Idaho Springs takes serious look at parking challenges
Business promotion board seeks balance between owners, tourists to increase city co ers
less than ve years ago.
Parking issues in downtown and residential areas continue to inhibit growth and expansion according to some town leaders.
According to Idaho Springs
Mayor Chuck Harmon parking in town was an abomination
“Prior to a parking management system people thought nothing about leaving their vehicles in front of a business allday long while teaming up with friends and heading up to hike Grays & Torreys Peaks or some other adventure in the county,”
Harmon said.
Changes are coming soon.
Idaho Springs Business Community Promotion Board Director Sadie Schultz addressed council members on March 10 to outline short and long term plans for parking in the downtown area.
e current parking management agreement with Interstate Parking is under review with an open bid process underway, according to Schultz, who said at
least 11 parking management operations have submitted proposals.
City council members and Schultz say a decision on the parking management contract is expected to be announced May 1.
e current paid parking plan is in e ect seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. current rates are as follows:
e Colorado Bureau of Investigation identi ed Christine Lewis, 36, as the woman and suspect shot to death by three Clear Creek County Deputies during an altercation in Lawson March 6.
An autopsy revealed Lewis died from multiple gunshot wounds and the investigation is on-going, according to Rob Low at the CBI. Low indicated Lewis had a long criminal history, including a felony warrant out of Oklahoma.
Jennifer Fulton, public information o cer for the Clear Creek County Sheri , con rmed all three deputies who red their
Paid parking kiosk in Idaho Springs March 13.
PHOTO BY CHRIS KOEBERL
Defendant in Peavey slaying appears in court
Sergio Ferrer faces multiple charges in shooting death
BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Sergio Ferrer appeared in Clear Creek County court March 10 during a brief appearance via video from jail as prosecutors and defense attorneys settled on a next hearing date.
Ferrer is being held on·charges of rstdegree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery in connection with the death of Paul Peavey, according to the Clear Creek County Sheri ’s O ce.
His defense attorney asked Colorado 5th Circuit Judge Catherine Cheroutes that the case be continued to April as they wait for testing from the Colorado Bureau Investigation to be completed.
Peavey was found shot to death on his property in Idaho Springs on Aug. 24, 2024.
During multiple interviews with investigators, Sergio Ferrer of Georgetown admitted he shot the Idaho Springs resident to death in August. According to court documents obtained by the Clear Creek Courant, Ferrer used Peavey’s 9-millimeter handgun in the homicide.
Ferrer is being held on·charges of rst-
degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery, according to an indictment.
On Aug. 25, sheri ’s deputies, the Summit County Sheri ’s O ce and Colorado Bureau of Investigation searched Ferrer’s home in Georgetown with a warrant.
Inside Ferrer’s home, investigators found a black bag containing jewelry that belonged to Peavey, a Sig Sauer 9-millimeter handgun, four metal detectors that belonged to Peavey and a cellphone with Peavey’s name on it, according to the afdavit.
Several items of clothing with “possible blood” were also seized, according to the a davit.
Peavey was well-known for breeding Dobermans, according to locals, who said the puppies were everything to him.
A litter of Doberman puppies was missing from the scene when Peavey’s body was found.
Only a couple of the missing puppies have been recovered, according to investigators.
Ferrer is scheduled to be back in Court April 21.
Spring-break travelers urged to get measles vaccine
BY BEAU BAKER, ALEX MURPHY KUNC
Colorado health officials are closely watching the ongoing measles outbreak in the U.S., and recommended that residents get vaccinated against the virus ahead of spring break travel.
Over 100 cases were reported in West Texas last month and the virus has now shown up in 11 other states, including Colorado’s neighbor New Mexico.
Colorado’s state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy does not take the prospect of a measles outbreak lightly.
“It’s actually the most contagious virus that we know of,” Herlihy said. “In a
group of people that is not immune to the virus, 9 out of 10 people who come in contact with someone with measles will go on to develop a measles infection.”
The Centers for Disease and Control documented 222 cases as of March 6. Herlihy says that when measles outbreaks reach this size they can take several months before they resolve.
Measles is more than just a rash. It’s a serious respiratory disease that can have lasting effects. About 20% of people infected will need hospital care, and it can be fatal.
What Herlihy is most concerned about are the pockets of under-vacci-
nation that exist throughout the state.
“Individual schools or childcare facilities, playgroups, church groups or community organizations where vaccination rates in those much smaller groups are well below the threshold of protection,” she said.
Colorado’s health department keeps data on vaccination rates across the state. Front Range school districts are all above 90%, but some districts -- including Lake County and several in and around Colorado Springs -- fall in the low- to mid-80% range.
Some residents may be wondering if they or their children have been vaccinated. You can request a copy of
vaccine records through the Colorado Public Health and Environment website. Officials also recommend talking with your primary health provider.
Herlihy can’t say for sure if Colorado will see measles cases in the future but is using the current moment as a reminder of the risk.
“We’re really seeing these outbreaks occurring elsewhere as a call to action for all of us in Colorado to make sure that we are protected,” she said.
This story was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. Learn more at https://colabnews.co
Senators want answers about money for meals at Fort Carson
BY HAYLEE MAY
NEWS
Colorado senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper joined more than 20 other U.S. senators in penning a letter to the Secretary of Defense this month demanding answers about apparent underinvestment in food options for members of the military.
e letter followed an investigation by Military.com that revealed millions of dollars taken from soldiers’ wages for food allowance was spent elsewhere.
“Our national security depends on a strong military. e Department of Defense needs to address the troubling reports of food access issues on military bases and support base leadership to resolve them,” said Hickenlooper in a statement to CPR News. “Our service members, like those stationed at Fort Carson, deserve consistent and high-quality meals.”
e military news organization began its investigation following reports of a lack of food and low food quality at several
Army posts across the nation – including at Fort Carson, where soldiers reported receiving meals lacking in nutritional value in 2024. Photos of meals obtained by CPR News showed a soldier being served a meal of lima beans and toast, far below the nutritional value standards set for Army troops.
Each enlisted service member living in the barracks at Fort Carson has a “Basic Allowance for Subsistence” deduction of $460.25 per month, which is meant to pay for their breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Many troops make less than $30,000 a year as junior enlisted soldiers and do not have access to kitchen equipment in their shared living quarters.
“Senator Bennet believes that service members who dedicate their lives to protecting our country deserve access to high-quality and nutritious meals every day,” Bennet’s o ce said in a statement.
“It is inexcusable for our service members to pay hundreds of dollars a month for their meals and then experience food shortages or be served poor-quality food
with no alternatives. Our military readiness is jeopardized if they cannot access the basic nutrition they need.”
According to the Military.com investigation, of the $22 million collected in BAS deductions from troops at the post south of Colorado Springs last year, only $5 million dollars actually went toward food they could access at dining facilities. It is unclear where the unused money was spent.
“ e ndings, which include 2024nancial records from eleven of the largest Army installations, show that more than $151 million of the $225 million in [subsistence funds] collected from servicemembers on these installations was not spent on food costs,” the letter from senators reads. “ at gure does not include the additional garrisons under the Army’s control, nor does it include spending at installations managed by the other military services suggesting the issue may be much more widespread.”
e group of senators want Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to detail how the
DOD is making decisions about on-post food service operations, what barriers the military is facing to provide healthy meals to troops, and what his plan is to improve food quality on military bases.
“If a servicemember is losing money from their paycheck because they are being given a meal, it is reasonable for them to expect that funding will be used only to cover the costs of providing it and to ensure it is of the highest possible quality,” the letter reads. “We trust you will move expeditiously to answer our inquiries.”
Most new recruits stationed at Fort Carson are required to spend their rst two to three years in service living in the barracks with up to 8,000 troops housed there at any given time.
A Fort Carson o cial said in December that 4,633 of those recruits are meal card holders who rely on dining facilities.
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.
Vigil for Idaho Springs resident Paul Peavey Sept 7. FILE PHOTO
Homes Are Still Selling, Buyers Are Still Buying, But Market Is Slowed Down By Chaos in DC
It’s clear to real estate professionals that, although some buyers must buy and some sellers must sell, buyers and sellers who are not under pressure to do a deal are looking and listening before buying or selling a home. These are complicated times!
The statistics below reflect a slowing of the real estate market within 25 miles of downtown Denver — and likely nationwide. Due to space limitations, I’m only including statistics for the first two months of the last six years, but it’s instructive to see how these months compare year-over-year. At htttp://RealEstateToday.substack.com I have included all 12 months of each year. Although every other metric documents a slowing market, the median closed prices set a record for both January and February:
Meanwhile, look at how many listings expired without selling during the same months:
Kudos From a Reader
Jim, one of the things I look forward to when going up to my cabin in Bailey is reading the local Jeffco newspapers piled up in my mailbox containing your columns. I’m glad you wrote a column explaining you were a journalist before coming over to real estate. That explains a lot of the quality of your columns — and the ability to write when you and Rita are on a long cruise!
I have learned a lot from your writings, which I appreciate — never too old to keep up with new info. I offer my praise, as you have talked evenly and without bias about real estate issues. It comes through that you are several cuts above the normal real estate agents whom I’ve interacted with, because you point out the negatives in the real estate universe and are not hyping the sales pitch.
Unfortunately, I won’t need your services, as I will keep my Colorado Springs house with its low-interest mortgage, and my cabin in Bailey has such a low basis that I’ll put it in my will, denying the IRS and Colorado big capital gains tax payments.
The good news is that I have family members who will, hopefully, come home to Colorado from London in 2-3 years, and I will recommend that they hook up with your brokerage. Your columns are of great quality and speak well of the knowledge and care you provide your clients.
—R. Scott Schofield, Attorney at Law
The number of active listings is surging, but the number sold listings is dropping, as shown in these two charts:
That has resulted in the higher inventory of unsold listings in recent months:
Another important metric is the ratio of closed price to original listing price. During the pandemic, more than half the listings sold for as much as 4% above the listing price as a result of bidding wars, but look how that metric has changed:
With the “spring selling season” coming up, I find it hard to be optimistic about the real estate market, because it appears that the chaos we’re seeing in our national government is only going to get worse, and markets don’t like uncertainty.
