Lone Tree Voice 011923

Our in-depth look at the housing crisis

Highlands Ranch Metro District selects Stanley for manager

Brings 16 years’ experience

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After 16 years and multiple roles in the community, Stephanie Stanley is taking on the general manager position for the Highlands Ranch Metro District.

Stanley started in the metro district’s top job on Jan. 2, overseeing 90 employees. She previously served as interim general manager and director of nance and administration for the metro district and the Centennial Water and Sanitation District.

Stanley said it’s an honor to be hired in the role and she looks forward to using her knowledge of the metro district to advance her community.

“I think that with (my experience), along with living in the community for a long time, I have a good sense for what’s important to residents and what opportunities we’ve taken advantage of over time and what opportunities we may have lying ahead of us,” she said.

BY TAYLER SHAW AND LUKE ZARZECKI COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

A home means everything to Shelley Gilson, a 50-year-old single mother of three girls who works as a guest service agent at an airline.  “It’s one word: priceless,” she

said.

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

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

Highlands Ranch Metro District began the search for a new general manager in the fall of 2022 after former manager Mike Renshaw took a role in Georgia. In a statement, metro district board member Andy Jones said Stanley was chosen after an exhaustive search to ensure the right person for the job.

“A mature community like Highlands Ranch is so fortunate to have an experienced leader hired from within its sta with the extensive knowledge of the district and community,” Jones said.

Highlands Ranch Metro District is in charge of parks, open space, trails and public works in the community. is year, Stanley will continue to shepherd the completion of Highlands Ranch’s new senior center, which is currently under construction, as well as manage the May 2 election for metro district board seats and a community feedback survey.

Stanley said other areas of focus include maintaining and replacing the district’s infrastructure as it ages,

Pinery SUA residents oppose new development

Commissioners vote 2-1 in favor

is also planned to have the buildings 600 feet from the nearest single family homes and about 1,000 feet from the nearest Stone Creek Ranch home. In addition, approximately 70% of the total space will be open space.

“ e project site is particularly wellsuited to a low-impact design that will have limited impact on the surrounding residential area,” said Connolly.

According to Connolly, the Scott Avenue property is one of the few remaining undeveloped parcels of the

ree main concerns focused on 1503.01, 1503.03 and 1503.6 of the approval standards. ese involve whether the application is in compliance with the requirements of the Douglas County Comprehensive Master Plan, which focuses on whether there has been a substantial change in the character of the neighborhood and if the rezoning is compatible with the surrounding

corner of the intersection of State Highway 83 and Scott Avenue.

e land has been used for agricultural purposes. In 1996 a cellular tower was approved and the Comprehensive Master Plan Land Use Map Amendment to include the Pinery Separated Urban Area was approved by the Planning Commission in March last year.

Previously, the Scott Avenue Planned Development Rezoning approval was denied by an 8-0 vote at a Planning Commission hearing on Dec. 19.

Brian Connolly of Otten Johnson Robinson NEFF and Ragonetti Law Firm and Connor Larr of Ulysses Development Group represented the Ulysses Development Group.

Laydon addressed the room by saying that he supports and understands the need for workforce housing but this meeting was for the project’s application to be approved.

“If you were to approve it today, after your approval, it would be required to go through the Site Improvement Plan process which is where we actually design the project,” said Connolly. “And as it goes through that process, it’s going to be checked against all of your regulations.”

According to Larr, the project will serve county workers, the school district, police, South Metro Fire and local businesses.

“ ese are the people that we want building in our communities, these are the people we want teaching our students, these are the people we have treating us in hospitals,” Monica Burton, representative of the Western States College of Construction, said during public comment. “ ey deserve a place to live and a community like this gives them that opportunity to get that start to build their career, to develop that lifestyle that we all worked really hard for and that we all really want to be a part of.”

Presented by Larr, the project benets would include high quality design and construction, tra c mitigation, open space preservation, ood plain enhancement and management and a nancial contribution to the parks and trails.

e group plans to have the buildings bermed along Parker Road with a 400-foot slope, taking away the height impact of the three story buildings. It

“We are not emotional, we are passionate”

During nearly two hours of public comments, over 25 residents shared their reasoning for opposing this project, some providing documentation to the commissioners.

“Let me introduce who we are,” said resident Holly Green. “We are the Pinery SUA. We are nurses, we are teachers, we are re ghters, we are Veterans, we are retail workers, we are the workforce in Douglas County. All of us talk about bringing in workforce housing, that’s what we are. We are the taxpayers and the voters in the PInery SUA. I’ve handed you out a handout today with more than 200 residents… more than 200 residents opposing this.”

Many residents are concerned about the disruption of the area’s characteristics, including the habitat, noise level, tra c, potential unfair housing, subsidized housing and water supply and conservation.

“I’ve been in the Pinery for 26 years, the last ve, six years, we’ve had water restrictions every summer,” said resident Brian Flanagan. “I can’t believe another 500-1,000 is not going to exacerbate that issue.

ere’s also thousands of homes in that area between all the HOA’s that you’ve heard, there’s nine HOAs that are going to su er from the property value declines that this guy (lawyer) denies.”

Another concern is that the project does not meet the density and scale criteria outlined in the Comprehensive Master Plan.

Policy 2-1C.2 of the Comprehensive Master Plan states: “Determine the actual density or intensity of development at time of subdivision or site improvement plan by considering the potential environmental and visual impacts; availability of community facilities and services; and compatibility with existing, adjacent or planned uses.”

Policy 2-15C.1 states: “Develop in a manner that complements and enhances the existing development pattern of adjoining neighborhoods, including density, scale, and landscaping.”

To hear more public comments, watch the Jan. 10 Land Use Meeting and Public Hearing.

Douglas County commissioners in the hearing room pf the Philip S. Miller Building in Castle Rock. PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

‘These are the people that we want building in our communities, these are the people we want teaching our students, these are the people we have treating us in hospitals.’

Monica Burton, representative of the Western States College of Construction

Pinery SUA residents oppose new development

is also planned to have the buildings 600 feet from the nearest single family homes and about 1,000 feet from the nearest Stone Creek Ranch home. In addition, approximately 70% of the total space will be open space.

“ e project site is particularly wellsuited to a low-impact design that will have limited impact on the surrounding residential area,” said Connolly.

According to Connolly, the Scott Avenue property is one of the few remaining undeveloped parcels of the

ree main concerns focused on 1503.01, 1503.03 and 1503.6 of the approval standards. ese involve whether the application is in compliance with the requirements of the Douglas County Comprehensive Master Plan, which focuses on whether there has been a substantial change in the character of the neighborhood and if the rezoning is compatible with the surrounding

corner of the intersection of State Highway 83 and Scott Avenue.

e land has been used for agricultural purposes. In 1996 a cellular tower was approved and the Comprehensive Master Plan Land Use Map Amendment to include the Pinery Separated Urban Area was approved by the Planning Commission in March last year.

Previously, the Scott Avenue Planned Development Rezoning approval was denied by an 8-0 vote at a Planning Commission hearing on Dec. 19.

Brian Connolly of Otten Johnson Robinson NEFF and Ragonetti Law Firm and Connor Larr of Ulysses Development Group represented the Ulysses Development Group.

Laydon addressed the room by saying that he supports and understands the need for workforce housing but this meeting was for the project’s application to be approved.

“If you were to approve it today, after your approval, it would be required to go through the Site Improvement Plan process which is where we actually design the project,” said Connolly. “And as it goes through that process, it’s going to be checked against all of your regulations.”

According to Larr, the project will serve county workers, the school district, police, South Metro Fire and local businesses.

“ ese are the people that we want building in our communities, these are the people we want teaching our students, these are the people we have treating us in hospitals,” Monica Burton, representative of the Western States College of Construction, said during public comment. “ ey deserve a place to live and a community like this gives them that opportunity to get that start to build their career, to develop that lifestyle that we all worked really hard for and that we all really want to be a part of.”

Presented by Larr, the project benets would include high quality design and construction, tra c mitigation, open space preservation, ood plain enhancement and management and a nancial contribution to the parks and trails.

e group plans to have the buildings bermed along Parker Road with a 400-foot slope, taking away the height impact of the three story buildings. It

“We are not emotional, we are passionate”

During nearly two hours of public comments, over 25 residents shared their reasoning for opposing this project, some providing documentation to the commissioners.

