May 8, 2014 Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 90, Issue 38 A publication of
lakewoodsentinel.com
Traffic cameras not going away Measure hits brick wall upon reaching House By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com After a bill cruised through the Senate, the House last week put the brakes on the measure, which sought to ban red-light cameras and photo radar systems in Colorado. The legislation officially met its demise during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on April 30, but the bill’s sponsor, House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, DDenver, had pretty much accepted its defeat before it Report even got there. Senate Bill 14 would have prohibited local governments from using photo-radar technology to capture drivers who speed or run red lights. It was gutted by the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, which passed a stripped-down version of the bill on April 28. The gutted version only would have allowed for a state study of the technology’s public-safety effectiveness, something that Ferrandino didn’t think was necessary. “I think we have enough studies to show that it’s not effective,” Ferrandino told the Appropriations Committee. Ferrandino and other bill supporters argued that photo-radar technology is a cash cow used by local governments to rack up revenue, courtesy of lead-foot drivers. The House speaker also said the technology does little to prevent accidents. “They give a sense of public safety, but don’t actually increase public safety,” Ferrandino said. But several law-enforcement representatives testified otherwise during the committee process. Supporters of the technology asserted that the devices serve as a blessing for understaffed police agencies and that the presence of the cameras curbs bad habits on the part of drivers. “If you just look at the money side and ignore the public-safety side, to me the public-safety side triumphs,” said Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver. The bill’s gutted version called for an effectiveness study that would have been undertaken by the Colorado Department of Transportation. But House Appropriations Committee member Max Tyler, DLakewood, wasn’t willing to fund the legislation at the possible expense of other CDOT projects. “I’m wondering what bridge is not going to be built, what road is not going to be protected,” Tyler said. “Where are they going to get the money for this, Mr. Speaker?” The bill’s last chance for survival would have allowed it to go to a vote in the full House, where it could have been amended to its original form. But the committee rejected that motion. Ferrandino knew there wasn’t much
Capitol
Nettie Moore Playground is the east end of the area covered by the 20 Minute Neighborhood Project. Photos by Clarke Reader
Twenty minutes to everything Plans move forward on Sheridan station plan By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com Sheridan Boulevard is the de facto boundary between Lakewood and Denver, but the two cities are working together to increase access to necessities for residents near the Sheridan W Rail station. The 20-Minute Neighborhood is a program funded by the Denver Regional Council of Governments that focuses on enhancing the neighborhood around Twenty continues on Page 11
The Two Creeks Neighborhood Organization is one of the oldest in Lakewood, and has been leading the way on the development of the 20 Minute Neighborhood project.
Breakfast honors those who serve others By Amy Woodward
awoodward@colorado communitymedia.com It was an early start to a positive morning at the 24th annual Good News Breakfast at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, April 29. This year’s theme, “Service Projects Strengthen Our Community,” awarded local volunteers, clubs and organizations that have created impressive services which have made an impact within the communities they serve. “When you’re working in service, you’re working alongside some truly amazing people,” said Teo Nicolais, keynote speaker and president-elect of the Kiwanis Club of Alameda West; a global organization separated into local entities which perform various community service projects. “Through service we
strengthen others, our personal communities and of course we also strengthen ourselves,” Nicolais said. A total of 12 service projects scattered throughout Jeffco received awards including Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth’s Santa House which provides holiday gifts for students from 16 Arvada and Wheat Ridge elementary schools; The Neighborhood Rehab Project a volunteered based home improvement program which helps residents in Golden with everyday home repair and garden work; The Senior Resource Center’s Holiday Food Baskets which have become a tradition with seniors creating 130 decorated boxes filled with food and gifts. These boxes are delivered to the elderly and persons with disabilities during ThanksgivHonors continues on Page 12
Cameras continues on Page 11
An emotional former superintendent Cindy Stevenson, who recently left Jefferson County Public Schools after 41 years, listens to students from the Lakewood High School choir who showered her with flowers and songs of appreciation and goodbyes during the 24th annual Good News Breakfast on Tuesday, April 29. Photo by Amy Woodward
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