Littleton 11.21.13
November 21, 2013 75 cents
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 125, Issue 18
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlittletonnews.com
Boomers booming in Littleton City looks for ways to help them thrive By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com
Outgoing school board members take part in a group hug as Superintendent Scott Murphy, right, and incoming board members look on. Photo by Jennifer Smith
Close LPS race officially called Warren-Gully, Reutzel, Perez take school board seats By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com The very close race for the Littleton Public Schools Board of Education officially came to an end Nov. 14 amid tears and cheers as Kelly Perez, Jack Reutzel and Carrie Warren-Gully were sworn in. “I think we got three fantastic people
in there,” said outgoing president Bob Colwell, who, true to form, struggled with tears throughout the emotional meeting. “And it was amazing turnout.” With 64,700 votes counted, WarrenGully claimed 21.25 percent, Perez took 20.20 percent and Reutzel squeaked in with 19.59 percent. Their challengers, Dallas Jones and Robert Reichardt, tied at 19.48 percent. Perez has lived in Centennial for 19 years, raising five kids in the district. She’s been on nearly every LPS committee and served as president of the parent-teacher organizations at Damon Runyon Elementary, Powell Middle School and Arapahoe
and Heritage high schools — the last two at the same time. Prior to having kids, she was a social worker. Her youngest two kids are still in the district, one in sixth grade at Powell and the other a sophomore at Arapahoe. “I have a passion for education,” she said. “I want to keep striving to maintain the comprehensive educational opportunities that LPS offers.” Reutzel, an attorney with the firm Fairfield and Woods, is a 20-year resident of Bow Mar. His son graduated from Littleton High School, and his daughter is a sophoRace continues on Page 10
Group ponders grand possibilities for canal Small changes could happen next year By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com The High Line Canal Working Group is contemplating converting the entire 66mile system into a rain garden, a concept that is gaining popularity as municipalities struggle with water issues. “It’s a major rethinking outside of the box,” Littleton City Councilor Bruce Beckman told the rest of the council during a Nov. 12 study session. The Rain Garden Network’s website defines a rain garden as a shallow, constructed depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. It collects runoff from hard surfaces such as Canal continues on Page 10 POSTAL ADDRESS
The High Line Canal Working Group plans to get some small projects rolling next year, such as perhaps improving this bridge at Ridge Road and Bannock Street. Grander plans are still in the works. Photo by Jennifer Smith LITTLETON INDEPENDENT (ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 315-780) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, the Littleton Independent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display advertising: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legal advertising: Thurs. 11 a.m. Classified advertising: Mon. 12 p.m.
Next year, all 75 million baby boomers will be 50 or older. And by 2030, more than 10,000 of them will be living in Littleton — nearly a quarter of the city’s current population — according to Denver Regional Council of Governments forecasts. With that in mind, the city is taking a hard look at what types of services it can implement now to support that population into the future. Kay Wilmesher, a city employee who has served as the Greater Littleton Youth Initiative’s director, was moved out of the community-development department last year and into the city manager’s office to spearhead this new effort. “With federal funding cuts come state and local cuts,” she wrote in a memo presented to city council Nov. 12. “Stressing local government resources in an effort to meet senior needs could likely stress essential city services such as fire and police protection. This situation could, in turn, possibly affect the perceived and real quality of life for the citizens of the community; it could damage the community’s fabric from one recognized as healthy, family friendly and economically stable to something much less desirable.” Census data says Littleton’s median age is 42, compared to 35.8 in the greater Denver metro area. Seniors are the only age category expected to grow in in the city. Fortunately for them, there is a wide variety of resources available. There are housing options like Amity Plaza and Bradley House, transportation solutions like Omnibus and Shopping Cart, health programs like Doctors Care and Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health, and many that are more socially oriented like Buck Recreation Center and Meals on Wheels. However, there has been no centralized effort in Littleton to bring together all these resources and find out where the gaps are. “When resources are tight, we all pull together,” said Wilmesher. Her suggested next steps are to bring together existing groups that serve seniors to brainstorm solutions, then look to other communities so as not to reinvent the wheel. Wilmesher holds out Wheat Ridge, a community similar to Littleton in size and demographics, as an example of what’s working. It began its efforts six years ago, and now supports several subcommittees with different emphases. A major focus is on training residents to look out for each other, said Wilmesher. Volunteers with groups like Meals on Wheels or Inter-Faith Community Services, and even local mail carriers and clergy, can be trained to recognize signs of distress in seniors, then teach others how to do the same. Seniors should watch for a survey to arrive in the mail in mid-2014.
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