“Let me introduce who we are,” said resident Holly Green. “We are the Pinery SUA. We are nurses, we are teachers, we are re ghters, we are Veterans, we are retail workers, we are the workforce in Douglas County. All of us talk about bringing in workforce housing, that’s what we are. We are the taxpayers and the voters in the PInery SUA. I’ve handed you out a handout today with more than 200 residents… more than 200 residents opposing this.”

Many residents are concerned about the disruption of the area’s characteristics, including the habitat, noise level, tra c, potential unfair housing, subsidized housing and water supply and conservation.

“I’ve been in the Pinery for 26 years, the last ve, six years, we’ve had water restrictions every summer,” said resident Brian Flanagan. “I can’t believe another 500-1,000 is not going to exacerbate that issue. ere’s also thousands of homes in that area between all the HOA’s that you’ve heard, there’s nine HOAs that are going to su er from the property value declines that this guy (lawyer) denies.”

Another concern is that the project does not meet the density and scale criteria outlined in the Comprehensive Master Plan.

Policy 2-1C.2 of the Comprehensive Master Plan states: “Determine the actual density or intensity of development at time of subdivision or site improvement plan by considering the potential environmental and visual impacts; availability of community facilities and services; and compatibility with existing, adjacent or planned uses.”

Policy 2-15C.1 states: “Develop in a manner that complements and enhances the existing development pattern of adjoining neighborhoods, including density, scale, and landscaping.”

To hear more public comments, watch the Jan. 10 Land Use Meeting and Public Hearing.

Douglas County commissioners in the hearing room pf the Philip S. Miller Building in Castle Rock.

PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

Commissioners

vote 2-1 in favor

‘These are the people that we want building in our communities, these are the people we want teaching our students, these are the people we have treating us in hospitals.’

Monica Burton, representative of the Western States College of Construction

School district looks to tackle teacher retention

gap,” she said.

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In an e ort to retain sta , the Douglas County school board seems likely to approve roughly $3.4 million in short-term bene ts in the form of bonuses, an extra personal day and tuition reimbursement for professional development.

At the Jan. 10 board work session, Superintendent Erin Kane and Director of HR Amanda ompson presented a number of ideas to support sta this year and in the next school year. e district had hoped to be able to increase salaries across the board by passing a mill levy override in November, but voters rejected the measure.  While the school board is leaning toward returning to voters in 2023 for the money to compensate sta more competitively, Kane said the proposed short-term bene ts will be crucial to retaining employees.

“ e reason we need to do all of these things … is because we can’t pay competitively,” Kane said. “We want

to make sure our employees hear that we value you, we appreciate you, we are doing every creative thing we can to get every dollar we can to make your workplace as happy as it can be and make you feel appreciated and to take care of you nancially to the extent we are able.”

Kane emphasized that the district is able to provide the bene ts using one-time funding available from the savings due to sta vacancies and being unable to hire employees. e district’s job portal shows more than 300 open positions for external

candidates.

Kane added that it doesn’t negate the need for voters to approve a future mill levy override to increase pay.

“Truly because of the labor shortage and because we can’t ll our positions, we have a signi cant amount of vacancy savings,” she said. “None of these things is going to close the $18,000 average teacher salary gap that we have.”

e suggested bene ts include a $2,000 bonus for full-time employees, one additional personal day, a guarantee that health pre-

miums will not increase next year, tuition reimbursement for professional development and a budget for schools to promote teambuilding.

On top of those, Kane said all sta would receive a “modest” base pay increase with the additional funding the district is getting from the state this year.

“We know we have new state revenue coming in due to in ation and we will be able to give modest ongoing pay increases, but so will every other school district, so it won’t help us close the

e district also hopes to partner with local health providers to o er sta easy access to wellness screenings and encourage schools to protect teacher planning time and o er exibility on teacher work days.  School board members were unanimously in favor of the proposed bene ts, with plans to o cially approve them on Jan. 24.

“ ere are so many things in here that I love,” board member David Ray said. “I especially love that we’re talking about this now. As Superintendent Kane said, it really provides some certainty for people as we head into hiring season, for them to see that we’re making a really good e ort to do everything we can to hold onto them.”

Later in the meeting, Stone Mountain Elementary teacher Brooke Vincent shared her appreciation of the suggested plan.

“I’m not going to let this moment pass without thanking you for recognizing the importance of retaining teachers,” Vincent said. “I just need you to hear how valuable that is for the people that work day in and day out for the district.”

Christa Gilstrap, a Highlands Ranch parent, stands on Oct. 17 next to her minivan’s back window, painted with messages of support for a proposed property tax increase in Douglas County School District. Voters turned down the request.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

PACE Center presents ‘The Sound of Music’

Cast reflects on production

HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

For many, “ e Sound of Music” may seem like an old-fashioned story about a singing family, but for the actors and crew, it means much more as they take on the 1965 classic

Jenna Pearce will be playing the main character, Maria Rainer. Portraying this role is meaningful to Pearce as her rst professional show was “ e Sound of Music” when she played Marta Von Trapp at eight

“Some roles feel like soul matches,” said Pearce. “It felt so natural to say her words and sing her songs.”

As many storylines and characters are ctional in musicals, Pearce’s favorite part about being in “ e Sound of Music ‘’ is being able to tell a nostalgic story and pay respect to the people’s lives the cast are telling as well as having a connection to e line, “ at you have to look for your life,” means the most to Pearce.  “Regardless of age, regardless of life circumstances, you just have to look for it, it’s not just going to happen and I think that’s something, especially in our current climate that you never know what’s going to happen,” said Pearce. “We are starting to see history repeat itself and I think it’s a really important story to tell that a lot of people think it’s a cute story about a signing family and not realizing the high stakes this is for this family and what they leave behind and the friends who sacri ce themselves for this family to be able to live on.”  ere are those who do not know about this part of history and having the opportunity to tell this educational story is also important to August Stoten.

Stoten is revisiting his role as Captain Georg Von Trapp after six years.

“I kind of like just having that whole transformation where in the beginning, he’s this bitter guy who lost his wife, there is no more fun in the house and she (Maria) comes

around and brings that back out of him,” said Stoten.

As a two-time Henry Award nominee, Stoten has been a part of the Parker Arts for years, whether it’s performing in shows or directing them with Sasquatch Productions.

For married couple, Lindsey and Adam Kinney, they have been doing shows at the PACE Center since 2014 and “ e Sound of Music” will be their 13th show together.

Lindsey as Elsa Schraeder and Adam as Max Detweiler are excited to get the chance to sing together on stage and to create a magical experience for all types of audiences.

Each production includes a sensory-friendly performance which the Kinney’s have performed in before.

“We are grateful for that opportunity to cater to everyone,” said Lindsey. “Because it’s not only great for sensory kids, but also young kids. So, it’s a great way to introduce the littles to the theater.”

“We have student matinees also,” said Adam. “Feeling like you have the chance to be someone’s rst theater-going experience is super powerful.”

e show would not be possible if it weren’t for the director, Kelly McAllister. Along with Stoten, McAllister created Sasquatch Productions and has been directing shows at the PACE Center since 2016.

McAllister said it’s been a slow process getting back to full capacity after the pandemic, but he is looking forward to “ e Sound of Music” as he has fond memories of the movie with his family.

Auditions began in the summer, which according to McAllister was the hardest part.

“You want to nd people that can sing the songs, can dance the dances, act the parts and on top of that, they can work well together and have an attitude that’s going to encourage the best in everyone,” said McAllister.

As the cast and crew prepared during the fall, they are ready to perform. e show runs at the PACE Center in Parker, Jan. 13 through Feb. 4 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

From left, Adam Kinney as Max Detweiler, August Stoten as Captain Georg Von Trapp, and Lindsey Kinney as Elsa Schraeder.

Jenna Pearce as Maria Rainer in “The Sound of Music” in Parker PHOTOS BY HALEY LENA

Enrollment for universal preschool opened Jan. 17

BY THERESA HO ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

The Polis administration has announced that enrollment for the Universal Preschool (UPK) Colorado program will open on Jan. 17 for families to register their kids for preschool this fall.

“We are bringing high-quality preschool to Colorado kids, saving families thousands of dollars, and making sure Colorado students get a strong start in school,” Gov. Jared Polis said.

The program will provide 15 hours of free, voluntary preschool per week for Colorado 4-year-olds starting in 2023. Three-year-old children with

qualifying factors are eligible for 10 hours of preschool programming.

