Parker Chronicle 082423

THOUSANDS SEE RELIEF IN PROPERTY VALUATIONS IN DOUGLAS, ARAPAHOE COUNTIES

County sees dozens apply for commission to plan water future

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

More than three dozen placed their names in the running to serve on a new arm of Douglas County’s government that will help the county’s elected leaders plan for the future of Douglas’ water supply, a pressing question for a county whose population is expected to keep growing.

Commissioner George Teal said he has heard the concern that “this is going to be a tool of two commissioners to redo water in Douglas County.”

“ at comment has a couple things right but is fundamentally wrong, in that yes, two commissioners can steer a course, but I don’t think anybody has a (plan) to change to the detriment (of water) in Douglas County,” Teal said during an Aug. 14 meeting of county o cials.

Two commissioners form a majority out of the county’s three-member board of leaders.

e new entity, called the County Water Commission, is expected to

help create a plan regarding water supply and conservation, among other aspects of water in the county. It’ll consist of unpaid volunteers, Teal said.

Teal argued for seating a large number of members on the water commission, saying it would make it more di cult for “rash, bad decisions” to occur.

e forming of the new entity comes against the backdrop of a controversial proposal to pump about 22,000 acre-feet of water per year to Douglas County from the San Luis Valley, a region of Southern Colorado. (An acre-foot is the equivalent of a one-foot-deep pool about the size of a football eld.)

Renewable Water Resources is the private company that proposed the project.

Last year, Commissioner Abe Laydon joined Commissioner Lora omas in deciding not to move forward with that project, while Teal continues to support it.

“Everything’s on the table as far as I’m concerned,” Teal told Colorado Community Media in early August.

“We get another ve or six years of

rainy summers, OK, maybe then we can start to be picky and choosy.”

Names kept private County o cials recently put out a call for Douglas County residents to apply to serve on the new entity.

Teal and omas have argued over who released a name on the list of applicants to the news media.

“Commissioner omas has been leaking the name of Sean Tonner to several reporters,” Teal claimed at the Aug. 8 meeting. (Sean Tonner is one of the principals of Renewable Water Resources.)

omas said county o cials were given an email with the names of those who applied. She said because it was an email, she thought it was public record.

“I did talk with a reporter (and did say) Sean Tonner’s name was on that list. Later that afternoon, when we came back in here, (county o cials) decided we were going to treat those names as job applicants, and they’d be protected,” omas said.

She added that once o cials were told it was to be treated as private, “I have told no reporters the information that was on that list.”

Teal had given Colorado Community Media the name Sean Tonner regarding applications to serve on the water commission. omas told Colorado Community Media her understanding is that county sta are treating information about who has applied as a non-public matter and will not release information until nalists are chosen.

e county asked for applications by close of business Aug. 11. According to the Aug. 14 meeting discussion, the county received 38 applications.

‘The buck stops with us’ e county’s elected leaders dis-

cussed how many members should be placed on the water commission. omas argued for seven, Teal for 15 and Laydon for 11.

Ultimately, they settled on the body having 11 seats, consisting of three per each of the county commissioners’ districts — or areas of the county — and two selected “at large.” e county commissioners will appoint the members.

Still opposing the Renewable Water Resources proposal, omas has expressed concern that the county’s formation of a water commission is “another swing at that ball.”

Asked whether any representatives of RWR have spoken with county o cials about the water commission, Teal told Colorado Community Media: “I think I did see that Sean Tonner, he’s one of the principals of RWR … has put in an application to be on the water commission.”

Teal said he has been friends with Tonner for 20 years.

“We are very likely to drink beer together and have a social visit. He may bring it up,” Teal said. “But otherwise, that hasn’t happened yet.”

Teal has said he hasn’t seen the application itself.

Laydon said during an Aug. 8 meeting of county o cials: “I have no problem with anybody applying, including Sean Tonner; he’s brilliant and has been around for decades and involved in water for a while.”

In the Aug. 14 meeting, Laydon noted that the water commission is an “advisory board” to help the overall county commissioners make choices.

“ e buck stops with us. We are the three individuals that were elected,” Laydon said, adding that the county commissioners make the nal decisions.

Rueter-Hess Reservoir.

PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

County panel highlights issue of human tra cking, hears from survivor

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Most human tra cking isn’t like in the movie “Taken,” with children being kidnapped. Instead, it often arises out of poverty or situations involving families.

at’s according to Kelly Dore, a survivor of sexual abuse who now works to ght human tra cking. She spoke to an audience in Douglas County at an Aug. 17 town hall about the issue.

Dore says she grew up in a “fairly a uent” community but was being abused and tra cked by her biological father. She told several adults, but they didn’t understand how to help, she said.

People can be forced into tra cking without the signs being clear to observers, Dore told the audience.

“I was just the everyday average girl,” said Dore, who said she excelled as a

soccer player and had a high gradepoint average as a youth. But away from the public eye, she was told if she revealed to people what was going on, “I will kill your mother. I will kill your brother.”

e abuse was so normalized, she thought other girls were commonly going through the same thing. She cautioned the public against sharing the “things we see on the internet and social media” regarding human tra cking because spreading misinformation makes the work people do to ght tra cking more di cult.

“Make sure that you understand the source” of the information, she said.

Jenelle Goodrich is the founder of the organization, From Silenced to Saved, which supports survivors of sexual exploitation, its website says. ose involved in human tra cking are often someone people might not

suspect in their community, Goodrich said.

“It’s a middle-aged man with two children who’s White,” Goodrich said, adding it could be people you sit at a soccer game next to.

“It’s not drag queens, no matter what you feel about them. It’s not the priest … no matter what you think about them … It’s not the Black guy walking down the street with the baggy pants,” Goodrich said.

Sometimes people are tra cked through coercion rather than being “chained to a wall,” said Johanna Spille, who also works to support survivors of tra cking with the organization Covered Colorado.

“It’s so important to understand that a victim’s prison is mental — it’s emotional, it’s not physical,” Spille said, telling the crowd about a survivor they worked with who sat in a co ee house.

“ ey look like you and I,” Spille

said.

Abusers nd a way to control victims through vulnerabilities, like a drug addiction or if “their dad wasn’t around,” taking advantage to form what’s called a “trauma bond,” Goodrich said.

County Commissioner Abe Laydon brought up the example of someone who might provide a topless photo in exchange for money and then gets blackmailed.

Dore urged parents to be involved with their child’s technology and to “have a basic conversation about sex with your children.”

“Have a basic conversation about if you send a topless picture to your friend, it is never going away,” Dore said.

Sheri Darren Weekly urged people to remember the advice: “If you see something, say something.”

REVERSE MORTGAGES MADE EASY

SEE TRAFFICKING, P5

AdventHealth rebrands in Castle Rock, Parker, Littleton

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e name might look a little di erent, but the same care team will be delivering the same quality of care as AdventHealth continues to manage ve hospitals and various care facilities.

As of Aug. 1, Parker, Castle Rock and Littleton Adventist hospitals along with Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville and Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver have been rebranded to be AdventHealth.

Each hospital held a celebratory event called “Welcome Home” to introduce team members to AdventHealth.

Related care sites and physician practices will also be renamed to reect AdventHealth’s national brand.

AdventHealth is one of the nation’s largest faith-based health care systems where they aim to make patients feel whole as they believe health should be measured in terms of the whole person - mind, body and spirit.

“To be consistent with the brand that AdventHealth has established across the country,” said Brett Spenst, the newly appointed president and CEO for the Rocky Mountain Region of AdventHealth. “ eir tagline as far as ‘feel whole,’ that is what has driven the rebranding.”

Although AdventHealth has always owned these ve hospitals, the hospitals had been managed through a partnership with CommonSpirit Health and AdventHealth. Called Centura Health, the partnership was formed in 1996 as a management company.

After 27 years of partnership, CommonSpirit and Adventealth have separated and are now operating and

TRAFFICKING

“A lot of times, people are hesitant to get involved if something bothers them,” Weekly said. “If something doesn’t sit right with you,” let law enforcement know, he said.

Or to report or get help, call Colorado’s human tra cking hotline at 866-455-5075.

managing their own hospitals. rough the disa liation process, Centura Health is no longer going to be an entity at these locations and AdventHealth is assuming direct management of the ve hospitals.

Physicians employed by the hospital will become members of the AdventHealth Medical Group.

“Our hospitals have been delivering high quality care for many many years,” said Spenst. “And there will be no change to that.”

In addition to the ve hospitals, the AdventHealth care network includes freestanding emergency rooms, emergency and urgent care center, imaging services, mother and baby care, occupational physical and speech therapy, outpatient services and primary and specialty physician practice locations.

As Denver and the Front Range continue to grow, the team at AdventHealth have plans to continue to expand and grow their mission.

Spenst said AdventHealth plans to grow the number of care sites as well as the number of physicians in their networks to ensure they meet the needs of each of the communities they serve.

Whole person care at AdventHealth has typically applied to patients, however, Spenst would like to expand the services to the entire team, including physicians and care partners as well as the community.

While the locations have o cially been renamed, the physical signs will take some time to get changed.

“AdventHealth has a long history of delivering high quality care across the county,” said Spenst. “[ is] will allow us to continue to expand and make an impact in our community.”

directory is managed by the Laboratory to Combat Human Tra cking, a Colorado-based nonpro t. You can also text the hotline between noon and midnight mountain time at 720999-9724.

For more information on human tra cking, see the Colorado Department of Human Services’ website at cdhs.colorado.gov/child-tra ckingin-colorado or the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s website at cbi.colorado. gov/sections/investigations/humantra cking.

Labor Day closure

Douglas County offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 4, in observance of Labor Day.

Many services are available at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

School is back in session - time to check your child’s mental health

ImatterColorado.org offers a free mental health assessment and free youth counseling. For resources in and around Douglas County, visit douglas.co.us and search Mental Health Resources

Did you know Douglas County o ers Live Town Hall meetings?

Register today to ensure you are contacted for all future Live Town Halls about local issues of importance to you at douglas.co.us/townhall – it’s always your choice whether or not to participate. Join online or by phone and listen to community conversations, ask questions and hear responses from experts.

If you’re an older adult, you won’t want to miss an upcoming opportunity to explore the latest trends in living and aging well. Tickets are on sale now for the Douglas County Seniors’ Council Vintage and Vibrant event from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Parker Arts, Culture and Events (PACE) Center

Registration is available online through Sept. 15 by visiting douglas.co.us and searching for Vintage & Vibrant.

Laydon, Teal plan to censure Thomas

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

One of Douglas County’s elected leaders proposed a censure — or formal disapproval — of one of his colleagues after she criticized a funding advisory board and after a member of that board sent the county a letter of resignation.

Commissioner George Teal oated the censure of Commissioner Lora omas at an Aug. 15 meeting of county o cials, and Commissioner Abe Laydon, who also serves as board chair, supported it.

“I think it was highly inappropriate to try to publicly shame that cultural council,” Laydon said during the meeting.

at’s a reference to the Douglas County Cultural Council, a group that helps decide how arts and culture money should be spent.

“For the past four years, the commissioners have approved our decisions without hesitation,” wrote James Smith, chair of the Douglas County Cultural Council, in a letter o ering to step down after omas had criticized the group.

Actions including “public shaming” by omas have “diminished the council’s morale,” Smith wrote in the Aug. 10 letter emailed to county o cials.

omas, in through her weekly

email newsletter, had criticized the council’s actions, pushing the group to support spending a part of its funding in a di erent way.

Teal and Laydon’s move to censure omas comes as the latest in a long string of two-to-one con icts among the three Douglas County leaders.

“Coming full circle in a repeat of April 2021, George Teal and Abe Laydon today directed sta to draft a resolution censuring me for Teal’s oft- and overly used charge of ‘conduct unbecoming (of) a commissioner,’” omas wrote in an email newsletter.

Debating funding

e dispute about the cultural council — a body that works with the Denver-area arts funding district — is among a few points of contention for the county commissioners in recent weeks.

e Scienti c and Cultural Facilities District is a government body that includes seven counties in the Denver metro area. One penny on every $10 in sales and use tax collected goes to the district to fund organizations that provide arts or science programs, the district’s website says.

e metro area’s largest cultural organizations — such as the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

and the Denver Zoo — receive speci c amounts of funding.

