April 28, 2016
TREASURE HUNTING
VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 15
Learn from the experts on how to set up a successful garage sale. PAGE 12
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Plans for light rail take another step Council gives its approval to three station designs By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media
The RidgeGate Station is an end-of-the-line light-rail station that will be located southeast of the interchange of RidgeGate Parkway and Interstate 25. Courtesy image
The Lone Tree City Council has voted to approve Site Improvement Plans for the Regional Transportation District’s extension of the E Line light rail south of Lincoln Station. The vote took place at the April 19 council meeting, and approval of the designs for three stations along a 2.3-mile expansion is one more step in a process that should allow RTD to begin con-
struction this spring. The city council’s approval of the stations at Sky Ridge, City Center and RidgeGate were conditional, and final approval of the designs and landscape is subject approval of the city’s public works department. In general, the council praised the designs of the three new light rail stations and unanimously voted in favor of the plans, though District 2 Councilmember Susan Squyer did express concerns about the distance from the “Kiss and Ride” passenger drop-off zone to the ADA-compliant ramp. She also noted the potential for driv-
ers to stop to drop off passengers in through lanes of traffic on Sky Ridge Drive. “Based on the size of the site and the configuration of the setting, we really could not get ramps to work in this area,” said Lee Kellar with Parsons Brinkerhoff, referring to the stairs adjacent to the Kiss and Ride. “The 650 feet … sounds like a long way, but compared to other stations that RTD has in the system, it’s probably average.” Kellar said that the steep grade in the section close to the “Kiss and Ride” would have Light rail continues on Page 5
School voucher program faces new challenge Families sue for right to use program for religious facilities Staff report Local families represented by the Institute for Justice, a Virginia-based nonprofit law group, have filed a legal challenge to the Douglas County School District’s voucher program. On March 15, the school board voted 4-3 to approve a revision to the Choice Scholarship Program that removes religiously affiliated schools as an option. The revision came nine months after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled the original version of the program was illegal. No public funds can be used to aid or Voucher continues on Page 5
TRACK AND FIELD
Volunteer juries of students at Parker’s Teen Court hear cases and pass sentences on peers. Lone Tree’s Teen court will be modeled in part on a program developed in Parker in 2005. Photos by Rick Gustafson
Teen court based on high hopes Offenders have chance to avoid criminal record By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media
More than 40 teams gather at the Liberty Bell Invitational as the last weeks of the season approach. PAGE 18
Beginning this fall, juvenile offenders in Lone Tree will have an opportunity to participate in a life-changing program that could give them a second chance at making it out of their teens without a criminal record. The City of Lone Tree is developing a Teen Court program based on the principle of restorative justice as an alternative to the
Teen Judge Kayla Whitehouse, 18, of Chaparral High School, presided over Parker Teen Court on April 20.
Teen court continues on Page 5
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