NORTON

nancial burden that seems to be getting bigger by the day. Your mountain could be a problem with your business or your team. If you are in sales and you are now halfway through the year and your numbers are way o , the chasm between your quota and where you currently are regarding your year-to-date sales seem like a much higher climb than you can conceivably make up in the next six months.

Whatever your mountain is, get closer to it. Stop looking at it from miles away. Find a guide, a coach, a family member, or a friend who you trust to help you build your trail map. Get to the base of the mountain, identify the trailhead and execute your plan. e mountain isn’t going

Don’t miss the big news e Colorado Sun and other media are missing the big good news story out of Dougan County. Ready? Ta da! ey have solved the homeless problem in Douglas County! And, as their spokespeople will continually remind you, it is with choice and compassion.

So, how is this accomplished? First, you should know that their citizens do not like seeing homeless encampment. is is something I’m sure all other county commissioners and mayors did not know.

Second, the homeless should be told this new information, so a social worker is sent to meet them compassionately accompanied by an armed sheri ’s deputy. e social worker informs the homeless about addiction services, mental health care, and homeless shelters. All those choices! Soon they will also be compassionately given the choice of paying a $1,000 ne e turnout grew so much over the years that eventually the city had to give out wristbands to attendees to ensure the park did not go above its capacity limit of 10,000 people. e Independence Day festivities used to be held in one event that would start around 3 p.m. and last until 10 p.m., she said. Now, the cel- to climb itself, nor is it going to fall into the ocean and go away. You have more courage than you think, there is grit deep inside of you that needs to be surfaced to start the climb, and never underestimate your endurance to see it all through. if they choose incorrectly. e goal and e ect is to reduce homelessness IN DOUGLAS COUNTY.

How the event has changed Independence Day celebrations in Lone Tree have evolved over the years, Chandler said.

Initially, the celebrations were held in Sweetwater Park, she said.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the city had planned to move the celebrations to Prairie Sky Park, Chandler said.

However, then the pandemic hit and the 2020 celebration had to be canceled. e city held a scaledback event in 2021.

“Last year was truly the rst year that we were able to realize what we had envisioned for Prairie Sky Park,” Chandler said.

Is it time for you to get closer to the base of the mountain instead of imaging how di cult the climb might be from afar? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can realize that what seems completely unmanageable from a distance can seem completely manageable the closer we get, it really will be a better than good life.

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.

So, the homeless will then, oh so kindly, be given a ride free of charge to take advantage of those wonderful services. e only teeny tiny glitch might be that those services will be many miles away.

Why is that, you may ask? Obviously, you have not been paying attention.

Dougco is not only one of the richest counties in Colorado, it’s one of the richest in the world, but they won’t actually pay to house or help in their county. ey will only pay to compassionately dump the problem on someone else’s doorstep.

See, they’ve made a choice, and unless you live and are safely housed there, screw you, but compassionately.

Roger Brisnehan Westminster

ebration is separated into a series of events held throughout the day.

“ e separation has been really great because parents get a break during the day,” she said. “ ey can go home, take a nap, have a barbecue if they want to do that — do whatever they need to and then come back in the evening for the party in the park.’”

The cost of the celebration

Although Lone Tree’s Fourth of July celebration has evolved over the years, Chandler said the budget has not changed all that much.

“It’s about $95,000, which doesn’t include sta time,” Chandler said.

Chandler estimated that around 2018 or 2019, it cost roughly $8,000 to $9,000 less, explaining the budget has gone up due to increasing costs.

“It wasn’t that much less because we have really great relationships with our partners. We’ve been doing this for so long that we’re able to contain costs,” Chandler said. “We are very responsible with how we spend the city’s money. It’s something that we really pride ourselves on.”

Jones said that in the city’s o ces, Fourth of July is known as “the biggest day of the year for the City of Lone Tree.”

“I think, from the residents’ perspective, the expectation for the Fourth of July has continued to be that it is a premier event,” Jones said. “And so, I think, when you talk about the expenditures, it’s because we’re delivering on a promise that we’ve made to our residents.”

Most of all, Chandler said she wanted people who attended any of the events to have fun with their family, friends and neighbors.

“One of the hallmarks of Lone Tree is community, and bringing people together as a community is incredibly important. It’s why people live here. It’s why people want to work here,” Chandler said. “ is is a way to bring everybody together.”