Clear Creek Courant April 3, 2025

Idaho Springs approves first step to seasonal employee camping permits for rafting season

Property near Shelly/Quinn ballfields could open to camping to aid seasonal rafting employees

customers also requires rafting guides and support employees.

Clear Creek County Sheri Matt Harris was backed by ve members of his command sta and Public Information O cer Jennifer Fulton as he opened a recent forum to questions from more than two dozen locals.

During his opening remarks March 24 to a crowded audience at the county building in Georgetown, Harris reiterated his three goals since taking o ce:

• Operational improvements

• Community relations

• Retention and recruiting quali ed deputies

Well-documented budget constraints facing the county currently, Harris said, are another major obstacle the depart-

e rapidly approaching rafting season in Clear Creek County will bring in thousands of tourists from across the country, providing millions of dollars to the local economy annually.

According to a recent study, Colorado River Out tters Association estimated there is more than $11.6 million in direct expenditures on rafting in Clear Creek County annually.

e economic impact on the county as a whole, including restaurants, bars and lodging is estimated at just under $30 million, according to CROA.

e massive, yet seasonal, in ux of rafting

With housing at a premium in the county, many rafting employees set up camp on or near the rafting out t where they’re working, according to CROA and local rafting out ts.

During its regular city council meeting on March 24, Idaho Springs council members approved the rst reading of a conditional use permit for temporary seasonal employee camping during rafting season on property west of the Shelly/Quinn ball elds in the east part of town.

e temporary city permit would come with several caveats:

• Potable water must be available on-site at all times.

• Applicants shall receive Clear Creek Fire Authority approval concerning the size and location of the potable water storage.

• e Clear Creek Fire Authority shall approve the location of campsites and cooking areas prior to occupation.

• No open res are permitted at the property. All campsite locations shall be numbered and a map of the site, showing all campsites labeled, shall be provided to the City prior to operation and shall be posted at the site.

• Trash and recycling must be picked up weekly at minimum.

• Adequate portable toilets will be provided on-site and will be pumped monthly at a minimum or as needed

During the public meeting Idaho Springs Police Chief Nate Buseck told council members only a few issues have been recorded in previous camping in the area.

e resolution, if ultimately approved by council members, would expire Oct. 1, 2026.

Idaho Springs council members approved a conditional use permit for temporary seasonal employee camping during rafting season March 24. FILE PHOTO

Families may finally see statewide dyslexia screening

Years of advocacy and desperate pleas culminate in bipartisan bill

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Driven by years of pressure from parents and advocates, Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would require all schools to screen early elementary students for signs of dyslexia, an e ort supporters say is critical to catching reading struggles before they deepen.

Last fall, desperate parents pleaded with the state’s Board of Education to implement screening without delay, sharing stories of children who slipped through the cracks because no one recognized the signs.

Senate Bill 25-200, sponsored by Sen. Chris Kolker, D-Littleton, and co-sponsored by Sen. Kyle Mullica, D- ornton, Rep. Eliza Hamrick, D-Centennial, and Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, would require school districts to implement a universal dyslexia screener or create their own process for identifying students with signs of dyslexia by the 2026-27 school year.

Kolker, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, described the bill as a foundational shift in how Colorado addresses reading struggles.

“If we have the ability to identify dyslexia in every child, then we have a responsibility to do it,” he said in an interview.

Under the bill, dyslexia screening would begin in kindergarten and continue

through third grade.

e bill outlines speci c skills that any dyslexia screener must assess, including phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, word decoding and oral

Weather Observations for Georgetown, Colorado

Weather Observations for Georgetown, Colorado

Week of March 17, 2025

Week of March 17, 2025

Each day at about 8 a.m. a local National Weather Service volunteer observer makes temperature and precipitation observations at the Georgetown Weather Station and wind observations at Georgetown Lake. “Max” and “Min” temperatures are from an NWS digital “Maximum/Minimum Temperature System.” “Mean daily” temperature is the calculated average of the max and min. “Total Precipitation” is inches of rainfall plus melted snow. “Snowfall” is inches of snow that accumulated. T = Trace of precipitation or snowfall. NR = Not Reported. “Peak wind gust at Georgetown Lake” is the velocity and the time of the maximum wind gust that occurred during the 24 hours preceding the observation time. Historic data are based on the period of record for which statistical data have been compiled (about 56 years within the period 1893-2024). Any weather records noted are based on a comparison of the observed value with the historical data set for that speci c date.

Each day at about 8 a.m. a local National Weather Service volunteer observer makes temperature and precipitation observations at the Georgetown Weather Station and wind observations at Georgetown Lake. “Max” and “Min” temperatures are from an NWS digital “Maximum/Minimum Temperature System.” “Mean daily” temperature is the calculated average of the max and min. “Total Precipitation” is inches of rainfall plus melted snow. “Snowfall” is inches of snow that accumulated. T = Trace of precipitation or snowfall. NR = Not Reported. “Peak wind gust at Georgetown Lake” is the velocity and the time of the maximum wind gust that occurred during the 24 hours preceding the observation time. Historic data are based on the period of record for which statistical data have been compiled (about 56 years within the period 1893-2024). Any weather records noted are based on a comparison of the observed value with the historical data set for that specific date

Day and date of observation (2025)

reading uency, which are skills that are commonly associated with early signs of dyslexia.

By adding these criteria to state law, the bill requires the Colorado Department of Education to ensure that any interim literacy assessments it approves for use under the READ Act include tools or subtests that can reliably identify students at risk for dyslexia.

Interim assessments are periodic evaluations used by schools throughout the year to monitor students’ reading progress and identify those who may need additional support.

“ is gets those skills, like rapid naming and alphabetic knowledge, into statute, which means CDE has to include them in its next assessment review,” said Lindsay Drakos, co-chair of COKID, a parent dyslexia advocacy organization.

“So even if screening won’t be perfect at rst, districts will at least have to start, and they’ll be more prepared once the assessment list changes.”

e next interim assessment review process will take place in 2026.

Cost concerns and mitigations

Kolker said some reading assessments that districts currently use to determine how well students are reading, such as Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready Diagnostic, don’t adequately screen for dyslexia — a common learning disability that a ects word recognition, spelling and decoding skills despite typical intelligence and classroom instruction.

e bill doesn’t come with a scal note, meaning no money is available for districts to purchase screening materials, so districts will be allowed to use a separate dyslexia screener if their current interim assessment doesn’t meet the new standards.

Alternatives such as the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, referred to as DIBELS, or Acadience Reading, both of which are designed to detect early signs of dyslexia, are free to download and administer manually.

Schools seeking additional support, such as training, digital scoring and

progress monitoring, can access these tools at no cost through the state’s Early Literacy Assessment Tool grant, which Kolker said could cover nearly every district in Colorado.

“No one who has applied for ELAT has been turned away,” Drakos said. “It covers DIBELS, which already includes all the required subtests, and it comes with training and progress monitoring. Most of the state already uses it.”

While the ELAT grant helps bridge current gaps, Kolker noted that broader investments will likely have to wait.

“We’re forecasting budget de cits, so we’re trying to do what we can while we wait,” he said. “ is is not an unfunded mandate. is is building the foundation.”

e bill also makes school readiness assessments for kindergartners optional. Kolker said the current kindergarten readiness assessments are poorly understood and inconsistently used.

“Districts say they don’t even know what happens to the data,” he said. “Let’s focus on where the de ciencies are with literacy, especially now that we have universal preschool and expect kids to be more ready.”

Some opposition to the bill may come from the Governor’s o ce, which has expressed concern over eliminating the readiness assessments, but Kolker said he’s still waiting for a clear explanation of how that data is used.

He emphasized that the dyslexia screening provision has bipartisan support and backing from education groups such as the Colorado Association of School Executives and the Colorado Association of School Boards.

e bill represents a hard-won milestone for Drakos, who has advocated on this issue since 2019.

“We’ve been ghting for this since 2019, when barely any states required screening,” Drakos said. “Now 43 do, and we’re still waiting. We’re so close. is has to be the year.”

e bill is scheduled for public testimony before the Senate Education Committee at 1 p.m. on March 31.

NAHB’s International Builders’ Show 2025 in Las Vegas Provided a Glimpse of New & Inspiring Products

Regular readers of this column know that I’m a sucker for new and innovative products. Many of them are on display each year at the National Association of Home Builders’ annual International Builders’ Show (IBS), which was held in Las Vegas the last week of February.

For me, as a real estate professional, IBS is comparable in interest to what the Consumer Electronics Show (now CES) is to geeks. This is where we learn about new concepts in manufacturing, both of home building materials and of houses themselves.

There were many “smart home” products promoted at IBS, including an app called OliverIQ, which claims to tie together all of one’s smart home devices into “smart home as a service” (SHaaS). At right is a screenshot of this app shown on an iPhone.

Literally hundreds of companies purchased exhibit space at February’s IBS show in Las Vegas, and I wish I could have attended, but here are some of the new or improved products which I learned about from press reports.

Lighting is an important part of any home, and one of the innovations that caught my attention was Alloy LED’s SurfaFlex 1 Tape Light. It is demonstrated in the picture below, providing a nice alternative to indirect lighting, which was also on display in various forms by other vendors.

When I visited a Scottsdale hotel several years ago, I was captivated by the folding garage door on its restaurant. Well, that concept is now going mainstream, albeit at a cost many home builders or homeowners might not feel they could justify.

Instead of the garage door traveling overhead on rails, rendering that part of the ceiling inaccessible and unusable, this garage door folds itself at the top of the opening. Clopay’s VertiStack garage door, shown below, won “Best of Show” at this year’s IBS.

Another product concept that caught my attention was under-counter refrigerator and freezer drawers, great for a wet bar, shown here between a couple beverage coolers.

Attention Wood Workers & Hobbyists!

I’m listing a home next month (or sooner) that has a fully equipped woodworking shop in the basement with lots of expensive woodworking equipment, most of which are Delta branded — table saw, planer, drill press, band saw, miter saw, and sawdust vacuum, plus hand power tools. Help me help the seller liquidate these tools before we put his home on the market. Call me at 303-525-1851

speaker system to the heated seat with hands-free opening and closing.” It is priced at $9,796.01 on Kohler.com. I’ll pass, thank you. Walls of glass are nothing new, of course. I saw my first example of a wall of sliding glass panels that opened onto a patio (with outdoor kitchen, of course) in a house in Lakewood’s Solterra subdivision that I helped a client purchase several years ago. I haven’t seen others quite as large and dramatic since, but maybe they’ll catch on following the display of a “multi-slide door” at IBS. They are also sold as pocket doors, but more typically stack into the width of one panel.

maintenance-free way to bring nature and tranquility indoors. In the posting of this article on our blog, http://RealEstateToday.substack.com, I’ll include links for each of these products

Over 90% of Listing Agents Insert Faulty Legal Descriptions in MLS

I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating. As a finicky editor, it has always bothered me that my fellow agents don’t know what is and isn’t the proper legal description.

I analyzed 100 listing on REcolorado, our local MLS, and only 8 of them had a clean legal description. Let me explain.

Most non-rural listings are in a subdivision, and are legally described by the name of the subdivision plus the block and lot numbers. But almost every listing agent inserts the “legal description” provided by the Realist report obtained via the MLS. That description also contains a Section, Township, and Range as well as the size of the parcel in addition to the subdivision, block and lot, like this from a recent listing of mine:

SECTION 34 TOWNSHIP 02 RANGE 69 QTR NE SUBDIVISIONCD 138000 SUBDIVISIONNAME CLUB CREST FLG #2 BLOCK 003 LOT 0011 SIZE: 11001 TRACT VALUE: .253

Heading the list of truly weird products was a “smart toilet” from Kohler, the Numi 2.0, shown below. It “combines unmatched design and technology to bring you the finest in personal comfort and cleansing. Kohler's most advanced toilet now offers personalized settings that let you fine-tune every option to your exact preferences, from ambient colored lighting and built-in audio

Client Praises One of Our Agents

Hi, Jim. This is Rita Levine. I just wanted to give you feedback, and I'm sure you already know this, but I closed on a home recently, and my broker was Chuck Brown. I just wanted to let you know he was the best real estate agent I have ever had, and this is my ninth house in three states. So, he was just so accommodating, so helpful, and so patient because we've been looking for four and a half years trying to find somebody that would do a contingency and find something I could afford.

