GREAT OUTDOORS
May 5, 2016 VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 16
Camping can be a real treat in Colorado. Learn how to make the most of your next trip on PAGE 12.
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Seminar focuses on keeping trees healthy Lone Tree city forester, CSU expert offer advice By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media Forty years ago the area now comprising the City of Lone Tree was a dusty prairie, drive-through country for travelers on the Valley Highway on their way to somewhere else. Today that plain is home to around 13,000 people and has been transformed into a city with what Julius Zsako, Lone Tree’s city forester, calls “our urban forest.” “If you go back to 1955 and take a
look at the Google Earth image, you’ll be hard-pressed to count more than two trees. Mother Nature just doesn’t put trees here, because of the harsh environment that we have,” Zsako said at a tree care seminar hosted by the city on April 28. Residents attending the seminar were advised by Zsako and CSU Extension agent Jane Rozum in tree care, ranging from planting methods maximizing tree health to caring for trees during the wet spring storms that have been so prevalent in the region. “Flowering trees experienced a lot of damage … resulting from the weight of Trees continues on Page 6
Recent heavy snow damaged flowering trees throughout the Front Range. Lone Tree city forester Julius Zsako recommends pushing up on tree branches with a broom to gently remove snow. Photo by Rick Gustafson
MIND MATTERS
Yoga studio incorporates new approaches to meditation and movement. PAGE 4
The public works department of the City of Lone Tree estimates that a new pedestrian bridge will accommodate approximately 170 crossings each day and improve traffic flow by decreasing the red-light times required for cyclists and pedestrians to cross up to nine lanes of roadway on Lincoln Avenue. Artist’s rendering
ON THE DIAMOND
Deals reached for pedestrian bridge
Lincoln Avenue crossing will become much safer By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media The City of Lone Tree has reached intergovernmental agreements and donation agreements with six entities for construction of a pedestrian bridge spanning Lincoln Avenue near the Heritage Hills intersection. “It’s going to cross just to the east of Lincoln Commons to connect the green space to the south to the bike path to
the north,” said Kelly Dunn of Fentress Architects. The Lone Tree Department of Public Works estimates that the pedestrian bridge will accommodate around 170 crossings per day and is intended to increase pedestrian safety by reducing the number of jaywalkers while also improving traffic flow along Lincoln Avenue. According to Kristen Knoll, community outreach coordinator, the Lone Tree Department of Public Works has timed traffic signals along Lincoln Avenue to allow cars to travel through the city without having to stop for a red
light, however, each time a crosswalk signal is activated the planned traffic flow is disrupted. Activation of the pedestrian signal increases red-light times to 35 seconds or longer to allow pedestrians to cross up to nine lanes of roadway at intersections on Lincoln Avenue. In times of higher traffic volume, the extended signal causes backups. In addition to the IGAs, the city has engaged Hamon Infrastructure, a Denver-based general contractor specializing in road and bridge projects, to Bridge continues on Page 6
Rock Canyon senior Trevor Howard leads the Continental League in hitting. PAGE 22
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