Lone Tree Voice January 4, 2024

WEEK OF JANUARY 4, 2024

VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 44

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

CONSTRUCTION Update on Santa Fe Drive project

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Rep. Lauren Boebert announced in a Facebook video her decision to run for Rep. Ken Buck’s seat in the 4th Congressional District.

FROM FACEBOOK VIDEO

Republicans react strongly as Boebert wades into 4th Congressional District battle

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In a move that stunned many of her fellow Republicans, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert said she would leave her seat on Colorado’s Western Slope and instead run in the state’s 4th Congressional District, which includes Douglas County and most of Eastern Colorado.

The reactions indicated the race will be combative, with some saying Boebert’s actions put Colorado Republicans at risk of losing even more ground to Democrats in 2024.

In a Facebook video posted on Dec. 27, Boebert said she would withdraw from the race in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, which she currently represents.

“I did not arrive at this decision easily,” Boebert said. “A lot of prayer, a lot of tough conversations and a lot of perspective convinced me that this is the best way I can continue to fight for Colorado, for the conservative movement and for my children’s future.”

The 4th District is represented by Windsor Republican Ken Buck, who announced in November he would

VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14 | CALENDAR: 17 | PUZZLES: 23

retire from the seat.

Several south metro area Republicans are eyeing campaigns to replace Buck, including former state lawmaker Ted Harvey of Highlands Ranch, who had harsh words regarding Boebert’s sudden move.

“Boebert has failed the conservatives in (the 3rd District) to such a degree that they will no longer vote for her,” he told Colorado Community Media. “Now, in what can only be seen as a vain effort to cling to power, she seeks to represent the voters of SEE BOEBERT, P4

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January 4, 2024Jan

What’s the timeline for upgrades to Santa Fe Drive and C-470?

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A yearslong effort to reshape U.S. Highway 85, one of the Denver area’s major road interchanges, may be about halfway complete. For drivers on the road also called Santa Fe Drive, it may seem like the construction is neverending. And there’s still at least a year to go, if not two, in some spots.

So, what are all the closures and detours about?

A roughly $100 million project is meant to improve safety and traffic flow. In the Highlands Ranch area, construction will improve intersections at Highlands Ranch Parkway, Town Center Drive, Blakeland Drive, the highway C-470 interchange ramps and at County Line Road.

Upgrades are also in store for bus

stop users, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Here’s a breakdown of the project and what’s still to come: What’s happened lately

Traffic on Santa Fe Drive at the highway interchange has moved onto a new bridge over C-470, the county recently announced.

“Please give yourself extra time to adjust to the new roadway alignment and pay attention to posted speed limits and signage,” the county website said.

Moving the lanes of travel from the existing bridge onto the new bridge is a major project milestone, the county said.

The new road alignment allows construction crews to start preparing to demolish the old bridge over C-470, which was completed in No-

An image of the C-470 and U.S. 85 project area from the Douglas County webpage IMAGE FROM DOUGLAS COUNTY WEBSITE explaining the plans.

vember 1968, to make way for the second half of the new bridge.

Overview of project

The project aims to improve safety, mobility and traffic by widening from four to six lanes and reconstructing a segment of Santa Fe Drive from Highlands Ranch Parkway, extending north of the C-470 interchange to Dad Clark Gulch, about 1,200 feet north of County Line Road.

The project also includes the replacement and widening of the existing bridge that carries traffic over C-470.

The project is estimated to run from fall 2022 to fall 2025.

For those on bikes or on foot, upgrades include bus stop enhancements, a new shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians on the east side of Santa Fe Drive, a belowgrade crossing for the C-470 Trail, a below-grade crossing for the High Line Canal Trail and a new pedestrian link from the nearby Wolhurst community to the C-470 Trail, according to the county.

The project also includes the addition of new asphalt paving, relocation of utilities, raised medians, new curb and gutter, and a new closed storm sewer system with water

quality ponds.

A road design called a partial continuous flow intersection, or CFI, will be installed for southbound Santa Fe Drive to eastbound Highlands Ranch Parkway, southbound Santa Fe Drive to eastbound Town Center Drive, and northbound Santa Fe Drive to westbound C-470.

For more information on that intersection type, see us85douglascounty.com/continuous-flowintersection.

Trail and bus impacts

Three trail closures will stay in place into 2024 while crews install new underpasses to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to safely pass under Santa Fe Drive, according to the county. Those include the C-470 Trail, the High Line Canal Trail and the East/West Trail.

RTD, in partnership with the project team, has closed the Bus Route 402L stops on Santa Fe Drive between County Line Road and Highlands Ranch Parkway to allow crews to work safely.

“Though some stops are closed, the Route will remain in service,” the county website says. “Customers should sign up for RTD’s Service Alerts and use the Trip Planner app to plan an alternate route.”

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Controversial Building Proposal in Lakewood Is About More Than Birds

The Dec. 24th Sunday Denver Post had a lengthy article on its business pages about a 412-unit apartment building being proposed by a Texas developer for a 5-acre site adjoining Belmar Park (see satellite image at right).

The focus of the article was on the birders who are fighting the project as best they can, given that the public and city council have no say in Lakewood when it comes to development.

That’s right — no say in any proposal to build on private property so long as it complies with zoning. The City Council doesn’t even have a say on subdividing land, although it’s a review body for appeals on major subdivisions. This project is on a single 5-acre owned parcel and, because it’s zoned multifamily, the owner could build a 12-story apartment or mixed-use building if he wanted. The developer, Kairoi Residential of San Antonio, is proposing a 6-story apartment building — still taller than most buildings in downtown Lakewood.

The City of Lakewood has ceded all regulation of such projects to its planning department. The planning director could, if he wanted, submit this project to the city’s planning commission for hearings and debate, but he has chosen not to, despite the controversy.

Anita Springsteen (below) served a 4year term on the Lakewood City Council through November. She decided not to run for re-election because the council has no power. Once she was told by the city attorney that council members are like citizens and that she had no more right to the information she was requesting than an ordinary citizen.

One such citizen, Mark Smith, made a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request for such information and was told that it would take 149 staff hours to produce the information and would cost him over $5,000.

Mark is a retired city planner and he said that he knows of no other jurisdiction which provides literally no public process for approving significant development proposals. The City of Golden has a process that could be a model for Lakewood and any other city. Check out

guidinggolden.com/planning-projects for inspiration. It includes a process for councilors and citizens to have a voice.

Lakewood has an ordinance requiring any developer to set aside parkland in proportion to 5 acres per 1,000 added population. For the Belmar Park development, that formula should require 3.5 acres, but the entire parcel is only 5 acres, so the director of community resources is allowing the developer to pay the city $254,545 per acre in lieu of that requirement. Again, no public or legislative say in that decision and, of course, no hearing. The planning commission would hold hearings; the planning director just decides.

Anita Springsteen moved that the city manager deny the in-lieu fee, but Mayor Paul said, “I’m not going to allow a vote on an illegal motion.” How is that?

In recognition of local concerns, the developer announced a 2-month “pause” on October 18 to allow for a “neighborhood meeting.” That meeting, as de-

The big story here is that Lakewood has no public process for controlling development. scribed on the planning department’s website consisted of up to 3 members of city government, 3 representatives of the developer and 3 residents of Belmar Commons, a 45-unit townhome community closest to the project. It was unannounced, and no recording was made.

Instead, facilitator hired by the city took notes. Those notes did not include the names of any of the attendees.

The planning department’s web page for the project says bluntly, “This property has had this property right to build multistory uses for a long time, and courts have been quite clear that elected officials and cities can’t impinge or impede a private property owner’s property rights allowed under a ‘use by right.’ Courts have viewed efforts to do this as a ‘taking’ of property rights.”

Further, the web page says that “the proposed development will occur solely through the administrative process managed by the Planning Department.

That means the Planning Department

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If you live in another city, how does the way Lakewood operates compare with your city?

will review the development to ensure it is meeting the city’s regulations for setbacks of the building, heights, green space requirements, landscaping, etc.”

In 2019, Lakewood’s voters approved the Strategic Growth Initiative which imposed a 1% growth limit, patterned after a similar law in Golden. That law also included a provision that projects of 40 units or more should go to the city council for approval, although that has not been followed, as far as I can tell.

In the wake of 2023 legislation outlawing growth limits statewide, the city council repealed the Strategic Growth Initiative and then re-passed it with a 2year sunset provision, meaning that it dies unless the council (or voters) vote to retain it. Curiously, the new law retained the 1% growth limit, but it sunsets along with the rest of the law in 2025. I asked why the 412-unit Belmar Park project doesn’t violate the 1% growth limit. It’s because the original designation of the downtown/Villa Italia district as “blighted” exempts that area from the limitation, even though it’s hardly blighted nowadays.

By now you’ve probably guessed that the majority of city council members are pro-growth or even pro-developer.

I interviewed Ramey Johnson, who served on Lakewood’s city council from 2010 to 2020, and she couldn’t think or any jurisdiction in which the governing body has ceded its authority over development to administrative staff the way Lakewood has. “It’s wrong,” she told me. She says that council has incrementally relinquished its power to administrative staff over many years.

She told how in 2003, in response to “angst” over CCU students living in residential areas, council passed an ordinance defining a “Student Living Unit.”

When the zoning ordinance was rewritten in 2012, Ramey noticed that definition had been deleted without pointing it out to the city council. Travis Parker, the director of planning, responded, “It wasn’t needed anymore.”

“The staff simply took out something that was voted by City Council,” Ramey said. “What else was deleted?”