Starting Jan. 17, families of children in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten, and qualifying 3-year-olds, can visit the Colorado Department of Early Childhood’s UPK Colorado site and login to begin the enrollment process, which will be open on a rolling basis. Children will begin being matched to providers in mid-February.

According to a press release, over 850 providers have signed up to participate in the statefunded, voluntary delivery preschool program to every Colorado child in the year before they are eligible to enter

kindergarten.

“It’s incredible to see hundreds of school districts and preschools registering to be a part of Colorado’s effort to prepare our kids for the future,” said Lisa Roy, the executive director ofColorado’s Department of Early Childhood. “The enthusiasm is palpable with over 29,000 openings already available for kids in Universal Preschool Colorado.”

Roy expects the number of seats to grow before the state opens up registration to families on Jan. 17.

All providers that are licensed to support preschool-aged children are able to participate in UPK Colorado. To begin the

process, providers can sign up at provider.upk.colorado. gov/welcome and contact their Local Coordinating Organization for additional support in signing up.

To learn more about the UPK Colorado program, you can go cdec.colorado.gov/coloradouniversal-preschool/familyFAQ for answers to frequently asked questions.

This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.

One message you can absorb.

Whether your business is near a creek or on top of a hill, you play a vital role in keeping our waterways clean. By containing and cleaning up automotive fluid spills promptly, your business prevents these contaminants from damaging the environment. Remember, one drop of oil picked up during a rain storm can pollute 1 million drops of water. Contact your local agency to find out how you can dispose of automotive fluids.

Local stormwater agencies are teaming together to bring you this message. We take this so seriously that we posted this ad rather than send you more garbage in the mail. One thing is clear: our creeks, rivers and lakes depend on you.

Homeless engagement program discussed

Safety concerns an issue

STAFF REPORT

At the rst Douglas County Homeless Initiative Executive Committee meeting of the year, municipal, county and community leaders sat down to review 2022 and what they plan to work on in the new year.

A stepping stone in the Homeless Initiative for Douglas County was the development and implementation of the Homeless Engagement, Assistance and Resource Team, otherwise known as HEART.

rough HEART, navigators assist law enforcement in responding to community calls and referrals regarding the homeless and provide assistance to those contacted.

HEART was initiated in mid-September, and according to assistant director of community services Jennifer Eby, there were 247 individuals that had been referred to the program. Of the 153 contacted directly by HEART, 37 individuals said they were not interested in the services.

In addition to nine unoc-

cupied camps on private property identi ed, HEART has assisted with employment, housing, transportation and provided vouchers.

“In December, HEART was able to provide case management services to 18 clients, so we connected 18 people to local resources throughout Douglas County,” said Ti any Marsitto, supervisor of the HEART team.

According to Marsitto, these services included bene t assistance such as food stamps, old age pension, or Medicaid. Hotel vouchers were provided through faith based and nonpro t partners and one individual was placed into stable housing.

is month, Deputy Tammy Bozarth and Marsitto came into contact with four individuals who were in need of assistance, some creating a dangerous situation and each of them having warrant(s). e examples given raise a few safety concerns.

“It’s easy to help people that want help, but the problem is, we have a lot of individuals that don’t want help and they are potentially dangerous to the HEART team, to our community,” said Sheri Darren Weekly.

“As we move forward, we need to keep the worst case scenario in mind as we are making these decisions on how we are handling these issues.”

Looking forward, Weekly said he would like to see a co-responder model - a navigator paired with a deputy sheri - that is similar to the crisis response teams for HEART. Currently, the navigator vehicles are not equipped with a cage or type of protected barrier between the front and back seat. Weekly sees the importance of having a navigator and deputy sheri in the

same vehicle.

Chief Kirk Wilson of the Lone Tree Police Department spoke about the proper, safe protocols for any type of transportation whether it be a violent individual or a mom and her child.

“Nine times out of ten, it’s probably going to be law enforcement due to the folks we are unfortunately running into,” he said.

In other business

According to director of human services Dan Makelky, Douglas County is in the process of working with

the Denver Metro Area on a regional transitional shelter across Denver.

Also, in collaboration with Arapahoe County and nonpro t Family Tree, Generational Opportunities to Achieve Long-Term Success, known as GOALS, is in the nal stages of being allocated the money and environmental studies.

“We anticipate that being done and ready to go in the rst quarter of this year, so we are really excited and we anticipate that construction starting and programming beginning in the fall of 2023, “ said Makelky.

Douglas County Philip S. Miller Building in Castle Rock

PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

Meth detected in Englewood Public Library

Facility is closed

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

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

BOWLES

FROM PAGE 2

located at 5800 S. Federal Blvd.

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

Littleton’s deputy director of public works and utilities Brent Soderlin said the lanes are closed because workers will have to dig a trench to work on the water lines.

When the project is complete, Littleton public works will inspect the construction site to make sure

MANAGER

FROM PAGE 1

fostering community engagement and preserving the high quality services the district o ers.

“I’m excited for this time in our journey as an organization to move to the next level,” she said. “We want to be an attractive and healthy place to live and we want to make sure our amenities are not just in good working order, but also looking attractive.”

One of her goals is to continue operating the metro district like a business by making nancially responsible decisions and being good stewards of residents’ investments, Stanley said.

Stanley said she’s excited to take on the job and seize future opportunities for Highlands Ranch when possible. An example is partnering with South Suburban Parks and Recreation to o er more pickleball courts to meet the high demand from players.

“I’m really looking forward to the

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

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

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

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

In an email on Jan. 12, Harguth said the Englewood Department of Public Works and Arapahoe County’s new public health department “were in communication

SEE LIBRARY, P10

the crews correctly patch up the asphalt, Soderlin said.

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

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

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

Strive to Thrive o ers hot meal and assistance

The Strive to Thrive Resource Fair will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 4-6 p.m. at the Calvary Chapel, 1100 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock. Enjoy a free hot meal and access valuable resources from more than 20 different organizations. Individuals and families are welcome to attend. For more information, visit douglas.co.us and search for Strive to Thrive.

Are you a Douglas County property owner?

Visit douglascotax.com to view parcel details, prior year payment history, pay taxes and more. Still have questions? Visit douglas.co.us/treasurer for additional information.

E-recycling: Saturday,Jan. 21

Douglas County residents may dispose of unwanted electronics free of charge at Techno Rescue, 3251 Lewiston St. in Aurora. Drop off weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and occasional Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proof of residency is required. For a list of acceptable items, Saturday drop-off dates and more, visit douglas.co.us and search for Electronics Recycling.

Let’s Talk...

If you’re going through a difficult time, resolve to stay connected, stay active, and be kind to yourself. Check in regularly with friends and family. To learn more, visit letstalkco.org or hablemosco.org

strategic nature of the general manager position and helping the board and the sta to have a vision moving forward and looking at our future opportunities and continuing our strong traditions,” she said.

Submit artwork entries by Feb. 7 to the Douglas County Art Encounters public art program, douglascountyartencounters2023-2024.artcall.org/ Visit artencounters.douglas.co.us for more information.

What’s happening with your County government?

Our commitment to open and transparent government includes online posting of information about public meetings at which the business of government is conducted. To view public meeting agendas, participate in-person or remotely, or watch select meetings via live stream, visit douglas.co.us and search for Business Meetings/Public Hearings.

Douglas County Health Department

Eat out, use child care or have a septic tank?

Did you know the Douglas County Health Department helps keep our restaurants, grocery stores, childcare centers, and septic systems safe? Environmental Health focuses on preventing foodborne illness, preventing the spread of communicable diseases, and mitigating other environmental conditions. Visit douglas.co.us and search Health Department

Visit douglas.co.us

Are you a sculptor with a desire to see your work on public display?

Highlands Ranch Metro District hired interim general manager Stephanie Stanley for the full-time role, which she started on Jan. 2. COURTESY OF HIGHLANDS RANCH METRO DISTRICT

Big lines from Gov. Jared Polis’ 2023 inaugural

Kicks o second term

BY JESSE PAUL, ELLIOTT WENZLER AND SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN

Gov. Jared Polis provided a road map for how he plans to spend his next four years leading Colorado as he was sworn into o ce for his second term.

“When you listen to enough folks, you realize that in many ways people across our state are asking for some of the same things in di erent ways: practical solutions to the rising cost of living in every corner of our state, safe communities, good schools, a ordable access to health care, the opportunity to build a great life for yourself and your family and the freedom to forge your own path without the government telling you how to live your life,” Polis said in a speech delivered on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol.

