

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

Meth detected in Englewood Public Library

Facility is closed

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Englewood Public Library and portions of the Englewood Civic Center have been temporarily closed after test results found levels of methamphetamine contamination, the city announced Jan. 11.

According to the city’s website, four restrooms were tested — two in the library and two on the second oor of the civic center — as well as other areas in the library and civic center. QUEST Environmental, a Colorado-based environmental consulting rm, conducted the tests.

On Wednesday morning, the city received preliminary test results that showed there were levels of methamphetamine contamination that exceeded state thresholds in the restrooms and the north entrance lobby of the civic center, said Chris Harguth, the city’s director of communications.

After receiving these results, the city decided to temporarily close the library, the north civic center lobby and the second- oor restrooms at the civic center.

“ e restrooms in the library and the restrooms on the second oor of the civic center were of the greatest concerns and will probably require more extensive remediation,” Harguth said. “We’re looking at a remodel, essentially, of the restroom areas.”

e remediation process will likely involve the removal of contaminated surfaces, walls, ductwork, drywall and exhaust fans, Harguth said. Remediation will be done on the library restrooms and the two

O -duty o cer accused of assault

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

An Aurora police o cer, Douglas Harroun, was arrested the night of Jan. 11 for allegedly punching a physically disabled woman while o -duty, according to a news release from the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce.

In a statement, the Aurora Police Department said that at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 11, Aurora 911 received a call about a physical ght in the 15900 block of East Briarwood Circle, which is within the City of Aurora.

Aurora police o cers responded and learned one of the individuals involved was Harroun, according to the statement.

At about 9:30 p.m., Aurora police requested assistance from the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce to investigate, the sheri ’s o ce said in its release.

Deputies responded to the scene and witnesses reportedly told deputies that “they observed a male punching a woman several times in the head and the face,” according to the release.

e victim is a 49-year-old female who is physically disabled, the sher-

i ’s o ce said in the release. She was transported to a local hospital to treat her injuries.

Deputies arrested Harroun, 32, on suspicion of felony assault, and he was taken into custody and booked into the Arapahoe County Detention Facility.

His bond was set at $25,000 and he faces one charge of third-degree assault against an at-risk adult, which is a Class 5 felony, per the release.

In its statement, the Aurora Police Department said Harroun was placed on “immediate and indenite suspension without pay” following his arrest.

e Aurora Police Department opened an internal a airs investiga-

tion related to the arrest, according to the police department’s statement.

Harroun was hired in 2020, according to the statement. Prior to his arrest, he was involved in a “non-fatal o cer-involved shooting” on Dec. 31, and he was placed on paid administrative leave following that incident.

“ e alleged actions Wednesday night are inconsistent with the Aurora Police Department’s core values,” said Art Acevedo, Aurora’s interim chief of police, in the statement. “We want to thank our partners at the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce’s for responding and taking the lead on the investigation.”

Nominations open for Arapahoe County youth awards

March 3 deadline

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Nominations are now open for the Arapahoe County Mayors and Commissioners Youth Awards, which recognizes high school seniors in the county each year for overcoming obstacles and challenges in their lives.

Students who live and attend school in Arapahoe County within traditional classroom settings, group homes, alternative schools and

emancipated youth are all eligible for the award, according to the city’s website. Winners are selected by a committee comprised of county elected o cials.

Each winner will receive a postsecondary education scholarship worth $500 to $2,000 to be used in 2023, according to county spokesperson Anders Nelson. e scholarship can be used at vocational, two- or four-year schools, according to the city’s website.

“Arapahoe County prides itself on investing in our future and opportunity for the next generation,” Nelson

said. “ at’s where our support needs to be. Grooming the next generation of leaders and thinkers to be as educated as possible is very important to the county.”

Teachers, counselors and school administrators may submit applications to nominate students, as long as they are not related to the student. Students related to county employees are not eligible.

According to nomination instructions on the website, a nominator must explain how the student has helped their community and how they have overcome challenges. In addition, the student must write a three-paragraph essay describing what they have learned from overcoming challenges and their future plans and dreams.

Applications will be judged based on the student’s “desire to rise above adversity, determination to create positive change within their envi-

ronment and the positive contributions and service to their communities and families,” the website says.

Nominators can submit applications through the county’s website until March 3 at 5 p.m.

In the spring, the county and the awards program sponsors will organize an in-person ceremony to present awards to the recipients, Nelson said. Last year, 16 students received the award and an additional seven students were recognized during the event ceremony, according to the website.

“It is such an honor to be able to further the education of our young citizens of Arapahoe County through scholarships,” District 1 Commissioner Carrie Warren-Gully wrote in an email statement. “ ese students have persevered through tough times. We are proud to be represented by students who demonstrate determination for positive change.”

Nominations for the Arapahoe County Mayors and Commissioners Youth Awards will be open until March 3.

Water main project closes lanes on Bowles Avenue

Month-long project starts

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Several lanes of West Bowles Avenue are closed as Denver Water conducts a water main project, which started on Jan. 9 and will last approximately one month.

e road is reduced to one open lane in each direction between South Federal Boulevard and South Santa Fe Drive, according to a travel advisory from Denver Water.

Denver Water expects to invest $2.3 billion over the next 10 years in projects that will maintain, repair, protect and upgrade its system, according to Denver Water spokesperson Jose Salas.

“We are updating this main as part of those capital improvement projects to continue to ensure high quality water… to 1.5 million people in the Denver metro area,” he said.

Crews are completing the installation of a new water main that extends from the north side of West Bowles Avenue into the Littleton Golf and Tennis Club, he said. e club, which is operated by South Suburban Parks and Recreation, is located at 5800 S. Federal Blvd.

To nish up this project, crews are replacing a 12-inch cast iron water main that was prone to leaks.

Littleton’s deputy director of pub-

lic works and utilities Brent Soderlin said the lanes are closed because workers will have to dig a trench to work on the water lines.

When the project is complete, Littleton public works will inspect the construction site to make sure the crews correctly patch up the asphalt, Soderlin said.

e road closures are in e ect 24/7 for the duration of the project. Signage is in place at the construction area and travelers should expect delays and avoid the area if possible, according to the travel advisory.

Soderlin asked that commuters who pass through the area be patient during the course of the maintenance project.

Denver Water serves about a quarter of Colorado’s population, including all Littleton residents, according to its website.

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Scan the QR Code with your smartphone for details.

West Bowles Avenue is reduced to one open lane in each direction between South Federal Boulevard and South Santa Fe Drive for crews to conduct a water main replacement.

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

After years of profits, Colorado hospitals face downturn

Investment losses, sta ng an issue

BY JOHN INGOLD THE COLORADO SUN

After years of churning out pro ts, many Colorado hospitals are now facing a downturn, according to recently led nancial disclosures.

UCHealth, for instance, reported a $157.5 million loss in the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2022. e loss was driven largely by investment losses — reported at more than $200 million. But the sagging stock market was not the only economic stressor for the hospital system.

Revenue from patient care was up by more than $100 million compared with the same period in the prior scal year. But the system spent more than $100 million more on wages than it did the previous year and $45 million more on supplies, signs of how in ation is impacting the hospital industry.

e trends are similar at other hospital systems in Colorado.

Vail Health reported a $47 million loss through July 31, compared with a $60 million gain for the same period of 2021. Operating revenue was at, while supply costs increased by $10 million and the wage bill rose by $7 million.

Children’s Hospital Colorado reported an $82 million loss for the rst nine months of 2022, driven by a $180 million investment loss. Prof-

it from its operations — i.e., patient care — was $70 million, up nearly $13 million from a year prior.

Denver Health is seeing higher supply, labor and pharmaceutical costs compared with what it had budgeted for. It is also seeing fewer patients than expected who are covered by private insurance — a more lucrative revenue source for a hospital that often treats people covered by government programs.

Denver Health also reported providing higher-than-expected levels of charity care, for which it does not get paid.

rough September 2022, Denver Health had seen a nearly $40 million loss on operating revenue for the year. It had about three months cash on hand, roughly one month less than it did at the same time in 2021.

Tom Rennell, the Colorado Hospital Association’s senior vice president for nancial policy and data analytics, has said hospitals are facing a “double whammy” of higher expenses and at revenues, and they are also being hammered in the stock market.

“I expect negative margins this year for many, many, many hospitals, potentially the entire industry,” Rennell said in late 2022.

should be placed in context.

In Baumgarten’s most recent report on Colorado hospitals, looking at nancial performance in 2020, he found that Denver-area hospitals posted nearly $1.4 billion in pro ts for the year. And that was a slightly down year. In 2018, Baumgarten found that Denver-area hospitals saw a record $2.1 billion in pro ts.

“I think it’s necessary to look not just at the current year of results but to put into context how they have been doing for the last ve years,” he said. “Is this a temporary blip?”

and western Nebraska. It employs roughly 28,500 people.

Weaver said the health system budgeted for salary increases for sta last scal year. But the tight labor market for health care workers ended up pushing sta compensation even higher — $214 million more than was budgeted.

Weaver said UCHealth has increased sta compensation by 21.4% over the past four years.

“UCHealth is fortunate to have stable nances, but our margin has also decreased signi cantly over the past two years,” Weaver wrote in an email.

Placing the downturn

in

context Allan Baumgarten, an independent health care analyst who has produced reports for years on the Colorado hospital market, cautioned that the current downturn

Many hospitals have faced criticism for the size of their investment portfolios and the growing amount of money they’ve made from them. UCHealth, for instance, reported more than $1.2 billion in investment income for the 2021 scal year.

Baumgarten said those prior investment gains should give many hospitals the ability to absorb higher costs now.

“I would think that a lot of them would have a lot of money in the bank that if necessary they can fall back on,” he said.

Operating with a reduced cushion Hospital systems such as UCHealth, though, argue that they’ve already tapped some of that reserve — to help cover the unexpected expenses brought on by the pandemic.

“We used some of that money during the pandemic when we had to spend tens of millions of dollars on lab testing equipment and PPE and other things that were not planned for,” said Dan Weaver, a spokesman for UCHealth.

So, to hospitals, the current investment losses are particularly illtimed because it means they can’t use investment revenue to cover their higher expenses. Rennell said the rising costs of doing business for hospitals will likely lead eventually to higher prices for services and, ultimately, higher health insurance prices.

“ e hospitals are having a hard time o setting these costs,” he said. “I will just say that it is a big challenge.”

e entrance to the University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. e hospital is the agship of the UCHealth system. (John Ingold, e Colorado Sun)

UCHealth provides an example of how runaway costs are gobbling up hospital budgets. e system has 13 hospitals in Colorado, as well as four a liated hospitals in Wyoming

e most worrisome nancial situation in Colorado is in Leadville, where community-owned St. Vincent Health recently came within 24 hours of not being able to make payroll, according to a report by Colorado Public Radio. Lake County Commissioners approved a nearly half-million-dollar bailout for the hospital, according to the Leadville Herald Democrat.

e Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which administers Medicaid in the state, agreed to advance the hospital money, agency spokesman Marc Williams said.

“ e nancial loss in 2022 will delay some investment.”

At Denver Health, the rough nancial waters have caused the health system to pull back on some long-term projects.

“Denver Health remains committed to the critical expenditures that ensure quality care,” spokeswoman April Valdez Villa wrote in an email to e Sun. “However, the nancial loss in 2022 will delay some investment needed for long-term growth while we prioritize the present needs of our patients and sta .”

One example of that postponed investment is the system’s Sam Sandos Westside Family Health Center, a community clinic in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood that serves a disproportionately low-income population. Denver Health had been planning to replace the existing, aging facility. With the downturn, though, Valdez Villa said the health system has put those plans on hold and will make due with the current facility for at least a little longer.

“ at’s one of the biggest pieces, and of course, we’ll continue to reprioritize as safety nets always do to make sure quality patient care is upheld no matter the challenges we face,” she wrote.

Children’s Hospital Colorado continues to look at program to not just treat the children, but also help the family. SHUTTERSTOCK

Small fire extinguished at Damascus Grill

Neighborly gestures plays part

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On Tuesday afternoon, Marsha Jones walked across her shop’s parking lot to the neighboring business with a single red rose.

She delivered it to the employees at Damascus Grill, a Middle Eastern restaurant at 1399 W. Littleton Blvd., where there had just been a small fire.

At 2:56 p.m. on Jan. 10, South Metro Fire Rescue received a call from Damascus Grill reporting the fire. The caller told emergency responders there were people working on the roof when they saw the smoke.

According to Eric Hurst, a spokesperson for the fire department, a fire investigation found that the roof repair work-

ers were using a propane torch, which accidentally ignited an air filter in the swamp cooler.

There was only light smoke when crews arrived, according to Troy Zinn, a batallion chief on the scene. Hurst said the fire was extinguished by the workers on the roof before crews arrived.

There was no damage to the building’s structure and no injuries occurred, Hurst added.

Damascus Grill is a family business, according to employee Yassir Kassir, whose father owns the building. Another employee confirmed there were no customers in the restaurant when the fire started.

For neighboring business owner Jones, the situation inspired a neighborly gesture even though no large damage was done.

“I’m sure they’re hurting,” she said. “It’s all we could know to do, right? A flower makes people feel better.”

Toddler reunited with parents after wandering into street

Boy found near street

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On Friday morning, a toddler was reunited with his parents after wandering out of his yard’s back gate into the

street.

At 9:49 a.m., an employee of South Suburban Parks and Recreation called the Littleton Police Department reporting they saw a boy in the street alone, near the corner of South Gallup Street and West Caley Avenue. e employee, who was driving when he saw the child, immediately stopped, moved the

child out of danger and made the call.

O cers responded to the scene and stayed with the child, knocking on doors and looking for the parents, Poelman said.

In addition, the department posted a notice on their website, Twitter and Facebook asking community members to help the department nd the

parents. e parents of the child were out looking for their son when they saw the o cers with him and were reunited at 10:35 a.m., according to Poelman. ere are no criminal charges related to the situation, she said.

“We’re so thankful it all worked out,” Poelman said.

On Jan. 10, South metro Fire Rescue responded to a small fire at Damascus Grill, a Middle Eastern restaurant at 1399 W. Littleton Blvd.

PHOTO BY NINA JOSS

METH

FROM

restrooms on the second oor of the civic center.

According to the city’s website, other spaces in the library also tested positive for “lower levels of contamination” and will need “specialized cleaning” rather than remediation.

“All of this will be in accordance with health and safety requirements set by the state of Colorado and Arapahoe County Public Health,” he said.

In an email on Jan. 12, Harguth said the Englewood Department of Public Works and Arapahoe County’s new public health department “were in communication immediately following the release of the preliminary testing results and communicated multiple times throughout the day.”

Arapahoe County Public Health said in a Jan. 12 news release that it is working closely with Englewood to “assess and provide direction regarding the clean-up of methamphetamine (meth) residue” from locations within the library and civic center.

“Additional testing is planned, and test results will inform next steps,” Arapahoe County Public Health said in the release. “Health risks to the general public are considered low and visitors should comply with all posted signage and avoid all closed areas while remediation is in progress, which may take several months.”

On Jan. 11, Harguth said it was unknown how long the areas will be closed, as the city still needed to identify a contractor to do the remediation work.

“Our goal is just to complete the work as quickly as possible and get the library open as quickly as possible,” he said.

“ e test results we received today are troubling, and we immediately began working to remediate a ected spaces with the goal of reopening the library as soon as possible,” City Manager Shawn Lewis said in a Jan. 11 news release. “We want to thank our valued library patrons for their patience as we work to ensure our

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library is safe for everyone.”

Why did Englewood do the testing?

Testing for methamphetamine contamination began the week of Jan. 2, Harguth said.

e city decided to do the testing for two reasons — the news that a Boulder public library had methamphetamine contamination in late December as well as a recent increase in sta and patron reports of drug use at the Englewood library.

“Based on what happened in Boulder, based on concerns from sta , it really prompted the city to conduct this testing,” Harguth said.

