August 13, 2015 VOLUME 113 | ISSUE 41 | 75¢
HELLO
My Name Is...
A glimpse of the people in our community Page 2
DouglasCountyNewsPress.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
WHAT’S INSIDE
GRIPPING ACTION AT THE FAIR
A peek at the plan: State publishes assessment of future C-470 project. See Page 11
Nature show: Castle Rock Adventist Hospital displays student art. See Page 16
Fall 2015: High Schools prepare for beginning of season. See Page 23
Solomon Pablo of Farmington, New Mexico, was the first out for bareback riding at the PRCA ProRodeo held at the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo in Castle Rock on Aug. 8. Photo by Taryn Walker Find more photos and coverage of the fair on Pages 5, 12, 13 and 14
POSTAL ADDRESS
School bus fleet ready to roll Douglas County School District transports 11,000 students per day By Mike DiFerdinando mdiferdinando@coloradocommunitymedia.com
NEWS-PRESS
(ISSN 1067-425X) (USPS 567-060) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Douglas County, Colorado, and the towns of Castle Rock, Parker and Larkspur, the News-Press is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legals: Fri. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 5 p.m.
Larry King arrives at the school bus terminal between 5 and 6 a.m. during the school year. He makes his way to the dispatch room, where he finds his keys and route book for the day. — Then, King combs Number of students the parking lot to transported by bus find his bus. to and from school Each is assigned per day in Douglas to a particular spot County indicated by an ani— Number of mal and a number. square miles covered King’s spot is “camel by school district 263.” buses “When school starts, it’s a bit — Number chaotic,” King said. of buses used by the “Each terminal may school district have 100-150 drivers — Number of who each find little bus terminals in the quirks with the buses school district they’re going to be driving that year.” — Average King’s bus is one lifespan, in years, of a of 350 that will transschool bus tire port 11,000 students to and from school in the Douglas County School District each school day. The majority of students return to class this week.
BY THE NUMBERS
11,000
900
Bus driver Larry King has been driving for the Douglas County School District for four years. His route includes Castle View High School and Castle Rock Middle School. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando
350
A day in the life The school district has three bus terminals — one in Highlands Ranch, one in Parker and one in Castle Rock. Each terminal is responsible for about 150 routes and the district as a whole covers about 900 square miles, according to Donnna Grattino, the school district’s director of transportation. After retrieving their route book and keys, each driver will perform pre-trip inspection of their vehicle, checking brakes, lights, safety and fire equipment and the mechanics of the vehicle such as gasoline and fluid levels. “If it’s a small quick fix, like a lightbulb
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PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
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out, you can get that fixed real quick by the mechanics right there and then in the morning, otherwise you get a new bus,” King said. King’s route includes Castle View High School, Castle Rock Middle School and Soaring Rock and Clear Sky elementary schools. “If you’re not a new driver, you start out with your route from the previous year,” King said. “If you like your route and want to keep it, you can do that. If a route opens up and you want to bid for it, then it’s a management decision on whether to move you or not.” By 9 a.m., most drivers have completed Buses continues on Page 9