Week of June 2, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LoneTreeVoice.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 15
Douglas County Health Department director talks about the future Michael Hill talks costs, employees, beliefs BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Douglas County’s first-ever public health director is focusing on the future as he builds an agency he hopes
will reduce costs for local taxpayers. In an exclusive interview with Colorado Community Media, director Michael Hill talked through his background, his plans for the department and his philosophy on public health. “I’m not really going to be about trying to understand or fix people’s opinions of the past or what happened,” he said. “I just want to make sure we’re doing a good job as
we roll out services.” Hill, who previously worked as the health agency director for San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department in California, started in Douglas County on Feb. 28. Hill’s annual salary was approved by the commissioners at $205,000. Dr. John Douglas, an infectious disease physician who leads the Tri-County Health Department currently makes
$317,000. A recent physician leader of the Jeffco Health Department made $190,000 annually. The new county director has 30 years of experience working in public health, has a bachelor’s degree in biology and has master’s degrees in public health and in public administration. SEE DIRECTOR, P6
Douglas County will not use COVID funds on San Luis Valley water project Laydon puts brakes on proposal BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Stu Robinson has catered parties and events in Colorado since 2013.
memorable experience by focusing on fabulous flavor in a fun space. “It always goes back to the food. Just offering a really great product on a very consistent basis. Stu, he’s been making sure everything tastes great,” Robinson said of her husband, the pit boss and manager of all things back-of-the-house.
The Douglas County commissioners have decided not to use American Rescue Plan Act dollars on a controversial water supply project but may consider it again in the future. Commissioner Abe Laydon, the decisive vote on the issue, announced his vote during a May 24 work session. “Right now there are simply too significant and enormous of hurdles for us to move forward on this project,” he said. “That’s not to say that we can’t explore this in the future, I think we certainly can, but RWR will have to do significant additional homework on all of these fronts to accomplish that.” Laydon said his decision was because the county’s outside legal counsel concluded that the project was not eligible for ARPA funds and recommended the county not participate. The project, proposed by a private company called Renewable Water Resources, would have attempted to pull 22,000 acre-feet of water per year from the San Luis Valley, permanently drying up wells in the area, and transporting it to Douglas County. Residents and water
SEE STUBOY’S, P8
SEE WATER, P9
COURTESY OF STUBOY’S BBQ & CATERING
Serving up smoked goodness in Lone Tree Stuboy’s BBQ celebrates a year BY RACHEL LORENZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Missy and Stu Robinson want to cultivate an appetite for their barbecue and for the homey, intimate place they serve it from. “Hopefully we are giving you
that craveable experience where you want to come back time and time again,” Missy Robinson said. The couple opened Stuboy’s BBQ & Catering in Lone Tree last year after serving their smoked goodness at catered events for nearly a decade. With an abundance of great restaurants in the area, Robinson said it can be hard to stand out. Stuboy’s strives to provide a
EARTHLY MASTERMINDS Young chefs offer out-of-this-world creations P14
COLD CASE REVIVED
A man faces first-degree murder charges after decades P23