He added: “I don’t think I’d be standing before you today if we hadn’t shown some real progress on delivering on di erent parts of this vision.”

Here are the top lines from the Democrat’s 2023 inaugural address:

1. “Throughout our first term, we may have crossed some big things o our todo list, but that doesn’t mean the list in front of us today is any shorter than it was four years ago.”

Polis was busy during his rst

LIBRARY

FROM PAGE 9

immediately following the release of the preliminary testing results and communicated multiple times throughout the day.”

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

“Additional testing is planned, and test results will inform next steps,” Arapahoe County Public Health

term. He signed into law bills reimagining Colorado’s oil and gas regulations, providing universal kindergarten access and targeting high health care costs.

The governor is still working out what his agenda will be over the next four years — it wasn’t clear until after the Nov. 8 election that he would continue to have a Democratic legislature to work with — but his line about a long to-do list ahead suggests he plans to be as busy in the next four years as he was during the last four.

We know that affordable housing, water management and conservation, and economic development are top of mind for Polis.

2. “Anything we can do, we must when it comes to helping you hold onto more of your hard-earned money.”

The governor and Democrats in the legislature started really prioritizing affordability in Colorado during the 2022 legislative session. They plan to continue making it a focus this year, though it’s not so clear how.

In 2022, the legislature slashed and paused fees — several of them enacted by Polis and Democrats in prior years — and reshaped the tax code to try to lower Coloradans’ financial burden. The General Assembly isn’t planning to continue the vast majority of the fee relief, instead focusing on what Senate

said in the release. “Health risks to the general public are considered low and visitors should comply with all posted signage and avoid all closed areas while remediation is in progress, which may take several months.”

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

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

“ e test results we received today are troubling, and we immediately began working to remediate a ected

President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, called “structural problems.”

Affordable housing will be a big focus.

“For many people in our state, life is too hard and too expensive,” Polis said. “We’re going to reduce housing costs across Colorado with options for every budget to afford to live in communities where people work and want to live.”

The governor also promised “lower taxes, lower transportation costs, lower medical bills, lower business fees and, of course, lower housing costs.” He didn’t outline his detailed plans for accomplishing that hefty list of vows.

spaces with the goal of reopening the library as soon as possible,” City Manager Shawn Lewis said in a Jan. 11 news release. “We want to thank our valued library patrons for their patience as we work to ensure our library is safe for everyone.”

Why did Englewood do the testing?

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

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

3. “We’re going to tackle crime head on, yes by holding criminals accountable, but also by preventing crime before it happens.”

is was one of the most interesting lines of the governor’s speech. ere are many criminal justice activists in the legislature now, including state Rep. Elisabeth Epps, D-Denver, who don’t want to see Colorado enact any new criminal penalties. Instead, they want to see more investment in behavioral health and drug treatment.

Polis wants those things, too, but he has also already called for the

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

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

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

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

At Colorado Farm Bureau, we’ve worked for 103 years to protect what makes rural Colorado special. As a member you’re a part of a close knit community that protects rural Colorado and the agriculture industry. You’re part of a family.

Join the Farm Bureau Family today and help us grow a vibrant rural communities and strong local economies. You’ll have access to thousands in members-only benefits and like-minded farm and ranch families from across the state.

Become a member at www.ColoradoFarmBureau.com

Gov. Jared Polis is being sworn in standing next to his husband, Marlon Reis, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver . PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY / THE COLORADO SUN

Thu

Enough already

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

EDITOR’S COLUMN

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

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

Thelma Grimes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our focus controls our balance

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

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

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

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

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Voice. We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper. To opt in or out of delivery please email us at circulation@ coloradocommunitymedia.com

Lone Tree Voice

A legal newspaper of general circulation in Lone Tree, Colorado, the Voice is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 9233 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree, CO 80124.

Send address change to: Lone Tree Voice, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

A new year, a clean slate

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

calendar year.

FINANCIAL STRATEGIES

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

NORTON

FROM PAGE 12

balance and harmony in our lives.

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

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

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:

• Email your letter to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.

• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.

• Letters must be no longer than 400 words.

• Letters should be exclusively submitted to Colorado Community Media and should not submitted to other outlets or previously posted on websites or social media. Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.

• Letters advocating for a political candidate should focus on that candidate’s qualifications for o ce. We cannot publish letters that contain unverified negative information about a candidate’s opponent. Letters advocating for or against a political candidate or ballot issue will not be published within 12 days of an election.

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

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

ing our priorities and remaining focused on those.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

• Publication of any given letter is at our discretion. Letters are published as space is available.

• We will edit letters for clarity, grammar, punctuation and length and write headlines (titles) for letters at our discretion.

• Please don’t send us more than one letter per month. First priority for publication will be given to writers who have not submitted letters to us recently.

• Submit your letter in a Word document or in the body of an email. No PDFs or Google Docs, please.

• Include your full name, address and phone number. We will publish only your name and city or town of residence, but all of the information requested is needed for us to verify you are who you say you are.

• Letters will be considered only from people living in Colorado Community Media’s circulation area in Adams, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Je erson and Weld counties.

• Do not use all caps, italics or bold text.

• Keep it polite: No name calling or “mudslinging.”

The Long Way Home Examining the impacts of the housing crisis

People across the metro area are struggling to a ord a place to live. Minimum wage earners might spend upwards of 60% of their paychecks on rent. Many millennials, now entering their 40s, have accumulated less wealth than prior generations and are struggling to nd a rst home they can a ord. At the same time, those who might sell, baby boomers, are prone to hold onto their homes, unable to downsize in the supercharged market. ese and other factors, including homelessness, a history of racial disparities where 71% of white Coloradans own homes but only 42% of Black Coloradans do, and a slow down in building that began more than a decade ago during the Great Recession, add up to constitute what some experts call a crisis in housing a ordability and availability.

Over the last six months, two dozen journalists, editors and sta at Colorado Community Media worked to answer questions on why this is happening, how

TRICKLING UP

FROM PAGE 1

From work to school to neighborhood events, the program has created a way for Gilson’s family to be a part of a community. With housing and communities come resources, though not all are created equal.

Gilson explained that in her prior communities — predominantly lower socioeconomic status and people of color — it resulted in a lack of resources, such as academic and mental health.

at’s why she moved to Westminster, where she has lived for 12 years.

“I wanted my kids to have a stable education and stable housing,” she said.

It’s not just low-income residents who struggle to a ord housing. Across the metro area and along the Front Range, rising in ation and mortgage rates, a long-term building slowdown and increasingly crowded cities and towns have combined to create what some observers and experts say is a housing crisis.

More and more people throughout the metro area are nding the cost of renting or buying a home eating up signi cant portions of their budgets.

“ at’s the No. 1 reason that people move, is they can’t keep up with their rent (and) utilities payments,” said Heidi Aggeler, manag-

we got here and what the solutions are. e work to nd the answers carried our journalists along the Front Range to talk to mayors, housing authorities, experts and, most importantly, lower- and middle-class families experiencing the crisis rst hand.

Our reporters and editors also held focus groups, talking directly to prospective homebuyers, like the single mom worried that another rent increase could land her in her car and the real estate agent who understood the problems but worried about a lack of solutions.

Over the next four weeks, Colorado Community Media provides an in-depth look at how the current crisis impacts our communities. In Week 1, e Long Way Home breaks down how we got here. On Week 4, we look at how local, state and federal governments are investing millions of dollars into a range of possible solutions — from helping the homeless to a ordable housing programs.

ing director and co-founder of Root Policy Research, a Denver-based community planning and housing research rm.

ere’s a term for it: “cost-burdened,” which describes households paying more than 30% of their income on housing. A little more than 700,000 households in Colorado are cost-burdened, most of which are renters, according to a November 2021 report from Root Policy Research.

“We’ve never done a very good job of housing extremely low-income people and families and helping to move them out of poverty,” Aggeler said. “We’ve never had enough resources to adequately address that.”

People who make $25,000 or less a year have long faced a housing crisis on some level, Aggeler said. But now, the number of people who make more money and are feeling the pinch of high housing costs is growing.

It has become increasingly common for middle-income households with incomes of roughly $35,000-$75,000 to experience cost burden, according to Root Policy Research.

