Lone Tree Voice 123021

December 30, 2021

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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

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INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | SPORTS: PAGE 16

Home buyers, buckle up for 2022 Constricted inventory, high prices expected to continue in New Year

BY MOLLY ARMBRISTER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

After an especially difficult year for would-be home buyers, there is little relief in sight for those trying to find a house to purchase along the Front Range and in highdemand Douglas County.

Home prices have appreciated at a rapid clip for the last decade in metro Denver, but 2021 posed even greater problems for those seeking to buy a home, with inventories of homes for sale plummeting to all-time lows in many areas. The low inventory led to an incredibly competitive sales environment, in which bidding wars were the norm and cash offers in some cases totaling tens of thousands of dollars above asking price flowed in.

SEE HOUSING, P22

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A long-awaited overhaul of Douglas County Schools’ compensation for teachers is on the way to be-

City of Lone Tree approves 2022 budget Some services to return to pre-pandemic levels

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

about $16.9 million in pay adjustments.

But then came the pandemic.

COVID-19 spurred pay freezes and furloughs, and delayed efforts to implement a new compensation system. The work got up and running again in September.

Chief human resources officer Amanda Thompson said a new system presented Dec. 14 “will rectify

The City of Lone Tree adopted its 2022 budget with plans to return some services to pre-pandemic levels.

The $58.2 million budget approved Dec. 21 includes $57.4 million in revenue and $51.4 million in expenditures, and will contribute $6.4 million to city reserves. The ending fund balance is projected at $31.5 million.

“I’m sure the biggest sigh of relief is coming to (staff) after all the hard, hard work,” Mayor Jackie Millet said.

Slightly more than 76% of operating revenue comes from taxes and about 81% of expenditures go toward capital, police and public works.

“It’s a staggering amount,” Finance Director Ulli Nierling said.

The budget was initially drafted without assuming that a tax increase, measure 2E, would pass on the November 2021 ballot. Staff adjusted the budget proposal once voters approved the 1% sales tax hike.

Operations and maintenance will return to pre-pandemic levels and the city will unfreeze five positions, while also increasing professional development expenses.

SEE SCHOOLS, P11

SEE BUDGET, P17

As the population grows, housing inventory has decreased and home prices are sellSHUTTERSTOCK ing well above asking prices. The trend will likely continue in 2022.

Douglas County Schools takes step to bolster educator compensation New system expected in the 2022-23 school year

VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 45

coming reality. District leaders still caution the plan is a starting point and more work remains to make DCSD as competitive a hiring force as it aspires to be.

DCSD’s approach to compensation has fluctuated significantly in the past decade, starting with a controversial shift to market-based pay in 2012 and later a pay-forperformance system. Those events were followed by a 2018 bond and mill levy override, which provided

PLAYERS HONORED Top athletes of 2021 fall season

P16

TESTING ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIMITS Was Sun Temple even more complex than believed? P12

2 Lone Tree Voice

December 30, 2021

State’s fiscal outlook keeps getting better Larger TABOR refunds on the horizon

21 fiscal year, which ended June 30, prompting an income-tax rate reduction to 4.5% from 4.55%, and an additional sales tax refund payment, on average, of about $70.

Joint filers will receive $166 on average.

Even though Colorado’s tax revenues are expected to be strong, there are still problem areas in the state’s economy.

Inflation in the Denver metro area was 6.5% overall in November, or 5.2% excluding the energy and transportation sectors, which tend to be more volatile and are experiencing much larger rates of inflation at the moment: 36.6% and 20.5% respectively.

“Energy and transportation are really the driving forces behind inflation,” said Jeff Stupak, an economist with Legislative Council Staff.

BY DANIEL DUCASSI AND JESSE PAUL COLORADO SUN

Economists are more optimistic about Colorado’s tax revenue future than they were three months ago, even though labor and inflation strains continue and amid uncertainty caused by COVID-19.

The headwinds have so far not been “strong enough to slow the impressive growth,” said Meredith Moon, the deputy director of the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting.

OSPB and nonpartisan legislative staff presented separate, but equally rosy budget forecasts to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee on Friday. Economists for both agreed that state tax revenue will end up higher than previously expected.

The nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff estimated there will be nearly $800 million more in revenue for the state’s general fund this fiscal year, which began in July and ends June 30, than they predicted in September, and more than $500 million in additional revenue for the next fiscal year than their previous forecast showed.

That compares with slightly lower estimates from OSPB economists who say there will be about

While inflation goes up, the Colorado economy continues on a steady pace to recovery.

PHOTO BY ANDY COLWELL

$700 million more in revenue for the state’s general fund this fiscal year than in their last forecast, and about $420 million more for the next fiscal year than they previously thought.

“Colorado’s economy is coming

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back strong,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a written statement. “This forecast shows a robust recovery.”

Outlook barely affects budget The improved outlook ultimately means little for how much state lawmakers will have to spend in next year’s budget. Tax dollars in the next three fiscal years were already expected to exceed limits on state revenue in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, meaning the Friday forecasts predicting even more tax dollars flowing into state coffers simply means that more money will have to be refunded to taxpayers.

Nonpartisan legislative staff now anticipate about $2 billion of annual TABOR surplus revenue in each of the next three fiscal years, well above the $550 million to $900 million in excess predicted in September, when they last presented to the JBC. OSPB’s forecast was a bit less optimistic, predicting $2 billion in excess revenue in the current fiscal year, and $1.7 billion in excess revenue in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years. That’s still well above the $697 million to $1.1 billion in excess revenues they forecast in September.

If the revenue projections hold, taxpayers will see an income tax rate reduction and sales tax refund checks in the mail for each of the next three fiscal years.

Democrats could try to ask voters to let the legislature keep the excess revenue. They have also been mulling policy mechanisms that don’t require voter approval that would let the lawmakers keep some of the surplus money, including by moving money around to make it exempt from the TABOR cap and expanding existing tax credits, like the child tax credit and the earnedincome tax credit.

The TABOR cap was exceeded by about $454 million in the 2020-

Supply chain issues fuel inflation Stupak said that ongoing supply chain issues paired with healthy demand also put positive pressure on inflation, but that he hopes by 2022 some of those pressures will wane.

The most obvious example is in the automobile market. As supply chain shortages have constrained the supply of new cars, the price of used cars has ballooned.

Additionally, Bryce Cooke, chief economist for OSPB, said he expects that inflation tied to housing prices will pick up around the same time other supply chain issues are resolved. That could put more pressure on Colorado’s already-strained housing market.

Colorado’s labor market, meanwhile, has been on the rebound, with 86% of jobs lost during the pandemic recovered. About 10,000 jobs are being regained each month.

By June, nonpartisan legislative staff expect all jobs lost during COVID to have been recovered.

But the job market is not recovering at the same pace for all sectors of income earners and in all areas of Colorado.

For instance, there are still about 16,000 pre-pandemic food service jobs that haven’t been filled, and job recovery for people making less than $27,000 a year has been far worse compared to workers earning $60,000 a year or more.

The good news for workers is that “wages and salaries are on the rise,” according to Cooke. And OSPB doesn’t expect the trend to change.

In fact, much of the revenue increases forecast Friday are being driven by personal income taxes.

Stupak cautioned that the pandemic “remains in the driver’s seat” and the new omicron variant continues to fuel uncertainty.

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

Lone Tree Voice 3

December 30, 2021

Q&A: Lone Tree mayor looks to 2022

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet shared her predictions for the new year and what lessons she took away from 2021. Here’s what she wrote about what she hopes to see the city accomplish in 2022.

What was one of your major takeaways from 2021? What did you learn this year?

Hard work works! The decisive passage of 2E illustrates that our residents value the services delivered by their local government and confirmed citizen support of the city’s budget priorities. The Lone Tree City Council and staff continue to work hard to be responsible fiscal stewards of taxpayer dollars by investing in public safety, public works and capital improvements.

The hard work of Lone Tree businesses also paid off as we witnessed the resilience of our restaurants and retailers and even welcomed new businesses and local entrepreneurs to the city this year. While we continue to struggle with health and economic impacts associated with COVID variants, I am confident our collective hard work will position Lone Tree for continued success.

What prediction(s) do you have for Lone Tree in 2022?

During 2022 Lone Tree will transition from recovering to flourishing.

The city will continue to prioritize quality of life issues for our residents and businesses, building on our reputation as one of Colorado’s premier communities. Collaboration and partnerships will continue to play a vital role as we work to ensure anticipated growth and development enhances the character and vibrancy of the city. We also look forward to welcoming back even more of the city’s office workers and hope there will be increasing stability within supply chains to support the growth of our business community.

