LOCAL

VIP tables on sale to help raise funds for drama club

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

An up-and-coming country star, a community volunteer and an Eaton High School student with family farming roots in Fort Lupton are contributing to the Fort Lupton July 4 celebration at 203 S. Rollie Ave.

Teagan Joseph, an Eaton High School junior, is performing the National Anthem. She sings with the Eaton High School Troubadours Choirs.

“Our top eight girls and boys are going to sing at the 100th celebration of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., so we are working on fundraisers,” said Joseph

Joseph has been singing with the Eaton High School Red Diamonds since she was in second grade and also started in a play. The students with the Red Diamond Choirs join from secnd grade up to seniors. Joseph has a passion for singing through her blindness -- since birth -- with Leber Congenital Amaurosis.

Joseph said, “ I have medium blindness and over 3,000 people have Lebers. So, since I can’t play in normal sports because of my eyes but I can hear with singing, I do not need the accommodations as I would for sports.”

Joseph’s dreams are to become a recording Christian artist singing songs that Jesus loves us all. Another dream is to also become an equine horse therapist.

“Horses are a big part of my life, and they allow me to help people,” said Joseph.

There’s a family history in the area. Joseph has up to four generations of family members in Fort Lupton that have farmed the land for decades.

Sadi Rose, a sophomore at Fort Lupton High School, was born and raised in Fort Lupton. At 15 years old, Rose is very involved with volunteering for community events.

“I love to volunteer my time because it gives me the ability to help out with events, have fun and the opportunity to be able to get to know people in my community. What is super cool, as well, is volunteering can also help build my resume, starting this year, in my freshman year of high school and adds a great value to my life in the form of community service,” said Rose.

When she is not volunteering her time, she joined the drama club at Fort Lupton High School, fell in love with the class and knew it was her

A view of Fort Lupton’s fi reworks display in 2020. FILE PHOTO

SEE FIREWORKS, P10

Triceratops art contest held in Weld County

The contest is open to all ages, all over the world

BY BELEN WARD

Weld County is calling for art submissions for the Pops Triceratops Art Contest.

“Fun fact. Our fi rst entry for this contest came from the Philippines, and I just received another from a gentleman who used to live in Greeley but now lives in Portugal,” said Jennifer Finch, Weld County public information offi cer.

Pops was a triceratops fossil that was found on Ronald “Sonny” Mapelli Briggsdale Ranch in 1982, and it was the fi rst complete skull in the state. Mapelli donated it to Weld County in 1986, and a contest named the triceratops Pops. When Pops was donated to the county by private owners, it was never scientifi cally studied.

Joe Sertich, the curator of dinosaurs for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, heard about the fossil. So, in 2020, he asked if he could study and restore Pops and then return it to Weld County for display at the end of this year.

World-renowned Paleo Artist Andrey Atuchin, through photos of triceratops, recreated Pops with 3-D modeling, sculpting, and painting.

The story and Pops scientifi c study have been on the Discover Weld website, social media sites and has been followed by 34 countries. Any medium can be used, such as drawings, painting and sculpting. But it must include Pops the triceratops.

The art submission will be judged by Sertich, Andrey Atuchin and Roland “Sonny” Mapelli’s daughters, Terri DeMoney and Jerri Gustafson.

Contest submissions are open to all ages. The art has to include Pop the Triceratops. The deadline is Friday, July 2; mail the entries to pops@discoverweld.com). For information about the Pops art contest visit: https://www.discoverweld.com/Pops-the-Triceratops/ Pops-Art-Contest.

Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group

Presented by Bruce Petrie with a PHD in Neuroscience and over 20 years’ experience. 2nd Monday each month starting, July 12th at 7pm

No charge to attend

Contact Nellie at Inglenook with any questions: 303-659-4148

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Weld Re-8 board of education voted to let people decide for themselves whether to wear masks in school buildings and to ease up on social distancing requirements.

The board was working from the draft of a letter during a June 24 meeting that included the phrase “hopes to make face coverings optional” and to make social distancing an “as necessary” arrangement.

Board member Cody LeBlanc objected to use of the word “hope” and wanted it replaced with the word “plan.” He also wanted to insert a phrase that would have said the district would do everything in its power to see that these guidelines go into place.

“I’ll agree with the fi rst part, but I’m not OK with the second part,” said board member Michelle Bettger. “We have to follow the guidelines of CDPHE (the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment).”