Lakewood has among the lowest paid elected officials and highest paid staff of any city its size. City council members make $12,000, the mayor makes about $40,000, but the city manager makes about $350,000 (with benefits), and the department heads, like Parker, make over $200,000. Council members have no staff and no expense accounts. “We even have to buy the coffee for our ward meetings,” Anita Springsteen told me.

“This is a recipe for corruption,” She has studied the campaign finance disclosures of her fellow councilors and the mayor and told me that the lawyer representing the developer made a campaign contribution to Mayor Paul — and after the election, the chairman of her firm, Norman Brownstein, made a contribution to Paul’s campaign despite the fact that Paul was then term-limited.

No building permit has been issued yet for the Belmar Park development.

But nothing’s really stopping it.

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Everything you read in this ad each week — and more — is published at http://RealEstateToday.Substack.com and comes to you automatically each Wednesday. I also write a political column you might like. Find it at http:// TalkingTurkey.Substack.com. Starting in January, I’ll be writing a travelogue of our world cruise on the Viking Sky. You can subscribe to that publication at http://wherearejimandrita.substack.com.

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Broker/Owner, 303-525-1851 Jim@GoldenRealEstate.com 1214 Washington Ave., Golden 80401 Broker Associates: JIM SWANSON, 303-929-2727 CHUCK BROWN, 303-885-7855 DAVID DLUGASCH, 303-908-4835 GREG KRAFT, 720-353-1922 AUSTIN POTTORFF, 970-281-9071 KATHY JONKE, 303-990-7428 “I cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good I can do.” —Jana Stanfield

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January 4, 2024Jan

BOEBERT FROM PAGE 1

(the 4th District) — a vastly different constituency. This desperate stunt

by Boebert may not only jeopardize the Republican Party’s ability to retain (the 3rd District), but if she were to win the primary, could place [the 4th District] at risk as well.”

Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas’ name has come up as a possible candidate for the seat.

After Boebert’s announcement, she declined to specify whether she will run and stayed neutral on Boebert’s campaign.

“There is now a woman candidate in this race with a record of public service in elected office,” Thomas told Colorado Community Media.

Boebert has stirred controversy with her boisterous approach to politics. In 2022, she interrupted President Biden’s State of the Union address and this fall Boebert vot-

ed against ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, calling proceedings a distraction, according to The Colorado Sun. And, in September, her personal life came under scrutiny as she and a male friend were kicked out of the musical “Beetlejuice” in Denver for vaping and talking loudly. Boebert later apologized to constituents after a video showed her and her companion apparently touching each other during the performance, according to the Sun. In her announcement, Boebert called the decision the best move for her personally and for the conservative movement in Colorado, saying it would ensure the 3rd District would not be taken by Democrat. Boebert, who lives in Garfield County, added that she plans to move to the 4th District.

“I promised I would do whatever it takes to stop the socialists and communists from taking over our country and that means staying in the fight,” she said. “It also means not

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Boebert narrowly won reelection in 2022 by 546 votes against Democratic challenger Adam Frisch, who is running again in 2024 to represent the 3rd District, which includes Pueblo, Grand Junction, Aspen, Durango and many rural mountain communities. The margin was so close that it necessitated an automatic recount.

Another hopeful for the seat, state Rep. Richard Holtorf of Akron on the Eastern Plains, called Boebert’s move “seat shopping.”

“If you can’t win in your home, you can’t win here,” Holtorf said in a statement.

He said Boebert could not possibly know the 4th Congressional District as well as candidates from the area.

“She is grossly lacking in understanding the needs of the 21 counties in Eastern Colorado that make up this district,” he stated. “She knew

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she’d lose in her own district and I’ll show her that she’ll lose here too.”

Several other conservatives have announced their intent to campaign for the 4th District seat, including conservative talk show host Deborah Flora and Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg, a former state senator.

Also vying for the seat is Weld County Councilman Trent Leisy, who reacted to Boebert’s announcement with a post on X. He said Boebert is in effect giving the 3rd District away to the Democrats.

“I’m not backing down,” he added.

Boebert said she believes the 3rd and 4th districts are similar in their mostly rural make-up and desire for strong conservative representation.

“Colorado’s 4th District is hungry for an unapologetic defender of freedom with a proven track record of standing strong for conservative principles,” Boebert said.

Reporter Ellis Arnold and editor Michael de Yoanna contributed to this story.

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January 4, 2024

Skip the trip - motor vehicle services just a click away Renew your driver license or motor vehicle registration and more from the convenience of your smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop. You can also renew vehicle registrations at MVExpress kiosks. Find information at DouglasDrives.com

Christmas tree recycling Douglas County provides several drop-off locations to recycle your Christmas tree. For locations, dates and instructions on how to prepare your tree for recycling, visit douglas.co.us and search for Christmas tree recycling.

There’s art in every corner of Douglas County. Vote for your favorite.

Deer look into the glass door of a home in Elizabeth.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY BAKOS

Feeding is no favor for deer Wildlife experts say attempt to be kind increases risks to health

BY COURTNEY BAKOS SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Leaving food out for local wildlife, such as deer, is not an uncommon occurrence. Many people enjoy seeing deer up close and may feel good about providing an easy source of food during winter months where food tends to be more scarce.

Unfortunately, feeding deer causes more harm than good. Under Colorado Law, intentionally feeding big game wild animals is illegal. The law, passed in 1992, applies to deer, elk, pronghorn, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bears. Violators can face a $100 fine.

Increased risk of disease

Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Casey Westbrook, who serves the Elizabeth

area, cautions residents of the potential harm of feeding deer. “The artificial congregation of animals leads to an increased risk of disease within a deer herd,” he explained.

“Most diseases in wildlife are density dependent, meaning the risk increases when deer are eating and drinking in very close.” He also adds that the prevalence of chronic wasting disease has been shown to be much higher in herds where animals have been fed by humans.

Diminished nutritional health

Most of what is fed to deer is low in quality nutrition for them, but enticing because it is loaded with starches and sugars. Westbrook cautions: “Annually I see deer that die of starvation while having stomachs full of birdseed. Their digestive system cannot always process the grains, but when they fill their stomachs, there is literally no room for the nutrients they need.”

Deer have a highly specialized SEE DEER, P9

Douglas County ArtEncounters installed more than 30 art pieces in public places throughout Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker and Roxborough.

Visit the sculptures and then vote for your favorite by Jan. 31, 2024. For art locations, voting online and more, visit artencounters.douglas.co.us

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.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day office closure Douglas County offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.

Many services are available at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

Visit douglas.co.us

6

January 4, 2024Jan

Polis wants colleges to hold tuition below inflation, but budget doesn’t provide funds

BY BRIAN EASON THE COLORADO SUN

When Gov. Jared Polis released his proposed higher education budget last month, he told the Joint Budget Committee his goal was to make college more affordable by holding instate tuition increases to 2%.

But the governor glossed over a key detail: His spending plan doesn’t actually provide Colorado’s colleges and universities enough money to do so.

In early budget writing discussions for the 2024-25 fiscal year, funding for higher education has emerged as a major divide between the state’s Democratic governor and lawmakers on the JBC who say Polis’ plan doesn’t provide enough funding.

Polis’ proposal does give the college governing boards a slight funding bump — $41 million, or a 2.9% increase over the $1.4 billion budgeted this year. But after a decade of low state funding and falling enrollment, that won’t come close to covering the cost of holding tuition increases to half the rate of inflation, as the governor has called for.

Rising costs mean colleges and

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universities will have to increase spending by more than what Polis is proposing just to maintain the status quo, lawmakers learned this month in a budget committee briefing.

Salaries, benefits and other costs are projected to go up 3.8% next fiscal year, a figure that could rise even further if institutions of higher education implement a new pay plan for state workers.

Add it all up, and institutions could be as much as $133 million short of what’s needed to hold in-state tuition increases to 2%, according to a nonpartisan legislative budget staff analysis.

The governor’s plan calls for colleges to pass on $80 million of those costs to out-of-state students through a 6.5% tuition hike. The rest, he has suggested, could come

through campus-level belt-tightening.

In Colorado, the governor’s budget proposal is just that — a suggestion that budget writers on the JBC can take or leave. But it’s a critical starting point, because lawmakers often defer to what departments say they need to fund public services and the governor’s priorities. The budget year starts July 1, and the spending plan must be approved by the legislature each spring.

JBC members have railed against Polis’ proposal, saying it would give public universities more incentive to chase wealthy out-of-state students instead of focusing on educating Coloradans. And that’s if the large tuition increase doesn’t discourage students from coming here. Outof-state students already pay much higher tuition than Colorado residents.

The estimated cost of one academic year at CU in Boulder, including food and housing, is now $60,000 for out-of-state students vs. $31,000 for Coloradans.

“It’s not sustainable,” said Sen. RaSEE TUITION, P9

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Call first: 9233 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree, CO 80124 Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: LoneTreeVoice.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100 LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus director reflects on decade of service

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When Children’s Hospital Colorado expanded their services to Douglas County 10 years ago, Stephaine Beling had so much excitement in her heart knowing the organization was going to impact the lives of more children.

Beling, who has been with Children’s for 23 years, is the director of operations for the hospital’s south metro region.

“I knew whatever Children’s Hospital touched, it would always turn to gold,” said Beling.

Beling remembers the long work days, nerves and excitement leading up to the opening of the South Campus in Highlands Ranch.

“It was a phenomenal feeling,” said Beling.

Today, the five-floor building encompasses 15 inpatient rooms, four surgical operating rooms, a radiology service, 30 outpatient speciality services and other onsite services like a laboratory and pharmacy.

There are also cardiology and genetics services, sports therapy and a round-the-clock emergency department and urgent care.