As long as Colorado continues to be an attractive place for people to move to, invest in and retire, Aggeler thinks housing challenges will continue.

ere are also too few options for would-be buyers. Many nd the cost of single-family homes beyond their reach but have few options a

Contributors to the project include:

step below that, such as condos.

“If you believe that Colorado will be a place that employers will continue to want to move to, then I think … the outlook may not be good unless we accelerate production and density and fund housing at the level that is needed,” Aggeler said.

The cost of housing

Practically every community in the metro area is facing its own housing a ordability and availability issues. South of Denver, in Lone Tree, Mayor Jackie Millet said there is a “housing crisis.”

“I think it varies in severity throughout our state, but I do think it is a problem that is a ecting all of Colorado,” she said. “ ere’s so much supply pressure on our market right now that we have, then, created this crisis.”

Not everyone is describing it as a crisis, but those who use that word point to the numbers across the metro area, as the costs of singlefamily homes and townhomes have skyrocketed.

Northwest of Denver, in Arvada, the median sale price of a singlefamily home was $667,000 as of late 2022, according to the Colorado Association of Realtors. at’s up by 71% from 2017, when the price was around $390,000.

e story is similar in Brighton, northeast of Denver, where the median sale price increased by approximately $225,000 over that period.

Littleton, south of Denver, saw an increase of approximately $300,000 in the price of single-family homes from 2017 to 2022.

Lone Tree saw an increase of $473,750.

“What we have seen is our housing prices doubling and our wages have not been keeping up,” Millet said.

From 2000 to 2019, median rents rose at a faster rate than median renter household incomes did “in every Colorado county and city with 50,000+ residents,” according to Root Policy Research.

Many residents want a home of their own, Millet said.

“ at was our ultimate goal, and that is also the way most of us accumulated wealth,” she said.

When the cost of buying or renting is too high, however, people cannot establish these roots, she added.

Supply versus demand

One of the main causes of the rise in cost-burdened households and lack of a ordable housing is that production has failed to keep up with demand.

ere was a 40% decrease in the number of homes built between 2010 and 2020 in Colorado, according to the 2022 “A ordable Housing Transformational Task Force Report.”

Susan Daggett, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Land

Use Institute, said the crash of 2007 a ected housing supply. People left the construction industry and many companies went bankrupt.

“ e housing market bottomed out, people left the construction industry, a lot of people went bankrupt,” she said.

At the same time that housing development slowed, Colorado’s population grew.

“In the meantime, the population has grown tremendously and the supply just hasn’t been able to catch up with that demand,” Daggett said.

In 2010, Colorado had a population of 5,029,196, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2022, the population was estimated at 5,839,926 — a roughly 16% increase.

As of June 2021, Colorado’s for-sale housing inventory was 13% of what is needed for a functioning sales market, according to Root Policy Research’s report. A functioning sales market means there are enough units so that people can move easily, such as being able to upsize or downsize, Aggeler said.

To return the housing market to a functioning level, Colorado would need an average of 44,250 units built each year until 2030, according to the report, published in November 2021. is would be 1.6 times the state’s current production levels.

Ted Leighty — the CEO of the Colorado Association of Home Builders, an a liate organization of the National Association of Home Builders — said, overall, depending on who is talking, Colorado is somewhere between 175,000 to 200,000 units short of demand.

“ at’s really challenging to come back from, especially, you know, the pace by which we were able to produce new housing in Colorado,” Leighty said.

He hates to use the word “crisis” when discussing housing in Colorado, describing it instead as a major challenge.

Leighty explained the challenge comes down to the ve L’s — lumber and other building materials, labor, land, loans and access to capital, and local government. All have played roles in slowing down housing construction, especially since the Great Recession, leading to higher demand and decreased a ordability.

“ ese are always our main cost drivers for residential construction,” Leighty said. “All ve of those right now, and have been, unfortunately, for the last several years, been huge challenges for us.”

He said high lumber costs and some supply chain issues have improved marginally recently, but they still pose problems for developers.

Also, there is a labor shortage.

“We’ve seen a little bit of uptick in (the) labor participation rate for construction, but not nearly enough,” Leighty said. “We’ve got an aging skilled labor demographic, and we haven’t done a great job replacing that labor with younger, skilled laborers.”

In addition to training the laborers of the next generation, Leighty said a “sound immigration policy” could help bring more workers to projects.  “ ere’s a pretty big de cit, and we

need to do all we can, policy standpoint and otherwise, to increase labor,” Leighty said.

During the pandemic, there was a perception the housing market was hot, Leighty said.

“It was the most challenging hot market ever on record — to source materials, to source labor, to get projects through the pipeline was immeasurable in how di cult it was,” Leighty said.

The market cools

But there are signs the hot market is cooling.

Lending issues have recently risen to the top of many homebuyers’ concerns. Leighty cites concerns for in ation, economic uncertainty and rising interest mortgage rates.

Imagine a $500,000 home that roughly a year ago a person could buy at a 3% rate, Leighty said. eir monthly payment might be around $2,600.

By July 2022, as rates rose to roughly 5%, the payment for the same house would rise to $3,500. at’s an increase of more than 34%.

“So, how do you get back down to that $2,600, you know, something that’s more achievable for the average home buyer?” Leighty asked rhetorically.

In December, rates on a 30-year xed mortgage were more than 6.5%, according to Bankrate.

Higher mortgage rates caused a spike in cancellation rates for homesale contracts last summer, reaching above 40% — causing further disruptions, Leighty said.

“By the time the home was ready, or maybe even wasn’t ready yet, they knew what their debt-to-income ratio was going to be and that it had increased immensely, and they could no longer a ord it, so they canceled,”

he said.

By comparison, the cancellation rate was 13% in July 2021 and 18% in 2019.

Due to these high cancellation rates, it is likely there will be fewer homes on the market in the next few quarters, Leighty said, further exacerbating housing issues.

Yet Matthew Leprino, a spokesperson for the Colorado Association of Realtors, explained there’s an upshot for some potential homebuyers. ere are more homes available now than in years past as the market reacts to the changing economy.

“ e story that I’ve been telling a lot of clients lately is, ‘Yeah, you can pay a higher interest rate now than you were a year ago, but you’re paying $100,000 less for the house,’” he said. ere are more properties available now than any time since October of 2019, he said.

“It’s a better time to buy now than in the last three years,” Leprino said.

A balanced market’s months’ supply of inventory stands at about four months. For the metro area, October 2022 was the rst time that number hit two months or above since October 2019.

e metro Denver area hasn’t reached a balanced market for housing since at least 2014, when the Colorado Association of Realtors started tracking that data — and Leprino suspects it’s been much longer than that.

“Number one, houses are a lot more expensive than they used to be,” Leprino said. “Number two, there’s not enough of them.”

The role of local governments and zoning

Local governments have played a huge role in the lack of housing supply and lack of a ordability in

Colorado, Leighty said.

He notes they play a role through their regulations, land use zoning and entitlement process and their fees.

Zoning can be a signi cant factor in the housing issues people see today, Aggeler of Root Policy Research said. It refers to when a city or county divides its land into di erent sections and designates an intended use for each, such as industrial or residential development.

“Really, the problem, it’s very simple: ere’s a scarcity of housing for people of all income levels,” said Pat Cronenberger, vice chairperson for South Metro Housing Options, the City of Littleton’s public housing authority. “Colorado is a popular place. People want to be here, and we have restrictive zoning laws that really don’t make it easy to build housing.”

“And that’s all contributed to high rents and big, skyrocketing home prices,” she said.

One of the more controversial zoning issues across the metro area is how dense a city can build.

“People are very afraid of adding units, very afraid of density — and I think probably overly so,” Aggeler said. “We should be zoning artfully, in a way that preserves what we love about communities but also provides opportunity for other people to live there.”

Leighty said some local elected ofcials have expressed concerns that if they approve denser housing units, they could be recalled “because there’s so many people that believe we have — we’re growing too fast.”

“But the numbers belie all of that,” he said. “Our net migration is still positive.”