Harguth said he spoke with the library director and “there’s de nitely been an uptick in reports over the past, like, four months” of drug use in the library.

e city recently increased funding for additional library sta and contracted with a new security rm, Allied Security, that is conducting more surveillance inside and outside the library, Harguth said.

ose interested in learning more and reading the city’s answers to frequently asked questions can visit: englewoodco.gov/restroom-closure.

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‘The test results we received today are troubling, and we immediately began working to remediate a ected spaces with the goal of reopening the library as soon as possible.’

Shawn Lewis, city manager

Polis calls for more property tax relief

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

Gov. Jared Polis wants state lawmakers to deliver an additional $200 million in property tax relief over the next two years, bringing the total respite o ered by the legislature over that period to $900 million, as Democrats and Republicans debate a long-term solution to rising tax bills resulting from skyrocketing property values across Colorado.

If the legislature, which begins its 2023 lawmaking term Monday, approves the expanded relief, it will mark the third time in as many years state lawmakers slap a Band-Aid on the problem that is Colorado’s property tax situation, which has big rami cations for schools and local government entities funded by property tax revenue.

A long-term solution palatable to many people and groups involved in the discussions, however, remains elusive, which is why Polis and the General Assembly keep o ering temporary xes.

Polis made the additional relief request in his supplemental budget request last week. He didn’t say how the relief should be o ered, however, explaining that he will mostly leave that to the legislature.

If the legislature approves Polis’ request — and that’s a big “if” — it will be the second time in two years state lawmakers will have limited

the increase in Coloradans’ property tax bills for 2023 and 2024 in anticipation of a jump in property tax assessments. e General Assembly in 2022 cut $700 million from Coloradans’ expected property tax bills for those years.

“Assessments had a greater increase than any of us thought — 26.5%,” Polis said last week during a news conference. “We’re happy with the relief we provided. Assessments came in higher, so it warrants additional relief.”

e governor wants the legislature to use $200 million of its discretionary general fund money to back ll tax revenue lost to school districts and other local government entities. State lawmakers may be reticent to hand over the cash, however, given the in ationary budget crunch they face this year.

Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, told e Colorado Sun he thinks lawmakers “are open to doing general fund investments” to blunt the impact of rising assessment rates.

“I think it will happen, though, simultaneously with a longer-term (property tax) solution rather than having to do this every year,” Fenberg said. “I think the bigger question is what ways can we solve the structural problem and get property taxes on the more sustainable path for residences as well as for commercial properties.”

Fenberg was referencing a replacement for the Gallagher Amendment, which Colorado voters stripped

from the state constitution in 2020. Gallagher prevented residential property tax bills from quickly rising by shifting the tax burden to commercial property owners through assessment rates, which help determine how much property owners pay in taxes. But Gallagher collided with another constitutional amendment, the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, in a way that hamstrung the government entities that rely on property tax revenue.

“In my opinion, and I’ve been watching this from the outside for the last number of years, when the good voters of the state of Colorado decided to repeal the Gallagher Amendment there were a couple of things they didn’t realize,” said incoming state Rep. Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican and a former Douglas County assessor. “One was that they laid the establishment of assessment rates solely (at the feet of) the legislature, which was a bit concerning.”

Frizell said the legislature keeps kicking the property tax problem down the road, but she admits it’s di cult to come up with a permanent x.

“I don’t have a slam-dunk solution,” she said, adding that she expects home values to increase at a much larger clip than the 26.5% rate cited by Polis.

Polis agrees that a long-term replacement to Gallagher is needed. But neither he nor Democrats in the legislature have publicly o ered any concrete solutions, and both chafed last year at ideas o ered by conservatives, including permanent rate reductions and caps on property tax increases.

“We need some mechanism to prevent runaway property tax rates and also to address some of the injustices that Gallagher created, namely a commercial property rate that is several times higher than many other states,” Polis said. “What are we looking for? Some reductions in commercial property taxes — bene ting our small businesses, making our state more competitive, creating jobs — and then a mechanism to protect homeowners from being priced out of their homes.” e legislature can — and may — punt on a long-term replacement for Gallagher until the 2024 lawmaking term since the relief it has passed lasts through next year.

Last year’s property tax ght was feisty and it ended with something akin to a hostage exchange in the basement of the Colorado Capitol as interest groups backed o their plans to ask voters to make broad changes to the property tax system. ere was also a property tax debate at the Capitol in 2021.

Michael Fields, a conservative scal activist with the political nonpro t Advance Colorado Action, has been a key player in state property tax discussions. He said he’s waiting to see what the legislature comes up with this year before deciding whether to try to shape policy through a ballot measure. (A 2021 property tax ballot measure led by Fields that would have cut assessment rates for some types of property failed.)

Scott Wasserman, who leads the Bell Policy Center, a liberal scal

policy nonpro t, is another key player in the property tax policy debate. He said he is working on proposals.

“ is is just not a sustainable way to solve the problem,” he said of the year-after-year relief measures debated in the legislature. “It’s $200 million this year. How much is it going to be next year?”

Frizell is planning to introduce a bill this year that would prevent home values from being changed by county assessors in 2023, as planned, to prevent a big jump in Coloradans’ property tax bills. Instead, she proposes the state legislature increase home values last determined in 2021 by 5%, giving lawmakers time to come up with a long-term property tax solution before 2025, when home values are set to be evaluated by assessors once again.

“I don’t think throwing money at it is always the solution,” Frizell said.

Additionally, Republicans plan to ask the legislature this year to approve the creation of a property tax task force to come up with a longterm x.

Here’s what the legislature did in 2022 through the passage of Senate Bill 238 to reduce Coloradans’ rising property tax tab:

e residential assessment rate used to calculate how much a residential homeowner owes in property taxes in 2023 is reduced to 6.765% from 7.15%. Additionally, the rst $15,000 in actual value of a residential property is waived as long as doing so doesn’t cause the assessed property value to fall below $1,000.

For commercial properties, the assessment rate in 2023 is reduced to 27.9% from 29%. Additionally, the rst $30,000 in actual value of a commercial property is waived as long as doing so doesn’t cause the assessed property value to fall below $1,000.

Assessment rates are important because they are used to calculate how much someone owes in taxes. e rate is multiplied by a home’s market value, which is determined by a county assessor. What a property owner pays is then determined by the mill levy rate. A mill is a $1 payment on every $1,000 of assessed value. e 2023 reduction will mean that a residential property owner who owns a home worth $300,000 with a mill levy of 100 will pay about $1,900 versus $2,145. ( e state has a good explainer on this here.)

In 2024, the rates will go up slightly. For single-family residential property owners, the assessment rate will be approximately 6.95%, down from 7.15%. For multifamily residential property, the rate will be 6.8%.

(Why approximately, you ask? e single-family residential property assessment rate will be set in 2024 at a level to be determined by the state property tax administrator to ensure that the state hits its $700 million property tax relief target for the 2023 and 2024 property tax years.)

For those who own commercial property used for agriculture and/ or to produce renewable energy, the 2024 assessment rate will be 26.4%, down from 29%.

Seven Arapahoe County o cials sworn into o ce

commissioners and the treasurer — are new to their roles. All seven were the Democratic candidates in their respective races.

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Smiles gleamed, cheers abounded and tears were shed as seven Arapahoe County o cials were sworn into o ce Jan. 9 at Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center. e swearing-in ceremony marked the start of the terms of county ofcials who won the 2022 elections of Arapahoe County sheri , coroner, assessor, clerk, treasurer and two district seats on the Arapahoe Board of County Commissioners.

Four o cials — the sheri , coroner, assessor and clerk — are incumbents. e other three — two county

“We have some exciting times ahead and we have some challenges, which I know our newly elected (and) our continuing elected are up to that challenge,” said Nancy Jackson, former county commissioner for District 4 whose term ended that night.

Former District 2 County Commissioner Nancy Sharpe, whose term also ended that night, said Arapahoe County will be facing complex projects this year.

e list includes the split of the 18th Judicial District, nding solutions to homelessness, studying the county’s water supply, and analyzing

One message you can absorb.

Whether your business is near a creek or on top of a hill, you play a vital role in keeping our waterways clean. By containing and cleaning up automotive fluid spills promptly, your business prevents these contaminants from damaging the environment. Remember, one drop of oil picked up during a rain storm can pollute 1 million drops of water. Contact your local agency to find out how you can dispose of automotive fluids. Local stormwater agencies are teaming together to bring you this message. We take this so seriously that we posted this ad rather than send you more garbage in the mail. One thing is clear: our creeks, rivers and lakes depend on you.

Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez smiles after being sworn in Jan. 9.

PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW

Leaders reflect on challenges, future

how the county can create more affordable and attainable housing.

“Now, we’re at that point where we must nd sustainable funding sources to avoid any cuts in services that negatively impact health, safety or the quality of life of our community and our residents. It’s a lot of work ahead,” Sharpe said. “ e board is looking forward to working with all of our elected o cials to make that happen.”

Commissioner Campbell-Swanson e Arapahoe Board of County Commissioners is made up of ve members, each representing a di erent district, who collectively control policy decisions and the budget for the county.

Newly-elected Jessica CampbellSwanson replaced Sharpe as county commissioner for District 2, which includes Centennial, Greenwood Village, a portion of Aurora and the unincorporated area in central Arapahoe County.

After being sworn in, CampbellSwanson said she was honored and humbled voters chose her to join the board, which now has a Democratic majority by 4-1, and she is prepared to dig deep and tackle challenges head on.

“We have a lot of work to do at the county to make a healthy, thriving and sustainable Arapahoe,” Campbell-Swanson said. “We have challenges and we have needs.”

She listed the challenges: unaffordable housing, a mental health crisis, a degrading environment, shrinking water resources, economic inequities, inadequate public transportation, rising cost of living, a fractured society and a constrained budget.

“And yet, I have hope and condence,” Campbell-Swanson said. “I have hope and con dence that the people of Arapahoe County are ready for elected o cials who will boldly, inclusively and assertively address these challenges and needs.

“I know that we can lower the cost of living, increase access to the services we need to be healthy, bring security and stability to residents, and heal wounds, and put us on the track to thrive sustainably.”

Her election made history, as she is the rst African American Arapahoe County Commissioner.

“ ere is a place for everybody, and that place is in Arapahoe County,” Summey said. “It doesn’t matter what you look like, it doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what you’ve been through — you can get there, and you can be of service to your community.”

Summey thanked those who supported her, including Jackson, who she spoke with in late 2017.

“I said, ‘Tell me about your gig. I want to serve.’ And she was so kind … and gave me so much information,” Summey said. “I would not be here without that conversation that planted the seed that said, ‘Yes, you can.’”

Summey said she is the third veteran of the U.S. military on the Board of County Commissioners, “and that means so much to me.”

When a person puts on their military uniform, they “become that person who is ghting for the disenfranchised,” she said. “And I bring that same feeling, and that same drive, and that same purpose to this position.”

“I want to be that person who is

Treasurer

Westerberg aims to bring in more revenue

Michael Westerberg is Arapahoe County’s new treasurer, who is responsible for collecting, investing and disbursing county funds, as well as collecting property taxes and distributing the revenue to the county, other local governments and public entities.

He said it was an honor to be chosen by voters for the position.

“All the cool, fancy programs … that we’re trying to do, that we’re wanting to expand, that we don’t want to diminish, it all runs through the treasurer’s o ce,” he said. “What I really want to do is get some more revenue into the county. at’s really what we need to do.”

In November, Westerberg told Colorado Community Media that he would like to establish a public bank in Arapahoe County as a way to generate more revenue for the county.

Westerberg said he is thankful that he is good friends with many of the county o cials.

“ e one thing I know about us is we’re gonna have some fun doing this and we all work hard,” he said. “We’re gonna get it done.”

Sheri Brown: ‘We are in the people business’

Sheri Tyler Brown thanked his family, command sta , the men and women of Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce, and municipal partners, especially the City of Centennial, for their support over the past four years.

“We tackled challenges like building a new emergency operations center,” Brown said. “Arapahoe County used to open up their emergency operations center from a closet, and now we have a standalone emergency operations center, which was so vital in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.”

e Arapahoe County Sheri ’s Ofce is the rst o ce in the nation’s history to achieve Triple Crown accreditation under four di erent sheri s, Brown said.

e Triple Crown Award, established by the National Sheri s’ Association, recognizes sheri ’s o ces that got simultaneous accreditation from the American Correctional

the men and women of the sheri ’s o ce who go out and do that work each and every day,” Brown said.

Other successes Brown mentioned were starting a therapy dog program and a co-responder program that pairs mental health clinicians with deputies to respond to calls related to mental illness, a behavioral health crisis, or emotionally-charged situations.

“We are in the people business,” he said. “I’m thankful that I had the last four years, and I’m thankful that I have another four years to serve the citizens of Arapahoe County.”

Clerk Lopez reflects on challenges, successes of last term

Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez wiped away tears after being sworn in.

“I’m so honored to continue this work and be voted in for my second term,” she said.

e clerk runs the elections process in Arapahoe County. e clerk’s o ce also records public documents, such as real estate records, and issues marriage and civil union licenses. It includes the county Division of Motor Vehicles, or DMV.

“These past four years, we went through a global pandemic, a man with a gun intimidating voters, multiple death threats, and much more. And yes, I still love this work,” she said. “I ran for this office to make change, and we have.”

Her office expanded voter access, won three national awards and digitized records back to 1861 so the public could access records online, she said.

“I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but we did a great job,” she said. “By ‘we,’ I mean … I didn’t do this alone.”

Lopez expressed gratitude to three directors who stood by her side for all four years, as well as to the people who helped her with her campaign and to her family.

“ ank you for everything. I appreciate it,” Lopez said.

Coroner Lear highlights importance of o ce, increase

in workload

Coroner Kelly Lear’s 2022 run for reelection was a much busier campaign than she had seen in the past,

Nancy Jackson, former county commissioner for District 4, hosted the Jan. 9 swearing-in ceremony for Arapahoe County o cials.

PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW

Thu

LOCAL VOICES

Enough already

Ea rlier this month the news dropped that President Joe Biden was not so perfect in handling classi ed documents. Same as his predecessor Donald Trump.

EDITOR’S COLUMN

As the story unfolded throughout the week, it became clear that our president has indeed done the same thing he chastised Trump for.

For me, I have a number of issues with the entire situation. First, it’s frustration. How does this issue continue to come up? Hillary and her server. en, Trump and his barrage of documents at Mar-aLago. And, now, Biden. How are the leaders we elected so stupid that understanding the point and importance of classi ed documents is too damn hard?

Thelma Grimes

Second, I have issues with the responses from both sides of the aisle. When Hillary was questioned about her server it was the media and Republicans picking on her. When Trump’s issues came — it was Democrats and the Department of Justice ganging up.

Now, with Biden, interestingly, it’s the same old thing. Democrats have an excuse saying it’s not as bad as Trump. Republicans calling for raids and answers, saying Biden should be treated no di erently than Trump.

At the end of the day, our behavior toward picking one side or the other has created this ongoing mess. Neither side has to respect policy or rules because they will get a pass from their own.

e lack of accountability is a problem. Both sides of the aisle need to start standing up and saying wrong is wrong and stop nding excuses to allow something to continue happening. Trump is in the wrong for having the documents. Biden is wrong for having the documents. Both are wrong and it should not matter which side of the political aisle they serve.

In reality, we look ridiculous as a country. Our leaders can’t leave classi ed documents where they should be. Our law enforcement agencies can’t seem to manage a situation fairly and professionally.

In the end, we have classi ed materials thrown throughout the country and no leadership stepping in to do the obvious. e obvious being review the ongoing issue and create policy and measures to stop it from happening anymore.

Why isn’t that happening? Because leadership would have to stop bickering, pointing ngers and nally say there’s a problem and an answer is required to prevent future issues.

