Arvada Press 050423

Arvada mayor warns against polarization in final State of the City

Rock-throwing homicide suspects’ a davits paint grim portrait of April 19 events

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arrest a davits — including statements from two of the three suspects — in the rock-throwing death of Alexa Bartell suggest that suspects Joseph Koenig, Nicholas “Mitch” Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak have a history of throwing projectiles at cars, photographed Bartell’s car after throwing a fatal rock through her windshield, and discussed plans to deny involvement in the crime.

Koenig, Karol-Chik and Kwak — all 18-year-old residents of Arvada — were taken into custody by Je erson County sheri ’s deputies on the evening of April 25, almost a week after the murder of 20-year-old Bartell, who was one of seven motorists whose vehicles were hit by large landscaping rocks on the night of April 19.

Outgoing Mayor

Williams

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arvada Mayor Marc Williams recently gave his nal State of the City, capping 24 years as an elected o cial by looking back on how the city has changed and looking for ward to what lies ahead — including an upcoming election that promises to overhaul a council that’s remained fairly consistent for the last few years.

Williams — who began serving on city council in 1999 as a councilmember and was elected mayor 12 years ago — began his address by

comparing the city two decades ago to Arvada of the present.

“In 1999, there was no Gold Line or transit hub,” Williams said in the April 21 address. “72nd Avenue was not an east/west corridor… 24 years ago, we maintained 780 lane miles of paves streets — today, that number has nearly doubled to 1440… in 1999, we didn’t have the Je erson Parkway to complete the missing link of the beltway — OK, we still don’t have it, but I’m telling you, there is still a chance!”

Williams discussed the reinvigoration of Olde Town and Arvada’s business community coming together to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. He praised partnerships — such as the city’s relationship with the Apex Parks and Recreation District and the Je erson County School District — as strengths of the city’s management and leader-

ship.

Discussing the murder of two Arvada Police O cers over the past two years — Gordon Beesley in 2021 and Dillon Vako in 2022 — Williams recounted the “dark days” their passing brought to the city, and the outpouring of grief and support that the community offered the police department in the aftermath.

Looking to the present, Williams cited homelessness as a primary concern as the city moves forward, and said the city team was looking to enact legislation that would criminalize actions by homeless individuals.

“One challenge facing the entire city — but acutely felt by the police department — is the increase of visible homeless in our community,”

While Koenig declined to be interviewed by investigators, Karol-Chik and Kwak gave somewhat con icting accounts that point to a repeated pattern of throwing projectiles at moving vehicles. Karol-Chik told investigators that he and Koenig had been involved in throwing objects — including a statue and other rocks — on “at least 10 separate days” since at least February.

e following account is based on the allegations in the a davits:

On April 19, Karol-Chik and Koenig bought a “project” car, according to Karol-Chik, around 4 or 5 p.m., after which Karol-Chik moved the car to a friend’s house, drove to Kwak’s house to pick him up, and then continued to get Koenig.

Karol-Chik’s statement says that he and Kwak both collected landscaping rocks from the Walmart on 72nd Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, loading them into the bed of Karol-Chik’s pickup, a Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

A fourth man said he was with the trio at the Walmart, but asked to be taken home when he suspected the

EVENTS, P4

Williams poked fun at the Arvada Press’ characterization of his outfits in the past and wore an uncharacteristically muted suit for the occasion — save for the rhinestones.

PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN

looks back on 24 years on the dais

New design, same commitment

To our valued readers: If you have made it to this article, you already know that something feels a little di erent about this publication. We have redesigned our nameplate atop the front page, or the “ ag” as we call it in the newsroom.

As the primary symbol of our publication, our ags represent our values and mission. From time to time, we believe it’s important to update and refresh our identity to re ect the evolution of our company. But be con dent

LOOKING BACK

Williams said. “City council has requested our city attorney explore additional actions we can take to address criminal activity by some members of the homeless community and to clear out homeless camps more quickly.”

Williams recalled the infamous trash-hauling debate that set o a recall attempt in 2020 and praised council’s ability to come together —

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

that the reliable and quality news you have come to expect has not changed; in fact, we’re working to make it better than ever.

e change to our nearly two dozen publications gives them a cohesive feel, and combined with a change to a more compact size

despite disagreements — and form a uni ed front on the issue.

“One of the more contentious issues during my time as mayor has been the issue of organized waste hauling — in fact, I think it was the longest hearing we have held,” Williams said. “We were divided as a council, yet when the decision was made to implement organized waste hauling with a single hauler, the council spoke with one voice to direct our team to come up with an appropriate program.”