Net migration refers to the di erence between the number of immi-

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

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Great Recession

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

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

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

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

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

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

Loss of tradespeople

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

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

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

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

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

10.8%.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Population growth, interest rates

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

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

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

Baby boomers, millennials and short-term rentals

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

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

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

PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

Low Rate of Pay:

How minimum wages are failing to keep pace with housing costs

BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Certainly not a big impact on the price aspect, because even when people get up to that living wage, it’s really only going to impact relatively cheap housing, and relatively bottom end of the rent market — you’ll see some of those rents go up a little bit. But the average rent in Denver isn’t going to budge much.”

is leads to CPI not adjusting enough for the lowest wage earners in the metro area, and not keeping up with their rising rents. As Schneider said, the adjustments are better than nothing, but still do not set minimum-wage workers to earn a

living wage — a goal that, since more than a decade ago, has only become further away.

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

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

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

“ e living wage is the minimum income standard that, if met, draws a very ne line between the nancial independence of the working poor and the need to seek out public assistance or su er consistent and severe housing and food insecurity,” according to MIT’s Living Wage calculator. “In light of this fact, the living wage is perhaps better de ned as a minimum subsistence wage for persons living in the United States.”

eir calculator uses Fair Market Rents (FMRs) — which “represents the cost to rent a moderately-priced dwelling unit in the local housing market” — along with local utility prices, to determine housing costs.

According to e National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a nonpro t that aims to end the a ordable housing crisis through policy and data research, anything upwards of “the generally accepted standard of spending no more than 30% of gross income on rent and utilities,” is considered una ordable housing, though. is brings needed wages, according to NLIHC, even higher than MIT’s livable wage that already lies on the razor’s edge of nancial independence and public assistance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More recent issues

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

“Whoever would have thought home prices would have gone up during COVID?” Spinner asked rhetorically. “Who could have predicted that? In addition to arti cially low interest rates, we had a lot of articial stimulus money. It de es logic

COST

FROM

care items, and housekeeping supplies,” and $2,768 for medical care, but none for the $7,929 in annual taxes.

MIT speci es that the calculation “accounts only for the basic needs of a family. It does not account for what many consider the basic necessities enjoyed by many Americans,” such as dining out and other forms of

that prices would go up in a pandemic.”

e Colorado Futures Center study agreed.

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

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

“ e seeds of remote work were there before COVID,” he said.

“People started looking at their living arrangements and decided they wanted an o ce in their homes.

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

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

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

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

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

Building homes

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

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

entertainment, but it also “... does not provide a nancial means for planning for the future through savings and investment or for the purchase of capital assets.”

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

NLIHC’s “Out of Reach” reports use “housing wage” as the wage a full-time worker must make to a ord FMRs without spending over 30% on rent. For a studio apartment in Denver with an FMR in 2022 of $1,236

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What’s to come

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

per month, the “housing wage” would be $23.77 an hour before taxes — 1.5times what a minimum-wage worker currently makes. is is even higher than MIT’s $20.61 an hour “livable wage” for a studio apartment and even includes utilities, as MIT’s wage is only enough to be on the brink of nancial ruin.

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

Denver’s 2020 minimum-wage ordinance began with increasing

2015.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leighty thinks 2023 may start slowly for home builders.

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

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

“Although we’ll probably see more price negotiation in speci c transactions, housing values will not decline overall, and there certainly won’t be a crash,” Briggs said. “But the days of multiple o ers and over-asking selling prices are numbered. We can also expect it to take longer to sell as buyers sharpen their pencils when considering an o er.”

minimum wage to $12.85 per hour in January 2020, then $14.77 in January 2021, then $15.87 in January 2022, and $17.29 this year.

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

TRICKLING UP

grants and the number of emigrants throughout the year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AMERICANA SINGER-SONGWRITER.

FROM PAGE 14

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

PHOTO BY TAYLER SHAW

Pianist to perform with Arapahoe Philharmonic

SONYA’S SAMPLER

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

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

Denver Botanic Garden sculptures Jan. 29-May 29: “Peace Walking” by Melanie Yazzie and “Renewal” by Tamara Kosteaovsky. Walk through the outdoor gardens

GOVERNOR

FROM PAGE 10

legislature this year to beef up Colorado’s car theft statutes to combat the rising number of stolen vehicles across the state.

Republicans in the legislature see tougher criminal penalties as the sole solution to Colorado’s rising crime rates. Polis appears to be walking a line between the sides.

4. “We’re going to continue on our bold path toward making Colorado 100% renewable-energy by 2040.” is is a promise Polis made during his rst gubernatorial campaign, in 2018. e governor has said the state has already “locked in” 80% renewable energy by 2030. But what steps the legislature and the Polis administration will take to make the goal a reality remain unclear.

Liberal Democrats and Polis have clashed in recent years over policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.

Polis also mentioned during his speech that Colorado has an “in-

creasingly scarce water supply,” but he didn’t provide any speci c plans on how to address that fact.

5. “Nobody could have predicted all that these last four years would bring, the trials, the tribulations, the challenges.”

Polis’ rst term was marked by a string of tragedies and hurdles, the biggest of which was undoubtedly the COVID-19 pandemic.

e pandemic began a little over a year after Polis took o ce, forcing him to lead the state through a oncein-a-century global disaster, which is still unfolding. e governor shut down schools and businesses, asked people not to leave their homes and had to abandon at least a year of policy proposals at the legislature as the state prepared for a sharp tax revenue decrease that never materialized.

Polis didn’t directly reference the pandemic and the upheaval it caused during his speech Tuesday, but it was clear that is what he was talking about.

Meanwhile, two tragedies hit close to the governor’s Boulder home during his rst term. In March 2021, 10 people were killed in a shooting at

a King Soopers grocery store in the Table Mesa neighborhood. en, in December 2021, the Marshall re destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Superior and Louisville.

Just weeks after his reelection, ve people were killed and at least 17 others were wounded in a mass shooting at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs.

e state has also contended with several other record-breaking wild res over the past few years, including the Cameron Peak, East Troublesome and Pine Gulch res. A total of 6,761 wild res burned more than 744,120 acres in Colorado in 2020 alone.

Addressing such emergencies over the past four years often distracted Polis and the legislature from their aspirations. Polis acknowledged Tuesday the future always holds uncertainty.

6. What the governor didn’t mention Abortion and gun control.

Democratic lawmakers this year are expected to introduce legislation tightening Colorado’s gun regulations, including by enacting a waiting period between when someone can purchase a rearm and access

in winter, as well as enjoying the tropical glass house. 1007 York St., Denver.

New local play

Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., downtown Littleton: “In the Trenches,” by Kristina and Graham Fuller. New local work, Broadway-bound. Jan. 20-29. 303-7942787. x 5; townhallartscenter.org.

Naturalist training

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

Littleton Museum

Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., Littleton, hosts “Nature’s Blueprints: Biomimicry in Art and

SEE SAMPLER, P23

that weapon and by raising the age at which someone can purchase a ri e or shotgun to 21.

e legislature is also poised to expand who can petition a judge to order a temporary seizure of someone’s guns under what’s called the red ag law.

Some Democrats, including Epps, want to go even further by banning a host of semi-automatic weapons, a policy proposal the governor is likely to reject.

Democratic leadership in the legislature also plans this year to shore up abortion access in Colorado, indicating reproductive rights will be a major focus of the General Assembly in 2023. e governor, however, did not mention abortion once during his inaugural address despite signing into law last year a measure enshrining nearly unfettered abortion access in Colorado.

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

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

Quilt exhibit is sew spectacular

Curtis Center for the Arts hosts

‘Wild!’

show

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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

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

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

IF YOU GO

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

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

FROM PAGE 22

free, uninhibited ... all these ideas and more are exhibited

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

“From the entries, we could have selected a menagerie of wild animals; we could have set re to the exhibit by picking images of wild res only and dousing none; we could have had an homage to wild owers; we could have had a landscape show losing ourselves in wilderness; or we could have gone for a walk among all the trees entering wild woods. It turned out the `Wild!’ theme was especially resonant because of its multitudes of associations in the natural world, wrote juror Petra Fallaux.

She and Miller sought a balanced

SAMPLER

FROM PAGE 20

Design” Feb. 3-March 15. Feb. 17-May 14 is “Christopher Warren: REinterpreting REcreating Nature.” Artist talk Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 303795-3950.

Lakewood show

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

Littleton Symphony

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

selection, with Fallaux especially drawn to abstracted wildness. Miller write in the catalog that the Merriam Webster Dictionary o ers seven main de nitions of the word “wild” as an adjective, with many subcategories ...

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

Wild and garden plants are treated to varied interpretations.

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

Sergei.” 303-933-6824, littletonsymphony.org.

