1-Color
April 17, 2014
75 cents Arapahoe County, Colorado | Volume 125, Issue 38 A publication of
littletonindependent.net
Senior center proposed at Oakbrook Neighbors are not a fan of the plan By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
There are plans to replace Oakbrook Shopping Center with a senior-living facility. Photo by Jennifer Smith
A plan to build a 118-unit assisted-living center in the Oakbrook Shopping Center, just northeast of County Line Road and Broadway, has neighbors to its north crying foul. “I think all of us feel like we’re treated like the redheaded stepchild of Littleton,” said Steve Bunnell, president of the Oakbrook Homeowners Association, during a meeting hosted on April 9 by the project’s planners. George Swintz, vice president at Corporate Office Properties Trust, explained that
if the city approves the plan, the four-story building will rise adjacent to the Motor Vehicles office on the east side of the site, just north of 3 Margaritas restaurant. “It’s going to look like a behemoth standing at the end of the building,” said Bunnell. He and others fear the building will block their views of the Rocky Mountains, as has Littleton Adventist Hospital. Because the center will share the existing parking lot with the stores, they worry overflow will spill into the neighborhood streets. And despite the fact that Bunnell explained it’s typical that only a handful of residents will have cars, they say the center will contribute to already congested traffic in the area. One person suggested that should the seniors venture out on their own to visit Center continues on Page 24
Defendant sentenced in slaying Plea deal keeps him out of adult prison By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com Chase Spridgen, the last of three defendants to be charged in the October 2012 murder of Da Von Flores, raised the ire of Arapahoe County District Court Judge Elizabeth A. Weishaupl, but for now has evaded an 18-year sentence. On April 7, Weishaupl sentenced Spridgen to six years in the county’s Youthful Offender System, a medium-security prison for 14- to 19-year-old defendants who have been tried as adults. If he cannot succeed in the program, he’ll go to prison for the remainder of the 18 years. Spridgen was 17 on the night he and Dion Rankin, then 20, were at a 14-yearold’s birthday party in a home on Fox Street near Progress Park in Littleton. They ended up fighting with Flores and others. Spridgen and Rankin left, but returned with guns. Rankin shot Flores, 18, dead in the street; Robert Placa, then 18, shot Spridgen. Spridgen nearly died, spending the next 35 days in the hospital before being arrested at home. At the time, neighborhood kids said those involved were gang members with a “previous beef.” Weishaupl called them “wannabe thugs.” “I really don’t find it a big mitigating factor that you got shot,” she told Spridgen. “When you bring a gun to a party full of children, you get what you deserve.” It seemed for a time Weishaupl was set on rejecting the plea deal that allowed Spridgen to go to YOS, after Flores’ greataunt implored her to put him away for longer.
Dressed up for Easter, visually-impaired kids and their siblings enjoyed a train ride around the CenturyLink campus on April 12. Photos by Jennifer Smith
Egg hunt: Sounds like fun
Blind children follow the sound to find Easter treasure By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com Jose Gutierrez found more Easter eggs than his family could keep track of April 12, and being blind didn’t slow him down a bit. “They’re easy to find, because they make noise,” he said, showing off his stash. Indeed, a back yard at CenturyLink on Mineral Avenue sounded like it had been taken over by a hoard of crickets during the company’s annual Easter egg hunt for visually impaired kids. “It’s really fun for them, and a really good idea,” said Maria Gutierrez, Jose’s mom. “He waits anxiously for this time of year to come around.” It’s been sponsored by the Pioneers, the company’s volunteer network, for the last 30 or so years. J. Kelly, a retired CenturyLink employee and president
of the Colorado chapter, explained that Pioneers designed the eggs to allow blind kids to experience the same thrill of the hunt as their sighted friends. “It’s just a chance to get out and do stuff sighted kids get to do,” said Sherrie Argys, mom to 11-year-old Cheyenne, as the two enjoyed the barbecue lunch served up by the volunteers. “A lot of times these kids think they’re the only ones like them, so it’s nice to get out and meet others like them. Sometimes they can feel alienated.” Cheyenne said getting candy is the best part of the event, but that it’s also fun to be around old friends and meet new ones. Pioneer Butch Krist said he had a great time watching the kids. “It feels terrific, because it’s something that helps the community,” he said. The Pioneers also created beeping baseballs. Members of the Colorado Storm Beepball team were on hand to promote their version of baseball, which also involves beeping bases and sighted pitchers, and encourage the kids to give
Jose Gutierrez, 12, finds a beeping Easter egg April 12 during CenturyLink’s annual egg hunt for visionimpaired kids. Volunteers made sure every child took home some treats and treasures. it a try. The Pioneers, the largest employeesponsored volunteer organization in the world, sell both the eggs and the balls to whoever wants them. For more information, visit www.centurylinkpioneergear. com.
Slaying continues on Page 24 POSTAL ADDRESS
LITTLETON INDEPENDENT
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