And so, I just wanted to let you know how much I greatly appreciate his assistance and what a wonderful person he is. I'm just really happy I had the opportunity to get to know him, and I'm so happy when I met with you that you brought him along and recommended that he would be the best person for me to work with because he absolutely was the best person to work with.

So, just giving you feedback, and I'm sure that's much better than any complaint because many times people only call to complain about things, and I just like to always let people know when somebody went way beyond what was expected of them, and he certainly did that. So, thanks again, and let him know that I let you know. Okay, have a great day. Bye-bye.

Lastly for this article, have you heard of “green walls”? RIVA Moss, sustainably harvested from European forests, allows for the creation of captivating living walls, framed art, and other custom installations, offering a

Defying Critics, NAR Retains Its

Last week, I wrote about the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR’s) Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), which some major brokerages would like to see abolished, claiming that it is anti-competitive.

However, NAR, bolstered by an unsolicited determination by the U.S. Department of Justice that the CCP by itself was not anti-competitive, announced last week that it was retaining the policy, while throwing some crumbs to objectors in the form of a new MLS policy called “Multiple Listing Options for Sellers.”

That new policy was effective immediately (March 25, 2025), but gave MLSs until September 30th to implement it. The irony is that our MLS and possibly many others already offer these “new listing options” specified in NAR’s new policy. Those options are spelled out as follows:

1) A consumer will have the option to market their home as a “delayed marketing exempt listing.” This means a seller can instruct their listing agent to delay the marketing of their listing by other agents outside the listing firm through IDX or syndication for a period of time. REcolorado already has this feature, a “Coming Soon” status that is limited to 7 days, during which no showings may occur, including by the listing agent.

2) During the delayed marketing period, the home seller and the listing agent can market the listing in a manner consistent with the seller’s needs and interests. At the same time, the delayed marketing exempt listing will still be available to other MLS Participants through the MLS platform so they can inform their consumers about the property. That’s how “Coming Soon” status works.

3) Each MLS will have discretion to determine a delayed marketing period that is most

Here is the actual legal description, which the title company inserted in the warranty deed transferring the property to the buyer: Lot 11, Block 3, Club Crest Filing No. 2, County of Jefferson

Policy Against ‘Pocket Listings’

suitable for their local marketplace. REcolorado set that period as 7 days.

4) Listing agents representing sellers who choose to delay the public marketing of their listing must secure from their seller a signed disclosure documenting the seller’s informed consent to waive the benefits of immediate public marketing through IDX and syndication. Seller disclosure is required for both delayed marketing exempt listings and office exclusive exempt listings. The Colorado Real Estate Commission dictates that sellers be advised that restricting the exposure of their listing may not be in the public interest, but I don’t believe that such disclosures are being made to sellers by agents who convince sellers to keep their listing visible only to fellow agents within the same brokerage.

As I noted in last week’s column, listing agents can simply check a box during data entry to keep a listing off other broker websites, including realtor.com, redfin.com, and Zillow.com.

In summary, REcolorado has nothing to do to comply with this new “rule.”

My only wish is that NAR would disallow the “office exclusive” policy, which is itself anticompetitive, in that it disadvantages independent brokers and small brokerages, which, like small businesses, are the real workhorses of the real estate industry.

Does State Law Trump NAR Dictates?

Alabama has enacted a law that buyers do not need to sign an agreement with a broker in order to be shown a home for sale, directly overriding a key part of last year’s NAR settlement. The local Realtor Association lobbied for the bill, saying it put undue duress on buyers and was not in the best interest of consumers.

Text deletion policy faces questions after high-profile

Records show top Je co o cials deleted text messages about David Weiss, which isn’t illegal

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When a recent public records request asked for text messages between the Jefferson County Schools superintendent, top cabinet o cials and the school board about the termination of district employee David Weiss last December, most replies came back the same: “I don’t have any text messages related to this request.”

Board member Mary Parker was the exception. She preserved and submitted a series of texts, ful lling the request in full. Others, including board members, Danielle Varda and Michelle Applegate, Chief Human Resources O cer Amanda Pierorazio and Chief Legal Counsel Julie Tolleson kept a portion of the text thread. Her messages included exchanges with Superintendent Tracy Dorland and other district leaders discussing internal investigations, communication strategy and how to respond to public and media inquiries following Weiss’ dismissal after the Je erson County Sheri ’s o ce noti ed Dorland that Weiss was under investigation for possessing child pornography.

According to records released by the district, Dorland and Chief of Schools Lisa Relou, responded that they had no text messages responsive to the request.

However, Parker’s texts show that both Dorland and Relou engaged in text conversations about the Weiss case with her and the rest of the board members, suggesting that those messages were deleted after the fact.

Parker’s preservation of these texts provides a rare look into how district leaders managed communications during a period of high public interest.

While nothing in the text exchange suggests district leaders hid anything from the public, the messages show a coor-

dinated conversation about how best to respond to media and community inquiries and manage messaging around Weiss’ termination.

Weiss was found dead in Maryland after traveling there shortly following his termination. e medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. e investigation into the possession of child pornography charges against him by the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce remains ongoing.

While nothing in the text exchange suggests district leaders hid anything from the public, the messages show a coordinated conversation about how best to respond to media and community inquiries and manage messaging around Weiss’ termination.

While board member Danielle Varda retained only a few texts responsive to the request, she responded to the district’s request for text communications with concern, saying that while convenient, texting can blur the lines between informal conversation and o cial records.

“I think we are best served to be more public about how we are communicating,” she said.

Under Je co’s current records retention policy, deleting such communications is permitted. e policy states that electronic communications may be deleted on a routine basis unless district policy or state or federal law requires them to be retained.

Colorado’s Open Records Act requires agencies to disclose existing records but does not mandate their retention.

Records retention policies vary across districts and agencies in Colorado. In Je co, the district follows a records management manual developed in collaboration with the Colorado State Archives.  at manual encourages public entities to retain records that re ect o cial business decisions and notes that sound re-

cordkeeping supports transparency and public trust.

How district leaders use texts

During a Feb. 28 board retreat, board members and senior sta discussed how and when text messaging is used.

Relou acknowledged that texts are often used to notify members of urgent events or to ag incoming emails but said the use had increased in recent weeks.

Dorland said texting is sometimes the fastest way to alert board members to issues already appearing on social media.

Still, Varda raised concerns about transparency, questioning whether some communications were being handled by text speci cally to avoid the public nature of email.

“I just want to make sure that there’s transparency,” she said. “Sometimes texts are being sent to avoid emails to be public and transparent.”

e discussion did not lead to a formal resolution or policy change during the retreat. Still, board members agreed to continue examining how the district uses text messaging and how those practices intersect with transparency expectations.

What the law says about record retention

Colorado’s Open Records Act, rst enacted in 1969, was designed to give the public access to the records of government bodies at all levels. e law de nes public records broadly, including any writings made, maintained or kept by a public entity in connection with o cial functions.

at includes emails and text messages, but only if they still exist.

CORA doesn’t require government agencies to retain those records, only to produce what they have when a request is made. In practice, that means public o cials can legally delete texts unless another law or policy requires them to be kept.

e Colorado State Archives o ers model retention schedules for schools and other local agencies, and districts are

encouraged, but not required, to adopt them.

In Je co’s case, the district’s policy explicitly allows electronic messages to be deleted routinely unless otherwise required by law. at puts the burden of transparency on the o cials themselves and their judgment about what to keep and what to erase.

e result is a patchwork of practices across the state. Some agencies retain texts for several years, while others allow for deletion after a few days or weeks unless agged as part of an o cial record.

e rise of encrypted, auto-deleting messaging apps like Signal has added a new layer of opacity. A recent investigation by Colorado Politics found that top aides to Denver’s mayor Signal to discuss sensitive topics like immigration enforcement with messages disappearing shortly after being read, leaving no trace for public scrutiny.

“ e records retention laws in Colorado are pretty weak,” said Je Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. “ ey give a lot of discretion to the sender and receiver of the message to decide what’s important to keep, what ts the records retention schedule, and the public may never get to see communications that could be really important for understanding what happened.”

is ambiguity leaves room for selective recordkeeping — where communications that re ect favorably on leadership may be saved while others are deleted.  “ ere’s not really any other party to decide what’s important to keep,” Roberts said. “If a public o cial decides a message doesn’t matter, it can be deleted immediately, and the public or a journalist might never know it existed, even if it turns out to be meaningful in understanding a public decision.

“ e whole point of having an open records law is to allow the public to scrutinize government activity,” Roberts said. “But you can’t scrutinize what no longer exists.”

Psychedelic mushroom experiment has arrived

State regulators are issuing licenses and plans are in place for ‘healing centers’

BY KATE RUDER KFF HEALTH NEWS

Colorado regulators are issuing licenses for providing psychedelic mushrooms and are planning to authorize the state’s rst “healing centers,” where the mushrooms can be ingested under supervision, in late spring or early summer. e dawn of state-regulated psychedelic mushrooms has arrived in Colorado, nearly two years since Oregon began o ering them. e mushrooms are a Schedule I drug and illegal under federal law except for clinical research. But more than a dozen cities nationwide have deprioritized or decriminalized them in the past ve years, and many eyes are turned toward Oregon’s and Colorado’s stateregulated programs.

“In Oregon and Colorado, we’re going to learn a lot about administration of psychedelics outside of clinical, religious, and underground settings because they’re the rst to try this in the U.S.,” said William R. Smith, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Psychedelic mushrooms and their psychoactive compound psilocybin have the potential to treat people with depression and anxiety, including those unresponsive to other medications or therapy. e National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, says the risk of mental health problems caused by ingesting mushrooms in a supervised clinical setting is low, but may be higher outside of a clinical setting. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a social media post last year, before his nomination as U.S. health secretary, that his “mind is open to the idea of psychedelics for treatment.”

Medical experts say more research is needed, particularly in people with a diagnosis or family history of psychotic or bipolar disorder. Adverse e ects of psilocybin, including headache and nausea, typically resolve within one to two days. However, extended di culties from using psychedelics can last weeks, months, or years; anxiety and fear, existential struggle, social disconnection, and feeling detached from oneself and one’s sur-

room exposures reported to poison control centers ticked up in these states and nationally.

In February, about 40 people organized by the psychedelic advocacy group the Nowak Society gathered in Boulder to talk about the coming changes in Colorado.

ey included Mandy Grace, who received her state license to administer psychedelic mushrooms, and Amanda Clark, a licensed mental health counselor from

because the current therapies are not enough for people,” Clark said.

Colorado voters approved Proposition 122 in 2022 to legalize natural psychedelics, after Oregon voters in 2020 approved legalizing psilocybin for therapeutic use. Colorado’s program is modeled after, but not the same as, Oregon’s, under which 21,246 psilocybin products have been sold as of March, a total that could include secondary doses, according to the

As of mid-March, Colorado has received applications for at least 15 healing center licenses, nine cultivation licenses, four manufacturer licenses, and one testing facility license for growing and preparing the mushrooms, under rules developed over two years by the governor-appointed Natural Medicine Advisory Board. Psychedelic treatments in Oregon are expensive, and are likely to be so in Colorado, too, said Tasia Poinsatte, Colorado

Psychedelic mushrooms after freeze-drying at the lab at Activated Brands in Arvada, Colorado.

(KATE RUDER FOR KFF HEALTH NEWS)

MUSHROOMS

director of the nonpro t Healing Advocacy Fund, which supports state-regulated programs for psychedelic therapy. In Oregon, psychedelic mushroom sessions are typically $1,000 to $3,000, are not covered by insurance, and must be paid for up front.

e mushrooms themselves are not expensive, Poinsatte said, but a facilitator’s time and support services are costly, and there are state fees. In Colorado, for doses over 2 milligrams, facilitators will screen participants at least 24 hours in advance, then supervise the session in which the participant consumes and experiences mushrooms, lasting several hours, plus a later meeting to integrate the experience.