What do you hope to accomplish next year?

First and foremost, I want to complete the restoration of city service and maintenance protocols to pre-pandemic levels.

Other important objectives include investments in core multi-modal transportation infrastructure projects, expanded recreation opportunities, including preliminary design of the new regional park and construction of new pickleball courts, continued commitment to remarkable programming at the city’s free events and the Lone Tree Arts Center and continued dedication to Lone Tree business retention and growth initiatives.

Lone Tree’s future is very bright, and it is an exciting time to be a part of a city that is growing thoughtfully with purpose.

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Live Town Hall meetings Did you know Douglas County offers Live Town Hall meetings, inviting you to engage in the local issues of importance to you and your neighbors? Register at douglas.co.us/townhall to ensure you are contacted about all future Live Town Halls – it’s always your choice whether or not to participate. Registering will also allow you to receive surveys so that you may share what topics YOU want to hear more about.

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Holiday Office Closure Reminder: Doulgas County offices will be closed Friday, Dec. 31.

Longtime Douglas County deputy dies of COVID-19 Joe Pollack served in the Special Investigations Unit

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said goodbye to one of their longtime deputies after the man died from COVID-19, which they say he contracted while in the line of duty.

Detective Joe Pollack was with DCSO for 19 years and worked in the Special Investigations Unit. He died Dec. 9.

“Joe spent his entire adult life serving his country and the communities where he lived and worked,” Sheriff Tony Spurlock said at Pollack’s Dec. 17 memorial service.

The memorial service, hosted at Southeast Christian Church in Parker, also featured comments from Lt. Tommy Barrella, a friend of Joe’s from the NYPD and Kelsey, Joe’s daughter.

“He made everybody feel like they were special,” Barrella said.

Spurlock described Pollack as “a genuine, true blue, cops cop.” Barrella called him a legend.

Pollack came to Colorado from New York City, where he served with the New York Police Department for 20 years and retired as a sergeant. Before that, Pollack was also a marine.

Spurlock described Pollack as someone Pollack with a fierce dedication to his job and a benevolent deputy.

Pollack was treated for COVID-19 at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital and Littleton Adventist Hospital, Barrella said.

A procession for Pollack began at the Douglas County Fairgrounds and then traveled to the church, closing down portions of northbound I-25 and eastbound e-470 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Pollack is survived by his wife and three children, according to the post from DCSO. Monetary donations to Pollack’s family can be made by visiting the Fallen Officer Fund of Douglas County at www.dcsheriff.net/fallenofficer-fund. The sheriff’s office asks that anyone donates note “Pollack family” in the comment line of the PayPal donation form.

Many services are available at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

Christmas tree recycling For drop-off locations, times and dates, as well as instructions on how to prepare a tree for recycling, visit douglas.co.us and search for Christmas tree recycling.

Let’s Talk...

The Holidays can be stressful, and your mental and emotional health are just as important as your physical health. Simply talking with someone can make you feel better. Learn how to start the conversation today by visiting letstalkco.org or hablemosco.org

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Visit douglas.co.us

4 Lone Tree Voice

December 30, 2021

Dougco commissioners look ahead to 2022 Goals and expectations explained by county’s top leaders

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As the year 2021 rapidly comes to an end, Colorado Community Media caught up with Doulgas County Commissioners to talk about what they expect and goals they have for 2022.

DISTRICT I COMMISSIONER ABE LAYDON What do you hope to accomplish next year?

I hope to wisely direct resources, through significant expert data and robust public input, to deliver once-in-a-lifetime solutions around water infrastructure, mental health, wildfire prevention, homelessness, air quality, broadband and workforce that serve our citizens for generations to come. Douglas County citizens are special because they are smart, resilient and goodnatured with the bravery, strength and dedication to their families to overcome adversity. I believe in the people I represent and have faith that there is nothing we can’t accomplish working together.

What was one of your major takeaways from 2021? What did you learn this year?

Douglas County citizens are remarkable. They prefer cour-

Commissioner Lora Thomas speaks during the State of the County address in Lone PHOTOS BY ELLIOTT WENZLER Tree Oct. 27.

Commissioner Abe Laydon helps deliver the State of the County address in Lone Tree Oct. 27.

age, freedom of choice and strong recommendations based on data over reactionary, one-size-fits-all mandates which needlessly control their personal decision-making with no measurable results. Douglas County has had no mask order or vaccination mandates yet our incidence rates for COVID are significantly lower than counties with masking, mandates and restrictions.

I also learned that the most important issue for COVID recovery, especially for our struggling healthcare industry, is workforce and encouraging those who may have left their jobs at hospitals due to fatigue, or lack of childcare when schools were closed, to return to work. Our hospitals have literally thousands of job openings. That is not a COVID issue so much as it

is a hiring issue.

What prediction(s) do you have for Douglas County in 2022?

I predict that Douglas will again be the healthiest county in the country, the economy will soar, the rest of society will turn the corner on bad COVID public policies with a return to common sense and workforce will rebound like nothing we have ever seen.

What do you hope to accomplish next year? I hope to wisely direct resources, through significant expert data and robust public input, to deliver once-in-a-lifetime solutions around water infrastructure, mental health, wildfire prevention, homelessness, air quality, broadband and workforce that serve our citizens for generations to come. Douglas County citizens are special because they are smart, resilient and good-natured with the bravery, strength and dedication to their families to overcome adversity. I believe in the people I represent and have faith that there is nothing we can’t accomplish working together.

Douglas County Commissioner George Teal gives remarks during an Oct. 27 State of the County event.

Funding for other projects will follow throughout the year in partnership with state and regional agencies.

The Douglas County Fair and Rodeo will win another award for excellence. Commissioners Thomas and Laydon will break with tradition at least once to vote down one of my harebrained ideas. A welltimed email from me will cause CDOT to forget to turn on the toll system on the I-25 Gap. Well, maybe not the last one, but I do intend to try! We are well on our way to establishing public health services here in the county and 2022 will see the county establish a local health department run by the people of Douglas County, for the people of Douglas County.

DISTRICT 3 COMMISSIONER LORA THOMAS

What predictions do you have for Douglas County in 2022?

I predict that the challenge of allocating ARPA funds will be extremely difficult. First, we must ensure that these funds are used in the manner in which they were intended; giving free DISTRICT 2 COMMISSIONER GEORGE TEAL money to risky/questionable What do you hope to accomwater projects when the county plish next year? has no water customers is not an I’d like us to continue to work on appropriate or intended use. We expanding real freedom, liberty must be committed to not picking and opportunity for the people of economic winners and losers, but Douglas County by making reforms instead ensuring that these funds to our home based business regula- are used in a way that benefits tions, exploring short term rental our entire county. policies that can work here in the What was one of your major county, as well as taking some firm takeaways from 2021? What did steps towards home rule. you learn this year?

What was one of your major Two of my biggest takeaways takeaways from 2021? What did from 2021 were 1. how much my you learn this year? constituents appreciate receivI learned a lot! I gained a lot of ing weekly, direct information experience in my six years on the about what is happening with Castle Rock Town Council that their county government and 2. prepared me well for many of the my constituents’ enormous level issues we face every day but there of commitment to personal choice were still plenty of “new things” in matters of their own and their with the new job. families’ health.

My biggest takeaway was our What do you hope to accomrole as agents of the state. I didn’t plish next year? have the appreciation when the As a commissioner, I will keep year began for our responsibility fighting to limit the role of governto execute state policies, nor our ment in the daily lives of our citiability to tailor how state policies zens and ensure that, when governare applied and executed here in ment must enter those lives, that it the county. adds value to them. As a candidate What prediction(s) do you have for sheriff, I expect to emerge from for Douglas County in 2022? my party’s primary as the nominee Early in the year the board of and win the general election in county commissioners will allocate November. a large portion (over 30%) of the American Rescue Plan Act funds (Editor’s Note: Commissioner anto one or more significant water swers have been edited for grammar infrastructure projects. and clarity.)

Lone Tree Voice 5

December 30, 2021

Teens head for cornhole tourney

Jaxson Remmick, left, and Gavin Hamann are heading for Myrtle Beach.

ThunderRidge students will compete in Myrtle Beach

BY MADDIE BROWNING SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

ThunderRidge High School sophomores Gavin Hamann and Jaxson Remmick and juniors Cooper Bingham and Jacob Thayer will compete in the first-ever American Cornhole League’s (ACL) National High School Cornhole Championship from Dec. 30 to Jan. 1 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The players are part of a cornhole club called South Side Baggers, which was created in 2017. Jennifer Hamann, co-owner who also runs the club, said there are 10 to 12 members under the age of 18 and 500 members over 18.

