Sentinel Lakewood
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 89, Issue 43
June 6, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlakewoodnews.com
Dog health fair a walk in park Taggin’ Waggin’ event offers vaccinations, licenses By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com Both dogs and their owners were able to socialize in the park on a beautiful summer day at the 5th annual Taggin’ Waggin’ Pet Fair on Saturday, June 1. The event was held at O’Kane Park, and offered dog owners a chance to get vaccinations and licenses for their pets, check out booths by local pet businesses and organizations, and get to know other owners.
Beck Leider works with Ralf on obeying commands. Photos by Clarke Reader
“This is really a great turnout for this event,” said Ward 2 councilman Scott Koop, who was on hand as part of the O’Kane Park Neighborhood Association. “Every year we hold this event, it gets bigger.” According to Bonnie Martin, animal control officer with the Lakewood Police, Taggin’ Waggin’ started as a way for residents to get their dogs vaccinated and licensed in one place, and has grown from there. Now the Lakewood Police K-9 Team does demonstrations and businesses like K-9 Castle, Chuck and Don’s Pet Food and Leashes by Liz all take part in the event. Veterinarians from SpayToday are also on hand to give people information about spaying and neutering their animals. “It was really important to us that we keep the prices for vaccinating and licensing reasonable,” Martin said. “This way people can keep their dogs healthy and stay under budget.” For dogs to be licensed in Jefferson County they must have their rabies shots, but at the event they could also get several other vaccinations and get microchiped, if the owners wanted to. According to Marina Wilson, office administrator with SpayToday, usually several hundred animals get vaccinated throughout the day. “We get people who show up every year to get their animals vaccinated and renew their licenses, and we get new people every time too,” she said. “We try to do events like this in places where people need the service.” As a city, Martin said Lakewood does pretty well when it comes to license compliance, but there’s always room for improvement. She also added that not only are the vaccinations the law, but they keep the dogs healthy. Resident Cindy Mangialomini brought
A volunteer with SpayToday talks with a resident about which vaccinations to get for his dog. Clarke Reader her pitbull puppy Malachi to get the dog its rabies shot and get it registered.
School budget health on upswing Board president takes conservative stance looking forward By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Jeffco students will spend more time in the classroom next year, and teachers’ salaries will be restored to 2010 levels under a new school district budget approved May 30. With a 4-1 vote, the Jefferson County Board of Education passed the 2013-2014 budget, which benefited from last year’s voter-approved mill levy override, and an increase in state revenues that will translate to greater district funding. The district’s shift in fortune is notable, considering that it wasn’t that long ago that it had planned on 2013-2014 expenditure reductions totaling $45 million — coupled with the loss of 600 jobs. But the new budget still falls short of fullfunding status. “We’re not entirely out of the woods,” said Board President Lesley Dahlkemper “We’re behaving cautiously and conservatively as we move forward.” Dahlkemper, Jill Fellman, Robin Johnson and Paula Noonan voted in favor. The lone no vote came from Laura Boggs, who expressed concern afterward that the district would end up having to make more spending reductions down the road. Boggs unsuccessfully tried to amend the budget to allow for the hiring of more teach-
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‘We’re behaving cautiously and conservatively as we move forward.’ Board President Lesley Dahlkemper er-librarians, the elimination of bus fees, and fees associated with advanced placement classes. And, Noonan sought to reduce student outdoor lab fees as “one small way to help (parents) out and their children out.” However, the majority of the board’s members rejected those efforts. Miller said that it “would be wonderful” for the district to be able do everything it wants, but that “this is not the ideal world right now.” “If somebody can find a way to fund that, I’d love it,” she said. Highlights of the new budget – which will operate from July 1 through June of next year – include fewer early release days for students, from nine last year to five for the coming school year. This means that students will receive about six to eight hours of more classroom time, compared to last year. School employees also benefit from the new budget. Teachers will work four additional days next school year. And, after having experienced a three percent pay cut over the last few years, all Jeffco employees will see their pay restored to 2010 levels. Also, employee furlough days will be eliminated from next year’s budget. Jeffco will receive more money from the state than it has in recent budget cycles. Thanks to improved revenues, the state, under the current School Finance Act, has legislated an overall increase in revenues to all schools for the first time since the 20092010 school year, according to budget documents.
With that funding, the district will see its per-pupil funding reach $6,540, an increase over recent budgets. The total planned funding amount that the district has budgeted for the coming fiscal year is still about $48 million short of what was budgeted in the 2009-2010, according to budget information. The new budget includes funds collected from the $39 million mill levy override that voters approved last year. But that money will not equate to the creation of new programs or restoration of old cuts. Most of the funds from the override will go toward filling a $45 million budget gap that would have existed, had taxpayers not stepped in last year. The district, which is made up of about 86,000 students and makes up 10 percent of the state’s school funding, has lost more than $78 million from its general funding operating expenditure budget over the last four years. Superintendent Cindy Stevenson said before the meeting that the district still has funding problems, but that she is pleased with many aspects of the budget. “We’re holding steady,” she said. The budget does not take into account assumed bumps in revenue from Senate Bill 213, the Future School Finance Act. The bill, which overhauls the state’s school funding system, was recently signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper. However, voters must approve the tax increases associated with the bill before it takes effect.
“This is a great event for the community and for the dogs,” she said.
Storm chasers lost in Oklahoma By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com Famous storm chasers Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and Carl Young all died doing what they loved. The Samaras lived in Bennett, Colo., and Young lived in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The trio were killed by a tornado that struck El Reno, Okla., on May 31. The three men were among 13 whose deaths were attributed to the storms that devastated parts of Oklahoma. Tim Samaras, 55, Paul Samarus, 24 and Young, 45, were chasing a severe, multivortex tornado that was headed toward Oklahoma City when it sharply changed direction. Tim was the founder of the tornado research project Twistex, based in Lakewood. “This is a devastating loss to the meteorological, research, and storm chasing communities,” said Tony Laubach of Twistex in a statement on June 1. “I ask that you keep the families in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. There is some comfort in knowing these men passed on doing what they loved.” Tim was a pioneer in research on measuring the environment inside a tornado. Both Tim and Paul were subjects of the Discovery Channel series “Storm Chasers” and frequent contributors to The Weather Channel. The Weather Channel released a statement about their loss on June 2. In it The Weather Channel stated, “Many of us were fortunate to have worked with them and have great admiration for their work. They went in the field focused on collecting data to enable meteorologists to further the science.”