Herald
Englewood 11-29-2013
Englewood
November 29, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourenglewoodnews.com
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 93, Issue 41
Council to review marijuana issue Discussion of industry ban scheduled for Dec. 2 By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com Englewood City Council members agreed that they need to talk about the appropriate action after residents voted against the city’s existing ban on the recreational marijuana industry. The unofficial results showed 3,862 residents, representing 51.8 percent of the votes cast, voted no on keeping the ban. There were 3,593 yes votes, or 48.2 per-
cent, in favor of keeping the ban. Council members discussed the issue at the Nov. 18 meeting. “There were 269 more no votes than there were yes votes,” Councilmember Joe Jefferson said. “We need to discuss this issue because I feel there is a clear indication many residents want the ban removed.” A check of the schedule resulted in the council agreeing to discuss the issue at the Dec. 2 study session. Study sessions begin at 6 p.m. and are held in the community room on the second floor of the Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway. Since Dec. 2 is a regular meeting night, the study session must end in time
to start the council meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers. The Englewood City Council approved a prohibition on establishing any recreational marijuana industry-related operations in the city at the April 15 meeting. The action was in response to Colorado voters’ approval of Amendment 64 in 2012, which legalized adult possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for recreational use. In the April 15 discussion, then Mayor Pro Tem Jim Woodward pointed out that all but one precinct in Englewood voted heavily in favor of passage of Amendment 64.
The ban passed by a vote of 5-2, with Mayor Randy Penn and Councilmembers Jill Wilson, Bob McCaslin, Linda Olson and Rick Gillit supporting the ban. Woodward and Jefferson voted against the ban. Also at the April 15 meeting, the council approved placing an advisory question on whether or not to retain the ban on the November ballot. A “yes” vote would support retaining the ban. The first-reading vote on the ordinance to place the issue on the ballot was 4-3. Penn Woodward, Jefferson and Olson voted for the ballot issue while Gillit, McCaslin and Wilson voted against it.
Colorado’s health-care site praised Local agencies offer help with Obamacare By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com
Left to right, Savanna Lewis, Sara Hall and Jolynne Jones place branches on one of the frames that make up Englewood’s holiday tree. A crew from K&M Enterprises assembled the tree Nov. 23 so it will be ready for the Dec. 2 lighting ceremony. Photos by Tom Munds
Tree-lighting ceremony on tap Mayor will flip switch in event set for Dec. 2 By Tom Munds
tmunds@ourcoloradonews.com A crew finished assembling Englewood’s towering artificial holiday tree on Nov. 23, so when Mayor Randy Penn flips the switch at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2, the 35-foottall lighted tree will become the centerpiece of the city holiday decorations. The Christmas tree is located at the east end of the Englewood Civic Center circular drive and is surrounded by a circle of trees decorated with strings of lights. Also, the globes of the streetlights headed east on Englewood Parkway are now red and all the evergreens around the civic center are draped with colored lights. The display will remain lit through the holidays.
On Nov. 23, quiet conversation accompanied the whir of the power drill near the Englewood Civic Center as representatives of K&M Enterprises as well as several family members and friends began assembling the city’ holiday tree. In one area, several members of the crew were assembling the five frame sections that will be stacked atop each other to create the 35-foot-tall tree. The parts for each frame section are connected and then clamps are bolted in place, creating a solid framework. When a frame was completed, it was set aside and other members of the team began attaching branches. Each branch already has its lights attached and the lights on each branch connect together so when the switch is thrown, the tree is illuminated. It takes about 30 branches to cover one Tree continues on Page 23
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The 35-foot tall tree adorned with 10,000 lights and 5,000 ornaments is the centerpiece of Englewood’s holiday decorations. Mayor Randy Penn will officiate at the lighting ceremony that will be held at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2.
Despite the turbulent rollout of the national Obamacare website, Colorado’s version is going a bit smoother. “The Colorado website has had a few stumbling blocks, but it’s doing pretty well now,” said Sarah Thoemke, outreach coordinator for Doctors Care clinic in Littleton and a designated “health-care guide” for Connect for Health. Indeed, it fired right up for her demonstration at Arapahoe Community College Nov. 19. Explaining that it’s not necessary to create an account to browse the site, she plugged in her name and some made-up numbers to give an overview of the process. “It’s really pretty darned intuitive,” she said. Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act, means anyone without employer-sponsored health insurance or a private plan must obtain coverage or face a fine of $95 next year, with that amount going up each year thereafter. The ACA mandates free preventive care, lets kids stay on their parents’ policies until age 26, bans insurance companies from denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions and requires plans to include mental-health care and maternity services, among other things. That last one has been a sticking point for some, Thoemke acknowledges, and has caused some people to lose plans they liked because they didn’t cover all the bases. Adding the coverage increased expenses, argue some insurance carriers, so they canceled the plans altogether. “Some people are having an issue with having to pay for some of those things when they don’t need them,” said Thoemke. “It could get tweaked.” The U.S. Census reports about 98,000 people in Arapahoe County are uninsured. According to data compiled by the South Metro Health Alliance, nearly 50,000 of them will remain uninsured even after the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented. Undocumented residents are included in that figure, as are people who won’t be able to afford it even with tax subsidies and those who simply choose to pay the fine instead. But for those who do want insurance, www.connectforhealthco.com is a starting Obamacare continues on Page 23