Beling’s passion for health care goes back to her service in the U.S. Navy in the 1970s when she was in her early 20s. On her first tour in Florida, Beling learned about running outpatient medical clinics, which she said was really exciting.

Outpatient medical clinics, also known as ambulatory clinics, are medical facilities that provide health care consultations and procedures that don’t require the patient to be admitted to the hospital overnight.

“That is really what built the foundation for me, with my career and pointed me in a path for knowing that’s exactly what I wanted to do for my entire life,” said Beling. “And that’s what I’ve done for 40 years.”

When she left the military, Beling didn’t think she could find another place that would make her feel just as prideful, but moving to Colorado opened up a huge opportunity. She wanted to work at Children’s Hospital Colorado. There was an opening for a manager position at the time to run medical specialties for several depart-

Stephanie Beling, director of operations for Children’s Hospital Colorado south metro region, celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the South Campus in Highlands Ranch. She COURTESY OF COURTNEY MALLY has been with Children’s Hospital Colorado for 23 years.

ments.

“I threw my name in the hat, got an interview and, oh my gosh, I was just tickled within days to receive the offer,” said Beling.

Beling said it didn’t matter if she was serving adults or children, it’s about standing up for what she believes in and is passionate about.

“Working in the military, you wear the uniform every day,” said Beling.

“At Children’s Hospital, you put your badge on every day and it’s very prideful to know that you represent something.”

Her first 13 years with Children’s Hospital, Beling was the manager over the division of surgery. At the time, the surgical services were small. Beling has watched the surgical services grow and now they require multiple managers.

Beling believes the future for Children’s Hospital is consistent expansion, providing greater access for patients.

For the past decade, Beling has over-

seen as director of the south metro region, which includes the South Campus, Highlands Ranch therapy care, Centennial orthopedics and outpatient specialty care in Parker.

“I like to just create a place where everybody likes to come to work and that we’re looked at as a large family,” said Beling. “It takes a village to do what we do.”

Beling’s intentions are to retire within Children’s Hospital as she can’t imagine a day without it. She cherishes the interactions between staff, patients and their families.

“Some people go their entire lives and won’t be able to work for an organization that is so passionate in the care that we deliver every single day,” said Beling. “I am just so honored to be saying that I’m part of it.”

While the 35-foot- tall blue Balloon Boy outside of the stairwell on the South Campus is a beacon for hope for the community, Beling believes the campus can be a light to many more.

9

January 4, 2024

DEER FROM PAGE 5

four-chambered stomach that helps them digest their regular diet of wild grasses and shrubs. When deer consume high-carbohydrate foods, like birdseed, corn or apples, too much acid is produced in their stomachs.

The higher levels of acid cause numerous health problems and can result in death of the deer.

Food based habituation

Deer will overcome their natural wariness of people over time when easy food is available. A decrease in animal wariness can mean more deer/vehicle collisions as well as physical conflicts with people and their pets.

“Enticing animals into areas may be enjoyable for some but may cause

TUITION FROM PAGE 6

chel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, the JBC’s vice chair. “I’m very frustrated by that proposal.”

But that’s not the only problem.

The Colorado schools that rely the most on state funding don’t have many out-of-state students to lean on.

Overall, 34% of higher education funding now comes from out-ofstate students, while in-state students provide 37%. Taxpayers chip in the remainder through the state’s general fund.

But the share of funding varies wildly from one institution to the next. For the state’s largest universities, out-of-state tuition now provides more funding than in-state students or Colorado taxpayers. At the other end of the spectrum, Metropolitan State University Denver and Colorado community colleges generate just 5% of their base funding from nonresidents.

For five of Colorado’s 10 institutions of higher education, including MSU Denver, Colorado Mesa University and the University of Northern Colorado, Polis’ budget proposal would require budget cuts to meet the in-state tuition target, the budget staff analysis suggests.

In response to questions from The Colorado Sun, Polis said smaller universities could cut back on costs

damage or be a nuisance to others,” Westbrook said. “Feeding wildlife not only causes tension among neighbors but can decrease overall social acceptance for wildlife, which directly translates to how wildlife may be treated to alleviate conflicts.

This social aspect is complex but very significant in the outcomes, treatment, and wellbeing of wildlife.”

GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:

What you can do

Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends that those currently feeding deer gradually reduce the amount of food you offer over a period of several weeks. This allows the deer time to search for a new, natural and healthy food source.

Additionally, residents are encouraged to call CPW Denver Headquarters at 303-297-1192 to report illegal feeding. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Operation Game Thief at 877-265-6648.

by consolidating some administrative functions, but he did not offer specific examples of potential savings.

“We look forward to informing JBC in looking into different cost drivers in different institutions,” Polis said.

“There’s economies of scale.”

He also suggested lawmakers could adjust the funding formula that divvies up money among the state’s public colleges and universities. “Some of the smaller schools — it’s broadly recognized — need to receive a higher level of funding to be able to maintain their services.”

The state already gives a larger slice of public funding per student to smaller schools. Lawmakers say the bigger problem lies with the size of the overall pie. Colorado provides less state financial support to public colleges and universities than almost any other state, and tuition costs have risen to the top five in the U.S. In 2022, the state spent $6,711 per student, 34% below the national average of $10,237, according to the most recent annual funding data tracked by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.

The JBC will learn more soon. The Department of Higher Education — and university leaders — are due before the committee in January.

This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.

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10

January 4, 2024Jan

What is the reason for power cost increases?

Colorado utility bills keep growing although the price of electricity is static

BY MARK JAFFE THE COLORADO SUN

Bill Levis has tracked the ups and downs of utility bills for the past 14 years, first as director of the state Office of Consumer Counsel and then as a consultant for AARP, which represents retirees and older citizens.

And when it comes to electricity bills, especially from the state’s largest provider Xcel Energy, the trend has gone in only one direction — up.

Since 2019 the average monthly

residential bill, for 600 kilowatthours of electricity, has risen 38% to $92.12, based on company figures.

Utility bills are one of the biggest regular dings to any household’s budget, and with every Xcel announcement, the High Cost of Colorado marches upward.

“We know it is going to go even higher as we go to renewables and they phase out coal-fired plants,” said Levis, whose office was the predecessor to the Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate.

Electricity bills aren’t subject solely to the same market forces as food, or even rent.

There are a host of things that go into rising electricity bills from the price of natural gas to run turbines to the cost of building new power stations and transmission lines to a raft of state mandated clean energy

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programs.

And let’s not forget, in addition to all those requirements Xcel Energy is also a business in search of a profit, which means there are shareholder and bondholder expectations to be met.

The rates customers pay are set by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission based on the investments Xcel Energy makes to run its grid and meet demand. Xcel Energy gets to recover its investment plus a return set by the PUC. It is growing these investments, the so-called rate base, that raises bills and fuels profits and shareholder dividends. When Xcel Energy built the coal-fired Comanche 3 power plant for $1 billion, customers paid for it. Customers will pay for the $1.7 billion Power Pathway transmission line being built.

Customers will also pay nearly $1 billion closing three coal-fired plants, most of it for the unamortized part of Comanche 3 which has suffered chronic breakdowns since it opened in 2010.

“It is never the energy company that ends up paying for mistakes, such as Comanche 3,” Levis said.

“The frustration consumers have is that the energy company has no downside.”

And if customers are unhappy, they don’t have the option of shopping around for a new provider of electricity or natural gas like they can with cars, insurance or food.

Xcel has a franchise that makes it a monopoly in the areas it serves.

Xcel Energy is now proposing another $10 billion in rate base investments as part of its Clean Energy Plan, which will cut the utility’s greenhouse gas emissions 87% over 2005 levels.

“The legislature has also played a role in raising bills,” Levis said. “I don’t think they realize the impact.”

In the last five years the General Assembly has passed at least 14 bills directing the state’s utilities and PUC to initiate programs to do such things as such as promote energy efficient appliances and electric vehicles, and to develop clean energy plans.

Those laws allowed utilities to do things like add charges to customer bills for new programs. Or they enabled Xcel Energy to accelerate recovery of funds or include performance incentives, offering a bonus

if the utility contains project costs and meets deadlines.

Xcel Energy in its filings with the PUC points out that base rates have not risen much above the rate of inflation, and that its price per kilowatt-hour in Colorado is lower than the national average. In 2022, the average Xcel Energy residential charge was 12.7 cents a kilowatthour compared with a national average of 15 cents, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Utilities are also allowed to pass the cost of fuel directly to customers from the Energy Cost Adjustment. That adjustment “goes up and down,” Levis said. “With something like Storm Uri you get a big charge.”

That winter storm in Texas shutdown natural gas fields in February 2021 and sent natural gas prices soaring 300%. Xcel Energy incurred an extra $500 million in charges that Colorado customers are now paying off in installments over 30 months.

Last winter natural gas prices spiked again, doubling and tripling utility bills (mainly for natural gas heating) and sent thousands of families scrambling for help with their bills from government and non-profit organizations.

Meanwhile, Xcel Energy has met or exceeded its earnings guidance for shareholders for 18 consecutive years and between 2018 and 2022 corporate profits rose 38% to a record $1.7 billion.

“They never take a write-off against shareholders for something like Storm Uri,” Levis said. “It is always on the ratepayers.”

Those ratepayers, or customers, are left with a cryptic electric bill with 13 different charges pumped up by four rate increases, one on top of another, since 2020 — a phenomenon consumer advocates call pancaking. So, the High Cost of Colorado series serves you a full stack, along with an overdue side of explanations.

