July 14, 2016
GROWING GAME
VOLUM E 127 | IS S U E 51 | 75¢
Cricket is more than a sport for those who play to stay connected with their homelands. PAGE 12 A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
LittletonIndependent.net
No interim city manager yet in Littleton Council divided over appointing current public works director By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com Littleton City Council held off on appointing Public Works Director Mark Relph as the interim city manager at the July 5 meeting, the first regular meeting since Michael Penny was fired as city manager on June 14. City staff will draft an employment
contract for Relph — the only candidate to emerge so far for the interim post — at the next regular council meeting July 19. Councilmembers Phil Cernanec and Debbie Brinkman wanted further discussion and interviews Relph with any candidates before an interim is appointed and were the only members to vote against the motion, made by Mayor Bruce Beckman.
Cernanec said appointing Relph as interim city manager could also pose problems as the city faces ongoing litigation over The Grove, a controversial mixed-use development that was approved administratively by city staff. “My understanding is the public works director also was involved in some discretionary decisions on that front,” Cernanec said. Cernanec also said he is concerned with the idea because Relph would be working on a budget while his department has its own large budget items.
“He may be the best-qualified person, but I think we ought to at least be in the position to consider others,” he said. But Relph, who has been at the city for about 14 months after holding similar positions in Grand Junction and Shoreline, Washington, is the only city department head interested in filling the role, Deputy City Manager Mike Braaten said. Braaten, who has been the acting city manager since Penny’s firing, doesn’t want the position either, saying he is best Interim continues on Page 5
Council moves urban renewal vote to the fall Possible end to LIFT set for September discussion By Kyle Harding kharding@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Duston Evans, left, and Nick Hutch hope to be selling whiskey, rum and vodka out of their downtown Littleton distillery by next month. Photos by Kyle Harding
Warehouse now city’s first distillery
A vote to disband Littleton’s urban renewal authority has been postponed again, this time until October. In March, a motion to direct staff to draft an ordinance to dismantle Littleton Invests for Tomorrow and repeal the city’s four urban renewal plan areas passed 5-2, with Councilmembers Debbie Brinkman and Bill Hopping opposing it. However, LIFT avoided the chopping block when the ordinance came back to the council in April, as a motion by Brinkman to table the matter and have a study session passed. Now that two study sessions with the LIFT and planning boards have taken place, the motion came back for a first reading at the July 5 meeting, but was pulled from the consent calendar by Councilmember Phil Cernanec. Mayor Bruce Beckman now believes the ordinance should be split into two parts: Vote continues on Page 5
Business awaiting permit before going into production By Kyle Harding kharding@colorado communitymedia.com
Rocker Spirits co-owner Duston Evans hopes that unique designs — inspired by his love of vintage cars and trucks — will help Rocker stand out. The bottle design, along with the distillery’s name, come from an antique “rocker” oil can and the labels mimic old car gauges.
Tucked away on a side street in downtown Littleton, Rocker Spirits is aiming to sell Coloradans alcoholic beverages that aren’t beer. “I’ve always been a whiskey drinker,” said co-owner Duston Evans. “I’ve never been a beer drinker.” Evans has owned the 4,500-square-foot warehouseturned-distillery on South Hill Street since 1997, using it for his
construction businesses and to house his old cars and trucks. He and his lawyer, Pat Johnson, had long talked of starting a small distillery, and Johnson also knew Nick Hutch, who had been working at another distillery since 2012. Hutch became a partner in the business and the head distiller. Rocker is currently waiting on final permitting from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and hopes to be in production next month. Spirits continues on Page 5
ALL IN THE FAMILY Littleton man’s passion for drag racing matched by his loved ones. PAGE 20
LITTLETON INDEPENDENT (ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 315-780) OFFICE: 2550 S. Main St., Littleton, CO 80120 | PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Littleton, Colorado, the Littleton Independent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 2550 S. Main St., Littleton, CO 80120. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT LITTLETON, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 5 p.m. | Classifieds: Tue. 8 a.m. | Obits: Tue. 11 a.m. | Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m.