The 3-2 decision (LeBlanc and Jaime Sierra were the dissenting voters) comes with a caveat. The board’s letter also said it is committed to following state public health orders and will continue “stringent cleaning procedures.”

“There is more chatter around the Delta variant (of the coronavirus),” Re-8 Superintendent Alan Kaylor said. “We have liability insurance that clearly says if we go around public health orders, we are open to a lawsuit. If we lose, if you want to go that direction, I don’t want to lose everything I’ve worked for.”

If present testing trends hold, these rules could go into effect when school starts Monday, Aug. 16. So will in-person learning for all district students.

Calendar change

In other business, the board voted to change two meeting dates early in the coming school year.

The board will meet Tuesday, Aug. 24, and Tuesday, Oc. 26, instead of the fourth Thursdays of those months.

The vote that counted was 5-0. The actual tally was 6-0, thanks to a “guest” vote from Kaylor. He asked for the changes earlier this spring. His son, a high-school senior, plays football on the last Thursday in August and in October.

“Thank you,” Kaylor told the board after it approved the changes.

New o ce helps veterans fi nd benefi ts, assistance

Adams, Arapahoe counties collaborate to open facility in north Aurora

BY STAFF REPORT

A new veterans’ services offi ce in Aurora opened this year to help connect the area’s large population of veterans to benefi ts, with the goal of meeting their needs closer to home, according to an Arapahoe County news release.

Before the new offi ce’s opening, Arapahoe County veterans had to visit the offi ce in Littleton, far from residents of the east Denver metro area.

The new offi ce sits at Arapahoe County’s Altura Plaza facility at 15400 E. 14th Place, on Chambers Road just south of Colfax Avenue. It’s a short drive east of Interstate 225.

Adams and Arapahoe counties partnered on the necessary funding. Nearly 80,000 veterans live in the two counties, according to the news release.

Veterans Service Offi ces are county-level departments in each state that assist veterans and their families by answering questions and educating about the benefi ts for veterans that are available from federal, state, county and local resources, according to the news release.

The offi ces also help eligible persons with fi ling claims for benefi ts. The VSO’s accredited offi cers — who typically are veterans themselves — help determine eligibility and prepare claims and applications that go to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Whenever veterans need assistance that may be outside the offi ce’s scope, the VSO team connects them with resources from local agencies and community partners.

“This new offi ce adds an additional staff member to manage a growing caseload, but most importantly, it is a new opportunity to serve our veterans by meeting them where they are,” Arapahoe County Commissioner Bill Holen, a disabled U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said in the news release. He continued: “This offi ce reduces barriers such as means of transportation and time constraints by offering a convenient second location.”

The City of Aurora is also helping fund the new offi ce, which opened in early 2021.

With the help of U.S. Rep. Jason Crow and a local veteran, Arapahoe County recently created a video to further explain what the offi ce does and how it helps the veteran community. To see the video and make an appointment, visit arapahoegov. com/352/Veteran-Services.

Return to the Magic & Mystique!

Opening Weekend! July 3rd ~ 4th Kids Free

with Purchazse of Adult ticket

Eight Magical Weekends! July 3rd ~ August 22nd

Medieval Amusement Park Entertainment, Food and Fun!! Over 200 Master Artisans Music & Comedy • Jousting, Delicious Food & Drink Games, Rides and More!

FREE Parking & Shuttle • Open Rain or Shine • No Pets Please

Thornton to proceed with construction of pipeline despite commission vote

BY LIAM ADAMS LADAMS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Following the Weld County Board of Commissioners’ decision to deny the city of Thornton’s application to build a water pipeline through the county, Thornton intends to use a state statute to overrule the commissioners’ decision.

Thornton City Council will vote on a resolution at a June 29 meeting directing the city to bypass the board’s denial and commence pipeline construction, according to a meeting agenda posted Thursday. If approved by the city council at that meeting, Thornton will skip past an otherwise lengthy and cumbersome process for getting the pipeline approved at a point where the city feels like time is wearing thin.

“Thornton has followed all of the processes and regulations required in every jurisdiction our project will impact,” said Thornton Mayor Jan Kulmann in an email statement. “But at the end of the day, we have to use every option we can to make sure the pipeline is constructed, and the water arrives here in Thornton.”

Thornton’s goal is to complete the entire Thornton Water Project, a 75-mile-long pipeline from a reservoir near Fort Collins, by 2025. So far, the city has built six miles of the pipeline in other municipalities where Thornton has negotiated agreements. However, the two biggest sections – one in unincorporated Larimer County and the other in unincorporated Weld County – have faced setbacks.