This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver that covers the state. This story is also part of the Sun’s ongoing series talking to Coloradans about their challenges, their fears and their solutions to the rising costs of living. More at www.ColoradoSun.com

January 4, 2024

11

12

LOCAL

January 4, 2024J

VOICES The greatest is love

T

he holy season of Advent dawns amid familiar carols echoing through frost-kissed mornings. In this hushed space of yearning hearts, we sweep away the holiday frenzy and rediscover an ageless, boundless love born in candlelit shadows.

Advent love manifests not in flashy fanfare but whispering solitude. We kindle joyful anticipation of Christ’s arrival by embracing sacred stillness. In early morning darkness, we wrap a woolen blanket around our shoulders and light a single candle, bathing the room in warm glow as dawn approaches. We drink in the silence, opening our whole being to wonder. Stillness reorients us from dullness to breathless expectation.

Advent love arrives in hushed tones when we unclutter crowded schedules and overstuffed hearts.

It emerges in stillness as we behold Love’s luminous mystery. Like the solitary bright star shining through Bethlehem skies beckoning earthly kings, Infinite Love patiently waits to be found, recognized and adored in unlikely places by childlike faith.

When storms rage and dreams lie in shards, love often feels impossible to muster. But somewhere in our soul, embers of hope still smolder.

And hope-inspired love can reignite even the most broken heart. Where hope persists, radical love follows.

Hope sees glimmers that despair

shades. It believes restoration waits around the bend, no matter how far we’ve fallen. Hope whispers, “All things are possible still.” It holds us in moments we cannot hold ourselves.

And hope-rooted love is fearless, ragMichael Norton ing against injustice rather than retreating into complacency. It loves those deemed unlovable, the marginalized, the oppressed, the sick, the forgotten. It loves wildly and wastefully like its supply is endless because hope ensures love’s well never runs dry. The audacious love that is fuled by hope speaks truth with grace, not judgment. It weeps with the grieving and celebrates the victorious.

The love that hope kindles is generous and selfless. It notices loneliness in a crowded room and nudges someone to extend an invitation. It rallies volunteers to rebuild a family’s storm-ravaged home. It patiently tutors struggling students. It always responds to need with compassion.

And in the process, hope-inspired love transforms its own wounded heart. As we lift others’ loads, our shoulders feel lighter too. Serving

cures self-pity. Washing strangers’ callused feet softens our calluses.

Lifting the lowly elevates our whole being. Love powered by audacious hope awakens purpose and deep joy. It knows endless tomorrows await beyond today’s tears. With hope as its north star, love finds its way home.

In life’s stormiest seasons when foundations crumble, Paul urges us to cling to faith, hope and love, three pillars of spiritual strength. While each matters greatly, he declares love supreme: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Why does love reign supreme?

Love outlasts because love bears all things. When grief shreds our heart or betrayal stabs our back, love weeps alongside us yet refuses to let pain poison its purpose. When we want to raise our fists in rage, love keeps our arms open. Its flame never flickers.

Love uplifts because love believes all things. When crushed dreams and failed plans shatter our optimism, love gently whispers, “I still see your potential. Purpose awaits.”

When we hang our head in shame, love lifts our chin, assuring, “You are forever worthy.” Its eyes never dim.

Love empowers because love hopes all things. When challenging circumstances threaten to snuff out

our hope, love fans its fiery embers.

“There is more unfolding,” love insists. “You were made to weather this storm.” When we despair of better days, love stands resolute, declaring, “Morning comes. Joy awakens.”

Faith, hope and love — these three dance in harmony when rooted in God’s heart. But love leads the way. Its reach is boundless, its fire unquenchable, its vision unclouded by storms. Love bears, believes, and hopes without end.

That is why when all else fades, love remains. When human bonds break, love’s loyalty persists. When even faith and hope waver, love stands firm as our anchor. It is the greatest gift heaven offers. Love never fails.

Hope, peace, joy, and now love.

May your hearts be filled with all four as you enjoy the beauty and blessings of the holidays. I would love to hear your holiday story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we fill our days with hope, peace, joy and love, it really will be a better than good life.

housing and the lack of affordable options, it makes more sense for her to live at home since she can’t afford to buy a place of her own.

There are many others with a story much like ours — something needs to be done. Our county and state are growing, and with growth comes growing pains. I don’t want to stand in the way of my daughter’s

future success — affordable housing options are desperately needed for the next generation of residents in Colorado. Condominiums are great housing options for someone like my daughter because as an owner she can build equity as she pays off her mortgage and the value of the property increases. And she’s setting herself up for success

to own a single-family home in the future if she so chooses.

But that choice is virtually nonexistent for this generation of professionals just beginning their careers. Like my daughter, many of them are stuck (literally and figuratively) in their parents’ basement,

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 be 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.

WINNING WORDS

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.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Housing options needed now

I am a longtime resident of Colorado and parent to a teacher. I’m very aware of the challenges we are facing regarding affordable places to live. Our daughter is a young professional, teaching the next generation of children, hoping to give back to the community she works in. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of

SEE LETTER, P10

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules: • Email your letter to michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send

13

January 4, 2024

Get emergency alerts through Douglas County’s CodeRED

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Colorado just reached the twoyear anniversary of the historically destructive Marshall Fire, a tragedy that called attention to the problem of some people receiving little or no notice to leave their homes in an emergency.

The devastating fire in Boulder County destroyed more than 1,000 homes. Two people are believed to have died in the December 2021 fire that put tens of thousands of people under evacuation alerts.

Many people don’t know that they might only receive alerts for certain emergencies if they’ve signed up for a free notification service.

In Douglas County, that’s where the CodeRED system comes in: It can alert you by phone call, text message and email. The alerts are sometimes known as “reverse 911” calls.

“This system is paid for by the Douglas County Emergency Telephone Service Authority, and there is no cost for you to sign up,” the Town of Castle Rock’s website says.

You can sign up at tinyurl.com/ SignupforCodeRED. “Officials will send messages to alert you of emergency details, instructions or precautions that you need in order for you to make wellinformed decisions and remain safe,” the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office’s website says of CodeRED. The system will notify you about police activity, wildfires and other emergencies nearby, Douglas County’s website says.

However, the system does not include weather alerts in general, Castle Rock’s website says.

“The town encourages our resi-

LETTER FROM PAGE 10

with little hope that their situation will ever improve.

How are our residents supposed to thrive if we only provide singlefamily homes? What about the

dents and businesses to use … weather radios, subscribe to any of the free weather apps, and/or monitor local media for information during severe weather,” the website adds.

For CodeRED, the Parker Police Department highlighted the potential problem of relying on a landline that does not work when the power goes out.

“The CodeRED sign-up form allows you to indicate both a primary and alternate phone number,” the Parker police website says. “Cell phone and / or work phone numbers can be entered as alternate phone numbers. Both primary and alternate phone numbers will be contacted when a notification is sent.”

For those who do not have internet service, the Town of Parker encourages residents to talk to their family, friends and neighbors for help using the internet to sign up.

“Dispatchers and other emergency response personnel cannot register users over the phone,” Parker’s website says.

For CodeRED, you don’t need to renew your registration unless your contact information changes, the sheriff’s office site says.

“However, it is a good idea to log in annually to assure your information is accurate,” the sheriff’s office site says. “If you move, you must update your information to continue receiving CodeRED notifications.”

The county urges the public to spread the word about the system.

“Please encourage friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers to register. Businesses should also sign up,” the county’s website says. single-income earners? Single parents? Young professionals or first responders? We need to provide options for them to give back to the communities they work and invest in.

Coloradans, like my daughter, need affordable housing options now.

Holly Coffee, Castle Pines

Memory In Loving

Place an Obituary for Your Loved One. 303-566-4100 obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com Self placement available online at HighlandsRanchHerald.net LoneTreeVoice.net

14

January 4, 2024J

LOCAL

LIFE

PUTTING THEIR SOULS INTO SOLES Shoeshining and repairs bring purpose to local craftsmen

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

I

n 1838, photographer Louis Daguerre captured what is often cited as the first-ever photograph of a person.

The black-and-white image shows buildings and trees lining a cobblestone street in Paris. Although it was a busy street, the length of the photographic exposure rendered the passersby and horse traffic invisible in the final image.

But on that spring day more than 185 years ago, two individuals remained still enough to show up in the photo. In the bottom left-hand corner, on the sidewalk near the street, one person polishes another’s shoes.

The photograph unexpectedly became a time capsule of the age-old tradition of shoeshining, which although less common than it once was, continues to be an indispensable part of some people’s personal and professional routines.

From Denver to Centennial, several shoeshine and shoe repair craftsmen aim to make their customers’ lives sparkle by pro-

viding service, beauty and powerful interpersonal connections.

The skill of shoe repair

For Edward Koinov, the owner of Re-Nu Shoe Repair in Centennial, business is buzzing.

Over the course of an hour one Friday in December, customers entered Koinov’s shop in a continuous stream — asking him for advice, getting quotes or picking up their shoes.

In addition to shining, Koinov changes soles, replaces heels, adds stitching, makes color corrections and sometimes even adds embellishments.

And because he knows what he’s doing with leather, people often bring in other items, like purses and bags.

“I’ll never say no,” he said, unless a customer requests an impossible repair. “Most of them, I fix.”

Koinov’s space reflects the popularity of his service, which seems to have bounced back after a lull during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of shoes sit on shelves, awaiting repairs and pickups.

And despite rising costs of supplies, Koinov is making things work. He said he works on about 25 pairs of shoes per day, and business is especially busy in the winter.

SEE SOLES, P15

Edward Koinov smiles as he stands at the entrance to his workshop at Re-Nu Shoe PHOTO BY NINA JOSS Repair in Centennial.

15

January 4, 2024

SOLES FROM PAGE 14

“People love shoes,” he said.