A continued e ort to treat classi ed documents as just another piece of paper is going to get worse and at some point, the materials being taken for granted and treated carelessly might be way too important and get in the wrong hands.

is isn’t a story to spin, ignore or avoid — steps must be taken to tell all politicians the rules matter when it comes to protecting our classi ed documents and information and should be respected. If our leaders have lost perspective so much that they do not understand what classi ed materials are — maybe a Top Secret 101 class is in order.

elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

LINDA

WINNING

Our focus controls our balance

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

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

ERIN

AUDREY

ERIN

LINDSAY

His response didn’t shock me. He shared that when he was able to maintain his focus on staying in balance on the disc, he could stay on for longer periods of time. He always stood in front of a mirror in the gym and would center his eyes on his chest in the re ection. e times when he achieved the greatest success were when he remained focused on his position. However, he said that when he lost his balance early it was because he allowed his mind to drift onto other things going on in his life.

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

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Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

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A new year, a clean slate

As we usher in 2023, we say “good riddance” to the market mayhem of 2022.

calendar year.

FINANCIAL STRATEGIES

“A year to forget” is how one of our research partners dubbed 2022. Despite a modest rebound for many asset classes during the fourth quarter, 2022 turned out to be one of the worst years on record for multi-asset portfolios. ere were very few investment categories that posted positive returns for the full year. According to Ned Davis Research, it was the rst time on record that both the S&P 500 Index and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index lost more than 10 percent in a

NORTON

FROM PAGE 14

balance and harmony in our lives.

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

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Vote no on 300

In late December I reviewed the citizen-initiated petitions that have resulted in the upcoming special election on City of Littleton Ballot Question 300.

Full disclosure: while I began my review opposed to Ballot Question 300, I was adamantly so after completing my review. It is undemocratic and its passage has the potential for narrow special interests to drive future city policies.

Of the 43 signature gatherers over 83% of the gatherers reside south of Ridge Road, in the southern half of the city, primarily in Districts 3 and 4. Further, the vast majority of the signatures come from these same areas with a limited number of signatures from the older parts of the city in Districts 1 and 2. Only a smattering are from those living in apartment buildings.

Moreover, at least 18 of the petition gatherers reside in areas that are governed by homeowner associations (HOAs). Many of the lead proponents of this ballot question themselves live in areas governed by HOAs. While HOAs exist in many parts of the city, most of them are in the newer areas of the community,

is means there was nowhere to hide. Both conservative and aggressive investors likely lost money. Some bond funds, normally considered the safer haven in a portfolio, were down double digits for the year as interest rates pushed higher. e good news is you might be earning a little more on your bond or money market yields.

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

ing our priorities and remaining focused on those.

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

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

Are you nding balance in the most important areas of your life? Would a little more focus and less

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

During the fourth quarter, markets got a little reprieve with in ation data further improving and the Federal Reserve slowing down its rate hiking campaign. But the Fed has not quite nished raising rates yet. Nevertheless, interest rates were a little steadier during the fourth quarter than earlier in the year with the 2-year U.S. Treasury yield nishing at 4.41%, up 19 basis points on the quarter, while the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield nished at 3.88%, up 5 basis points on the quarter. For the

distractions help you nd your balance? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we can maximize balance by minimizing distractions, it really will be a better than good life.

year, yields were up 363 basis points and 225 basis points, respectively. is is signi cant movement in the xed income world where many retirees are invested. Designing custom portfolios this year will be crucial for investors, especially if you were able to tax-loss harvest last year. You have a clean slate to begin a new strategy in a new year that ts with your nancial plan. Don’t wait to get in front of your advisor while the year is young.

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

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

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.

OBITUARIES

Steve received 2 bachelor of arts degrees from LSU and worked in the Denver school system. He loved his family and his daughter, Jess, was his pride and joy. He spent his youth in New Orleans, but was on top of the world (literally) when he settled in Colorado. He had a passion for sports and was an avid sherman. e mountains frequently called and he answered with joy. He was the perfect caretaker for his aging mother.

He is survived by daughter Jessica Swanson,

CO and three sisters, Karen Talley, AZ, Lisa Huling, OK, and Kristin Finney, CA. We will miss him terribly but will hold onto the many memories of sharing family time and countless celebrations. A memorial was held at Roxborough State Park on December 29th.

Contributions in his memory accepted to Roxborough State Park, 4751 East Roxborough Drive. Roxborough, CO 80125. https://square.link/u/issra1yW

with large HOAs dominating in Districts 3 and 4.

What is concerning about this?

HOAs, in my mind, are a “special interest” representing the narrow concerns of a speci c group of people who often don’t have the interests of the entire City. In addition, they have built-in networks of addresses and contact information to communicate with their members. I am aware that one of the large Southpark HOA’s email distribution list was used to publicize signature gathering events for a previous petition to overturn the Aspen Grove rezone. I suspect that other HOAs used their networks similarly, as well.

e passage of “300” will make it even easier to mobilize the HOA game plan to promote narrow special interests.

I urge Littleton citizens to vote no on this very undemocratic ballot question. Making it easier for a narrow group of citizens to drive future city policy in low-turnout elections is not what we need in Littleton.

Patricia Cronenberger

Former mayor, mayor pro tem and councilmember representing northeast Littleton’s District 2

In Loving Memory

SWANSON

Stephen Scott Swanson

February 22, 1961 - October 1, 2022

Christopher Murray, 58, Died Nov. 26, 2022, in Littleton, CO., additional information at www.CremateSimply.com

MURRAY

Christopher Thomas Murray

June 19, 1964 - November 26, 2022

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

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“ ere’s no incentive in the traditional market structure that we have around housing to build for those

who are struggling economically,” said Phyllis Resnick, executive director and lead economist

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

Great Recession

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

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

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

“As a result, builders were reluctant to get back in and buy land, buy materials, pay wages and build — all the capital expenses they incur before selling a single home,” said Tupper Briggs with Madison & Co.

Properties, a real estate agent for more than four decades. “ ey did not add to the supply of housing for years.”

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

Loss of tradespeople

e Colorado Futures Center bears out what Ribble noticed. A 2018 study by Resnick and Jennifer Newcomer, research director, examined the factors contributing to the growing cost of housing in Colorado. Much of it could be traced to the Great Recession.

e decrease in units built after the recession was linked, in part, to limited amounts of developable land, rising material costs and little incentive to build entry-level housing, according to the study. A bigger issue turned out to be the closure of several local construction companies and the related issue of a shortage of labor in specialty trades.

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

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

From 2003 to 2013, for example, the residential construction industry experienced a 26.8% decrease in employment, which the report said was “precipitated by the recent recession.” e report also showed from 2003 to 2013, the number of businesses in the residential construction industry decreased by

10.8%.

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

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

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

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

“ eir access to capital and their cost of capital has increased greatly since the recession,” Leighty said.

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

Population growth, interest rates

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

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

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

Baby boomers, millennials and short-term rentals

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

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

for

The housing market in metro Denver continues to recover after issues stemming to the Great Recession that started in late 2007.

PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Low Rate of Pay:

How minimum wages are failing to keep pace with housing costs

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In 2010, the state minimum wage was $7.24 an hour. Rent for a studio in the metro area was $638, according to U.S. Housing and Urban Development fair market rent data.

at came out to half of a worker’s wages, which the National Low Income Housing Coalition — a nonpro t that aims to end the a ordable housing crisis through policy and data research — deems una ordable, as is anything upwards of 30% of wages spent on rent and utilities. e coalition considers paying upwards of 30% as placing workers at risk for homelessness.

By 2023, the situation had only grown worse for minimum-wage

workers. While their wages rose to $13.65 an hour, metro-area studio apartment rents hit $1,390, meaning workers have to pay almost 60% of their wages to keep a roof over their head.

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

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

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

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

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

“Certainly not a big impact on the price aspect, because even when people get up to that living wage, it’s really only going to impact relatively cheap housing, and relatively bottom end of the rent market — you’ll see some of those rents go up a little bit. But the average rent in Denver isn’t going to budge much.” is leads to CPI not adjusting enough for the lowest wage earners in the metro area, and not keeping up with their rising rents. As Schneider said, the adjustments are better than nothing, but still do not set minimum-wage workers to earn a living wage — a goal that, since more than a decade ago, has only become further away.

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

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

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

“ e living wage is the minimum income standard that, if met, draws a very ne line between the nancial independence of the working poor and the need to seek out public assistance or su er consistent and severe housing and food insecurity,” according to MIT’s Living Wage calculator. “In light of this fact, the living wage is perhaps better de ned as a minimum subsistence wage for persons living in the United States.” eir calculator uses Fair Market Rents (FMRs) — which “represents the cost to rent a moderately-priced dwelling unit in the local housing market” — along with local utility prices, to determine housing costs.

According to e National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a nonpro t that aims to end the a ordable housing crisis through policy and data research, anything upwards of “the generally accepted

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

Inflation is hurting the ability of minimum-wage workers to keep a roof over their heads.

SHUTTERSTOCK

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

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“ ere’s no incentive in the traditional market structure that we have around housing to build for those

who are struggling economically,” said Phyllis Resnick, executive director and lead economist

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

Great Recession

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

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

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

“As a result, builders were reluctant to get back in and buy land, buy materials, pay wages and build — all the capital expenses they incur before selling a single home,” said Tupper Briggs with Madison & Co.

Properties, a real estate agent for more than four decades. “ ey did not add to the supply of housing for years.”

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

Loss of tradespeople

e Colorado Futures Center bears out what Ribble noticed. A 2018 study by Resnick and Jennifer Newcomer, research director, examined the factors contributing to the growing cost of housing in Colorado. Much of it could be traced to the Great Recession.

e decrease in units built after the recession was linked, in part, to limited amounts of developable land, rising material costs and little incentive to build entry-level housing, according to the study. A bigger issue turned out to be the closure of several local construction companies and the related issue of a shortage of labor in specialty trades.

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

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

From 2003 to 2013, for example, the residential construction industry experienced a 26.8% decrease in employment, which the report said was “precipitated by the recent recession.” e report also showed from 2003 to 2013, the number of businesses in the residential construction industry decreased by

10.8%.

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

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

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

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

“ eir access to capital and their cost of capital has increased greatly since the recession,” Leighty said.

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

Population growth, interest rates

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

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

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

Baby boomers, millennials and short-term rentals

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

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

for

The housing market in metro Denver continues to recover after issues stemming to the Great Recession that started in late 2007.

PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Low Rate of Pay:

How minimum wages are failing to keep pace with housing costs

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In 2010, the state minimum wage was $7.24 an hour. Rent for a studio in the metro area was $638, according to U.S. Housing and Urban Development fair market rent data.

at came out to half of a worker’s wages, which the National Low Income Housing Coalition — a nonpro t that aims to end the a ordable housing crisis through policy and data research — deems una ordable, as is anything upwards of 30% of wages spent on rent and utilities. e coalition considers paying upwards of 30% as placing workers at risk for homelessness.

By 2023, the situation had only grown worse for minimum-wage

workers. While their wages rose to $13.65 an hour, metro-area studio apartment rents hit $1,390, meaning workers have to pay almost 60% of their wages to keep a roof over their head.

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

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

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

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

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

“Certainly not a big impact on the price aspect, because even when people get up to that living wage, it’s really only going to impact relatively cheap housing, and relatively bottom end of the rent market — you’ll see some of those rents go up a little bit. But the average rent in Denver isn’t going to budge much.” is leads to CPI not adjusting enough for the lowest wage earners in the metro area, and not keeping up with their rising rents. As Schneider said, the adjustments are better than nothing, but still do not set minimum-wage workers to earn a living wage — a goal that, since more than a decade ago, has only become further away.

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

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

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

“ e living wage is the minimum income standard that, if met, draws a very ne line between the nancial independence of the working poor and the need to seek out public assistance or su er consistent and severe housing and food insecurity,” according to MIT’s Living Wage calculator. “In light of this fact, the living wage is perhaps better de ned as a minimum subsistence wage for persons living in the United States.” eir calculator uses Fair Market Rents (FMRs) — which “represents the cost to rent a moderately-priced dwelling unit in the local housing market” — along with local utility prices, to determine housing costs.

According to e National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a nonpro t that aims to end the a ordable housing crisis through policy and data research, anything upwards of “the generally accepted

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

Inflation is hurting the ability of minimum-wage workers to keep a roof over their heads.

SHUTTERSTOCK

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

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

Many millennials can’t a ord homes that are for sale. at eventually will change as baby boomers are forced to sell as they age, White said.

As Ribble noted: “In 18 years, this issue will resolve itself because baby boomers won’t be in their homes any longer.”

But at that point, some millennials will be in their 60s. For that generation, the dream of home ownership is still alive for many, Briggs said.

“ e millennial demographic is larger and more powerful than the baby boomers,” Briggs said. “ ey are the bulge in the snake, and we baby boomers are sitting on our homes, getting old and not moving.”

Short-term rental ownership is becoming more popular, especially among millennials.

“Close to 50% of buyers (in Clear Creek County) ask if it can be a short-term rental,” said Josh Spinner, longtime Clear Creek County real estate agent.

More recent issues e COVID-19 pandemic brought a new trend. Many people were able to work from home and some decided to move out of urban areas to more scenic, less populated towns, real estate agents said.

“Whoever would have thought home prices would have gone up during COVID?” Spinner asked rhetorically. “Who could have predicted that? In addition to articially low interest rates, we had a

COST

standard of spending no more than 30% of gross income on rent and utilities,” is considered una ordable housing, though. is brings needed wages, according to NLIHC, even higher than MIT’s livable wage that already lies on the razor’s edge of

lot of arti cial stimulus money. It de es logic that prices would go up in a pandemic.”

e Colorado Futures Center study agreed.

“ e disruption of COVID and the almost complete lack of (market) churn really distorted supply with respect to what was available for sale,” Resnick said. “We believe, and we’re still working through all of this, that was a somewhat signicant contributor in the run-up in prices.”

Briggs said the transition to people working remotely wasn’t an easy one.

“ e seeds of remote work were there before COVID,” he said. “People started looking at their living arrangements and decided they wanted an o ce in their homes.

ey discovered if they work remotely, they could work where they wanted. ey decided to get out of the city and into the suburbs or bedroom communities.

“ ey no longer were commuteoriented in making (home-buying) decisions. Instead, they were quality-of-life focused because they were able to do that. at created a surge in people moving from one place to another.”

e COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help, Millet in Lone Tree said, as well as the subsequent supplychain issues.

“ e demand has continued to increase that whole time, and supply has been falling further and further behind,” Millet said. “When you don’t have enough supply, price goes up — and that’s the space that we’re sitting in.”

en toward the end of the pandemic, the Marshall Fire in Boulder County took place, burning 1,100 homes. at added to the situation — many families looking for temporary or permanent housing, further depleting the number of homes on the market.

Building homes

City and county planners say they are seeing more builders wanting to build residential developments recently, but they are facing several issues.

“ ere’s a housing shortage because we can’t get homes built fast enough,” said Chris O’Keefe,

nancial independence and public assistance.

Other major costs in MIT’s calculation are food and transportation, which take up another $9,160 per year — $4,153 and $5,007 respectively. Housing, food and transport together take up 75% of their salary — which leaves some room for the $4,814 cost for “clothing, personal care items, and housekeeping supplies,” and $2,768 for medical care,

Je erson County planning director. “In Je erson County, we have a lot of land but not a lot of land that is shovel ready.”

He noted that it doesn’t help when members of the community don’t want new high-density residential development near them.

“Recently we’ve seen some areas where … developers have wanted to rezone for higher density,” O’Keefe said. “ e community sometimes is not supportive of higher density.”

In Clear Creek County, little developable land is available, and most of the building permits are for single-family homes.

“Over the last 20 years, buildingpermit applications that we are seeing for single-family homes indicate that homes are getting larger and more expensive,” said Fred Rollenhagen, community development director for Clear Creek County. “We are not seeing as many smaller or middle-class type homes like what we saw 20 years ago.”

Lakewood, for example, also doesn’t have large parcels available for residential development except in the Rooney Valley along C-470, where a residential development is under construction with plans for 1,200 homes when complete.

“As a rst-tier suburb of Denver, our vacant land is minimal,” said Paul Rice, manager of planning and development assistance for the City of Lakewood. “Other than the Rooney Valley, there are not a lot of development opportunities that are easy.