If builders, who get most of their lumber from Canada, see a big increase in costs due to tariffs, they may pause construction or at least increase the price of new homes. Meanwhile, if the courts end up allowing the mass firing of federal workers — many of
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whom work in Lakewood’s Federal Center and elsewhere in Colorado (such as the national parks, VA hospitals and national forests), that could be very disruptive to our real estate market.
None of us are experienced at dealing with the kind of political situation we are in now, and we can’t wait to see what’s on the other side. Whatever happens, you can count on us serving you well.
Like You, We Have Wondered Why Some Window Wells Rust
This week I learned why, thanks to an email from Alpine Building Performance. Here’s what they wrote:
“If the screws used to attach the window well touch the metal bars (rebar) inside the concrete, it creates rust. This happens because electricity flows between the metals, causing the window well to rust faster.
“This is why sometimes you will see one window well completely rusted through and the other window wells in the home showing no signs of rust. Many people think that rusty window wells can be sanded and painted with a rust inhibitor to keep it from rusting further. This is not true.
“The window well rusts from the dirt side in, so once you see rust inside the window well, it has already made it through the entire thickness of the metal. Unfortunately, the only remedy to the rust issue is a full window well replacement.
“When having your window well replaced, make sure that it is replaced in a manner that it will not rust prematurely again.”
The email promoted a company, Window Well Solutions, LLC, which has developed a method of replacing window wells using a fiberglass composite mounting system which creates a non-conductive break between the foundation and the metal window well.
Unfortunately, that company is in Fort Collins and doesn’t take on new customers south of Denver’s northern suburbs. But now you know what the answer is to this problem. The company has patented their system, so it is available nationwide.
On our blog I have a link to a video showing how WWS replaces rusted window wells.
Here Are Some Reviews From Our Past Clients:
We were beyond impressed with Kathy Jonke! She went above and beyond for us. She accommodated all of our needs. She was insightful and extremely helpful throughout the entire process! I can’t recommend her more! — Eve Wilson Not only did Jim Smith do a superb job in the marketing and sale of our home, he provided his company's moving truck and long time handyman Mark to move our belongings to our new home in Broomfield. When a problem occurred, he hired an outside moving company to help complete the move in one day instead of two! We are so pleased that Jim helped us through the process of selling our home and moving us into our new home. — Reese & Sally Ganster I was helping my mom and her husband sell the house. David Dlugasch was very accommodating to this dynamic. He arranged for all the paperwork to be done at the nursing home for the ease of my mom. David and I worked together to get the very full and dated house ready to go on the market. He went above and beyond by going to the paint store and hardware store etc. He was always available via text for any question I had along the way. He had a lot of resources. The best one was Mark, the handyman. I could always count on Mark. Mark was very meticulous and could do anything. What a great team! I could not have taken on this monumental task without them!!
—Heidi Warner
beyond our expectations. My wife and I have done six real estate transactions and we think Chuck is the best Realtor ever. We would highly recommend Chuck to other home buyers.
— S. Diamond
Greg Kraft was knowledgeable and professional. He was very easy to work with and was super proactive in searching the listings. That was a key in us managing to buy the townhome in a very competitive market. He was also very responsive and communicated really well with us and the listing agents. We would recommend him without reservation.
— J. Knight
Jim Swanson was kind and patient while listening to my questions. He helped me to translate the real estate language and manage the sale process. He connected the dots, allowing me to make good decisions, maintain my personal integrity and profit from the sale when a great offer came to the forefront. Jim, Thank you for putting communication and community first.
— Name Withheld
Dave Dlugasch did a phenomenal job working with us! We were not easy buyers because of an extensive “wish list” and he did his homework on each property we looked at until we found the right one. He gave us great advice and was very supportive of all our questions throughout the entire process.
— M. Madigan
This nicely updated and well-maintained condo at 992 S. Dearborn Way #7 is in the Sable Cove subdivision east of I-225 and north of Mississippi Avenue. The seller, who bought it for a family member, updated everything in this ground level unit. It has luxury vinyl plank flooring throughout, a pantry with slide-out drawers, laundry hookups, and a wood-burning fireplace. There is lots of open lot parking for you and your guests. There is a locked storage closet on the front porch, big enough for all your gear. I’ll be holding it open myself this Saturday, March 22nd, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Or view the narrated video tour I created at www.GRElistings.com, then call me at 303-525-1851 to request a private showing.
Chuck Brown is a superb Realtor. He is very knowledgeable regarding the market, very proactive and highly professional. Chuck was great at identifying potential properties that met our criteria, he moved very quickly to show us potential properties and his analysis of property values was on point and very thorough. Chuck was extremely proactive and responsive in his communications with us. Chuck went above and
Based on Jim Smith's knowledge, experience, and expertise in the real estate arena, we decided to work with him when it came time to downsize. We used Jim and his real estate firm to both purchase the new home and sell our existing property. All communication with Jim has been top notch. He also provided all packing materials and labor to make our move. It was a great experience from start to finish! — R. Trujillo
Median Sold Price by Month
Bill seeks to refund child care waitlist fees
BY ANN SCHIMKE CHALKBEAT
Colorado parents may soon be able to recover some of the waitlist or application fees they’ve paid to child care programs if their children don’t land a spot within six months.
at’s one of the provisions of a bill that advanced out of the House Health and Human Services committee Tuesday, clearing its third legislative hurdle this winter. e original version of the bill would have capped waitlist fees at $25 and required child care programs to publicly post tuition and fees, but both components have been watered down since then.
Democratic sponsors of the bill said it will still provide some relief to families who pay hundreds of dollars in waitlist fees, sometimes to a dozen or more child care programs. In order to get the fees back, parents would have to make a written request to the child care programs where their children didn’t get seats. In addition, the programs would be allowed to keep part of the fees families paid — an amount that eventually will be determined by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. Families that are o ered a spot at a child care center but decline it, would not recoup any of the fees they paid.
If the bill becomes law, it will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
Rep. Jenny Willford, one of the bill sponsors, described during Tuesday’s hearing the toll that multiple waitlist fees take on families. She said a friend
shared that in her search for child care she’d joined 16 waitlists, with most costing $100 to $200 each.
“ e way that we are nickel and diming families to simply sit and wait and hope that they get a spot is not OK,” she said. “ is is going to save families money, and at a time when it is so expensive to raise kids, every dollar counts.”
Besides the refund provision, the current version of the bill requires child care programs to disclose their tuition and fees when a prospective family requests pricing information, joins the waitlist, enrolls in the program, or when the provider changes the fee schedule. It doesn’t require that tuition and fees be posted publicly.
Changes to the bill came earlier in the legislative process after a number of child care providers pushed back against the original provisions, particularly the $25 waitlist fee cap. Several said their waitlist fees cover a host of expenses, such as marketing costs, technology fees, and sta time used to give tours and call families. Some said they would lose money if the fees were capped.
But shifting from a fee cap to partial refunds for families didn’t satisfy everyone. Some providers said giving refunds still takes administrative time, especially for small child care businesses.
Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
Parents may soon be able to recover some of the fees they paid to be put on child care waitlists.
PHOTO BY ANN SCHIMKE / CHALKBEAT
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
Off the Cuff Conversation with Sheriff Matt Harris: 6 p.m. Monday, March 24, at the county building located at 405 Argentine St. in Georgetown.
The 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.
ONGOING
Idaho Springs Lions Club meetings: 7:30 a.m. every first and third Thursday 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. “Thirsty 3rd Thursday” at the Vintage Moose, 12 16th Ave. in Idaho Springs. Non-alcoholic options and snacks are provided.
abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings through the advocacy efforts of trained CASA volunteers. Be the difference and advocate for the youth in our community. The office can be reached at 970513-9390.
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 offers fall-risk assessments by bringing someone from the fire department to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. To request a visit, fill out the form at clearcreekcounty.us/1388/ Community-Outreach.
CASA of the Continental Divide seeks volunteers: CASACD promotes and protects the best interests of
Blue Spruce Habitat volunteers needed: Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers. A variety of opportunities and flexible 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. They 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 720282-1164.
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. This is a mobile dentist that comes once a month. Call program manager Lauralee at 720205-4449 for questions.
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 loeffler806@comcast.net.
Support after suicide loss: A safe place to share and learn after losing a loved one to suicide. This group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 office. For ages 14 and up. Suggested donation for this group is $15. Register at resilience1220.org/groups.
Storytime with Miss Honeybun: Storytime with Miss Honeybun is at 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays at the Idaho
Vote
Springs Public Library and at 11:15 a.m. Thursdays 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 offered via Zoom or in person at the Resilience1220 office. Register at resilience1220.org/ groups .
Public Health offering sexual health and family planning: Clear Creek County Public Health is now offering Sexual Health and Planning Services at the Health and Wellness Center in Idaho Springs. Public Health offers counseling, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, STI and HIV screenings, basic infertility services and birth control options and referrals. These services are confidential. 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: The 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. The new site replaces CodeRED following the switch to JeffCom911 for emergency dispatch earlier this year.
Sta cuts could doom black-footed ferret recovery
Federal employee who led e orts lost job as part of cuts
BY RACHEL COHEN KUNC
Black-footed ferrets, once feared extinct, were rediscovered in Wyoming in 1981 when a ranch dog caught one, revealing a small remaining population. Over the past four decades, scientists have been working to revive this prairie carnivore that’s part of the weasel family. However, last month, their e orts suffered a blow.
Tina Jackson, who led the species’ recovery across 12 states-including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona-was red as part of the Trump Administration’s federal workforce cuts.
PARKING
• First two hours, $5
• Third hour, $2.50
• Foruth hour - $2.50
• Each additional hour after, $5
• Daily maximum,$30
Initially, Schultz said downtown business owners embraced the parking fees and structure, however recently the temperature has shifted as some customers have complained about receiving a ticket while shopping.