Koinov, who grew up in Russia, learned to make shoes from scratch in a factory when he was 17 years old.

In 1989, he moved to New York City and later relocated to Colorado for the weather and the mountains, he said.

Previous to his shoe shop, Koinov opened a car dealership and a Russian restaurant in the metro Denver area. He said he lost money from both of these endeavors and decided to go back to his roots in the shoe business.

When asked why shoes are interesting to him, Koinov joked, “What am I going to be, a lawyer?”

He said that people are good at different things — and for him, it’s always been shoes.

“This is not one year, two years to learn this job,” he said. “This job is years (and) years. You need to know how to fix the shoes. You need to know this job.”

The ‘secret recipe’

North of Centennial, another tenured shoe professional, Vincent Wayne Robinson, owns his own shoeshining company in Denver.

Like Koinov, Robinson fell into the shoe business as a teenager.

He was working with a carpenter on converting a grocery store into a nightclub in Oklahoma City in the 1970s.

At 17 years old, Robinson wanted to attend the nightclub once it opened — but he knew he was too young to get in. So when chatting with the club owner one day during construction, he had what he calls a “vision.”

Out of the blue, he asked the owner if he had ever considered having a shoeshine stand in the club.

“The thought came from me, out of nowhere,” he said. “I felt like something spoke through me, because it was nothing I was conscious of. I know that’s crazy, but that’s the way it was.”

Robinson had no experience in shining shoes, but he told the club owner that he could provide the service. He asked his cousin, a reliably confident person, to join him in the endeavor.

With little to no experience, the two of them started a gig shining

Vincent Robinson started his own business after falling in love with the art of shoeshining while working at the Denver International Airport shoeshine stand.

PHOTO BY NINA JOSS

shoes at the club.

“I started figuring it out — it became a nice little hustle,” Robinson said. “But it didn’t come to a business until I moved to Colorado.”

In the early 2000s, Robinson started working at the shoeshine stand at Denver International Airport.

There, he said, he learned how to shine professionally.

“I learned so much from the owner,” he said. “And that’s where the love began.”

After that, Robinson decided to open up his own company, Vincent’s Shoe Shine of Cherry Creek, which now operates out of a space on Ogden Street in Denver, among other locations.

The process of shining a shoe, Robinson said, is a “secret recipe” of cleaning, conditioning, waterproofing and “spit-shining.” In the past, people would use saliva for the shining part of the process — but these days, Robinson said “spitshining” involves using a water mist and a specific motion with a rag.

He said shoeshining is an art, and that it’s an important process to add longevity to leather shoes.

“Some people, they may have a pair of shoes that they can’t really

find again,” he said. “We come in a situation where it’s their grandfather’s shoe, it’s their mom’s shoe … it’s just an item that they really love and cherish.”

Robinson said the way a person looks at the shoeshining business is important, and people who look at it wrong may struggle to stay afloat in it.

“I choose to look at it from the same point of view that I learned from somebody who understood the fiber of just having a shoeshine in their business,” he said. “They know it’s for a certain customer — it won’t be for everybody — but that certain customer is definitely going to be a person who has a lot of pride in what they do.”

Connecting across a shoeshine stand

Even more than an art form, shoeshining is a valuable social experience for some in the business.

Starting as close family friends, Robinson trained Dominick Martinez in shoeshining. They started working together after Martinez finished high school, and it’s been an important part of Martinez’s life since then.

“I’m a person that’s capable …

of doing anything,” Martinez said.

“But I kinda never left this situation … It’s always come back around full circle to this.”

For him, the purpose of shoeshining has little to do with shoes. Instead, it’s about the people.

“Sometimes, some people like that one-on-one kind of interaction,” he said. “It’s refreshing. It’s not about what you pay for, it’s about what you get in the process.”

He compared the shoeshining experience to going to a barbershop or a beauty salon — where people come partially for the service itself, but largely for the connection with the person providing it.

He said this human connection is something that artificial intelligence can’t take away.

“There’s a reason why you need that interaction,” he said. “It don’t matter what’s going on behind that interaction — but our problem is we don’t let that interaction happen anymore, and this lets the interaction happen. You can’t put a price on that.”

Robinson, who also said the customers are his favorite part of the job, said he hopes his company can help share the tradition of shoeshining.

At his shop in Denver, he teaches courses to train the next generation of shiners.

“I started out with my kids, we started out with (Martinez’s) kids,” he said. “Now, we’re gonna manufacture it into a classroom situation.”

Martinez added that shoeshining is a trade that can help young individuals get on their feet and support themselves.

“We always need those trades and those personal interactions,” he said.

Robinson said shoeshining is a great way to teach kids about creating things and making money at a young age.

“At the end of the day, we want to see fathers and sons sitting in their garage, doing these things together, and just keep putting (relationships) between people,” he said.

“Everybody has to walk around with shoes.”

When reflecting on the tradition, Martinez referenced the early French photograph of shoeshining.

“This came a long time before us and it’s gonna be here a whole lot longer,” he said. “And there’s a reason for that … The interactions are something different.”

16

January 4, 2024Jan

Copper Mountain volunteer boot packers stomp trails to reduce avalanche danger

BY JASON BLEVINS THE COLORADO SUN

The hardy skiers shoulder their skis and wade into the waist-deep powder atop the steep Patrol Chute in Spaulding Bowl at Copper Mountain. Reed Ryan, the ski area’s snow safety boss, warns the crew of looming avalanche hazards.

“We may hear some whumpfs. We may see some cracking. That’s fine.

That’s what we are here for,” he says as the line of boot packers begins stomping down one of the steepest lines at Copper Mountain.

They plug their ski boots deep into the snow, mixing the powder on the top layer with the sugary facets closer to the ground. When they’ve trampled Patrol Chute, they move over to the next. It’s a grueling day for the unpaid volunteers.

“But it’s fun and outside and so beautiful and I’m hanging with great people,” says John Murtha, a 48-yearold from Frisco who is finishing up his second year boot packing at his home hill.

In 2015, Copper Mountain ski patrollers started recruiting volunteers to boot pack the ski area’s steepest terrain. There were about 20 skiers

Volunteer boot packers work their way down Copper Mountain’s Spaulding Bowl in PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY THE COLORADO SUN Summit County.

who signed up that first winter. Now there are 75 and a long waiting list.

Most of the skiers keep coming back every winter.

Boot packing is an important part of avalanche mitigation at other ski areas like Aspen Highlands, Crested Butte and Silverton Mountain.

Steep ski areas have long enlisted volunteers who wade through snow in exchange for passes or lift tickets. Their boots stabilize snowpacks through compaction, mixing up the snowpack to reduce the risk of cata-

strophic slides.

There’s another, overlapping purpose of boot packing: snow conservation.

“We want to keep the snow up where we can ski it,” says Bill Blair, a former Copper Mountain ski patroller who now works as director of mountain operations. “Every flake is gold.”

By getting skiers stomping through steep snow, the chances of a big slide scouring a mountainside to dirt in January is reduced. That’s how it

was in the old days: wait for the rotten early season snow to avalanche and then wait for more snow to fill in the avalanched slopes.

Now, ski patrollers direct a choreographed swirl of mitigation that includes digging pits, hurling bombs and directing snow-blending boot packers, all of which enable skiers to get into the steeps early in the season.

Copper Mountain patrollers have been able to open the mountaintop Spaulding Bowl with as little as 60 inches of snowfall. This season, they are still working in the bowl after 75 inches of snow. The season’s winds and long weeks of snowless, highpressure weather systems have required additional mitigation efforts.

Following the last big storm in late November, ski patrollers ski-cut Spaulding Bowl, carving diagonal tracks across open faces of snow.

The dissected chunks help limit the potential of a massive slab of snow releasing.

As boot packers two weeks ago stomped down the steep lines on the south-facing slopes, a pair of patrollers were digging a pit on a north-

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January 4, 2024Jan

Family formed after life-saving organ transplant, A raises awareness for donations in Parker

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Melanie Merrill worked in the transplant department at a children’s hospital in California when Pochie, an infant in foster care, was admitted for an organ transplant.

The surgery, more than a decade ago, would unknowingly change both of their lives for the better.

Pochie was born with Biliary Atresia, a rare disease that blocks the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder, leading to liver damage. The disease can be deadly and Pochie had gone into liver failure in January of 2012 before receiving a liver transplant.

Within a month of being put on the transplant list, Pochie had a donor match because his rare blood type placed him in a smaller pool of potential recipients.

Merrill had helped with many liver, intestinal and kidney transplants, knew the procedures, and took care of children after their surgeries.

She was prepared when Pochie had some complications afterwards and stayed in the hospital for a period of time.

Pochie had been placed into the foster care system just a few weeks prior to being put on the transplant list. The nurses adored him. Merrill said nurses would often fight over who got to hold and play with him.

“He just kind of had this really infectious smile, and this way of kind

Melanie Merrill and her son Pochie at the 2023 Denver Parade of Lights where they were a part of the “Gift of Life” float. The Merrill family aim to educate the youth on organ and tissue donations and the importance of registering to be a donor.

VALERIA MOONCH

of grabbing your heart the moment you met him,” said Merrill.

Merrill had told the hospital’s social worker if the infant needed another foster placement, to let her know and in December of 2012, there was an opening and Pochie was available for adoption.

Merrill couldn’t help but feel like it was meant to happen, so she spoke with her husband about it that night and soon took Pochie in, later adopting him in 2015.

“Who better to take care of a transplant kid than me,” said Merrill. “After all the years I had taken care of kids after their transplants.”

Now 12 years old - despite some road bumps - Pochie Merrill is thriv-

ing.