“A developer has to work to make a project successful. Lakewood is not an easy place to develop. Most everything is redevelopment. Developing land is a matter of aggregating property to create property that can be redeveloped.”

What’s to come

A 2022 analysis from Newcomer and Resnick on housing a ordability in Colorado found that the share of housing a ordable to people making the median Colorado income dropped 25% between 2015 and 2020. e same research found that statewide housing prices would need to fall by 32% to return to the a ordability levels the state saw in 2015.

but none for the $7,929 in annual taxes.

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

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

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

“Market correction alone will not restore relative a ordability without considerable market pain,” the 2022 analysis concluded.

Newcomer said it wouldn’t be easy for the housing market to become more balanced.

“We do need to nd ways to build, essentially, a parallel market that’s incentivized di erently,” Newcomer said. “ e normal constructs of housing development in the full market don’t incentivize doing anything di erently. We have, especially with this disruption because of the pandemic and supply chain issues, these elevated costs from material goods to labor and so on. It’s going to be really hard for those to come back down in the overall market environment now.”

When projecting what housing production may look like in 2023, Leighty said a lot of it depends on mortgage rates.

“Will we see a recession? What will we see that necessarily starts to bring down the federal funds rate and then, you know, brings down the mortgage rates?” Leighty asked, highlighting the uncertainty of the future.

e Colorado and U.S. economies are projected to avoid a recession in 2023, but the “path for continued expansion is narrow” and “a wide array of unforeseen shocks could push the economy into a downturn,” according to the Colorado Legislative Council Sta ’s December 2022 Economic and Revenue Forecast.

Leighty thinks 2023 may start slowly for home builders.

“Builders, they’ll move cautiously on land acquisition until there’s probably more clarity, especially in (interest) rates,” he said.

Real estate agent Briggs thinks the relationship between home buyers and sellers is changing.

“Although we’ll probably see more price negotiation in speci c transactions, housing values will not decline overall, and there certainly won’t be a crash,” Briggs said.

“But the days of multiple o ers and over-asking selling prices are numbered. We can also expect it to take longer to sell as buyers sharpen their pencils when considering an o er.”

is even higher than MIT’s $20.61 an hour “livable wage” for a studio apartment and even includes utilities, as MIT’s wage is only enough to be on the brink of nancial ruin.

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

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

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

TRICKLING UP

grants and the number of emigrants throughout the year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Parker S ymphony Orchestra

FROM PAGE 17

A vast view of homes from Blu s Regional Park and Trail in Lone Tree on Oct. 21, 2022.

PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW

Quilt exhibit is sew spectacular

Curtis Center for the Arts hosts ‘Wild!’ show

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

“Wild!” is the title of a beautiful new exhibit at Curtis Center for the Arts in Greenwood Village.

Studio Art Quilt Associates of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah put out a call to its members for entries in a traveling exhibit that opened last June in Brigham City, Utah and is at Curtis until Feb. 25, when it will continue its journey to Gunnison, Grand Junction and Golden (October 2024).

Artists were given the topic and encouraged to explore the limits of the theme, according to the catalog. Wildlands, wild spirit, wildlife, free,

IF YOU GO

Curtis Center for the Arts is located in a historic red brick schoolhouse at 2349 E. Orchard Rd., Greenwood Village. Open Monday through Saturday. Admission is free.

uninhibited ... all these ideas and more are exhibited

Jurors Alana Blumenthal, Petra Fallaux and Dolores Miller reviewed more than 100 entries to choose the 30 works included here.

“From the entries, we could have selected a menagerie of wild animals; we could have set re to the exhibit by picking images of wild res only and dousing none; we could have had an homage to wild owers; we could have had a landscape show losing ourselves in wilderness; or we could have gone for a walk among

all the trees entering wild woods. It turned out the `Wild!’ theme was especially resonant because of its multitudes of associations in the natural world, wrote juror Petra Fallaux. She and Miller sought a balanced selection, with Fallaux especially drawn to abstracted wildness. Miller

write in the catalog that the Merriam Webster Dictionary o ers seven main de nitions of the word “wild” as an adjective, with many subcategories ...

Miller said three themes surfaced: Wild res repeatedly showed up, with a strong e ect on area artists. Interpretations range from highly abstract to realistic. Wild animals appeared frequently, as did “untamed, uncultivated nature.”

Wild and garden plants are treated to varied interpretations.

We nd a ram with erce horns by Deb F. Shultz-Grimes of Pinedale, Wyoming and a cuddly blue koala bear by Idaho Falls’ Leah Virginia Street; an intense wolf — “ e Eyes Have It,” by Rhonda S. Denney of Emporia, Kansas and a highly decorative grasshopper in Durango quilter Amanda Preston Araujo’s back yard.

“Rudbeckia” by Phillipa K. Lack of Cheyenne, Wyoming, is in the “Wild” exhibit by the Studio Art Quilt Associates. COURTESY PHOTOS

The Studio Art Quilt Associates’ “Wild” exhibit features “Wolf: The Eyes Have It” by Rhonda S. Denney of Emporia, Kansas.

Pianist to perform with Arapahoe Philharmonic

SONYA’S SAMPLER

The Arapahoe Philharmonic will perform at Lone Tree Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 18. Pianist Lorraine Min will appear with the orchestra in a concert called “Rhythm and Blue” featuring Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Tickets $12 to $17. Included: Beethoven’s 7th. arapahoe-phil. org/events/concerts/rhythmandblue.

“The Sound of Music” will play at the PACE Center through Feb. 4. Sensory friendly performance: Jan 22. parkerarts.org/event/thesound-of-music.

Garden sculptures

Denver Botanic Garden sculptures Jan. 29-May 29: “Peace Walking” by Melanie Yazzie and “Renewal” by Tamara Kosteaovsky. Walk through the outdoor gardens in winter, as well as enjoying the tropical glass house. 1007 York St., Denver.

New local play

Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., downtown Littleton: “In the Trenches,” by Kristina and Graham Fuller. New local work, Broadway-bound. Jan. 20-29. 303794-2787. x 5; townhallartscenter. org.

HOSPITALS

FROM PAGE

Echoing national trends

Overall, the struggle of hospitals in Colorado echoes what is happening nationally.

A recent report by the consulting rm Kaufman Hall estimated that hospitals’ operating margins are expected even in the most optimistic scenario to be down 37% for 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels — making 2022 the worst year nancially for hospitals since the start of the pandemic. A more pessimistic projection for 2022 put margins as much as 133% below pre-pandemic levels. Nationally, overall hospital expenses for 2022, including for labor and supplies, are expected to be $135 billion more than for 2021.

“ ese realities translate into access to services being put in jeopardy,” Rick Pollack, the president

Naturalist training

Community naturalist training to begin at the Audubon Nature Center, 11280 Waterton Road, Littleton. Feb. 10-April 7. Travel with Audubon: “Iceland: Land of Fire and Ice.” May 25-June 3 and June 8-17. Free Bird Field Trips each month: 303-979-2473. Must pre-register. frontrangebirding. com, denveraudubon.org.

and CEO of the American Hospital Association, said in a statement. “ is deserves the immediate attention of policymakers at every level of government.”

But the nancial results are more mixed when looking at multistate health systems that operate hospitals in Colorado.

CommonSpirit Health, the Chicago-based nonpro t system that co-owns the Centura Health system, reported an operating loss of $227 million for the rst quarter of its 2023 scal year (which began in July). Centura operates 19 hospitals in Colorado and western Kansas, including St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood and Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs.

But Utah-based Intermountain Health, which last year merged with SCL Health, reported pro ts of more than $2 billion through the rst nine months of 2022, despite su ering big investment losses. Intermountain owns 33 hospitals across the Western

Littleton Museum

Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., Littleton, hosts “Nature’s Blueprints: Biomimicry in Art and Design” Feb. 3-March 15. Feb. 17-May 14 is “Christopher Warren: REinterpreting REcreating Nature.” Artist talk Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 303795-3950.

U.S., including St. Joseph Hospital in Denver.

e for-pro t HCA Healthcare, which owns HealthONE hospitals in Colorado, reported more than $3.5 billion in net income through the rst nine months of 2022. HCA is the largest for-pro t hospital system in the country, with seven acute-care hospitals in Colorado including Presbyterian-St Luke’s Medical Center in Denver.

Arizona-based Banner Health reported more than $800 million in losses through the rst nine months of 2022, made up mostly of investment losses but including $113 million in operating losses. Banner operates ve hospitals in Colorado, including North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.

“It doesn’t mean we’re changing the focus.”

Kim Bimestefer, the executive director of the state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, said she recognizes many hospitals are struggling.

Bimestefer and her agency have for years criticized hospitals for their nancial excesses. A report from the agency earlier this year found that Colorado hospitals overall in 2020 had the nation’s sixth-highest prices per patient and seventh-highest profit per patient, as well as the nation’s sixth-highest total pro t. Costs per patient, a measure of e ciency that looks at hospitals’ underlying costs to provide care, was the 10th highest.

Based on those numbers, Bimestefer has argued that hospitals in

Performance Now Theatre Company presents the musical “Little Women” through Jan. 22 at Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway. 303-987-7845, lakewood.org/Government/Departments/Community-Resources/Arts-and-Culture/Lakewood-

Littleton Symphony will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at 5894 S. Datura St., Littleton, Littleton United Methodist Church. “Happy Birthday Sergei.” 303-933-6824,

Cherry Creek Theatre Company performs at the Mizel Community Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., Denver. Next: “A Moon for the Misbegotten” by Eugene O’Neill, Feb. 3-26.

Englewood Arts Presents: Silver’s Birthday Concert, Jan. 21 (not 28) at 2 p.m. in Hampden Hall, 1000 Englewood Parkway, Englewood Civic Center. Cellist Silver Ainomae with CSO musicians. Program tbd.

Art in Littleton

Affordable Art continues through Feb. 6 at Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St. in downtown Littleton, with works by Littleton Fine Arts Guild members, who also host a New Members Show at the nearby Depot Art Gallery.

Colorado need to slim down — more e cient operations, lower prices, tighter margins. e current downturn hasn’t changed her mind. She sees some of the issues, such as the investment losses, as being shortterm things.

“Just like your 401(k) or an investment portfolio that anyone has, including hospitals, that too shall turn around,” Bimestefer said.

Hospitals often complain that Bimestefer’s agency is at least partly to blame for their woes. Weaver, the UCHealth spokesman, said Medicaid reimbursement rates have increased 4.5% over the past four years, while in ation has gone up nearly four times as much.

“ is trend is unsustainable,” he wrote in an email.

But Bimestefer is undeterred and said her agency will continue to push hospitals to work with the state to provide higher-quality, moree cient and more-a ordable care to Colorado patients.

“ is has been a little bit of a hard chapter for them,” she said. “It’s an unusual chapter all around. It doesn’t mean we’re changing the direction, and it doesn’t mean we’re changing the focus.”

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.

Pianist Lorraine Min will perform with the Arapahoe Philharmonic in its “Rhythm and Blue” concert. COURTESY PHOTO

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Mu sicals have taken place in all kinds of magical and far-flung locations and still managed to capture elemental human truths. But as “The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” Miners Alley Playhouse’s latest production, hilariously demonstrates, you can access those same truths in places a little closer to home.

“What’s so special about the show is it gives such a great snapshot of humanity in all of its perfectly imperfect mess,” said Piper Arpan, the production’s director and choreographer. “The characters are very open and unapologetic about who they are and what they’ve experienced. This allows you to see the power of real, authentic human connection.”

“The Great American Trailer Park Musical,” featuring music and lyrics by David Nehls and book by Betsy Kelso, is playing at Miners Alley , 1224 Washington Ave. in Golden, from Friday, Jan. 27 through Sunday, March 5. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Nehls and Kelso began writing the show in 1997 and eventually premiered it off-Broadway in 2005. In the ensuing years productions have been done all over the country, but Nehls was still delighted when Len Matheo, Miners Alley’s artistic/executive director, pitched the idea of doing the show.

“I was the musical director here for ‘Once’ and ‘Hair,’ so I was thrilled,” Nehls, who is also providing musical direction for this production, said. “ e show is a little wild because of its naughty nature, but is so much fun when done right.”

The story (which features some updates from its original form) is set in Armadillo Acres trail-

er park in Florida and focuses on Jeanie (Abby Apple Boes), an agoraphobic, reality television fan, her tollbooth collector husband Norbert (Rory Pierce) and Pippi (Norrell Moore), a stripper on the run. The collision of these three people makes for a stormy situation that is both laugh-out-loud funny and moving.

“We never want to seem like we’re making fun of people in trailer parks because we’re not,” Nehls said. “We’re shining a light on people who don’t get a lot of visibility in the theater, especially because the situations are universal.”

The production has taken over Miners Alley in the best way possible, with the trailer park ambience spilling over into the lobby and the musical aspect greeting audiences before they’ve even found their seats.

“The music is unbelievably good, especially with this cast,” Arpan said. “There’s so much candor, humor and heart in the music and the vocal prowess we have is unbelievable.”

We could all use a little escape and for a great time that takes you away from your troubles, you’d be hard pressed to find a better evening out.

“I hope audiences come away with a sense of joy,” Nehls said. “The show will let people forget what’s going on outside the door and let them just laugh and have an emotional experience.”

For information and tickets, visit https://minersalley.com/.

Celebrate jazz royalty with the CJRO

One of my favorite things about jazz music is the way musicians constantly find powerful and intriguing ways to pay homage to the music of the past. The Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra’s (CJRO) is doing just that with a pair of performances entitled From Counts to Dukes .

The performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on

Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Arvada Center , 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., and at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Lone Tree Arts Center , 10075 Commons St. Both performances will feature vocalist Marion Power and the full orchestra, all under the leadership of artistic director, Drew Zaremba.

To purchase tickets, go to https://www.coloradojazz.org/concerts.

The March family comes to Lakewood Cultural Center

The story Louisa May Alcott told in “Little Women” is one that never seems to age and now Performance Now Theatre Company is bringing the Broadway musical version of the March sisters to the Lakewood Cultural Center , 470 S. Allison Parkway.

Directed by Victoria Holloway, “Little Women” will run at the center through Sunday, Jan. 19.

Get tickets at www.performancenow.org.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — YG at the Fillmore Auditorium

Compton’s YG just loves rapping. And who can blame him — if you were as good at it as he is, you’d love it, too. His 2014 debut studio album, “My Krazy Life,” is one of the best rap records of the 2010s and in the ensuing years he’s released a string of excellent albums and song-stealing guest verses.

YG is bringing his Red Cup Tour to Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium , 1510 Clarkson St., at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20. The show should be a perfect repudiation to the dreary winter doldrums we find ourselves currently in, so get tickets at www.livenation.com.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke. Reader@hotmail.com.

Clarke Reader

Wildfire risk is so high some homeowners can’t get insured

Last resort coverage considered

BY JESSE PAUL AND OLIVIA PRENTZEL THE COLORADO SUN

State lawmakers are preparing to introduce a bill in the legislature that would create a quasi-governmental program o ering basic home insurance to the growing number of Colorado homeowners who say they can’t get coverage from private companies because the risk of wild re is growing.

e Colorado Division of Insurance has elded dozens of calls and emails, many of them since August, from Coloradans who say they have been turned down by private home insurers. e situation presents the specter of nancial calamity for people whose homes are their primary asset and for communities that lean on real estate as an economic engine.

Without home insurance, it’s impossible to secure a mortgage, which dramatically limits who can buy or sell a home. ere’s also immense nancial risk in owning a property without insurance coverage.

e problem is especially acute in high country communities, but Coloradans who live on the Front Range, particularly those near where the Marshall re destroyed more than 1,000 homes in December 2021, are also reporting problems securing coverage for their properties.

The Marshall fire: One year later

It has been one year since the Marshall re destroyed hundreds of houses and businesses in parts of Louisville, Superior and Boulder County. One year of sorting through what was lost. One year of trying to create a new normal. And one year of making a new home.