The Larimer County Board of Commissioners denied Thornton’s application for a “1041 permit” to build the pipeline in 2019, leading to a series of ongoing court battles between the city and Larimer County board. Then in May, the Weld County board denied Thornton’s application for a “use by special review” permit, causing Thornton to fi le a complaint against the board in Weld County District Court.

Thornton began to seriously consider using a state statute that would essentially reverse the board’s decision right after the Weld County commissioners’ denial, said city spokesperson Todd Barnes. Colorado Revised Statutes 30-28-110(1) (c) allows a utility that is fi nancing and authorizing the construction of a project to overrule a denial by a county board of commissioners.

Thornton can use the statute for the denial in Weld Co., but not in Larimer Co. because the two permit application processes are different. Barnes said the city’s legal in Weld County District Court “remains in place to preserve Thornton’s rights.”

The Weld County board was made aware of Thornton’s intentions to overrule the commissioners’ decision before the June 29 city council meeting agenda published, and the board negotiated with the city certain terms and conditions for the pipeline’s construction. Board Chairperson Steve Moreno issued a response to the city that was included in the agenda packet.

Moreno said, “Clearly, the Thornton City Council has statutory authority to override the Board’s decision.” Moreno asks the city to comply with the newly negotiated terms and conditions that are “based upon the original Conditions of Approval and Development Standards of USR 18-0130 (use by special review permit) but have been modifi ed to better fi t the circumstance of an override by Thornton.”

Moreno adds, “Although not expressly stated in the terms and conditions, we trust that Thornton will continue to deal with Weld County’s citizens fairly.”

A view of Larimer County’s Cache La Poudre last summer. A judge on Feb. 16 ruled in Larimer County’s favor against the City of Thornton, which owns rights to Cache La Poudre water and was planning to build a pipeline to bring the water south.

PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY

A view of a Frederick neighborhood with two other balloons fl oating. PHOTOS BY BELEN WARD

Hot air balloons in the process of being assembled and infl ated for fl ight. Slowly rising from 200 feet above to 400 feet.

BALLOON

talkie and she follows the direction of the balloon while in fl ight. Once the fl ight is done, she drives to the location where the balloon landed. They defl ate the balloon, pack it up and then load it onto the van.

Hot air

Lynn Law a volunteer crew for “Air Hawk,” helps Steve and Carol Libel with assembling the hot air balloon and blowing it up for the fl ight. It’s an involved task and well organized. The balloon has a fan and it’s blown up with cold fi rst then with hot air.

“I started as a volunteer down in Colorado Springs festival then joined a balloon crew. Then I moved up here to Denver and joined the balloon crew started again. I enjoy being out in the morning and seeing the beautiful balloons. The crews and pilots are so much fun and camaraderie that they have with the crew members. It’s very enjoyable,” said Law,

After the hot air balloon was assembled -- which took more than an hour, with its hot air blowing up into the balloon -- it was ready for fl ight. I got into a basket that was is 52 inches long and 42 inches wide -- a bit smaller than I’d expected.

The hot air balloon started to rise slowing to 200 feet above, 400 feet above, then I was 2,000 feet above. It was incredible and I was no longer afraid. I cried because it was so amazing. It was peaceful and therapeutic.

While we were in fl ight Libel said his balloon can do up to 15 miles an hour in fl ight, “...but when you land you would rather land with fi ve to 10 miles an hour because it’s fast when you’re trying to come down.”

Libel can carry up to two passengers -- about 300 pounds for about an hour, depending on altitude and temperature.

We fl ew 1.97 miles for 50 minutes then it was time for landing. To land Libel pulled a rope that releases the envelope, letting out the hot air out of the top of the balloon to take us down.

So I bent my knees hung on and braced for impact to land on the ground. It was not a hard landing and a smooth drag because there was no wind and good weather.

Baptism by champagne

Carol and Law, the Libel’s ground crew, met us to disassemble the balloon. It was quite involved and detailed to pack the balloon perfectly without getting it tangled.

After the fl ight Law, Steve and Carol celebrated with champagne where I kneeled in front of the pilot, he said a beautiful prayer blessing for a safe landing and poured champagne over my head. It’s tradition once a passenger completes a fl ight.

I can mark this adventure off my bucket list. What’s next maybe jump out of a plane? I think not!