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Immigrant tuition bill clears panel Measure would ease path for undocumented students By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Yesenya Saucedo fought back tears Jan. 24 as she recalled being laughed at in kindergarten and feeling “clueless and dumb” because of her struggles to speak English. Now, several years after her family brought Saucedo to the U.S. illegally, she is well on her way to graduating from Denver’s Bruce Randolph School this spring — with 23 college credits under her belt, to boot. “What I have done is what I’ve been asked, and even a little bit more,” she said during her testimony before a Colorado General Assembly committee hearing on a bill to which she is tying her college and career hopes. Saucedo wants to go to college, but because she is an undocumented student, she cannot afford to pay the hefty, out-of-state tuition rate to attend a Colorado school. But there remains hope for Saucedo, because the Senate bill that’s been dubbed ASSET — Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow — has cleared its first legislative hurdle. The bill — which would allow illegal immigrants to pay the same tuition at state colleges and universities as other students who are residents — passed the nine-member Senate Education Committee Jan. 24. Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Westminster, who chairs the Education Committee, was one
By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com A proposed pedestrian bridge to span 6th Avenue near the terminus of the West Rail Line of FasTracks has yet to gain final approval. The delays to approval have ensured that the bridge will not be finished in time to greet the first passengers off of the West Line. City of Golden representatives had hoped for the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and representatives approval at a Jan. 22 staff briefing meeting. Instead, delayed paperwork from the Colorado Department of Transportation and procedural concerns raised by Jeffco District 3 Commissioner Donald Rosier left the future of the project uncertain. Golden Mayor Marjorie Sloan came before the commissioners, and spoke briefly about the advantages the pedestrian bridge would bestow “to Golden residents, and especially for employees of the Jefferson County Center.” “It would be highly desirable that we get the pedestrian bridge open as close we can to the opening of the West Light Rail Line,” Sloan said. The project is expected to take at least six months to complete, following county approval. The West Rail Line is scheduled to open to the public in April. That approval has yet to come. Golden’s Community and Economic Development
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of five Democrats who voted to move the bill forward. “We’re never better off with fewer educated students,” Hudak said. “When people do not have hope, then it is very difficult to make it from day-to-day — especially children.” Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, who is one of the bill’s sponsors, said that if the bill becomes law, it would bring in about $2 million in net revenue to the state. Johnson said Colorado is forcing too many young people leave the state to attend colleges at neighboring states that already have laws similar to the one proposed in the ASSET bill. Once they graduate, they remain in those states and contribute to the economies there. “If we don’t stop to help these young people, what will happen to us as a state?” Johnston told the committee. One Republican committee member, Sen. Owen Hill of Colorado Springs, joined all five Democrats in voting to move the legislation forward. Three Republicans voted no. Only one person testified in opposition to the legislation. John Buck of the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform called the bill “illegal,” and said Colorado citizens “want illegal aliens to self-deport.” “This illegal education bill provides one more incentive for illegal alien families to cross our borders and diminish our resources,” he said. The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee, before going to the full Senate for a vote. It is likely that the bill will pass the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
Pedestrian bridge still suspended Project still requiring final approvals
January 31, 2013
Director Steve Glueck said that the specific approval forms that the county had requested at a meeting last fall had yet to come in, thanks to a delay with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Beyond the missing paperwork, Rosier said he had other issues with the pedestrian bridge plan — it is not listed in RTD’s West Rail Line’s most recent environmental assessment (EA). “Now they’re saying they’re cutting it from the EA, but they’ll still fund it?” Rosier asked. “Yes,” Glueck said, explaining that it was cut from RTD’s construction plans as a costsaving measure. Since they were no longer building it as part of the overall rail line project, it was removed from the plans, though earlier environmental studies did study the potential of a bridge there. Golden took up the effort to build the bridge, securing $300,000 of its own money, along with $1.97 million in RTD and federal transportation funds. The county would only need to grant a land easement and maintain landscaping on one side of the bridge. Rosier said he would need confirmation that a new environmental assessment would not be required to build the bridge. Within two days, Glueck reported to Golden City Council that he had the longawaited CDOT documents in hand, and also had verbal confirmation federal transit authorities that reopening the EA would not be necessary. He said it would be some time in February before he could return to the county commissioners to again ask for approval.
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Th 64 mari — m tal s prop yers, work “A that keep that Tver the a Tv catio Recreation coordinator, Lynn Weis, left, talks about appropriate gear during a free indoor snowshoeing clinic at Proje the North Jeffco Senior Recreation Center Wednesday, Jan. 23, in Arvada. Co-teacher Jack Monroe sits behind the place Em table. Photo by Andy Carpenean drug woul ploye “O occu may of em to ha proc lawy able,” Prosser said. “We also have financing H Resource Smart Arvada for low-income families and nonprofits.” The International Center for Approprihelps retrofit residential, ate and Sustainable Technology, a noncommercial property, profit located in Lakewood, is running the program for the city and monitors all of the saving 25 percent of energy work. The process, from assessment to comBy Sara Van Cleve pletion, can take anywhere from a month svancleve@ourcoloradonews.com to a couple months, depending on the size A new program is helping residents get of the building and the amount of retrofitting it needs, Prosser said. smart about saving energy and money. “The most common (improvements) for “Resource Smart Arvada is an all-encompassing energy efficiency program for residential would probably be adding more residents and business owners,” said Jes- insulation in the attic and walls and sealsica Prosser, Arvada’s sustainability coor- ing all windows and doors,” Prosser said. dinator. “It takes it full circle from the ini- “Those are the most effective measures to tial assessment of the building all the way take when it comes to saving energy.” Changing outdated and energy inefthrough to quality control at the end.” The program is guaranteeing energy ficient lighting is usually the first step for savings of at least 20-30 percent after the commercial buildings. The program has already completed its work is complete, Prosser said. After a resident or business owner signs pilot phase, retrofitting several homes and up for the program, a Resource Smart Ar- businesses in Arvada. Nancy Voiland was one of the first resivada assessor makes an assessment of the home, finding areas in which they could dents to complete to program. “It was fun to ask questions about my save energy and money on their utility bill. The assessor gives the resident or busi- home and watch and learn what was being ness owner a comprehensive report and done and why,” Voiland said in a statement the participant choose what improvements provided by the city. “I am happy that I had to make and then the assessor gets bids for the assessment and would recommend it the work from at least three local contrac- to anyone. It gave me a chance to find out where home improvement can and should tors. Once a contractor is chosen, the work be while allowing me to budget my financbegins and is monitored by Resource Smart es and include these improvements in the Arvada representatives. Once it is com- future.” For more information about Resource plete, an assessor will evaluate the work Smart Arvada and to sign up for an assessbefore payment is due. “If you don’t have the money upfront, we ment, www.resourcesmart.org/arvada or have low and no interest financing avail- call 1-866-590-4377.
Residents, businesses get smart about energy
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