“Business owners expressed serious
SHOOTING
service weapons remain on paid administrative leave, per department policy.
Although the CBI is the lead investigative agency in the shooting, Fulton said an “internal review” of the incident is also underway within the sheriff’s department.
Both CBI and the sheriff’s department informed the Courant that details will
“It was an odd day,” said Jackson. “I’ve never been red from a role before.”
Jackson was a probationary employee because she took the job as the national recovery coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year. But before that, she’d spent nearly 30 years as a wildlife biologist at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, with much of that time working on ferret conservation.
e federal government considers the black-footed ferret to be one of the most endangered mammals in North America. It was among the rst species listed under the Endangered Species Act and remains critically endangered. Jackson was deeply aware of her role in their recovery.
“You’re the one kind of in charge of this
concerns and asked council members for immediate changes and action,” Schultz said.
Changes to the current parking rules should be announced after May 1, Schultz said, and could include an affordable option for short-term parking for visitors.
The dichotomy of parking violations in Idaho Springs is the city relies on fees collected from parking violations which, according to Harmon, are strictly defined by code to be earmarked for specific purposes.
“Parking violations are 100 percent dedicated to fixing the parking problem and downtown improvements. That’s
be released as soon as reviews and investigations are completed.
The incident started about three miles west of Lawson, when Empire Police Department officers approached a vehicle parked in an empty parking lot at Empire Junction, near the intersection of Highway 40 and Interstate 70.
The suspect, who officers identified as Lewis, fled in the vehicle, traveling westbound on Junction Loop Road, then crossing the bridge south to Alvarado Road. She turned east on County Road 306 and continued eastbound to -
species that’s still, honestly, on the brink of extinction,” she said.
Jackson’s job involved coordinating recovery e orts, securing permits for conservation work and overseeing the reintroduction of captive ferrets to 15 wild sites in partnership with federal and state agencies, tribes and nonpro t organizations.
“We’re losing that nexus, that glue, that holds all of us together,” said Travis Livieri, executive director of Prairie Wildlife Research, a nonpro t that works on ferret conservation in South Dakota.
Additionally, two of Jackson’s colleagues at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center near Fort Collins, Colo. were also let go. e 11-member team suddenly shrunk to eight at a critical time-just as ferrets begin breeding season.
all we can spend that money on,” Harmon said.
At the same time Schultz recognizes a positive experience from tourists visiting the town needs to out-weigh revenue from a parking ticket that leaves tourists with a bad-taste.
“We are asking our customers (tourists) to spend money the minute they get into our district.” Schultz said. “We want to make sure that experience is a positive experience, so the immediate changes we hope to make I hope will make it a more positive experience right from the beginning.”
Harmon agreed, pointing out the tourist dollar in Idaho Springs, converted to
ward the intersection with CO 308, according to police reports.
“Just before the intersection, (County Road) 306 curves sharply to the left,” Fulton stated. “The suspect failed to manipulate the curve and the suspect vehicle continued traveling east, off the roadway a short distance, before crashing into brush and trees just south of Clear Creek.”
Fulton said the woman would not cooperate with orders from law enforcement, and officers decided to use “lessthan-lethal” tactics, although it was not
“Every time there’s a setback of some sort, whether it’s a biological setback, a disease outbreak, a budget cut or a staing cut, it’s something that sets back recovery,” Jackson said.
e U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it does not comment on personnel matters.
“We are working closely with the O ce of Personnel Management to ensure we are prioritizing scal responsibility for the American people,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement.
ough slender, black-footed ferrets are feisty predators. is is particularly useful since they are about the same size as prairie dogs, which make up 90% of their diet.
e ferrets also take up residence in the burrows dug by prairie dogs, sharing
sales tax, funds a large portion of city expenditures on maintenance and infrastructure improvements.
“I want it (parking) to be in very high compliance and tickets are a very, very rare occurrence… The last thing I want to see is visitors that are pissed that they leave and swear they’re never coming back,” Harmon said. “That is not conducive to a great visitor experience. We want them to have a terrific time, go back and tell friends to come here often and bring lots of money.”
The Courant will follow what changes to parking management are announced May 1 and report to our readers.
clear what those tactics were specifically.
After those tactics failed to stop the woman, the suspect raised a handgun and pointed it directly at deputies and police on-scene. Three Clear Creek County deputies subsequently opened fire and shot the woman several times, according to law enforcement reports.
When asked if the suspects’ weapon was loaded at the time of the shooting Low replied, “That’s a detail (CBI) agents aren’t willing to share at this time.”
Roughly 67,000 kids miss out on summer meals
BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN
A new federal program that provides grocery money in the summer for kids who qualify for free lunch at school could feed an estimated additional 67,000 kids.
Yet here’s how many applications for the summer food assistance program Colorado received last summer — 25.
It’s not as bad as it sounds, as more than 550,000 students in Colorado were automatically enrolled in the summer food program, which meant their families received a grocery card loaded with $120 per child, or $40 per month.
Those who automatically qualified for the program, called Summer EBT, included families who had submitted paperwork to receive free or reduced-price school lunch or applied for monthly food assistance benefits. Children in foster care are automatically eligible, as are kids who are homeless or migrants — if their families already qualified for free school lunch or monthly food assistance.
Still, an estimated 67,000 children across the state missed out on the program because their families would have had to apply and did not know that, according to an analysis by an independent consultant. That adds up to about $8 million in federal funds that Colorado didn’t tap into last summer.
State officials are hoping to reach more kids this summer, the second year of the federal program.
The summer food assistance program grew out of a COVID-era plan, called the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, approved by Congress to provide grocery money to families while their children were not attending in-person school.
Students whose families need to apply for the summer benefit include those who do not have up-to-date household income data on file with their school. This is particularly an issue for families who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch but don’t fill out the paperwork because their children attend a school where everyone gets free lunch.
At schools where a majority of the students qualify for free lunch, a measure of poverty, every student can receive free
FERRETS
the space with other creatures like foxes, turtles and rattlesnakes. Because of this, Jackson refers to them as an “umbrella species”; their conservation helps other animals in the prairie ecosystem.
“By protecting that prairie dog habitat for ferrets, we’re keeping a whole bunch of other species from needing state or federal listing,” Jackson said.
However, ferret conservation is hands-on and laborintensive. At the Fort Collins center, which houses about two-thirds of the captive population, sta provides roundthe-clock feeding, cleaning and veterinary care. During breeding season, they carefully monitor the pairs, as the territorial animals can sometimes kill one another. By late
lunch under what the federal government calls “community eligibility.”
New residents of Colorado, or those who enrolled in the free-lunch program after their school submitted its yearly eligibility paperwork, also were not automatically enrolled in the summer food program.
“Only a small number of students need to apply in order to get benefits,” AnneMarie Harper, communications director for the Colorado Department of Human Services said via email. The department declined to give an interview in response to The Sun’s questions about why the state didn’t reach more children last year.
The state would not estimate how many eligible children need to apply for the program, saying it was too new for state officials to have a “comprehensive estimate.”
But a public policy expert who has studied the issue nationally found that among the dozen states he queried, Colorado had the lowest percentage of applications from eligible families.
“Millions of dollars never made it to the group of eligible families that are required to submit an online application,” said David Rubel, a New York public policy consultant. “Very few families in Colorado submitted the application.”
He’s concerned that $500 million nationwide — including an estimated $8 million in Colorado — will go unused by states and returned to the federal government, which is similar to what happened last year.
According to his research, just 0.003% of the 67,400 Colorado children whose families would have been eligible had they submitted the application actually did so.
The average of the 12 states Rubel researched was 6.4%, meaning 4 million eligible families did not submit applications. He deduced the number of eligible children in each state by using U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates stating that about 20% of eligible children would have to apply for the program, while 80% would have already enrolled in some other program that made them automatically eligible.
The Department of Agriculture also had estimated that Colorado would have 337,000 eligible children in all — but the state instead found 550,000.
A major issue last summer was timing.
summer, the center may have up to 500 ferrets on its watch, as it prepares about 200 for reintroduction into the wild.
With fewer sta , Jackson noted, the team might need to limit their breeding capacity, which could undermine partner organizations’ e orts to establish reintroduction sites.
One of the biggest threats to ferrets in the wild is the plague, which often requires annual disease mitigation. But federal funding uncertainty is complicating this part of the recovery process, too.
Livieri’s organization had planned to start spraying insecticide dust in April to eliminate the eas that carry the plague, but he’s not sure whether he’ll receive assurance by then that he can spend the federal money that usually funds that work. Last year, a plague outbreak caused a prairie dog die-o in the Badlands of South Da-
Following federal approval, states had just two months in which to accept applications, which meant little time to advertise. This year, though, states have several months to let people know about the program. The application “will be live on the website in the coming weeks,” Harper said.
Before the state mailed benefits cards last summer, state officials had to identify the 550,000 children who automatically qualified for the program and had to coordinate with schools to get mailing addresses for those families. Cards were mailed out across the country last summer, though some did not arrive until August.
Colorado last year advertised the program with a website and posters, fliers and social media posts in English and Spanish. Harper said the state “continues to focus our efforts on building awareness of the program,” including by hosting town hall and “road show” presentations and partnering with the Family Resource Center Association, which has 32 locations in Colorado.
“For the students who were enrolled last year and remain eligible this year, CDHS will simply refill their cards,” she said. “At the end of last year’s program, we asked students and families to hold on to their benefit cards so we could do just that.”
This summer’s program is already authorized in the federal budget and has not been targeted in the Trump administration’s spending cutbacks.
This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.
kota.
“If we aren’t vigilant, the largest black-foot ferret population in the world is potentially at risk,” he said.
Chamois Andersen of Defenders of Wildlife said while nonpro ts are prioritizing resources to ensure the recovery progress continues, the federal government plays a crucial role.
“It’s going to be a real challenge for the NGOs to ll in those gaps,” she said.
e black-footed ferret has made a big comeback since the 1980s when a handful from Wyoming were brought into captivity. Now, there are about 800 individuals.