“We can see the handwriting on the wall that we’re starting to have a problem,” said state Rep. Judy Amabile, a Boulder Democrat who is taking the lead on the prospective legislation, which is expected to be introduced at the Capitol after the legislature reconvenes next month for its 2023 lawmaking term.

Colorado one of a few states that do not have a so-called home insurer of

last resort, or “fair plan,” created by the government. Michael Conway, Colorado’s insurance commissioner, said that’s because Colorado hasn’t needed one — until now.

Colorado’s three largest wild res by acreage all happened in 2020. And before that the 2012 Waldo Canyon re and 2013 Black Forest re, both in El Paso County, each destroyed hundreds of homes. en came the Marshall re, Colorado’s most destructive in terms of the number of homes destroyed. More than $2 billion in insurance claims are expected to be led in connection with the Marshall re.

“We just haven’t had natural disasters of the magnitude of states like the Gulf Coast states in particular,” Conway told e Colorado Sun. “It was probably a year and a half ago that I was in front of one of the insurance committees at the state legislature and they asked if we had (homeowners’ insurance) availability problems in the state that I was worried about, and I honestly could say at that point that no we didn’t. We didn’t have issues.”

But late in the summer his ofce started to hear complaints from homeowners that they couldn’t get their properties insured. What really sounded the alarm was when independent insurance agents started telling state regulators they couldn’t nd coverage for their clients. If they can nd coverage, it can sometimes be outrageously expensive.

Jim Kinser, an insurance broker in Steamboat Springs, told e Sun about a single-family home in Routt County that was previously insured for an annual premium between $3,000 to $4,000. When a new owner bought the property over the summer and planned to remodel the house, no insurance company would write them a homeowner’s policy until the house was renovated with re-resistant materials and brush cleared from its perimeter. e home was uninsured for months in the meantime.

In Pitkin County, home to Aspen, Kniser said a homeowner’s coverage was not renewed by their insurance company and no other carrier would provide coverage at any price.

“It’s getting to be more and more difcult to nd carriers who will say ‘yes, we’ll take it,’” Kinser said. “And people need insurance.”

thing I’m hearing from my constituents.” In the high country, where there’s already a housing crisis, there are fears that homeowners insurance problems and rising costs could further limit the lack of a ordable places to live.

Conway says the legislature must act fast to prevent Coloradans from having to go without coverage.

“If the issues that we’re seeing now aren’t remedied by the private insurance market fairly expeditiously, we are going to have to set something up pretty quickly,” he said.

But the private insurance industry is urging caution, saying that if Colorado acts too fast and makes mistakes, insurance companies may pull out of the state altogether.

“ e stakes are very high,” said Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, an industry trade group. “It just feels like we’re rushing to the solution without adequately studying it. If there is going to be a fair plan or last-resort legislation this year, let’s make sure we’re basing it on really being a very targeted solution at a targeted problem.”

Walker said that anecdotes alone shouldn’t drive the legislature. “We certainly have to understand what our gaps are and what our problems are,” she said.

And given the high stakes, the debate over a state-run or state-created property insurance program could be one of the most technically complicated and politically heated policy battles at the Colorado Capitol in 2023.

How it works in other states

standard home insurance policy,” he

e purpose of the plans is simply to ensure that people can get some level of coverage — hence the “insurer of last resort” moniker.

Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the biggest statemanaged property insurance program in the U.S. In August, the nonpro t funded by policyholders surpassed 1 million policies and became the largest property insurer in the state. Nearly 28 million people live in Florida.

Homeowners are only eligible for coverage from the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation if they cannot get coverage from a Florida-authorized insurance company or if the premiums from a Florida-authorized insurance company are more than 20% higher than the premiums for comparable coverage from Citizens.

In California, homeowners can only get insurance under the state’s “FAIR Plan” if they can’t get coverage from a private company after a “diligent search.” And homeowners must repeat that search annually. e policies o ered under California’s plan are handled by private insurers who operate in the state, who are required to cover a proportion of FAIR Plan policies equal to their share of normal policies in California.

“For most homeowners, the FAIR Plan is a temporary safety net — here to support them until coverage o ered by a traditional carrier becomes available,” the FAIR Plan website says. As of 2020, less than 3% of California residents were covered under the plan.

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State-run or state-created insurers of last resort started cropping up in the 1960s in coastal and urban areas where property owners faced high risks — from riots, res and hurricanes — and couldn’t get traditional coverage from private insurance companies, said Mark Friedlander, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, another insurance industry trade group.  ere are such programs in 32 states and the District of Columbia. While each operates di erently, they generally fall into two groups: plans subsidized by taxpayers and plans funded by private insurers.

e plans are often costlier and o er less coverage than the average private insurance policy, Friedlander said. “ ey typically do not include liability

e private insurance industry often points to the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation as an example of a state-run property insurance program gone wrong because of how many people left the private market to seek coverage from Citizens. Insurance companies use customer premiums to create a pool of money from which they can pay out claims. Fewer customers means a smaller pool.

Florida’s legislature met for a special lawmaking term in December to tweak the program and set aside billions for initiatives aimed at bolstering the private insurance market.

“Google Florida and their plan and it will be what not to do,” Walker said.

Conway said he is starting from the premise that a state-run or created property insurance program in

Resident Josiah McCloud and his friends stand in what remains of his living room after the Sept. 16 fire at Table Mountain Townhomes along West Colfax Avenue.

COURTESY OF JOSIAH MCCLOUD

Colorado should not compete with the private insurance market.

“I think it’s kind of a misnomer to call (these programs) an insurer of last resort,” he said. “It puts the idea in people’s head that it’s going to actually be in a true insurance company. And they’re really not. ey’re really kind of a safety net for people that are organized by their state governments in order to help them in the situation where they can’t nd homeowners insurance coverage.”

at may be cold comfort for Coloradans who are paying exorbitant costs for property insurance.

Jim Noon is the former treasurer of the Bu alo Ridge-Bu alo Village condominium complex homeowners association in Summit County. He thought a tree clearing near the 270unit complex — called a re break — that stopped a wild re in 2018 would prevent the complex’s insurance rates from climbing too high. Earlier this year, the HOA accepted a $200,000 property insurance bid and paid the amount.

“ en, three days into the coverage, they just said nevermind and handed us the check back,” Noon said.

He said the insurance agent hadn’t looked to see if the complex was in an area at risk for wild re before agreeing to provide coverage.

Scrambling to nd a new insurer, the HOA found a carrier that o ered insurance for about $1 million. It covered only half of the total value of the complex if it burned to the ground, Noon said, and the policy didn’t

cover wind or water damage.

Others are struggling to get the insurance they feel is adequate for their home.

Tim Anderson, who lives in Steamboat Springs, spent nearly $1 million to build his 3,000-square-foot house in 2016, complete with custom brickwork and cabinets, and a sauna. One insurance agent argued it would cost $349,000 to rebuild his home, while another said it would cost $500,000.

“How is that possible? When I built this house ve years ago, it cost me roughly $900,000, a million dollars. It’s not possible the house can be rebuilt with $350,000. at’s just laughable,” Anderson said.

Eventually, Anderson — who has worked as an insurance underwriter for 40 years — found a local agent who understood local building costs and insured his home at $1.8 million.

“You can nd the insurance,” he said. “ e problem is getting insurance to the proper value.”

“We haven’t settled on anything yet”

Views on whether Colorado needs a government property insurance program have shifted rapidly.

Gov. Jared Polis, during a debate hosted by e Sun and CBS4 in October, said he wasn’t sold on a state-run or created homeowners’ insurance program being a good idea for Colorado. His main priority, he said, is to reduce the risk of wild res.

“ ere’s proven technologies to do that, whether it’s simply taking down trees and brush around your home, construction materials, especially in the wildland-urban interface near open areas,” he said. “And if we do that successfully, we will be able to drive down insurance rates for every Colo-

radan.”

Now, Conway — a member of Polis’ cabinet — has made the governor’s administration intimately involved in the discussions over how to create an insurer of last resort in Colorado.

ere are signs Republicans in the legislature, who are traditionally opposed to government growth, won’t necessarily ght the proposal.

“I do think it is an appropriate role for government to have some kind of a backstop,” said state Sen.-elect Mark Baisley, a Woodland Park Republican who represents an area west of Colorado Springs that’s prone to wild res. “While I hate for the government to get any more involved than necessary in private industry, I think we do need to work pretty aggressively with insurance companies to get them to provide the coverage that people need.”

Baisley is separately working with Amabile on underinsurance issues in Colorado.

e conversations around how Colorado’s state-run or state-created property insurance program would be formed are still in a relatively early stage.

“ ere’s a lot of di erent ways to do it and we haven’t settled on anything yet,” Amabile said. “ ese policies are not going to be deluxe policies. It’s going to be very bare bones. It’s going to be limited coverage and it’s going to be expensive.”

She said Colorado lawmakers will look to other states as they draft Colorado’s plan. “ ere’s good and bad parts to what they’ve done,” Amabile said, pointing to Florida and California.  ere has been talk of requiring homeowners to mitigate wild re risk around their property as a prerequisite to getting insured under the state

program.

Conway said his o ce has already been having conversations with experts around the country.

“It’s been decades since anybody has stood up a fair plan,” he said, “so nding people who actually have useful knowledge has been a little bit di cult.”

Generally speaking, he said, startup costs have been funded by assessments — or fees — on private insurance companies. Conway said the assessments have been relatively small.

Walker, with the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, warned that any added costs for private insurers would likely be passed onto consumers. at means higher prices for people whose homes aren’t necessarily facing wild re risk.

“If you pay for this through reassessments or surcharges, those are all costs that are passed on,” she said.

Walker urged Colorado lawmakers to have caps on how much coverage the state property insurance plan would offer to make sure the program is nancially sound. New Mexico, for instance, only covers residential properties for up to $250,000 and up to $1 million for commercial properties.

“We want to address problems that we have and not create problems that we don’t have,” she said.

e Colorado legislature convenes for its 2023 lawmaking term Jan. 9.

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.

Valor girls defeat Grandview

Rematch from title game

BY JIM BENTON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

ere was nothing at stake except for maybe pride, but the Valor Christian girls basketball team played really well.

Valor and Grandview, last season’s two teams in the state championship game, met in a non-league contest on Jan. 11 and the Golden Eagles, No. 1 in the CHSAANow.com Class 6A state rankings, romped to a 78-41 victory over the defending state champs.

Grandview captured the 2022 state title with a 52-40 victory over Valor but the rematch was a di erent story.

Valor shot 58% from the eld, had 26 rebounds, 22 steals and 20 assists in the runaway win.

Grandview’s leading scorer, 6-foot-3 sophomore Sienna Betts. who was averaging 22.4 points a game, did not play. She was on the bench with a boot on her ankle.

ree players paced the way for Valor.

Senior Macey Huard, a 6-2 senior who will be joining her sister Haley on the University of Montana basketball team next season, scored 19 points with ve rebounds.

Emma Lytle, a 5-7 junior had 14 points, seven steals and ve assists. Rylie Beers, a 5-11 sophomore, also had 14 points and made six steals.

Grandview saw its season

record slip to 7-5.

Valor improved its record to 11-1 with a 67-29 romp over Chat eld on Jan. 14.

Huard scored 30 points and had seven steals in the win as the Eagles shot 57% from the eld and forced Chat eld into 36 turnovers.

Creek vs. Rangeview, Doherty

In other top girls games

coming o the rst full week of action after the holiday break, fourth-ranked Cherry Creek (10-3) beat Rangeview 53-31 on Jan. 9 and downed Doherty 53-41 on Jan. 12.

In the win over Rangeview, sophomore sisters Tiana and A’Neya Chambers led the way for the Bruins. Tiana had 16 points, six rebounds

and six assists while A’Neya had 12 points, ve rebounds and four assists

Highlands Ranch vs. Denver East

No. 5 Highlands Ranch (93) dropped a 66-56 decision to Denver East on Jan. 10. However, the Falcons used a big third-quarter scoring surge to down Rock Canyon

53-47 in the Continental League opener on Jan. 13.

Lutheran takes two wins Lutheran, ranked fourth in the Class 4A poll, raced to a 50-23 lead and whipped Cheyenne Mountain, 64-40, on Jan. 12 in a Pikes Peak League contest. e Lions (11-1) downed Resurrection Christian, 58-39, on Jan. 14.

Rock Canyon hangs tough in loss to Highlands Ranch

Underdog

BY ALEX K.W. SCHULTZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Two girls basketball programs, separated on the court over the years by a lot more than the two miles that separate them on the map, collided Jan. 13 in the Denver suburbs.

One was Highlands Ranch, a perennial Colorado girls basketball power that hasn’t endured a losing season in recent memory and features a legendary coach who just recorded her 700th win with

the Falcons a few weeks ago.

e other was Rock Canyon, a program that hasn’t tasted a winning season since 2013 and is breaking in a young, rst-year coach.

No contest, right?

Well, not exactly. Although Highlands Ranch won 53-47 at home in what was both teams’ 6A/5A Continental League opener, the Jaguars displayed a ght and a grit and an o ensive and defensive savvy not seen out of the program in years past.

Rock Canyon’s players have always possessed talent and a desire to win, coach Eric Bartoszek said. e di erence this year? ose qualities are nally surfacing for everyone to see and appreciate — like David being freed

from a block of marble by Michelangelo.

“It’s our job as coaches to bring the best out of our girls. It’s all about them. ey’re the ones who are putting in the work and the e ort,” Bartoszek said of his Jaguars, who last beat Highlands Ranch in 2013. “ ey’re bought in. And when you buy in and give it your all, good things happen.”

On the other side of the scorer’s table, longtime Falcons general Caryn Jarocki, who has steered Highlands Ranch to seven state titles, two state runner-up nishes, 18 Final Four appearances and 14 league championships in her storied career, also noticed a di erent Rock Canyon team on Jan. 13.

“I think they played more intensely than they have in the past, for sure,” said Jarocki, now in her 26th season with the Falcons. “I think they’re better shooters than they’ve been in the past. ey gave us a ght.”

at ght was on display early as Rock Canyon (10-4, 0-1) pressured Highlands Ranch (9-3, 1-0) into three rst-quarter turnovers and held the Falcons to just one eld goal through the game’s rst 8 minutes to take a 10-5 lead.

A teardrop bucket from Brooke Harding and an Emily Courchaine free throw midway through the second quarter gave Rock Canyon what proved to be its last lead of the night, though, at 17-15.

Maddie Groth’s driving layup evened the score and a pair of Ezra Simonich free throws 49 seconds later pushed the Falcons ahead 19-17 — a lead they never relinquished.

Highlands Ranch closed the half on a 7-1 run — courtesy of Groth’s 2-pointer, three Simonich free throws and Tori Baker’s pull-up jumper — to take a 22-18 lead into the locker room.

“We were only outrebounding them by one at halftime,” said freshman Isabella Shumpert, who scored a game-high 16 points. “When we came out in the second half, we had the mentality to really crash the boards and

makes longtime state power work for a win

Grandview’s Isa Dillehay (22) and Valor Christian’s Quinn Vansickle (11) dive for the loose ball.

PHOTO ARE BY PAUL DISALVO

Rock Canyon edges Highlands Ranch

6-foot-7 Jaguars senior shoots a double/double

BY JIM BENTON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Boys basketball teams in the Continental League opened conference play on Jan. 12 with five teams ranked in the CHSAANow. com Class 6A poll.

Second-ranked Rock Canyon edged No. 10 Highlands Ranch 57-55 as the Jaguars swelled their overall record to 13-1.

Aidan Peck, a 6-foot-7 senior, had a double/double for Rock Canyon as he scored 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

Gavin Hershberger chipped in 11 points for Rock Canyon, which hit 53% of their field goal attempts.

Jeremy Jacob was the high scorer for Highlands Ranch’s balanced attack with 13 points. Aiden Krusoe had 12 points and Payton Tereick 11 markers.

Mountain Vista vs. Castle View

Third-ranked Mountain Vista won its 11th game in 12 outings with a 77-52 victory over Castle View.