Facilitators, who may not have experience with mental health emergencies, need training in screening, informed consent, and postsession monitoring, Smith said. “Because these models are new, we need to gather data from Colorado and Oregon to ensure safety.”

Facilitators generally pay a $420 training fee, which allows them to pursue the necessary consultation hours, and roughly $900 a year for a license, and healing centers pay $3,000 to $6,000 for initial licenses in Colorado. But the up-front cost for facilitators is signi cant: e required 150 hours in a state-accredited program and 80 hours of hands-on training can cost $10,000 or more, and Clark said she wouldn’t pursue a facilitator license due to the prohibitive time and cost.

To increase a ordability for patients in Colorado, Poinsatte said, healing centers plan to o er sliding-scale pay options, and discounts for veterans, Medicaid enrollees, and those with low incomes.

Group sessions are another option to lower costs.

Colorado law does not allow retail sales of psilocybin, unlike cannabis, which can be sold both recreationally and medically in the state. But it allows adults 21 and older to grow, use, and share psychedelic mushrooms for personal use.

Despite the retail ban, adjacent businesses have mushroomed. Inside the warehouse and laboratory of Activated Brands in Arvada, brown bags of sterilized grains such as corn, millet, and sorghum and plastic bags of soil substrate are for sale, along with genetic materials and ready-to-grow kits.

Co-founder Sean Win eld sells these supplies for growing psychedelic or functional mushrooms such as lion’s mane to people hoping to grow their own at home. Soon, Activated Brands will host cultivation and education classes for the public, Win eld said.

Win eld and co-founder Shawn Cox

Shawn Cox, a co-founder of Activated Brands in Arvada, grows and extracts compoundsfromCordyceps, the mushroom pictured. The compounds are believed to boost energy andcirculation.

(KATE RUDER FOR KFF HEALTH NEWS)

recently hosted a psychedelic potluck at which experts studying and cultivating psychedelic mushrooms discussed genetics, extraction, and specialized equipment.

Psychedelic mushrooms have a long history in Indigenous cultures, and provisions for their use in spiritual, cultural, or religious ceremonies are included in Colorado law, along with recognition of the cultural harm that could occur to federally recognized tribes and Indigenous people if natural medicine is overly commercialized or exploited.

Several studies over the past ve years have shown the long-term bene ts of psilocybin for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, and the Food and Drug Administration designated it a breakthrough therapy. Late-stage trials, often a precursor to application for FDA approval, are underway.

Smith said psilocybin is a promising tool for treating mental health disorders

but has not yet been shown to be better than other advanced treatments. Joshua Woolley, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California-San Francisco, said he has seen the bene ts of psilocybin as an investigator in clinical trials.

“People can change hard-set habits. ey can become unstuck. ey can see things in new ways,” he said of treating patients with a combination of psilocybin and psychotherapy.

Colorado, unlike Oregon, allows integration of psilocybin into existing mental health and medical practices with a clinical facilitator license, and through microhealing centers that are more limited in the amounts of mushrooms they can store.

Still, Woolley said, between the federal ban and new state laws for psychedelics, this is uncharted territory. Most drugs used to treat mental health disorders are regulated by the FDA, something that Colorado is “taking into its own hands” by setting up its own program to regulate manufacturing and administration of psilocybin.

e U.S. Attorney’s O ce for the District of Colorado declined to comment on its policy toward state-regulated psychedelic programs or personal use provisions, but Poinsatte hopes the same federal handso approach to marijuana will be taken for psilocybin in Oregon and Colorado. Win eld said he looks forward to the upcoming rollout and potential addition of other plant psychedelics, such as mescaline. “We’re talking about clandestine industries coming into the light,” he said. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism.

GOVERNMENT/FLEET VEHICLES & EQUIPMENT

Sundance Film Fest relocates to Boulder

City beat out proposals from Atlanta, Cincinnati, Louisville and Santa Fe

BY PARKER YAMASAKI THE COLORADO SUN

e Sundance Film Festival is o cially coming to Boulder.

e Sundance Institute announced March 27 that it had selected Boulder to host the famous 10-day lm festival for 10 years beginning in 2027.

A slow-burn competition for the festival began in earnest last April, when the Institute, which owns the festival and runs a dozen workshops for lmmakers, put out a request for information. Boulder responded, and submitted a formal proposal in June.

Boulder’s request included a one-time, $1.5 million grant, $250,000 from the Colorado Ofce of Film, TV and Media over ve years, and one-time contributions of $50,000 from the Colorado Tourism O ce and $25,000 from Colorado Creative Industries.

House Bill 1005, which is still being considered by lawmakers, would add $34 million in tax incentives to the large pile of grants.

In comparison, Utah allocated somewhere between $1.3 million and $2 million per year to keep the festival in Park City.

Boulder beat out proposals from Atlanta, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky and Santa Fe, and a combined proposal from Park City and Salt Lake City to start hosting the festival in 2027.

“Boulder o ers small-town charm with an engaged community, distinctive natural beauty, and a vibrant arts scene, making it the ideal location for the Festival to grow,” Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute’s acting CEO, said in an emailed statement. “ is is the beginning of a bold, new journey as we invite everyone to be part of our community and to be entertained and inspired. We can’t imagine a better t than Boulder.”

Colorado goes all in Colorado has been vying for the festival for years.

In 2023 the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park landed the Sundance Institute Director’s Lab, an invitation-only program where screenwriters and directors hash out their big ideas — digging into scripts, rehearsing, shooting and editing scenes.

At the time, o cials were tight-lipped about whether this was a way to lure the lm festival to the Rockies from the Wasatch. But the speculation gained traction when then-Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente said on a podcast that there are challenges with hosting more than 100,000 visitors at the festival in a busy ski town in January.

January in Boulder, on the other hand, is a time of relatively low occupancy and visitorship, according to the Colorado Tourism Ofce. e festival is projected to bring around 40,000 to 50,000 visitors to the Front Range. e tax incentive bill in the legislature creates a new tax credit “only if at least one qualied lm festival with a multi-decade operating history and a veri able track record of attracting 100,000 or more in-person ticket sales and over 10,000 out-of-state and international attendees (global lm festival) commences the relocation of the festival to Colorado by January 1, 2026.”

Few other lm festivals qualify, and none besides Sundance were eyeing a new home in Colorado.

A homegrown Hollywood Colorado has spent the past few years building up a lm industry that can compete with neighboring states. And that’s exactly what

Hollywood wants.

and TV productions picked out their lming locations beginning in 2002, when Louisiana ramped up its credit program and started pulling in movie productions from the East and West coasts. at comparative — and competitive — angle has been used by the lm industry to pit nearby states against one another: Texas versus Oklahoma, New York versus New Jersey, Utah versus Colorado.

e idea is that movies and TV shows require a lot of people, and people spend money on places to stay, to eat, to shop. Locals might be contracted for construction or catering. Aspiring lmmakers can rub shoulders with industry elite. In short, it’s an industry known for creating new worlds — and that potential extends beyond the set.

Last year — around the same time that Boulder submitted its Sundance proposal — the state expanded its tax incentive credit for lm, TV and commercial productions to $5 million per year for four years to try to lure more lmmakers to work in Colorado.

ough the incentive is nowhere near the $118 million New Mexico expects to pay out this year in tax incentives, the boost to Colorado’s program makes the state competitive with Wyoming and Utah. All four states currently host some part of the Sundance Institute’s expansive programming — with the Directors Lab in Estes Park, the Native Lab in New Mexico, the Producers Lab in Wyoming and, of course, the festival in Park City.

While lm tax incentives are di erent from the millions that an annual festival stands to generate — especially one with, say, a multidecade operating history and a veri able track record of attracting over 10,000 out-of-state and international attendees — the underlying economic idea is the same: attract a bunch of people to spend a bunch of money.

And they will.

To the tune of $13.8 million in state and local tax revenue and $69.7 million in local wages

tute’s 2024 economic impact report. e report also estimated that money spent directly by of-state visitors, about one-third of the festival

“Today’s announcement is a tremendous win for Colorado small businesses. We welcome the Sundance Film Festival making its new home in Boulder,” said state Sen. Mark Baisley in an emailed statement. Baisley, a Woodland Park Republican, co-sponsored the Sundance tax incentive bill. “ is will boost sales at restaurants, retailers and other small businesses throughout the region that rely on tourism, bringing much needed revenue to Colorado communities during a quiet time of year.”

is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.

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Festivalgoers gather under the marquee at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. SHUTTERSTOCK

Igrew up here in Golden, as most of you probably know. My Dad went to the Colorado School of Mines, class of 1956, and half of the kids in my neighborhood had parents that were professors or were currently students there themselves. So, it should come as no surprise that one of the very rst songs I learned all the words to was this one:

THE MINING ENGINEER

I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three hundred pounds, the college bell to mix it in and a clapper to stir it ‘round. Like every honest fellow, I take my whiskey clear, I’m a ramblin’ wreck from Golden Tech, a helluva engineer.

A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva engineer. A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva engineer.

Like every honest fellow, I take my whiskey clear, I’m a ramblin’ wreck from Golden Tech, a helluva engineer.

Hail, hail, the gang’s all here. What the hell do we care as long as we get our share. Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.

M-I-N-E-S What the hell do we care now?

VOICES

Howd-E! It’s a helluva time at Mines’ E-Days

AVENUE FLASHES

In the summer of 1927, at a high point in America’s love a air with baseball, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were embroiled in a widely publicized home run-hitting battle. Both were having career years hitting the long ball and in a 155-game season, Ruth would ultimately hit 60 home runs, with Gehrig hitting 47. Although the end tally does not seem to re ect it, throughout much of the season, these teammates were in close competition for the most home runs.

e combination of their home run race and the remarkable strength of the Yankees that year — who nished with a 110-45 regular season record and swept the World Series 4-0 against Pittsburgh, trailing for just one-and-a-half innings throughout the entire series — made the Yankees the team that captured everyone’s attention.

During this epic home run battle, Lou Gehrig wrote a syndicated article with this insightful passage, “And now a word about home run hitting. If the ball goes in the bleachers, well and good. If it goes for a single that scores a run, better

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I had to take a little liberty with the correct poetic form so it didn’t take up the entire page, but if you have no idea what that song is, you haven’t lived in Golden very long. Of course, that’s the CSM ght song. But even if you knew that, you probably also know that there are a few other colleges around the country that use a variation of it, namely South Dakota Mines and the most famous, Georgia Tech.

But what you may not have known is that the song is based on is a melody called “Son of a Gambolier” from the 1800s and CSM started using it way back in 1879. at’s more than 30 years before Georgia Tech swiped it and started using it as their own. So, nah-nah-nah.

I’m mentioning all of that now because we have one of the big annual CSM weekends coming up soon and you might hear people singing it a few times.

Yes, once again, it’s time for E-Days! If you aren’t familiar with what that is, it’s a Spring mid-semester party for students and alumni that runs an entire weekend. is year it’s going to be from Wednesday-Sunday, April 9-13. ey have sort of an “old west” theme this time around and are calling it HowdE-Days with lots of events and comedian performances, plus some big concerts scheduled, so here’s an abbreviated schedule of the shindig. Most of them are free to attend, but those with an asterisk* need you to purchase tickets. I’ll have a link to that at the bottom.

Wednesday, April 9: Prom Dress Rugby, 4 to 6 p.m., North IM Fields; Silent Disco, 7 p.m., Kafadar ursday, April 10: E-Days Comedian Alec Flynn with opener Hannah Jones*, 6 p.m., Bunker Auditorium; HowdE-Days Ball, 6 to 10 p.m., Ballrooms D and E; Casino Night, 8 p.m., Friedho . Friday, April 11: Ore Cart Pull, 7:45 a.m., Outdoor Rec Center; Tesla Coil Demo, 12 p.m., Bunker Auditorium; Field Day, 1:30 p.m., Lot D/North IM Fields; Made at Mines, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Labriola; “Scoot

Sometimes it’s not about swinging for the fences

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

your boots!” Swing and Line Dancing lessons 4 to 5 p.m.; Friday Night Event featuring Chase Beckham*, 6:30 p.m., D Parking Lot.