But counties also make decisions about how the tax revenue is spent. Each county receives a share of the tax collected, and county cultural councils review applications from organizations and make recommendations on their county’s funding priorities, the district’s website says.

ose recommendations are then reviewed and approved by the county commissioners or city council and the SCFD board of directors, the website says.

omas’ email newsletter took issue with the actions of the Douglas County Cultural Council.

“ is year there was more funding available for distribution than there were requests, but (Douglas County) commissioners did not learn about this windfall until after the council had made recommendations,” omas wrote in an Aug. 6 newsletter.

Organizations outside of Douglas County that can prove that they provide services to county residents are eligible for funding, according to omas’ newsletter.

But, “I felt strongly that after all of the requests for funding had been ful lled, that the Cultural Council should disperse the additional (money) only to organizations lo-

cated in Douglas County,” omas wrote.

omas’ newsletter initially stated there was an additional $500,000 in funding. Another newsletter later put the number at $85,000. e correct number is $88,000, according to county sta . “Laydon agreed with me, and the commissioners sent an email to the cultural council requesting that it meet to reconsider its recommendations and only provide the windfall funds to Douglas County-based organizations,” omas continued. e cultural council recently met, and the request to keep the dollars in Douglas County failed in a 5-2 vote, according to omas’ newsletter.

omas’ newsletter criticized the decision and said: “I would like to give credit and applaud the courage of Cultural Council members Ann Speer and Sid Simonson who voted in the minority to respect Douglas County taxpayers and organizations.”

e newsletter then included a link that read: “Click here for a roster of the cultural council members.” It led to a page on the county’s website that describes the cultural council and lists its members.

CENSURE

“I call it doxing,” Laydon said at the Aug. 8 meeting of commissioners and other county o cials.

e Merriam-Webster website de nes “doxing” as “to publicly identify or publish private information about (someone) especially as a form of punishment or revenge.”

But whatever a person calls it, “I don’t think that’s productive, and I don’t think that’s respectful,” Laydon said.

omas responded that she shared the names of two individuals who voted on the cultural council for the distributions to be “done the way you and I had requested.” She added that the link to all the board members’ names is public information on the county’s website.

Change of mind

But Smith, the recent Douglas County Cultural Council chair, wrote in a document sent to the county that the cultural council’s funding should focus on impact to residents.

“ e Scienti c and Cultural Facilities District’s primary goal is to

‘bring arts, culture, and scienti c experiences within reach for every resident,’” the document said. “ e residents of Douglas County are our primary stakeholders, and decisions should re ect their interests, not the interests of a handful of organizations that have a home o ce in Douglas County.”

e document also mentioned the “economic impact” of funding outside organizations that may travel to Douglas County.

“When organizations requesting project support travel to Douglas County, they often bring a large following. Performers, executive sta , instructors, support sta , as well as families and patrons of the organization will follow,” the document said. “When these groups come to Douglas County, some individuals will buy a tank of gas. Others may go out to dinner, or shop in our stores.”

Ultimately, Laydon expressed satisfaction with the council’s process.

“My concern was ensuring that Douglas County citizens were served, and they made it clear that they included that in their rubric,” Laydon said during the Aug. 15 meeting. “It’s just like our rodeo; we have out-of-state performers that come to our rodeo, and

they are athletes that are nationally ranked, (but) they are serving Douglas County citizens.”

In the end, the county commissioners voted 3-0 to certify the funding as recommended by the cultural council, according to county sta .

Skeptical of donation

Laydon also took issue with what he described as omas “trying to shame” members of the Douglas County Community Foundation, a nonpro t that is building up a “relief fund” that can help take care of people during natural disasters or other emergencies.

“ e Douglas County Community Foundation will be asking the commissioners for $200 Grand-that’s right!! $200,000...to be used as matching funds for its annual September fundraising gala. Boy, $400 GRAND--that sounds like SOME KINDA ‘EVENT!’” a July newsletter from omas said.

Laydon said omas misrepresented the information.

“Zero of the funds that the county is providing to the community foundation is being used for the gala but, rather, they’re doubling the money that’s being invested by the county and using that for emergency relief,” Laydon said.

omas has highlighted that Laydon is a member of the foundation’s board. e board also includes several other local government o cials, including Sheri Darren Weekly and mayors of municipalities in Douglas County, according to its website. omas wrote in an email newsletter sent on Aug. 15 that she had asked county sta to obtain from the foundation “the budget for how these dollars were to be spent, a list of the foundation’s board members who voted to support this request from the county and what chances the county had of getting any of these funds back if unused?”

“Sta told me that DCCF President Brock Smethills would provide me the information. Even though I made a second request for the DCCF info from sta , I never received any response to my questions,” she wrote in the newsletter.

‘Lying through your teeth’ Laydon also described omas’ actions as uncivil, and omas pointed to the Aug. 8 meeting of county o cials in saying “there seems to be a decided double standard.”

SEE CENSURE, P26

*The Ford Tri-motor will be at Exploration of Flight from

Residents get answers on valuation appeals

BY ELLIS ARNOLD AND NINA JOSS COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

In a year that saw property owners le a record number of attempts to lower their property values — as calculated for tax purposes — in Arapahoe and Douglas counties, thousands of property owners have now received notices that their values have been decreased.  at means those owners will see some relief in next year’s property tax bills.

In Douglas County, a higher percentage of property owners who appealed saw relief than in Arapahoe County.

Toby Damisch, who leads Douglas County’s property valuation o ce, said 37% of properties whose values were appealed saw some relief.

In Arapahoe County, that number

is about 23%, county spokesperson Anders Nelson said.

Homeowners around the Denver metro area checked a notice from their county assessors this spring and saw that their home value had jumped by sometimes shocking amounts.

Driven by a costly real-estate market, those home values have spiked since the last time homeowners received notices of value two years ago. In Douglas County, residential properties faced increases between 30% and 60%, with a median of 47%.

In Arapahoe County, residential properties saw almost a 42% increase on average, according to PK Kaiser, the head of Arapahoe’s property valuation o ce.

e high increase in property values means families’ property tax bills could jump up next year.

Both counties received an overwhelming number of appeals after sending out the notices of value. In appeals, owners argue their property value should be lower.

One of every four residential property owners led appeals this year in Douglas County, Damisch said. With roughly 36,000 properties appealed for, this year’s total more than doubled the next-highest total for appeals in Douglas County from back in 2009, Damisch estimates.

Arapahoe County saw about 31,000 appeals — more than three times Arapahoe’s next-highest appeal rate in the past decade, about 9,000 in 2019.

“ is was a historic number of appeals that we received and we take every one very seriously,” Nelson said, adding: “We wanted to make sure everyone had equal opportunity on this, to have their property evaluated.”

How many saw relief

e property valuations that homeowners received around early May were based on data as of June 2022, near the recent peak in the real-estate market.

Even though home prices have declined since then, property values from the county assessor’s o ces re ect last year’s exceptional highs.

In Douglas County, property owners saw a relatively high rate of success in appealing their values. About 2 in 5 properties whose values were appealed saw some relief, said Damisch, the county assessor.

e Douglas assessor’s o ce lowered values for about 41% of the residential properties that were appealed, Damisch said.

In the past, “we’ve adjusted between 25% and 40% of appeals” in any given year for residential properties, Damisch has said.

Including other types of land — such as commercial and vacant land — that rate was 37%, Damisch said.

In Arapahoe, the number of appeals that resulted in a reduced property value this year was in line with recent years, Nelson said. Usually, about 25% of appeals see a reduction. is year, it was about 23%.

What a successful appeal means

So how much did values come down for appealed properties?

Typically, when an appeal succeeds, the Douglas assessor’s o ce decreases a property’s value by 5% to

10%, according to Damisch. is year, his o ce’s average decrease for residential property was 7%, Damisch said. e average adjustment for all appeal types was also about 7%.

In Arapahoe County, the average adjustment on a single-family home that successfully received a lower value was a reduction of about 4%.

Nelson emphasized that the number includes many di erent types of single-family residences, ranging from detached homes to condos.

What made an appeal successful?

A successful appeal can stem from something small: e assessor’s ofce could have some characteristic wrong, like incorrect information about the deck of a house.

Other wrong information in the records could relate to the bathroom count, square footage or garage, according to Damisch.

In Arapahoe County, Nelson said a lot of unsuccessful appeals this year did not provide market-based support for their claims.

“A lot of appeals simply said ‘value is too high’ or ‘I couldn’t sell my house for that price,’” Nelson wrote in an email.

But whether the county assessor’s o ce accurately valued a property depends on what price the property could have sold for as of June 2022, Damisch said.

Some appealers did not realize their home values were based on that timeline, and provided market data after June 2022 to try to make a case for lowering their values.

at discrepancy “was especially prevalent this year as many neighborhoods saw decreasing sales prices after (June 30) due to increased supply and higher mortgage rates,” the email from Nelson said.

How property values are determined

Assessors’ o ces use what are called “mass appraisals” because there are so many properties in a county and limited numbers of workers to analyze them.

at means the assessor’s o ce looks at properties built around the same time with a similar construction style, location, size and amenities. It uses an algorithm to help value them.

“State law requires assessors to use sales (information) to value

VALUATION

residential property,” Corbin Sakdol, the Colorado Assessors’ Association director and a former Arapahoe County assessor, has told Colorado Community Media. Data from property sales are used to value all the unsold properties, Sakdol said.

Many factors played a role in whether an appeal succeeded, Nelson wrote. Sometimes there is an “outlier” sale in the area that in ates the property’s value — or incorrect information about the property or comparable sales.

Appeals can also succeed when a property owner provides alternate sales that are more comparable than under the mass appraisal system, Nelson said. In other cases, the condition of the property and remodeling could make a property’s original valuation incorrect.

Appeal approaches between counties

Asked why Douglas County experienced a higher rate of successful appeals than Arapahoe County — and whether the assessor’s party a liation played a role — Damisch, a Republican, said he doesn’t know whether a liation makes a di erence.

“With respect to the adjustment rate, I do not have an explanation for why some counties are higher or lower than others. I just know that we take the approach of trying not to be defensive in supporting our assessments,” Damisch said.

His o ce’s philosophy on adjustments this year was that “we want to give, given the situation in front of us, grace and deference to our property owners as much as possible,” Damisch said.

“And I asked (sta ) to ask the same question I told the public to ask, and that is: As you’re looking at an appeal, could the property have sold for this as of the appraisal date, June

2022?” Damisch said, adding that he gave his sta “wide permission” to adjust values if they had any evidence to do so.

Kaiser, a Democrat, said his work as an assessor is nonpartisan. He said he could not comment on Douglas County’s numbers of approved appeals.

“At the assessor’s o ce, we don’t have any philosophy” in evaluating appeals, he said. “Every appeal is being seen on its own. We treat every appeal individually.”

He said his sta puts all of the information for each individual appeal into the system and analyzes the data with no predetermination of how they will adjust values.

His o ce has strong beliefs about educating taxpayers on the appeals process, he said, through public events and working with municipal governments.

“Our approach is: let the people know their rights, encourage them to contact the assessor’s o ce and make

(the) assessor’s o ce accessible for every single possible taxpayer,” Kaiser said.

How to take an appeal further June 8 was the deadline to le an appeal with the Douglas and Arapahoe assessor’s o ces.

Douglas County’s decisions for all the 2023 appeals were postmarked and mailed Aug. 15, and digital versions were to be available on the assessor’s o ce website either that night or the next day, Damisch said. Arapahoe County nished mailing its notices out on Aug. 11, days before the deadline.  ose whose appeals are denied but want to go further can raise the appeal to their county’s board of equalization. And if a person is still dissatis ed, they can le their appeal of that decision to authorities including the state Board of Assessment Appeals. See more information about the process at cdola.colorado.gov/ appeal-of-your-valuation-reminder.

