South Suburban candidates speak at forum

Multiple issues discussed

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

At a forum on April 12, candidates for the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District board of directors tried to win votes from dozens of community members by explaining why they care about the district and how they plan to lead if elected.

South Suburban is a regional provider of parks and recreation services. Its May 2 election will ll two seats on the ve-seat board of directors.

Candidates Michael Edwards, Elizabeth Watson, John Priddy and Alexis Barrere attended the forum, which was hosted by the Littleton Business Chamber and the South Metro Community Foundation.

Pam Eller, who could not attend the event due to a pre-planned vacation, submitted statements to be read at the forum by former mayor John Ostermiller.

No reason was publicly announced to explain the absence of Ken Lucas.

Property care and the unhoused population

David Long, a Littleton Business Chamber board member, moderated the event by asking questions provided by the chamber.

For the rst prepared question, Long asked candidates what they will do to improve and care for South Suburban’s outdoor properties, listing examples such as overgrown trees and weeds to vandalism and destruction.

“In formulating your answer, please factor in that the growing homeless population continues to utilize South Suburban open space to sleep, and on occasion, members of that population may engage in illegal activities,” Long read.

Edwards said he would like to nd a way for people to alert authorities or maintenance teams of overgrowth and other property issues so they can be dealt with properly from a habitat and ood control standpoint.

In regards to unhoused individuals sleeping in open spaces, Edwards said there are other resources available for them.

“It’s a lot of people who do not want to take advantage of those and comply with the conditions,” he said.

Watson said she would make sure South Suburban dedicates an appropriate percentage of its budget to maintenance and upkeep of the outdoor facilities in its 2023 master plan, as taxpayers had said was a priority for them.

“Also, the homeless issue is something that is statewide,” she said. “ at is something we can really reach out to some community members and existing organizations and make sure that we are interacting with them to make sure homeless people are aware of existing resources.”

Priddy agreed that maintenance of parks should be a top priority in terms of where the district puts its money.

“ e second thing is, we need to give the community an opportunity to get back to us with these concerns,” he said. “Are we taking that feedback? Are we putting that back into our processes for maintaining the overgrown trees? at’s the way I would approach it.”

Barrere said she would use her relationships with local organizations to address concerns about the unhoused population and would establish a plan of action that would consider all parties involved.

“Our parks and open spaces are key to our quality of life here in the district and in Littleton, but they also have to be a place where we feel safe,” she said. “And I’m increasingly hearing from community members, friends and families that they’re not feeling safe in our parks.”

Littleton Golf and Tennis Club design

For the next question, Long told candidates that the Little Business Chamber had received negative feedback about the exterior design of the Littleton Golf and Tennis Club at West Bowles Avenue and South Federal Boulevard.

“What is your opinion of this project?” he asked the panel. “Do you feel it can be improved, and if so, how?” e candidates all said they thought the board should have taken more community input or aesthetic considerations into account when choosing how to design the building.

“I know there were quite a few citizens who put input into the construction and the ideas behind it and it doesn’t seem like those opinions