“We’ve made amazing strides,” Jackson said. “But it’s still not the sort of number where we can say these guys will survive if we step away for a few years.” is story was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. Learn more at https://colabnews.co
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Some words of encouragement about ... encouragement
T“The
Great Gatsby”:
Déjà vu all over again
When writing “ e Gift for Hope” for “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit,” I approached “ e Great Gatsby” from the concept of hope. e reason was Jay Gatsby modeled unbounded, albeit irrational, hope.
JERRY FABYANIC
ey enjoyed nearly unlimited power.
come were sown in the 1920s.
oday I want to share an insight for those who are seeking to provide encouragement rather than nd encouragement. I mention this idea because one of the most important things that we can do to help ourselves cope with our struggles is to help others. Truly, looking to grow as an encourager is important for everyone.
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
When I was about eight or nine years old, our family was driving somewhere early in the morning. My parents were in the front seat, and my sister Karen and I were in the back. While driving down a treelined street, suddenly, two squirrels leapt into the middle of the road, chasing each other, unaware of our car. eir sprint into the lane was so sudden that although Dad tried to slow down, there was no way for him to keep from hitting both squirrels. I remember both the sound of the animals hitting the car and the utterances of angst coming from my father.
I turned around to look out the back window at the squirrels we had just hit and noticed that one of them had gotten up and was limping out of the street. I excitedly told Dad that one of the squirrels was OK and was moving. I knew he was still disturbed by having hit the animals so after a short time, maybe a quarter- to a halfmile of driving, I announced to the car, “look the other squirrel is getting up.” My 6-year-old sister understood there was no physical way I could have seen the squirrel and she said so loud enough for everyone to hear. inking I was both older and wiser, I quietly told her to hush, hoping my tale would help Dad.
My 8-year-old self was lying, trying to bring encouragement, creating a narrative that would make everything OK.
Fifty years later, when I re ect on both that day with my family and the lessons I learned supporting my friends Shane and Summer as they navigated his cancer diagnosis, I see things much di erently. I understand that being an encourager does not mean creating a false narrative for someone. I could not make things better by fabricating a story for Dad or spinning a tale for Shane that did not acknowledge their reality.
I also understand that being an encouragement means, rst and foremost, standing resolutely with the person who needs support. Sometimes, it means being a sounding board or a safe place to share deepest fears without concern that those will be articulated to others. It can mean being a cheerleader, someone who can inspire one more step or can mean acknowledging a di cult reality without falling into a mire of despair. Most of the time, being an encourager is about being consistent, a xed point that a person tossed by life’s waves can count on. It always means being genuine and leaning into our personal strengths to bring support. With age and experience, I now see that most of the time, we cannot make everything OK. But that does not mean we are helpless. Someone providing from their heart, in the most di cult of times, is the encouragement we each need at some moment.
In your struggle do not forget to nd the opportunity to be the encourager.
You’ve got this.
I hope my words encourage you, and that you will share them with those who need support. ank you to everyone who has shared their stories with me so far; I truly appreciate hearing about the valuable ideas you nd in these columns and how you use them to uplift those around you.
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.
Although his deep-seated hope is what Nick Carraway, the story’s narrator, chie y carries away when he thinks of Gatsby, he has another takeaway: Complete disgust with those that preyed upon him, even though Gatsby represents everything for which Nick has “an unaffected scorn.”
“No,” he says, “Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it was what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust oated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”
“ e Great Gatsby” was published in 1925, and its themes and poignant messages are as timely a century later as they were then. Arguably, more so because there has never been a time in American history when the wealth gap has been greater.
We often look at the 1920s—the Roaring Twenties—through the lens of orgiastic partying, bootlegging, and debauchery. In the popular mind, appers, speakeasies and Al Capone are the images of the decade. at hedonistic rendition, however, is incomplete. ey were the excesses of the period, but not the full story by any means.
By depicting that era as a time of hope, F. Scott Fitzgerald captured one aspect of its ethos. e worldwide u pandemic of 1918—their Covid—along with World War I had come to an end, and America turned inward. Narcissistic isolationism became the zeitgeist as the country retreated back behind her two-ocean moat.
Industry boomed, and the socalled Captains of Industry grew even more fabulously wealthy.
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As their ideal president, Calvin—Silent Cal—Coolidge succinctly phrased it, “ e business of America is business.”
e New York Stock Exchange went on steroids, and get-rich mania spread across the land. It seemed anyone with a dream wanted part of the action, although everyday Americans were pretty much left behind. Cut out of the action is a better way of putting it.
America increasingly becoming urbanized because it was in the cities where jobs—and potential wealth—were along with the nightlife. With a stake having been driven into the heart of the repressive Victorian Age, Americans started to let go. ey began to show some skin. Advances in technology were already changing the mores of American culture. Rapid communication—albeit a snail’s pace compared to today—were connecting Americans from coast to coast and networking them into a monoculture. Hollywood was beginning to rewrite the script of American literary methodology and culture. But there was also a dark side. Behind the Roaring Twenties veneer, anger seethed. Rabid anti-immigrant fever ran hot. Racial segregation and ethnic dehumanization ruled. e KKK became even more powerful with its tentacles reaching far from its birthplace. Factory workers’ plights grew increasingly deplorable. Resentment, frustration, and disillusionment were becoming more heightened. Something had to give, and it did in October 1929.
ere’s considerably more, but it can be plausibly posited the seeds of where we are and who we’ve be-
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It was in that context Fitzgerald wrote “ e Great Gatsby.” Although primarily a story of delusional love in a dystopian culture of extreme wealth oblivious to the plight of everyday folks, the story e ectively captures the essence of the period through its secondary characters and dialogue. It’s a grim picture. e dark mood is portrayed by the Valley of Ashes, the wasteland that separates the ultra-rich East Eggers from the rest of society. Fitzgerald describes it as a “fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat” and “men move dimly.” It symbolizes the culture’s moral depravity and ordinary peoples’ despair.
It’s a discom ting, stark, brutally honest portrayal of Jazz Age America.
We’ve come far in cleaning up the literal air we breathe, though in many places, like large cities and rural communities near fracking wells, our once pristine air remains a diabolical health threat. en there’s the social-political-cultural pollution and widespread disillusionment.
Near the end of the story, Nick, despite his e ort to avoid Tom Buchanan, is accosted by him as he walks down Fifth Avenue. After their terse exchange, Nick concludes he couldn’t forgive or like him because Tom felt entirely justi ed for the havoc he wreaked. It’s then that Nick drives home the ugly truth of those like Tom and Daisy Buchanan. ey smash things and creatures up, he says, retreat back into their money, vast carelessness, or whatever holds them together, and let others clean up the mess they made.
One hundred years later, I wonder what story Fitzgerald would write today, given that it seems eerily déjà vu all over again.
Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for ought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.
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Jim Roome
Columnist
Explore the Wonders of Angkor at DMNS
People may have certain perceptions in their mind when they hear the name Angkor Wat or the Khmer Empire that inhabited Cambodia for centuries. Some of those perceptions may be true, but others are the results of limited knowledge and lack of information.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s newest temporary exhibition, “Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia,” aims to provide greater insight into the fabled empire and what daily life looked like for the people.
“The name of the exhibit turns a lot of the ideas we may have about the Khmer Empire on its head,” said Dr. Michele Koons, director of Anthropology and curator of Archaeology at the museum. “While French explorers were the ones who made the western world aware of Angkor, it was never lost. It was still used by the Cambodian people for religious and cultural purposes.”
“Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia” runs at the museum, 2001 Colorado Blvd., through Aug. 24. The exhibition is included as part of a general admission ticket.
The exhibit explores all areas of life in the empire, which lasted from the 9th to 15th centuries. Angkor was the capital city of the Khmer Empire and the world-famous Angkor Wat temple complex is located in the city.
According to provided information, visitors will be able to see more than 100 carvings, sacred sculptures and ancient relics, many of which are being seen outside of Cambodia for the first time. Given the history of artifacts being stolen from the country, it’s important to note the exhibit was created in partnership with the Cambodian government.
The museum also worked with members of the local Cambodian community to enrich the exhibition’s offerings.
While the details of and scope of the items on display are breathtaking, there are also interactive components seamlessly built into it, so guests can try some hands-on learning. These include a Bayon Wall Scanner, which allows guests to explore bas-reliefs, revealing scenes of daily life, work and worship in Angkor, and a Lidar Mapping Display, which shows how this cutting-edge technology was used to deepen our understanding of the Khmer.
“These allow guests to see how the city was laid out and provides a picture of the empire’s infrastructure,” Koons said. “They had developments that we still use today, including roads and hospitals and religious facilities.”
Those interested in a visual history lesson shouldn’t miss “Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia,” at the Museum’s Infinity Theatre, which gives a more in-depth story of the empire.
It’s was critical for organizers that the exhibit end with a look at modern Cambodia and the many ongoing efforts to reclaim pieces of their history that have been stolen and sold over the years. It shows that these sites are still vital to the Cambodian people and have always been.
“This is a part of the world that not many think of when they think about the major ancient civilizations,” Koons
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BOWLAND
James T Bowland August 29, 1969 - December 12, 2024
said. “Everyone knows about Egypt, but the Khmer Empire is a reminder that there are many important civilizations worth investigating.”
More information and tickets are available at www.dmns.org.
Denver Home Show Returns for Another Year of Inspiring Design
The ever-popular Denver Home Show is back from Friday, March 21 through Sunday, the 23rd at National Western Complex , 4655 Humboldt St. in Denver. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
According to provided information, this year’s lineup features more than 250 experts in kitchens and baths, flooring, windows, cabinetry, home décor and more, making it the perfect place to ask questions and get advice for your spring and summer projects. Craig Conover, star of Bravo’s “Southern Charm” will also be on hand as part of the festivities.
The show offers something for everyone, so get details at www.denverhomeshow.com/.