Williams concluded his address by

in printing, allows the news content to take center stage, as it should.

Two years ago this week, our publications became owned by a new company, the Colorado News Conservancy. Its mission and purpose are right there in its name: to conserve local news, keep it in local hands and keep it vibrant. We recognized that folks get their news in di erent forms, not just in print, so this is just the rst stage in a project to demonstrate our commitment to innovation and progress.

We want you to feel proud and con-

nected to whichever of our publications you receive. We hope you will appreciate the e ort and attention to detail that went into this redesign. We welcome your feedback and comments on our new look, and any part of our newsgathering. Your opinion matters to us, and we always strive to improve to meet your expectations.

ank you for your continued support and loyalty to our publication. We believe there are better days ahead.

— Linda Shapley, publisher, Colorado Community Media

Fiction: May 6, 2023

1:00pm–4:00pm

Lakewood Campus Room 1160

Write short ction that accelerates plot and character development while connecting with readers. All levels welcome.

for the 3-hour workshop Register Here: https://bit.ly/3R9NzRu

Questions? sandra.sajbel@rrcc.edu

Linda Shapley

The crowd at Revive Church for Williams’ State of the City.

Arvada Chamber of Commerce President Kami Welch presents Mayor Williams with a cake to commemorate his last State of the City PHOTOS BY RYLEE DUNN

SEE LOOKING BACK, P3

discussing the upcoming municipal election, which looks to bring turnover to the mayor’s seat and at least one at-large position. He cautioned against partisan politics, which have been employed early on by candidates in Districts 2 and 4 and said that council works best when they work together.

“As my time on council and as your mayor draws to an end, I urge future councils to continue on in the tradi-

tion of mutual respect and when disagreements exist, to disagree agreeably,” Williams said. “it has served us well. Sadly, partisan politics is creeping into municipal elections.

“I would remind everyone that there are no republican, democrat or libertarian potholes, waterlines, or wastewater mains,” Williams continued.

Following his State of the City address, Mayoral Candidate John Marriott — who currently serves as the District 3 city councilmember and is the only led candidate in the mayor’s race thus far — took to Facebook to call the address “Fantastic,” which Williams responded to with an

endorsement.

“I have endorsed John to be the next Mayor to carry on the great work we have done together,” Williams said in a comment.

In closing his State of the City address, Williams said that he will remain one of the city’s biggest supporters and is looking ahead to a thriving future for Arvada.

“I will remain the city’s cheerleader from the cheap seats, and know that the future bodes well for Arvada,” Williams said. “With that said, and without reservation, the state of the city for Arvada, Colorado is bright and limitless.”

This Week, Property Owners Received Valuati ons From Their County Assessor. Now What?

During the first week of May in every even numbered year, Colorado’s county assessors are required to inform every property owner of the full valuation which they have assigned to each property. Unless revised downward through the statemandated appeal process, that valuation will be the basis of the property tax charged for that year and the following year.

The valuation you receive by postcard is the assessor’s best guess as to what your property might have sold for on June 30th of the previous (even-numbered) year. That assumes, however, that the condition of your home is the same on Jan. 1st of this year and next year as it was on June 30th of last year. If your house is bigger or smaller (or was completely destroyed) as of January 1st, that year’s valuation and therefore your property taxes must be adjusted accordingly.

The system actually depends on your participation in correcting the assessor’s valuation which was the result of a computer-driven “mass appraisal” system, because there’s no way that the assessor’s staff of human appraisers could create a valuation for each home. Those human appraisers will, however, listen to your appeal of the valuation which their system generated for your home.

Bottom line, therefore, is that you

owe it to yourself and to the county to help the assessor come up with the proper valuation for your home. So how do you do that?

For non-residential/commercial properties, which pay roughly four times the property tax per $100,000 valuation as do owners of residential property, a whole industry has arisen to help property owners (for a fee) get their taxes reduced. Residential taxes are so much lower in Colorado that there’s not enough money for professional helpers to make, leaving residential property owners to fight their own battle for lower valuations and therefore lower property taxes.

The assessors make it easy for you to determine whether they guessed correctly at your home’s value on June 30th of last year. Here in Jeffco, point your browser to http://assessor.jeffco.us and click on the green bar labeled “Com-

that you can use to challenge your valuation. For that, click on this green bar:

That will take you to the page where you can click on “Address” at left and enter your home’s address. (The address number and street name should suffice.) Click on your home when it appears, then click on the tab “Sales” and scroll down to see all the “qualified sales” that you can cite in your appeal. Note that you can click on any column heading for it to sort on that column. This can make it easier to find good comps.

