Chronicle Parker
Parker 6-28-13
June 28, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourparkernews.com
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 35
And the winners are ... Look inside to find out who made Colorado Community Media’s list.
Parker Water joining WISE District’s first deliveries are set to start in 2016 Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Black, left, walks away as his dog, Loki, gets a solid hold on Deputy Scott Spezzano during a K-9 demonstration at the June 22 Wag Your Tail Dog Walk and Barbecue. Photos by Ryan Boldrey
Police dogs’ pals do their part Walk, barbecue help raise funds for bulletproof vests By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com Tails were wagging everywhere one looked as nearly 100 dog lovers and supporters —— and their dogs — hit the trail at Hidden Mesa Open Space in Franktown to support the safety of two of the Douglas County’s Sheriff’s Office’s five working dogs. The Wag Your Tail Dog Walk and Barbecue June 22 helped raise $3,000 of the necessary $4,500 to purchase Kevlar vests for Zoos and Doc, the two newest dogs in the unit. The event, organized by the Friends of Douglas County K-9 Foundation, was used not only to raise money for the vests, but to educate the public on the K-9 unit. “We wouldn’t be able to have the necessary tools we need to be successful and safe if it wasn’t for the donations we receive,” said Deputy Greg Black, who had the unfortunate experience of having one of his dogs wounded by gunfire in the past. While the sheriff’s department funds many of the necessary items for the dogs, the foundation formed in 2011 to help take care of other costs, such as the purchase of
Dogs were welcome at a June 22 event that raised $3,000 for the Friends of Douglas County K-9 Foundation. The money will go toward the purchase of bulletproof vests for the two newest dogs on the sheriff’s K-9 unit.
bulletproof vests and the continuation of veterinary care for the retired dogs. “We saw a need to help replace the dogs that were retiring, to help care for the retired dogs and that the dogs need equipment,” said veterinarian David Swieckowski, who has been caring for the county’s dogs at the Franktown Animal Clinic for 17 years. In the past two years, the foundation has raised close to $176,000 to help the Douglas County K-9 Unit attend outside trainings with some of the world’s top trainers; purchase training equipment, supplies and veterinary care; and purchase Zoos, Doc and the third-newest member of the unit, Tank. In addition to the important police work the dogs do, Deputy Paul Montville said the most important aspect of their jobs is “their ability to be ice breakers and act like a go-between” between the officers and the public at events such as the barbecue, where the officers and their dogs put on a full demonstration and fielded questions about what it is like in the field, living with
Douglas County Sheriff’s dog Loki latches onto Deputy Scott Spezzano during a K-9 demonstration at the Wag Your Tail Dog Walk and Barbecue.
k-9 unit 2011-12
3,443 – proactive deployments
2,159 – building searches 708 – officer protection deployments 405 – assists on arrests 67,833 – grams of marijuana located 194 – grams of hard drugs located 342 – discoveries of drug paraphernalia $33,294 – in cash found their dogs and more. The county’s K-9 unit, established in 1989, is used primarily for narcotics work as well as some patrol work, helping deputies locate and catch suspects. “We are on call 24 hours, seven days a week,” Black said. “We’re basically paid chauffeurs. When that call comes in at 4 a.m. they don’t care about us, just the dogs.” If interested in donating to the Friends of Douglas County K-9 Foundation or learning more about the unit or foundation, please visit www.K9friends.org.
By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com The Parker Water and Sanitation District has signed an agreement that will send an average of 1,200 acre-feet of water from Aurora to Parker each year. Parker Water joins nine other members of the South Metro Water Supply Authority that have signed on to WISE, or the Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency agreement. The June 13 approval by the PWSD board of directors adds another source of water for the area’s long-term needs, said district manager Ron Redd. Parker Water pulls much of its water supply from the Denver Basin Aquifer, but it also captures an average of 5,000 acrefeet annually off Cherry Creek. The WISE agreement will have Parker piping 12,000 acre-feet of recycled water from Aurora and Denver every 10 years for an indefinite period of time. Water rates will likely go up 1 percent to 2 percent incrementally because of WISE, although any increases will not occur until a thorough rate analysis is conducted, Redd said. The results of the analysis will be released in mid-2014. The PWSD will start receiving the first trickles of water in 2016 and get full delivery of 1,200 acre-feet starting in 2021. The district hopes to use an existing pipeline along the E-470 corridor to transport the water and is in the process of negotiating with the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District. If an agreement is not reached, the district would have to build its own infrastructure at a steep cost. The Pinery Water and Wastewater District, along with a handful of smaller south metro districts, announced earlier this year that it had purchased 500 acre-feet of water through WISE. Parker Water needs 20,000 acre-feet for full build-out of the Town of Parker, the Ridgegate development in Lone Tree, and portions of Castle Pines. It is still searching for an additional 6,000 acre-feet. The supply coming from Denver and Aurora is water that has been used and treated. The district will again reclaim the water, meaning the average of 1,200 acre-feet coming in each year will actually measure close t0 2,400 acre-feet, Redd said, adding there is a possibility that Parker Water might purchase more WISE water in the future. In addition to bolstering its water supply, Redd says working with the two largest Water continues on Page 12
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