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Economic breakfast delivers good news Speakers in Lone Tree say state forging ahead economically, banks, other companies follow By Jane Reuter
jreuter@colorado communitymedia.com
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Adam Jennings gets a congratulatory kiss from his wife, Sarah, after receiving a Distinguished Service Award at the Liniger Building at CU South Denver April 2. Photos by Chris Michlewicz
Trooper awards come with praise Ceremony honors state patrol heroics in 2014 By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Proud families and applauding colleagues packed a ceremony dedicated to Colorado State Patrol troopers who put their lives on the line. Hundreds gathered in the Great Hall at the Liniger Building at CU South Denver April 2, with Trooper Jeff Goodwin retelling the incredible stories behind the awards. Bellamann Hee, the trooper who was injured during a high-speed chase that ended near CU South Denver’s doorstep in March 2014, was given the Purple Heart Award, an honor given to troopers who are seriously injured, wounded or killed while performing basic law enforcement functions.
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Awards continues on Page 18
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Image courtesy of the City of Lone Tree
Bellamann Hee, left, a trooper who was injured in a high-speed chase that ended near The Wildlife Experience in March 2014, receives a Purple Heart Award April 2.
The bike-lane project in Lone Tree
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Speakers at Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce’s annual economic breakfast presented attendees with news as bright as the sunny late-March day. “We are outperforming the national economy,” said Henry Sobonet, director of the governor’s office of planning and budgeting. “We’ve attracted more people, (increased) oil and gas development and we’ve done a great job of diversifying the economy.” Sobonet and Andrew Hancock, FirstBank market president, were featured speakers for the annual event attended March 31 by about 130 people at the Denver Marriott South hotel in Lone Tree. Though neither man presented statistics specific to Lone Tree or Douglas County, Sobonet said the area’s forward momentum is well known. “There is visual evidence this is contributing to the Front Range (economic) activity,” he said. “Obviously it’s doing very well. We’ve had a couple of major job announcements down here.” Ironically, lower gas prices are drawing down another source of Colorado’s economic fuel. The state is waiting to see the impact on its booming oil and gas economy, but Sobonet said they are cautiously optimistic. “How can low-energy prices be bad for the economy?” he said. “Lots of job growth Economy continues on Page 18
The City of Lone Tree will restripe two major streets late this summer or early in the fall to add dedicated bicycle lanes. The streets include Yosemite Street from Lincoln Avenue north to Park Meadows Drive and a portion of RidgeGate Parkway that includes both roundabouts.
The streets will include 5- to 6-foot-wide bike lanes, and where possible, will also have dedicated bicycle turn lanes and 3.5-foot-wide buffer lanes to further separate motorized vehicles from bicycles. The work is the first phase of improvements recommended in the city’s Walk and Wheel Plan, which recommends ways to make the city more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. The study recommends a total of $8.5 million in enhancements, though city council members agreed they will not spend that much. Plans to add bicycle lanes to Lincoln Avenue, which cyclists have said is one of the most dangerous streets in Lone Tree, are still in the works but delayed. That’s in part because Lincoln Avenue is narrower in sections than Yosemite or RidgeGate, and more heavily traveled.
Future plans also call for a 10-foot-wide trail along Lincoln Avenue, designed for dog walkers, families with strollers and bicyclists who ride at slower speeds than on-street cyclists. The study also recommends adding flashing strobe lights to ensure safer crossings at several trail intersections, including the C470 trail at Acres Green Drive, the Willow Creek Trail at Park Meadows Drive, on Heritage Hills Circle near Lone Tree Elementary and on RidgeGate Parkway at Commons Street and Park Meadows Boulevard.