Sophomore Cal Baskind connected on five 3-point shots and finished with 23 points to spark the Golden Eagles attack.

BASKETBALL

FROM

get our momentum going.”

Highlands Ranch did just that, ultimately winning the rebound game — always a point of emphasis for Jarocki — by seven.

e Falcons also used the break to switch up their defensive approach, shifting from a zone look to a trap defense. Jarocki’s plan appeared to work, too, as the Falcons held Rock Canyon to just nine third-quarter points, extending their lead to 37-27 in the process.

e Jaguars clawed to within ve points on two occasions midway

ThunderRidge vs. Legend

Defending state champion underRidge (10-4) trailed by two points at halftime but the No. 5 Grizzlies rallied to post a 78-59 win over Legend in a game played on Jan. 13.

Charlie Spann scored 25 points to pace underRidge, which also got 21 points from Kael Carney and 14 from Tommy Wright. Andrew Crawford, the league’s leading scorer with a 21.8 average, had eight points.

Regis vs. Chaparral

No. 8 Regis Jesuit used 23 points by Damarius Taylor to down Chaparral 64-44.

Chaparral’s Gavin Carter, who entered the contest with a 20.4 scoring average, had 27 points to take game scoring honors.

Valor vs. Columbine

Valor Christian, ranked seventh in the Jan. 9 poll,ran its record to 2-0 in the Je erson County League with a 69-60 win over Columbine on Jan. 13.

Sophomore Cole Scherer scored 28 points for the Eagles, who saw their season record climb to 7-6.

Lutheran wins one, loses one Lutheran, ranked ninth in the Class 4A poll, notched a 64-40 Pikes Peak League win over Cheyenne Mountain on Jan. 12 but lost, 61-55, to No. 8 Resurrection Christian in a non-league encounter on Jan. 14. e Lions are 9-4 on the season.

through the fourth quarter, but Highlands Ranch had an answer — either from the free-throw line or from the oor — every time the Jaguars started to inch closer.

“ e way we played tonight, against one of the best teams in the state, in the history of the state,” Bartoszek said, “if we can play that way the rest of the season, good things are going to happen.”

Nella Castaneda scored a teamhigh 15 points for the Jaguars. Harding nished with 12 points while Courchaine and Sienna Pillsbury each chipped in six.

For Highlands Ranch, Simonich scored 14 points, Baker ended the night with 13, Groth had six and Kniyah Dumas added four.

CROWSS UP DRO ELZZ

Help Wanted

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This is a part-time position, up to 30 hours per week. This is a great opportunity to work into a full-time assistant manager position. Starting pay ranges from $25.00 and up per hour, commensurate with experience and training. Applicants are required to have good skills in computer data entry, ten key, and the ability to use Word and other standard Microsoft applications. Applicants must also have good customer service skills and the ability to handle payments in a secure and accurate manner.

Applicant must be bondable and qualified to receive Notary Public status in the State of Colorado. Please submit an application along with your resume for consideration. Resumes without a completed application will not be accepted.

Submit your documents to Diana Miller, District Manager at dmiller_ ppwsd@comcast.net. You can also mail your documents to Perry Park Water and Sanitation District, 5676 Red Rock Drive, Larkspur, CO 80118. You can download an application and view the job description by visiting our website at www.ppwsd.org. Perry Park Water and Sanitation District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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SERVICE DIRECTORY: THURSDAY, 5 P.M.

LEGALS: THURSDAY, 3 P.M.

PUBLIC NOTICES

Legals

Public Trustees

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION

CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0540-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On October 21, 2022, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

Sterling J Steed and Amber K Steed

Original Beneficiary(ies)

Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. ("MERS"), as beneficiary, as nominee for Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Inc., Its Successors and Assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt NewRez LLC, F/K/A New Penn Financial, LLC, D/B/A Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing Date of Deed of Trust September 09, 2016

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

September 13, 2016

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) D6102260

Original Principal Amount $270,000.00

Outstanding Principal Balance $236,787.92

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 20, BLOCK 2, SOUTHGLENN NINTH FILING, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO

Also known by street and number as: 7333 S Washington Circle, Centennial, CO 80122-1402.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 02/22/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)' heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys' fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law

First Publication: 12/29/2022

Last Publication: 1/26/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 10/21/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Erin Croke #46557

Steven Bellanti #48306

Holly Shilliday #24423

Ilene Dell'Acqua #31755

McCarthy & Holthus LLP

7700 E Arapahoe Road, Suite 230, Centennial, CO 80112 (877) 369-6122

Attorney File # CO-22-945118-LL

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

Legal Notice NO. 0540-2022

First Publication: 12/29/2022

Last Publication: 1/26/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION

CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0554-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On November 1, 2022, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) Julie Brown

Original Beneficiary(ies) WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt COLORADO HOUSING AND FINANCE AUTHORITY Date of Deed of Trust April 20, 2007

County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust April 23, 2007

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) B7050779

Original Principal Amount $174,166.00

Outstanding Principal Balance $151,376.16

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOTS 13 AND 14, BLOCK 21, SHERIDAN SUBDIVISION, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

Also known by street and number as: 1810 W Girard Ave, Englewood, CO 80110.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 03/01/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)' heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys' fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication: 1/5/2023

Last Publication: 2/2/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 11/01/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Alison L Berry #34531

N. April Winecki #34861

David R. Doughty #40042

Nicholas H. Santarelli #46592

Lynn M. Janeway #15592

Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990

Attorney File # 22-028628

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

Legal Notice NO. 0554-2022

First Publication: 1/5/2023

Last Publication: 2/2/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0561-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On November 4, 2022, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and De-

mand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

Gregory J Hoffman, a married person and Louise B Hoffman, a married person

Original Beneficiary(ies)

Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. ("MERS") as nominee for Coldwell Banker Mortgage, Its Successors and Assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt NewRez LLC, F/K/A New Penn Financial, LLC, D/B/A Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing Date of Deed of Trust January 22, 2010

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust January 25, 2010

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) D0007694

Original Principal Amount $417,000.00

Outstanding Principal Balance $320,976.95

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations thereof

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 5, GREENWOOD HIGHLANDS FILING NO. 2, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO

Also known by street and number as: 4 Windover Road, Greenwood Village, CO 80121.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

If applicable, a description of any changes to the deed of trust described in the notice of election and demand pursuant to affidavit as allowed by statutes: C.R.S.§ 38-35-109(5) LEGAL DESCRIPTION HAS BEEN CORRECTED BY SCRIVENER'S AFFIDAVIT RECORDED 09/28/2022 AT RECEPTION NO. E2098930 IN THE RECORDS OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 03/08/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)' heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys' fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication: 1/12/2023

Last Publication: 2/9/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 11/04/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Erin Croke #46557

Steven Bellanti #48306

Holly Shilliday #24423

Ilene Dell'Acqua #31755

McCarthy & Holthus LLP 7700 E Arapahoe Road, Suite 230, Centennial, CO 80112 (877) 369-6122

Attorney File # CO-22-926956-LL

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

Legal Notice NO. 0561-2022

First Publication: 1/12/2023

Last Publication: 2/9/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0533-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On October 14, 2022, the undersigned Public

Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) CAROL A. RIGDON

Original Beneficiary(ies)

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., AS BENEFICIARY, AS NOMINEE FOR LIVE WELL FINANCIAL, INC., ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC Date of Deed of Trust February 23, 2017

County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust March 02, 2017

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) D7024666

Original Principal Amount $381,000.00 Outstanding Principal Balance $135,149.13

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 12, BLOCK 2, UHLMAN SUBDIVISION SECOND FILING, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

Also known by street and number as: 3296 S FOX ST, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80110.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 02/15/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)' heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys' fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication: 12/22/2022

Last Publication: 1/19/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 10/14/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Amanda Ferguson #44893 Heather Deere #28597

Toni M. Owan #30580

Halliday, Watkins & Mann, PC 355 Union Blvd., Ste. 250, Lakewood, CO 80228 (303) 274-0155 Attorney File # CO11046

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

Legal Notice NO. 0533-2022

First Publication: 12/22/2022

Last Publication: 1/19/2023

Name of

Original Grantor(s)

Jessica M. Lujan-Ladow AND Joseph N. Ladow

Date of Deed of Trust December 17, 2015

County of Recording

Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust December 22, 2015

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) D5145653

Original Principal Amount $55,000.00

Outstanding Principal Balance $55,436.44

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

THE SOUTH 73.5 FEET OF THE NORTH 148.5 FEET OF THE EAST 125 FEET OF THE WEST 155 FEET OF THE EAST 300 FEET OF BLOCK 31, WINDERMERE - GALLUP'S SUBURBAN HOME SUBDIVISION , COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO

Also known by street and number as: 5978 S. Louthan St, LITTLETON, CO 80120.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 03/08/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)' heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys' fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication: 1/12/2023

Last Publication: 2/9/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 11/08/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: Peter M. Susemihl #494

Susemihl, Mcdermott & Downie, PC 660 Southpointe Ct. Suite 210, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 (719) 579-6500

Attorney File # 5978 S LOUTHAN ST

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

Legal Notice No. 0577-2022

First Publication: 1/12/2023

Last Publication: 2/9/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0573-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On November 8, 2022, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) CROSS CREEK 3, LLC

Original Beneficiary(ies)

INDICATE CAPITAL FUND 1, LLC

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt

INDICATE CAPITAL FUND 1, LLC Date of Deed of Trust March 08, 2022

County of Recording Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust March 10, 2022

Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) E2027456

Original Principal Amount $896,000.00 Outstanding Principal Balance

Public Notices

$896,000.00

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

SEE EXHIBIT A ATTACHED HERETO

Also known by street and number as: 3190 WEST BOWLES AVENUE, LITTLETON, CO 80123.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 03/08/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)' heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys' fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication: 1/12/2023

Last Publication: 2/9/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 11/08/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Robert T. Cosgrove #12217

Burns, Wall and Mueller, P.C. 303 East 17th Avenue, #920, Denver, CO 80203-1299 (303) 830-7000

Attorney File # 3190 WEST BOWLES AVENUE

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees' Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

EXHIBIT “A” 0573-2022

Attached to and forming part of the Deed of Trust to Public Trustee, Security Agreement, Assignment of Leases and Rents and Financing Statement, dated March 8, 2022, from Cross Creek 3, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company as Grantor, to the Public Trustee of the County of Arapahoe, Colorado, for the use and benefit of Indicate Capital Fund 1 LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as Beneficiary. Description of Property: LOT 1, BLOCK 1, WATSON LANE SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 1, ACCORDING TO THE CORRECTIVE PLAT RECORDED SEPTEMBER 5, 2002 AT RECEPTION NO. B2164681, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. Also Known As: 3190 West Bowles Avenue Littleton, CO 80123

Legal Notice NO. 0573-2022

First Publication: 1/12/2023

Last Publication: 2/9/2023

Name of Publication: Littleton Independent

Legal Notice No. Arap 1143

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen

Metro Districts Budget Hearings

Public Notice

NOTICE OF BUDGET (Pursuant to 29-1-106, C.R.S.)

NOTICE is hereby given that a budget has been adopted by the Leawood Metropolitan Recreation and Park District for the ensuing year 2023; a copy of such budget has been filed in the office of the Jefferson County Clerk, where the same is open for public inspection; such budget was approved at a regular monthly meeting of the Leawood Metropolitan Recreation and Park District held at Leawood Elementary on December 14, 2022.

Legal Notice No. 530954

First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent

Bids and Settlements

Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT TRAFFIC ENGINEERING COMMUNICATIONS UPGRADE PACKAGE

3 PHASE 2 Project No. 21-08-04

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Section 38-26107, C.R.S., that the City of Centennial, Colorado (the “City”) will make final payment at the hour of 10:00 a.m. on February 10, 2023 (the “Final Settlement Date”) to the following contractor:

Paonia, Inc. 5055 List Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80919 (hereinafter, the “Contractor”) for and on account of all work completed by the Contractor on City Project No. 21-08-04, including for purposes of this Notice of Final Settlement on (the “Project”).

1. Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has an unpaid claim against the Project for and on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, or other supplies used or consumed by the Contractor or any subcontractor in or about the performance of said work, may at any time up to and including the Final Settlement Date, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim.

2.Any such claim(s) shall be filed with the City Clerk at 13133 East Arapahoe Road, Centennial, CO 80112 prior to the Final Settlement Date.

3.Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement or claim prior to the Final Settlement Date will relieve the City from any and all liability for such claim.

Legal Notice No. 530958-60958

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen

Public Notice

ARAPAHOE COUNTY

NOTICE OF PARTIAL FINAL SETTLEMENT ARAPAHOE COUNTY CONTRACT NO. ITB-19-50, 2019 CRACK SEALING PROGRAM

Project No. RB22-075

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of County Commissioners of Arapahoe County, Colorado shall make partial final settlement with Vance Brothers, Inc. for its work completed for Arapahoe County. The work performed under this contract dated October 10, 2019 and Change Order No’s. 1 through 3, generally consists of a Crack Sealing Transverse and Longitudinal Cracks, ¼” to ¾” in width, on various roads in the unincorporated areas of Arapahoe County.

PROPOSAL: Owner Saad Bulifa proposes rezoning 2228 S Wabash St, otherwise known as Lots 21 and 22, Block 8, Water Works Subdivision from the uses shown on the Z04-008 Cherry Creek Market MU-PUD to allow office/warehouse/commercial/retail uses on said property as proposed on the SDPZ-001 Specific Development Plan with Zoning.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on February 7, 2023 the Arapahoe County Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing at 6:30 P.M., or as soon as possible thereafter at 6954 S Lima St., Arapahoe Room, Centennial, CO 80112; at which, all interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard concerning the above-described SDPZ22-001, Alamia Power / Specific Development Plan with Zoning. The agenda will typically be posted by the Friday afternoon preceding the hearing and can be viewed on our website at https://arapahoe.legistar.com/Calendar. You can also listen to, or speak at, the meeting by calling 1-855-436-3656. To join the speaking queue, press *3 on the telephone keypad.

More information about this proposal is available at the offices of the Arapahoe County Public Works and Development Department, Planning Division, 6924 S Lima St., Centennial CO 80112 (please call ahead to schedule an appointment if you plan to walk-in), by calling 720-874-6650, or by emailing planning@arapahoegov.com during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday).

Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has furnished labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies used or consumed or any of its subcontractors or that has supplied rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used by Vance Brothers, Inc. or any of its subcontractors in or about the performance of the work done within unincorporated Arapahoe County, whose claim has not been paid by Vance Brothers, Inc. or any of its subcontractors may file a claim with the Board of County Commissioners of Arapahoe County, 5334 S. Prince St., Littleton, CO 80120, at any time up to and including February 17, 2023.

This Notice is published in accordance with §3826-107, C.R.S., and all claims, if any, shall be filed in accordance with this statutory section. Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement and/or claim prior to the aforementioned date for filing claims shall release Arapahoe County, its officers, agents and employees from any or all liability, claims, and suits for payment to Vance Brothers, Inc.

Joan Lopez, Clerk to the Board

Legal Notice No. Arap 1142

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen Public Notice

SOUTH ARAPAHOE SANITATION DISTRICT C/O KENNEDY JENKS CONSULTANTS 165 S. Union Blvd, Suite 570

Lakewood, CO 80228

Phone 303-985-3636 Fax 303-985-3800

INVITATION TO BID

Notice is hereby given that South Arapahoe Sanitation District will accept bid proposals for the 2023 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Project in Centennial. The project is located within the City of Centennial, Colorado and includes, but is not limited to:

Full length Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) lining for twelve (12) sanitary sewer lines.

Two (2) segments are 18” diameter, totaling 646 linear feet, three (3) segments are 21” diameter, totaling 755 linear. Removal of 49 manhole steps, root removal in two existing manholes, and coordination with the Owner, all as described in the Contract Documents.