Saturday, April 12: Mining Games, 8 a.m., Q Lot; Cardboard Boat Races, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Clear Creek; Carnival 12 to 3 p.m., D Lot; Saturday Night Concert featuring Lovelytheband with opener Hayes Warner*, 6:30 p.m., D Parking Lot; and the loudest Fireworks display on the planet! 9 p.m., D Lot (weather dependent). Sunday, April 13: Pancake Pheast, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ballrooms A & B; and a Car Show, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Lot A. So, there you have it. All the places you can sing that lovely song at and be appreciated. You can also get more info and order tickets at www.mines.edu/mac/edays. Hail, hail the gang’s all here!

John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/ drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

still. I am proud of my record for driving in runs. I think I have a right to be. And if I live to be ninety and play baseball every day of that time, I will still get a thrill when I pound out a hit that sends a run over the plate.” is article, republished by historian Alan Ga , gives us such insight into Gehrig’s mindset. Gehrig certainly knew a ton about hits. In fact, he had 218 in 1927, almost 1.5 hits per game, an awesome number.

Gehrig’s words and self-proclaimed celebration of “run-scoring hits” got me thinking about how we spend time, in our individual struggles, trying to hit the home run, looking to end the hardship quickly with one heroic action.

I nd, in Gehrig’s comments, a challenge to focus less on the home run and more on “run-scoring hits.” What does “run-scoring hits” mean

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in our struggles? For me, it means doing my morning exercises withdelity and skipping that extra cookie that I think I need. For others, it means small improvements, little changes, maybe an afternoon walk, or time spent practicing a new skill, or even a chance to read a book. It will most certainly mean something di erent to each of us.

I would challenge all of us to think about what it means to get “runscoring hits.” I cannot de ne it for you, but I do know this — hitting “run-scoring hits” entails making a small di erence for yourself or someone else; it is de nitely more than simply breathing that day.

I hope that you nd time to de ne your hits and then will take more time to celebrate the miraculous number of “run-scoring hits” you have.

You are amazing. Keep your eyes wide open to all you have and all you will accomplish. You have got this. I hope my words encourage you, and that you will share them with those who need support.

SEE ROOME, P9

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Mission Arvada has been providing a severe weather overnight shelter solely through donations and volunteers. e city of Arvada asked Mission Arvada to provide this service due to the Severe Weather Shelter Network shutdown in Je erson County in 2024. Previously, the city of Arvada funded the network upward of $40,000.

RecoveryWorks, the day shelter in Lakewood, is fully funded by Je erson County and the city of Lakewood. In fact, the city of Lakewood pays Bayaud Enterprises to run the overnight Inclement Weather Shelter at RecoverWorks — I believe the city of Arvada should do the same. Mission Arvada at the Rising in Olde Town is almost exclusively run by volunteers; it is not appropriate to expect volunteers to provide security. If we have a fully funded 24/7 shelter, we will have the funds to support security and wrap-around services in one location. at is the solution RecoverWorks has unanimously moved forward, with thanks to the support of the city of Lakewood o cials, council members and concerned citizens. I believe the city of Arvada should follow the same path forward.

While there have been several communities speaking out to close Mission Arvada and/or propose an ordinance against the unhoused, now is not the time to turn our backs on your most vulnerable population, a population that continues to grow by leaps and bounds. We must work collaboratively to support a 24/7 shelter where we can provide round-the-clock security and sta to support our unhoused populations. Since RecoverWorks has opened its doors, I took it upon myself to speak with friends with families with young children who are long-time residents in the Colfax area who attend the PK-12 school just blocks from RecoverWorks where my daughter also attends. Residents have had no incidents with the homeless population who accesses these services, and there has been no increase in crime, and encampments have been cleaned up with the housing market continuing to rise. e unhoused population doesn’t wander, loiter or disturb local residents or businesses. Mission Arvada is signi cantly underfunded and yet continues to provide numerous navigation resources such as health care, applying for temporary and permanent housing, mobile DMV, mental health services, addiction services and much more. Mission Arvada is the hub for North Je erson County, and we must support the important services they provide by funding their emergency inclement weather shelter — a lifesaving service.

—BarbaraDray, Arvada

John Akal in

Jim Roome

Visit the Dark Side of Oz at The Oriental

One of the most famous legends in rock and roll is that Pink Floyd’s album, “Dark Side of the Moon,” syncs up with the 1939 classic, “ e Wizard of Oz.” While the band has always denied any intentional connection, there are certain moments that lend credence to the notion.

“I was in high school when I rst heard the urban legend,” said Kent Adamson, lead vocalist for e Crazy Diamonds progressive rock group. “ ere are lots of coincidences when you try it, especially in the rst part of the album. It’s uncanny how it lines up sometimes.”

COMING ATTRACTIONS

In honor of the pairing of music and lm in fun and experimental ways, e Oriental eater, 4335 W. 44th Ave. in Denver, is hosting the Dark Side of the Movie Experience at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11.

e evening will begin with Royale w/ Cheese, who will be performing the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s immortal “Pulp Fiction” while the lm plays on the big screen. Next will be Lt. Dan & e New Legs performing a selection of hits from the blockbuster, “Forest Gump.”

And nally, e Crazy Diamonds will take to the stage to perform “Dark Side of the Moon” in sync with a screening of “ e Wizard of Oz.”

e o er to play the show came to e Crazy Diamonds after a recent performance of “Dark Side of the Moon” in full at Nissi’s in Lafayette. e idea really appealed to the 10-person band, which was formed out of members of the Colorado Art Rock Society, which is a group for fans of progressive rock (bands like ELP, Genesis and Porcupine Tree).

“We get together once a month and talk about the music we love and there’s also the once-a-year Prog Fest concert, where members do tributes to di erent prog rock bands,” Adamson explained. “ is year there was supposed to be a di erent headliner but when that fell through, we put on a show of ‘Dark Side’ because we thought it would pull people in.”

And it did.

It’s easy to understand why — “Dark Side of the Moon” is the fourth best-selling album of all time, an album music fans of all ages have been returning to for generations. Add in a renewed interest in all things Oz, thanks to “Wicked,” and you have a perfect pairing.

“It’s just one of those timeless pieces of music and anyone who appreciates music will enjoy seeing it played authentically live,” Adamson said. “When you have this cool tie to a famous urban legend about one of the greatest movies of all time, it just gets more interesting.”

Tickets and information are available at www.theorientaltheater.com.

Denver EATSS is a Night of Delights to support American Indian College Fund

Denver EATSS is back for two nights of delicious food and music, all in support of Denver’s American Indian College Fund.

e dining portion of the event will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 at e Studio  at the top oor of Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St. in Denver, and the live music portion will be held at 7:30 p.m. on the 11th and 12th at Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th St.

Tickets are available for one portion of the evening or both. e dining will include food from some of the top native chefs and Nathaniel Rateli  will join the Colorado Symphony for the music part of the evening (as well as opener Raye Zaragoza).

is is certain to be a great evening, no matter which option you select, so get tickets at https://standwith.collegefund. org/denver-eatss/.

Belleview Park Hosts Spring Festival

Since we’re in the midst of the all-toobrief spring season, now is the perfect time forBelleview Park, 5001 S. Inca Drive in Englewood, to throw itsSpring Festival e event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, and features activities for all ages. ere will be egg hunts for di erent age groups beginning at 11 a.m. and a Sensory Friendly Hunt as well. Additionally, attendees can shop at local vendors, take part in crafts and games, and grab some bites at food trucks.

All the details are available at www.englewoodco.gov/our-city/events/upcoming/spring-festival.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Laura Jane Grace at Meow Wolf

Laura Jane Grace is one of the most important gures in the contemporary indie rock world. Not only is she the frontperson of Against Me!, one of the great early 2000s rock bands, but when she went public with her gender transition in 2012, she became an icon for trans people and showed the power of embracing your true self.

Plus, she continued to make top notch rock music under her own name.

Last year Grace released her newest album, “Hole in My Head,” and it proved she can still wield a sharp pen and write some killer ri s. In support of the release, she and e Mississippi Medicals will perform atMeow Wolf’s e Perplexiplex, 1338 1st St. in Denver, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 5. She’ll be joined by openers Alex Lahey and Rodeo Boys Information and tickets are available at https://tickets.meowwolf.com/events/ denver/laura-jane-grace/.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

ank you to everyone who has shared their stories with me so far; I truly appreciate hearing about your run-scoring hits and celebrations.

Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife,

Beth. He spent 34 years in public education. Lessons learned from the one-two punch of being diagnosed with MS shortly before his best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer led him into a new pursuit as a freelance writer and speaker. He uses his life experiences and love of stories to inspire, educate and encourage local, national and international audiences. Contact him at jim.roome@gmail.com.

Clarke Reader

Things are hopping at the Clear Creek County Library

SPECIAL EVENTS

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK, APRIL

7-12

Celebrate National Library Week with us!

• Enjoy complimentary tea, coffee, and cookies during your visit.

• Enter a prize drawing when you check out library materials.

• Join us at the John Tomay Memorial Library for a special Library Love storytime at 10 a.m. Friday, April 11.

BUNNY BRUNCH

10 a.m, Friday, April 18

Idaho Springs Public Library

Hop into brunch with Miss Honeybun! Enjoy bunny pancakes, bunny crafts, bunny stories, and bunny fun at this FREE event for children and families.

DÍA CELEBRATION

3:30 to 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 30

Idaho Springs Public Library

El día de los niños/el día de los libros, commonly known as Día, is an annual celebration of children, families, and reading. Join us for traditional dance performances by Fiesta Colorado, crafts, storytime en Español, and a FREE taco bar!

YOUNG PATRON & FAMILY PROGRAMS STORYTIMES

Brunch Storytime

John Tomay Memorial Library

- 10 a.m., Friday, April 11: Library

Love Storytime

- 10 a.m., Friday, April 25: Día de los niños Storytime

MISS HONEYBUN’S SPRINGTIME HAT WORKSHOP

- 2 p.m., Friday, April 11, John Tomay Memorial Library

Bring your favorite stu ed animal and your creativity, and we’ll provide the supplies for you to craft a beautiful, springtime hat for them!

ADULT PROGRAMS

Share stories, play games, and get creative. Storytimes are a great opportunity to connect with other local families with young children!

Idaho Springs Public Library

- 10 a.m., Friday, April 4: Egg & Nest Storytime

- 10 a.m., Friday, April 18: Bunny

BOOK GROUPS

Connect with other local readers at our monthly book groups. Email libby@cccld.org for information.

- Idaho Springs Book Group: 4 p.m., Monday, April 14

“1984” by George Orwell

- Georgetown Book Group: 3 p.m., ursday, April 17

“GOLD! Madness, Murder and Mayhem in the Colorado Rockies” by Ian Neligh

LIBRARY SERVICES

Call or visit us to learn more and request items.

- Explore our book and movie collection at www.cccld.org

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- Download the Libby App to your smart device to access thousands of ebooks and e-audiobooks. Don’t have the Libby App by Overdrive? Download it to your smart device to access thousands of e-books and audiobooks, available for checkout with your library card. Visit https://cccld.org/library-

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LIBRARY SERVICE SPOTLIGHT

Libby

Borrow & read e-books, e-audiobooks, e-magazines, and more online from your local library for FREE! Libby is the library reading app by OverDrive, loved by millions of readers worldwide! To learn more, please visit https://coloradodc.overdrive.com/

Find our full catalog of online resources at https://cccld.org/libraryresources/. Need help getting started? Connect with your friendly Clear Creek County librarian — we are here to help you!

tion!