‘The Putnam County Spelling Bee’ Comes to Northglenn
William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s perpetual musical favorite, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” is coming to Northglenn’s Parsons Theatre , 1. E. Memorial Parkway, thanks to the Phamaly Theatre Company and Northglenn Arts, through Sunday, April 6.
Phamaly is a disability-affirmative company and so they have a few special performances during its run, including a “Relaxed Performance” (similar to sensory-friendly), Access Performances and a Masked Performance. There will also be special guests spellers like Miss Colorado, Denver 7’s Nicole Brady, CPR’s Ryan Warner and Drag Queen Jessica L’Whor.
More information and tickets are available at https://northglennarts. org/programs/northglenn-arts-presents/.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Yasmin Williams at Swallow Hill
For some people, it’s difficult to get into instrumental music. But, if you find the right musician, instrumental works can be just as gripping as anything with vocals. Yasmin Williams is the right musician. She mixes up a brew of folk, progressive rock and even some jazz, and the end result is absolutely beautiful. Last year she released “Acadia,” and it was one of my favorite albums of the year. I’m certain it will sound beautiful in the spring weather.
In support of the album, Williams will be performing at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theatre , 71 E. Yale Ave. in Denver, at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 21. This will be an evening of masterful music, so get tickets at https:// swallowhillmusic.org/event/yasminwilliams/.
Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.
Jim Bowland, a resident of Lakewood, Colorado, passed away December 12, 2024 at St. Anthony’s Hospital. He is survived by parents, Robert and Janice Bowland, sister Terri Bowland and nephews Miles and Brooks Bowland. Private services are
Please make contributions to Project Angel Heart, 4950 Washington Street, Suite 200, Denver, Colorado 80216.
May God bless him on his journey.
Clarke Reader
Your ideas shape legislation
Each year, I prioritize working on legislation based on ideas brought to me by constituents. As the legislative session hits the halfway point, I am working on several common sense solutions inspired by constituents in Senate District 8, including bills to prevent I-70 crashes and delays, support our working families, improve public safety, and more. Here’s where those bills stand:
STATE SENATOR
2025 BEST OF THE BEST VOTE NOW THROUGH APRIL 15TH
I-70 Safety
wolf-livestock con ict and depredation. SB25038 will protect the individual privacy of these individuals by ensuring that anyone who submits a depredation request after one of their animals is killed won’t have their name and address shared with the public. County-level data on wolf activity and compensation would continue to be available, but protecting the safety and privacy of speci c individuals is essential.
A ordable Homeownership
e impact of crashes and closures along I-70 are felt most by locals trying to get home safely, pick up their kids from school, and travel to and from work throughout our region. I am a prime sponsor of two bills this year that would reduce t crashes and resulting road closures, which cost Colorado millions of dollars every hour. SB25-069 would create a process to allow individuals and companies to help inexperienced truckers put their chains on. Further, this bill would close the passenger traction “loophole” and make sure that more cars have proper tires when they drive I-70 in the winter. HB25-1039 came straight from constituents in Georgetown, Idaho Springs, and Eagle County who deal with excessive noise along I-70 every single day. e bill would ensure that all commercial vehicles have a modern mu er, decreasing noise when engine breaks are used.
Supporting Coal Transition Communities
Supporting Craig, Hayden, and other energy-transitioning communities in Northwest Colorado - and around the state - is one of my top priorities. To ensure that these communities continue to be vibrant places for Coloradans to live and raise their families, I’m working on SB25-037, which would ensure that the O ce of Just Transition coordinates more directly with the communities being impacted by its work and ensures that the most e ective strategies are being used to support communities in transition. is bill passed the Senate unanimously.
Public Health and Safety
Over the summer, constituents from Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Jackson Counties reached out to share concerns about aging septic systems - an issue that impacts many rural communities. Making necessary repairs and replacements to these systems is not just important for the individual homeowners, it’s a community and public safety concern. at’s why we introduced HB25-1120, which would create an enterprise fund to support replacing failing septic systems.
SB25-031 would make sure that when emergency alerts go out, they are accessible in both English and Spanish. In the case of a wild re, winter storm, or other safety concerns, everyone should be informed as quickly as possible, including the 300,000 Coloradans who don’t speak English as their primary language. e reintroduction of wolves in Colorado has occurred almost entirely in Senate District 8, meaning that our local ranchers and farmers are on the front lines of
Colorado’s mountain communities continue to face an a ordable housing crisis. We’ve made progress in recent years to increase housing stock and drive down prices, but there’s more that we must do. To build on this work, I am running two bills speci cally targeting affordable homeownership. Buying a rst home is key to long-term nancial stability and growth for our working families. SB25-006 would create a pilot program authorizing the state to provide low interest construction nancing, which would transition into low interest mortgages once the homes are built.
HB25-1272 would reform construction defect laws to incentivize the construction of more condos and ‘missing middle’ housing. e housing market in Colorado is facing an extreme shortage of starter homes which allow younger buyers to enter the market. e targeted liability changes proposed in this bill could motivate increased construction and opportunity to allow more young families to start building generational wealth.
Judicial E ciency
State government has a constitutional obligation to provide a functional, timely judicial process for all Coloradans in criminal, civil, and juvenile court. Increased case lings have led to unacceptably long wait times and judicial overload. at’s why I introduced SB25-024 to add more judges to courtrooms across the state. As a former Deputy District Attorney, I know how important it is to have focused, dedicated, and adequate judges in our courtrooms. When this bill passes, it would add 15 judges across the state, including one to the Eagle County Court docket.
Some more good news: every single one of these bills has received bipartisan support and is on track for passage. is is just a highlight of the legislation I’m working on for you, the residents of Senate District 8, with many more e orts underway. I work hard to accurately re ect the priorities and concerns of my constituents while at the Capitol, so please reach out anytime to share ideas at SenatorDylanRoberts@gmail.com or my cell: 970-8463054.
Dylan Roberts is the State Senator for Clear Creek, Eagle, Gar eld, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Mo at, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit Counties.
New bill would help mu e commercial truck noise
Golden backs measure to enforce requirements; Wheat Ridge may pursue separate rule
BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Almost 10 years ago, when Casey Brown was running for Golden City Council, one of the most common concerns he heard was about tra c-related noise.
With so many highways in and around Golden city limits — many of which are main routes to and from local quarries — Goldenites have long complained about noise from commercial trucks frequenting the area.
Although not all trucks are noisy, hearing noises that loud that often has impacted Goldenites’ quality of life, Brown described.
“We tend to think of the noise from trucks as being a nuisance,” he said. “But, it’s far more than a nuisance; it’s a public health hazard.”
While the city now has several soundwall segments in the works, state legislators are working on another solution to help reduce commercial truck-related noise not just in Golden, but across Colorado.
HB25-1039, which addresses commercial vehicle mu er requirements, is currently working its way through the legislature. If approved, it would give law enforcement o cers new methods to enforce the current mu er requirement for all commercial vehicles.
Rep. Brianna Titone, who represents the Golden area, is one of the bill’s sponsors. Joining her are Rep. Lesley Smith
and Sen. Dylan Roberts, both of whom represent Clear Creek County among other jurisdictions.
e bill has bipartisan support, and the City of Golden recently endorsed it. It also has industry support from the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, its President Greg Fulton con rmed.
e bill was passed by the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee with amendments, and was awaiting discussion in the House Appropriations Committee, as of March 11.
If passed, Brown said it would go into e ect July 1, 2027.
Brown has been trying to address truckrelated noise since rst joining Golden City Council in 2016. He’s worked with the Colorado Department of Transportation, Golden Police Department, CMCA, state legislators and other local leaders.
Although Golden tried to address the problem itself, he said, “We really needed state help in addressing the issue. We needed to x the inspection process.”
Closing the loophole
According to Brown and Fulton, although commercial vehicles are required by law to have a mu er, some truck drivers have intentionally removed their mu ers.
Fulton said some “renegade” drivers like the “clean look” of a truck without
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On March 5, commercial trucks and other vehicles approach the intersection of U.S. Highway 6, Highway 58 and Highway 93 in Golden. Truck noise, particularly along Highway 58, has been a longtime complaint among Golden residents.
PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN
a mu er, along with the attention they get by generating loud noises when they drive. In places like Clear Creek Canyon, where sound reverberates o the canyon walls, that problem is heightened, he described.
“ at’s not fair to the public and it really damages our image,” Fulton continued. “ … Even though they’re relatively few in numbers, if you have a few of them going through the same location, it’s very disruptive for folks. I feel for them.”
If these drivers are contacted by law enforcement regarding their mu er, or lack thereof, Fulton said they can skirt around the requirement by claiming their mu er is the kind that is inside the truck’s exhaust stack. Fulton said these kinds of mu ers are real but rare.
However, it’s very di cult to prove which trucks really have them and which don’t, he explained.
Many years ago, Fulton described, there was a crude method of checking by tying a tennis ball on a rope and lowering it inside the exhaust stack. If it hit something, that indicated there was a mu er inside the stack.
However, this method was crude and left law enforcement liable if the rope broke and the tennis ball was trapped in-
side the exhaust stack, Fulton said.
So, for the last several years, o cers haven’t had a good enforcement mechanism to determine whether drivers are telling the truth about having a mu er inside their exhaust stack, Fulton and Brown described.
HB25-1039 would require all commercial vehicles to either have a visible mufer or documentation proving the mufer is inside the exhaust stack. In this way, Fulton said, the bill could close the loophole that a very small but loud minority of drivers have been exploiting for years.
Additionally, he and Brown said the bill would increase the penalties related to not having a mu er.
e current ne is $500, but if the bill passes, it will increase to $1,000. Brown said any cited drivers could reduce their ne by 50% by proving to the court that they’ve come into compliance.
Additionally, Brown explained, drivers can’t renew their vehicle registration until they’ve come into compliance.
“ ere are small, independent folks who are trying to make a living,” he said of some drivers. “ … We want to be able to preserve their ability to operate. So, what are some enforcement measures that will be e ective without being overly penalizing?”
