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August 14, 2014 VOLU M E 27 | I S S UE 39
HighlandsRanchHerald.net A publication of
D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Town hall for C-470 on horizon Highlands Ranch Metro District to host meeting By Christy Steadman
Highlanders’ Ranch Attendees have opportunities to learn Scottish history at festival By Christy Steadman
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com A lot of people don’t know the history of Scotland, said Aidan Riehm, 14, but attendees of the 51st annual Colorado Scottish Festival had plenty of opportunities to learn about it. Riehm and the rest of the Wolves, a subgroup of the Renaissance Scots, portrayed Scotland in the 1740s, which was before the Battle of Culloden, he said. “We portray Scotland, so we don’t like to show how we were beat,” Riehm said. At the festival, Aug. 9 and 10 at Highland Heritage Regional Park in Highlands Ranch, the Wolves were challenging peo-
The Renaissance Scots perform at the 51st annual Colorado Scottish Festival, which took place Aug. 9 and 10 at Highland Heritage Regional Park. Photos by Christy Steadman
ple to sword fight in a style of fighting called Butcher of Cumberland, one that came out of the Battle of Culloden. Although the swords that participants and the Wolves used at the festival were wooden, Riehm said he has gone through about four to five years of training to use an actual sword that would have been used in that time period. Members of the Association of Living History were representing five different wartime periods, from the War of 1812 through the Vietnam War. There were many Scottish units in the British army, said John Steinle, who was representing the Maryland Militia from the War of 1812. “The Germans called them `the ladies from Hell,’ ” Steinle said, “because they wore kilts.”
ABOVE: A man competes in the caber toss at the Rocky Mountain Highland Games during the 51st annual Colorado Scottish Festival. The Highland Games are a popular attraction each year. LEFT: The Association of Living History gives an artillery demonstration during the festival.
LEFT: The Morris Dancers perform a unique style of dance during the Colorado Scottish Festival, which took place Aug. 9 and 10 at Highland Heritage Regional Park in Highlands
Ranch. RIGHT: AidanNewspapers_6x1.75_Layout Riehm, 14, left, gives Cassie Wertz,1 7,7/21/14 a lesson in11:26 swordAM fighting during DRW_Community Page 1 the festival.
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com Commuters and residents alike are invited to attend a town hall meeting Aug. 19 in Highlands Ranch to learn more about the project to expand C-470. Attendees will “learn about the new innovative era of transportation and share thoughts on funding the proposed improvements on C-470 from I-25 to Wadsworth,” states a news release from the Colorado Department of Transportation. The meeting is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Highlands Ranch Metro District building, 62 Plaza Drive. “We have preliminary information, and we’re coming to the community to gather their input,” said Megan Castle, a spokeswoman with CDOT. There is an education piece to the meeting, Castle said, but the main focus is to get feedback from the public. She said it has to be determined which avenues need to be taken in order for the project to continue to move forward. The intention of the project is to relieve congestion and improve safety and mobility on C-470 by constructing additional lanes. Three funding options were proposed, one being sales and property tax increases, and one was adding a toll for all use of C-470. Public input proved these two options to be unfavorable to the citizens, and on Feb. 7, 2013, the C-470 Coalition voted to place a toll on only the new express lanes of the highway. The user-based toll option passed 7-0 among the coalition. However, the express lane toll is not to generate revenue, but more about managing traffic flow. Key presenters at the town hall meeting include representatives from CDOT, the C-470 project team and the C-470 Coalition, which is made up of representatives from Douglas, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties; the Highlands Ranch Metro District; and the cities of Centennial, Greenwood Village, Littleton and Lone Tree. The first hour will consist of a discussion on financing and partnership opportunities for the proposed improvements to the busy stretch of highway. That discussion will be followed by a presentation including an “update on the C-470 project, innovations in transportation choice, funding and project delivery, how public private partnerships (P3) are being used to finance transportation projects elsewhere in the state and whether a P3 model for financing improvements to C-470 East is being considered,” the news release states. “This is a critical corridor, we’re looking at all the considerations,” Castle said. “We’re encouraging folks to give us input.”
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