Competitive Bids will be accepted until 2:00 pm, Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at the office of Kennedy Jenks Consultants, 165 S. Union Blvd, Suite 570, Lakewood, Colorado 80228. Proposals shall be submitted in an envelope marked “SOUTH ARAPAHOE SANITATION DISTRICT: 2023 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECT”. An Electronic (PDF) Competitive Bid will also be accepted in lieu of a paper copy until 2:00 pm, Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Provide Electronic Competitive Bid to: JenniferChipman@kennedyjenks.com (ATTN: Jennifer Chipman). Any bids (electronic or paper copy) received after 2:00 pm shall not be accepted. An abstract of the amounts of the base Bids and alternates (if any) will be made available to the Bidders after the Bids have been opened. Bids may not be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after said closing time.

Bid packages will be available electronically starting on January 19, 2023, at www.questcdn.com under Login for a $15.00 charge. The user will be directed to enter a project code of 8370480. Contact QuestCDN.com at 952-233-1632 or info@questcdn.com for assistance in membership registration and downloading this digital project information. The Bidder to whom a contract is awarded will be required to furnish “Performance and Maintenance” and “Labor and Material Payment” bonds to the District. The “Performance and Maintenance” and “Labor and Material Payment” bonds shall be furnished in the amount of 100 percent of the contract, in conformity with the requirements of the Contract Documents.

The District reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, or to accept that proposal or combination of proposals, if any, which in its sole and absolute judgment, will under all circumstances best serve the District’s interest. No proposal will be accepted from any firm, person, or corporation, who is a defaulter as to surety or otherwise, or is deemed incompetent, irresponsible, or unreliable by the District Board of Directors.

No bids will be considered which are received after the time indicated above, and any bids so received after the scheduled closing time shall be returned to the bidder unopened.

Legal Notice No. 530959

First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: January 26, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT

2022 Concrete Catch-Up Program Project No. 22-04-01

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Section 38-26107, C.R.S., that the City of Centennial, Colorado (the “City”) will make final payment at the hour of 10:00 a.m. on February 10, 2023 (the “Final Settlement Date”) to the following contractor:

STONE AND CONCRETE INC. 5500 E. 56th Ave, Commerce City, CO 80022

(hereinafter, the “Contractor”) for and on account of all work completed by the Contractor on City Project No. Project No. 22-04-01, including for purposes of this Notice of Final Settlement on (the “Project”).

1. Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has an unpaid claim against the Project for and on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, or other supplies used or consumed by the Contractor or any subcontractor in or about the performance of said work, may at any time up to and including the Final Settlement Date, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim.

2.Any such claim(s) shall be filed with the City Clerk at 13133 East Arapahoe Road, Centennial, CO 80112 prior to the Final Settlement Date.

3.Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement or claim prior to the Final Settlement Date will relieve the City from any and all liability for such claim.

Legal Notice No. 530957-60957

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent and the Centennial Citizen

Summons and Sheriff Sale

Regarding: Lot 20, Block 4, Somerset Village Subdivision, Filing No. 3, County of Arapahoe, Stale of Colorado

Also known and numbered as: 1188 S Pitkin Way, Aurora, CO 80017

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS, Please take notice:

You and each of you are hereby notified that a Sheriff's Sale of the referenced property is to be conducted by the Civil Unit of the Sheriff's Office of Arapahoe County, Colorado at 10:00 A.M., on the 23rd day of February 2023, at 13101 E. Broncos Pkwy, Centennial, CO 80112; phone number 720- 874-3845. At which sale, the above described real property and improvements thereon will be sold to the highest bidder. Plaintiff makes no warranty relating to title, possession, or quiet enjoyment in and to said real property in connection with this sale.

**BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE CASH OR CERTIFIED FUNDS SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE MINIMUM BID AT TIME OF SALE. **

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY.

DATED in Colorado this 22nd day of November, 2022.

Tyler S. Brown Sheriff of Arapahoe County, Colorado

By: Sgt. Trent Steffa Deputy Sheriff

ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF: ORTEN CAVANAGH HOLMES & HUNT, LLC 1445 Market Street, Suite 350 Denver, Co 80202

Legal Notice No. 530821

First Publication: December 29, 2022

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Published In: Littleton Independent 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, Colorado, 80110

Public Notice

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO 7325 S. Potomac Street, #100 Centennial, CO 80112

Plaintiff: SUNBURST HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., a Colorado non-profit corporation;

Defendants: EDWIN A. OLSON IV; FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION; ARAPAHOE COUNTY TREASURER; UNKNOWN TENANT(S) IN POSSESSION.

Attorneys for Plaintiff: THE DUPONT LAW FIRM, LLC Stephane R. Dupont, #39425 Address: PO Box 1073, Castle Rock, CO 80104 Phone Number: (720) 644-6115 Case Number: 2022CV32127

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S): Edwin A. Olson IV

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

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

This is an action for judicial foreclosure of an association assessment lien pursuant to C.R.S. 38-33.3-316, in and to real property situated in Arapahoe County, Colorado, more particularly described on Exhibit A, attached hereto and by this reference made a part hereof.

Dated: January 5, 2023

THE DUPONT LAW FIRM, LLC

By: *s/ Stephane R. Dupont Stephane R. Dupont

This

Plaintiff: SOMERSET VILLAGE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., THE, a Colorado nonprofit corporation v.

Defendants: AMBROSIA MOLLET-GLENN; MIDFIRST BANK; THE OFFICE OF THE ARAPAHOE COUNTY PUBLIC TRUSTEE

Declaration Recorded In B2773 P196 Charleston Place Condos

Commonly known as 13996 E. Utah Circle, Aurora, CO 80012-5625

Under an AMENDED ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S SECOND MOTION FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT AGAINST DEFENDANT DONNA K MARSHALL AND FOR DECREE OF FORECLOSURE entered on October 31, 2022, and an ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S SECOND MOTION FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT AGAINST DEFENDANT DONNA K MARSHALL entered on June 17, 2022, the undersigned is ordered to sell certain real property set forth and described above.

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS, Please take notice:

You and each of you are hereby notified that a Sheriff’s sale of the above-referenced property is to be conducted by the Civil Unit of the Sheriff’s Office of Arapahoe County, Colorado at 10:00 A.M. on the 23rd day of February 2023 at 13101 East Broncos Parkway, Centennial, CO 80112, phone number 720-874-3845. At which sale, the above-described real property and improvements thereon will be sold to the highest bidder. Plaintiff makes no warranty relating to title, possession, or quiet enjoyment in and to said real property in connection with this sale.

**BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE CASH OR CERTIFIED FUNDS SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE MINIMUM BID AT TIME OF SALE. **

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY.

Judgment is in the amount of $16,790.21.

DATED November 22, 2022

Tyler S. Brown Sheriff of Arapahoe County, Colorado

By: Sgt. Trent Steffa , Deputy Sheriff

Legal Notice No. 530824

First Publication: December 29, 2022

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Published In: Littleton Independent 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, Colorado, 80110

Public Notice

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO 7325 SOUTH POTOMAC STREET, CENTENNIAL, CO 80112 Case No: 2020CV030045

COMBINED NOTICE SHERIFF SALE NO: ACCIV2206839

Plaintiff: NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE, LLC D/B/A MR. COOPER v. Defendants: GABRIEL TAPIA, SU RYDEN, in her role as Public Trustee for Arapahoe County, and BEN CARSON, in his role as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Under a Default Judgment, Judgment and Decree and Decree of Foreclosure entered March 17, 2022 in the above referenced action, I am ordered to sell certain property, as follows:

Original Grantor: GABRIEL TAPIA Original Beneficiary: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR CALIBER HOME LOANS, INC.,

ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC D/B/A MR. COOPER

Date of Deed of Trust: April 19, 2017

Date Deed of Trust Recorded: April 20, 2017

County of Recording: ARAPAHOE

Recording Reception Number: Reception Number D7044900

Original Principal Debt: $319,113.00

Judgment Amount: $367,124.90

Description of the property to be foreclosed: LOT 28, BLOCK 2, MISSION VIEJO, FILING NO. 1, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO

which has the property address of 15358 E Lehigh Ave, Aurora, CO 80013.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The covenants of said Deed of Trust have been violated as follows: Borrower’s failure to make timely payments as required under the Evidence of Debt and Deed of Trust.

NOTICE OF SALE

THEREFORE, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT I WILL, at 10:00 AM, on February 16, 2023, at the ARAPAHOE County Sheriff’s Office, located at 13101 E. BRONCOS PARKWAY, CENTENNIAL, CO 80112. At which sale, the above described real property and improvements thereon will be sold to the highest bidder. Plaintiff makes no warranty relating to title, possession, or quiet enjoyment in and to said real property in connection with this sale.

The name, address and phone number of the attorney representing the Holder: Janeway Law Firm, P.C., 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112, Phone: (855) 263-9295 Fax: (303) 706-9994 JLF No.: 20-025049.

**BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE CASH OR CERTIFIED FUNDS SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE MINIMUM BID AT TIME OF SALE. **

Date: November 15, 2022 Tyler S. Brown, Sheriff County of Arapahoe State of Colorado

By: Sgt. Trent Steffa, Deputy Sheriff

Joan Lopez, Clerk to the Board

Public Notices

paragraphs 8.1 through 8.4, above, ECCV has the right to use, reuse, and successively use, to extinction, all water under the Storage Refill Rights for the uses described above within ECCV’s service area as it currently exists or may exist in the future. 9. Detailed outline of work done for the completion of the conditional appropriation for reasonable diligence. ECCV’s unified, integrated system for the diversion, accretion, collection, storage, transmission, and treatment of water rights (the “Water Supply Project”) was originally designed to provide ECCV with a long-term, sustainable municipal water supply for its service area. The conditional water rights decreed herein are part of the Water Supply Project, which will provide water within ECCV’s present and future service area. Pursuant to C.R.S. § 37-92-301(4) (b), for purposes of demonstrating diligence, work on one feature of the project or system shall be considered in finding that reasonable diligence has been shown in the development of all water rights conditionally decreed herein and shall constitute diligence toward the development of each of the conditional water rights decreed herein. During the diligence period ECCV has done, at a minimum, the following work towards completion or for completion of the appropriations and application of water to a beneficial use as conditionally decreed (expenditure numbers are rounded to the nearest $1,000): 9.1. Legal Fees. Legal fees in the amount of $3,000,000.00 were expended during the diligence period in ECCV’s adjudicatory proceedings for the appropriation of new water rights and changes to existing water rights for ECCV’s Water Supply Project, and water rights protection and opposition. 9.2. Engineering Costs. Engineering costs in the amount of $1,965,000.00 were expended during the diligence period in connection with ECCV’s Water Supply Project, to perform water rights modeling, exchange potential modeling, appropriation of new water rights, changes to existing water rights, water rights protection and opposition, and water rights accounting. 9.3. Additional Replacement Supplies. ECCV has filed applications and obtained decrees in the cases listed below to increase the replacement supplies available under its augmentation plan decrees and facilitate increased diversions in the ACWWA/ECCV Well Field, to add storage facilities and recharge locations, and to add exchanges to aid in moving its replacement water to its places of beneficial use. 9.3.1. Case No. 11CW151, original application filed August 31, 2011; decree entered November 26, 2018. 9.3.2. Case No. 12CW73, original application filed March 30, 2012; decree entered February 26, 2016. 9.3.3. Case No. 13CW3026, original application filed April 26, 2013; decree entered October 31, 2017. 9.3.4. Case Nos. 13CW3171 and 13CW3172, application filed December 30, 2013; decrees entered June 20, 2017. 9.3.5. Case No. 16CW3196, application filed December 29, 2016; corrected decree entered November 23, 2022. 9.3.6. Case No. 16CW3200, application filed December 29, 2016; decree entered March 28, 2021. 9.3.7. Case No. 19CW3075, application filed April 27, 2019; decree entered September 27, 2021. 9.3.8. Case No. 19CW3084, application filed May 15, 2019; decree entered May 10, 2021. 9.3.9. Case No. 20CW3096, application filed July 13, 2020; case currently pending. 9.3.10. Case No. 20CW3117, application filed August 21, 2020; case currently pending. 9.3.11. Case No. 20CW3147, application filed on September 30, 2020; decree entered October 11, 2022. 9.3.12. Case No. 20CW3161, application filed October 30, 2020; decree entered November 23, 2022. 9.3.13. Case No. 21CW3094, application filed June 29, 2021; case currently pending. 9.4. Water System Development. During the diligence period, United, on behalf of ECCV, has developed and acquired infrastructure for Phase II of the Water Supply Project (“Phase II”), including but not limited to mining United Reservoir No. 3; completing construction of 70 Ranch Reservoir in July 2019; acquiring Holton Lake in September 2019 and completing construction of Holton Lake in June 2021; commenced construction of the Serfer Augmentation Station in 2021; completed construction of the A2 recharge pond in 2022; and securing easement deeds and agreements for structures necessary to deliver water to ECCV. During this diligence period ECCV has been working on Phase II, which will allow ECCV to deliver up to 14.75 million gallons of renewable water to customers each day, whereby reducing dependency on non-renewable wells. Phase II also included expansion of the Northern Water Treatment RO Plant (2018-2020) and the North and South Booster Pump Stations (2018-2019), and construction of Deep Injection Well II (2018). The total estimated cost of the Phase II infrastructure is $60 million for an additional 10 million gallons of pumping and treatment capacity. The Booster Pump Stations are approximately $25 million and the NWTP Expansion is approximately $35 million. 9.5. Substitute Water Supply Plans. During this diligence period, ECCV has filed joint substitute water supply plans (“SWSP”) with ACWWA in order to use additional replacement supplies to replace out-of-priority depletions from the ACWWA/ECCV Well Field to facilitate the efficient operation of the Water Supply Project. SWSPs were filed in 2016 (approved May 19, 2017), 2017 (approved March 30, 2018), 2018 (approved March 27, 2019), 2019 (approved April 6, 2020), 2020 (approved April 28, 2021 and April 29, 2021), 2021 (approved May 13, 2022), 2022 (filed November 23, 2022). 9.6. Protection of Water Rights. ECCV has regularly monitored the filings of other water users. It has filed statements of opposition to and has incurred legal and engineering costs in connection with numerous cases to protect its water rights. Legal fees in the amount of $300,000.00 were expended during the diligence period in water rights protection and opposition on behalf of ECCV for its Water Supply Project. 9.7. Opposition of Detrimental Legislation. ECCV has been actively involved in opposing Colorado State legislation that would negatively impact the operation of its augmentation plans and exchanges. 9.8. ECCV continues to rely upon and develop the conditional water rights described herein and has no intent to abandon them. 10. Names and addresses of owners of the land on which the structures are or will be located, upon which water is or will be stored, or upon which water is or will be placed to beneficial use. 10.1. Barr Lake. FRICO, 80 South 27th Avenue, Brighton, Colorado 80601. By virtue of the Amended and Restated Water Supply Agreement between ECCV, FRICO, and United, ECCV has the right to use its pro rata shareholder storage space and space available storage. 10.2. United Reservoir No. 3. United, 8301 E. Prentice Avenue, Suite 100, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111. 10.3. Milliken Reservoir. United Milliken Reservoir Enter-

prise, LLC, 8301 East Prentice Avenue, Suite 100, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111; and Scout Investments, LLC, whose address is the same. The Jay Thomas Diversion Dam and the land at the point of diversion for Milliken Reservoir are owned by Public Service Company, d/b/a Xcel Energy, Inc., 1800 Larimer Street, Denver, Colorado, 80202-1414. 10.4. United Diversion Facility No. 3. United, 8301 East Prentice Avenue, Suite 100, Greenwood Village, Colorado, 80111.

WHEREFORE, ECCV respectfully requests that this Court enter an order finding that reasonable diligence has been exercised in the development of the subject conditional Storage Refill Rights claimed herein. (11 pages).

THE WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED BY THESE APPLICATIONS MAY AFFECT IN PRIORITY ANY WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED OR HERETOFORE ADJUDICATED WITHIN THIS DIVISION AND OWNERS OF AFFECTED RIGHTS MUST APPEAR TO OBJECT WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY STATUTE OR BE FOREVER BARRED.