If the bill passes, Fulton said he’s con dent word would get out and that drivers who don’t have mu ers now
would come into compliance.
“We want to incentivize people to do the right thing,” he added.
Silent streets, quiet highways
Just like Brown in Golden, Wheat Ridge City Councilor Dan Larson also knows how much tra c-related noise impacts his constituents’ quality of life.
Larson lives right next to Interstate 70, and even though there’s a sound wall between the highway and his neighborhood, he said, “I can tell the di erence between the vehicles that do and don’t have mu ers.”
When he was campaigning, Larson said he heard similar complaints from those in his jurisdiction, which includes I-70 and Kipling Parkway.
Although Wheat Ridge City Council hasn’t endorsed HB25-1039, Larson said he personally supported it and has been talking to Brown and Titone more about the issue.
Even if the bill passes, Larson said he’s looking to do more at the municipal level.
He and city sta are discussing an ordinance that would require a mu er on all vehicles — not just commercial vehicles — operating in Wheat Ridge city limits. He said other Colorado municipalities have implemented similar measures.
While there’s no de nite timeline, Larson hoped City Council could discuss it later this year.
Regarding enforcement, the ordinance would outline a standardized measurement, such as 85 decibels, as an objective way to measure whether a vehicle is so loud that it’s disruptive.
In general, 85 decibels would be typical for city tra c. A vacuum cleaner is about 70 decibels, power tools are about 90 and reworks are around 140.
e Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires some kind of hearing protection for employees when noise levels average 85 decibels or more over eight working hours.
Larson said Wheat Ridge might be able to use existing technology, such as speed cameras and other sensors, to determine whether a vehicle has reached or exceeded that noise threshold.
If so, just like with red-light cameras or speed cameras, the technology would identify the vehicle responsible and send the owner a citation in the mail.
Implementing technology like this would be a more objective, accurate and full-proof way of identifying noisy vehicles, he said.
Whether Wheat Ridge bene ts from HB25-1039, a new ordinance or both, Larson said measures like this would improve “quality of life for everybody in Wheat Ridge, Je erson County and Colorado.”
He added, “Direct impacts of excessive noise in a big city can ultimately be hazardous to your health.”
BY BEN DICKSON AND JACOB QUILL UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO NEWS CORPS
Like most of his coworkers, Chino Dean leaves his University of Colorado maintenance job at 3:30 p.m. After work, however, he puts on a di erent face to excel at what he does in his second life.
Dean is the champion of the 122-pound Muay ai division in Sparta FC. He’s only been training in martial arts for the past eight years and has been an Easton Training Center athlete for the entire time.
While primarily based in Boulder — where he began training in 2016 and started coaching in 2019 — Dean now teaches three classes each week. is has enabled him to branch out to other Easton locations, now guest coaching in Longmont, and planning to do the same at the company’s other gyms in the metro area. In terms of his own training, Dean nds himself mostly in Boulder, but he makes time to train with Easton’s competition team in both the Arvada and Denver locations
once every other week.
“We have a massive amount of people here from all walks of life,” Dean said about the gym “I’ll never run out of things to learn about the world through these people at Easton.”
Starting in Denver in the 1990s as a barely controlled brawl, ultimate ghting and combat sports has grown into a huge business as a mainstream sports league. Training centers like Easton have helped build that next generation of star athletes.
A champion’s journey
Originally, Dean moved to Colorado in search of a change of pace from his life on the East Coast. He had some friends in the area, and was attracted to the idea of leading an active lifestyle. Boulder’s access to a wide range of outdoor activities, as well as the scenery, were the main factors that brought Dean to the area.
Dean grew up in Maryland, and when he arrived in Boulder in 2015, his level of experience in martial arts
consisted of exactly one free karate class.
“It was that little desire that every little boy has to want to be a ninja,” he said with a smile. “A long time ago, I got the chance to try out a karate class but never got the chance to follow through with it.”
Although he had little experience with martial arts training in general, the spark from that one class led him onto Easton’s mat after he noticed a UFC ghter trained there while watching an event on TV.
“Just the fact that I got my foot in the door to see what it was like really lit that spark, which stayed within me for several years,” Dean said.
Dean fell in love with Muay ai when he attended an Easton class for the rst time. Early in his training career, he bought a heavy bag to put in his basement when he couldn’t a ord the Easton membership. As soon as he could, he bought the membership and was in the gym six days a week.
SEE TRAINING CENTER, P15
TRAINING CENTER
Dean grew into a champion Muay ai ghter for his weight class. Muay ai is a style of martial arts that revolves around striking with sts, feet, knees and elbows. However, Dean is interested in the sport’s more subtle aspects.
“Obviously, ghting is what this sport is. When you’re in the ring, it is a ght. But, there is an art aspect to it that the ais obviously created and gracefully shared with us,” Dean said. “It goes a lot into respect, it goes into trying to be calm and relating those things back into everyday life.”
Now 39, Dean’s Muay ai journey has helped to shift his mindset in his general life, even outside of the gym.
“I’ve become a lot more resilient,” Dean said. “It’s made me accept that I may not always get the things I want to in life, and that gives me a better approach.”
Dean treats his Muay ai training as a second job of sorts. Between training for his own ghts, actually competing, and providing coaching for other Easton members, Dean is a familiar face for people in the Easton community.
“Within even a year of me being here, they had already given me so much,” Dean said. “Not just in technique, but in the community. Just being able to give back to them in any way that I can, whether it be teaching them, showing them by example, or just being a good friend for them, that’s what drives me.”
Easton’s start
Dean’s experience at Easton is similar to many of the stories of people who have found a home there. Founded by Amal Easton in 1998, the chain has grown to nine locations around the state. e community found in the gyms helps to explain how martial arts has seized large segments of the country’s imagination. But that story, once better understood, isn’t merely one of ghts and cage matches. Rather, it’s about respect and self-awareness and a way to think mindfully about life through the lens of those who wish to be enlightened warriors.
Easton trained under the legendary Gracie family in Brazil and started the gym to try and help bring jiu jitsu to the United States.
“ ere were very few jiu jitsu gyms at the time, and I rented out some space in a facility to teach three days a week,” Easton said.
Easton, who has a degree in traditional Chinese medicine, decided that he was more suited to help people as a jiu jitsu instructor as he fell in love with the sport. He grew up in a small New Mexico town and began training in martial arts when he was getting picked on at school.
Easton decided on Colorado as a starting point for his gym because of how many people are active in sports. He is active outside of the gym as well, an avid skier as well as having had a short stint as a surfer. Colorado is known for its culture of individual extreme sports, and Easton knew that it would be a good place for him and his gym to thrive. However, the Easton empire in Colorado today is nearly unrecognizable from its humble beginnings.
“How could you conceive that we would be where we are today?” Easton asked. “I was in King Soopers trying to convince the kid stocking the shelves that he should come and try jiu jitsu. It really was one brick at a time, one student at a time.”
Easton’s original location stands in Boulder. A 10,000-square-foot facility on 32nd Street, it is home to martial arts classes for every age and skill level. Easton believes that the format of martial arts training lends itself to bringing people together, and the story for his gym holds true for that.
“ e community is everything. When most people think about community activities they did, they’d have to go back to high school,” Easton said. “With jiu jitsu, it’s one of the most cohesive groups partly because we have every range of age, socioeconomic diversity, religion and body type.”
While the central location is in Boulder, being in the Denver area means you are never too far from an Easton mat. Satellite locations include facilities in Arvada, Centennial, Lowry, South Denver, the Littleton area, Longmont, Castle Rock and ornton.
Alec Schrum, another Easton ghter, competed in the B-class 142-pound division at the Colorado State Tournament
at the Douglas County Event Center in Castle Rock Feb. 28 to March 2. Early in his career, Schrum has showcased his skills in both jiu jitsu and Muay ai, with plans to transition into mixed martial arts competitions as he continues to grow as a ghter.
Schrum has only been training at Easton since he was a sophomore at CU Boulder. He graduated after the spring of 2024, and already has a few ghts on his record. He is just opening this chapter of his life, but he plans on leaving it open for the future.
“After I’m done competing, I’ll still train. Whether I’m coaching or if it’s just for fun, I’ll be in this for the rest of my life,” Schrum said.
Growing up as a wrestler in Pennsylvania, Schrum knew that he wanted to stay involved in martial arts. As soon as he moved to Colorado, he walked into Easton’s gym and hasn’t looked back.
Combat fighting’s popularity
While Easton’s resume of competition is what he is able to hang his hat on, his new passion stems from being an inspiration to the next generation of martial artists. He has noticed that the children he interacts with in the gym have di erent kinds of role models than those he was accustomed to seeing even just a few years ago.
“Some of those kids are going to get skills and chase that dream, because who they are looking up to now are ghters, not basketball players,” Easton said.
Easton’s Boulder location provides a mixture of the strong community that martial arts can provide and coaching that can compete with the best in the world.
Amid the growing popularity of Muay ai and other martial arts in Colorado, there’s also a rise in high-pro le, unconventional prize ghts on the national stage, such as the recent Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match streamed on Net ix.
e world of mixed martial arts would not be what it is today without the impact that the state of Colorado had on it.
e premier MMA organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has its roots here in Denver. In 1993, it held its rst event, UFC 1: e Beginning. e event featured ghts with no judges, no weight classes, and no limits on how long ghts could last. When Easton was training in Rio, he remembers watching early MMA ghts at juice bars in the city.
“MMA was also something that had barely just started,” Easton said. “It was hard not to imagine that being a huge thing here someday.”
Easton’s prediction was likely more accurate than he knew at the time. Now, the UFC has become a mainstream sports league. With public eyes nally falling upon the world of combat sports, Colorado’s martial arts scene has begun to grow as well. At the UFC level, bigname athletes like Justin Gaethje and Rose Namajunas train for their ghts in Denver. ere are even UFC athletes who spend time at Easton locations, like Drew Dober and Curtis Blaydes.