The sales prices shown on this display, unlike the ones on the previous display, have not been increased as they should be to reflect what they would have sold for on June 30, 2022. Since the Jeffco assessor has determined that property values increased overall by 36.5% during the 24 months from which qualified comps are drawn, you need to increase each comp by 1/24th of that percentage — or 1.52% — for each month that the sale occurred prior to June 2022.

Note: If you purchased your home on June 30, 2022, don’t assume the valua-

tion of your home will be your purchase price, because, regardless of what you paid for your home on June 30, 2022, its valuation is based on what eligible comps indicate it should have sold for.

Using the proper procedure described above, it’s possible that your home was valued correctly, but if it was overvalued, you need to appeal using a form that is hard to find online. Here’s the link:

https://www.jeffco.us/ DocumentCenter/View/457/RealProperty-Appeals-Form-PDF

Your form is due in the assessor’s office by June 8, 2023, so you’ll want to mail it by June 1st if you can’t deliver it in person to the assessor’s office on the 2nd floor of the “Taj Mahal”.

My recommendation is always to request an in-person meeting with the assessor’s office. You can make an appointment or just show up and wait.

parable Sales Search.” It will show you some of the homes deemed comparable to yours, but those are not all the comps

ICC Standardizes Building Codes for Tiny Homes

Cities, towns and counties typically base their building codes on the International Residential Code (IRC), which is collaborating with the Tiny Home Industry Association (THIA) to standardize the codes related to tiny homes used for permanent occupancy, whether on a foundation or on wheels.

Tiny homes are increasingly being adopted as an affordable means of housing the homeless, but have also grown in popularity among those who choose to “live lightly.” I have toured tiny homes in more than one “green homes tour” in Boulder and elsewhere.

The standards are included in the IRC as Appendix AQ. ICC/THIA Standard 1215 will complement existing tiny house resources developed by the Code Council, including the “International Tiny House Provisions,” “Model Legislation on Tiny Houses,” and a “Guide on Navigating Certification and Regulation of Tiny Houses.” All of these are availa-

ble on the Code Council’s dedicated offsite construction webpage, a link for which I’ll include in the posting of this article at www.GoldenREblog.com

“This new standard will codify existing requirements for the design, construction, inspection, and certification of tiny houses into a single standard while also helping to address identified gaps in available requirements,” said Ryan Colker, Code Council vice president of innovation.

“This joint effort with the Code Council will go a long way in helping to clear the confusion within the regulatory and tiny home builder community,” said Brad Wiseman, CEO and Board Chairman of THIA.

You Can Find Prior Columns Online

I have been writing this column for nearly 20 years, and many of my previous columns may still be relevant to you. Find them all at www.JimSmithColumns.com

State Program Pays $150 When You Replace Your Gas-Powered Lawn Mower With an Electric One

Last week I promoted the idea of replacing your gas-powered lawn mower, trimmer and other tools with electric ones. A reader alerted me to a Colorado program that provides vouchers for doing just that.

The program, which is detailed online at www.MowDownPollution.org, provides for the following: a $75 voucher for any handheld electric yard tool when a gas version of that tool is recycled: a $75 voucher for an electric lawn mower without a requirement that a gas mower be recycled; and a $150 voucher for an electric lawn mower when you recycle a gas mower.

First you sign up for the program, and get a confirmation email. Then you have 21 days to recycle your lawn mower (for which they provide a list of local recyclers), then you get a voucher which you can redeem at selected Ace Hardware and Home Depot stores, also listed on that website.

Before you can recycle a gas-powered tool, you need to drain both the gas and oil, which you will need to recycle at the Rooney Road Recycling Center. You have to get a drop-off reservation, which you can do by calling 303-316-6262.

Only one voucher per household is allowed per year.

Spend some time surfing around the assessor’s website to learn about the appeal process, including further appeals if the assessor’s office doesn’t respond favorably to your appeal. (Their response will come to you by mail in midAugust.) Jim

Broker/Owner, 303-525-1851

Jim@GoldenRealEstate.com

Ave., Golden 80401

Williams addresses the crowd.

PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN

EVENTS

group might be preparing for trouble. e fourth man said the group was loading up “as much (rocks) as they could carry” into the vehicle, and said Koenig frequently participates in disruptive behavior because he likes to cause “chaos.”

Investigators used cell phone data and crime reports to determine that the rock that killed Bartell was one of seven incidents of landscaping rocks being thrown at cars in a large, semi-circular area stretching from Highway 72 in the south, Highway 93 in the east, Highway 128 in the north and Indiana Street in the west.