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Help yourself to free, gently-loved books from our Little Free Libraries at numerous Clear Creek locations. Visit our website to learn more.

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Our library sta can assist you with a variety of tasks: using a tablet or smartphone, navigating the internet, setting up an email account, and more. Call us or email heather@cccld.org for more information.

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ursday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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Clear Creek Schools explains: Budget and teacher salaries

Each year, the Clear Creek School District’s District Accountability Committee surveys the community and shares responses with the Board of Education. In March, the Board received a presentation and the survey responses. We appreciate everyone who shared their thoughts, asked questions, and expressed frustrations. e feedback pointed out some misunderstandings regarding operations and expressed concerns about leadership intentions.

To address this, the Board of Education will publish articles to clarify information. e rst article in our series will explain district revenue sources and correlated expenses.

Revenue Sources

Colorado school districts are funded through various sources including state funds, local funds, federal funds and grants. Each of these funds come with various “strings attached,” meaning not all funds can be allocated for all expenses.

State funding typically makes up the largest portion and is primarily based on averaging student enrollment over several years, rather than actual student enrollment each year. However, this year’s state budget recommends that averaging be removed, changing that number from a 5-year average to 0. is change will dramatically a ect the money that CCSD receives due to declining enrollment in the district. Local property taxes are paid to the district twice each year and can uctuate based on the community’s economic health, or changes at the state level (as we saw in the 2024 state legislative session). Federal funds, though a smaller revenue source, support speci c programs such as

GUEST COLUMN Clear Creek School District Board of Education

special education, Title I and nutrition initiatives. Additionally, the district can apply for grant funds, which typically allow for the district to provide educational o erings such as Bike Tech and Incubator Lab.

e school district, like all governments, is legally required to maintain a reserve fund for unexpected expenses, such as failing boilers or replacing aging carpet. Spending reserve funds is discouraged by the state as it risks future sustainability. For that reason, the state and board policy mandates a speci c amount be held in reserve. Large districts have bigger reserves, providing more exibility. For CCSD, a “spend-down” could jeopardize the district’s ability to keep our buildings warm, safe and dry for students and sta . One very costly repair could deplete our reserves.

Historically, CCSD has maintained reserves higher than necessary, but the current board has chosen to use some of these funds to address educators’ requests for increased pay. However, this spending of reserves cannot continue inde nitely. e district is required by state law to produce a balanced budget and conduct annual audits to ensure nancial compliance. Any ongoing de cit to reserves does not show a balanced budget. e district needs to balance the budget and stop the de cit in the reserves over the next few years.

Once the reserves are stable, it is important to note that the only way to grow reserves is to deposit funds into that account, which requires funding beyond

the district’s nancial needs. is leads to the reality that expenses are increasing while revenue is decreasing. Aging buildings, maintenance at all four campuses, and increased cost of goods and materials all contribute to rising expenses. e bottom line is our facilities are aging. e 2021 bond was the rst in ux of money into our buildings since 1999 and cannot and did not solve all the needs at our school facilities.

Every revenue source is decreasing, and the uncertainty is mounting with state and federal decisions that are being made rapidly. e need to be scally responsible could never be more important. Spending more while earning less is not a scally responsible action, and is, in fact, a recipe for disaster for the future of our school district.

Allocation of Funds

e distribution of funds within the school district is a complex process, balancing the need to maintain infrastructure at all school campuses, provide resources for students, and ensure competitive salaries for our employees. A sizable portion of the budget is allocated to operational costs, including utilities, transportation and maintenance.

However, the largest portion of funding goes to instructional expenses, encompassing teacher salaries, bene ts, classroom supplies and technology.

Finally, there has been a concern among educators that the board is transferring large amounts into the capital reserve fund rather than prioritizing compensation. is may have been true in the past when fund transfers were nearly $800,000. Last year the board only autho-

rized a $100,000 transfer, and our current budget forecasts the same amount - this has allowed us to allocate more to teacher pay.

History of salary increases

Since the mill levy override election in 2018, Clear Creek has made remarkable strides in improving teacher salaries. In addition to spending 2018 mill levy dollars to pay teachers, we have used reserve dollars, as mentioned before. is decision was made because we could see that CCSD was behind in terms of compensation. Since 2018, teacher compensation has increased 46.94%. In the six years prior (2012-2018), teacher compensation only grew 6.56% in total. A salary audit purchased by the district last year showed that the intentional work done since 2018 nally put CCSD in a competitive position in terms of salary when compared to like districts. It is important to note that unlike capital expenses which are onetime costs, salaries are an ongoing and compounding cost to the district, which builds year over year. e school board reviews cost analysis on these ongoing costs regularly to evaluate the nancial health of the district.

e Board of Education and our community value small class sizes, and the close connection with teachers that our small schools provide. One of the ways we show this is through our commitment to small community schools. When we look at other districts to see how they are managing these challenging nancial times, most neighboring districts have consolidated their operations, closed schools,

Vote

current this teacher in remarkable In dolreserve decithat compensacompensation years compensation audit showed 2018 posito that oneand which board ongoing nancial comthe our we to look mantimes, consolischools,

Good Times CEO talks about battle vs. big burger

BY RYAN WARNER

Ryan M. Zink loves onions. As CEO of a small burger chain, he has the power to put them on the menu. So he and his culinary director, who’s also amorous of alliums, dreamed up the West Slope Burger. “ is burger that he and I enjoy has a full cross-section of onion on it,” Zink said. “I guess we like to cry. It’s a strong avor.”

Zink leads Good Times, Colorado’s homegrown hamburger brand, and its sitdown sister Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar. Ironically, given the aforementioned creation, there are no locations of either brand on Colorado’s Western Slope. e rst Good Times opened in Boulder in 1987. Today, the company is headquartered in Golden. Zink lunched with Colorado Matters Senior Host Ryan Warner at the Good Times in Highlands Ranch, formerly a Burger King, to discuss what it is like to be a bambino among burger behemoths like McDonald’s and, yes, Burger King.

Here are four takeaways, edited for length and clarity.

On extreme discounting by Good Times’ competitors

We use an all-natural product. at product costs more than conventional beef. For us to deliver something at that [$5] price point is just not possible. So we compete based on the quality and the value of our product, not just on the price. But at the end of the day, it’s a burger in a fast food drive-through. So there’s the price reality no matter what. And as the economy has softened a bit, we know people are watching their pocketbooks. We’ve seen some trade down, as we haven’t been able to reduce our prices or o er discounts as much as the big guys.

On why there are no Good Times locations beyond the northern Front Range

I would say whether it’s the High Country or even as you go to the Western Slope, the availability of workers becomes a

CCSD

and taken other drastic measures.  Before we consider those options, we are hoping our decisions will stave o those more challenging community discussions for a while. We are hopeful that past decisions to address the lack of housing will help reverse the trend of declining enrollment. We are hopeful that new rooftops at Project 57 (aka Golddigger Field) and a future development at “Old Carlson” will bring in more families who choose to enroll their children in CCSD.  However, we are acutely aware that if we don’t see more families enrolling in our

challenge. Sta ng restaurants has become incredibly di cult, even in the Denver metro, but in much higher cost of living areas, such as the High Country, or out in less-populated areas, that becomes even more of a challenge.

I think Colorado Springs is an interesting market. We used to be there — this was years ago — and I think the sites we selected may not have been the best. I wasn’t here, so I can’t really speak to what happened. Colorado Springs is an interesting market as we look to the future, but I think probably within Colorado, we definitely remain a Front Range brand – up through Fort Collins.

On why most Good Times are drive-up, not dine-in

Of the 30 Good Times, 22 are drivethrough-only with patios. is is one of eight with a formal dining room, if you will. Not so formal, but a purposeful dining room. ere was a time we believed we needed dining rooms to be successful. Ultimately, I think what we found is that the drive-through model was more successful. Certainly, as the pandemic hit, that clearly was a bene t for our concept. But even now, throughout the industry, you see other concepts adding drive-through windows, even ones that traditionally did not do that before. at’s where we see our future, is primarily in the drive-through and walk-up space.

On Hatch versus Pueblo chile

Somehow I knew this question was coming. I think that’s a very polarizing question with, probably, a very polarizing answer. One is supply, but two is just a general taste alignment with the product. We think that people, unfortunately, know Hatch Valley. And while they certainly know Pueblo Green chiles as well, that’s merely the selection we’ve made for our breakfast burritos.

is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t public broadcaster serving Colorado. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

schools, we will need to decide if our current con guration is still the most scally sound or whether we need to consider consolidation, or other di cult options. It bears repeating, the school district continues to operate all our schools because the Board of Education believes community schools are important for our students and other learning.

As always, the Board of Education welcomes public input and participation at all of its meetings. Please consider joining us as we will be discussing our budget at our April meetings. For more information, please visit our website at ccsdre1. org/boe. is article was submitted on behalf of all members of the Clear Creek School District Board of Education.

2025 BEST OF THE BEST VOTE NOW THROUGH

in municipal court KIDS ON THEIR OWN

Children as young as 10 can face charges with no court-appointed representation

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

“Yes, your honor,” a teenager answers, her voice barely audible in the quiet courtroom in March. Lakewood Municipal Court Judge Corin Flannigan has just asked her if she understands the charge against her — ghting in public — and the possible penalties she faces.

“I know you’ve spoken to the city attorney about your options,” Flannigan continues. “ ey are recommending a term of diversion if you choose to plead guilty.”

e girl’s grandmother, standing beside her, hesitates before speaking.

“What happens if she pleads not guilty? She was protecting her property,” she says.

“If you wish to plead not guilty today, you absolutely can, and I will set your case for trial,” Flannigan replies. “Please know that, unlike state court, juvenile cases aren’t eligible for the public defender because no detention or out-ofhome placement is possible. So if you plead not guilty, you would either have to represent yourself or hire your own attorney.”

e girl glances at her grandmother. ey exchange a brief, uncertain look, and Flannigan asks if she wants to plead guilty after all.

e girl nods.

is scenario isn’t an anomaly. It’s routine in municipal courts across Colorado, where children can be prosecuted for minor o enses without court-appointed legal representation unless they face jail time.

Amanda Savage, a visiting assistant

professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, said the disparity in these cases is profound.

“ ere is such a power imbalance any time an individual is in a courtroom, even if they are represented,” Savage said. “You have the power of the city or the state on one side against a single person, even if they have an attorney. And that’s so much more dramatic when it’s a child or a young person, especially when they are standing there by themselves.”

The harsh reality of youth in municipal court ousands of Colorado youth receive municipal citations every year, often for school-related incidents such as ghting, disorderly conduct or petty theft.

According to a 2025 National Center for Youth Law report, Lakewood Municipal Court alone handled over 8,000 youth cases between 2016 and 2022, many of which originated from school-based incidents. e report found that only 1.5% of these cases involved a defense attorney, meaning nearly all children were left to defend themselves.

Not only do the vast majority not have an attorney, but the report highlighted just how young many of the defendants are. In Lakewood, 36 cases involved 10 year olds, 98 involved 11 year olds and 278 involved 12 year olds, most of whom faced court involvement for minor, child-like misbehavior.

Hannah Seigel Pro , a defense attorney representing youth in municipal and state courts across Colorado, said that this pattern of prosecution unnecessar-

ily entangles young children in the legal system and imposes excessive supervision for behaviors that could be handled within families and schools.

Pro believes this over-supervision of youth who don’t have signi cant risks or needs is problematic.

Savage agreed, describing the lasting impact this can have on children’s futures.

“It can certainly set people on a path that involves increasing levels of involvement in the system,” she said. “If they don’t do well while they’re on that diversion or that probation, it can get longer, additional problems can crop up from it, and it can become a big part of that person’s life and future identity.”

A courtroom stacked against kids

Pro emphasized that the system places an undue burden on children and their families.

“You have a system that is designed for adults being applied to children with no modi cations,” she said. “You’re putting children in front of a judge and a prosecutor, without counsel, and expecting them to understand their rights, their legal options and the long-term impact of their decisions.”

