July 23, 2015 VOLUME 91 | ISSUE 49
July 29 • Red Rocks The music of
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LakewoodSentinel.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Community corrections proposal raises concerns Lakewood planning commission must approve special-use permit By Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com The proposed construction of a new $14 million building to house a community corrections facility at West 8th Avenue and Quail Street in Lakewood is raising concerns among neighbors. “Folks are upset, especially since there are so many similar facilities already in the area,” said Cici Keslar, president of Association & Community Management, a division of the Lakewood Realty Co. that manages homeowner associations all over the Denver area. “With this potentially coming in, they should just put a fence around the entire place.” The Developmental Disabilities Re-
source Center, which is headquartered near the proposed site, is gathering information but waiting to take a stance, said Ron Marquez, community relations manager with the center. Intervention Community Corrections Services is a nonprofit agency that provides transitional services for offenders approved for diversion from the Department of Corrections or who are transitioning from prison facilities to the community. Offenders may also be sent to the facility as a condition of parole and, in some cases, for mental health programs. Community corrections also provides mandatory services including work placement, money management, curfew, drug screenings and volunteer educational courses. The current facility is inside the historic New York Building on Kendall Street in Lakewood, which was built in 1922. The county has spent several years searching for a site and notes the facility requires heavy screening for applicants and is
managed by a professional, “top-notch” organization. “We feel like the community corrections program is a value for the county and community,” County Commissioner Casey Tighe said. “The program makes the community as a whole safer.” Jefferson County has entered into an agreement with Littleton Group LLC for the design-build and purchase of the Quail Street building and has set aside $9 million for the building. The county expects another $5 million to come from the sale of the New York Building, which is under contract with NY16Kendall LLC. But these types of facilities should be built in outlying areas or districts, Keslar said. She pointed out the county owns a lot of land where the county courthouse is located, and a facility could be built there. Association & Community Management hasn’t “jumped into the fight with both feet yet,” according to Keslar, but it Concerns continues on Page 18
Lining the walls of the current campus are tables with information on just a few of the new programs coming to the school because of the $22.5 million health sciences expansion. Photos by Crystal Anderson
Red Rocks breaks ground on new health campus Arvada expansion scheduled to open fall 2016 By Crystal Anderson
Canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com
W
hen Michele Haney stepped onto the Red Rocks Community College campus in 2008, she envisioned something more — an Arvada campus with an identity of its own. On July 16, that vision came full circle as shovels hit the ground, marking the groundbreaking of the $22.5 million Red Rocks Community College Health Sciences Campus in Arvada. “My vision was to create an identity for the school in Arvada, and I am so excited we are doing just that,” Haney,
president of the college, said. “It’s almost like, for me, a dream come true — we’re there.” The two-story, 50,000-square-foot building, already under construction, will house the college’s health sciences programs such as radiology and phlebotomy, and offer several new sections such as nurse’s aide, RN refresher, health professional, medical assisting and office management, phlebotomy technicians, and sonography. The school also will house the physician’s assistant program through which students can now obtain a master’s degree. “We want to be as flexible and nimble as we can,” Haney said. “We know there’s going to be more and more opportunity for us and our programming to grow. I see the future of this campus being very, very broad because our students’ interests are very broad.” Campus continues on Page 18
Teachers’ union balks at contract length Jeffco school district wants 10-month agreement By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
The Jeffco school district has offered teachers a 10-month contract, a term the union considers unacceptable. “We haven’t had less than a two-year agreement since the ’80s,” said JCEA spokesman Scott Kwasny. “Teachers want stability. They don’t want their representatives going back to the negotiation table in a few months.” After five months of open negotiations, the collective bargaining agreement’s term remains the main sticking point between the Jefferson County School District and the Jefferson County Education Association. The two entities agree on the document’s draft language. “A 10-month term allows us to revisit the entire contract and make adjustments to the provisions, most of which are completely new to Jeffco,” said Amy Weber, Jeffco’s chief human resources officer and member of the negotiation team. “Having a contract deadline of June motivates both sides to seriously consider what has worked this year and what should be reconsidered. We believe this process will lead to a more successful contract between the district and the JCEA.” The proposed 10-month contract, which would cover the period from Sept. 1 to June 30, includes language about the importance of having effective educators in the classroom, retaining school-level autonomy and optimizing teacher instructional time and schedules. The 41-page document also includes terms of employment between union teachers and the district. “We believe the draft collective bargaining agreement reflects the hard work at the table to accomplish these interests, as well as interests brought by JCEA,” Weber said. The district also likes how the 10-month period aligns with Jeffco’s budget process. But Lesley Dahlkemper, a member of the board minority, said this year’s process and the draft agreement is fiscally irresponsible and disrespectful to teachers. “Under this proposal, the district and the association will be back at the negotiating table in just over six months … ,” she said. “Our superintendent has a three-year contract — our teachers deserve the same.” According to Kwasny, JCEA sent an email to the board requesting an open-table discussion about the contract length. As of press time Tuesday, it was unclear whether the board would agree. Once both negotiating teams agree to a draft agreement, it goes to JCEA members for a vote. If teachers approve, it would then go to the school board for final approval. “It’s been a rocky road with the board, and teachers want stability — that’s what a multiyear bargaining agreement would bring,” Kwasny said. “We’re certainly willing to be at the table until midnight on Aug. 31 to get something worked out.” The current contract expires Aug. 31. Kwasny said JCEA is still negotiating in good faith but that it is too soon to tell what would happen if no agreement is reached by that date. Board President Ken Witt, who is out of town, responded in a text that, because of schedules, the board cannot meet before its Aug. 27 study session. “I appreciate the hard work of the district and JCEA negotiatiors and am pleased that so much progress has been made,” he said. “I am confident that the district will continue to represent the best interests of our students.”