Members meet every Thursday, compete in other cornhole leagues across the state on their own about twice a week and practice at home every day.

“It’s really fun to see people who maybe haven’t played before or play in their backyard, and then they’ve decided to kind of take it a little bit more serious and see the growth amongst different players,” said Jennifer Hamann.

The ThunderRidge team was deemed eligible for the championships after winning a qualifying tournament hosted by an ACL director. All team members were also required to be from the same school district.

There will be $25,000 in prizes given to the “winning school/school

COURTESY PHOTOS

district athletic departments to help develop cornhole programs within the school/district,” according to the ACL’s website.

The team had to fundraise for the trip, so South Side Baggers held a tournament at Max Taps Co. where 30% of buy-in fees went towards their travel expenses. They raised $500 of the $4,000 necessary for the trip and received other donations as well.

Bingham and Remmick, who have been friends since early elementary school, started playing in free cornhole tournaments every Wednesday at Waterton Tavern and joined South Side Baggers around eight months ago.

“I tend to be a pretty competitive person, so I like the competitive factor and being able to compete and also just the environment,” said Bingham. “Everybody’s super friendly. It’s nice to be able to see the same people every week and hang out with everybody.”

Gavin Hamann, who joined South Side Baggers eight months ago, said he started his cornhole career when his mother, Jennifer Hamann, ran a “just for fun” cornhole club at a brewery. This sparked a real passion, and he started to take the game more seriously.

Along with playing with South Side Baggers, he also plays at Mile High Cornhole and Pikes Peak Cornhole.

Thayer, who joined South Side Baggers about a year ago, enjoys its more relaxed and friendly environment.

SEE CORNHOLE, P17

Cooper Bingham, left, and Jacob Thayer will play in a national cornhole tourney.

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6 Lone Tree Voice

December 30, 2021

Arapahoe had to exit Tri-County, officials say Tri-County may still provide services to one or more counties after 2022

BY ELLIS ARNOLD AND ELLIOTT WENZLER EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The rebuilding of the public health agency structure in a wide swath of the Denver metro area appears likely to result in Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties all having the independence to make their own decisions on public health orders and how to provide health services for residents.

In an era when the Tri-County Health Department’s name elicits intense backlash among some county residents, there could be political benefits to each county formally separating from the agency and shaping its own policies.

Even still, separating from TriCounty Health isn’t an outcome Arapahoe County was sprinting into.

Arapahoe was the last of the three counties to formally provide notice that it will separate from Tri-County, a decision that will take effect at the end of 2022. The Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners — the county’s elected leaders — voted to take the action in a Dec. 14 resolution.

Despite the vocal opposition to TriCounty’s mask mandates in recent months, anti-mask sentiment didn’t influence Arapahoe County’s decision to pull out, according to Nancy Jackson, an Arapahoe County commissioner.

“It’s (a) strictly legal process is what we followed,” said Jackson, the chair of the board. “I get it that masks are very controversial, and that actually had nothing to do with it.”

An Arapahoe County spokesperson in early September said a separation by Arapahoe wouldn’t be driven by any policy disagreement with the health agency. Douglas County’s exit of Tri-County Health would potentially create financial or budgetary problems for the other two counties, the spokesperson added.

What’s more, officials say Arapahoe essentially had no choice but

The Tri-County Health Department’s headquarters in Greenwood Village.

to exit Tri-County given the separations by its partner counties. That’s because Tri-County’s status as what’s known as a “district health department” — one made up of multiple counties — was at odds with Douglas’ exit and Adams’ upcoming departure.

“There’s certain rules and so on that guide a district, and since two of the three counties have pulled out, we are no longer a district, so we had no choice,” Jackson said.

It might have been plausible to maintain the structure if Adams County had wanted to continue — with some appropriate adjustments, said Luc Hatlestad, spokesperson for Arapahoe County.

“But once that was no longer an option, we began focusing on a single-county model. Tuesday’s resolution was a step in that process,” Hatlestad said.

‘Saddened’ at the fracture In Adams, the county commissioners brought forward a resolution at an Oct. 26 meeting to provide notice of Adams’ decision to leave TriCounty. The vote was unanimous, according to Adams County Commissioner Emma Pinter. Adams plans to withdraw from Tri-County

Health at the end of 2022.

Arapahoe has appeared less keen to cut ties with the health agency, saying in an October statement: “The Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners is saddened that our neighboring counties have chosen to end the productive 55-year partnership with the Tri-County Health Department.”

Arapahoe’s resolution notes that under Colorado state law, a county has the power to withdraw from a district public health agency by adopting a resolution and providing at least one year’s notice. Arapahoe came close to the deadline, given the situation with the other counties.

The series of withdrawals began with the Douglas County commissioners, who decided to immediately leave the health agency in September after months of disagreements over COVID-19 protection measures.

Douglas County formed its own health department and that new board decided to continue contracting most public health services from Tri-County until at least the end of next year.

Tri-County Health has served its residents by providing no-cost cancer screenings, overdose prevention, free nurse visits, restaurant

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and child care facility inspections, and other services, according to an Arapahoe news release.

The path forward for the counties in a post-partnership world involves confronting the question of how to reorganize their health services structure, potentially contending with increased costs.

“In the short term, separate, single county public health agencies would have access to less public health revenue, and perhaps services, and would incur transition costs for start-up and (the) dissolution of TCHD,” an Oct. 12 report by the Otowi Group says. That’s a consulting firm that has studied the benefits and drawbacks of the counties’ potential decisions to handle public health services alone.

The report was considering a scenario where Tri-County Health dissolves, but it’s possible the agency could continue in some form.

Although the three counties appear on track to end up with three separate boards of health — the policymaking bodies that oversee local health departments — one or more of them may continue receiving health services from Tri-County, even after 2022.

SEE TRI-COUNTY, P7

Lone Tree Voice 7

December 30, 2021

TRI-COUNTY FROM PAGE 6

The text of Arapahoe County’s resolution says: “One of the options being considered includes continuing the Tri-County Health Department as a legal entity in some form other than a multi-county district public health agency …. so that it may continue to exist and continue to provide public health services to one or more counties after December 31, 2022.”

Differing policy desires Douglas County’s leaders have long clashed with Tri-County Health during the coronavirus pandemic, announcing plans in July 2020 to begin the process of withdrawing from the health agency after its decision to require mask wearing in public.

Some of Adams County’s leaders felt frustration with Tri-County’s recent policymaking, too: Some commissioners voted to opt out of the health agency’s school mask order this August before Tri-County removed the ability of counties to opt out of its health orders.

But Adams’ message wasn’t antimask — County Commissioner Eva Henry said at the time that she agreed with the intent of the order and supports mask-wearing.

“It’s unfortunate, you know, that politics got into our public health system — it shouldn’t be there,” Henry told Colorado Community Media in October. “And that was one of the reasons I voted to opt out of the mask order, to put it back in Tri-

JAN

FEB

14 5 -

County’s hands, to take politics out of the public health orders. Commissioners shouldn’t be making public health decisions.”

Henry told CCM she wanted to have the conversation “long ago” of Adams having its own health agency.

“Once a year, all the county commissioners get together and they talk about the budget,” in the three counties, Henry said in October.

“And talk about what we’ll fund and not going to fund. With Arapahoe County’s budget restrictions they have, and Douglas County’s views, it made those decisions very hard.”

Adams has different budget policies than Arapahoe County because Arapahoe is “not de-Bruced,” meaning the county has different restrictions under Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Henry said.

For Adams County’s Pinter, watching other counties give less support or less-consistent backing to Tri-County Director John Douglas’ policy recommendations was part of what motivated her to want to break from Tri-County.

“If you watch the votes of the duly appointed board of health members, those three Adams board of health members consistently voted together and in the interest of public health, in favor of Dr. Douglas’ recommendations,” Pinter told CCM in October. She added: “If you look at the votes on the board of health members of Arapahoe and Douglas, the same consistency is not true.”

Asked whether Arapahoe commissioners wanted more independence on public health orders during the pandemic, Jackson said: “We have

‘There’s certain rules and so on that guide a district, and since two of the three counties have pulled out, we are no longer a district, so we had no choice.’

Nancy Jackson, Arapahoe County commissioner

not had that discussion.”

“I will tell you as (board) chair, or as a person or as a citizen who lives in Arapahoe County, I just want a seamless transition,” Jackson said.

“I want the people in Arapahoe County to experience the high level of service and care that they’ve always gotten. How it’s done is the mystery box. But I personally don’t have a vested interest in any of the ideas.”

Asked whether Tri-County Health — whose headquarters sits in Arapahoe — could become a department of Arapahoe County and become its public health agency, Jackson said it’s not clear what will happen at this point.

“We’ve got a ton of different models we’re looking at,” Jackson said.

“That is probably one of them, but I would certainly not say that any particular model is ahead of the others at this point.

“This is a very complicated process, and we know everyone wants an answer today,” Jackson said. She added: “But the truth of it is we want to be very careful and look at the costs, look at the pros and cons, so that when we do set up a health department, it will stand.”

Christa Bruning, an Adams County spokesperson, has signaled that the county plans to enter into some type of partnership for public health services in the future.

“Adams County intends to contract with a local health agency for many of its public health services starting in January 2023,” Bruning said in October. “It’s too early in the process to know who that health agency is.”

Until new health departments are formed in Arapahoe and Adams, Tri-County maintains the ability to issue public health orders such as mask mandates in those counties.

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8 Lone Tree Voice

December 30, 2021

Englewood Arts plans several concerts Cellist Silver Ainomae will be back for January performance

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Englewood Arts Presents featured its former cellist, Silver Ainomae, now principal cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra, in the “Beethoven Septet” on Dec. 18, a wonderful concert by a highly skilled septet, in a fairly full Hampden Hall.

Englewood Arts has an active community board, chaired by Jim Copenhaver, which presents a range of educational programs for its community, especially strong children’s educational offerings: Strings Attached, Englewood Arts Children’s Chorus, Mr. David’s Music Class, Sheridan Strings and the Clayton Elementary Theatre Troupe.

It also offers “Symphony Spotlight,” an assembly program in various metro area schools at a reasonable cost, performed by 13 musicians from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Programs includes brief instrument demonstrations, and a variety of musical genres. This ensemble appears across the metropolitan area.

We hope music lovers from our surrounding south area are aware of this fine organization and its chamber music programs and I

thought I’d list the next concerts coming up at Hampden Hall, 1000 W. Hampden, in the Englewood Civic Center. (Tickets cost $30/$25/$10 — available online, englewoodarts.org, or at the door a half-hour prior to the concert.)

The remainder of the season includes: Jan. 22, 2022: “Happy Birthday Silver!” which will include: Brahms’ Piano Quartet in C Minor with Anne Ainomae, viola; tbd, violin; Silve Ainomae, cello and Joshua Sawicki, piano.

Feb. 19, 2022: Viola Sonata No. 2, with Basil Vendrys, Colorado Symphony’s principal viola and Bill David, piano.

March 19, 2022: Brahms Clarinet Sonata in E flat, with Jason Shafer, CSO principal clarinet, Yi Zhao, CSO assistant concertmaster; Margaret McDonald, piano. Also: Bruch and Katchiturian works.

April 16, 2022: Silver Ensemble, Dohany: Serenade for String Trio.

May 7, 2022: Schumann Piano Quintet with Yi Zhao and Dimitri Pogorelov, violins; Sofia Basile Englewood Arts, which hopes to inspire a lifelong interest in music among students, offers the Strings Attached program, which teaches students to play a violin, cello, piano or guitar, with reasonably-priced lessons for beginning and continuing students. The ongoing program is based on the premise that learning to play a musical instrument exposes students to a variety of

Cellist Silver Ainomae recently took part in “Beethoven Septet” at Hampden Hall in Englewood Civic Center. COURTESY OF SILVER AINOMAE

musical genres — and often has a beneficial effect on academic work, offering a self-esteem that extends beyond musical skills.

We are aware that each community we serve supports instrumental and choral ensembles which enrich the lives of both participants and families — and audiences — and

we’d be happy to hear more about these activities, because we’re so convinced of their value for our children as they develop into creative adults ...

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public events frequently are canceled or rescheduled. Check with organizers before you go.

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Lone Tree Voice 9

December 30, 2021

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10 Lone Tree Voice

LOCAL

December 30, 2021

VOICES

Some say it’s the best week of the year WINNING WORDS

Michael Norton

H

ere we are in one of those years where Christmas and the New Year are bookending a full week.

And it seems like whenever this happens, many treat it as just another work week, while others take full advantage of an extra week between the holidays where it may not be quite as busy at work. And there are many companies who have moved to giving the entire week off as an extra benefit to their teams.

Why do some feel like it’s the best week of the year? Since I am one of those people, I thought I would ask around and see why others might feel the same way.

Many affirmed my thinking. It’s a great week to decompress after a long year. And many of the folks I spoke with lumped 2020 into this year as well because of the pandemic and overall craziness of that year they didn’t have time to sort it all about last year. This year they shared that they were really looking forward to taking a breather, even if it’s just an extra day or two and not the whole week.

Some families booked a vacation, others just planned local activities. There were several people who shared that they usually start taking down their decorations immediately after Christmas, but this year, they thought they might leave them up just a bit longer.

The full week is giving a lot of people a chance to complete projects at work or at home. And a few shared that they felt like they could get more done because there are fewer distractions.

For me, I always loved the week between Christmas and the New Year because it gave me time to reflect on everything that happened during the year. And although I have already planned out my 2022, I take this week to review my plan in greater detail, adjust if I need to, and wrap my head around what the new year will bring, trying to do as my good friend Tom Ziglar suggests, “Expect the best, prepare for the worst, and capitalize on what comes.”

We know that change happens. Change is constant. Change shows no prejudice.

As predictable as change is, the actual changes that come our way are so unpredictable. This means we must ready ourselves for the changes as best we can. And for me, this week is the perfect time to connect my head and my heart as I expect the best, prepare for the worst, and position myself to capitalize on whatever comes.

This week between the holidays, looking at my plan, I want to make sure that I examine every aspect of life, the spiritual, mental and physical, and through the lens of reality. The reason I call out “reality” is because my nature is to be positive. And sometimes this is an overde-

veloped strength that could create blind spots for me. I find that being as optimistic as possible is my best approach, only if I am willing to scrutinize my planning and set my expectations having carefully thought through the realities of life.

As I challenge my optimism with a dose of reality, it forces me to become even more creative, to think through contingency plans, and to still try and come up with a way to achieve my goals and dreams no matter what life throws my way. Do I eliminate some of what I had been planning? Absolutely. Do I add more than what I had initially planned for the year? For sure. And the bottom line is that by taking this extra time to focus before the year begins, I go into the new year with greater confidence.

Is this the best week of the year for you? Do you take time to recharge before the new year begins? Or are you racing to complete everything you can before the year runs out? I would love to hear your story at mnorton@tramazing.com, and when we balance our optimistic planning through the lens of reality, it really will be a better than good year.

Brandon Davis

H

ave you ever had a question concerning Medicare, but not sure about who to turn to for the answers? Tired of all the advertisements from various plans ALWAYS trying to sell you something? Need some local advice how to protect your Medicare benefits from suspected Medicare fraud, abuse or errors?

There are two (2) local programs that are federally funded to help answer your questions and offer some advice to protecting your Medicare benefits!

The first program is the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (known as “SHIP”). It is a program of dedicated, certified, and trained counselors. These counselors have gone through intensive training on the various parts of Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plans, and Medicare Supplements policies (known as Medigaps). Our SHIP counselors understand that circumstances differ between one beneficiary and another. Even if you are currently working, have job insurance, and are eligible for Medicare, we can help provide advice on your options.

If you are transitioning from Medicaid to Medicare due to eligibility, SHIP can

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provide next-step advice to you on making that transition as smooth as possible.

Whether you are thinking about Medicare, already enrolled, or have a question for a friend or family member, we can help you find the answer to these questions!

The second program is the Senior Medicare Patrol (also known as “SMP”) which provides advice and education to people with Medicare and caregivers to protect beneficiaries from suspected fraud, errors and abuse. The purpose of the Senior Medicare Patrol is to empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to protect, detect and report health care fraud, errors and abuse.

If you are new to Medicare or currently enrolled, it’s NEVER too late to learn how to protect and safeguard your healthcare benefits. This program can help equip you on how to protect healthcare information (i.e. your Medicare card and number).

Your Medicare Summary Notice is a quarterly record from your plan displaying where you used your Medicare card for services. It may say “This is NOT a bill” but it’s important to take a few minutes to review it to make sure there are not

s i — T g y

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i n s t T i

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Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and profesi sional coach, and a consultant, trainer, m encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes. g fi w o

Answers are available on Medicare LIVING AND AGING WELL

p p s

any errors! Lastly, the Senior Medicare Patrol serves as a local resource for you to report any suspected Medicare fraud or insurance agent marketing violations (e.g., uninvited calls or visits).

These two programs are at NO COST to you and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Insurance.

Brandon Davis is the Program Director at Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.

Please join us for our next virtual online presentation at 10 a.m. on Feb. 3, when Davis will present about these programs and how they can help answer your Medicare questions. For additional information please visit www.drcog.org/SHIP or call SHIP at 1-888-696-7213.

This column is hosted by the Seniors’ Council of Douglas County. For more information, please visit www.MyDougCoSeniorLife.com, email DCSeniorLife@ douglas.co.us or call 303-663-7681.

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Lone Tree Voice 11

December 30, 2021

SCHOOLS FROM PAGE 1

pay gaps” and be “much more competitive” than the district’s compensation has been in recent years.

Yet to work out is how to make sure DCSD achieves consistent funding for its compensation package — which is far more than base pay, Thompson emphasized — and that it gets can achieve competitiveness for years to come.

School Board President Mike Peterson called the system simple, predictable, transparent and competitive. The “elephant in the room,” he said, was that staff don’t believe the district can fund the system beyond the 2023-24 school year.

“To me, that indicates we need to run (a mill levy override),” he said.

Some key details The district is still assessing how it can improve compensation for non-licensed employees, but district staff laid out a bolstered approach to licensed employee compensation.

That affects nearly 3,500 employees, including teachers.

Expected to be in place by the 2022-23 school year, the school board would formally adopt the new compensation system when it approves the 2022 budget in June.

The system will cost $24 million to implement next school year, and $33 million the second year.

Funding would come from ongoing dollars, like the state school finance act and per-pupil funding, as well as one-time reserves, director of budget Colleen Doan said.

Without a mill levy override, the plan “would not be able to be sustained” past year three, she said.

Doan compared the district’s current mill levy override to several metro area districts, saying “we have the lowest mill levy override per pupil of our peers.”

The three new salary schedules — a general licensed employee schedule, a hard-to-hire schedule and a specialist or extremely hard-to-hire schedule — feature the same stepand-lane structure.

Overall, salaries would range from $43,680 to $114,999. Employees would receive a roughly 2% increase when they advance another “step” on the schedule except for in steps five through 10, when the district sees higher turnover. Those steps come with a slightly larger pay increase.

The plan would recognize seven years of experience outside of DCSD when hiring a new employee, while most neighboring districts recognize five, chief financial officer Kate Kotaska said. The district also added more steps to certain lanes than its competitors offer, to gain a hiring edge there.

The goal is to transition licensed employees to the new system starting next school year, rather than taking a phased approach.

The district would give raises to employees who are being paid less than what the new system dictates.

Employees being paid more than what they should be on the new system would receive a salary freeze and annual cost of living adjustment until they are back in sync.

Among licensed employees who fall on the general schedule, about 69% are being paid less than what the new system requires and would

receive base pay increases.

“The range though as you can imagine is quite drastic,” Kotaska said, explaining some people could receive an increase around $10 annually.

“In another case we have some employees who could be receiving an increase of nearly $27,000. What I would say to that is one, I’m sorry,” she said.

The average increase would be about $4,000. About 31% of people who will be moved to the new general schedule are being paid more than what it dictates. Some are being paid more than the new salaries by $8, while others are making $32,000 more, although it is on average closer to $7,200.

Staff walked through how the new DCSD compensation system comA boy listens to his headphones as Douglas County Board of Health members debate pares to some neighboring districts, allowing students and teachers to opt out of masking mandates in schools at an Oct. although they do not all have three PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS 8, 2021, meeting. schedules like DCSD does. pay but also pay in the private ing a message that it’s trying to keep An employee with a bachelor’s people, to be transparent and account- sector and business community, degree at Step 1 on DCSD’s new genable to its staff and the community.” eral schedule would make $43,680. A which could attract educators out of He’s grateful it acknowledges hard-to-hire employee would make schools. room for improvement, he said, $48,160 and a specialist $53,760.

“What Douglas County Schools and called the plan “a good first Denver Public Schools pays used to have was a culture that step.” He is still concerned to see it $47,291, Jeffco Public Schools people were willing to forego being involves freezing pay for employees pays $43,724, Cherry Creek School the best paid in the metro area for being paid more than what the new District pays $42,844 and Littleton being very well cared for, being system stipulates.

Public Schools pays $41,683. treated as professionals,” he said.

He suggested analyzing not just “That is a celebration,” Kotaska “That’s an area of growth that we neighboring or competing district said. are still working on.”

The district would continue to lag competitors in its compensation for some mid-career educators. An employee on DCSD’s general schedule who sits at Step 10 with a master’s degree would make $59,311. A hard-to-hire employee would make $65,394, while a specialist would make $72,998.

Denver Public Schools pays $72,998, Cherry Creek School District pays $70,319 Jeffco Public Schools pays $67,018, and Littleton Public Schools pays $63,291.

Initial feedback Directors Becky Myers and Kaylee Winegar praised staff for a detailed presentation, with Winegar saying she thinks the system is an improvement.

Director David Ray asked if staff could look again at how compensation can help improve employee work conditions, naming harassment protection and bereavement as some examples.

His hope is that employees are “sticking around because we treat them well,” and not only because pay is competitive, he said. Ray further worried freezing some employee salaries could send them a negative message, particularly if their pay is still less competitive than neighboring districts.

“This kind of favors entry-level, if you will,” Ray said.

Both Ray and Peterson asked if the district had solicited sufficient teacher input, and Director Susan Meek said the district should take on a broad engagement campaign to gather reaction, including talking to the local union, the Douglas County Federation Kevin DiPasquale is president of the Douglas County Federation, which does not have a collective bargaining agreement with the district, and said the organization was not consulted in forming the new compensation system.

“The new system will not make us as competitive as we should be,” he said. “It will make a dent, in send-

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12 Lone Tree Voice

O

December 30, 2021

LOCAL

IS COLORADO HOME TO AN

LIFE

ANCIENT

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY? The question is testing archaeological limits

BY DAVID GILBERT COLORADO SUN

n the winter solstice in 1997, Greg Munson stood beside an unusual basin pecked into the stone along the exit trail to Cliff Palace, grandest of the cliff dwellings in southwestern Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park.

As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, Munson, a former Mesa Verde park ranger and researcher, watched as the sun appeared to plunge into Sun Temple, an enigmatic structure perched on a promontory atop Chapin Mesa across the canyon from his vantage point.

“It was amazing to think that maybe I was the first western person to see this event in nearly 800 years and recognize it for what it was,” Munson said.

Munson and his colleagues may have been looking at one of the most advanced astronomical observatories in the ancient world, according to recent studies by data scientist Sherry Towers.

Researchers have long theorized that Sun Temple contains solar, lunar and astronomical alignments in its placement and architecture, and Towers’ research suggests it could be far more complex than previously believed. But unraveling Sun Temple’s mysteries is made more difficult by the troubled history between researchers and the descendants of the people who built it.

Towers’ research uses computer modeling to theorize that Sun Temple is shot through with sight lines pointing not just to the rise and set of the sun at crucial

dates, such as equinoxes and solstices, but to lunar cycles and an array of major stars that figure into Pueblo cosmology that may have its origins among the Ancestral Puebloans.

Towers has also further developed theories that Sun Temple’s construction incorporates advanced geometry, including a standard unit of measurement, and walls built to the proportions of the golden rectangle and Pythagorean 3:4:5 triangles.

“It’s sheer genius,” Towers said of Sun Temple’s construction. “The architect did this with no known writing or numerical system, no computers. They laid it out with yucca cords and sticks.

They were the Michaelangelo of their time.”

Mesa Verde National Park, established in 1906, features some of the most well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan sites in the Southwest. More than 22,000 people may have lived on and around Mesa Verde at the beginning of the 1200s. But by the beginning of the 1300s, the area was depopulated, likely as a result of a prolonged drought or other social pressures. The inhabitants largely resettled in Arizona and the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, where their descendants live today as the Pueblo and Hopi people.

(The park’s former inhabitants were once called the Anasazi, though the term – which is commonly cited as meaning “ancient enemy” in the Diné language – is considered derogatory by Pueblo people and has fallen out of use).

Mesa Verde’s crown jewels are its cliff dwellings, sprawling structures built in alcoves beneath the mesa

IMAGES: TOP LEFT: Dr. Sherry Towers at the edge of the cliff beside Sun Temple in 2015. Towers believes the enigmatic structure may have been an advanced astronomical observatory. COURTESY PHOTO

BOTTOM LEFT: December sunshine over Sun Temple. PHOTO BY JEREMY SHOCKLEY BOTTOM RIGHT:A diagram of Sun Temple drawn by pioneering archaeologist J.W. Fewkes.

TOP RIGHT:Cliff Palace in the 1930s. NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE

NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE

‘Some feel we shouldn’t be preserving these sites, that we should allow them to decay as Mother Nature intended. But that’s contrary to our policy to preserve these places for future generations.’

Elizabeth Dickey, Mesa Verde National Park’s head of cultural resources tops, with likely uses including habitation, food storage, ceremony and ritual. More than 600 cliff dwellings are scattered throughout the park, though they represent just a fraction of the more than 5,000 known archeological sites within park boundaries.

Amid this archaeological treasure trove, Sun Temple stands out.

Built nearly 800 years ago by the Ancestral Puebloans, Sun Temple shows no signs of habitation – no hearths, no food storage, no trash middens. The D-shaped 122-foot-by-64-foot structure encloses several roofless circular rooms. They do not appear to be kivas, the subterranean rooms used for ceremonies and rituals. Nor were they tall enough to be watchtowers.

“We know it’s monumental public architecture,” said Elizabeth Dickey, Mesa Verde National Park’s head

of cultural resources. “But how was it used? That we can’t say.”

Finding alignments Towers’ work follows earlier hypotheses about the site’s astronomical alignments, dating to the earliest modern researchers. Sun Temple was first excavated

by J.W. Fewkes, a pioneering archaeologist and ethnographer who worked in the park in the early 20th century – and gave Sun Temple its modern name. Fewkes theorized that Sun Temple’s south wall was aligned to the summer solstice sunrise, though later investigation found the wall is off from the sunrise by several degrees.

Nevertheless, in the decades that followed, researchers built on Fewkes’ theories, owing in part to Sun Temple’s commanding view of the surrounding landscape, and growing

awareness of the Ancestral Puebloans’ knowledge of astronomy.

Munson, who along with other researchers surveyed Sun Temple in the 1990s and 2000s, studied the alignment between the winter solstice sunset and the pecked basin at Cliff Palace across the canyon.

Towers, who built on work

by Munson, Kim Malville and Dr. Jonathon Reyman, said her research brings a new data-driven, analytical approach that has been lacking in archeoastronomy — the study of how ancient people observed the heavens.

“You can find alignments in almost any building if you go looking for them,” Towers said.

To check her work, Towers created a computer model of Sun Temple, then rotated it in more than 200 configurations. She said only SEE MESA VERDE, P13

Lone Tree Voice 13

December 30, 2021

MESA VERDE FROM PAGE 12

in its real-world positioning does Sun Temple most closely match the alignments of major stars in the mid-13th century, when Sun Temple is believed to have been built.

As her research has broadened, Towers said she believes many sites around Sun Temple may hold more astronomical alignments. From a boulder covered in ancient carvings at nearby Balcony House, Towers says the winter solstice sunrise would appear to emerge from the vertex of an L-shape formed by a cliff face and the top of Chapin Mesa across the canyon, though she has not yet had a chance to observe the phenomenon in person.

Towers acknowledges that while her research is intriguing, she has had little discourse with Pueblo and Hopi people about it.

“These places are considered sacred, and there’s a lot of trust that needs to be built to achieve that relationship,” said Towers, who is working for the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Germany.

“I wish I lived in Colorado so I was in a position to work on that. Would Pueblo people see value in the work I do? Maybe, maybe not.”

Living, breathing places Observing the movement of the heavens has been important to Pueblo and Hopi people throughout their known history, said Phillip Tuwaletstiwa, a Hopi geodesist.

“There were very precise ways of tracking the sun,” Tuwaletstiwa said. “The job fell to a man our people called the Sun-Watcher, who observed the solar journey.”

Observing the sun was important timekeeping for both agricultural and ceremonial functions, he said, calling the solstices – the longest and shortest days of the year – important dividing lines.

“The sun actually appears to stand still for a few days on either side of the solstice,” he said. “Pinpointing the exact day can be tricky. In our communities, on the winter solstice, we worry. If we aren’t walking the proper path, following the Hopi way, will the sun leave its winter house?

It’s a period of apprehension. When it moves after a day or two, there’s a sigh of relief.”

Observing the movements of the sun and moon demonstrate a fundamental Hopi belief in the dualities

of existence, Tuwaletstiwa said.

“Shadow and light, birth and death, sun and moon,” he said. “The sun is predictable, steady. It comes up every day, and if you watch its movements for a year, you’ve nailed it. The moon is nothing like that. It appears and disappears, and its full cycle across the sky, what’s called the lunar maximum and minimum, takes years to observe. The opposites in nature help balance each other.”

Tuwaletstiwa, as a geodetic surveyor, helped measure the orientation of ancient buildings in Chaco Canyon, a major Ancestral Puebloan cultural center in northwestern New Mexico. His measurements helped form the underpinning of research hypothesizing that Chacoan buildings were also built around numerous astronomical alignments.

He hasn’t made up his mind on Towers’ theories, saying the SunWatcher system was so effective without advanced architecture that he believes sites like Sun Temple — or the Sun Spiral, an apparent astronomical observatory on Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon — may have been places for communities to collectively celebrate solar and lunar cycles rather than to strictly measure points on the calendar, such as the winter solstice on Dec. 21 this year.

The cyclical nature of time speaks to a mindset Tuwaletstiwa wishes modern researchers could better grasp: that to Pueblo and Hopi people, places like Mesa Verde are not abandoned.

“We don’t like that word, abandoned,” he said. “We don’t think in terms of the time between events.

We have migrated many times. We didn’t vanish. We were many places before Mesa Verde, and many places after. I visited the veterans’ cemeteries in Normandy, and I treated them with respect and gratitude. In Chaco and Mesa Verde, those are my ancestral people. I need to treat them with respect as well. To us, these are living, breathing places.”

Tuwaletstiwa said it’s difficult to conclusively speak to the connection between modern Hopi and Pueblo astronomical observances and those of the Ancestral Puebloans, because there are dozens of beliefs and customs among different clans and groups.

And yet, between the analytical nature of archaeology and the intimate nature of Indigenous heritage and spirituality, Tulawetstiwa sees another complementary duality.

“When we talk about Mesa Verde,

tree ring studies, carbon dating and DNA are one side, and the stories and spirits of Native people are on another side,” he said. “They can inform each other. I don’t see them as in conflict.”

Drawing archaeology and ethnography closer together is an essential task to understanding places like Sun Temple, said Munson, the researcher whose studies helped inform Towers’ work.

“The architecture, the way things were built, that’s the ‘how,’” Munson said. “The ethnography, the people, that’s the ‘why.’ Without the why, there’s now how.”

Munson founded the Society for Cultural Astronomy in the American Southwest, or SCAAS, an organization that invites Indigenous scholars to participate in archeoastronomy research. The group is also raising funds to preserve and digitize Fewkes’ work, which includes significant ethnographic resources recorded at the tail end of the 19th century.

Repairing damaged trust Though the distance between archaeologists and the descendants of Ancestral Puebloans is narrowing, generations of strife can take time to overcome, said Tim Hovezak, the former head of cultural resources at Mesa Verde.

“To say there’s damaged trust is putting it mildly,” he said. “There’s been a long history of exploitation of people who were at the time powerless to do anything about damage to their cultural heritage.”

Though the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde were known to the Pueblo, Hopi, Ute, Diné and other Native people for centuries, they were largely left alone. But white settlers in the late 1800s began pillaging the sites almost as soon as they discovered them, knocking down walls and hauling off wagonloads of artifacts to sell to collectors. Some early archaeologists exhumed human remains, shipping them to far-flung museums.

“Some of us are actively working to restore trust,” Hovezak said.

“We’re trying to be more cognizant of Native views, and the Pueblos are becoming more proactive on their own behalf.”

Several Pueblo groups either declined to comment for this story or did not respond to requests for comment.

Some differences will likely remain, said Dickey, the park’s current head of cultural resources.

Phillip Tuwaletstiwa, a Hopi geodesist, in the field in Chaco Canyon in New COURTESY PHOTO Mexico.

“We listen closely to descendant groups, but we can’t always enact their wishes,” Dickey said. “Some feel we shouldn’t be preserving these sites, that we should allow them to decay as Mother Nature intended.

But that’s contrary to our policy to preserve these places for future generations.”

Early attempts at stabilizing sites were haphazard. Fewkes poured Portland cement atop Sun Temple’s walls, a practice that would “leave us aghast today,” Dickey said.

Dickey said the Parks Service takes a “light hand” with preservation, employing stonemasons who specialize in ancient-style stone cutting and mortar mixing.

Deciphering the mystery of Sun Temple may continue to prove elusive, Dickey said.

“A lot of the tribal members we consult with will tell us they know what these places were used for, what they mean,” Dickey said. “But they say it’s not for us to know. These are private, sacred things. Our insatiable curiosity is disrespectful to them. As scientists, we want to know everything. We want to dig until we find the answers. But sometimes, we have to learn to let go.”

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

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December 30, 2021

Paleontologist to speak at Newman Center

G

erman/Moroccan paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim will talk about his search for clues to prehistoric life in the deserts of North Africa, which was a large river system in the Cretaceous Period. He will speak at the Newman Center, University of Denver at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 9.

See NewmanCenterPresents.com or call the box office: 303-871-7720.

Tickets cost $34 plus service fee.

South Suburban See the South Suburban Park and Recreation District for new classes available under Art and Enrichment Camps for Kids: Art Journaling, Drawing, Embroidering and more ... ssprd.org.

Town Hall “Little Shop of Horrors” will run from Jan. 28 to March 6, augmented by a “Spotlight Series, “ in cooperation with Arapahoe Community College (“Feed me, Seymour: Anthropomorphism and the Suspension of Belief,” Dr. Cheyne Bamford). Box office: 303-794-2787, ext. 5 for tickets and information, or townhallartscenter.org. Town Hall is at 2450 W. Main St., downtown Littleton.

Buntport/Stories on Stage “High School Confidential” is the result of this year’s cooperative program by Stories on Stage and Buntport Theater Company, which will be performed in-person

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on Jan. 16 at Su Teatro, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver at 7 p.m. It will be available online afterwards and a link will be provided for virtual performance ticket holders. Single tickets cost $22. storiesonstage. org, 303-494-0523.

Benchmark Benchmark Theatre Company, started by Littleton actor Hayley Johnson, will present a world premiere of “Our American Cousin: A Nation Divided,” developed and directed by company members Mark Stith and Neil Truglio.

The 2021/2022 season is themed “Aftermath,” in response to the period of dormancy the theatre and other cultural organizations endured in response to the pandemic and subsequent shut-down.

Six artists look at how the country found itself on the precipice of the destruction of democracy.

Developed by directors Marc Stith and Neil Truglio. Cast: Shannon Altner, Chris Kendall, Bruce Laks, Suzanne Nepi, Josiah Peters and Ryan Omar Stack. Through Jan 29.

Benchmarktheatre.com. Theater is at 40 West Arts District, 1560 Teller St., Lakewood. Tickets: $30, general admission, $25 senior/stu-

German/Moroccan paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim inspects a spinosaurus skull. He will speak on Feb. 9 in the Newman Center at the University of Denver. COURTESY OF NEWMAN CENTER

dent/military. For ages 13 and up.

Curious “The Sound Inside” by Adam Rapp plays Jan. 15 to Feb. 12 at Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St., Denver. It was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2020. Tickets: curioustheatre.org, 303-623-0524.

O’Keeffe photographs The Denver Art Museum announces a collection of nearly 100

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December 30, 2021

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16 Lone Tree Voice

LOCAL

SPORTS

December 30, 2021

BOYS TENNIS Matt Batmunkh was undefeated during the season and the Cherry Creek senior won the No. 2 singles title at the Class 5A state tournament at the Gates Tennis Center in Denver where the Bruins won another state crown.

12 players from south metro area noted for achievements in fall sports

BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A

fter each season, Colorado Community Media selects Players of the Year for each sport, so it is time to reveal those honored for 2021 fall sports.

Legend junior pitcher Cameron Ponich struck out 204 batters during the regular season and helped the Titans win the Class 5A state championship.

FILE PHOTO

SOFTBALL Cameron Ponich hurled Legend to the 5A state championship. The junior had 204 strikeouts with a 1.45 earned run average and was tabbed as Pitcher of the Year.

Meredith Barnhardt, a sophomore on Lutheran’s undefeated Class 3A state championship team, is the Player of the Year. She hit .609 with 65 RBI and 12 homers.

VOLLEYBALL Senior Carter Booth was a big reason why Cherry Creek won the 5A state championship.

The senior had 335 kills, a 55.4 kills percentage and a .453 hitting percentage. She also had 127 blocks and 35 service aces.

Cherry Creek’s Carter Booth prepares to serve during the Region 1 state volleyball tournaPHOTO BY JIM BENTON ment on Nov. 6.

Senior Riley Stewart of Cherry Creek was the dominant girls cross country runner of the fall and won her third straight individual state title. FILE PHOTO

CROSS COUNTRY Cherry Creek senior Riley Stewart was once again the dominant girls runner and captured her third straight individual 5A championship with a 27-second victory advantage in the title race.

She finished in 17:20.9.

Sophomore Tanner Brown of Chaparral was a surprise winner of the boys Runner of Year after he captured the 5A state title with a new personal best of 15.44.70.

Meredith Barnhardt of undefeated Lutheran hit .609 with 65 RBI and 12 FILE PHOTO homers.

Jack Pucciano of Castle View looks to take a loose ball and make a play during a 1-1 tie against Regis Jesuit in a Sept. 14 PHOTO BY JIM BENTON match.

FILE PHOTO

GYMNASTICS Kate Bryant, a junior at Heritage, won individual state championships on the vault in free exercise to garner Player of the Year honors.

BOYS SOCCER Jack Pucciano, a senior at Castle View, recorded a point in every game this season and finished with league-leading 41 points on 14 goals and 13 assists.

Senior Matt Batmunkh of Cherry Creek was undefeated during the season and won the No FILE PHOTO 2 singles state tennis championship.

BOYS GOLF Arapahoe senior Will Kates won the Class 5A individual golf title for the second time in three years in Colorado Springs when he rolled in a birdie putt on the second playoff hole. In seven of the 12 rounds played during the fall season, Kates Arapahoe senior Will was under-par.

Kates won his second He had only two 5A individual golf title rounds over par in three years with a all season and a birdie putt on the secseason average ond playoff hole. FILE PHOTO of 69.9 for all his rounds. Arapahoe won the state championship.

FOOTBALL Valor Christian senior running back Gavin Sawchuk was an obvious pick as Offensive Player of the Year. He gained 2,004 Valor Christian running back yards this FILE PHOTO season for an Gavin Sawchuk. average of 7 yards per carry and scored 28 touchdowns.

The Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year also caught 10 passes, averaging 15.2 yards per reception, and wound up as Valor’s all-time rushing leader.

Cherry Creek junior linebacker Blake Purchase is the Defensive Player of the Year.

Purchase, whose older brother Myles is at Iowa State and was the 2020 Defender of the Year, made 83 tackles, had 12 sacks and two interceptions during Creek’s run to the state title.

FIELD HOCKEY Ellie Johnson assisted on the game winner in Regis Jesuit’s championship win over Colorado Academy. The senior had 11 goals and 13 assists for the season.

Lone Tree Voice 17

December 30, 2021

BUDGET FROM PAGE 1

Among public safety expenditures will be adding a police officer position to join the county’s Critical Response Team, which handles calls with a mental health component. The city will also add a record administration position, in line with Senate Bill 217.

Budget items being rolled over from the previous year include an upgrade to the civic center

CORNHOLE FROM PAGE 5

“I feel like it’s a lot more fun and more inviting than actually a lot of other places I’ve played,” said Thayer.

“You’re more playing with your friend.

You’re just hanging out, having a lot less of a competitive time rather than other places.”

As for preparation for championships, winter break provided the players with an opportunity for more practice.

“We’re on Christmas break right now, so we’re just kind of going to as many tournaments as we can during the week, so like two or three,” said Gavin Hamann. “And then we’re trying to get at least like 30 minutes of practice every day just on a board throwing.”

audio and visual system, work on Lincoln Avenue and a pickleball court project being done in partnership with South Suburban Parks and Recreation.

A majority — about 60% of the $15 million capital expense pot — is partnership funding. Councilmember Wynne Shaw said the city is fortunate to be able to offer matching funds for those projects.

Those projects include a C-470 connection to RTD stations and a citywide bicycle safety project.

“The partnership funding does not come without the city’s contribution,” Shaw said.

C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E

Thayer has also been watching old cornhole games to better understand different strategies.

The team is looking forward to the championships to see their own skill level as well as the “level of competition within our age of other high schools throughout the country,” said Gavin Hamann.

“I think it’ll just be a fun trip in general, just to hang out with some friends,” said Bingham. “I think it’ll just be a good way to expand the game, even more than it already is and expand it to a bigger variety of people.”

The players have wanted to start a cornhole club at ThunderRidge for a while and are planning on creating one after winter break.

Remmick said, “I think it’s just fun.

Not a lot of like our friends are like, `yeah we’re going to play cornhole,’ you know, it’s just something different that no one really does.”

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December 30, 2021

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

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December 30, 2021

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

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Autos for Sale 2010 Honda Accord Tan 2010 Honda Accord 4-door Sedan with just under 72,400 miles.

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20 Lone Tree Voice

December 30, 2021

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

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Lone Tree Voice 21

December 30, 2021

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

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22 Lone Tree Voice

December 30, 2021

HOUSING FROM PAGE 1

Unsurprisingly, the price of homes shot up over the course of 2021, from a position that many on the Front Range already found unattainable. In Douglas County, the median sold price for a detached home reached $677,000 in November 2021, an increase of more than 20% from the same month a year earlier, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.

Overall, in the metro area, the median detached home price increased from $450,000 to $525,000 year-overyear through October, according to the Denver Metro Association of Realtors Market Trends Report.

Another indicator of the direction of the home-buying market is the number of homes that sold for $1 million or more, said Jace Glick, a broker-owner at Re/Max Alliance specializing in Douglas and Elbert counties.

Through November 2021, 14.2% of homes that sold in the metro area were priced at $1 million or more, compared to 7.6% in the first 11 months of 2020. Meanwhile, the percentage of homes sold in the $300,000 to $499,999 range fell from 34.6% in 2020 to 9.6% in 2021, largely

because of a severe shortage of homes in the mid-tier range. Only a sliver of all homes sold for less than $300,000, a number that would have been considered average for the Denver area a decade ago.

Douglas County in particular has experienced price hikes, thanks to its reputation as a desirable place to live, Glick said.

“Our inventory levels are anemic,” Glick said. “In 2019 there were 1,031 homes for sale. Right now there are 349. That’s a third. There aren’t as many sales because people aren’t selling.”

COVID-19 certainly contributed to the problem, adding a previously incomprehensible layer of complication to a marketplace that was already short on inventory.

“COVID changed the way we think about our homes,” said Jessica Reinhardt, member of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors Market Trends Committee and a local broker. “It’s no longer just where we eat and sleep. It’s where we work, where we spend our free time, it’s where our kids go to school. Everything has been exasperated. COVID exasperated our market.”

The uncertainty and fear that the pandemic brought completely disincentivized people from selling their homes at the same time that turmoil in international markets destabi-

lized funding for new development, throwing a wrench into the pipeline of new-build homes. Now, supplychain problems, labor shortages and materials costs slow construction times of those homes that are under construction, Glick said.

And these trends are likely to continue into 2022, although Glick anticipates a bit of an uptick on the inventory side, particularly from baby boomers deciding to downsize or move closer to their children.

But larger economic forces are at play, impacting would-be buyers’ ability to come up with the money to chase down increasingly expensive properties.

“Inflation is the ultimate silent tax,” Glick said, referencing recent surges in inflation nationwide.

“When everything you buy goes up, it’s a silent tax. It hurts people, they notice it.”

In response, the Federal Reserve has indicated that it is likely to raise interest rates in 2022, which in turn cuts into buying power for those seeking homes.

And buyers are feeling the strain, especially those who are trying to purchase a home for the first time, Reinhardt said. These buyers have never gone through this process before and repeatedly losing bidding wars or have offers rejected is defeating for them.

CLASSIFIEDS

“Every time they write an offer, they’re invested. They’ve pictured their Christmas tree in that house somewhere,” she said.

Aside from the bidding wars, the price increases have changed the idea of what an entry-level home is, Reinhardt said. She also predicts another challenging year for buyers, particularly until the weather starts to warm up. Colorado’s residential real estate market typically slows down in the winter as inclement weather and the holiday season keep people from listing their homes.

“There will be some new inventory hitting the market, but I don’t think we’ll see that first wave until early spring,” Reinhardt said.

And even then, the number of homes placed up for sale as the winter thaws into summer selling season can’t keep up with the tremendous demand in the Denver area.

Still, it’s not impossible to buy a new home, Reinhardt said, but it’s important for buyers to have realistic expectations before they jump into the fray. That, and having a strong team in their corner.

“When I give advice to buyers, the number one thing is to have a good lender behind you. It makes a difference when you’re making an offer.

Having a good lender and a realtor to advocate for them is huge,” she said.

COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA

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To advertise h business here, call us at 303-566-4100

Lone Tree Voice 23

December 30, 2021

Cherry Cricket to open in Littleton Location will be third for longtime local burger joint STAFF REPORT

Denver burger joint Cherry Cricket is expanding with plans to open its third location in Littleton next year.

The chain announced the expansion plans on Dec. 22, saying the new location will be at 819 W. Littleton Blvd.

According to the news release, Cherry Cricket has been serving burgers and beer in Cherry Creek for more than 76 years and in the Ballpark neighborhood since 2018.

The team is projecting the Littleton location to open between fall 2022 and spring 2023, creating an estimated 70-90 new jobs, according to the news release.

“Everywhere I go someone wants to tell me their story about The Cricket. I watch them as they tell me the story and it always puts a smile on their face. If I’ve learned anything in the last two years it’s that smiles are important,” said co-CEO Ed Cerkovnik.

“We’ve been honored to be part of so many great memories, be it a milestone celebration or an impromptu night out with friends, and now we are excited to bring that to Littleton.”

The building at 819 W Littleton Blvd was constructed in 1967 and

‘Everywhere I go someone wants to tell me their story about The Cricket.

I watch them as they tell me the story and it always puts a smile on their face.

Ed Cerkovnik, co-CEO of The Cricket

has been home to several restaurants over the years, including the Crestwood Restaurant for more than 40 years. The Cherry Cricket has big plans for this third location. Renovations are planned to start early next year and include significant interior and exterior updates, an expan-

sive patio and “Burger Garden” and updated kitchen. The 6,384-square-foot restaurant will offer about 325 seats, including space for 100 outdoor seats, to burger lovers in the south metro area. Some of the best design elements from both the Cherry Creek and Ballpark locations will

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE The Colorado Sun is a journalistowned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself.

In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

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be incorporated into the Littleton location, including a signature fish tank.

“We love Littleton. We collaborated with the city when we built the Breckenridge Brewery & Farmhouse in 2015 and had a really positive experience,” Cerkovnik said.

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals Bids and Settlements PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF CONTRACTORS SETTLEMENT COUNTY OF DOUGLAS STATE OF COLORADO NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 38-26-107, C.R.S., as amended, that on January 30, 2022, final settlement will be made by the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, for and on account of a contract between Douglas County

and Martin Marietta Materials, Inc., for the 2021 Asphalt Overlay Project, Douglas County Project Number CI 2021-003 in Douglas County; and that any person, co-partnership, association or corporation that has an unpaid claim against said Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies used or consumed by such contractor or any of his subcontractors in or about the performance of said work, or that supplied rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of said work, may at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement on said 30th day of January, 2022 file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim with the Board of County Commissioners, c/o Director of Public Works Engineering, with a copy to the Project Engineer Daniel R. Roberts, P.E. Department of Public Works Engineering,

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104.

Failure on the part of claimant to file such statement prior to such final settlement will relieve said County of Douglas from all and any liability for such claimant's claim.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners of the County of Douglas, Colorado, By: Janet Herman, P.E., Director of Public Works Engineering.

Legal Notice No. 941177 First Publication: December 30, 2021 Second Publication: January 6, 2022 Account Number: 2734

When government takes action, it uses local newspapers to notify you. Reading your public notices is the best way to find out what is happening in your community and how it affects you. If you don’t read public notices, you never know what you might miss.

Notices are meant to be noticed.

Read your public notices and get involved!

###

Lone Tree Legals 12.30.21 * 1

24 Lone Tree Voice

December 30, 2021

Support local news in your community The importance of local journalism cannot be overstated — it’s what keeps our community informed and connected, day after day, and is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.

That’s why we’re excited to be one of 26 Colorado newsrooms joining forces to amplify the impact of local journalism — not just in our newsroom, but in communities across our state — thanks to the generosity of the Colorado Media Project and their matching gift campaign.

From Nov. 30 until Dec. 31, readers’ contributions will be matched up to $1,000, for a total of $5,000 in funds for Colorado Community Media.

It’s a unique way to make your gift go twice as far.

Linda Shapley Publisher

Thank you for your continued support for our journalists and for supporting the businesses that advertise with us. A local newspaper keeps a local community strong, and we’re proud to perform this service.

With gratitude, Linda Shapley, publisher To contribute online:

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