Eugene O’Neill

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

Englewood concert

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

Art in Littleton

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

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Parker S ymphony Orchestra

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

Valor girls defeat Grandview

Rematch from title game

BY JIM BENTON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

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

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

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

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

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

ree players paced the way for Valor.

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

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

Grandview saw its season

record slip to 7-5.

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

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

Creek vs. Rangeview, Doherty

In other top girls games

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

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

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

Highlands Ranch vs. Denver East

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

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

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

Rock Canyon hangs tough in loss to Highlands Ranch

Underdog

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

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

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

the Falcons a few weeks ago.

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

No contest, right?

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

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

from a block of marble by Michelangelo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

makes longtime state power work for a win

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

PHOTO ARE BY PAUL DISALVO

Rock Canyon edges Highlands Ranch

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

BY JIM BENTON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

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

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

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

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

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

Mountain Vista vs. Castle View

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

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

BASKETBALL

get our momentum going.”

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

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

e Jaguars clawed to within ve points on two occasions midway

ThunderRidge

vs. Legend

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

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

Regis vs. Chaparral

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

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

Valor vs. Columbine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Help Wanted

WATER AND SANITATION

DISTRICT UTILITY ASSISTANT,

Location: Larkspur, CO

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

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

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

Help Wanted

DRIVER

Class B CDL propane delivery truck driver for Spring Valley Gas, Elizabeth.

P/T & F/T positions; responsible for propane delivery and customer service.

HazMat/Tanker endorsement.

Propane certification a plus. Insurance age requirement 26 with clean MVR. SVG is building a team, not just a job!

Starting salary based on experience & qualifications. Call 303-660-8810.

LEGITIMATE WORK AT HOME

No Sales, no Investment, No Risk, Free training, Free website. Contact Susan at 303-646-4171 or fill out form at www.wisechoice4u.com

BOOKKEEPER

Titan Concrete, Inc. nA flatwork construction company in Sedalia, Co has an opening in Bookkeeping - Quickbooks - Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable.

Weekly Payroll - 25 employees. Handle day to day office business. $25.00 per hour.

Part time - 20-30 hours a week - Flexible Not Remote.

Email resume to: Augie@titanconcreteinc.com

CLASSIFIEDS

Market Place

Classifieds

Notices

Miscellaneous

Switch and save up to $250/yr on talk, text & data. No contract or hidden fees. Unlimited talk & text with flexible data plans. Premium nationwide coverage. 100% U.S. based customer service. Limited time get $50 off any new account. Use code GIFT50. 1-855-903-3048

Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-855-948-6176

Miscellaneous

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 855-761-1725

Become a published author. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author`s guide 1-877-729-4998 or visit dorranceinfo.com/ads

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED LINE ADS: MONDAY, 5 P.M.

SERVICE DIRECTORY: THURSDAY, 5 P.M.

LEGALS: THURSDAY, 3 P.M.

Merchandise

Firewood

Split & Delivered $450 a cord Stacking $50 Call 303-647-2475 or 720-323-2173

Health & Beauty

VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS!

50 Generic Pills SPECIAL $99.00 100% guaranteed. 24/7 CALL NOW! 888-445-5928 Hablamos Espanol

DENTAL INSURANCEPhysicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurancenot a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-855-526-1060 www.dental50plus.com/58 #6258.

Medical

Attention oxygen therapy users! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. Free info kit. Call 877-929-9587

Miscellaneous

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debrisblocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-833-6101936

Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800245-0398

HughesNet – Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live. 25 Mbps just $59.99/mo! Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499-0141

Caring for an aging loved one? Wondering about options like seniorliving communities and in-home care? Caring.com’s Family Advisors help take the guesswork out of senior care for your family. Free, noobligation consult: 1-855-759-1407

Attention Homeowners! If you have water damage and need cleanup services, call us! We’ll get in & work with your insurance agency to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP! 855-7677031

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!!

GIBSON, FENDER, MARTIN, etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. TOP DOLLAR PAID. CALL TOLL FREE 1-866-433-8277

Scrap Metal, Batteries, Appliances, Wiring, Scrap Plumbing/Heating, Cars/Parts, Clean out Garages/Yards, Rake, Yard work done w/chainsaw, Certified Auto Mechanical / Body Work & paint available Also can do inside or outside cleaning 303-647-2475 / 720-323-2173

The Generac PWRcell solar plus battery storage system. Save money, reduce reliance on grid, prepare for outages & power your home. Full installation services. $0 down financing option. Request free no obligation quote. 1-877-539-0299

MobileHelp, America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long term contracts! Free brochure! 1-888489-3936

DISH TV $64.99 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR included, Free Voice remote. Some Restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23. 1-866-479-1516.

Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service.

Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time! Financing available. 1-855-4171306

Free high speed internet if qualified. Govt. pgm for recipients of select pgms incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet. Android tablet free w/one-time $20 copay. Free shipping. Call Maxsip Telecom! 1-833-758-3892

PUBLIC NOTICES

COLORADO.

FOR FFC MORTGAGE CORP.

Legals

Public Trustees

NOTICE

PUBLIC

Littleton

NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2022-0169

To Whom It May Concern: On 11/4/2022 3:27:00 PM the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in Douglas County.

Original Grantor: Terrence Neff

Original Beneficiary:

Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. ("MERS") as nominee for First California Mortgage Company, Its Successors and Assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: Caliber Home Loans, Inc.

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 2/22/2013

Recording Date of DOT: 2/28/2013

Reception No. of DOT: 2013017169

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $168,750.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $133,256.90

Pursuant to C.R.S. §38-38-101 (4) (i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: the failure to make timely payments required under said Deed of Trust and the Evidence of Debt secured thereby.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 12, BLOCK 2, PULTE HOMES AT ROXBOROUGH VILLAGE FILING NO. 3, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 9678 Fairwood Street, Littleton, CO 80125

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 12/29/2022

Last Publication: 1/26/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 11/7/2022

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

ILENE DELL'ACQUA

Colorado Registration #: 31755 7700 E. ARAPAHOE ROAD, SUITE 230 , CENTENNIAL, COLORADO 80112

Phone #: (877) 369-6122

Fax #: Attorney File #: CO-22-947393-LL

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2022-0169

First Publication: 12/29/2022

Last Publication: 1/26/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press PUBLIC NOTICE

Littleton

Public Trustee Sale No. 2022-0177

To Whom It May Concern: On 11/23/2022 12:59:00

PM the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in Douglas County.

Original Grantor: OVIDIO ENRIQUE PEREZ II AND SARAH A PEREZ

Original

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 4/15/2016

Recording Date of DOT: 5/17/2016

Reception No. of DOT: 2016030880

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $255,852.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $288,318.12

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

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 69, HIGHLANDS RANCH FILING NO. 122L, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 10647 Cherrybrook Cir, Littleton, CO 80126

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 1/19/2023

Last Publication: 2/16/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 11/23/2022

DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

RYAN BOURGEOIS

Colorado Registration #: 51088 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700 , DENVER, COLORADO 80204 Phone #: (303) 350-3711 Fax #: Attorney File #: 00000009654658

MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

*YOU

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2022-0177

First Publication: 1/19/2023

Last Publication: 2/16/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

Highlands Ranch NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2022-0173

To Whom It May Concern: On 11/14/2022

Which has the address of: 9307 Desert Willow Trl, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

The Deed of Trust was modified by a document recorded in Douglas County on 11/8/2022, Reception number 2022071539. Reason modified and any other modifications: Legal Description.

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 1/12/2023

Last Publication: 2/9/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 11/15/2022

DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

ALISON L. BERRY

Colorado Registration #: 34531 9800 S. MERIDIAN BLVD. SUITE 400, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO 80112

Phone #: (303) 706-9990

Fax #: (303) 706-9994 Attorney File #: 22-028369

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2022-0173 First Publication: 1/12/2023 Last Publication: 2/9/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

City and County

Public Notice

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COUNTY OF DOUGLAS STATE OF COLORADO

A public hearing will be held before the Board of County Commissioners to consider the approval of an agricultural lease agreement between Bob and Kristen Welch, as lessees, and the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Douglas, Colorado, as lessor, regarding the real property Sandstone Ranch, with a physical address of 8309 South Perry Park Rd, Larkspur, CO 80118

The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, February 7th at 2:30 p.m. in the Commissioners Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado. For more information, please contact the Douglas County Office of Open Space and Natural Resources at (303) 660-7495, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104.