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Area is rich in hiking trails

Colorado o ers much more than mountains

BY COURTNEY FAY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

When you think of hiking in Colorado, panoramic views of the snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks probably come to mind. While there’s no argument on the beauty of that view, you don’t need to venture that far from Elbert County for inspiring sights. ere are numerous hiking trails much closer to home that o er stunning views and peaceful scenery.

e rst on the list is right in Elizabeth within Casey Jones Park. is soft-surface trail, which is approximately 1.3 miles in length, weaves through tall pines in the northern portion of the park and can be accessed from the north end of the baseball elds. e trail can be used for walking, running, biking and horseback riding. Also close to home are Bayou Gulch Open Space and Two Bridges Trail. Both are located just west of Elizabeth on Bayou Gulch Road and have connections to the Cherry Creek Trail. ese trails are both popular for horseback riding and mountain bikes.

If you are looking for a little more elevation change, head to Franktown and check out the many trails at Castlewood Canyon State Park. With trails that follow Cherry Creek and ones that traverse the rocky terrain up and down the canyon, there is a wide variety of intensity levels and scenery from which to choose. Local history is also available with views of the ruins of the Cherry Creek Dam that burst in 1933. You’ll need to utilize your state parks pass or purchase daily admission to enjoy this park. Other options close to Franktown include Hidden Mesa Open Space and Gateway Mesa Open Space. ese both are managed by the Town of Castle Rock and have multiple trail options depending on the length of hike you’re looking for. Both the Town of Castle Rock and the Town of Parker manage numerous open space areas that have ample hiking opportunities. Speci c trails and their locations can be found by visiting either

recreation.crgov.com or parkerrec. com.

Spruce Mountain Open Space, located in Larkspur, o ers 8.5 miles of trails, stunning views and this time of year is especially good for wild owers. Sandstone Ranch Open Space, also located in Larkspur, provides unique and diverse landscapes including red rock formations and large meadows with 12 miles of trails. Additionally, visitors can view a number of historic ranch buildings, dating back to the original owners in the 1870s. Dawson Butte Ranch Open Space is another area in Larkspur with close to eight miles of trails to explore. Visitors will travel through open meadows with views of the Front Range as well as forested areas.

Homestead Ranch Regional Park is located east of Black Forest and provides two hiking loops to choose from. e eastern loop travels through an open meadow and boasts a view of Pikes Peak.

e western loop takes hikers to the top of the blu s. Additional trails to check out around this area include Limbach Park, Double Eagle Trail, Woodlake Trail, Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Austin Blu s Open Space, Lincoln Mountain and Greenland Open Space.

If you are looking for a truly unique hiking experience, you’ll want to explore the Paint Mines Interpretive Park near Calhan, which sits on about 750 acres. is unique area features incredible and colorful geological formations. e bands of vibrant color seen in each layer of clay are caused by iron compounds that have been oxidized. is location contains evidence of human life dating back 9,000 years.

is, of course, is not an all-encompassing list of the many hiking opportunities we have around us. In Colorado, there are close to 40,000 miles of hiking trails, many of which are closer to home than we may realize.

A great resource, if you are looking for hiking trails, is Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX). is app can be downloaded on Apple or Android devices, is a partnership between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Natural Atlas, and provides the most comprehensive trail maps for the state of Colorado.

DP3328 ‘13 Peterbilt 367 semi truck

DP3167 ‘17 Peterbilt 579 semi truck DQ2140 ‘20 Volvo VNL860 semi truck

Paint Mines Interpretive Park near Calhan is an El Paso County Open Space facility.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY FAY

Open letter to the citizens of Douglas County

Dear Friends, Families, and Neighbors of Douglas County, I hope this message finds you well. I am Art, one of the co-chairs and the lead for entertainment at this year’s Douglas County Pridefest on August 26th in Castle Rock. I am writing this open letter to my community to tell you directly about our festival, drag show, and what has been happening in our community in hopes of creating peace, respect, and acceptance in our county.

I want to take this moment to address a topic that has stirred passionate discussions within our county – the perception of drag. Several members of our community have expressed concerns and even protested because they view drag performances through a lens of misunderstanding. They see drag as something sexual, perverted, and evil. They have made horrible and baseless accusations. Our organization is the target of hate filled posts on social media, attempted restrictions on constitutional rights of speech and our parental rights regarding what is best for our children. We have experienced a few elected officials from both Douglas County and the Town of Castle Rock speak untruthfully about us.

Last year, we acknowledged that a mistake was made at the drag performance. We took full responsibility and immediately apologized, because we too, did not see it as family friendly and the type of entertainment we wanted. Within a week of last year’s festival,

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our planning team instituted improved oversight procedures that include a review of all lyrics, costumes, and performances and the on-stage presence by a board member as an observer to stop anything that may be inappropriate, all to ensure we produce an all ages, family friendly, highly entertaining show.

Drag has been an art form and part of stage performances for centuries. It has always been part of the queer landscape but now it has gone mainstream. Anyone who has experienced a good drag show knows drag queens can be campy and funny and are there to entertain.

We are all on the same page, and in complete agreement, when it comes to protecting children from nudity and inappropriate material. Many of us are parents too and want that for our children as well. While some drag is inappropriate for children, there are plenty of drag performances that are appropriate, just like some movies are appropriate for children and some aren’t. But our LGBTQ children also need to be protected from the bullying and hate they face every day at school, on the bus, or online. From the name calling and violence directed toward them. Protection from being told they are worthless. If your mission is to protect the children, please protect ALL the children. Pride provides them a safe place so they know they are loved and cherished for who they are.

So, to anyone who might be planning to disrupt our festival, we ask that you heed

your own words. Please protect the children who will be attending our festival from witnessing the hate, violence, and lies. Show them, while you may disagree, they are still loved and cared for by the entire Douglas County community. If you continue to feel our festival and drag show are inappropriate and not right for your family and children, I respect your right not to attend. I ask you to respect the right of parents to choose what is appropriate for their children and their decision to participate in our festival and entertainment. Protect their children as well and allow them a safe space to be who they are. We want everyone to know we are partnering with the Douglas County Sheriff’s department to ensure our festival is a safe and welcoming place.

Let me make this perfectly clear: OUR PRIDEFEST IS… IN ITS ENTIRETY… A FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT and WILL comply with all local laws and ordinances… You will have a BLAST because YOU BELONG HERE! You have my word on it.

We are excited to invite each and every one of you to join us at our upcoming PrideFest on Saturday August 26, 2023 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. For more information and tickets, visit castlerockpride.org

Let’s celebrate together and create a legacy of acceptance that future generations can look up to with pride.

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Art Kerkezian is treasurer of the Castle Rock Pride board and Co-Chair of Douglas County Pridefest.

Transparency — try it

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR No on Trump

FROM THE EDITOR

As an editor, and citizen, one of my biggest pet peeves is when elected leaders and volunteers on public boards seem clueless about the power in the statement, “the public’s right to know.”

It’s not selective. You don’t get to just decide when and how residents and taxpayers can learn something.

After months of seeming to be civil, the Douglas County commissioners went back to their old ways with the twomember board majority deciding to pick another ght with fellow Commissioner Lora omas. omas dared to question what the Douglas County Cultural Council is doing with money the commission gives the group each year. For educational purposes — it should be stressed — that money is taxpayer money, and the cultural council helps decide how arts and culture money should be spent . If a Douglas County resident o the street wants to know how it is being spent — public record laws require you to tell them.

So, you have a commissioner questioning it. Isn’t she elected to ask questions? Even if you don’t like her questions — she has a right as a resident to ask.

To the cultural council that seems overly sensitive about omas’ approach in asking — sure, I agree, you are all volunteers. I love the volunteers who take time to work in our community. However, I don’t love volunteer boards who want all the glory but somehow think they should be immune to criticism. Bottom line, you are being given a portion of taxpayer dollars to spend as you think is best. I emphasize — it’s taxpayer money and we have a right to weigh in if we want to.

Like a planning and zoning commission answers to councils

and commissioners — you are volunteers who do not just get to have the nal say and never be questioned. If you do not like to be questioned — volunteer somewhere else.

en, we have Commission Chair Abe Laydon saying what omas did was resort to “doxing.” I have grown to hate this term. It’s used to create victims that really aren’t victims. First, she listed the volunteer board members from your own Douglas County website. It’s a public website and these board members provided pictures and information. A bit of a stretch to even claim doxing.

As for doxing itself — the world wide web allows all of us to nd a person’s address, phone number and social media accounts within minutes. Get good at it and you can nd a lot more legally.

While I will take a wait-and-see approach — the timing and topic of this ght just seems suspicious.

In Arapahoe County, the issue of transparency also caught my attention after a short conversation with one of my journalists.

Cherry Creek School District is an impressive district. My children attend, so I know it well.

However, the fact that the elected school board is so far behind the times that meetings are not livestreamed or recorded is concerning to me as a parent. If I want to research or get more involved in an issue — it’s not OK that it’s not readily available.

You are a district where parents approve bonds and give money. It’s a great district but this is disappointing, and in the name of true transparency it should be considered a high priority. Record meetings, live stream meetings and show that the public’s right to know does matter.

Again, to all public o cials, boards and organizations — the public has a right to know and you should consider that a responsibility more than a liability.

As a woman, almost 80 years old, who lived 64 years in California before moving to Douglas County, I am unable to grasp why Trump continues to have the support he does. As a lifelong “blue blood” Democract, it is di cult to understand how an individual that exhibits the ethical, moral, lying, ignorance, ego-driven hate- lled bullying that characterizes Trump’s persona generates any support at all. A man who has been married three times and cheated numerous times on each wife, allegedly defrauded the government, has been indicated and impeached, and used the presidency to his nancial advantage and personal gain is not t to be president.

Voters who continue to support him demonstrate no respect for our democracy, the tenets of the constitution, the ag they y 24/7, and the teaching of their respective religious organizations. And as a closing note, DeSantis , with his bigotry, attack on education and history, and disregard for the rights of women and girls, is no better. His policies would continue the hate and division that is permeating this country. It is amazing that the Republicans cannot do better!

Barbara Morton Highlands Ranch

Unintended consequences

During the last Douglas County School District (DCSD) board meeting, Director Susan Meek asked our community to provide suggestions on how to “come together over race and di erences.” is was in response to the recent civil rights complaint led against the school district by three families whose students were the recipients of racial slurs and harassment in their respective schools. is is undoubtedly a very unfortunate incident, and I agree that a community conversation can be bene cial.

ere has been a marked change in the Douglas County Schools culture since the educa-

tional equity policy was passed in early 2021. Kids are coalescing around identity groups such as sexual orientation, skin color or ethnicity, which I believe is an unhealthy practice. is behavior creates an “us versus them” mentality as it highlights our di erences instead of our commonalities. ese identity groups further divide students on our college campuses. We now have segregated dorms and graduation ceremonies.

Unfortunately, the educational equity policy that Director Meek voted for and has subsequently defended encourages this divisive behavior. It’s very concerning that school administrators and teachers choose to celebrate certain identity groups by way of posters and ags in the classroom and halls. I believe that picking and choosing favorites based on an attribute that can’t be changed — such as race — breeds resentment, and we’re seeing that play out in mean-spirited, bullying behaviors. I would ask that Director Meek consider the unintended consequences of policies that she continues to endorse.

Susan Renton Highlands Ranch

Not Trump — exactly ere are legendary if apocryphal stories about disc jockeys who played the same song over and over until security broke down the studio door.

In the same sense of inspired redundancy, I’d like to see editor elma Grimes’ editorial “Not Trump — please” reprinted in your paper every week for the next year.

It might cause a few people to rethink their vote when it comes to a Monster of a Human Being. It would also receive national attention.

An editorial like this in a county known for its conservative rut was nothing short of courageous.

Of course, Ms. Grimes might have to move to Mars for a while too.

Craig Marshall Smith Highlands Ranch

elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

Thelma Grimes

Say no to even higher property taxes

than any other county in the metro area. People are worried, and they should be.

GUEST COLUMN

Michael Fields

Whether you support or oppose the mill levy override (MLO) that the Douglas County School District recently approved for the ballot, we should all agree that taxpayer money should never be used to promote a proposed ballot measure.