Kwak’s statement claims that while the trio was traveling around, Koenig was driving the vehicle, Karol-Chik was riding in the front passenger seat, and Kwak was in the back row behind Karol-Chik. Kwak said Karol-Chik was using “marine terms” as the rocks were thrown, such as “contact left” before Koenig would throw a rock at a car to the left of theirs.

Kwak said Koenig threw the rock that killed Bartell.

cancer care that sets us apart.

Kwak said that Koenig sped up as the group’s vehicle approached Bartell, then threw a rock out the window that made a loud sound, like a “rail gun” shooting a block of concrete. Afterward, Kwak noticed that Bartell’s vehicle had left the roadway. ey reached the next intersection and turned around to return to where it left the road.

As they passed Bartell’s vehicle, Kwak took a picture of Bartell’s vehicle. He told investigators that he thought Karol-Chik or Koenig would want it as a memento.

Karol-Chik said all three suspects threw rocks at cars. He claimed that Kwak threw the rock that killed Bartell, and corroborated Kwak’s account that the trio turned back toward Bartell’s car so that Kwak could take a photo. Karol-Chik said that at this point in the night, he felt “a hint of guilt.”

Kwak said that after circling back to Bartell’s car, Koenig took him home. He told investigators that Koenig and Karol-Chik discussed now being “blood brothers” and stated that they could never speak of the incident. Kwak also said that Koenig came to his house the next day to get their stories straight, speci cally to deny any involvement in the events of the previous night.

Jill Alldredge, MD

Kian Behbakht, MD

Bradley Corr, MD

Lisa Marie Babayan, PA-C

Lindsay Brubaker, MD

Jaime Arruda, MD

Catherine Bouts, PA-C

Nicole Marjon, MD

Christine Walsh, MD

Carolyn Lefkowits, MD

Marisa Moroney, MD Saketh Guntupalli, MD Spyridon Mastroyannis, MD

Alexa Bartell

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e residents of Lakewood and surrounding communities await “ e Great Wait in Line Event” also known as the

Casa Bonita Sip N’ Paint

grand reopening of Casa Bonita restaurant. For those impatient for the May 23 opening, there are events like the April 26 Casa Bonita Paint N’ Sip, hosted by Westfax Brewery and Arts in the Open.

The Casa Bonita fountain is open, but still secured as the renovations continue ahead of the May 23 opening night.

PHOTOS BY JO DAVIS

The host leads the April 26 Sip N’ Paint.

‘We haven’t forgotten them’

30th annual Courage Walk source of healing, resilience for participants

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Every April, hundreds of people gather at the Je erson County Government Center and walk to the little garden on the south side of the complex. Along the walkway, among the owers and trees, are the names of those the community has lost to crime.

Many of their family members and friends make the Courage Walk annually as a reminder that they are not alone and that their loved ones are not forgotten.

On April 29, hundreds of those impacted by crime — survivors, victims’ family members and friends, and their communities — gathered for the 30th annual Courage Walk.

Local victim advocacy organizations host Je erson County’s event, which always coincides with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Vista Exline, the retired executive director of Victim Outreach Incorporated, helped start the event, recalling how it was initially at Crown

Hill Park. But, there was no way to acknowledge that the event had happened — no sign or marker to signify who’d been there or why.

Exline hoped to start a garden to honor those impacted by crime, and she soon found out that the county had similar plans. So, in time, the Courage Garden became the epicenter for the annual Courage Walk, she said, emphasizing how it’s grown into an important memorial.

e Courage Walk itself has taken on similar signi cance, Exline described, saying that it helps remind participants of “the resilience of the human spirit,” and that there are other people who share their experiences.

After 30 years, Exline said she’s learned many of the names in the garden and their stories and wanted to ensure their loved ones, “We haven’t forgotten them.”

At least 200 participants walked this year, which organizers said was the biggest crowd in several years. Some walked to honor speci c people, like Arvada Police O cer Dillon Vako ’s family, who wore shirts in his honor. Many others, though, were local volunteers and government employees who were there for general support.

Donny Ro’Mello Romero’s family members carry a banner remembering him during the 30th annual Courage Walk on April 29. The 2-year-old was murdered in 2015, and his family members have participated in the walk since then to honor his memory.