Pro noted that many of these children have no way to obtain legal representation.

“In municipal court, they give you a piece of paper with a list of low-cost lawyers, but most of those lawyers don’t take these cases or won’t return calls. So in reality, these kids have no representation at all,” she said. “Without legal rep-

resentation, families do not understand their rights. Prosecutors downplay the severity of the municipal court system, but these cases are often the rst stop on the school-to-prison pipeline.” e report also highlights another stark disparity — youth in municipal court must pay for discovery, which is the process of obtaining evidence against them. In contrast, evidence is freely available to juveniles in state court. is nancial barrier means many children never see the evidence being used against them before making critical legal decisions.

e report also argues that prosecutors often encourage youth to plead guilty and enter a diversion program, regardless of whether they fully comprehend the long-term consequences. In Colorado’s juvenile justice system, diversion is an alternative to formal prosecution. It aims to prevent further legal involvement by requiring youth to complete certain obligations, such as community service, restitution payments or educational classes, in exchange for dismissed charges.  While intended to keep youth out of the court system, diversion still carries signi cant nancial and time commitments that disproportionately burden low-income families.

Pro said she’d seen the push for families to accept diversion programs — without the families fully understanding the consequences — play out many times.

ON THEIR OWN

“What has become clear to me is that the majority of juvenile municipal dockets are kangaroo courts,” Pro said. “Most children are unrepresented, and prosecutors push them to accept diversion sentences before carefully reviewing the facts of the case.”

A guilty plea can also have negative consequences concerning immigration status.

A YouTube video advising Lakewood juveniles of their rights states: “a plea of guilty or nding of conviction or possibly just the charges themselves could a ect your immigration rights. You could be deported, you could lose your ability to become a naturalized citizen and it could a ect your ability to return to the United States if you were to leave the United States.”

Punishment beyond the courtroom e consequences of municipal court involvement extend far beyond a single court appearance. Youth can face nes and fees as high as $2,650, which the National Center for Youth Law report notes are amounts they often cannot pay.

Parents, too, are drawn into the process, sometimes held nancially responsible for their child’s penalties or are required to accompany them to community service, court dates or probation meetings, according to the report.

Savage also noted that the burden doesn’t just fall on the child.

“ ere’s such a huge impact on the whole family when the kid has a municipal court case,” she said. “Because not only does the young person have to be there, but the parent does, too. at means the parent is missing work. e fact is, the parents also have to disrupt their lives and spend time doing this, instead of spending time at work or with their other kids or doing productive things.”

Who benefits from this broken system?

e National Center for Youth Law argues that Colorado’s municipal court system disproportionately impacts lowincome families and youth of color, indicating that schools in lower-income neighborhoods are more likely to call law enforcement for behavior that could be addressed through school disciplinary measures.

e report found that at least 22% of youth cases in Lakewood stemmed from school-based o enses, highlighting a school-to-municipal court pipeline that disproportionately a ects students of color.

e data also showed that the three schools referring the most students to Lakewood’s municipal court have some of the highest percentages of Black and Latino students in the Je erson County school district, reinforcing concerns about racial disparities in school discipline.

Pro said this disproportionate referral pattern raises concerns about how disciplinary decisions are made and whether schools rely too heavily on law enforcement for matters that could be handled through alternative interventions.

She pointed to Littleton’s restorative justice program as an example of an approach that, when implemented thoughtfully, can provide a more meaningful alternative to punitive measures. Pro was particularly impressed by the program’s restorative justice circles, which o er youth the opportunity to engage in community-based resolution rather than facing legal consequences that may not t their situation.

However, she also noted that restorative justice should not be applied as a onesize- ts-all solution and that careful consideration is needed in determining which cases are appropriate for such programs.

The fight for reform

In December 2023, Denver City Council unanimously approved a bill to provide free legal representation to minors between the ages of 10 and 18 who are facing municipal violations. is initiative, which took e ect on July 1, 2024, ensures that youth accused of o enses such as alcohol possession, trespassing, theft and minor assault receive appropriate legal counsel.

However, Denver is currently the only county in Colorado o ering public defenders to minors in municipal court settings.

e National Center for Youth Law is now pushing for similar reforms statewide, calling for automatic legal representation for juveniles facing charges in municipal courts.

e center recommends that policymakers enact legislation to eliminate youth nes and fees, raise the minimum age for prosecution, mandate legal repre-

sentation for minors in municipal court and require comprehensive data collection on ticketing and court outcomes.  e center also urges police departments to limit or discontinue issuing tickets for school-related o enses and shift discipline away from the legal system. For school districts, it’s calling for revising disciplinary codes to reduce student ticketing for minor infractions and adopting restorative justice practices to address con icts that promote accountability and resolution without legal consequences. Pro believes that the question of whether children should be expected to navigate the complexities of the legal system without an attorney is one of fundamental fairness.

e presence of a lawyer can signicantly change how a young person experiences the legal process, Pro said, helping to demystify the system and ensure that youth feel heard and understand what’s happening.

“Even if the result is the same, even if a kid decides to still take a diversion at the end of things, just having a lawyer there and feeling like it was a fair process has value,” she said. “It makes it less scary. It helps people understand what’s going on.”

She added that many people are unaware that children can be prosecuted without legal counsel — a reality that often comes as a shock.

“ e fact that a child can face prosecution without legal counsel is something that shocks most people when they hear about it,” Pro continued. “It just feels really backwards.”

We’d like to know about events or activities of interest to the community. Visit www.clearcreekcourant.com/calendar/ and post your event online for free. Email ckoeberl@coloradocommunitymedia.com to get items in the newspaper. Items will appear in

UPCOMING

Career Day: 9 a.m. ursday, Apr. 3 Clear Creek High School 185 Beaver Brook Canyon Rd., Evergreen. Local businesses, industry leaders, city and county government, rst responders and higher education are expected to attend the student job fair.

e Idaho Springs Lions Club: Noon-2 p.m. Sunday, April 20, at Safeway 2425 Miner St. in Idaho Springs. Encouraging shoppers to purchase items for the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry.

Idaho Springs Wing Crawl: 12-7 p.m. Sat. May 3. Participating Idaho Springs restaurants to serve one-ofa-kind wing creations in a bene t for Loaves and Fishes food pantry.

ONGOING

Idaho Springs Lions Club meetings: 7:30 a.m. every rst and third ursday of the month at Marions of the Rockies, 2805 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs. Come join us and help to serve our community. For information – www. islions.org, email info@isLions.org or call 720-608-1140.

Clear Creek Democrats:5-7 p.m. “ irsty 3rd ursday” at the Vintage

Moose, 12 16th Ave. in Idaho Springs. Non-alcoholic options and snacks are provided.

CASA of the Continental Divide seeks volunteers:CASACD promotes and protects the best interests of abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings through the advocacy e orts of trained CASA volunteers. Be the di erence and advocate for the youth in our community. e o ce can be reached at 970-5139390.

Clear Creek EMS/Evergreen Fire Rescue Launch Mugs for Rugs Campaign: Bring an old throw rug and you’ll leave with a bright green mug! You can bring them to Station 1A in Dumont, 3400 Stanley Road, or you can email captains@clearcreekems. com and CCEMS will come to you to make the trade. Clear Creek EMS also o ers fall-risk assessments by bringing someone from the re department to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. To request a visit, ll out the form at clearcreekcounty.us/1388/CommunityOutreach.

Blue Spruce Habitat volunteers needed: Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. A variety of opportunities and exible schedules are available on new construction sites as well as for exterior minor home repairs. No previous construction experience needed. Contact volunteer@ bluesprucehabitat.org for information.

Resilience1220 counseling: Young people 12 to 20 can get free counseling through an Evergreen-based organization called Resilience1220. Composed of licensed therapists, Resilience1220 serves individuals and groups in the foothills including Clear Creek County. ey also facilitate school and community groups to build life skills in wellness and resilience among youth. For more information or to schedule a counseling session, visit R1220.org, email Resilience1220@gmail.com or call 720-282-1164.

Dental clinics: Cleanings, X-rays, dentures, tooth extractions and more. Most insurances are accepted including Medicaid. Sliding scale/low-cost options are also available. No appointment necessary. is is a mobile dentist that comes once a month. Call program manager Lauralee at 720-2054449 for questions.

Storytime with Miss Honeybun: Storytime with Miss Honeybun is at 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays at the Idaho Springs Public Library and at 11:15 a.m. ursdays at the John Tomay Memorial Library in Georgetown.

Sensitive collection: Resilience1220 strives to inform and support highly sensitive people to live healthy and empowered lives. It meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6-7 p.m. and is o ered via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 o ce. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.

Clear Creek Rotary 2000 meetings: Clear Creek Rotary 2000 meets at 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays at Marion’s of the Rockies. 2805 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs. For more information, email loe er806@comcast.net.

Support after suicide loss: A safe place to share and learn after losing a loved one to suicide. is group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 o ce. For ages 14 and up. Suggested donation for this group is $15. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.

Public Health o ering sexual health and family planning: Clear Creek County Public Health is now o ering Sexual Health and Planning Services at the Health and Wellness Center in Idaho Springs. Public Health o ers counseling, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, STI and HIV screenings, basic infertility services and birth control options and referrals. ese services are con dential. Public Health can also now bill Medicaid and most private insurance. However, if you do not have insurance, fees are based on a sliding scale — and no one will be turned away if they are unable to pay.

Clear Creek County Lookout Alert: e CodeRED alerts have been replaced by the Lookout Alert. Residents can sign up for emergency alerts county-wide by signing up at www. lookoutalert.co. e new site replaces CodeRED following the switch to JeffCom911 for emergency dispatch earlier this year.

Treasurer warns of ‘grave risk’ from proposed Medicaid cuts

BY CHASE WOODRUFF COLORADO NEWSLINE

Colorado State Treasurer Dave Young warned March 26 of the dire consequences for the state’s budget that could result from Republican proposals to slash federal spending, especially the cuts that would be forced on Medicaid by a recently passed GOP budget resolution.

Young spoke alongside other state treasurers in a virtual press conference hosted by the advocacy group Americans for Responsible Growth, slamming the proposed spending cuts “coming from the Trump administration and from the activities of Elon Musk.”

“ e Republicans’ current budget plan, backed by President Trump, is not only nancially reckless, it’s needlessly cruel,” Young said. “In Colorado alone, we have about 1.2 million seniors, disabled people, pregnant mothers, working class families that depend on Medicaid. If federal cuts go through, our state must make up the di erence by slashing other essen-

tial programs like education or kicking thousands of Coloradans o Medicaid. Neither option is acceptable to me.” e budget resolution passed by GOP lawmakers earlier this month requires the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid spending, to make more than $880 billion in cuts to federal spending over the next 10 years. e nonpartisan Congressional Budget O ce estimates that Medicaid comprises 93% of the spending that could be cut by the committee. As a result, the Republican budget requires a minimum of $700 billion in Medicaid cuts — or a 10% reduction in projected spending — even if all other spending overseen by the committee were zeroed out.

Young, a Democratic former state lawmaker from Greeley, has served as Colorado’s state treasurer since 2019. One of four statewide executive o ces elected by voters, the treasurer oversees the management, investment and disbursement of state funds, along with a handful of savings and loan programs and the state’s Di-

vision of Unclaimed Property.

He spoke March 26 of his sister, Dorothy, who is developmentally disabled and has relied on Medicaid for behavioral and physical health care services throughout her life. About 25 years ago, when Colorado’s Medicaid program was previously forced to make cuts, Young said, Dorothy struggled to nd care and was “essentially homeless” for a period of time.

“ is is somebody who has no ability to care for herself … but was out on the street because Medicaid didn’t have enough money to support her,” said Young. “I ran for o ce to advocate, not only for my sister, but for the thousands like her, and because I’ve seen how essential these services are, and how fragile our Medicaid system can be if we don’t protect it.”

If congressional Republicans follow through on their planned Medicaid cuts, Colorado could face an especially difcult set of scal choices because of the requirements in the so-called Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which Young called “the most restrictive tax and expenditure pro-

visions of any state in the country.”