Legal Notice No. 944445

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News-Press Public Notice

County Commissioners to consider the approval of an easement agreement between Perry Park Water and Sanitation District (PPWSD), as grantee, and the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Douglas, Colorado, as grantor, regarding a portion of the real property Sandstone Ranch, with a physical address of 8309 South Perry Park Rd, Larkspur, CO 80118

The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, February 7th at 2:30 p.m. in the Commissioners Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado. For more information, please contact the Douglas County Office of Open Space and Natural Resources at (303) 660-7495, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104.

Legal Notice No. 944446

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

Children Services

(Adoption/Guardian/Other)

Public Notice

DOUGLAS COUNTY DISTRICT COURT, STATE OF COLORADO 4000 Justice Way Castle Rock, CO Douglas County, CO 80109

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

In the Interest of: KASSIDY WILSON, D.O.B.: 12/13/2011 MESIAH WILSON, D.O.B.: 02/19/2006 NEVAEH WILSON, D.O.B.: 04/28/2005

Children, And concerning: TANEKKA WILSON, D.O.B.: 11/13/1980, Mother; MICHAEL WILSON, D.O.B.: 06/06/1979, Father, Respondents, And AIRELLE MILANES, Adult Sister; JUANITO MILANES, Adult Brother-in-law, Special Respondents.

Attorney for Department: R.LeeAnn Reigrut, #28833 Kathryn Cherry, #42682 4400 Castleton Ct. Castle Rock, CO 80109 (303)814-5326 Fax: (303) 479-9259 lreigrut@douglas.co.us kcherry@douglas.co.us CASE NUMBER: 22JV30004 DIVISION 8

DEPENDENCY SUMMONS

This Summons is initiated pursuant to Rule 2.2 of the Colorado Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Rule 4 of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure, and Section 19-3-503, C.R.S. 2021.

TO: TANEKKA WILSON 1861 Potomac Street Aurora, CO 80011

TO THE RESPONDENT NAMED ABOVE:

You are hereby notified that a petition has been filed which alleges that the above-named children are dependent or neglected as per the facts set forth in the Dependency and Neglect Petition, a copy of which is attached with this summons. The following documents are also being served upon you: Petition for Temporary Custody; Dependency and Neglect Handbook; Application for Court Appointed Counsel; ICWA Affidavit; Advisement in Dependency and Neglect; and the Relative Affidavit.

sequently, to the right of appeal as provided by Colorado Appellate Rule 3.4.

This summons is being initiated by the Douglas County Department of Human Services through its counsel.

Dated: January 11, 2023

/s/ Kathryn Cherry Kathryn Cherry, #42682

Assistant Douglas County Attorney

Legal Notice No. 944452

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News-Press Public Notice

DOUGLAS COUNTY DISTRICT COURT, STATE OF COLORADO 4000 Justice Way Castle Rock, CO Douglas County, CO 80109

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

In the Interest of: KASSIDY WILSON, D.O.B.: 12/13/2011 MESIAH WILSON, D.O.B.: 02/19/2006 NEVAEH WILSON, D.O.B.: 04/28/2005

Children, And concerning: TANEKKA WILSON, D.O.B.: 11/13/1980, Mother; MICHAEL WILSON, D.O.B.: 06/06/1979, Father, Respondents, And

AIRELLE MILANES, Adult Sister; JUANITO MILANES, Adult Brother-in-law, Special Respondents.

Attorney for Department: R.LeeAnn Reigrut, #28833 Kathryn Cherry, #42682 4400 Castleton Ct. Castle Rock, CO 80109 (303)814-5326

Fax: (303) 479-9259 lreigrut@douglas.co.us kcherry@douglas.co.us CASE NUMBER: 22JV30004 DIVISION 8

DEPENDENCY SUMMONS

This Summons is initiated pursuant to Rule 2.2 of the Colorado Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Rule 4 of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure, and Section 19-3-503, C.R.S. 2021.

TO: MICHAEL WILSON 488 S. Gilbert Street Castle Rock, CO 80104

TO THE RESPONDENT NAMED ABOVE: You are hereby notified that a petition has been filed which alleges that the above-named children are dependent or neglected as per the facts set forth in the Dependency and Neglect Petition.

A Termination of Parental Rights Hearing has been set for January 25, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. in Division 8, of the Douglas County District Court, 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock CO, 80109. Parties and counsel are ordered to appear at that time unless otherwise ordered by the Court. Your presence before this court is required to defend against the claims in this petition. IF YOU FAIL TO APPEAR, THE COURT WILL PROCEED IN YOUR ABSENCE, WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE, TO CONDUCT AN ADJUDICATORY HEARING AND MAY ENTER A JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT THEREBY ADJUDICATING YOUR CHILDREN AS DEPENDENT OR NEGLECTED CHILDREN.

of DOT: 2007082008

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $75,000.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $73,054.86

Pursuant to C.R.S. §38-38-101 (4) (i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Borrower's failure to make timely payments as required under the Evidence of Debt and Deed of Trust.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 207, HIGHLANDS RANCH, FILING NO. 112-A, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF

A public hearing will be held on Monday, February 6, 2023, at 6:00 P.M. before the Douglas County Planning Commission and on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 2:30 P.M. before the Board of County Commissioners in the Commissioner’s Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, CO, for a proposed amendment to Douglas County Zoning Resolution Sections 3, 4, and 36. The purpose of the proposed amendment is to create a definition for Equine and Livestock Veterinary Clinics or Hospitals and to provide a streamlined review process in the Agricultural and Large Rural Residential zone districts.

For more information call Douglas County Planning at 303-660-7460. File No. DR2022-005.

Legal Notice No. 944451

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press Public Notice

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COUNTY OF DOUGLAS STATE OF COLORADO

A public hearing will be held before the Board of

A Termination of Parental Rights Hearing has been set for January 25, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. in Division 8, of the Douglas County District Court, 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock CO, 80109. Parties and counsel are ordered to appear at that time unless otherwise ordered by the Court. Your presence before this court is required to defend against the claims in this petition. IF YOU FAIL TO APPEAR, THE COURT WILL PROCEED IN YOUR ABSENCE, WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE, TO CONDUCT AN ADJUDICATORY HEARING AND MAY ENTER A JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT THEREBY ADJUDICATING YOUR CHILDREN AS DEPENDENT OR NEGLECTED CHILDREN

You have the right to request a trial by jury at the adjudicatory stage of this petition. You also have the right to legal representation at every stage of the proceedings by counsel of your own choosing, or if you are without sufficient financial means, appointment of counsel by the Court. Termination of your parent-child legal relationship to free your children for adoption is a possible remedy in this proceeding. If that remedy is pursued, you are entitled to a hearing before a Judge. You also have the right, if you are indigent, to have the Court appoint, at no expense to you, one expert witness of your own choosing at any hearing on the termination of your parent-child relationship.

If you are a minor, you have the right to the appointment of a Guardian ad litem to represent your best interests.

You have the right to have this matter heard by a district court judge rather than by the magistrate.

You may waive that right, and in doing so, you will be bound by the findings and recommendations of the magistrate, subject to review as provided by sec. 19-1-108(5.5), C.R.S. 2019, and sub-

You have the right to request a trial by jury at the adjudicatory stage of this petition. You also have the right to legal representation at every stage of the proceedings by counsel of your own choosing, or if you are without sufficient financial means, appointment of counsel by the Court. Termination of your parent-child legal relationship to free your children for adoption is a possible remedy in this proceeding. If that remedy is pursued, you are entitled to a hearing before a Judge. You also have the right, if you are indigent, to have the Court appoint, at no expense to you, one expert witness of your own choosing at any hearing on the termination of your parent-child relationship. If you are a minor, you have the right to the appointment of a Guardian ad litem to represent your best interests.

You have the right to have this matter heard by a district court judge rather than by the magistrate. You may waive that right, and in doing so, you will be bound by the findings and recommendations of the magistrate, subject to review as provided by sec. 19-1-108(5.5), C.R.S. 2019, and subsequently, to the right of appeal as provided by Colorado Appellate Rule 3.4.

This summons is being initiated by the Douglas County Department of Human Services through its counsel.

Dated: January 11, 2023

/s Kathryn Cherry

Kathryn Cherry, #42682

Assistant Douglas County Attorney

Legal Notice No. 944453

First Publication: January 19, 2023

Last Publication: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News-Press