Gail Barron, right, and her children, 7-year-old Calvin and 1-year-old Liz, examine the doves that would be released during the 30th annual Courage Walk on April 29. Barron and her children wore shirts honoring their cousin Angel Delgado, who was murdered in 2005. PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

Gus, 1, borrows a Je erson County Sheri ’s deputy’s helmet as people gather for the 30th annual Courage Walk on April 29. Gus’ parents work for the District Attorney’s O ce and the Attorney General’s O ce, and attended to honor those individuals and families impacted by crime.

‘Leave the baby animals alone:’ A plea from Colorado Parks and Wildlife

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Je erson County Animal Control o cers recently rescued a baby fox from a window, an incident that serves as a reminder to residents about coexisting with local wildlife.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife warns Je co residents to resist the urge and stay away from wild animals, especially babies.

According to CPW Public Information O cer Bridget O’Rourke, spring is a time of a lot of animal activity in the wild.

“Now through the end of June is when the next generation of young wildlife is being born,” O’Rourke said. “And bears are starting to come out of their winter dens. And they’re looking for food. And so, what we’ve seen over the course of the past few years is people start to see young wildlife more visible in their backyards and on trails.”

Bears and their young are not the only animals you can encounter in the area. Others include deer, elk, baby Pronghorn, moose calves, fox cubs and even birds that have fallen out of their nests.

O’Rourke said the problem comes

when humans try to interfere when they see a baby animal alone in their yard or on a trail.

“What people think is that ‘Oh, they need to be rescued. I’m going to help them out. I’m going to put them in the back of my truck, or I’m going to go chase them to try to nd the mother,’” she said.

But doing any of these things is a major mistake, O’Rourke said. Interfering with wildlife leads to consequences for everyone.

“It’s very common for mothers to leave their young wildlife in one speci c place as they’re trying to look for food,” she said. “In particular, with moose — and we’ve seen this more with deer as well — if you try to approach their babies, (the moose) will charge an attack. And people have been physically hurt. ey’ve lost teeth, they’ve broken arms, they’ve broken ribs.”

She went on to explain how baby birds learn to y by “ opping out of the nest.”

So, that baby bird in the yard or on the trail could be in the middle of a lesson. Even if they’ve fallen out of the nest, O’Rourke urges residents to leave the babies alone.

“What people do is they go and they touch (the baby bird). ey try to put them back in the nest, they remove the bird from the situation altogether and bring it into our o ce.”

At that point, there is nothing that CPW can do.

“ e mother is never going take it back after that many human scents,” she said. “ ere’s no way for us to put it to a rehab center or put it back to its nest.”

An attempt to “save” a baby bird thus ends up creating a dire situation.

CPW’s new campaign is to stop people from interfering with animal life.

According to O’Rourke, homegrown e orts to “save” a baby animal often lead to killing them.

“ e common thing that we see is people will see maybe pronghorn or baby deer, and they will bring it into our o ce,” she said. “Sometimes we’re able to nd a rehab center. Sometimes the animal is in so much distress — it’s hyperventilating and it’s dehydrated — that it has to be euthanized. Some people take the animals home and try to feed them themselves. ose animals get violently ill, throwing up, and diarrhea, because they’ve been fed things like NutriGrain bars, which their stomachs can’t handle.”

CPW wants the public to understand that it’s a privilege to be in a state with 960 species of wildlife. We need to learn “how to live in harmony with wildlife.”

“Give them their space and respect them,” O’Rourke said.

Call CPW’s Denver o ce at (303) 291-7227 or go to its website for more information immediately if you see baby animals who look sick, in distress or abandoned. Don’t touch or approach them, and remove your pets from the area.

RRCC is proud to announce the celebration of its 53rd annual commencement on Saturday, May 13, beginning at 10am at the Outdoor Pavilion on the RRCC Lakewood Campus. Congrats to all our graduates!

Moose families are coming out to enjoy the spring. CPW reminds Je co to leave the animals alone. PHOTOS COURTESY CPW BRIDGET O’ROURKE

CPW’s information campaign includes this flyer.

Colorado Community Media sta wins 8 awards

SPJ competition featured news from four states

BY STAFF REPORT COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Colorado Community Media staff netted eight awards during the annual Top of the Rockies contest hosted by the Society for Professional Journalists, or SPJ, in downtown Denver on April 22.

With 24 newspapers across the Front Range, CCM reporters competed in the “Large Newsroom” category, which included larger publications and outlets from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.

CCM had two first-place honors. Evergreen reporter Deb Hurley Brobst took the top honors in the category of Obit Reporting for her article on Mandi Evans, who “gave more to the community than great food.”

