Parker Chronicle 021722

Page 1

Week of February 17, 2022

FREE

DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

ParkerChronicle.net

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22

VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 12

Parker Water Board halts inclusion plan Castle Pines North water woes continue BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Castle Pines North residents are headed back to the drawing board to sort out water issues after the Parker Water District officially pulled out of an inclusion partnership on Feb. 10. Just under a year ago, the residents of the Castle Pines North

Metro District approved the inclusion plan through a special election. The inclusion, which had originally been scheduled to be completed on Jan. 3, was delayed in December to provide time to address unresolved issues necessary for Parker Water to accept a fully functional water and wastewater system and for the metro district to obtain funds to pay for the inclusion. During the Feb. 10 meeting, the Parker Water Board of Directors concluded that recent activities demonstrated the relationship between the water district and the

metro district was not conducive to resolving the outstanding inclusion issues. After discussion, board officially voted to terminate the inclusion project. Following the vote, Parker Water District Manager Ron Redd said, “We still believe there is an opportunity for an inclusion with Castle Pines North Metropolitan District. Even if we’re not able to complete it at this time, we still believe that it could benefit both communities. These are complicated agreements, and sometimes it doesn’t

Legend Unified takes on Parker police in basketball contest Students take fifth consecutive victory

SEE CONTEST, P10

SEE WATER, P7

Future of mill levy, bond measures uncertain amid DCSD controversies, chair says Mistrust persisted during talks about compensation, capital needs

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Legend Unified’s basketball team was able to bring back its annual game against the Parker Police Department Feb. 9. The annual contest was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dozens of Legend High School students lined the stands to cheer for the Legend Unified team, which was made up of students both with and without special needs, as they took on local law enforcement. “This is definitely the best thing we do all year,” said Josh Hans with the Parker Police Department. Throughout the game, the Legend High School students shouted and cheered nonstop for the Legend

happen the first time around. We remain open to revisiting this opportunity in the future.” The decision directly impacts 12,000 Castle Pines residents in the Castle Pines North Metro District living west of Interstate 25. In total, it equates to about 3,500 customer accounts that Parker Water would have obtained through the inclusion plan. In December, Redd brought his concerns before the water board,

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Justin Kulinksi, an alumni member of the Legend Unified program, cheers with Legend High School students during a basketball game against the PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER Parker Police Department Feb. 9.

FALLOUT CONTINUES High-ranking DCSD official resigns

P4

At their first public meeting following the firing of former Superintendent Corey Wise, members of the Douglas County School Board were given a warning: One of the few issues uniting them could be in peril amid the glaring division among leadership. All seven school board directors have consistently agreed that improving compensation is an urgent issue in the district. Some have said passing a mill levy override — and possibly a bond — in November could be the only remedy. The board unanimously voted to form a SEE LEVY, P2

REACHING READERS

Book clubs are no longer just confined to living rooms

P14


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