Unfortunately, over $140,000 has already been paid this year to a consulting rm to “campaign manage” and set messaging for this tax increase. e agreement with DCSD says the consulting rm will “build and launch a winning Campaign” – which includes everything from focus groups to polling. On top of that, DCSD has spent even more taxpayer money on paid media e orts for the MLO.

I became aware of these tactics when the last MLO was on the ballot and my kids came home with yers about it in their ursday folders. We’ve also received emails highlighting why DCSD needs to pass a tax increase. e only reason the district has our emails to begin with is because our kids go to the local public school. Imagine if state politicians used emails from our tax returns to send out positive information about Proposition HH. Or if they used taxpayer money to send mailers out with their own “facts” about a tax increase. People would rightfully be outraged.

When it comes to the MLO itself, it is hard to imagine a worse time to bring a property tax increase to voters than this year. Douglas County’s property assessments went up by an average of 47% — which is more

In neighboring Arapahoe County, elected o cials decided not to put a tax increase on the ballot saying, “ is fall’s general election is not the right time to oat a tax measure. e decision comes after recent polling indicated a lack of voter support and resident fatigue regarding property valuations and the implications for next year’s (property) tax bills.” is seems like an obvious conclusion to everyone but our school district.

As a former elementary school teacher, I believe that teachers should get paid more. Fortunately, Douglas County School District will already see a double-digit increase in funding next year. is is because as property tax revenue goes up across the state, per pupil spending in every school district will also increase. Despite the district’s false and bizarre claim that they will not bene t at all from the higher property taxes (that it will have a “$0 impact” on local funding), DCSD will, in fact, see a big increase in funding next year. Every dollar of that increase should go straight to teachers.

Given what is happening with property taxes in our state, people are understandably scared they are going to get taxed out of their homes. Prop HH doesn’t x the problem — and another mill levy override would only make it worse. Vote no on #5A and #5B.

Michael Fields is a Douglas County resident and Senior Advisor to Advance Colorado Action

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE

The Colorado Sun is a journalistowned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself.

In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism. It covers everything

from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education.

Now, The Colorado Sun co-owns this and other Colorado Community Media newspapers as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. The Sun is CCM’s partner for statewide news.

For Colorado Sun stories, opinions and more, and to support The Sun’s misssion as a member or subscriber, visit coloradosun.com.

CULTIVATING CREATIVITY

Creators across Colorado show positive impact of fairy gardens

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A tiny, magical place hides in plain sight by a residential sidewalk in Highlands Ranch, inviting guests to crouch down to get a better view.

Miniature tree trunk stumps lead the way to a small door near a sign that reads, “Fairy Garden.” Behind that door is a mystical land where fairies can gather, sit at a table, admire a pond, enter a small hut or hang out with other animals.

“I love kids, and there’s a lot of kids in our neighborhood. And I wanted something for them to just have fun with and see,” said Angie Gallagher, the creator of the fairy garden.

Fairy gardens hold magical powers beyond being a gathering place for mystical creatures — they are also a hub for people’s creativity, community and positivity.

“It gives us that hope,” Gallagher said. “It reminds us of the magic in the world, and I think we

need that.”

Scattered throughout Colorado, fairy gardens come in all shapes and sizes.

An elementary school in ornton, Riverdale Elementary, had students in an after-school club create potted fairy gardens to be placed in the school courtyard.

In the west metro area of Golden 7-year-old Juniper Kenyon’s eyes lled with wonder as she assembled her own fairy garden in a glass container alongside her 9-yearold sister, Olive, and her mother, Kelly at the Golden Library.

“I wanted to make a house for the fairies that we could put … outside so they could live in it,” Juniper said.

She said once she got back to her family’s home in Golden, she planned

CIRCLE PHOTO: Angie Gallagher holds a small house that she plans to put in a Thaibased fairy garden she hopes to create. PHOTOS BY TAYLER SHAW SEE CREATIVITY, P17

CREATIVITY

to put a bed inside her garden for the fairies to enjoy.

e family was among about 20 participants in the library’s community workshop to make fairy gardens in late July.

“We really love fairies,” Kelly said. “I just think it’s fun that we’re all together and just being creative.”

Seeing the excitement and pride on the faces of children like Juniper and Olive as they made their fairy gardens was a highlight for Alada Ramsey, a librarian at Golden Library who helped with the event.

Making fairy gardens has been a big part of Ramsey’s family, she said.

“My kids always built fairy gardens at my house, and at … my mother’s house, and at my grandmother’s house” she said. “We’re constantly doing fairy gardens.”

When children are young, their imaginations can become enamored with the idea that fairies will come to the gardens and play, she said.

“It’s just so fun, and it also is a great opportunity to teach kindness,” Ramsey said. “Because if you can imagine that there are fairies and you can imagine what their needs and wants are, that’s all good for getting you out of yourself and into the world and opening yourself up to the natural world around you.”

Emily Due, also a librarian at Golden Library who helped lead the event, said she loved to see how intergenerational the event was, as there were young kids, parents and grandparents who participated and made their own fairy gardens.

“I wasn’t expecting the adults to get so into it,” Due said.

Putting together the fairy gardens consisted of putting pebbles, air plants, moss, seashells, stones and other decorations into a glass bowl.

Although everyone had access to the same materials, each garden ended up looking di erent, Due said, which highlights the artistic expression that is possible.

Due said she likes that so much of fairy gardens comes from folklore and mythology, which ties into the literacy elements that libraries want to promote.

“We have an opportunity to educate and maybe get them interested in stories that are already on our shelves, but then also, we’re encouraging them to play,” Due said.

In her research on fairy gardens, Due said she found out that some people believed that fairies were the rst magical creatures to inhabit British islands, arriving before humans had.

“When people came, the fairies got a little bit scared and so they went underground. And so, fairy gardens was a way for people to say, ‘Hey, come on back. Spend time with us,’” Due said.

Angie Gallagher, of Highlands Ranch, compared fairy gardens to bird baths and birdseed being o ered in people’s yards.

“It’s to help the birds with the migration, and it’s

kind of the same idea,” she said of fairy gardens.

In addition to assembling a fairy garden in the community, Gallagher has made fairy garden starter kits that she has given out to people, which included a sheet about fairies.

e sheet explained that fairies are all over the world, such as in Mexico, ailand, Russia, and the United States, and they are ying to new places all across the globe.

“I wanted the fairies to be multicultural because I’m half ai,” she said.

Gallagher said she had wanted to create a community fairy garden for a long time, gathering inspiration from the app Pinterest and getting materials from the dollar store and Amazon.

Part of the fun is having fairy gardens in little, unexpected places, she said.

“To have little pockets of fun is just really all you need to keep the faith,” she said.  e community response to the fairy garden has been great, she said. e magical place really resonated with a few young girls in the community, who Gallagher said are obsessed with the garden.

“We see them all the time,” she said. “And they even started leaving notes, so then I would write little notes back.”

One note came after a rainstorm, and the girls expressed concern for how the storm may have impacted the fairies and their garden, wanting to make sure the fairies were OK, Gallagher recalled.

“ ey were so worried during the rainstorm about how the fairies were su ering,” she said. “So, I wrote a note back.”

Gallagher said she gave the girls ample fairy garden supplies beyond the starter kit, and the girls actually created a fairy garden not too far from Gallagher’s.

On top of the notes from young fairy admirers, Gallagher said she has gotten some notes from parents who are thankful for the time she has spent to feed their children’s creative minds.

“ at just brings smiles to our faces when we see parents or grandparents bringing the little kids,” she said. “I love hearing the kids talk about what they think fairies are about, or — they just start coming up with stories about who they think is living there.”

Gallagher does not put any gurines of fairies in her garden, wanting to reinforce people’s creativity as they imagine who the fairies are.

In the future, she plans to add to her fairy garden by creating new sections that incorporate di erent cultures, hoping to increase representation and expand people’s imagination of what a fairy may look like.

“I’m going to make a ai-based fairy garden, and then I’ll probably make one that’s a Parisian fairy garden,” she said.

She also hopes to add fairy gardens to some of the Airbnb properties her family owns.

“I think there’s always something really fun about just this idea of positive hope — that someone is looking out for you. It’s like another version of an angel,” Gallagher said of fairies. “It gives you hope to kind of move about your day with con dence.”

A small fairy door next to the sign that says “All fairies are welcome” sits within a fairy garden in Highlands Ranch. PHOTOS BY TAYLER SHAW

Juniper Kenyon prepares to add a fairy figurine into her fairy garden at a workshop at the Golden Library.

A fairy garden sign is placed near the entrance of Angie Gallagher’s community fairy garden in Highlands Ranch.

Movie night coming to Hudson Gardens

Hudson Gardens and Event

Center will show “Super Mario Brothers Movie” at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30. A $10 ticket covers up to six family members. Concessions available. No outside alcohol allowed, but bring a picnic. Open at 5:30. 6115 S. Santa Fe Drive. Free parking. See hudsongardens. org.

Parade of Homes

Parade of Homes features 55 newly designed homes by 24 area builders, located in neighborhoods throughout the Denver metro area. (Six are luxury dream homes.) See

paradeofhomesdenver.com.

Miners Alley

“Avenue Q” runs at Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden through Sept. 17. Directed by Warren Sherrill, with a cast of actors and puppets. (But it’s not for little people.) Runs through Sept. 17. Tickets: $44 to $56, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays at 2 p.m. 303-935-3044. MinersAlley. com.

Castle Rock Library

Festivities at the new Castle Rock Library include: The Castle Rock Band will perform on the lawn of the library, 100 S. Wilcox St., at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 27. Author Mary Taylor Young will talk about her new book, “Bluebird Seasons,” based on her personal chronicles

of the seasonal cycle of nature and habitats in her native state at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 15. Mark the calendar.

Denver Art Museum

Denver Art Museum presets

“The Russells in Denver, 1921,” highlighting a solo show Charles M. Russell held at the Brown Palace Hotel in late November/ early December, 1921. His wife was Nancy Russell. The exhibit will open in the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Galleries of American Art on the seventh floor of the Martin Building. Included with general admission. Members free. See denverartmuseum.org.

Arvada Center

“Beautiful — The Carole King Musical” will play at the Arvada

Center from Sept. 8 to Oct. 15. Directed by Lynne Collins, with choreography by Kelly Van Oosbree and musical supervision by Susan Draus. ASL-interpreted performances at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 and 2 p.m. Sept. 24. Tickets start at $56. arvadacenter.org/ events/beautiful-the-carole-kingmusical.

Kirkland Museum

Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art, 1201 Bannock St., Denver, hosts “An Evening with Dave Yust” on Sept 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (Limited attendance). The exhibit of Yust’s work, “David Yust — Evidence of Gravity and Other Works,” runs through Oct. 1 during museum hours. Many works are on loan from the artist. See kirklandmuseum.org.

SONYA’S SAMPLER

powered by

Thu 8/31

Sat 9/02

The Inablers: Matt Hynes Acoustic - Old 121 Brewhouse @ 3pm Old 121 Brewhouse, 1057 S Wadsworth Blvd #60, Lakewood

Sun 9/03

Thu 9/07

The Newarkansans live at The Inverness Denver @ 4pm

Hilton Denver Inverness, 200 In‐verness Dr W, Englewood

Legends of R&B @ 7pm / $50-$100

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

J. Holiday @ 7pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Fri 9/01

Neil Z @ 5pm

2 Penguins Tap and Grill, 13065 E Briarwood Ave, Centennial

The Sweet Lillies @ 3pm Breckenridge Brewery, 2920 Brewery Ln, Littleton

Mon 9/04

Kelli Baker LIVE at Earl's Kitchen in Lone Tree, CO @ 6pm

Earls Kitchen + Bar, 8335 Park Meadows Center Dr, Lone Tree

Kelli Baker at Sinners and Saints in Castle Rock, CO @ 7pm Sinners & Saints, 221 Perry St, Castle Rock

The Rumble featuring Chief

Joseph Boudreaux @ 6pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

The Rumble @ 7pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Labor Day Half Marathon @ 5:30am / $30-$70

Salisbury Equestrian Park, 11920 N Motsenbocker Rd, Parker

Modern Swing Mondays @ 5pm / $10

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Wed 9/06

Country Music Ladies Night @ 5pm Stampede - Aurora, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Hot Like Wasabi: Bison Invitational Golf Tournament

Bene�ting Childrens Hospital @ 7pm

Arrowhead Golf Course, 10850 Sundown Trail, Littleton

Museum illuminates state’s mining history

Extraction industries did much to create Colorado

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Littleton Museum has an exhibit called “Below the Surface” explaining “how mining altered Colorado’s social and cultural landscape” through Oct. 27. Mining explains a lot about how our state developed, especially from the 1860s on. Gold was, of course, the big draw, but below the surface, miners also found, and are still nding, silver, molybdenum, coal and numerous other elements that are valued...

e exhibit opens with the arrival of Europeans in 1541, pointing out that Native Americans, including Colorado’s Utes, used precious metals for decoration long before the newcomers drove them o much of their land.