With state lawmakers barred from raising additional revenue without ballot-box approval, and already struggling to ll an estimated $1.2 billion budget gap this year, the state’s only options could be to make deep cuts to a range of social services.

“As these health care costs increase, it’s just going to crowd out our education expenditures even more, and these are just not sustainable pathways for delivering e ective services for people in the state of Colorado,” Young said. “Children need to have a quality education. People need to have e ective health care. We want an infrastructure system that works for people — our business communities count on that to thrive. And without a thoughtful approach to dealing with Medicaid, particularly in Colorado, we put the future of our state at grave risk.” is story is from Colorado Newsline. Used by permission. For more, and to support the news organization, visit coloradonewsline.com.

CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ

1. TELEVISION: In the sitcom “Modern Family,” Gloria is from which country?

2. LITERATURE: Which author wrote “ e Kite ief” and “A ousand Splendid Suns”?

3. GEOGRAPHY: What is the deepest lake in the world?

4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which rst lady’s nickname was Lady Bird?

5. ASTRONOMY: How many stars make up the Big Dipper?

6. MOVIES: Which famous Hollywood couple played lead roles in the lm version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”?

7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of skunks called?

8. GEOMETRY: How many sides does a decagon have?

9. ART: Which American artist focused on women and children in her paintings?

TrIVIa

10. ANATOMY: What substance gives skin its color?

Answers

1. Colombia.

2. Khaled Hosseini.

3. Lake Baikal, Russia.

4. Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Johnson.

5. Seven.

6. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.

7. A surfeit.

8. 10.

9. Mary Cassatt.

10. Melanin.

(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.

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FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

Parcel 1: Units D301 and D302, Clear Creek Technology Office Condominiums, Building D, according to the Amended and Restated Condominium Map of Clear Creek Technology Office Condominiums, Building D as recorded January3, 2017 at Reception No. 282737, in the records of the office of the Clerk and Recorder of Clear Creek County, Colorado, and as defined and described in the Amended and Restated Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions of Clear Creek Technology Office Condominiums, Building D recorded January3, 2017 at Reception No. 282736, in said records, County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado.

Parcel 2: Reciprocal Grant of Easements recorded June25, 1998 in Book 566 at Page 605 and Amendment thereto recorded July13, 2000 in Book 599 at Page 396, County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado.

The property has a street address of 35715 US Highway 40 Units D301/D302, Evergreen, CO 80439.

*Modified pursuant to three loan modification agreements: Promissory Note and Deed of Trust Modification Agreement dated May15, 2022, recorded May 17, 2022 in the records of the Clear Creek County Clerk and Recorder, State of Colorado at Reception No. 305808; Second Promissory Note and Deed of Trust Modification Agreement dated May15, 2023, recorded May15, 2023 in the records of the Clear Creek County Clerk and Recorder, State of Colorado at Reception No. 309363; and Third Promissory Note and Deed of Trust

Modification Agreement dated August14, 2023, recorded August15, 2023 in the records of Clear Creek County Clerk and Recorder, State of Colorado at Reception No. 310237.

Purported common address: 35715 US Highway 40, Units D301/D302, Evergreen, CO 80439. THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF

and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, 05/29/2025, at The Clear Creek County Public Trustee’s Office, 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, Colorado, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the 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 issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication4/3/2025

Last Publication5/1/2025

Name of Publication The Clear Creek Courant

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;

DATE: 01/27/2025

Carol Lee, Public Trustee in and for the County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Emily J. Bennett, Attorney #15431 LAFF . BENNETT, P.C. 3200 East Cherry Creek Drive South, Suite 200, Denver, CO 80209-3245 (720) 484-3933

Attorney File #

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

Legal Notice No. CCC1033

First Publication: April 3, 2025 Last Publication: May 1, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Public Notice

COMBINED NOTICE - PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 2025-002

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On January 30, 2025, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Clear Creek records.

Original Grantor(s) EVAN TODD AND KATHERINE TODD Original Beneficiary(ies) MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR FAIRWAY INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE CORPORATION

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC

Date of Deed of Trust September 09, 2022 County of Recording Clear Creek

Recording Date of Deed of Trust September 12, 2022 Recording Information (Reception No. and/or Book/Page No.) 307096 Book: 1035 Page: 531-547 Original Principal Amount

$647,200.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$629,269.22

Pursuant to CRS §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.

LOT 22, EVERGREEN WEST, 3RD FILING, COUNTY OF CLEAR CREEK, STATE OF COLORADO.

Purported common address: 331 SNYDER MOUNTAIN ROAD, EVERGREEN, CO 80439.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction,

Georgetown, Colorado, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the 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 issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 4/3/2025

Last Publication 5/1/2025

Name of Publication The Clear Creek Courant

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;

DATE: 01/30/2025

Carol Lee, Public Trustee in and for the County of Clear Creek, State of Colorado

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: Carly Imbrogno, Esq. #59553 Barrett Frappier & Weisserman, LLP 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80204 (303) 350-3711 Attorney File # 00000010350296

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

Legal Notice No. CCC1034

First Publication: April 3, 2025 Last Publication: May 1, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

City and County

Public Noitce

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR FRANCHISE BY PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF COLORADO

NOTICE is hereby given that at the regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Idaho Springs State of Colorado, to be held on April 14, 2025, at the hour of 7:00 P.M. at 1711 Miner Street, Idaho Springs, Colorado 80452, Public Service Company of Colorado will request that the City of Idaho Springs City Council adopt a measure to approve an ordinance granting a gas and electric franchise to Public Service Company of Colorado, entitled:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS GRANTING A GAS AND ELECTRIC FRANCHISE TO PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF COLORADO, ITS AFFILIATES, SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS, THE RIGHT TO USE THE STREETS WITHIN THE CITY TO FURNISH, SELL, TRANSMIT, TRANSPORT, AND DISTRIBUTE GAS AND ELECTRICITY TO THE CITY AND TO ALL RESIDENTS OF THE CITY, GRANTING THE RIGHT TO ACQUIRE, CONSTRUCT, INSTALL, LOCATE, MAINTAIN, OPERATE AND EXTEND INTO, WITHIN AND THROUGH THE CITY ALL FACILITIES REASONABLY NECESSARY TO FURNISH, SELL, TRANSMIT AND DISTRIBUTE GAS AND ELECTRICITY WITHIN AND THROUGH THE CITY AND FIXING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS THEREOF.

The franchise to be applied for will be for a term of twenty (20) years. Public Service Company of Colorado shall collect a fee from a surcharge upon City residents who are customers of the Company.

The City of Idaho Springs City Council will conduct a public hearing at its regular meeting on April 14, 2025, to consider the first reading of the ordinance granting a gas and electric franchise to Public Service Company of Colorado. The hearing will be open to the public and may be attended in person or via Zoom. Interested persons may contact Deputy City Clerk Wonder Martell for a link to the meeting.

Dated at Arvada, Colorado, this 5th day of March, 2025.

PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF COLORADO

BY /s/ Daniel Trujillo

Daniel Trujillo

Area Manager

Legal Notice No. CCC1031

First Publication: March 27, 2025

Last Publication: April 10, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice

CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS Clear Creek County, Colorado

Ordinance No. 10, Series 2025

AN ORDINANCE GRANTING A CONDITIONAL USE TO PERMIT TEMPORARY

CONDITIONS

WHEREAS, the City Council and Planning Commission have authority pursuant to the laws of the State of Colorado and the Idaho Springs Zoning Ordinance to grant Conditional Uses within zone districts for property within the City; and

WHEREAS, in 2024, Duke Bradford (the “Applicant”) applied to the City for a Conditional Use to permit a trial run of temporary seasonal employee camping during the 2024 rafting season upon property located directly west of the Shelly/Quinn Ball Fields Park, south Exit 241 of Interstate 70, that was annexed into the City as part of the Silver Spruce Annexation of 1974, further described in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference (the “Property”); and

WHEREAS, this year, the Applicant has again applied to the City for a Conditional Use permit to conduct seasonal employee camping upon the Property during rafting seasons only in 2025 and 2026;

WHEREAS, the Planning Commission is scheduled to conduct a hearing upon and review all facts and circumstances relevant to the 2025 application (the “Application”) on April 2, 2025, after which it shall forward its recommendation to the City Council; and

WHEREAS, the Application is scheduled for public hearing before the City Council on April 14, 2025, and due notice thereof shall be given by publication, mailing and posting of the Property, all as required by the laws of the State of Colorado and the Zoning Ordinance of the City; and

WHEREAS, at each public hearing, before the Planning Commission and before the City Council respectively, the public shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard; and WHEREAS, after reviewing all of the relevant evidence and testimony, the City Council wishes to enter its findings on the Application and render decision thereon, all as further set forth herein.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado, as follows:

Section 1. The above and foregoing Recitals are incorporated herein by reference and are adopted as findings and determinations of the City Council.

Section 2. The City Council hereby determines that the proposed Conditional Use conforms to the relevant requirements of the Idaho Springs Municipal Code (“ISMC”), is generally in conformity with the City’s comprehensive plan, and will not impact adjacent properties in a manner that is significantly different than the impacts caused by uses that are permitted by right in the area, only upon the imposition of certain conditions.

Therefore, the Property is allowed a Conditional Use for temporary seasonal employee camping during the 2025 and 2026 rafting seasons with the following conditions and limitations:

1.Approval will expire on October 1, 2026.

2. The use is authorized from April 1 through September 30 in calendar years 2025 and 2026.

3. Adherence to the applicant submitted Handbook and Lease and the Map of the site.

4. Potable water must be available on-site at all times. Applicant shall receive Clear Creek Fire Authority approval concerning the size and location of the potable water storage.

5. The Clear Creek Fire Authority shall approve the location of campsites and cooking areas prior to occupation

6. No open fires are permitted at the property.

7. All campsite locations shall be numbered and a map of the site, showing all campsites labeled, shall be provided to the City prior to operation and shall be posted at the site.

8. Trash and recycling must be picked up weekly at minimum.

9. Adequate portable toilets will be provided on-site and will be pumped monthly at a minimum or as needed.

10. The applicant is required to provide to City Administration and the Police Department two (2) authorized contacts (a primary contact and backup contact) for the property who can physically respond to the site within sixty (60) minutes or less.

11. Parking spaces shall meet minimum parking dimensional standards, and shall be delineated on-site to the City’s satisfaction, and shall include spaces for at least 38 vehicles (including 10 campervan spaces).

A parking plan showing the layout of spaces shall be provided prior to occupation of the property. No parking associated with this use shall be permitted off site.

12. Public pedestrian access across the property along the existing paved path shall be maintained and not blocked.

13. City Staff shall perform a site walk-through once all improvements proposed are established on-site to confirm compliance with the above conditions of approval.

14. A gate or other barrier shall be installed at the entrance to the trail underpass to I-70 at Edwards St. to stop vehicles from traveling the corridor. The City’s Public Works Department will approve of and install the gate, at the applicant’s expense.

15. All camping platforms proposed as part of this development shall receive a Certificate of Occupancy before they can be used for

camping purposes.

16. Prior to the commencement of operations under this Permit in 2026, the Applicant shall appear before the Idaho Springs Planning Commission for a Compliance Review to review the operation’s compliance with all relevant requirements and conditions during 2025. The Compliance Review is not a formal public hearing, but an informal review and discussion.

Nothing herein constitutes approval of any use of any type not specified by this Ordinance. Any such additional use would require its own distinct Conditional Use approval, if so required by the Code.

Section 3. Any and all Ordinances or parts thereof in conflict or inconsistent herewith are, to the extent of such conflict or inconsistency, hereby repealed; provided, however, that the repeal of any such Ordinance or part thereof shall not revive any other section or part of any Ordinance heretofore repealed or superseded.

Section 4. Should any one or more sections or provisions of this Ordinance be judicially determined invalid or unenforceable, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remaining provisions of this Ordinance, the intention being that the various provisions are severable.