South Metro Editor Thelma Grimes took first place in the Mental Health writing category for a series she and two high school interns wrote in 2022. The “Need to Succeed” series broke down how the combination of college costs, social media and parent and so-

cietal expectations is costing kids their childhoods.

Several CCM staff members won second-place honors.

Luke Zarzecki took second place in the Feature: Long Form category for his story titled, “Uprooting the American dream: Opinions chang-

For general reporting in a series or package, several south metro staff members combined for a second-place award. Former reporters Jessica Gibbs and Elliott Wenzler along with Grimes and current CCM reporter McKenna Harford took an extensive look throughout 2022 at the Douglas County School District’s termination of former superintendent Corey Wise.

In Enterprise Reporting, former Littleton reporter Robert Tann won for his in-depth look at police chases that span over Douglas and Arapahoe counties.

Arvada Reporter Rylee Dunn won third place for her in-depth look at parents in the Jefferson County School District. Dunn’s article, “Inside Jeffco Kids First, and Ganahl’s furor over students,” won in the Education: News category. For extended coverage, CCM’s Digital Editor Deborah Grigsby won third-place honors for her coverage of mobile home legislation in 2022.

In design, CCM’s Tom Fildey won third place for Single Page Design where he featured a photo page of a wildfire impacting bighorn sheep.

Denver Fashion Week returns to city’s runways

Everybody has an out t or two they love but don’t have the occasion or courage to pull out of the closest. Celebrating style like that — and providing an opportunity to bust out these gems — is one the main reasons Denver Fashion Week has continued to grow year over year.

“Denver Fashion Week is a great opportunity to step out of your comfort zone,” said Hailey Hodapp, the event’s runway director and producer. “We hope people look at the aesthetic and vibes of this year’s shows and nd something that speaks to them. And then they’ll have an excuse to wear something they’d never wear otherwise.”

Denver Fashion Week runs from Saturday, May 6 through Saturday, May 13 at  e Brighton, 3403 Brighton Blvd. in Denver, in the RiNo Art

COMING ATTRACTIONS

District.  is year’s event features six shows, each with an approach all their Local Couture at 7 p.m. on Saturday,

Kids Couture at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 7 Sustainable at 5p.m. on Sunday, May 7

Clarke Reader

Fashion Industry Workshop at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 8

Ready To Wear at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9

Streetwear & Sneakers at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10

Current and former members of the Colorado Community Media sta celebrate eight awards at the annual Top of the Rockies event hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists. The competition includes submissions from professionals in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

COURAGE WALKS

Courage Garden any time they’re at the courthouse, Barron explained, and they’ve attended every Courage Walk since losing her.

In that time, they’ve gotten to know the other families who frequent the event and share their experiences with each other. It’s also become an opportunity for the next generation of Delgado’s family — like Barron’s children who are 7 and 1 — to learn about her.

“It’s a way to keep her memory alive ... (and) talk about her freely,” Barron said, referring to her children. “ … Our family is grateful that this (Courage Walk) continues on.”

Meet Xena!

wearing shirts honoring their cousin Angel Delgado, who was murdered in 2005. Her family members visit the

Courage Walk participants’ hand-drawn shirts line the walkway around the Jefferson County government building April 29.

PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

VOICES

Land exchanges serve the wealthy

In 2017, the public lost 1,470 acres of wilderness-quality land at the base of Mount Sopris near Aspen, Colorado.

For decades, people had hiked and hunted on the Sopris land, yet the Bureau of Land Management handed it over to Leslie Wexner, former CEO of Victoria’s Secret and other corporations, at his request. e so-called “equivalent terrain” he o ered in return was no match for access to trails at the base of the 13,000-foot mountain.

is ill-considered trade reveals how land management agencies pander to wealthy interests, do not properly value public land and restrict opportunities for public involvement. It’s an ongoing scandal in Colorado that receives little attention.

Since 2000, the BLM and the Forest Service have proposed over 150 land exchanges in Colorado. Last year alone, the agencies proposed to trade more than 4,500 acres of public lands, worth over $9 million, in three major Colorado land exchanges.

Land to be traded away includes precious riverfront, lands recommended for Wild and Scenic River designation, and hundreds of acres of prime hunting and recreation territory.

Public land exchanges can be a useful tool. Federal agencies use them to consolidate land holdings,

WRITERS ON THE RANGE

improve public access, reduce man-

cant cultural sites.