Since moving to Parker, Colorado in 2017, the family has been active in their community, working to bring awareness to how organ and tissue donation can save lives. Every April, they participate in Donate Life Month and are active in Donor Alliance’s Donor Dash 5K each year.

During the pandemic, they painted rocks that said “Donate Life” and were part of the “Gift of Life” float in the 2023 Denver Parade of Lights.

Melanie Merrill also talks to kids at various schools.

“Our family feels very strongly that we need to honor his donor and his donor’s family’s willingness to give him the gift of life,” Merrill said of Pochie’s donor.

A Donor Alliance advocate, Merrill hopes to become a transplant science educator in the new year where she would go into middle and high schools to educate youth about organ donation and the importance of registering to be a donor.

There are tens of thousands of people who would benefit from a transplant or tissue donations, said Heather Burke, a spokesperson for Donor Alliance.

Donor Alliance is a nonprofit that serves Colorado and most of Wyoming and is one of 56 federally designated organ procurement organizations in the U.S..

The organization speaks with family members about donation, honoring their loved one’s decision and

fa sn in da walks alongside the family duringD the organ recovery and transporta-re tion process. ca In addition to their education program, the organization shares infor-ly mation about careers in transplanta-ye tion. da “In some ways, I have a uniquea perspective in the sense that I’ve un-H fortunately seen the devastation thatpa happens when we can’t get that gift— of life,” said Merrill. “I’ve also seener the amazing transformation when atic child receives a gift of life.”

According to Donor Alliance, near-a ly 1,500 people are currently waitingsa for an organ transplant in Coloradopa and Wyoming.

C One person can save up to eightus lives through an organ donation and one person can also save and heal up to 75 lives through a tissue donation, said Burke.

In 2022, 66% of people in Colorado had registered to be an organ and tissue donor. That’s above the national average of 49%, according to Donor Alliance. People can register when they obtain or renew their driver’s license or state identification or register anytime at donatelifecolorado. org.

Without that donation a decade ago, Pochie might not have survived.

Pochie is grateful to his donor and the circumstances that brought him his family.

“It means being able to be here, right now, in this moment,” said Pochie Merrill.

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January 4, 2024

AVALANCHE FROM PAGE 16

facing slope. They were testing the snow to see how previous boot packing work has broken up the rotting, dangerous layer on the ground.

Depending on what the snow pit reveals, the boot packers might be called back to the north-facing zone.

The snow-stomping crew typically winds down after the first of the year. They get a free pass for seven days of work. But where a ski pass is a big motivator at resorts like Aspen Highlands — where 15 days of boot packing earns a $3,000 Premier Pass — the Copper Mountain boot packers are not necessarily working for a ticket to ride lifts.

“They get to be behind the curtain a little bit and see how we operate,” says Ryan, who has hired six boot packers over the years to join the Copper Mountain patrol. “And they usually get a little bit of soft snow to

ski.”

Atop Spaulding Bowl, the boot packers are happy to share some important tips. Like: tuck the gaiter under the cuff of your ski pants underneath the buckles of your boots to keep snow from sneaking into your boots. And clasp your buckles tight because they pop open when plugging deep snow. And sort of pre-step your hole before fully weighting your downhill leg, so you can get deep into the snow and reach those weak facets near the ground.

“This is kind of perfect boot packing snow,” Ryan says as the line of packers slowly descends Patrol Chute, most of them hip deep in powder.

At the bottom of the steep, Ryan makes the call to put on skis. After a couple minutes of side-stepping down, it’s time to ski and the packers stack tidy squiggles in the apron of snow beneath the chute.

Jim Bradley, a 33-year-old from Leadville, takes the opportunity beneath the ski tracks to ask Ryan and

Blair about their favorite places to ski at Copper Mountain. He listens closely as they describe wooded nooks and hidden patches.

Bradley has boot packed at Copper Mountain for five winters. He likes how the work delivers insights into the snowpack before the backcountry season gets rolling. How else could he spend time in the northfacing Alpine without exposing himself to serious avalanche risks? And he likes listening to the Copper vets tell their stories.

“Just going on the different slopes and feeling the different snow packs at different angles, different sun exposure, different wind exposure, it really does help you get a kind of a feel, early season, for what the snowpack is gonna be like for the rest of the year,” he said. “And it’s so fun to hang with these very knowledgeable ski patrollers and pick their brains.

Just so much information to glean, you know.”

Maria Leech is a full-time ski patroller at Breckenridge who enjoys

skiing Copper Mountain. For the early season, she spends her days off from Breck boot packing at Copper.

“Just one more lap to go,” she says on her seventh day, nibbling peanut noodles from a Tupperware container in the Copper patrol headquarters. “l get to see another patrol’s operations and it’s something to do outside before the skiing gets really good.”

Two years ago Murtha, the volunteer from Frisco, was rushed to Denver via Flight for Life after suffering a stroke. Now, he says,”I say yes to a lot of adventures.” Like boot packing.

“I mean, come on. Look at how beautiful this is,” he says, riding a chair up for his final lap of the day burrowing through precipitous powder. “I’m pretty lucky. I’m living life, baby!”

This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.

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January 4, 2024Jan

Cattle ranchers balk at media portrayals Historic ranches have beef with advocacy groups over perceived environmental impacts of meat

BY MONTE WHALEY THE COLORADO SUN

Robbie LeValley sees her family’s cattle ranch settled in the high pastures near Hotchkiss as a linchpin in the state’s food chain and a fifthgeneration steward of the local environment.

The LeValley ranch is bordered by habitat for the Gunnison sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird that is protected as an endangered species. Grazing has helped the sage grouse thrive and meet recovery goals set by the Endangered Species Act, the LeValleys say.

The water supply for the LeValleys’ public land allotment also originates on their private land. The family has built 17 miles of pipeline, allowing the water to flow from their spread to ponds that are open to the public.

The LeValleys say this allows plenty of water for the fishing ponds and the Gunnison sage grouse to thrive.

All the ranches in that part of the North Fork Valley — many of which were settled over a century ago — share a common interest in sustaining the local environment, Robbie LeValley said.

“Each of the ranchers in their own way have taken on the ethic of improving the land for and making it safe for the sage grouse and wildlife in general,” LeValley said. “Ranchers provide the large open space that wildlife need and require.”

Large ranching operations like the LeValleys’ have been targeted by activists accusing them of contribut-

Farm Runners store employees Lara Widner, left, and Dana Stopher chat while stocking the produce section, Nov. 21, 2023, in Hotchkiss. The store, next to City Market in town, is a year-round regional food distributor for the local farmers and ranchers to PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY THE COLORADO SUN Roaring Fork, Gunninson, and Grand Valleys.

ing to environmental degradation, including contributing to climate change.

Research published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Climate claims that phasing out animal agriculture over the next 15 years would have the same effect as a 68% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the year 2100, which it says would limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

“Reducing or eliminating animal agriculture should be at the top of the list of potential climate solutions,” Patrick Brown, a professor emeritus in the department of biochemistry at Stanford University, told Stanford Magazine.

The LeValley Ranch and five other ranches own about 2,000 head of cattle that are raised on clean mountain water, fresh air, Colorado sunshine and green grass, the ranchers say.

They are not fed antibiotics, added hormones or animal byproducts, according to the LeValley family.

When it’s time to market their meat, the animals are slaughtered and custom processed at Homestead Natural Meats in nearby Delta.

That operation is also owned by LeValley and the other ranchers.

The site — including corrals, equipment, flooring, feed and water supply — is regularly inspected by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, according to the Homestead Meats website.

A retail store is also on-site where customers can buy beef, pork, lamb and other meats offered by the ranches. Homestead sells Mexican shrimp, tuna and salmon, as well as fresh milk and cheese.

The variety of items tendered to customers local and statewide is the result of the area ranchers deciding in the 1990s to remain viable by catering to changing customer tastes, Robbie LeValley said. The best way to do that, she said, was to open its own processing plant and a retail store where the producers can talk directly to potential buyers.

“Everybody at the time was ranching a cow-calf operation,” LeValley said. “We decided to diversify and add additional processing so we could begin selling directly to consumers. It provides us the opportunity to interact with consumers.”

“It allows us,” she said, “to expand customer knowledge of agriculture in general and what it takes to provide a diversified enterprise.”

The LeValley ranch is roughly 25 miles from its processing plant in Delta. But other grower-owned processors and retailers that allow ranchers to cut out the middleman in Colorado are few and far between.

Ranchers often have to travel hundreds of miles to get to a processing facility.

And if an activist group working toward a ballot measure for 2024 gets its way, the lone cooperative processing plant in Denver will be eliminated altogether.

The huge gap between ranchers and processing plants produces a gaping hole in Colorado’s supply chain and threatens the sustainability of meat production, LeValley said.

Colorado is home to 13,000 beef cattle producers and 206 feedlots, all of which are served by 24 USDA certified slaughter plants, according to the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. Colorado is the fourth-largest exporter of fresh and frozen beef in the United States, with the export market worth over $1 billion, the CCA says.

The meager number of slaughter plants compared to the size of the state’s cattle production is leaving Colorado’s food chain vulnerable to disruption. It also drives up food costs as producers truck their livestock from the far corners of the state to processors on the Front Range while smaller ones are scattered along the Eastern Plains and Western Slope, LeValley said.

“So many of these facilities are just so far out there,” she said. “Depending on the situation, you may have to travel from Fort Collins to Delta for your processing. That is a huge exSEE RANCHERS, P21

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January 4, 2024

RANCHERS FROM PAGE 20

pense.”