INTRODUCED, READ AND ORDERED

PUBLISHED, on March 24, 2025, at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado.

Chuck Harmon, Mayor

ATTESTED AND CERTIFIED: Diane Breece, City Clerk

PASSED, ADOPTED AND APPROVED, after publication and public hearing, at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado, held on April 14, 2025.

Chuck Harmon, Mayor

ATTESTED AND CERTIFIED:

Diane Breece, City Clerk

EXHIBIT A

Legal description of property

THE LAND REFERRED TO IN TITLE COMMITMENT NO. CC2003-7925 AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

A PARCEL OF LAND IN THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF SECTION 31, TOWNSHIP 3 SOUTH, RANGE 72 WEST OF THE 6TH P.M., FURTHER DESCRIBED AS: BEGINNING AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SAID SECTION 31; THENCE N86’04’30”E, 1262.58 FEET TO A POINT MARKED BY A STEEL PIN, WHICH POINT IS THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF SAID SECTION 31; THENCE N0’43’30”W, 838.80 FEET TO A STEEL PIN ON THE SOUTH BOUNDARY LINE OF U.S. HIGHWAY 6 AND 40 AS LOCATED ON JANUARY 28, 1993 (INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 70); THENCE SOUTHWESTERLY ALONG THE SOUTH BOUNDARY OF SAID U.S. HIGHWAY 6 AND 40 A DISTANCE OF 1332.40 FEET, MORE OR LESS, TO AN INTERSECTION WITH THE WEST LINE OF SAID SECTION 31; THENCE S0-13’30”E, 522.02 FEET, MORE OR LESS, TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SAID SECTION 31, THE TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING, KNOWN AS SILVER SPRUCE ADDITION TO THE CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS, COUNTY OF CLEAR CREEK, STATE OF COLORADO.

Legal Notice No. CCC1051

First Publication: April 3, 2025

Last Publication: April 3, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice CLEAR CREEK COUNTY PUBLIC NOTICE AREAS AND ACTIVITIES OF STATE INTEREST CASE #SI2014-0001 PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has submitted an application for ‘Areas and Activities of State Interest’ to Clear Creek County pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS) 24-65.1 and Chapter 3 of the Clear Creek County Guidelines and Regulations for Matters of State Interest

Applicant: Piper Darlington, Director, Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO - formerly HPTE)

Proposal: To amend the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CDOT, CTIO, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that governs operations of the Eastbound and Westbound Peak Period Shoulder Lanes (PPSL). Proposed changes would expand the hours and days the PPSL’s are able to be open in order to keep up with traffic volumes and congestion along the I-70 corridor.

Location: I-70 right-of-way eastbound between milepost 230 – 244 and westbound between milepost 230 - 242 Board of County Commissioners’ Hearing

Date: 8:30am on TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room, County Courthouse, 6th and Argentine Streets, Georgetown, CO 80444, and virtually via Zoom. Information on the virtual hearing can be found on the County website. (All Board of County Commissioner meetings are subject to change, without further notification. Please contact the planning department - see below for contact information - closer to the

ment continues to struggle with while trying to “reshape” and bring the sheri ’s department into an effective and up-to-date law enforcement operation.

“I’m not asking for the biggest shiny object. I’m asking to run a modern-day law enforcement operation,” Harris said. “We did not invest in a lot of technology in the previous administration and we didn’t invest in our people, so we’ve fallen signi cantly behind where a traditional and modern-day law enforcement operation should be.”

Sources of alternative revenue for the county and sheri ’s department are being explored and implemented, Harris said. Including housing temporary inmates in the county jail for the U.S. Marshall service at a cost to the federal government of approximately $100 a day per inmate.

A balance must be struck between what the sheri sta at the 100-bed jail facility in Georgetown can safely accommodate and the opportunity for underutilized space as a revenue source, Harris said.

Another challenge Harris told the audience is that being a small county of approximately 9,100 residents, the department faces big-city problems with the I-70

PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notice

CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS Clear Creek County, Colorado

Ordinance No. 7, Series 2025

AN ORDINANCE GRANTING A FRANCHISE TO PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF COLORADO FOR THE NON-EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO PROVIDE, SELL, AND DELIVER GAS AND ELECTRICITY TO THE CITY AND ITS RESIDENTS THROUGH THE NON-EXCLUSIVE REASONABLE USE OF CITY STREETS, PUBLIC UTILITY EASEMENTS, AND OTHER CITY PROPERTY

WHEREAS, the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado (the “City”), is a Colorado statutory municipality, duly organized and existing under the laws of the state of Colorado; and

WHEREAS, the City is authorized to enter into franchise agreements to grant the right to provide, sell, and deliver utilities subject to the processes provided by C.R.S. § 31-32101, et seq.; and

WHEREAS, Public Service Company of Colorado (the “Company”) provides gas and electricity within the corporate boundaries of the City to persons, businesses, industries, and governmental agencies including City residents; and

WHEREAS, the Company has filed an application with the City requesting the City grant a non-exclusive gas and electric franchise to it; and

Recorder:

Notice No. CCC1050 First Publication: April 3, 2025 Last Publication: April 3, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice

CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS County of Clear Creek State of Colorado

Ordinance No. 6, Series 2025

AN ORDINANCE APPROVING A MULTIYEAR OCCUPANCY AGREEMENT FOR THAT CITY-OWNED PROPERTY KNOWN AS 839 COLORADO HIGHWAY 103

Legal Notice No. CCC1052

First Publication: April 3, 2025

Last Publication: April 3, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice

CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS Clear Creek County, Colorado

Ordinance No. 5, Series 2025

AN ORDINANCE ZONING THE 1.99 ACRE PARCEL OF CITY-OWNED LAND WITHIN THE J.J. ELLIOT PLACER LOCATED IN SECTION 2, TOWNSHIP 4 SOUTH, RANGE 73 WEST OF THE SIXTH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, COLORADO, KNOWN BY ADDRESS AS 839 COLORADO HIGHWAY 103, AS RESIDENTIAL THREE (R-3)

Legal Notice No. CCC1053

First Publication: April 3, 2025

Last Publication: April 3, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

WHEREAS, the Company and the City have negotiated a certain gas and electric franchise agreement (the “Franchise Agreement”), a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference; and

WHEREAS, the Franchise Agreement grants the Company a non-exclusive right to provide, sell, and deliver gas and electricity to the City and its residents; and

WHEREAS, the City Council has concluded that approval of the Franchise Agreement promotes the public health, safety and welfare.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS, COLORADO, THAT:

Section 1. The Franchise Agreement is hereby approved, and the Mayor and City Clerk are directed and authorized to execute the same and to perform such other acts as are necessary or expedient to accomplish its effectiveness and terms.

INTRODUCED, READ AND ORDERED

PUBLISHED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado, held on the 14th day of April, 2025.

Chuck Harmon, Mayor

ATTESTED AND CERTIFIED: Diane Breece, City Clerk

PASSED, ADOPTED AND APPROVED at a

Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado, held on the 28th day of April, 2025.

Chuck Harmon, Mayor

ATTESTED AND CERTIFIED:

Diane Breece, City Clerk

Legal Notice No. CCC1054

First Publication: April 3, 2025

Last Publication: April 3, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

corridor running through the heart of all municipali-

Approximately 90% of calls-for-service on I-70 involve non-residents or tourists for the most part, command sta members noted during the meeting.

Bottom line, Harris indicated during the forum, is the county and sheri ’s department face serious issues moving forward, and how the department reacts and responds to those challenges should be discussed transparently.

“I think when you run an organization and you’re transparent with people: the good, the bad, the ugly … you just try to be as honest as you can, even when things go wrong,” Harris said.

Many of the attendees to the forum seemed to appreciate Harris’s approach to law enforcement in the

“I’m glad they have these, we’re paying for their law enforcement presence, their salaries through our tax dollars, the vehicles, the insurance. ey need to hear our opinions. at’s the way I feel,” Clear Creek county resident of 50 years Dennis Gimbel said.

“I think the concept is outstanding, I really do, I think the intent of the group is to help … I think the forum is fantastic,” county resident Tom Harvey said.

Harris pledged to continue these public forums to extend community engagement and encourage involvement.

Public Notice

The Town of Georgetown will be holding public hearing at their Board of Selectmen meeting on April 8, 2025 at 6:00pm at Town Hall regarding the approval of a new Liquor License for Sasha’s at the Alpine.

Legal Notice No. CCC1049

First Publication: April 3, 2025

Last Publication: April 3, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice

The Town of Georgetown will host a municipal election on Monday, April 7th, 2025. Voting will occur from 7am to 7pm at Town Hall (404 6th Street).

Mail ballots were sent out on March 20th and may either be returned via mail to the designated return address on your return envelope or may be dropped off at the drop box at 405 Argentine St, Georgetown, CO 80444.

The candidates on this year’s ballot include:

Amanda Cooper (Ward I)

Alex Sassoon (Ward II)

Jake Cooper (Ward II)

Rich Barrows (ward III)

Georgia Kofoed (Police Judge)

Write-In Candidates: Michael Huggins (Police Judge) and Kristin Antenen (Ward II)

There are no additional issues on this year’s ballot.

Legal Notice No. CCC1048

First Publication: April 3, 2025

Last Publication: April 3, 2025

Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Public Notice

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS CLEAR CREEK COUNTY & GILPIN COUNTY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

Clear Creek and Gilpin County advisory boards and commissions offer an opportunity for resident participation in local government. Service on these boards is voluntary, and appointments are made by the County Commissioners.

JEFFERSON CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties are seeking an individual to serve as their joint representative on the Jefferson Center for Mental Health Board of Directors. Jefferson Center for Mental Health is a private not-for-profit community mental health center serving Jefferson, Clear Creek, and Gilpin Counties for over 50 years. The goal is to offer hope and support to individuals and families who are struggling with mental health issues and substance use disorders. The Board of Directors provides overall direction and organization for Jefferson Center for Mental Health for the delivery of mental health services within the service area.

Appointments to the Board of Directors shall be recommended by a committee comprised of the Board Chair and the Chairs of each of the standing committees.

•MISSION: To inspire hope, improve lives, and strengthen our community by providing mental health and related solutions for individuals and families.

• VISION: A community where mental health matters and care is accessible to all.

Applicant requirements include: Board members must be residents of

either Gilpin County or Clear Creek County and would represent both counties. Board members will be required to attend monthly board and committee meetings. Board meetings are the fourth Monday of each month from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Each Board Member must serve a threeyear term with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

•Board members are expected to:

• Support the mission and vision of the Jefferson Center.

• Act in good faith and in the best interest of the Jefferson Center. Maintain confidentiality and ethical standards.

• Actively participate in board affairs (attending meetings, committees, retreats, and special events).

•Make an annual financial contribution and participate in fundraising events.

Applications will be first reviewed by April 11, 2025. This Board position is open until it is filled.

Interested parties should submit a letter of interest to: Clear Creek County Board of County Commissioners, PO 2000, Georgetown, CO 80444 OR Email: – Beth Luther at bluther@clearcreekcounty.us

Legal Notice No. CCC1056

First Publication: April 3, 2025

Last Publication: April 3, 2025 Publisher: Clear Creek Courant

Metropolitan Districts

Public Notice

NOTICE OF POLLING PLACE ELECTION FOR EVERGREEN FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN and particularly to the electors of the Evergreen Fire Protection District (“District”) of Jefferson and Clear Creek Counties, Colorado.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a regular election of the District shall be held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The Board of Directors of the District has designated the following polling place:

1802 Bergen Parkway Evergreen, Colorado 80439

At such election, the electors of the District shall vote for Directors to serve the following terms of office on the Board of Directors of the District:

Three (3) Directors for Four-Year

Clear Creek County Sheri Matt Harris during community forum March 24 in Georgetown.

PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL

LEAP ayuda a los residentes elegibles de Colorado a pagar una parte de sus gastos de calefacciòn de invierno.