Alarmingly, the Valle Seco exchange also includes more than 175 acres of a Colorado Roadless Area, a designation meant to block development of high-quality land. e exchange would allow a neighboring landowner to consolidate those 380 acres with his 3,000-plus acre ranch, opening the door to development.

e Valle Seco Exchange follows a long-standing pattern. “Exchange facilitators,” people familiar with the land-acquisition wish lists of agencies, help private landowners buy lands the agencies want. e landowners then threaten to manage and develop those lands in ways that undermine their integrity.

e Valle Seco proponents did this by closing formerly open gates and threatening to fence the 880 acres for a domestic elk farm and hunting lodge. is is blackmail on the range.

public until December 2021, just a few weeks before the scheduled decision date for the exchange. Advocates managed to pry the appraisals out of the agency only after submitting multiple Freedom of Information Act requests and taking legal action.

In another deal, the Blue Valley Exchange, the BLM also withheld drafts of the management agreements until just before releasing the nal decision. is is hardly an open and fair public process.

e federal government presents what are, in e ect, done deals. Development plans and appraisals are undisclosed and comment periods hindered. By prioritizing the proponents’ desires over public interests and process, the land management agencies abdicate their responsibilities.

Seco Exchange, for example, the San Juan National Forest in southern Colorado would trade 380 acres for 880 acres of prime game-wintering habitat. But the trade mostly bene ts the landowners pushing the exchange.

Public lands for trade in the Valle Seco Exchange include river access, corridors considered for Wild and Scenic River designation, wetlands, sensitive species habitat, and signi -

While catering to these private interests, the agencies suppress public scrutiny by refusing to share land appraisals and other documents with the public until afterthe public process has closed — or too late in the process to make it meaningful.

e proponents and their consultants have ready access to these documents, yet the public, which owns the land, does not. In Valle Seco, appraisals were completed in August 2020, but they weren’t released to the

e result is that too many land trades are nothing less than a betrayal of the public trust as the public loses access to its land as well as the land itself.

Erica Rosenberg is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonpro t that works to spur lively conversation about Western issues. She is on the board of Colorado Wild Public Lands, a nonpro t in the town of Basalt that monitors land exchanges around the state.

Spring allergies or chronic dry eyes?

Allergens, or allergic conjunctivitis, a ects more than 20% of the American population and can irritate the eyes or their surrounding areas. On the other hand, dry eyes a ect tear production and the tear lm, which keeps the surface of the eye clean to avoid infection and provide nourishment. Common symptoms between the two include dryness, excessive watering, sensitivity to light, burning sensations and the feeling as though a foreign body is in the eye.

Where they di er is the amount of itchiness experienced. An allergy are up can be distinguished by

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GUEST COLUMN

intense itching and swelling, two symptoms that are not as common in chronic dry eyes. Common allergens known to cause this kind of irritation to those who are sensitive include certain foods, latex, medications, mold, pets and pollen.   ere are several remedies available to help those who su er from allergic conjunctivitis:

Be aware of the medications you are taking. Prescriptions designed

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

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to help treat allergies have been known to dry out the tear lm, thus leading to dry eye symptoms.

Arti cial tears (eye drops) have been proven to be an e ective way to lessen symptoms and provide relief to the a ected areas. Tip: Some eye drops contain preservatives that have been linked to causing more irritation over time, so experts suggest requesting preservative-free drops to avoid further complications. Always check with your doctor for the best options available.

Close windows and doors during months of high pollination to prevent allergens from settling into your house.

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Use an air puri er to capture any allergens that may have been introduced to your home.

Wash your hands frequently after interaction with pets or animals you have a known allergy to. Wear sunglasses when outside to prevent allergens from contacting your eyes.

David Lito , MD, serves as the Chief Medical O cer for ICON Eyecare. Dr. Lito is a corneal specialist and surgeon specializing in both cataract surgery and refractive surgery. He has been with Kaiser Permanente since 1999 as a corneal specialist and general ophthalmologist.

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‘Mental health is just as important as physical health’

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and this annual observance hits close to home for me, as a former single parent resident of Warren Village.

Warren Village is a Denver-based nonpro t organization that helps low-income, single-parent families achieve sustainable personal and economic self-su ciency. I moved in with my 4-year-old daughter in August of 2019, hoping to build a new life after leaving a domestic violence situation. Little did I know that this decision would not only provide me with a ordable housing and education opportunities, but also vital mental health services.

Before coming to Warren Village, I had already earned a certi cate in

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dismaying behavior by two local candidates

As I begin to look at the election for Arvada City Council this fall, I nd that two candidates have chosen not to sign the voluntary code of fair campaign practices. Murl Hendrickson, who is running in District 2, and Jessica Fenske, who is running in District 4, have not signed this voluntary code. Essentially this code asks candidates to tell the truth, be fair in leveling

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:

• Email your letter to Kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.