Exhibition text makes the point that “People who came to the region in search of gold and silver did not arrive to an empty and unutilized setting ... Development of mining in this region provided a chance for people to make a new life, new businesses to emerge. Colorado developed on many tracks ... ore buckets

and milk cans are both exhibited ...

Near Calhan, there is evidence of people living there for 10,000 years, for example ...

In 1893, President Grover Cleve-

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land repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which devastated the Colorado economy and decreased the demand for ore. Display cases include an arrowhead display and other Native American items, including a painted buckskin par eche and a shield cover.

Discovery of gold in the 1850s brought a wave of new people to the area, who at times failed to comprehend the Utes’ relationship with the land ... and displacing them. By the 1860s, Natives realized the newcomers intended to stay, reinforced by the Sand Creek Massacre, when women and children were killed. Settlers intended for the Native Americans to take up farming instead of staying on the move ...

Before the gold discovery, there were nomadic natives, whose world changed dramatically. ere is a scene of a Native bu alo hunt. It’s interesting to see accounts of current attempts to develop contemporary bu alo herds, with Native Americans in charge of them.

In 1860, 22,086 of the 26,797 Colorado residents were miners, according to this exhibit’s text. An exhibited scale, used by an assayer to weigh precious metals, was

widely used and is included in this comprehensive exhibit.

“ e New Eldorado,” this territory was called ... ere’s a photo of Green Russell, who was involved with the Pikes Peak gold rush and development of Colorado Springs. Towns like Littleton developed to supply miners and farmers with food and items they needed. Dairy farming developed in Littleton and south into Douglas County as soon as railroads developed to haul milk into Littleton or Denver for processing. Eventually, a dairy and creamery developed in Littleton, as well as a grain mill and a downtown business area, treasured today. is exhibit continues until Oct. 27 and will interest most family members — and out-of-town visitors — who will enjoy this well-mounted exhibit, as well as the adjoining farm, which replicates Littleton’s surrounding area, once the railroad reached us in 1861 ... e Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. is well-run city asset is a Smithsonian a lliate, which speaks of high standards ... 303-795-3950.

The Littleton Museum’s “Below the Surface” exhibit on Colorado’s mining history runs through Oct. 27. COURTESY PHOTO

Whose footsteps are we following in?

Sometimes we lead, and other times we follow. Even leaders sometimes must become followers as we don’t always know everything or have all the answers. So, we follow the wise council of our trusted advisors. And the journey to becoming a leader meant that there were those that went ahead of us whose footsteps we chose to follow

When I was a very young boy, my father died, leaving my mom with four children. My mom’s dad, my grandfather, stepped up and, along with my grandmother, played a huge role in raising me and my siblings. I looked up to him as he was such a man of integrity, so faithful, so loving, and one of the hardest-working people I would ever know. I wanted to walk in his footsteps.

When it came time for my wedding day, my grandfather had become fairly sick and as it turned out, he would be unable to make the wedding. I stayed at a hotel the night before my wedding, as I was not supposed to see my bride until she walked down the aisle. On the morning of my wedding, I went to work for a little while, just to help the hours pass. But then I decided since my grandfather couldn’t come to me, I would go to him.

I packed up my tuxedo and went to his house. We had lunch, and we talked, and he helped me make sure my tuxedo was on right and he pinned the flower to my lapel. What does this have to do with deciding whose footsteps we will

choose to walk in? Well, there is a Bruce Springsteen song, “Walk Like a Man,” that reminds me whose footsteps I chose to follow in, and the first set of lyrics goes like this:

“I remember how rough your hand felt on mine

On my wedding day

And the tears cried on my shoulder

I couldn’t turn away

Well so much has happened to me

That I don’t understand

All I can think of is being five years old following behind you at the beach

Tracing your footprints in the sand

Trying to walk like a man”

To this day, every time I hear this song or think of my grandfather, I tear up with good happy and healthy tears. To this day I still want to follow in his footprints in the sands of life. It was like Bruce wrote this song just for me and my grandfather. In my life journey and my career journey, I have been blessed to have followed others in their footsteps, people who I knew I could learn from. People who I knew went through life’s hardships and corporate challenges and had successfully fought their way through both.

And we have to be careful too as we have all heard stories about someone who chose to follow another person who they thought was a good person to follow and maybe even idolize. Only to find out that they weren’t really who they made themselves out to be. It turned out that they were only about themselves and selfabsorbed, unwilling to share any teachings with the people who looked up to them.

Even today I look for people that I would like to follow in their footsteps for certain things. There are so many men and women whom I admire and respect for the way they handle their approach to life. Sometimes they demonstrate behaviors that intuitively I know that I should be doing, or I already am doing them, they are just doing them differently. And age doesn’t matter, I look at some of the brightest and best in the business world and as much they are seeking my learned wisdom, I am seeking their new paradigm regarding how they look at the business world and also life in general.

Are there people in your life worthy of following in their steps? Even as a leader, are you vulnerable enough to still follow when it’s the right thing to do? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can choose the right footsteps to follow in, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Elizabeth High grad attempts to break Colorado 14er world record

BY ALEX K.W. SCHULTZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

On the second day, he was nearly struck by lightning. On day 3, he had an up-close encounter with a black bear. On the eve of the seventh and nal day, he started to cough up blood.

Indeed, when one attempts to break an 8-year-old world record, adversity is surely going to strike, whether it’s from the heavens or from the ground or from within, or, as was the case for 22-year-old Drew Francis, all of the above.

Francis, a 2019 Elizabeth High graduate, recently tried to best the world record for the fastest time to consecutively ascend all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks. e current world record, set in 2015 by Golden’s Andrew Hamilton, “the god of 14ers,” as Francis called him, is nine days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.

Francis conquered 37 of the pinnacles and was on a record-setting pace before his body said no more, forcing him to abort the mission a couple days before he’d planned to complete it.

“I’m obviously not happy, but I’m glad I [stopped] when I did,” said Francis, a re ghter and paramedic with South Metro Fire Rescue. “ e risk-versus-reward pro le is what I always talk about.”

Too much

At about 6 a.m. on Aug. 1, the risk had simply become too great. Pausing at the Pyramid Peak amphitheater to take in a beautiful sunrise over the Maroon Bells valley, Francis’ circumstances weren’t so beautiful: He was spitting up blood, he couldn’t feel his toes, his feet “were the size of balloons,” his legs were full of uid and major blisters had developed on his heels.

at’s what hiking 206 miles, putting your body through 98,000 feet of elevation gain, zapping 90,000 calories and getting just six hours of

sleep in six days will do to you. e trek wasn’t going to get any easier from there, either. If what Francis had done leading up to Pyramid was akin to algebra, a heavy dose of calculus awaited him. Up next were the 14ers of the rugged Elk Mountains, some of Colorado’s most formidable peaks.

“[ e Elk 14ers] aren’t a walk in the park. Just getting through those was crazy to think about at that point. ere was no way,” he said. “My buddy I was with said, `You either quit now, or we keep going and we’re going to have to call in a helicopter for you.’”

Francis gave it some thought.

en: “I have to call it. I can’t move,” read his Garmin inReach message to his mom, who was back at the camp where she and the rest of Francis’ support team had stayed the night before.

Francis was extracted from the Pyramid hillside and taken to an emergency room in Aspen, where he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis (a condition that occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood, which can damage the heart and kidneys), high-altitude pulmonary edema, or HAPE, (a severe form of high-altitude illness) and dependent edema (occurs when excess uid collects in the body’s tissues).

Weighed at the ER, Francis was six pounds heavier than when he started because of all the uid built up in his body.

“It was gnarly,” Francis said of the dependent edema. “It was in my abdomen, my legs, my face.”

‘Crazy’ moments

Francis’ odyssey did include some less-painful — albeit “crazy” — moments.

Like the one two days into his trip when he had to hunker down in some boulders near the summit of Wetterhorn Peak in the San Juan Mountains, cloud-to-ground lightning striking all around him.

“All the rocks around me were arcing with electricity, buzzing. It was audible. I could smell it. I could feel it — my rain jacket was buzzing,” Francis said. “My trekking poles are aluminum and they were hot to the touch. I had to throw them o to the side. It was insane. I’d never experienced anything like it.

“I was 100% convinced I was going

to die.”

And then there was the moment on day 3 when he was descending Pikes Peak in a snowstorm, looked to his left and saw “four little eyes staring at me” from about 10 feet away.

ose four little eyes belonged to two black bear cubs, whose muchbigger mother, o to Francis’ right, saw Francis near her little ones and started to run toward him.

“I started boulder-hopping. It’s not a good trail. It’s just big boulders,” Francis said. “When the bear made it to her cubs, I was probably 50 yards away. I looked back and she was standing on her hind legs, staring at me, paws out. at was kind of scary.”

Perhaps the most memorable part of all of it? All the supportive messages he received via his Garmin while he was out facing the crucible of the Rocky Mountains.

“Following you from New York!” one person wrote. “Been following your attempt. So inspirational. You have tons of 14er groups behind you!” another said.

Helping hand

One person who sent Francis multiple messages of advice and encouragement was Hamilton himself, the one whom Francis was trying to supplant in the record books.

“I would text him and ask, `Where am I at on time? How long do I have?’ And he would break it down by the minute: `Here’s where you’re at. Here’s where you need to be,’” Francis said of Hamilton. “It was unreal. It was so cool. He genuinely wanted to help and be a part of the record attempt.”

But don’t think for a moment Francis is a one-and-doner. He plans to vie for the record again next June.

Between now and then, he’ll be in the weight room, in the mountains, and out and about on long-distance runs, “leaving no doubt I’m in the best possible shape” ahead of next year’s attempt.

He even plans to go to Nepal next April to train for three weeks in the Himalayas.

“It’s almost an obsession, I guess,” Francis said. “But I feel like it has to be to some degree. To achieve highlevel stu like this, there’s no other way around it.

“I said I’m going to do something. Now I’m going to see it through.”

Drew Francis, a 2019 Elizabeth High graduate, recently attempted to break the world record for the fastest time to consecutively ascend all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks. PHOTO BY ALEX K.W. SCHULTZ

Scholarship help with costs of community college transfer

BY JASON GONZALES THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado students who start at a community college then transfer to a four-year bachelor’s degree program will soon have a chance to pay for part of their education with a new scholarship.

e scholarship, called the Reisher Bridge Scholars Program, supports students within the Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree program — the program guarantees admission at a four-year university for rst-time college students who graduate from a community college.

e new Reisher Bridge scholarship gives nancial support for students during their rst two years before they transfer to one of eight schools and covers almost half the annual cost of attending a Colorado Community College school. Once students transfer, they are then eligible for another Reisher scholarship.

Combined, the scholarships give low-income students much-needed nancial support when they rst enter community college and then to make it to graduation at a fouryear university.

“As we all know, when you can’t a ord more than three to six credits at a time it delays your graduation

and it can sometimes be a selfdefeating prophecy,” said Adam Cermak, Foundation for Community Colleges executive director.

Cermak said the money makes a big dent in the cost of a community college education. Community college tuition, books, and fees cost about $5,000 annually, he said.

e bridge scholars program provides $2,000 a year for students at any of the state’s 13 community colleges. Once they transfer, students who were awarded the Reisher Bridge scholarship then can apply to the Reisher Scholars Program, which provides $4,000 to $15,000 a year for junior and senior years at one of eight participating four-year universities.

Both scholarships are paid for by the Denver Foundation; the new bridge scholarship is the rst tied to a speci c program within the Colorado Community College System, Cermak said.

e ve-year, $1-million-a-year pilot program increases options for students throughout the state to pay a portion of the cost of community college, especially as many students worry about tuition costs and debt.

About 9,000 students are enrolled in the Bridge to Bachelors program, but the scholarship is for students who plan to transfer to one of the

colleges that partners with the Reisher Scholars Program.

Students will not have to apply for the scholarship. Instead, they must have 30 credits or less remaining toward their associate degree, have a documented plan toward completing college, be enrolled fulltime, and hold at least a 3.0 GPA. Students must also demonstratenancial need through Pell eligibility, a federal grant that helps subsidize college costs.

e state plans to award about 250 scholarships a year based on that criteria.

e Denver Foundation also will fund college advisors who help students navigate the ins and outs of college and other support services as part of the program.

Landon Pirius, community college system vice chancellor for academic and student a airs, said in a statement the scholarship program helps create a clear road map for students. He said the college system “is committed to making the transfer process as seamless and structured as possible.”

Joshua Ryines, a Denver Foundation associate scholarships o cer, said the nonpro t’s goal for the Bridge to Bachelors scholarship is to create a stronger pipeline from twoto four-year colleges.

And Sharon Harper, the foundation’s senior director of special funds and scholarships, said too often the focus is on students going from high school to a four-year university, meaning limited scholarship opportunities for students who take a di erent route. Students who have a plan to transfer will have more opportunities, she said.

e scholarship joins a growing list of programs meant to help students pay for college.

Colorado started a free program last year to train students in health care elds. is year, it expanded the program to include a range of other professions where the state’s experiencing a shortage of workers, such as teaching, re ghting, forestry, construction and law enforcement. Students in these programs can now get up to two years of college paid for, as well as books and fees.

Colorado also o ers other programs, such as dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment, to help o set the cost of college. Concurrent and dual enrollment programs allow high school students to enroll in college classes and earn credit.

Chalkbeat is a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.

Breaking down phobias with Bat Night Out

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Bats are one of the most unique and multifaceted mammals in the world, yet they are one of the most misunderstood.

In honor of International Bat Night Out, the Backcountry Wilderness Area Fund is partnering with Apex Clean Energy and Copperhead Environmental Consulting to educate residents about bats on Aug. 25 and 26.

“People just don’t think about bats outside of horror movies and things that freak them out,” said Ryan Henning, vice president environmental at Apex Clean Energy and Highland Ranch resident.

Apex Clean Energy works to deliver carbon solutions and pioneer new development of clean energy technology.

As part of the renewable energy sector, the company created the Apex Conservation Grant Program, which contributes a sum of money proportional to the size of the project to support local and regional wildlife conservation e orts.

An unequivocal impact the wind energy industry faces are the fatalities to birds and bats.

When thinking about how

he could incorporate the conservation grant program concept to his community, he thought about the Backcountry Wilderness Area. Henning’s son had volunteered with the organization during high school and became an employee.

“ ere is a small niche of people across the United States and world that have an interest in bats,” said Henning.

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Henning approached the Backcountry Wilderness Area with a bat conservation project that would break down phobias about the species and serve as an educational program for families, especially kids.

Lindsey McKissick, the

said providing kids with the correct information is important so they can grow up with a conservation-focused mindset.

Although Colorado does not have a high population of bats, the state is in a migration corridor and in the spring of 2022, Henning and his team put in three BrandenBark structures and three Rocket Box arti cial bat roost structures to help attract bats and provide a place for them.

e BrandenBark structure, which is essentially a telephone pole with arti cial bark on the top to mimic the loose bark on a tree where bats often stay

Copperhead Environmental Consulting.

Gregg Janos of Copperhead Environmental Consulting and Goni Iskali of Apex Clean Energy, both bat biologists, will be joining Henning on a public panel discussion at Living the Dream Brewing, located at 12305 N. Dunmont on Aug. 25 starting at 7 p.m.  ey will be speaking about the structures used in the backcountry, the types of bats seen in Colorado, and educate the public about their ecological bene ts.

Not only are bats one of the biggest pollinators for the plant that makes te-

quila, said Henning, they eat insects and can keep pesticides o of crop elds.

Starting at 4 p.m. on Aug. 26, the community is invited to come to the Backcountry Base Camp to visit the bat habitat and learn about the purpose of the structures from the experts.

ere will also be handson activities for families and kids such as using audio technology called Echo Meter Touch 2 that suggests the bat species based on the ultrasonic bat call, as well as coloring tables and example displays on how to catch a bat.

en from 6 to 7 p.m., Nature’s Educators, a wildlife education nonpro t, will bring some nocturnal animals that were either born into captivity or rescued as part of their Creature’s of the Night program.

e second night event will be $10 per car registration. Registration is available at https://hrcaonline.org/about-us/ guides-communication/ calendar-schedules/eventdetails/artmid/13899/articleid/3534/evr/1/preview/ true.

“ is is a really unique opportunity for us to gather the community to do both conservation work and environmental education in one place,” said McKissick.

To learn more about the Baha’i Faith or find a gathering, please

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Two bat BrandenBark structures, developed and trademarked by Copperhead Environmental Consulting, stand at the Backcountry Wilderness Area Base Camp. The tops of the structures have artificial bark for the bats to stay.

COURTESY RYAN HENNING

Denver area: second highest annual inflation rate in the U.S.

BY TAMARA CHUANG THE COLORADO SUN

Prices continue to climb in the U.S., but few regions saw in ation grow faster than in Denver, which posted an annual in ation rate of 4.7% in July, according to the Consumer Price Index.

e Denver metro had the second highest rate next to Tampa, Florida, which was at 5.9%. e U.S., by comparison, was 3.2%, the same as New York’s. Los Angeles landed at 2.7% from a year ago, Hawaii at 2.1%, and Washington, D.C.’s hit 1.8%.

At least Denver’s rate is dropping, said Richard Wobbekind, a senior economist and faculty director of the Business Research Division at the University of Colorado. It’s fallen from 5.1% in May and 5.7% in March.

“ e trend is de nitely in the right direction,” Wobbekind said during a news conference this month. “Hopefully we are going to see some continued trend downward in some of the core in ation areas.”

With the national in ation rate still more than a point above the 2% desired by the Federal Reserve, interest rates are likely to remain high. And that’ll continue to challenge industries that are sensitive to interest rate changes, like construction, housing and the nancial sector.  “Getting that additional (percentage point) is going to be a tough road and that’s going to keep these interest rates elevated for a longer period of time. I think the higher interest rate environment is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future,” Wobbekind said. “We don’t see the in ation rate coming down under that 3% signi cantly until next year.”

In Colorado, blame July’s in ation on higher energy and housing costs. Household energy services, which includes electricity and natural gas, hit particularly hard. ose costs grew 15.4% in a year, even as the same category nationwide fell 1.1% due to a 13.7% drop in the cost of natural gas.

e cost of shelter continues to be an issue in Denver, too. While housing costs rose less than energy, July in ation was at 10.4% for renters and 9.5% for owners, as part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculation called the “owners’ equivalent of rent.” ( e U.S. shelter in ation

In a typical year, the change in owners’ equivalent in rent is usually around 1%, said Julie Percival, a regional economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics who tracks the Mountain Plains region.

And when shelter makes up 30% of what consumers spend as part of CPI, any increase can eat heavily into household budgets and have more impact than, for example, a gallon of gas increasing.  ere may be a silver lining for renters here, said Bill Craighead, the new program director for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Economic Forum. Rent in ation is playing catchup from the incredible increases landlords levied on tenants in the past year.

“Since leases typically renew every 12 months, when there is an increase in rents, it only gradually a ects the average rent paid,” Craighead said in an email. “ is means that rent changes drive a lot of the in ation calculation but they do so with a lag. at is, we’re seeing the e ects of rent increases in 2022 still a ecting the data now.”

According to rent-tracking site ApartmentList, rents in Colorado Springs are down 3.9%, compared with a year ago. Denver’s are down 1.1% while the state’s is essentially at, dropping 0.2%. Some of the double-digit rent increases were landlords catching up because they couldn’t raise rents in the rst year of the pandemic.

Knowing the cycle of rents and how the BLS measures the cost of housing for homeowners and renters, Craighead feels the worst of in ation is behind us because “that leveling o in rents will start to pull in ation down over time,” he added. “ at’s one reason I’m pretty optimistic in ation will keep coming down.”

20% in July from a year ago, which contributed to Colorado’s in ation slowing down. As of this month, however, a gallon of gas in Colorado was up an average of 18 cents in the past month, to $3.97, according to AAA’s Gas Tracker.

Few items in the average Denverite’s budget saw a decline in costs, but there were a handful: Meat and eggs, down 1.3%; clothing, down 0.9%; used cars and trucks, down 6.2%; and gasoline for one’s car, down 18.3%. Most of those also fell nationwide.

But food prices continue to rise in Denver and the U.S. Eating at home cost 4.2% more than a year ago. But eating out cost even more, up 7.8%.  It’s probably not a surprise to anyone that restaurant menu prices have gone up. Restaurants, like many businesses in the service sector, faced the double whammy of a labor shortage and rising wages in the past two years. While such trends bene t workers, that obviously impacts a restaurant’s bottomline and translates into higher menu prices.

According to the National Restaurant Association, menu prices are up 7.1% nationwide in a year as of July, with the South leading the increase at 7.4%. Denver’s rate, of course, was higher, at 7.8%.

is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Apartment units overlook the RTD’s Sheridan Station in east Lakewood.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN, THE COLORADO SUN VIA REPORT FOR AMERICA

As Douglas County recently began forming a new body called the water commission — intended to help plan for the future of water supply in the county — o cials put out a call for Douglas County residents to apply to serve on the new entity.

Teal and omas argued over who released a name on the list of applicants to the news media.

“Commissioner omas has been leaking the name of Sean Tonner to several reporters,” Teal claimed at the Aug. 8 meeting. omas said county o cials were given an email with the names of those who applied. She said because it was an email, she thought it was public record.

“I did talk with a reporter (and did say) Sean Tonner’s name was on that list. Later that afternoon, when we came back in here, (county o cials) decided we were going to treat those names as job applicants, and they’d be protected,” omas said.

She added that once o cials were told it was to be treated as private, “I have told no reporters the information that was on that list.”

Teal gave Colorado Community Media the name Sean Tonner regarding applications to serve on

the water commission. omas told Colorado Community Media her understanding is that county sta are treating information about who has applied as a non-public matter and will not release information until nalists are chosen.

“Last Tuesday Laydon permitted without comment, interruption or reproach Teal’s snide remarks and calling me a LIAR … including saying ‘you’re lying through your teeth’ when, in fact, it was facially proven in news reports that Teal was responsible for releasing the identity of a Water Commission applicant to the media,” omas wrote in a newsletter. omas got up and left the room during that exchange.

“Yeah, you should probably just get out and not come back as a matter of fact,” Teal said at that meeting.

Formal action

Teal’s proposal to censure omas involved directing county sta to bring forth a resolution for the commissioners to vote on at their next regular meeting. e commissioners were to hold a regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 22.

e resolution should include “the cause for censure being directly related to the events that we’ve seen transpire over the last couple weeks with the Douglas County Cultural Council,” Teal said at the Aug. 15 meeting.

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Public Notices

Public Notices

The above is a statement of gross salaries for Douglas County Government employees. This includes regular pay, overtime, sick and vacation pay, (where applicable) paid to employees during the month ending June 30, 2023. In addition to wages paid, Douglas County Government offers the following fringe benefits to all benefit eligible employees: Employee-paid health, dental, vision, and supplemental insurance premiums; matching retirement; the required employer’s match for Social Security and Medicare; unemployment insurance; short-term and long-term disability insurance; life insurance; accidental death and dismemberment insurance; workers’ compensation; flexible spending program administration fees (if applicable); and an employee assistance program. Some employees may also be offered auto, uniform, phone, and / or tool allowances, as well as recognition awards. The County wide average percentage of salaries paid for the aforementioned benefits is 37.05%. This notice is published under the direction of the Board of County Commissioners in accordance with C.R.S. 30-25-111.