“It’s a di erent era, kind of where a kid can grow up and say, like, I want to be Michael Jordan, or I want to be Jon Jones, they can say this is what I want to do, because they’re chasing a sports superstar that they want to be like. And, you know, a lot of that comes with growing the sport,” Easton said.
He pointed out that while some athletes may evolve into lifelong martial artists, others are driven by the pursuit of fame and fortune in a multi-billiondollar industry.
Easton takes pride in the way that he and the other coaches at his gym teach martial arts, providing focus on the lessons that are important outside of training. By emphasizing the skills and morals, Easton hopes to bring the next generation of ghters into the mainstream.
“We take the role of trying to teach values as a big part of our program, not just trying to raise champions,” Easton said. is story was created by students at the University of Colorado-Boulder’s News Corps, where Colorado Community Media is a media partner.
Alec Schrum, who trains at Easton, has competed in both jiu jitsu and Muay Thai since he graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder.
PHOTO BY JACOB QUILL / CU NEWS CORPS
Chino Dean teaches classes at Easton Training Center in Boulder in November 2024. He also teaches as Easton facilities in Arvada and Denver.
PHOTO FROM VIDEO BY BEN DICKSON
CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ
1. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Who was Time Magazine’s First Man of the Year in 1927?
2. MOVIES: Who was the male lead in the lm “Risky Business”?
3. LITERATURE: In which novel does the character of Emma Woodhouse appear?
4. LANGUAGE: What does the acronym “sonar” stand for?
5. TELEVISION: What was the name of the Dukes’ car on the show “ e Dukes of Hazzard”?
6. HISTORY: e rst atomic submarine was built in which decade?
7. GEOGRAPHY: What modern-day country is in the area known in ancient times as Lusitania?
8. MEDICINE: What disease is caused by a de ciency of Vitamin A?
TrIVIa
9. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which U.S. president’s image appeared on a dollar coin in 1971?
10. MATH: What does the symbol “r” stand for in geometry?
Answers
1. Aviator Charles Lindbergh.
2. Tom Cruise.
3. “Emma” by Jane Austen.
4. Sound navigation and ranging.
5. e General Lee.
6. 1950s.
7. Portugal.
8. Night blindness.
9. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
10. Radius.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Wanted
(C-OR) and to establish a Special Use Permit for a Parking Lot, pursuant to Section 5.16.6.7 of the County Zoning Regulations.
Acreage: Roughly .76 total acres.
Public Hearings - UPDATED: The Clear Creek County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on April 16, 2025 at 6:30 pm to consider the rezoning application before recommending approval, approval with conditions, or denial to the Board of County Commissioners. The public hearing will be held virtually via Zoom. Information can be found on the County website.
The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on May 6, 2025 at 8:30am to consider the application. The public hearing will be held at the Commissioners’ Hearing Room in the Clear Creek County Court¬house at 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown CO, 80444, and virtually via Zoom. Information on the virtual hearing can be found on the County website.
(All Planning Commission and 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 meeting dates for definitive information on the meeting location and/or web links if the meeting is held via online internet meeting.)
Written testimony may be submitted via email to Garrett McAllister at gmcallister@ clearcreekcounty.us or via mail to the Clear Creek County Planning Department, P.O. Box 2000, Georgetown, CO 80444.
Legal Notice No. CCC1039
Board and codified its creation and membership qualifications within Section 5-11 of the Idaho Springs Municipal Code (“Code”); and
WHEREAS, the Council finds that maintaining full membership of the five (5) member Variance Board is often challenging; and
WHEREAS, the Council further finds that limiting Variance Board membership to City residents only could potentially exclude interested and otherwise qualified non-residents from joining the Board; and
WHEREAS, the Council therefore desires to amend the Code to permit non-residents of the City to serve on the Variance Board when such non-residents demonstrate a particular interest or expertise in building, planning, construction, design, architecture, engineering or similar subject matter likely to be relevant to Variance Board matters.
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 adopted as findings and determinations of the City Council.
Section 2. Subsection 5-11(A) of the Code, concerning Variance Board membership, is hereby amended as follows:
(A) Pursuant to state law, a Variance Board is hereby established for the City (herein the “Board”). The Board shall consist of five (5) members and two (2) alternates, each of whom shall be appointed by the City Council. Each member and alternate shall be a resident of the City or a person demonstrating particular familiarity with or expertise in building, planning, construction, design, architecture, engineering or similar subject matter likely to be relevant to Variance Board matters, as determined by the City Council. An alternate member may act in the absence of a regular member.
Section 3. Should any one or more sections or provisions of this Ordinance or of any Code provision enacted hereby be judicially determined invalid or unenforceable, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remaining provisions of this Ordinance or of such Code provision, the intention being that the various sections and provisions are severable.
Section 4. Any and all Ordinances or Codes 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 Code provision or part thereof shall not revive any other section or part of any Ordinance or Code provision heretofore repealed or superseded.
INTRODUCED, READ AND ORDERED PUBLISHED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado, held on the 10th day of March, 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 14th day of April, 2025.
Chuck Harmon, Mayor
ATTESTED AND CERTIFIED: Diane Breece, City Clerk
Legal Notice No. CCC1037
First Publication: March 20, 2025
Last Publication: March 20, 2025
Publisher: Clear Creek Courant Public Notice
CITY OF IDAHO SPRINGS, COLORADO NOTICE OF REVISED GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATION AND BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024
(Pursuant to 29-1-106 & 29-1-109, C.R.S.)
Metropolitan Districts
Public Notice
NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF REGU-
LAR ELECTION BY THE DESIGNATED ELECTION OFFICIAL FOR THE EVERGREEN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Evergreen Metropolitan District, in Jefferson County, Colorado, that at the close of business on the sixty-third (63rd) day before the election or thereafter there were not more candidates for Director than offices to be filled, including candidates filing affidavits of intent to be write-in candidates; therefore, the election to be held on May 6, 2025, is hereby cancelled.
The following candidates are declared elected:
Brian Stephens Hotopp: 4 Year Term
James Viellenave: 4 Year Term John Ellis: 4 Year Term
EVERGREEN METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
By: /s/ Jennifer Guy Designated Election Official
Legal Notice No. CCC 038
First Publication: March 20, 2025
Last Publication: March 20, 2025
Publisher: Canyon Courier
Bids and Settlements
Public Notice
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, COLORADO
CP 25-01 SEWER FORCE MAIN EXTENSION FOR STANLEY ROAD
General Notice Clear Creek County, Colorado (Owner) is requesting Bids for the construction of the following Project:
CP 25-01 Sewer Force Main Extension for Stanley Road All Bids for the construction of the Project will be received until 2:00 PM local time on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 by means of a PDF copy uploaded to the Prospective Bidder Submittal Folder assigned by the County to each registered prospective Bidder.
Bids received by the submittal deadline will be publicly opened and read at 2:30 PM local time via Zoom. A Zoom link can be found in the Bidding Documents.
The Project includes the following Work: Installation of approximately 790 LF of 4-inch HDPE SDR 11 force main pipe within the County right-of-way along Stanley Road between the Clear Creek Sport Shooting Park at 3204 Stanley Road and the Clear Creek County Emergency Management Services Building at 3400 Stanley Road, Dumont. The project is to include installation of the proposed force main, connection to existing force main, connection of the Sport Shooting Park service line to newly installed force main, 2.5-inch conduit for future broadband communication line, along with associated earthwork and traffic controls.
Bids are requested for the following Contract:
Construction Contract for CP 25-01 Sewer Force Main Extension for Stanley Road
Obtaining the Bidding Documents Information and Bidding Documents for the Project can be found at the following designated website: https://www.clearcreekcounty.us/bids.aspx
Prospective Bidders must register as a plan holder via email to receive a link to the Prospective Bidder Submittal Folder, Project Construction Plans and Specifications, and invitations to the mandatory pre-bid conference and bid opening:
Email scanada@clearcreekcounty.us; subject line CP 25-01 RFB.
mittal, qualifications, procedures, and contract award, refer to the Instructions to Bidders that are included in the Bidding Documents.
This Advertisement is issued by: George Marlin, Chair Board of County Commissioners
Legal Notice No. CCC 037
First Publication: March 13, 2025
Last Publication: March 20, 2025
Publisher: Clear Creek Courant
Public Notice
REQUEST FOR BIDS
CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, COLORADO PW 25-02 CRACK SEALING PROJECT
General Notice
Clear Creek County, Colorado (Owner) is requesting Bids for the construction of the following Project: PW 25-02 Crack Sealing Project
All Bids for the construction of the Project will be received until 2:00 PM local time on Monday, April 7, 2025 by means of a PDF copy uploaded to the Prospective Bidder Submittal Folder assigned by the County to each registered prospective Bidder.
Bids received by the submittal deadline will be publicly opened and read at 2:30 PM local time via Zoom. A Zoom link can be found in the Bidding Documents.
The Project includes the following Work: Asphalt pavement crack sealing services on various Clear Creek County roads which includes the placement of approximately 22,500 pounds of crack sealing material at various locations throughout the Clear Creek County.
Bids are requested for the following Contract:
Clear Creek County Contract for PW 25-02
Crack Sealing Project
Obtaining the Bidding Documents Information and Bidding Documents for the Project can be found on the following designated website: https://www.clearcreekcounty.us/bids.aspx
Prospective Bidders must register as a plan holder via emai to receive a link to the Prospective Bidder Submittal Folder along with invitations to meetings and bid opening: Email sstreepey@clearcreekcounty.us; subject line PW 25-02 RFB.
Prospective Bidders are urged to sign up to receive a text message or email when new Bidding Documents are periodically uploaded to the designated website such as addenda, reports, and other information relevant to submitting a Bid for the Project by clicking “Sign up” at the top of the webpage.
All official notifications, addenda, and other Bidding Documents will be offered only through the designated website and the Prospective Bidder Submittal Folder. Neither Owner nor Engineer will be responsible for Bidding Documents, including addenda, if any, obtained from sources other than the designated website or Prospective Bidder Submittal Folder.