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that any party who wishes to oppose an application, or an amended application, may file with the Water Clerk, P. O. Box 2038, Greeley, CO 80632, a verified Statement of Opposition, setting forth facts as to why the application should not be granted, or why it should be granted only in part or on certain conditions. Such Statement of Opposition must be filed by the last day of FEBRUARY 2023 (forms available on www.courts.state.co.us or in the Clerk’s office), and must be filed as an Original and include $192.00 filing fee. A copy of each Statement of Opposition must also be served upon the Applicant or Applicant’s Attorney and an affidavit or certificate of such service of mailing shall be filed with the Water Clerk.

Legal Notice No. 301735

First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald

Notice to Creditors

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of ELIZABETH ANN HONEYFIELD, a/k/a ELIZABETH A. HONEYFIELD, a/k/a ELIZABETH HONEYFIELD, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31406

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe, County, Colorado on or before May 5, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

David W. Honeyfield Personal Representative 7181 South Niagara Circle Centennial, CO 80112

Legal Notice No. 530921

First Publication: January 5, 2023 Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of CHRISTOPHER THRUSTON JUDY, a/k/a CHRISTOPHER T. JUDY, a/k/a CHRISTOPHER JUDY; a/k/a CHRIS JUDY, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31405

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Arapahoe, County, Colorado on or before May 5, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Judith Marie Judy, Personal Representative 12193 E. Harvard Drive Aurora, CO 80014

Legal Notice No. 530920

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Julian Stanley Levy, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR30855

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 5, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Amy Erickson, #54710

Attorney to the Personal Representative 675 15th Street, Suite 2650 Denver, Colorado 80202

Legal Notice No. 530916

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

District Court, Arapahoe County, Colorado

Court Address: 7325 S. Potomac St. Centennial, CO 80112

In the Matter of the Estate of:

Emmett McKee Johnson a/k/a Emmett M Johnson a/k/a Emmett Johnson, Deceased

Tony C. Rossi #45051

Rossi Law, LLC

6215 Corporate Dr, Ste 101 Colorado Springs, CO 80919

Phone: (303) 859-4173

Email: Tony@RossiLawLLC.com Case Number: 2022PR031432

NOTICE OF NON-APPEARANCE HEARING BY PUBLICATION

A hearing on the PETITION FOR ADJUDICATION OF INTESTACY AND FORMAL APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE will be held at the following time and location or at a later date to which the hearing may be continued:

Date:February 13, 2023 Time: 8:00 a.m. Address: 7325 S. Potomac St., Centennial, CO 80112

Legal Notice No. 530912

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Linda Lou Spencer, a/k/a Linda L. Spencer, a/k/a Linda Spencer, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30003

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Sherri L. Goudeau, Personal Representative c/o Davis Schilken, PC 7887 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 820 Denver, CO 80111

Legal Notice No. 530953

First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: February 2, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Phillip Norman Dudley Sr., a/k/a Phillip N. Dudley Sr., a/k/a Phillip Dudley Sr., Deceased Case Number 22PR31282

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Edward Dudley, Personal Representative c/o Davis Schilken, PC 7887 E. Belleview Ave., Suite 820 Denver, CO 80111

Legal Notice No. 530948 First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: February 2, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of ELVIN T. DONALD, aka ELVIN DONALD, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR031397

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Co-Personal Representatives or to the Arapahoe County District Court on or before May 15, 2023 or the claims may be forever barred.

Pamela Donald-Riddick, Co-Personal Representative 20641 East Scott Circle Denver, CO 80249

Lisa Donald, Co-Personal Representative 7000 E. Quincy Avenue Bldg C unit 207 Denver Colorado 80239

Legal Notice No. 530922

First Publication: January 5, 2023 Last Publication: January 19, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of JOHN JOSEPH BRANSON IV, a/k/a JOHN J. BRANSON IV, a/k/a JOHN BRANSON IV, a/k/a JOHN JOSEPH BRANSON, a/k/a JOHN J. BRANSON, a/k/a JOHN BRANSON Deceased Case Number: 22PR385

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 14, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

/s/ Zachary F. Woodward Zachary F. Woodward, #48265 o/b/o Estate of John Joseph Branson IV 750 W. Hampden Ave. Ste 505 Englewood, CO 80110

Legal Notice No. 530944

First Publication: January 12, 2023 Last Publication: January 26, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Lucille Susan Faist, a/k/a Lucille S. Faist, a/k/a Lucille Faist, Deceased Case No.: 2022PR31408

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or tothe District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado or on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Nicole D'Arpa, Attorney for Greta Morgan Personal Representative 1880 Office Club Pointe, Suite 201 Address Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Legal Notice No. 301736

First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Steven Lloyd Hunt, Deceased

Case Number: 2022PR031188

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 5, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Sandra Gier, Personal Representative c/o Parker Law Group 19590 E. Mainstreet, Ste. 104 Parker, CO 80138

Legal Notice No. 530926

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of VIRGINIA REAMES LAWRENCE, a.k.a. VIRGINIA R. LAWRENCE, a.k.a. VIRGINIA LAWRENCE, Deceased Case Number 2022PR31440, Division CLX

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Arapahoe County District Court, Centennial, Colorado, on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

BEVERLY LAWRENCE FENN

Personal Representative 6659 S. Oak Circle Littleton, Colorado 80127

Telephone: 303-619-4025

Legal Notice No. 530942

First Publication: January 12, 2023 Last Publication: January 26, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of SUSAN ANN MARXEN, a/k/a SUSAN A. MARXEN, a/k/a SUSAN MARXEN, a/k/a SUE MARXEN, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31310

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe, County, Colorado on or before May 5, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Julia M. Werner, Personal Representative 488 Jackson Street Denver, CO 80206

Legal Notice No. 530919 First Publication: January 5, 2023 Last Publication: January 19, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of CHARLES LEE JOHNSON, AKA CHARLES L JOHNSON, AKA CHARLES JOHNSON, AKA CHARLIE JOHNSON, deceased Case Number: 22PR31272

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 05, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Allen Johnson Personal Representative 3650 S YOSEMITE STREET, 214 Denver, CO 80237

Legal Notice No. 301717 First publication: January 05, 2023 Last publication: January 19, 2023 Publisher: Englewood Herald Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of PAMELA JEANNE COMO, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31401

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Michael M. Como, Personal Representative 1591 South Spruce Street Denver, Colorado 80231

Legal Notice No. 530952

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of DANIEL JAMES ANDRYKOWSKI , AKA DANIEL J. ANDRYKOWSKI, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31329

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of ARAPAHOE County, Colorado on or before June 1, 2023 , or the claims may be forever barred.

MELISSA MARY ANDRYKOWSKI

Personal Representative Address: 4200 W. 17th Avenue Denver, CO 80204

Legal Notice No. 530963

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Roger D. Bell, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31421

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

David W. Bell, Personal Representative of the Estate of Roger D. Bell 1852 S. Ivanhoe Street Denver, CO 80224

Legal Notice No. 301731

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of JEAN L. KING, A/K/A JEAN LORRAINE KING, AND JEAN KING, Deceased Case Number: 23PR30002

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the DISTRICT COURT OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO, on or before May 25, 2023 or the claims may be forever barred.

Joseph E. Childs, Personal Representative 18452 W. 58th Court Golden, CO 80403

Legal Notice No. 301734

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of EDWARD E. KOONTZ, a/k/a EDWARD EARL KOONTZ, Deceased Case Number 2022PR31444

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Jeanette Goodwin Personal Representative P. O. Box 200850 Denver, CO 80220

Bette Heller, Esq. Attorney to the Personal Representative 19671 E. Euclid Dr., Centennial, CO 80016 Phone Number: 303-690-7092

E-mail: bhelleresq@comcast.net Atty. Reg. #: 10521

Legal Notice No. 301733 First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: February 2, 2023 Publisher: Englewood Herald Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of SUZANNE M. KOONTZ, a/k/a SUZANNE MARIE KOONTZ, a/k/a SUZANNE M. MENKE, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31443

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Jeanette Goodwin Personal Representative P. O. Box 200850 Denver, CO 80220

Bette Heller, Esq. Attorney to the Personal Representative 19671 E. Euclid Dr., Centennial, CO 80016 Phone Number: 303-690-7092

E-mail: bhelleresq@comcast.net Atty. Reg. #: 10521

Legal Notice No. 301732

First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of RICHARD STOUT TOBIN, a/k/a RICHARD S. TOBIN, and RICHARD TOBIN, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31426

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May 19, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

John D. Tobin, Personal Representative c/o David P. Reiter, Esq., 1660 S. Albion St., Suite 343, Denver, CO 80222

Legal Notice No.530956

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Peggy D. Nance, also known as Peggy Nance, Deceased Case Number: 2022PR31414

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County , Colorado on or before May 5, 2023, the claims may be forever barred.

Marcia K. Nance

Co-Personal Representative 2661 Lake Park Circle West Davie, Florida 33328

Sandra G. Youngman

Co-Personal Representative 13031 E. Bethany Place

she said, and it required a lot of educational e orts.

In November, Lear told Colorado Community Media that many people don’t know they vote for the coroner, and they don’t know the candidates running for coroner do not have to be doctors.

During her campaign, she highlighted that she was the only physician on the ballot.  e coroner is elected to investigate deaths and issue death certi cates, and it is the decision of the coroner’s o ce as to whether an autopsy will be conducted, according to Arapahoe County’s website.

Lear has worked as a forensic pathologist for Arapahoe County since 2004. A forensic pathologist is the medical doctor who performs autopsies to determine the cause and manner of a death.

A coroner, however, is not required to be a physician or forensic pathologist in Colorado.

“ is has been my life’s work. It is what I am passionate about, and it is why I trained as a physician,” Lear

said after being sworn in.

She thinks it’s important for the coroner’s o ce to be a professional o ce.

“ is is a medical o ce,” she said. “We are providing a medical service.”

Her o ce has seen a big increase in its work over the past few years, she said, partly because of the fentanyl epidemic, the impact of COVID-19 and an increase in suicides.

“We do recognize, in my ofce, that our work represents loss, and that we are the nal individuals to document a life and how it ended, and to provide answers to those who need them,” she said.

“ roughout my almost 20-year tenure with the Arapahoe County Coroner’s O ce, our mission has been to provide the highest quality death investigation and autopsy services to the residents of Arapahoe County.”

Assessor Kaiser to prioritize community outreach

Incumbent PK Kaiser will serve another term as Arapahoe County’s assessor, whose job is to establish accurate values of all properties — residential, commercial, agricultural, vacant land and

Public Notices

Aurora, Colorado 80014

Legal Notice No. 530927

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent Public Notice

District Court, Arapahoe County, Colorado 7325 South Potomac Street Centennial, Colorado 80112

In the Matter of the Estate of: WENDY MARIE BROWN-KADELL

Attorney: Charles J. Vanstrom, Esq., Charles J. Vanstrom, P.C. P.O. Box 40216, Denver, Colorado 80204-2016 Phone Number: 303-404-3504 E-mail: charles@charlesjvanstrompc.com Case Number: 2022PR480 Division: 12

NOTICE OF HEARING WITHOUT APPEARANCE PURSUANT TO C.R.P.P. 24 ****** Attendance at this hearing is not required or expected. *******

To all interested persons: A hearing without appearance on Petition for Adjudication of Intestacy and Formal Appointment of Personal Representative is set at the following date, time, and location:

Date: Friday, February 10, 2023 Time: 8:00 a.m.

Address: 7325 South Potomac Street, Centennial, Colorado 80112 ***** IMPORTANT NOTICE*****

Any interested person wishing to object to the requested action set forth in the attached motion/ petition and proposed order must file a written objection with the court on or before the hearing and must furnish a copy of the objection to the person requesting the court order. JDF 722 (Objection form) is available on the Colorado Judicial Branch website (www.courts.state.co.us). If no objection is filed, the court may take action on the motion/petition without further notice or hearing.

If any objection is filed, the objecting party must, within 14 days after filing the objection, contact the court to set the objection for an appearance hearing. Failure to timely set the objection for an appearance hearing as required will result in further action as the court deems appropriate.

Legal Notice No. 301730

First Publication: January 12, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Englewood Herald

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Reberta F. Shirk, also known as Reberta Shirk, Deceased

Case Number: 2022PR31409

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the

personal

5, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Glenda R. Kauffman

Co-Personal Representative 5187 S. Olathe Circle Centennial, CO 80015

Leslea D. Wahl Co-Personal Representative 5400 Preserve Parkway South Greenwood Village, CO 80112

Legal Notice No. 530923

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent

Name Changes

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 23, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Annabelle Fallas be changed to Anna Maria Fallas Case No.: 22 C 100642

By: Kim Boswell Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530951

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 15, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Numair Ali Javed be changed to Numair Hashim Khan Case No.: 22C100844

By: Kim Boswell Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530947

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 16, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of

more — in the county.

e process is meant to ensure that the amount of taxes property owners pay is fair and equitable.

Looking to this term, Kaiser said his o ce will outreach to all residents to ensure everyone has equal access to the o ce and its services.

“As assessor, we will continue our policies of innova-

tion, process improvement, workforce diversity and, above all, public respect which we have gained and maintained in (the) last four years,” Kaiser said.

He thanked his supporters, friends and family for their hard work throughout his campaign.

“I’m excited,” he said. “And I’m ready to serve you.”

e 2024 rates match a reduction approved for the 2021 and 2022 tax years under a measure passed by the legislature

Finally, the legislature extended a change allowing senior citizens to defer all of the increases in their property taxes until they sell their homes while allowing everyone else to defer any increases over 4%.

It’s likely that if more property tax relief is approved by the legislature in 2023, as Polis hopes, it will simply be made by expanding the breaks offered by Senate Bill 238.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalistowned 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.

Valeatha Anne Hope be changed to Valerie Anne Hope Case No.: 22C100829

By: Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530925

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 28, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Jennifer Rammirez Garcia be changed to Jennifer Ramirez Garcia Case No.: 22 C 100888

By: Kim Bosell Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530950

First Publication: January 19, 2023 Last Publication: February 2, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 15, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Kelsey Anne Cline be changed to Kelsey Anne Dietz-Gass Case No.: 22 C 100846

By: Kim Boswell Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530941

First Publication: January 12, 2023 Last Publication: January 26, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 16, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Emily Annichen Kassel be changed to Annichen Kassel Mitchell Case No.: 22 C 100855

By: Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530935

First Publication: January 12, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on October 26, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Kaci Renee Carpinelli be changed to Kaci Renee Pineda Case No.: 22C100731

By: Colleen E. Clark County Court Judge

Legal Notice No. 530914

First Publication: January 5, 2023 Last Publication: January 19, 2023 Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on January 2, 2023, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Ali Abdullahi Abdi be changed to Mohamed Abdullahi Abdi Case No.: 22C100894

By: Kim Boswell Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530961

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on November 7, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Alycia Rene Curtis be changed to Alycia Rene Owens Case No.: 22C100758

By: Kim Boswell Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530949

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: February 2, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 15, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult as been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Jermall Allen Barker be changed to Jeremall Allen Parker Case No.: 22C100842

By: Kim Boswell, Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530928

First Publication: January 5, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 21, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an Adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The Petition requests that the name of Alyssa Taylor Allen be changed to Alyssa Taylor Caselli Case No.: 22C100861

By: Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530934

First Publication: January 12, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 16 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of a minor child has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Mohammad Milhann Hazara be changed to Miles Milhann Case No.: 2022 C 100849

By: Clerk of Court / Deputy Clerk

Legal Notice No. 530930

First Publication: January 12, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name

Public notice is given on December 28, 2022, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The petition requests that the name of Thomas Earl Nettles be changed to Thomas Earl Houston Case No.: 22 C 100859

By: Judge Colleen Clark

Legal Notice No. 530940

First Publication: January 12, 2023

Last Publication: January 26, 2023

Publisher: Littleton Independent

representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before May

PK Kaiser, Arapahoe County’s assessor, speaking after being sworn in Jan. 9.

PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW