Week of January 27, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LoneTreeVoice.net
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 14
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 49
Lone Tree turns down car wash proposal Some residents worried car wash could hamper entertainment district vision BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Lone Tree City Council broke with a recommendation from staff and unanimously rejected a propos-
al to build a car wash within a city entertainment district, amid mixed reaction from residents. A Living Water Express Car Wash location had been recommended for approval by the planning commission on Dec. 14, although that vote was split 4-2. A proposed site improvement plan for a 6,096 square-foot building with a 130-foot carwash tunnel, three pay stations and 13 vacuum stations at the corner of South Yosemite
Street and Park Meadows Drive. The company would have demolished a vacant Mimi’s Café on the site. The car washes usually feature blue accents, but the company redesigned its proposed Lone Tree location to comply with city design standards. The building would have featured a copper roof, natural stone accents and neutral tones. “Everyone agrees that this is a beautiful building that we would love to find a home in Lone Tree
ICU nurse honored with Sky Ridge Healthcare Hero Award Lone Tree nurse credited for saving woman in Jan. 6 crash BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Thanks to a Sky Ridge nurse’s quick thinking and the urge to do the right thing, a life was probably saved on a cold, icy highway in the early-morning hours of Jan. 6. Sky Ridge Medical Center ICU nurse Kristan Dye was driving on Gun Club Road in Aurora with her two children headed toward Children’s Hospital Colorado when she saw a vehicle, about three cars ahead of her, veer off the road. When the other two cars zoomed by the crashed vehicle, Dye said she realized there was a person inside and something told her to stop. She exited her vehicle, telling her 11- and 8-year-old children to stay in the car. Dye ran to the car and found an unresponsive female inside, while noting that smoke was starting to come from the engine. Dye grabbed her medical kit as two men who did not speak English also stopped to help. She said she was able to get them to call 9-1-1 while she assessed the injured woman. “She was unconscious, barely breathing,” Dye said. “I worked to open up her airway and she took a huge breath of air in.” While waiting for emergency crews to arrive, SEE HERO AWARD, P15
for,” Mayor Jackie Millet said. People on both sides of the debate said they liked the proposed building’s aesthetic and architecture. Several said Lone Tree could use an express car wash. Location became the sticking point. Concerned residents and councilmembers worried a car wash does not align with the city’s vision for an entertainment district or the SEE CAR WASH, P23
Lone Tree prepares for city council elections Mail ballot election for two council seats to be held May 3 BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Lone Tree’s Sky Ridge Medical Center nurse Kristan Dye and Fire Medic Roger Baker, of the Aurora Fire Department, join together for the first time since a Jan. 6 accident. PHOTO BY THELMA GRIMES
MILE HIGH TEA
Where to go when it’s tea time in the Queen City P12
The City of Lone Tree is gearing up to select two councilmembers to represent both city districts. The city’s regular biennial mail ballot election will be May 3. The seats held by District 1 Councilmember Jay Carpenter and District 2 Councilmember Mike Anderson are up this year. Both councilmembers are eligible for reelection. Councilmembers can serve up to two consecutive four-year terms. They represent one of two districts while the mayor serves at-large. District 1 comprises portions of western and southwestern Lone Tree, SEE ELECTION, P5
THIRSTY FOR WATER Douglas County considers $20 million proposal
P8