Douglas county news press 0626

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June 26, 2014

75 cents Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 122, Issue 34 A publication of

douglascountynewspress.net

county’s jobless rate hits 6-year low

THE FliGHT oF HiS liFE

Douglas employment gains rank third nationally in 2013 By Ryan Boldrey

rboldrey @coloradocommunitymedia.com Douglas County’s employment numbers continue to draw closer to pre-recession levels at a quicker pace than others, something that can be directly attributed to a fresh mindset, says county Commissioner Jill Repella. When the Great Recession hit “we really intentionally put forth efforts to make sure that we were listening to the business community, understanding their concerns, streamlining our regulatory process, shortening our permit process and really supporting their efforts in getting their businesses open,” she said. The result has been company after company moving into Douglas County, which Repella has helped to bring the unemployment rate down to 4.4 percent, the lowest it has been since it was 4.3 in October 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the Great Recession, it got as high as 7.6, up from a pre-recession low of 2.7 in April 2007. But along with changing how the county conducted business, and partnering more effectively with local municipalities, Douglas County wasn’t affected as much as other areas and things just continue to get better, Repella said. A report from the bureau released June 19, showed that the county’s employment gains were up 5.2 percent from the end of 2012 to the end of 2013. The data placed the county in a tie with California’s Sonoma County for the third greatest gains over that timeframe nationwide, trailing only Lee County in Florida (5.5 percent) and nearby Weld County (6 percent). Weld and Douglas were the only Colorado counties in the top 10, and while Weld County’s gains are tied mainly to the oil and gas industry, Douglas’ can be attributed to a growing reputation of being business-

Carl Williams, of Denver, looks at the 1929 Alexander Eaglerock airplane he built. “It absolutely changed my life,” he said of his first flight in the aircraft. Williams and his plane were both present during General Aviation Appreciation Week festivities at Centennial Airport. For more coverage of the last week’s aviation events, turn to page 16. Photo by Chris Michlewicz

Manna not typical hospital restaurant Castle Rock Adventist offers rotating, seasonal menu By Mike DiFerdinando

mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com Castle Rock Adventist Hospital’s Manna restaurant is more than simply a hospital cafeteria. The restaurant utilizes a modern dining room and open kitchen, wait staff and a rotating seasonal menu that includes such dishes as elk steak salad with bulgur wheat and seared salmon spring rolls. In addition to the sit-down dining room, Manna Market sells coffees and grab-and-go meals along with retail items. Manna is overseen by Chef de Cuisine and Johnson & Wales graduate Adam Freisem. “I would say that the majority of the people in here at any given time are not patients at the hospital. They’re from out in the community,” Freisem said. “In a typical hospital, evenings and weekends are dead, totally dead. You come in here on Friday night and we’re packed.” Freisem came to Castle Rock, along with Daniel Skay, nutrition manager and executive chef at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, from Parker Adventist Hospital. “The big thing that we noticed over there was that we had a cafeteria setup, and paPOSTAL ADDRESS

Jobless continues on Page 15

The Manna Market at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital uses touch-screen menus. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando

PeRcent IncRease In eMPloyMent In 2013

tients and their families would come in, and you know they don’t want to be there unless they’re having a baby,” Freisem said. “People came in and they wouldn’t know what to do. They would kind of walk around with their tray and they would leave and go somewhere else. They would say, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ So we thought, ‘Why can’t we do that in a hospital?’”

Weld County, Colo. 6.0 Lee, Fla. 5.5 Sonoma, Calif. 5.2 Douglas, colo. 5.2 Sarasota, Fla. 4.9 Ocean, N.J. 4.8 Fort Bend, Texas 4.8 Midland, Texas 4.8 Placer, Calif. 4.7 Williamson, Texas 4.7

news-press

So when the pair was asked to come lead the way in the kitchen when the hospital opened in August 2013, they wanted to try something different. “The thing here with the way that the menu works is, if we were going to go this route and do a restaurant, the food has to go Manna continues on Page 15

(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 Englewood, Colorado, and the towns of Castle Rock, Parker and Larkspur, the News-Press is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media and additional mailing offices. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, 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. | Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Tues. 12 p.m.

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