Instructions to Bidders
For all further requirements regarding bid submittal, qualifications, procedures, and contract award, refer to the Instructions to Bidders that are included in the Bidding Documents.
This Advertisement is issued by: George Marlin, Chair Board of County Commissioners
Legal Notice No. CCC 039
First Publication: March 20, 2025
Last Publication: March 20, 2025
Publisher: Clear Creek Courant
Water Court
Public Notice
DISTRICT COURT, WATER DIVISION 1, COLORADO FEBRUARY 2025 WATER RESUME PUBLICATION
OF THE IDAHO SPRINGS MUNICIPAL CODE CONCERNING VARIANCE BOARD MEMBERSHIP
WHEREAS, pursuant to C.R.S. § 31-15-201, the City Council (“Council”) of the City of Idaho Springs (“City”) possesses the authority to create City boards, including the authority to specify the appointment process, qualifications, terms of office, powers and duties of officers sitting on such boards; and WHEREAS, pursuant to C.R.S. § 31-23-307, the Council is authorized to create and specify the membership and qualifications of a board of adjustment to hear and decide applications for variances from the City’s zoning requirements; and
WHEREAS, under this authority, the Council previously created the Idaho Springs Variance
NOTICE is hereby given that a revised General Fund Appropriation and Budget has been submitted to the City Council of the City of Idaho Springs, Colorado for Fiscal Year 2024. A copy of such proposed revised budget has been filed in the office of the City Clerk and is open for public inspection. The revised budget will be considered for adoption at the regular meeting and public hearing of the Idaho Springs City Council to be held at City Hall, 1711 Miner Street on March 24, 2025 at 7:00 P.M. Any interested elector of the City of Idaho Springs may inspect the proposed budget and file or register any objections thereto at any time prior to the final adoption of the revised budget.
City of Idaho Springs, Colorado Wonder Martell, Deputy City Clerk
Legal Notice No. CCC1041
First Publication: March 20, 2025
Last Publication: March 20, 2025
Publisher: Clear Creek Courant
Prospective Bidders are urged to sign up to receive a text message or email when new Bidding Documents are periodically uploaded to the designated website such as addenda, reports, and other information relevant to submitting a Bid for the Project by clicking “Sign up” at the top of the webpage.
All official notifications, addenda, and other Bidding Documents will be offered only through the designated website and the Prospective Bidder Submittal Folder. Neither Owner nor Engineer will be responsible for Bidding Documents, including addenda, if any, obtained from sources other than the designated website or Prospective Bidder Submittal Folder.
Pre-bid Conference A mandatory pre-bid conference for the Project will be held on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM via Zoom. A link to the pre-bid conference will be provided at the time of Prospective Bidder registration.
Instructions to Bidders For all further requirements regarding bid sub-
TO: ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN WA-
TER APPLICATIONS IN WATER DIV. 1
Pursuant to C.R.S. 37-92-302, you are notified that the following is a resume of all water right applications, and certain amendments filed in the Office of the Water Clerk during the month of FEBRUARY 2025 for each County affected. (This publication can be viewed in its entirety on the state court website at: www. coloradojudicial.gov)
CASE NUMBER 2025CW3016 (Case No. 98CW439 and 2018CW3060) APPLICATION FOR FINDING OF REASONABLE DILIGENCE IN CLEAR CREEK AND JEFFERSON COUNTY, TOWN OF GEORGETOWN, Colorado (“Georgetown”) c/o Greg Sund, Interim Town Administrator, P.O. Box 426, Georgetown, CO 80444, (303) 569-2555. Communications, including pleadings regarding this application should be directed to counsel for the applicant, Andrea L. Benson and Gilbert Y. Marchand, Jr., Alperstein & Covell P.C., 2299 Pearl Street, Suite 400-C, Boulder, CO 80302. 1. Name of Structure: Town of Georgetown
Farmers High Line Exchange. 2. Description of conditional water right, with required information from the prior decree: a. Original decree: Dated March 16, 2012, Case No. 98CW439, Water Court, Water Division 1 (“Original Decree”). b. Subsequent decree awarding diligence and to make a portion of water right absolute: Date February 1, 2019, Case No. 2018CW3060, Water Court, Water Division 1 (“Diligence Decree”). 3. Decreed Location of Exchange Reach: The decreed downstream termini of the exchange reach are (1) the Coors augmentation station which discharges to Clear Creek approximately 650 feet downstream of the north abutment of the Clear Creek headgate of the Farmers High Line Canal, which is located on the north bank of Clear Creek in the N1/2 SW1/4, Section 27, T3S, R70W of the 6th P.M. in Jefferson County, Colorado, at a point located approximately 860 feet south, 7º30’ east from the northeast corner of the W1/2 of said Section 27; and (2) the Lewis Gulch Augmentation Station, which discharges to Clear Creek approximately 240 feet upstream of the center point of the Croke Canal and Rocky Mountain Ditch diversion dam, located in the NE1/4 NE1/4 NW1/4, Section 26, Township 3 South, Range 70 West of the 6th P.M. in Jefferson County, Colorado. The upstream terminus is the Georgetown Municipal Intake, located on South Clear Creek in Section 17, T4S, R74W of the 6th P.M., Clear Creek County, Colorado, 1,800 feet from the east Section line and 1,400 feet from the south Section of said Section 17. The locations of the upstream terminus and downstream termini of the exchange are shown on the attached Figures 1 and 2. 4. Source of water: Clear Creek, tributary to the South Platte River. 5. Appropriation date: December 21, 1998. 6. Amount: 1.0 cfs (0.96 cfs absolute, 0.04 cfs conditional). 7. Use: municipal (including but not limited to domestic, commercial, industrial, power, milling, fire protection, dust suppression, recreation, and irrigation of lawns, gardens and municipal parks, gardens, and open space), augmentation, replacement and exchange purposes as provided in the Original Decree, and storage for later release for all of the foregoing purposes, within the Georgetown service area, as it now exists or as it may be changed in the future, within Sections 19, 20, 29 and 30, T3S, R73W; Sections 23-29 and 32-36, T3S, and Sections 4 - 19 T4S, all in R74W; and Sections 13, 14, 23 and 24, T4S, R75W of the 6th P.M. in Clear Creek County, Colorado. 8. Detailed outline of what has been done toward completions or for completion of the appropriations and application of water to beneficial use as conditionally decreed, including expenditures: Georgetown owns and operates an integrated water supply system, with infrastructure currently consisting of the Georgetown Intake, Georgetown Lake, the wastewater treatment plant well, water rights, water mains, lines and distribution systems, treatment plants and related infrastructure, which provides water for municipal uses to Georgetown’s customers. The Farmers High Line Exchange is part of Georgetown’s integrated water supply system. Pursuant to C.R.S. § 37-92-301(4) (b), when an integrated system is composed of several features, as is the case here, work on one feature of the system is considered in finding that reasonable diligence has been shown in the development of water rights for all features of the entire system. During this diligence period, Georgetown has invested in its integrated water supply system, of which this conditional water right is a part. In particular, the following work and expenditures demonstrate the steady application of effort to complete the appropriation of the Georgetown Farmers High Line Exchange in a reasonably expedient and efficient manner under all the facts and circumstances: During all water years since the date of the Original Decree, Georgetown has operated the Farmers High Line Exchange in accordance with the terms of the Original Decree and Diligence Decree, and has accounted for and reported operation of the exchange as required by the Original Decree. Georgetown has spent $160,391.05 for general engineering services, including water accounting and operations support for the Exchange and Georgetown’s other water rights, and engineering services related to water court applications and oppositions. On April 2, 2021, Georgetown obtained a decree in Case No. 19CW3018 to make a portion of its storage rights for Georgetown Lake absolute, which storage rights are used for a variety of municipal purposes, augmentation and exchange, and used together with the augmentation plan and Farmers High Line Exchange decreed in the Original Decree to provide a legal, reliable water supply to Georgetown’s water customers, as part of Georgetown’s integrated water supply system. On February 23, 2023, Georgetown obtained a decree in case No. 21CW3042 adjudicating an additional storage right for Georgetown Lake, the Georgetown Lake Second Enlargement, for an additional 43.04 acre-feet of storage as a result of work completed to enlarge the storage capacity. In addition to the Applications for water rights described above, Georgetown has defended its water rights, including this Exchange, against applications filed by others in cases in which Georgetown has determined that injury to its water rights could occur in the absence of appropriate protective terms and conditions. During this diligence period, Georgetown has expended approximately $58,000 in water counsel attorney fees, in filing and obtaining decrees for the applications and in opposition to water court applications filed by others in order to protect and defend its water rights. During this diligence period, Georgetown has continued to improve, operate and maintain its integrated water supply system, of which this condi-
tional exchange is a part. To enable Georgetown to more effectively provide water service to its existing and future customers, in this diligence period Georgetown has spent approximately $2.3 million in the overall maintenance, construction, repair and improvement of its water system infrastructure and related infrastructure and projects that are part of the efficiency, operation and maintenance of its integrated water supply system. These efforts have allowed Georgetown to continue to
to any existing diversion or storage structure is or will be constructed in order to operate the conditional exchange for which diligence and absolute decrees are sought in this application. Water exchanged pursuant to the Georgetown Farmers High Line Exchange may be stored in Georgetown Lake, which is owned by Applicant Town of Georgetown. WHEREFORE, Applicant Town of Georgetown, having demonstrated that it has steadily applied effort to complete the appropriation of this water right in a reasonably expedient and efficient manner under all the facts and circumstances, respectfully requests that this Court find that it has exercised reasonable diligence in putting to beneficial use the remaining conditional portion of the water right decreed to the Georgetown Farmers High Line Exchange, and that it should be continued for another six years, or such period as may otherwise be permitted by law. THE WATER RIGHTS CLAIMED BY THESE APPLICATIONS MAY AFFECT IN PRIORITY ANY
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LEAP ayuda a los residentes elegibles de Colorado a pagar una parte de sus gastos de calefacciòn de invierno.
