Highlands ranch herald 1205

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Herald HRH 12-5-2013

Highlands Ranch

Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 27, Issue 3

December 5, 2013

A Colorado Community Media Publication

ourhighlandsranchnews.com

Water-rate increase in works Proposed hike would take effect next year By Ryan Boldrey

rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com For the third straight year, Centennial Water and Sanitation District customers should expect to see a rate increase on their monthly bills. Following spikes of 2 percent in 2012 and 3.8 percent in 2013, Highlands Ranch residents are expected to see rates go up 6.8 percent this coming year. This year’s proposed increase is due to the district’s involvement with both the Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency Partnership (WISE) and Chatfield Reallocation Project, said Bruce Lesback, CWSD director of finance and administration. “We held off as long as we could before increasing rates to this level for our customers, but it appears both projects are now going forward,” Lesback said. For CWSD, the two projects are a major step toward cementing a long-term

water supply and not relying as much on groundwater or leased water. “We’ve got many years of full supply, but some of that full supply comes from leases that are not long-term,” CWSD General Manager John Hendrick told Colorado Community Media earlier this year. “We want to add to our portfolio with long-term or near-permanent surface water sources. “We’ve got ample groundwater for droughts, but in wet years we’ll now be able to take in more than we need to and top off our reservoirs with surface water.” Despite the rate increases, CWSD bills are expected to remain much lower than some of Highlands Ranch’s neighboring districts and, according to the district, the estimated bill for an average family in 2014 is expected to be around $750. For comparison’s sake, the average family living within the boundaries of Parker Water and Sanitation District, the Town of Castle Rock and Castle Pines North Metro District are all spending $1,200 or slightly more for water in 2013, while those who live in Stonegate Water and Sanitation District are spending just shy of $900.

This graphic illustrates the average estimated annual bill for Centennial Water and Sanitation District consumers in 2014 after the proposed rate increase, compared to what residents in neighboring communities paid in 2013. Graphic courtesy of Centennial Water and Sanitation District Castle Pines North is anticipated to raise its rates a small amount in 2014 and Parker has already approved a 2.56 percent increase for 2014.

A public hearing was held Nov. 25 on the proposed CWSD budget. The board of directors will vote to adopt the 2014 budget at its Dec. 16 meeting.

Ex-teacher sentenced in sex case Richard Johnson gets 20 years in prison By Ryan Boldrey

rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com

A MILE-HIGH FIVE

Valor Christian teammates hold the trophy as quarterback A.J. Cecil kisses it after the Eagles defeated Fairview 56-16 in the Nov. 30 Class 5A state championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The victory earned the school its fifth straight state football title. Find more coverage on Page 20. Photo by Tom Munds

Six finalists make cut for fire chief post Mullin leaving job at end of December By Jennifer Smith

jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com After a national search, Littleton City Manager Michael Penny has announced the names of six finalists for the Littleton Fire Rescue chief position. LFR serves Highlands Ranch. Division Chief Wayne Zygowicz is the only LFR employee to make the cut. The others are Christopher Armstrong, former division chief in Miramar, Fla.; Joseph Bruce, chief of North Metro Fire Rescue in Arvada; Gary Curmode, chief of the Sedgwick County Fire District 1 in Park City, Kan.; Jack McArthur, chief in Yuma, Ariz.;

Thomas Solberg, director of fire service training at Montana State University. John Mullin, chief since 2004, announced Aug. 23 that he would end his 40-year career effective Dec. 31. “How exciting for the new chief to be coming to an organization that is hungry to grow and hungry to go forward,” he told the Highlands Ranch Metro District board of directors Nov. 26. “Thank you for the support you have given me and the friendships I’ve made. It’s been a good run. It’s been fun being a part of this, this is a good place to live and work.” He announced his retirement on Aug. 23, four months after the firefighters’ association formally declared their lack of confidence in his leadership. “Once a proud and well-regarded emergency services provider, we have watched with dismay and disappoint-

ment as Littleton has been passed up by other metro fire departments,” the association wrote in an April 16 letter to Penny. “It pains us to see how far we have fallen under the leadership of John Mullin.” Mullin called the vote a distraction. “I turn 65 this October and will achieve 40 years in the fire service on April 1,” he said in a statement Aug. 24. “I leave a wonderful, adventure-filled career on my terms.” At the time, Joel Heinemann, president of the Littleton Firefighters Association, said the department was looking forward to a new start. “We wish him well in the next chapter of his life,” he said. “We’re excited about moving forward with the future of the Littleton fire department with new leadership.” Chief continues on Page 9

Former Rocky Heights Middle School teacher Richard Johnson was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years in the state’s Sex Offender Intensive Supervised Probation program for sexually exploiting an eighth-grade student in 2011. The 32-year-old Centennial man was arrested in November 2012 and charged with 30 felony counts, including 10 each of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and patterned sexual assault on a child by a per- Johnson son in a position of trust, as well as five each of sexual exploitation of a child and enticement of a child. After initially pleading not guilty, Johnson reached a deal with prosecutors and changed his plea this September, agreeing to two Class 3 felony counts of sexually exploiting a child and avoiding a trial in the process. “This is the ultimate example of betrayal,” said 18th Judicial District Court Judge Richard Caschette at the Nov. 27 sentencing in Castle Rock. “The community expects and deserves more of its teachers and people in a position of trust than was shown here and finds crimes of this nature against children the most repugnant of crimes.” The victim, who said she was 13 when Johnson “began grooming” her, addressed Johnson continues on Page 7

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