Herald HRH 10-24-2013
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 49
October 24, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
Proposed increase sparking concern Budget would raise assessments 6.3 percent By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
Charlotte Hay, 3, gets hands-on music lessons from Kindermusik instructor Lisa Fultz on Oct. 16 at the Recreation Center at Eastridge in Highlands Ranch. Fultz has been teaching Kindermusik courses for eight years, but this is the first year she has taught in Highlands Ranch. Photo by Ryan Boldrey
Program socializes, stimulates kids Kindermusik works wonders for local preschoolers By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com Kindermusik has been around for 30 years and is taught in 70-plus countries, but for the first time is being offered by the Highlands Ranch Community Association. Geared for preschool children, the program helps to stimulate brain growth, build motor skills, and enhance social and emotional development through music. “Music is so powerful, and I don’t think people really appreciate that until they have been through a class like this (with their kids) and see it for themselves,” said Lisa Fultz, a Highlands Ranch resident who has been teaching Kindermusik in the Denver metro area for the past eight years.
Fultz teaches age-appropriate classes for four different age groups, from babies to pre-kindergarten. Classes at the Recreation Center at Eastridge meet once a week for 45 minutes and are filled with children’s sing-alongs, dancing, rhyming, stories and hands-on instrument play. Each class begins with a hello song and ends with a good-bye song, which really helps with both emotional growth and socialization, she said. At the “Laugh and Learn” course this past week, a half-dozen 3- and 4-yearolds sang songs about animals, emulated animal noises, rang bells, danced and leaped like frogs. Among those young students were cousins Harper Hofmeir, of Highlands Ranch, and Charlotte Hay, of Castle Pines North. “We were looking for an interactive music class for the two girls, something they could do together, and this seemed like a good fit for them,” said Harper’s mother, Lindsay Hofmeir. “There is an online program that goes with it too, so
we can also do some learning at home and we are going to take advantage of that.” It was just the second week of the four-week course, but Hofmeir said, “so far so good,” and added that the two women were already looking into what class their girls could next take together at one of the rec centers. For Fultz, who has a degree in vocal performance, teaching Kindermusik has been the perfect fit. “I found it late that I really love to teach, and I was teaching for the public schools on my substitute license and the No Child Left Behind act left me behind,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve really found a passion in it. I absolutely love it.” In addition to the “Laugh and Learn” course, the other age-appropriate sessions include “Cuddle and Bounce,” “Sing and Play” and “Giggle and Grow.” For more information, please visit www.kindermusik.com or www.hrcaonline.org.
Craft brewery’s opening on tap A first for Highlands Ranch, Grist welcomes public Nov. 2 By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com The first brews have been sampled and the grand opening is right around the corner for Highlands Ranch’s very first craft brewery. Grist Brewing Co., located across Town Center Drive from Shea Stadium at 9150 Commerce Center Circle, will open its doors to the public at noon, Nov. 2. “We’ve had a lot of walk-ins, people curious about whether we are open already,” said brewer/operator Rob Kevwitch. “It seems like there is a pretty good buzz out there. I will be happy when I don’t have to turn people away anymore.” The brewery, which will be open seven days a week, will have six beers on tap for the opening. They include the Staple India Pale Ale, Transition State Kolsch, Touch Line Brown, Niobrara Stout, Third Ring
Grist Brewing Co. operator/brewer Rob Kevwitch, left, and brewer Dustin Dahl toast a fresh batch of the brewery’s Staple IPA as they prepare for the Nov. 2 grand opening. Photo by Ryan Boldrey Belgian Strong Ale and Window Tour Hefeweizen. There will be four-ounce taster sizes available for purchase for all six selections, 10-ounce snifters of the Belgian Strong, pints of the rest, and 64-ounce growlers of all. “We are hitting all the notes with the
opening,” said brewer Dustin Dahl. “We have everything from light to dark to strong, so there is a little something for everybody. We’ll be keeping it true to style with each of the brews but with our own little twist.” The brewery is all about local, said Brewery continues on Page 15
The Highlands Ranch Community Association finance committee earlier this month approved what would be the largest assessment increase since 2003 if it gets approved this November by the HRCA’s delegate body and board of directors. And while the organization’s directors each support the budget — one that would increase assessments 6.3 percent, raising the bill for residents $32, or $2.67 per month, to $540 annually — not all of the delegates agree with the call. The board met with delegates Oct. 15 in a heated meeting that saw a few delegates arguing that the increase was not justified. More than a couple used the argument that the economy was in bad shape and that residents could not afford the increase at this time, despite recent reports that have shown Douglas County’s unemployment rates have dropped to 5.6 percent and home values are skyrocketing. Fifty percent of residents don’t even use the facilities, so those that who don’t are subsidizing for the rest of the community that does, argued District 89 representative Suresh Damle. District 84 delegate Scott Poulson argued that the increase was nearly four times higher than the hike in the Consumer Price Index for last year. “So we should not give any consideration to prior years where we had no increase where there was a CPI increase,” asked HRCA controller Harry Daughters of Poulson. “We could do that but we are going to shortchange the future again. Right now our surplus would cover one month of operations. ... We could kick this can down the road again, but that is irresponsible for a community association to do that.” Finance committee chairman and HRCA director Jeff Suntken pointed out that if the association aligned its annual budget with the yearly CPI, assessments would be a lot higher than what they currently are or are proposed to be. “Over the long term, we’ve done better than that historically,” Suntken said, adding that for the last three years assessments were held in check despite CPI increases. Because the association is proposing an increase that exceeds the previous year’s CPI, however, it requires a two-thirds vote of the delegates, which could be another issue at getting the budget passed. In order to gain that vote there would need to be close to 21,000 lots represented in a yea vote in November, and only 17,000 lots were Budget continues on Page 15
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