ANDREW COPLAND DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Legal Notice No.: 945808

First Publication: August 24, 2023

Last Publication: August 24, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

Public Notices

Legals

Public Trustees

PUBLIC NOTICE

Parker NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0100

To Whom It May Concern: On 5/30/2023 10:34:00

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: JEAN L HALE, AKA JEAN LOUISE HALE

Original Beneficiary: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR COLTEN MORTGAGE, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: COLORADO HOUSING AND FINANCE AUTHORITY

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 4/30/2020

Recording Date of DOT: 5/7/2020

Reception No. of DOT: 2020037533

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $255,290.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $245,670.58

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.

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: Exhibit A, in its entirety, documents the legal description of the land referenced in the document. The legal description may extend to multiple pages. The land referred to in this document is situated in the State of Colorado, County of Douglas, and is described as follows: CONDOMINIUM RESIDENTIAL UNIT 29303, IRONSTONE CONDOMINIUMS AT STROH RANCH, ACCORDING TO THE CONDOMINIUM DECLARATION OF IRONSTONE CONDOMINIUMS AT STROH RANCH RECORDED MAY 6, 2004 AT RECEPTION NO. 2004046471 IN THE RECORDS OF THE CLERK AND RECORDER OF THE COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO AND AS FURTHER DEFINED AND DESCRIBED IN THE CONDOMINIUM PLAT FOR IRONSTONE CONDOMINIUMS AT STROH RANCH RECORDED APRIL 23, 2004 AT RECEPTION NO. 2004041009 AND AFFIDAVIT OF CORRECTION RECORDED MAY 6, 2004 AT RECEPTION NO. 2004046470, AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of:

12922 Ironstone Way Building 303, Parker, CO 80134

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, September 20, 2023, 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: 7/27/2023

Last Publication: 8/24/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 5/30/2023

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

N. APRIL WINECKI

Colorado Registration #: 34861

9540 MAROON CIRCLE SUITE 320, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO 80112

Phone #: (303) 706-9990

Fax #: (303) 706-9994

Attorney File #: 23-030082

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0100

First Publication: 7/27/2023

Last Publication: 8/24/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

RENOTICED AND REPUBLISHED PURSUANT TO CRS 38-38-109(2)(b)(II)

Parker

NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2021-0027

To Whom It May Concern: On 6/9/2023 8:09:00

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: Kevin Tibbetts

Original Beneficiary: First Franklin a Division of Nat. City Bank of IN

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt:

Wilmington Trust, National Association, As Successor Trustee to Citibank, N.A., As Trustee for First Franklin Mortgage Loan Trust, Mortgage Loan Asset-Backed Certificates, Series 2005-FF12

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 9/12/2005

Recording Date of DOT: 9/14/2005

Douglas County Treasurer Statement

Reception No. of DOT: 2005087572

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $276,000.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $310,153.88

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 make timely payments as required under the Evidence of Debt and Deed of Trust. **This loan has been modified through a Home Affordable Modification Agreement effective December 1, 2015.

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 8, BLOCK 1, STROH RANCH FILING NO 2C, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO

Which has the address of: 12688 South Creekside Ct, Parker, CO 80134 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, September

Public Notices

27, 2023, 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: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 6/9/2023

DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

AMANDA FERGUSON

Colorado Registration #: 44893

355 UNION BLVD SUITE 250, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80228

Phone #: (303) 274-0155

Fax #:

Attorney File #: CO10198

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2021-0027

First Publication: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

Parker NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0113

To Whom It May Concern: On 6/12/2023 4:27:00

PM 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: Marilyn S. Whitcomb

Original Beneficiary: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. as nominee for PHH Mortgage Corporation dba Liberty Reverse Mortgage, Its Successors and Assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: PHH Mortgage Corporation

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 12/24/2020

Recording Date of DOT: 12/28/2020

Reception No. of DOT: 2020128952

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $837,000.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $387,244.37

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: death of all named mortgagors 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.

Legal Description of Real Property:

LOT 12, BLOCK 2, THE PINERY FILING NO. 4, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 8746 Sunridge Hollow Road, Parker, CO 80134

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, October 4, 2023, 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: 8/10/2023

Last Publication: 9/7/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 6/13/2023

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

HOLLY SHILLIDAY

Colorado Registration #: 24423 7700 E. ARAPAHOE ROAD, SUITE 230 , CENTENNIAL, COLORADO 80112

Phone #: (877) 369-6122

Fax #: Attorney File #: CO-23-956767-LL

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0113

First Publication: 8/10/2023

Last Publication: 9/7/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0103

To Whom It May Concern: On 6/2/2023 8:48:00

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: JAMES A HERBERTSON

Original Beneficiary: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. ACTING SOLELY AS NOMINEE FOR FREMONT INVESTMENT & LOAN

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee for Merrill Lynch Mortgage Investors Trust, Series 2005-FM1

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: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 6/2/2023

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

RYAN BOURGEOIS

Colorado Registration #: 51088 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, DENVER, COLORADO 80204 Phone #: (303) 350-3711

Fax #:

Attorney File #: 00000009784455

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0103

First Publication: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

Parker

NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0105

To Whom It May Concern: On 6/2/2023 8:58:00 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: ASHLEY A. EDDY

AND KENNETH W. EDDY

Original Beneficiary: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. ACTING SOLELY AS NOMINEE FOR CHANGE LENDING, LLC

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: CHANGE LENDING, LLC

DBA CHANGE HOME MORTGAGE

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 8/26/2022

Recording Date of DOT: 8/31/2022

Reception No. of DOT: 2022058419

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $1,123,502.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $1,121,094.19

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: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 6/2/2023

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 #: 00000009819236

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0105

First Publication: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

Aurora NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0107

To Whom It May Concern: On 6/2/2023 1:59:00

PM 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: ANDREW M. BREZOFF AND AMANDA BREZOFF

Original Beneficiary: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. ACTING SOLELY AS NOMINEE FOR LOANDEPOT.COM, LLC

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: loanDepot.com, LLC

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 5/22/2020

Recording Date of DOT: 5/27/2020

Reception No. of DOT: 2020044400

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $510,581.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $385,578.65

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: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 6/2/2023

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

RYAN BOURGEOIS Colorado Registration #: 51088 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, DENVER, COLORADO 80204 Phone #: (303) 350-3711

Fax #:

Attorney File #: 00000009822164

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0107

First Publication: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0112

To Whom It May Concern: On 6/8/2023 10:49:00

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: James Brett Walton and Jennifer Lee Walton

Original Beneficiary: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as Beneficiary, as nominee for United Wholesale Mortgage, LLC, its successors and assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: United Wholesale Mortgage, LLC

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 4/22/2022

Recording Date of DOT: 4/22/2022

Reception No. of DOT: 2022029191

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $1,450,400.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $1,440,062.07

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 37, BLOCK 1, CLARKE FARMS SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 3, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 10703 Jordan Ct, Parker, CO 80134

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, September 27, 2023, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction

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 74, STONE CREEK RANCH FILING NO.

1, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED DECEMBER 4, 2017 UNDER RECEPTION NO. 2017081539, Which has the address of:

5743 Cadara Way, Parker, CO 80134

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, September 27, 2023, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S

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 10, BLOCK 2, ROCKINGHORSE SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 6, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 23910 E. Minnow Drive, Aurora, CO 80016

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, September 27, 2023, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street,

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 MAKE TIMELY PAYMENTS AS REQUIRED UNDER THE EVIDENCE OF DEBT AND DEED OF TRUST.

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 11, THE PINERY, FILING NO. 23B, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO, ACCORDING TO THE FINAL PLAT FOR THE PINERY, FILING NO. 23B, AS RECORDED IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK AND RECORDER OF DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO, ON JULY 28, 1999, AT RECEPTION NO. 99066248 AND RE-RECORDED AUGUST 31, 1999, AT RECEPTION NO. 99075454, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 8422 Gopher Court, Parker, CO 80134

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, September 27, 2023, 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: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 6/8/2023

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

HEATHER DEERE

Colorado Registration #: 28597

355 UNION BLVD SUITE 250, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80228

Phone #: (303) 274-0155

Fax #:

Attorney File #: CO21838

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0112

First Publication: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

Parker NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0110

To Whom It May Concern: On 6/2/2023 1:58:00

PM 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: Kristen Martin

Original Beneficiary:

Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as Beneficiary, as nominee for KBHS Home Loans, LLC, its successors and assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt:

Guaranteed Rate, Inc.

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 7/15/2022

Recording Date of DOT: 7/19/2022

Reception No. of DOT: 2022049878

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt:

$636,133.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $634,312.79

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 MAKE TIMELY PAYMENTS AS REQUIRED UNDER THE EVIDENCE OF DEBT AND DEED OF TRUST.

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 13, BLOCK 3, OF TRAILS AT CROWFOOT FILING NO. 14, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 17574 Rose Heath Rd , Parker, CO 80134

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, September 27, 2023, 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: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 6/2/2023 DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

AMANDA FERGUSON Colorado Registration #: 44893 355 UNION BLVD SUITE 250, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80228

Phone #: (303) 274-0155

Fax #:

Attorney File #: CO21835

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0110

First Publication: 8/3/2023

Last Publication: 8/31/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Bids and Settlements

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF CONTRACTORS SETTLEMENT COUNTY OF DOUGLAS STATE OF COLORADO

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 38-26-107, C.R.S., as amended, that on September 24, 2023, final settlement will be made by the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, for and on account of a contract between Douglas County and Kiewit Infrastructure Co. for the Perry Park Road Traffic Safety Improvements, Douglas County Project Number CI 2020-024 in Douglas County; and that any person, co-partnership, association or corporation that has an unpaid claim against said Kiewit Infrastructure Co. for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies used or consumed by such contractor or any of his subcontractors in or about the performance of said work, or that supplied rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of said work, may at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement on said 9/24/2023, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim with the Board of County Commissioners, c/o Director of Public Works Engineering, with a copy to the Project Engineer, Daniel R. Roberts, P.E., Department of Public Works Engineering Division, Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104.

Failure on the part of the claimant to file such statement before such final settlement will relieve said County of Douglas from all and any liability for such claimant's claim.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners of the County of Douglas, Colorado,

By: Janet Herman, P.E., Director of Public Works.

Legal Notice No. 945869

First Publication: August 24, 2023

Second Publication: August 31, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Account Number: 2734

tember 24, 2023, final settlement will be made by the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, for and on account of a contract between Douglas County and TechCon Infrastructure LLC for the Traffic Signal Installation Project at Fairview Parkway and Grace Boulevard, Douglas County Project Number CI 2021-029, in Douglas County; and that any person, co-partnership, association or corporation that has an unpaid claim against said TechCon Infrastructure LLC for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies used or consumed by such contractor or any of his subcontractors in or about the performance of said work, or that supplied rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of said work, may at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement on said 09/24/2023, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim with the Board of County Commissioners, c/o Director of Public Works Engineering, with a copy to the Project Manager, Karl Lucero, Department of Public Works Engineering Division, Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104.

Failure on the part of the claimant to file such statement before such final settlement will relieve said County of Douglas from all and any liability for such claimant's claim.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners of the County of Douglas, Colorado, By: Janet Herman, P.E., Director of Public Works.

Legal Notice No. 945870

First Publication: August 24, 2023

Second Publication: August 31, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Account Number: 2734

Public Notice

INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) #039-23

UNIFIED FORENSIC LABORATORY REMODEL PROJECT

The Department of Facilities, Fleet and Emergency Support Services of Douglas County Government, hereinafter referred to as the County, respectfully requests bids from responsible and qualified contractors for all materials and services required to complete the remodel of the Unified Forensic Laboratory Project.

ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023 @ 10:00

A.M., THERE WILL BE A MANDATORY SITE VISIT RELATED TO THIS PROJECT. THE MANDATORY SITE VISIT WILL ALLOW ALL INTERESTED PARTIES THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW THE LOCATION AND DISCUSS THE PROJECT DETAILS. THE MANDATORY SITE VISIT WILL BEGIN IN THE FRONT LOBBY OF THE UNIFIED FORENSIC LABORATORY, 8555 DOUBLE HELIX COURT, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO 80112. 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. 039-23, Unified Forensic Laboratory Remodel 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 3:00pm on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 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.

