ARVADA PRESS 12.27.12
December 27, 2012
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourarvadanews.com
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 8, Issue 31
Year brings funding for Jeffco schools Compiled by Sara Van Cleve
svancleve@ourcoloradonews.com This past year was a busy one for Arvada. Elections brought the re-election of incumbents and the welcoming of some new representatives, as well as millions of dollars to Jeffco schools. Arvada City Council approved the 2013-14 budget, initiated new products and passed new ordinances. As residents watched the tragedy of the murder of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway unfold, justice was served in a nine-yearold cold case murder of another woman. These are the top 10 stories of 2012 in the Arvada area, in no particular order:
TOP TEN
Abduction and murder of Jessica Ridgeway
On Oct. 5, 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway disappeared while walking to school in Westminster. Days later her body was found in the Pattridge Park Open Space area in Arvada. Police later received a call from the mother of 17-year-old Austin Sigg leading police to his arrest. Sigg is now facing 19 charges, including four counts of first-degree murder. He is being tried as an Ridgeway adult, and if convicted, could face up to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 22.
‘Jessica’s Angels’ keep watch over children
Pomona High School junior Alex Groen brought together his classmates and teens from other high schools to create “Jessica’s Angels” after he watched the tragedy involving Jessica Ridgeway occur in his own backyard. Jessica’s Angels is a group of high school students who serve as a neighborhood watch as kids walk home from school to ensure nothing similar happens to another child.
Voters pass 3A, 3B in support of Jeffco schools
Jefferson County voters passed ballot issues 3A and 3B to support funding for Jefferson County Public Schools. The $39 million mill levy override, known as 3A, will be used to pay for dayto-day operations, educational programs, maintenance, salaries and supplies. The $99 million bond package, 3B, will support capital projects, including repairs
Westminster Police officer T.C. Cunningham talks with another officer while blocking off an intersection at West 102nd Avenue and North Moore Court in Westminster Oct. 24. Officials were searching the home of Austin Sigg in connection to the Jessica Ridgeway murder. Ridgeway’s body was discovered in a park in Arvada. Photos by Andy Carpenean and renovations. 3A passed 151,829 to 110,189 and 3B passed 141,562 to 119,298.
DeWild verdicts in cold case
Daniel DeWild, 40, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder in the 2003 killing of his estranged wife Heather DeWild. The jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on one count of first-degree murder, and a mistrial was held. Weeks later, and facing a second trial, Daniel DeWild pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and will be sentenced in February to 72 to 75 years. His brother, David, reached a plea agreement in August after pleading guilty to second-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
City receives 7.75-acre land donation
City Council unanimously accepted a donation of 7.75 acres of equestrian land, which was the former home of Meridian Farms. The land, 7650 Indiana St., was donated by Sydney Keith and features an indoor riding arena, 33 stalls, two small barns, a single-family residence and other facilities. The property is adjacent to the cityowned, 27-acre Arvada Equestrian Center. The city will take control of the property Jan. 1 and then begin plans
for future development.
Water rates to increase Jan. 1
As part of the 2013-14 city budget, Council approved an increase in water and wastewater fees during its Oct. 22 meeting. The increases will cost the average household an additional $2.60 per month, or $31.20 per year. The increase is due to increases by the city’s source, Denver Water, and to help pay for the infrastructure replacement program for pipes. The increases will begin Jan. 1.
New visitor’s center serves as Arvada’s ‘one-stop shop’
Council unanimously approved opening a visitor’s center for the city at the Chamber of Commerce building, 7305 Grandview Ave. The visitor’s center is now open on the first floor of the building and serves as a “one-stop shop” for events, attractions and businesses in Arvada. Jean Gordon serves as the executive director and concierge, promoting all aspects of the city.
Number of chickens in city limits upped by City Council
Council approved increasing the number of permitted fowl within city limits from two to five on Aug. 6. With the passing of the ordinance,
Brad Ruppert, president of the board of directors for the Arvada Community Food Bank, addresses those gathered to celebrate a recent expansion of the food bank. part of Sustain Arvada’s urban agriculture drive, residents are now allowed to keep Top Ten continues on Page 4
Traffic impact fees, parking tweaked By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com ‘Tis the season for Jefferson County staff to alter some ordinances. Among the alterations this holiday season are a simplification to the county parking ordinance and a change to the way trafficimpact fees are collected and distributed. Those changes were made official by the Board of County Commissioners during its Dec. 11 meeting. The Jeffco Sheriff’s Office requested several policy revisions to the Parking and Vehicles Ordinance, including expanding the ordinance’s definition of “vehicles” to include trailers.
Previously, trailers parked in the county right of way could not be ticketed or towed. Another change was the removal of the “moved every 14 days,” requirement. Since owners could “move” their vehicles only a few feet, authorities found the existing language to be unhelpful for getting vehicles out of the way. Instead, the Sheriff’s Office will post a 48-hour notice on vehicles before towing them out of the county right of way. Traffic-impact fees — collected by the county whenever a property is developed or redeveloped in a way that increases traffic levels on surrounding roadways — also underwent some significant changes. Effective Jan. 1, the fees will be adjusted
annually, based on Colorado’s Construction Cost Index (CCI). The fee had previously been adjusted upwards annually, based on inflation instead of following the actual cost of doing construction work. The immediate effect of the change will be a lowering of the fee by 21 percent from 2012 levels. “That’s only right,” District 1 Commissioner Faye Griffin said when the commissioners approved the change. The other significant change to the county’s traffic-impact fee policy will be how those dollars are allocated. Currently, the county collects and spends those fees based on five geo-
graphic areas within the county. “In most cases the fee doesn’t generate enough to pay for projects,” Transportation and Engineering Director Kevin French told the commissioners a week earlier during a staff briefing. By redrawing the county into three zones, the impact fees gathered from those zones will reach reasonable levels to make street improvements much sooner, according to French.
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