Highlands Ranch Herald 0513

Page 1

May 13, 2021

FREE

DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

HighlandsRanchHerald.net

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 23

VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 23

County to consider buying parks Public comment will be accepted at upcoming advisory board meeting BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Accepting a special invitation to attend the art dedication, former Columbine High School Principal Frank DeAngelis speaks PHOTOS BY THELMA GRIMES about mental health and community strength.

Art dedication focuses on healing, mental health Local student works two years to give back to community that helped after STEM shooting BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Sometimes in the darkest of times, it is important to find light, seek out the positive and come together as a community. Two years after the shooting at STEM Schools Highlands Ranch, one student did just that in her path to earn the Girl Scouts Gold designation. Now a senior, Grace Bielefeldt

was a sophomore when the shooting occurred on May 7, 2019. Bielefeldt said she can remember being shuffled from the school to the Northridge Recreation Center. To date, she still struggles to go into some of the rec center rooms, especially the tennis courts. On May 4, in a special art dedication, Bielefeldt returned to the recreation center, only this time she was capping off a two-year effort to bring light and positivity while emphasizing the need for more mental health awareness. The project was also aimed at recognizing the importance of a community coming together in the face of tragedy. The four panels of art focus on the positivity, light, and SEE DEDICATION, P18

A #STEMStrong cookie.

PUTTING PEN TO PLACES

Comic artist sketches local haunts P14

Douglas County Parks Advisory Board will be taking public comment before deciding whether to recommend using county funds to purchase Toepfer and Sweetwater parks on May 18. County commissioners directed staff to study both properties after residents expressed concerned with the Douglas County School District’s plan to sell the land. Earlier this year, the school district decided the two parks were excess land, opting to sell them instead of building schools as originally planned. Sweetwater Park is located on Sweet Water Road in Lone Tree. Toepfer Park is located on Venneford Ranch Road in Highlands Ranch. Both parks were donated to the Douglas County School District from developers for future school sites over the last three decades. In Douglas County, when land is donated, the deed to the property is held by the county until the school district decides what to do with the land. Legally, the county cannot SEE PARKS, P8

PREP SPORTS ON THE FIELD

Check out our roundup of high school sports action

P23


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