Douglas County Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive formalities, informalities, or irregularities contained in a said bid and furthermore, to award a contract for items herein, either in whole or in part, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the County to do so. Additionally, we reserve the right to negotiate optional items/services with the successful bidder.

Please direct any questions concerning this IFB to Carolyn Riggs, Purchasing Supervisor, 303660-7434, criggs@douglas.co.us, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Legal Notice No. 945902

First Publication: August 24, 2023

Last Publication: August 24, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF CONTRACTORS SETTLEMENT COUNTY OF DOUGLAS STATE OF COLORADO

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 38-26-107, C.R.S., as amended, that on September 24, 2023, final settlement will be made by the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, for and on account of a contract between Douglas County and RME Ltd., LLC d/b/a Elite Surface Infrastructure for the Sageport 2018 Local Improvement District (LID) & Bannock 2019 Local Improvement District (LID) Douglas County Project Numbers CI 2018-012 & 2019022, in Douglas County; and that any person, co-partnership, association or corporation that has an unpaid claim against said RME Ltd., LLC d/b/a Elite Surface Infrastructure for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies used or consumed by such contractor or any of his subcontractors in or about the performance of said work, or that supplied rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of said work, may at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement on said 9/24/2023, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim with the Board of County Commissioners, c/o Director of Public Works Engineering, with a copy to the Project Engineer, Daniel R. Roberts, P.E., Department of Public Works Engineering Division, Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104.

Failure on the part of the claimant to file such statement before such final settlement will relieve said County of Douglas from all and any liability for such claimant's claim.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners of the County of Douglas, Colorado, By: Janet Herman, P.E., Director of Public Works.

Legal Notice No. 945884

First Publication: August 24, 2023

Second Publication: August 31, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Account Number: 2734

Misc. Private Legals

Public Notice

NOTICE OF PURCHASE OF REAL ESTATE AT TAX LIEN SALE AND OF APPLICATION FOR ISSUANCE OF TREASURER’S DEED

To Every Person in Actual Possession or Occupancy of the hereinafter Described Land, Lot or Premises, and to the Person in Whose Name the Same was Taxed or Specially Assessed, and to all Persons having an Interest or Title of Record in or to the said Premises and To Whom It May Concern, and more especially to:

OCCUPANT - HIGHLAND MEADOWS

PROPERTIES LLC - ALLEN H HEDRICK

& WALTER A KOWALSKI - HIGHLAND

MEADOWS PROPERTIES LLC - HIGHLAND

MEADOW PROPERTIES LLC, WALTER A

KOWALSKI, KARREN E KOWALSKI - WALTER A KOWALSKI PRESIDENT HIGHLAND

MEADOW PROPERTIES LLC - TRUSTEE

NATIONAL COVENANT DISBURSEMENT

LLC C/O RICHARD A

You and each of you are hereby notified that on the 20th day of October 2011 the then County Treasurer of the County of Douglas, in the State of Colorado, sold at public tax lien sale to BRAD L. AVERILL the following described real estate situate in the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, to wit:

LOT 12 BLK 28 MERIBEL VILLAGE 1 445-135 0.512 AM/L

and said County Treasurer issued a certificate of purchase therefore to BRAD L. AVERILL. That said tax lien sale was made to satisfy the delinquent* taxes assessed against said real estate for the year 2010. That said real estate was taxed or specially assessed in the name(s) of HIGHLAND MEADOWS PROPERTIES LLC for said year 2010

That said BRAD L. AVERILL on the 8th day of September 2022 the present holder of said certificate, has made request upon the Treasurer of said County for a deed to said real estate; That a Treasurer’s Deed will be issued for said real estate to the said at 1:00 o’clock P.M., on the 30th day of November 2023 unless the same has been redeemed. Said property may be redeemed from said sale at any time prior to the actual execution of said Treasurer’s Deed. Witness my hand this 17th day of August 2023

/s/ David Gill County Treasurer of Douglas County

Legal Notice No. 945848

First Publication: August 17, 2023

Last Publication: August 31, 2023

Publisher: Douglas County News-Press ###

“TrustUs!”

Withoutpublicnotices, thegovernmentwouldn’t havetosayanythingelse.

Publicnoticesare acommunity’swindow intothegovernment.Fromzoning regulations tolocalbudgets,governments haveusedlocalnewspaperstoinform citizensofitsactionsasanessentialpart ofyourrighttoknow.Youknowwhereto look,whentolookandwhattolookforto beinvolvedas acitizen.Localnewspapers provideyouwiththeinformationyou needtogetinvolved.

Noticesaremeanttobenoticed. Readyourpublicnoticesandgetinvolved!

Spacecraft technology company launches new manufacturing facility

BY SHEA VANCE SVANCE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

True Anomaly, a Denverbased aerospace and defense company founded in 2022, hosted a grand opening of their new GravityWorks spacecraft manufacturing facility in Centennial on Aug. 17.

e event was attended by several local o cials including Congressman Jason Crow, Centennial Mayor Stephanie Piko, Centennial Mayor Pro Tempore Richard Holt, and city councilmembers.

“Centennial really is the epicenter, in my view, of defense, aviation, aerospace, and space in the future of those industries and our national defense,” Crow said. “ ank you for your innova-

and for bringing it home to Centennial.”

As the aerospace industry turns a page in the manufacturing speed and necessity of defense spacecraft, True Anomaly aims to rise to the challenge as an industrial partner to national space security.

Public Notices

Legals

Metropolitan Districts

Public Notice

Call for Nominations for School Board Directors

Douglas County School District RE-1 Douglas County, Colorado

The Douglas County School District RE-1 in the Counties of Douglas and Elbert, State of Colorado, calls for nomination of candidates for school board directors to be placed on the ballot for the regular biennial school election to be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

At this election three (3) directors will be elected representing the following director districts: A, C and F for a term of office of four (4) years.

To be qualified, a candidate must have been a registered elector of the school district for at least 12 consecutive months before the election and a resident of the director district which will be represented. A person is ineligible to run for school board director if he or she has been convicted of committing a sexual offense against a child.

A person who desires to be a candidate for school board director shall file a written notice of intention to be a candidate and a nomination petition signed by at least 50 eligible electors who are registered to vote in the regular biennial school election.

Nomination petitions may be obtained at Douglas County School District, Wilcox Building, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Completed petitions shall be submitted to Ronnae Brockman, Designated Election Official, Douglas County School District, Wilcox Building, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104, no

True Anomaly will do it.” e facility introduces an assembly line manufacturing model, an unusual approach in the industry, and has the capabilities of producing a satellite in ve

founded to answer this call and address this exact challenge: to be an industrial partner to the national security space community by assuming our part in the task of global competition,” said Even Rogers, CEO and co-founder of True Anomaly. “GravityWorks is how

“Continued prosperity on Earth depends on the peaceful utilization of space. Without the space domain, the world looks very, very di erent, less stable, and less prosperous,” Rogers said.  Space was recognized by NATO as the fth operational domain for military operations in 2019, joining maritime, air, land, and cyberspace.

“ e U.S. government and industry, we nd ourselves as partners at what we view as an in ection point at True Anomaly: to deliver asym-

Elbert County Legals

later than 4:00 p.m. on September 1, 2023.

Legal Notice No. 25030

First Publication: August 10, 2023

Last Publication: August 24, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Misc. Private Legals

Public Notice BEFORE THE ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

IN THE MATTER OF THE PROMULGATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF FIELD RULES TO GOVERN OPERATIONS FOR THE NIOBRARA FORMATION, WILDCAT FIELD, ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO

CAUSE NO. 535

DOCKET NO. 230700227

TYPE: POOLING

NOTICE OF HEARING GMT Exploration Company, LLC, (Operator No. 10243) (“Applicant”) filed an Application with the Commission for an order to pool all oil and gas (“mineral”) interests in lands identified below.

This Notice was sent to you because the Applicant believes you may own mineral interests that will be pooled if the Commission approves the Application. Pooling is the consolidation and combining of mineral interests so that all mineral interest owners receive payment for their just and equitable share of produced oil and gas. For more information about the Commission’s pooling process, please see a brochure on the Commission’s website here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14QaK0JG6G35 gvqwq5pp5t1psF0fDil0M/view

APPLICATION LANDS Township

metric capabilities to sustainably secure the domain at the speed of operational requirement,” Rogers said. True Anomaly conducted a national search for the location of the GravityWorks manufacturing site, and eventually landed back in Colorado, a hub of spacecraft technology in the United States.

“ ey stayed in Colorado, and they chose Centennial, and I’d like to think it’s because we are a businessfriendly community,” Mayor Piko said. “We have an opportunity here to really continue to create an atmosphere of growth and private sector-public sector cooperation in order to bene t not just us here in Centennial, but everyone around the globe.”

Section 2:All

Section 3:All

Section 4: All

Section 5:All

Section 6:All

DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION OF HEARING (Subject to change)

The assigned Hearing Officer will hold a hearing only on the above referenced docket number at the following date, time, and location:

Date:October 11, 2023

Time:9:00 a.m.

Place: Energy and Carbon Management Commission

The Chancery Building 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, CO 80203

PETITIONS

DEADLINE FOR PETITIONS BY AFFECTED

PERSONS: September 11, 2023

Any interested party who wishes to participate formally must file a written petition with the Commission no later than the deadline provided above. Please see Commission Rule 507 at https://ecmc.state.co.us/#/home, under “Regulation,” then select “Rules.” Please note that, under Commission Rule 510.l, the deadline for petitions may only be continued for good cause, even if the hearing is continued beyond the date that is stated above. Pursuant to Commission Rule 507, if you do not file a proper petition, the Hearing Officer will not know that you wish to formally participate in this matter and the date and time of the hearing may change without additional notice to you. Parties wishing to file a petition must register online at https://oitco.hylandcloud. com/DNRCOGExternalAccess/Account/Login. aspx and select “Request Access to Site.” Please refer to our “eFiling Users Guidebook” at https:// ecmc.state.co.us/documents/reg/Hearings/ External_Efiling_System_Handbook_December_2021_Final.pdf for more information. Under Commission Rule 508, if no petition is filed, the Application may be approved administratively

without a formal hearing.

Any Affected Person who files a petition must be able to participate in a prehearing conference during the week of September 11, 2023, if a prehearing conference is requested by the Applicant or by any person who has filed a petition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information, you may review the Application, which was sent to you with this Notice. You may also contact the Applicant at the phone number or email address listed below.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if any party requires special accommodations as a result of a disability for this hearing, please contact Margaret Humecki at Cogcc. Hearings_Unit@state.co.us, prior to the hearing and arrangements will be made.

ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

By: Mimi

C. Larsen, Commission

Dated: August 8, 2023

GMT Exploration Company LLC

c/o Jamie L. Jost Kelsey H. Wasylenky Jost Energy Law, P.C. 3511 Ringsby Court, Unit 103 Denver, CO 80216 720-446-5620 jjost@jostenergylaw.com kwasylenky@jostenergylaw.com

Legal Notice No. 25040

First Publication: August 24, 2023

Last Publication: August 24, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

Notice to Creditors

Public Notice

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of Faustina V. Ortiz a/k/a Faustina Ortiz, Deceased Case Number: 23PR20

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado, on or before December 22, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Kevin Ortiz, Personal Representative 37253 S. Big Buck Circle Elizabeth, CO 80107

Legal Notice No. 25037

First Publication: August 17, 2023

Last Publication: August 31, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

PUBLIC NOTICE

Secretary

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Estate of James M. Elswick, Deceased

Case Number: 23PR16

All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before December 18, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Belinda Jenkins, Personal Representative 6987 S. Gun Club Court Aurora, Colorado 80016

Legal Notice No. 25036

First Publication: August 17, 2023

Last Publication: August 31, 2023

Publisher: Elbert County News

###

Company leaders and city o cials cut the ribbon and open GravityWorks.

PHOTO BY SHEA VANCE

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