March 13, 2014 Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 90, Issue 30 A publication of
lakewoodsentinel.com
West Metro asks for 3 mill levy By Clarke Reader
creader@coloradocommunitymedia. com
One of the highlights of the newest Then and Now exhibit at the Lakewood Heritage Center is Brett Martin’s collection of Nintendo memorabilia. Photos by Clarke Reader
Moments ColleCting
Heritage Center spotlights collectors
By Clarke Reader
creader@coloradocommunitymedia. com
Collecting this of value is one of the most personal things a person can do. The Lakewood Heritage Center will be showing off what some Lakewood and Jefferson County residents have spent lifetimes collecting at “Collectors: Then and Now.” The exhibit will be on display at the center, 801 S. Yarrow St., through Aug. 30. The show is free and the gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. “We wanted to make sure local folks were as engaged as possible,” Caitlin Lewis, museum curator said. “We wanted to collectors who were going to be a present presence.” Featured collectors include John Manion, model trains; Brett Martin, Nintendo memorabilia; Joyce Hofer, postcards; Liane Rockley, antique flutes; Lyle Miller, midcentury radios, postcards and photographs from Colfax Avenue; German Murillo, collectible historic photographs and photographs he has taken using the historic wet plate method; Joan Howard, vinyl records; and the Lakewood Historical Society and Jeffco libraries, which oral histories recorded by the society. “We had them fill out questions about why they started collecting, and we had them pick up to 20 of their favorite pieces to go on display,” Lewis said. “That way while
John Manion has been collecting model trains for decades, and some of his collection are on display at the Lakewood Heritage Center. I curated the exhibit, they really each sort of curated their own exhibits.” Manion has been collecting trains for most of his life, and go started with his father in the 1940s. He has been involved with the Colorado Railroad Museum and is the exhibit coordintaor of the Rio Grande Modeling and Historical Society. “The models on display at the Heritage Center are mostly from the last 25 years,” he said. “I’ve been really impressed with the Heritage Center and the great job they’ve been doing with interpretation.” Through his collecting Manion has been able to trace the changes that the indus-
try and trains have gone through over the years. “With the statements we gathered from all the collectors, we really wanted to capture their voice,” Lewis said. “We wanted there to be a diversity in items collected and the reasons.” Lewis said she hopes the show will not only inspire people to look at their own collections, but think about collecting in a different way. “The show is really accessible — it’s something everyone can connect to,” she said. Fore more information, call 303-9877850 or visit www.lakewood.org/exhibits.
Arrests made in Phippen murder Suspects advised of charges By Clarke Reader
creader@coloradocommunitymedia. com Charges have been filed against James Dominguez-Castor, 22, and Stephvon Atencio, 20, in the death of Robert Phippen, 79. First Judicial District Attorney Pete Weir announced the charges on March 7. According to information provided by Weir’s office, on March 1 Lakewood Police
were called to 1550 Depew by neighbors when Phippen failed to answer knocks at his door. After looking inside windows, the neighbors told police that his home looked as if it had been ransacked. Phippen was found dead inside his trailer home. His Dodge van was also missing. Investigators found the van later that day. Dominguez-Castor has been charged with 22 counts, including First Degree Murder, Aggravated Robbery, Robbery of an AtRisk Adult, Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft and two counts of Habitual Criminal. Dominguez-Castor had two warrants
outstanding when he was arrested on March 1. One warrant was for a probation violation in Jefferson County in a case where he pleaded guilty to stealing and then using a credit card belonging to the same victim, Phippen. Atencio has been charged with 15 counts, including first degree murder, aggravated robbery, robbery of an at-risk adult and aggravated motor vehicle theft. Dominguez-Castor and Atencio will be back in court on March 14 in Division 1. They are being held without bond at the Jefferson County Detention Center.
The West Metro Fire Protection District will ask voters to approve a property-tax increase of 3 mills for the first time in eight years. The issue will be on ballots in a specialdistrict mail-in ballot on May 6, which will be available to all registered voters and property owners within the fire district eligible to vote in the state. “We’re asking voters for this so we can maintain the high level of service we offer,” Fire Chief Don Lombardi said. “We have made significant cuts since 2009, reducing expenditures by 13.8 percent.” According to information provided by the district, if approved, “the measure would raise taxes around $2 per month for every $100,000 of actual property value and generate approximately $8.6 million annually for the fire department — restoring property tax funding to levels before Jefferson and Douglas Counties’ assessed values fell and allowing the District to chart a financially secure course for future services to the constituents.” Lombardi said that a driving force behind the measure is the fact that property taxes, which is the district’s main source of income, has been declining and not rebounding the way the district hoped. Since 2009, property tax has declined by 4.81 percent, and the district responded by creating new plans for keeping costs down. “Firefighters have taken a 3 percent pay cut, and all civilian support staff salaries have been frozen for the past four years,” he said. “We planned to see some rebound in the property values, and we just haven’t seen it.” To keep offer the service residents have come to expect, the district has dipped into its general funds reserve to the tune of $4.5 million since 2008. According to information from the district, the mill levy “would allow the District to establish the general fund balance to previous levels to restore financial sustainability within the general fund. Additionally, a 3 mill increase will allow the District to reestablish appropriate funding to budgets, establish a current pay schedule for both firefighters and civilian support staff, begin to fund selected longterm capital needs, and establish resiliency for long-term future economic change.” Lombardi said the district has proved it is a good steward of the public’s funds, citing its April 2013 refinancing of $22,970,000 of District General Obligation debt, as well as bringing the interest cost down from 5.17 percent to 2.33 percent. The lower rates means taxpayers will pay significantly less on the debt. Firefighters are also trained as paramedics, which means the district doesn’t have to spend money by calling two separate units to an emergency. “The national accreditation we’ve received as a district shows that we are providing top service to residents,” Lombardi said. “We understand that the economy is tough for everyone, but the mill will helps us get back to where we need. If we didn’t need this, we wouldn’t ask for it.” Firefighters will be out in the community explaining the levy, and giving a balanced view on the issue in the coming months, Lombardi said. “It’s really going to come down to services and the level our residents expect,” he said. “We need to get back to a stable base to provide services.”
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