“And processing is just a critical part of providing food security for us and the entire world,” LeValley said. “It’s like the energy sector. If one processing center is affected by something, it affects the entire system.”

LeValley is among meat producers who are largely backing a Congressional bid to allow small and midsize meat processing facilities to expand their operations. The “Butcher Block Act” — co-sponsored by Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet — authorizes USDA loans and loan guarantees to increase and modernize small and medium-size meatprocessing and rendering facilities.

The legislation would also develop new mobile facilities to improve local and regional access to processing and rendering services.

Meat industry leaders hailed the proposed legislation for potentially increasing competition among processors and capacity in rural areas.

Kent Swisher, president and CEO of the North American Renderers Association, said the bill finally focuses on the importance of recouping the meat, bone and fat from an animal and reusing them for other products.

“This bill is the first of its kind that acknowledges the critical role of rendering as a safe and sustainable

method of upcycling the parts of the animal and birds that are not consumed by humans,” Swisher said in a news release.

But the Butcher Block Act runs counter to changing attitudes toward livestock production, a local environmental activist says. Watchdog groups argue that large ranches and slaughterhouses are morally wrong and environmentally disastrous.

Livestock accounts for about 15% of greenhouse gas emissions mainly from methane from the gas they expel, according to Earth First and The World Counts. Large meat operations are also destroying forests and chewing up land for wildlife, the environmental group says.

Huge ranches are guilty of spreading foodborne illnesses while also occupying 30% of the Earth’s land surface leaving less land for other uses, according to Earth First.

Industrial animal agriculture is a key driver of the climate crisis, and replacing it is the necessary part of any climate solution, said Aidan Kankyoku, spokesman for Pro-Animal Future. The group is leading an effort to place a measure on the 2024 ballot to ban slaughterhouses in Denver.

Superior Farms Inc. is the only slaughterhouse in the city and is located in Globeville. The company employs well over 500 people and is one of the largest lamb slaughterhouses in the country, killing over 1,000 lambs daily, Kankyoku said in an email.

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“Slaughterhouses dump toxic chemicals into waterways, and most of all, nobody with a heart in their chest can watch the footage of what happens to animals inside these facilities without feeling disgusted,” Kankyoku said.

“New meat alternatives and shifting cultural norms have shown that we don’t need to rely on farming animals to thrive,” he added. “Society is evolving away from a reliance on animal farming, and that’s a good thing.”

Bennet’s bill would be a step backward in the move away from factory farming, Kankyoku said. “There is no place for slaughterhouses in the progressive, peaceful future Colorado voters wish to create,” he said.

“The government should be leading a transition away from animal agriculture or, at the very least, stop tilting the scales of competition against humane, sustainable alternatives.”

Superior Farms Inc. could not be reached for comment.

On its website, Superior Farms says it partners with over 1,000 family ranches to provide high-quality lamb with a strong commitment to animal well-being and sustainability.

“The lambs graze mainly on open pasture lands, sustaining on the natural vegetation of vast grasslands as they have for centuries while providing benefits to the land through fertilization, erosion mitigation and wildfire suppression,” the website states.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, along with other agriculture groups, has fought against claims that beef producers are a detriment to the environment, noting that beef producers in the United States are already the global leader in sustainable beef production.

The cattlemen’s association said that the industry has committed to climate neutrality of U.S. cattle production by 2040, according to a news release.

LeValley points to work done at Colorado State University as examples of livestock producers working to keep its industry sustainable in an era of changing attitudes toward meat. The Institute for Livestock and the Environment brings in several groups from various disciplines from across the CSU campus to balance issues of “economic growth with the environment,” the CSU website states.

That academic work and research will help determine just how much farms and ranches influence the environment, good and bad, LeValley said.

“So far we’ve only been concentrating on one side of the ledger,” she said. “We’ve been getting the blame for a lot of things without getting credit for what we do everyday.”

This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.

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23

January 4, 2024

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

Solution

TRIVIA 1. ANATOMY: What are the small bones that make up the human backbone?

2. GEOGRAPHY: Which country is made up of about 7,000 islands?

3. MOVIES: What native language is spoken in the movie “Avatar”?

4. BUSINESS: When did the first Apple computer go on sale?

5. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a male swan called?

6. FOOD & DRINK: Which nut is used in a Waldorf salad?

7. PSYCHOLOGY: What fear is represented in arithmophobia?

8. TELEVISION: Who played the lead in the series “Buffy the Vampire Killer”?

9. AD SLOGANS: Which restaurant chain advertises itself as “no rules, just right”?

10. SCIENCE: Which science fiction author wrote the three laws of robotics?

Answers 1. Vertebrae.

2. The Philippines.

3. Na’vi.

4. 1976.

5. A cob.

6. Walnuts.

7. Fear of numbers.

8. Sarah Michelle Gellar.

9. Outback Steakhouse.

10. Isaac Asimov. (c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Crossword Solution

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Jobs in your area* include: Jobs your area* include: Jobs in your area* include: Jobs ininyour area* include: Kitchen Worker Kitchen Worker Kitchen Worker Kitchen Worker Substitute Kitchen Worker | Volunteers Substitute Kitchen Worker | Volunteers Substitute Kitchen Worker | | Volunteers Substitute Kitchen Worker Volunteers *there are currently three full- and part-time positions available at Columbine High School are currently full-part-time and part-time positions available at Columbine High School *there*there are currently threethree positions available Columbine High School No holidays orand weekends | Have off! | Great benefits offered *therefullare currently three full-your andsummers part-timeat positions No holidays or weekends your summers off! | Great benefits offered No holidays or weekends | Have| Have your summers off! | Great benefits offered

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January 4, 2024

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26

January 4, 2024Jan

SERVICE DIRECTORY Carpet/Flooring

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Classifieds Continues Next Page

27

January 4, 2024

SERVICE DIRECTORY Heating & Air Conditioning

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Service Directory Continues Next Page

28

January 4, 2024J

SERVICE DIRECTORY Solar

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Check out the calendar of events!

29

January 4, 2024

PRECISE REPAIR, GENUINE CARE

BEFORE

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30

January 4, 2024Jan

www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals Public Trustees PUBLIC NOTICE Littleton NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0177 To Whom It May Concern: On 10/12/2023 8:30:00 AM 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: Christoffer Hoover Original Beneficiary: Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc. Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, as Trustee for MASTR Specialized Loan Trust 200603, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 6/26/2002 Recording Date of DOT: 7/5/2002 Reception No. of DOT: 02065786 Book 2364 Page 957 DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $234,026.00 Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $173,610.47 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.

Dated: 10/12/2023 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-23-967206-LL *YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/ Legal Notice NO. 2023-0177 First Publication: 12/14/2023 Last Publication: 1/11/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press PUBLIC NOTICE Highlands Ranch NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0182 To Whom It May Concern: On 10/24/2023 9:36:00 AM 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: MARK S URICH AND TE HUEY URICH Original Beneficiary: WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 11/8/2019 Recording Date of DOT: 11/14/2019 Reception No. of DOT: 2019077663 DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $241,600.00 Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $228,584.75

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 25A, ROXBOROUGH VILLAGE FILING NO. 16-A, 1ST AMENDMENT, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

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.

Which has the address of: 9812 Falcon Lane, Littleton, CO 80125

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

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 7, 2024, 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: 12/14/2023 Last Publication: 1/11/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press

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

Legal Description of Real Property: Condominium Unit 3C, Sugarmill Condominiums, in accordance with and subject to the Subassociation Declaration for Sugarmill Condominiums Association, Inc., of Highlands Ranch Community Association, Inc., recorded on August 1, 1984 in Book 532 at Page 354 and Supplemental Declaration recorded June 17, 1985 in Book 579 at Page 642 and the Condominium Map recorded September 10, 1984 in Plat Book S at Page 51, Reception No. 335337, in the of Office of the Clerk and Recorder of Douglas County, Colorado, County of Douglas, State of Colorado.

Which has the address of: 838 Summer Dr #3c, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126-3094 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.

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 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: 12/21/2023 Last Publication: 1/18/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 10/24/2023 DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: DAVID R DOUGHTY Colorado Registration #: 40042 9540 MAROON CIRCLE SUITE 320, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO 80112 Phone #: (303) 706-9990 Fax #: (303) 706-9994 Attorney File #: 23-030368 *YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/ Legal Notice No. 2023-0182 First Publication: 12/21/2023 Last Publication: 1/18/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Pres PUBLIC NOTICE Highlands Ranch NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0183 To Whom It May Concern: On 10/24/2023 9:31:00 AM 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: LEMUEL G. BRINKLEY, JR. AND BARRIE L. BRINKLEY Original Beneficiary: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. ACTING SOLELY AS NOMINEE FOR USAA FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: SELECT PORTFOLIO SERVICING, INC. Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 8/1/2018 Recording Date of DOT: 8/8/2018 Reception No. of DOT: 2018047706 DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $275,500.00 Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $266,106.50 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 3 BLOCK 2, A REPLAT OF HIGHLANDS RANCH FILING NO. 1, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO. Which has the address of: 68 Prairie Ridge Rd, Highlands Ranch, 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, February 14, 2024, 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: 12/21/2023 Last Publication: 1/18/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 10/24/2023 DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: RANDALL CHIN Colorado Registration #: 31149 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700 , DENVER, COLORADO 80204 Phone #: (303) 350-3711 Fax #: Attorney File #: 00000009788787 *YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/ Legal Notice No.2023-0183 First Publication: 12/21/2023 Last Publication: 1/18/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press ______________________________________ Public Notice INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) #068-23 2024 DESIGN-BUILD RUETER-HESS DOCK PROJECT The Parks, Trails & Building Grounds Division of Douglas County Government, in conjunction with the Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD), respectfully requests bids from responsible and highly-qualified contractors for the provision of all services related to the design-build of the Rueter-Hess Dock Project, as specified. It is the intention of this project to offer a paddleboard, canoe, kayak, and fishing dock at Rueter-Hess Reservoir.

ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024 @ 1:00 P.M., THERE WILL BE A MANDATORY SITE VISIT RELATED TO THIS PROJECT. THE

MANDATORY SITE VISIT WILL ALLOW ALL POTENTIAL BIDDERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW THE WORK SITE LOCATION AND DISCUSS THE PROJECT DETAILS. THE MANDATORY SITE VISIT WILL BE HELD AT THE RUETER-HESS RESERVOIR, 9343 DOUBLE ANGEL ROAD, PARKER, COLORADO 80134. PLEASE CALL 720-733-6944 FOR DIRECTIONS, IF NEEDED. ONLY THOSE PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS ATTENDING THE MANDATORY SITE VISIT WILL BE ALLOWED TO SUBMIT A BID ON THIS PROJECT. (please bring a business card, as sign-in sheets will not be passed around) The IFB documents may be reviewed and/or printed from the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System website at www.rockymountainbidsystem.com.

IFB documents are not available for purchase from Douglas County Government and can only be accessed from the above-mentioned website.

While the IFB documents are available electronically, Douglas County cannot accept electronic bid responses.

Bid responses shall be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked “IFB No. 068-23, 2024 Design-Build Rueter-Hess Dock Project” and mailed or hand-carried to the address shown below prior to the due date and time. Electronic and/or faxed bid responses will not be accepted.

Bids will be received until 2:00pm on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 by the Douglas County Finance Department, Purchasing Division, 100 Third Street, Suite 130, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104.

Bids will not be considered which are received after the time stated, and any bids so received will be returned unopened.

Please direct any questions concerning this IFB to Carolyn Riggs, Purchasing Supervisor, 303-6607434, criggs@douglas.co.us, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Legal Notice No. 946620 First Publication: January 4, 2024 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press ______________________________________ Public Notice INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) #069-23 RECREATION EQUIPMENT RENTAL SERVICES at RUETER-HESS RESERVOIR The Parks, Trails & Building Grounds Division of Douglas County Government, in conjunction with the Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD), respectfully requests bids from responsible and qualified companies for the provision of a recreational equipment rental service at RueterHess Reservoir.

The IFB documents may be reviewed and/or printed from the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System website at www.rockymountainbidsystem.com.

IFB documents are not available for purchase from Douglas County Government and can only be accessed from the above-mentioned website.

While the IFB documents are available electronically, Douglas County cannot accept electronic bid responses.

Bid responses shall be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked “IFB No. 069-23, Recreation Equipment Rental Service” and mailed or hand-carried to the address shown below prior to the due date and time. Electronic and/or faxed bid responses will not be accepted. Bids will be received until 2:00pm on Thursday, January 25, 2024 by the Douglas County Finance Department, Purchasing Division, 100 Third Street, Suite 130, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104. Bids

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January 4, 2024

The gift of a lifetime for active Bear Mountain runner Thornton medical team repairs hole in Evergreen man’s heart

the time what had caused it,” he said.

“But I was more worried about my kids at the time and focused on them. You start thinking about your living will, the financial side of things.”

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Enter Dr. Khan

It’s a holiday tale tinged in shades of The Grinch. Except this heartwarming story is true. And unlike the green curmudgeon who lived high atop a lonely peak, Craig McCormack is a 52-year-old ultra runner and father of two who lives on Evergreen’s Bear Mountain.

His heart was not too small. Unbeknownst to McCormack, it had a hole in it. Likely a congenital defect, it existed — unnoticed — for 52 years until McCormack suffered a stroke.

Thanks to a Thornton doctor, inspired in his career by a family history of heart disease, McCormack’s heart is now whole. Dr. Qaisar Khan and his team performed the successful surgery at North Suburban Medical Center Dec. 12.

“I’m ready for the holidays, and I’m going to start running again,” he said. “My kids are happy. They keep telling me to slow down, but I’m a stubborn old man and I feel so good.”

It’s a world apart from how McCormack felt in the small hours of Aug. 24.

“I got up and couldn’t feel my left arm and leg, and I was slurring,” he said. “It felt very weird.”

An MRI showed McCormack had suffered a stroke.

“I’m pretty active, so it was a bit of a shock,” he said. “I had no idea at

Shortly after his stroke, McCormack met a physician’s assistant at an Evergreen hikers’ gathering who works for Dr. Khan, an interventional cardiologist with Thornton’s Advanced Heart and Vein Center. When he heard McCormack’s story, the assistant urged him to see Dr. Khan.

“A young guy who’s otherwise very active shouldn’t have a stroke,” Dr. Khan said. “There has to be a reason.

Most likely it’s a hole in the heart.

“And if it happened once, it’s going to happen again. It’s basically a ticking time bomb. The next event could be life-threatening or complete disability. It needs to be closed.”

Khan’s passion for heart care stems from heart disease in his own family. His grandfather suffered a fatal heart attack at 48. His father also had a heart attack at 52 but survives today, with the help of three stints.

“Almost everybody in my family has heart disease,” Khan said. “But when my grandfather had his heart attack, they didn’t have stints. That’s how my dad is alive, and it’s why I think a lot of us are living longer.”

A hole in the heart is a surprisingly common issue. Also known as a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), it’s a hole between the upper chambers of the heart. Everyone has one in utero — it allows circulation while a fetus is in the womb — but most close 2-3 minutes after birth.

Public Notices

will not be considered which are received after the time stated.

Please direct any questions concerning this IFB to Carolyn Riggs, Purchasing Supervisor, 303-6607434, criggs@douglas.co.us, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Legal Notice No. 946621 First Publication: January 4, 2024 Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press _____________________________________ Public Notice REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) #001-24 MENTAL/BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES The Douglas County Board of County Com-

missioners (Board) is pursuing various options related to the provision of mental and behavioral health services in Douglas County. The County submitted an application for Community Project Funding through State Representative Jason Crow’s Office, and was awarded funding by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to create an Enhanced Model of Service (the Model). The funding term ends September 30, 2024.

The RFP documents may be reviewed and/or printed from the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System website at www.rockymountainbidsystem.com.

RFP documents are not available for purchase from Douglas County Government and can only be accessed from the above-mentioned website.

While the RFP documents are available electronically, Douglas County cannot accept electronic proposal responses.

years to live, suffering a stroke and living those years with a physical disability, perhaps not even being able to talk. The burden of stroke on our society is huge.”

Khan conducts about 20 such surgeries each year. Each is gratifying.

“Somebody saying thank you is the biggest reward,” he said. “And if you can change somebody’s quality of life, allow someone to continue having a quality of life, that is priceless.

That’s why I get up in the morning.”

Looking to the New Year

Evergreen resident Craig McCormack in a recent photo with his children Hudson COURTESY PHOTO and Theodora

For about 25% of people, that doesn’t happen. And for most of them, the condition never causes a problem, or is even a known condition. But for patients like McCormack, who suffer a mild stroke or symptoms like severe shortness of breath, action needs to be taken.

The life-changing procedure to repair the hole is typically done in less than an hour.

“To me, the most important thing is that you can prevent another stroke,” Dr. Khan said. “Imagine someone who has another 40-plus

RFP responses will be received until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 by Douglas County Government, Finance Department, Purchasing Division, 100 Third Street, Suite 130, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104. Five (5) original hard-copies of your proposal response must be submitted in a sealed envelope, plainly marked “Request for Proposal (RFP) #001-24, Mental/ Behavioral Health Services”. Proposal responses will not be considered which are received after the time stated.

Please direct any questions concerning this RFP to Carolyn Riggs, Purchasing Supervisor, 303-660-7434, criggs@douglas.co.us, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Legal Notice No. 946622 First Publication: January 4, 2024

McCormack, who was conscious and watched Dr. Khan and his team perform his surgery, left the hospital feeling “amazing.” He continues to feel that way.

“I got dressed, left, went and had sushi and Starbucks, stopped at Home Depot and then went home,” he said. “I get yelled at because I should be lying in bed, taking it easy, but I feel normal and I just want to do things outside.”

Instead of focusing on end-of-life preparations, McCormack is now planning the next phase of his life.

While he’s already checked off 50- and 100-mile runs as well as the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim (R2R2R) — a double crossing of the Canyon known as one of the most famous ultramarathon routes in the world — there’s a world-renowned challenge closer to home he aims to conquer as well.

“The Leadville 100 is on my bucket list before I turn 60,’” he said, referring to a 100-mile mountain trail run known for its ruggedness and dramatic ascents and descents. “I plan to start running again in the spring.

“It’s definitely a good start to 2024.”

Last Publication: January 4, 2024 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

City and County Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the proposed budgets for the County of Douglas and all its agencies, the Douglas County Law Enforcement Authority, the Douglas County Woodmoor Mountain General Improvement District, and the Douglas County Local Improvement District No. 07-01-Lincoln Station have been submitted to the Board of County Commissioners of Douglas County for the ensuing year 2024. The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing

to consider the adoption of the proposed budgets on January 9, 2024 beginning at 2:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible, in the Commissioner’s Hearing Room, Phillip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado. Any interested elector of Douglas County may file an objection to the proposed adopted budget prior to its final adoption by the Board of County Commissioners. A copy of said resolution may be obtained for inspection on-line at www.douglas.co.us.

Legal Notice No. 946593 First Publication: January 4, 2023 Last Publication: January 4, 2023 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press ###

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January 4, 2024Jan

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