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GUEST COLUMN

lenges, this counseling proved to be life-changing for me. I was diagnosed with PTSD and ADHD, and being able to work with a professional to organize my thoughts and feelings was a game-changer.

Jada Galassini

medical assisting, but was struggling to make ends meet. I saw the nonpro t as an opportunity to not only continue my education and pay low rent, but also access a range of services such as career development, housing and personal nance, child development and, of course, mental health counseling. It was just before COVID-19 struck that I began meeting with Pam, a counselor at Warren Village. In response to the pandemic, we shifted to virtual sessions. Despite the chal-

Since leaving Warren Village, I now own a home and possess the necessary resilience and coping skills to prioritize other aspects of my life, such as decorating my new house and providing my daughter with quality possessions without relying on government aid. I consider myself lucky to continue receiving help from Pam through regular counseling sessions, and I will always be appreciative to Warren Village for facilitating this connection.

Now, more than ever, it is crucial to prioritize your mental well-being.

e recent pandemic has taken a toll on all of us, but particularly those who were already struggling with psychological issues.

So I urge all of us to take the time this month to focus on our mental health and well-being. It is not always easy to prioritize ourselves, but it is crucial to living a healthy and ful lling life. Seek help now instead of potentially having problems compound over time.

Let us remember that mental health is just as important as physical health, and work towards ending the stigma and ensuring that everyone has access to the care they need.

Jada Galassini is a resident of southeast Denver.

accusations and granting opponents time for rebuttals, and to not engage in name calling. Please read it for yourself at this site: https://static. arvada.org/docs/Voluntary_Code-1201502191425.pdf.

In this time of ugly politics, I am dismayed that this behavior will become part of our local council elections. Please look at all the candidates carefully and let’s have a fair and civil election.

Joyce Richardson, Arvada

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Betty Swanson Kennedy passed away 24 March 2023 at age 89. Her nal days were spent at her home sharing loving moments and memories with her children and grandchildren.

Further details are available at Olinger Crown Hill by following

www.dignitymemorial.com/ obituaries/wheat-ridge-co/bettykennedy-11219417 In lieu of owers, Betty requested donations be made to Shriners Hospital which took care of her brother Lauren during the rst several years of his life. Donate at https:// donate.lovetotherescue.org.

KENNEDY Betty Lucille Kennedy December 14, 1933 - March 24, 2023

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

At e Alley in downtown Littleton, you might nd a musician who’s so into the music, they’ll get up and dance on the bar.

When a local band surprises the crowd with a stellar performance that no one saw coming, “it just knocks people’s socks o ,” said Mary Riecks, e Alley’s bar manager and a Littleton-area native. e watering hole on Main Street doubles as a music venue that nds and helps grow local talent — and the shows are free. It’s one of the bars in the metro Denver suburbs that o ers a window into up-and-coming homegrown performers amid a music scene that one longtime bar owner says is growing.

“Twenty years ago when I opened up the bar, there were a few bars around that had live music,” said Doug Jacobsen, owner of Jake’s Roadhouse in Arvada.

Since then, he’s noticed that “all of these di erent bars” now o er space for shows, said Jacobsen, who has friends who perform at spots around metro Denver.

“ ere’s a lot of great musicians here,” Jacobsen said.

Here’s a look at places o the beaten path where you can catch some lesser known — and sometimes famous — music artists in person.

‘Something for everyone’ Wild Goose Saloon in Parker

o ers a bit of a di erent environment: It’s a bar but also a large event venue.

It aims to be “Colorado’s version of the Knitting Factory” — a unique, independent venue that hosts local and national artists, said Chris Dellinger, who serves as co-owner of Wild Goose Saloon with his wife.

ey’re both longtime musicians themselves — they perform in a band called Lola Black, garnered play on the radio and toured around the country — and have played Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre several times, Dellinger said.

ey take their knowledge of the industry to running the Wild Goose, which was built around the concept of serving as a music venue and has a bigger stage,

sound and lighting setup than most bars do, Dellinger said.

It’s “kind of like every musician’s dream to own their own venue at some place and time, and we just ended up being able to pull it o ,” said Dellinger, who lives in Aurora.

After opening in July 2021, Wild Goose has hosted some large country artists and “some `80s artists that are still big,” Dellinger said. National pop-rock act American Authors is set to play there in late April.

“My motto always is, ‘If you don’t like the music one night, that’s OK — it’ll be completely di erent the next night or the next week,’” Dellinger said. “So we really try to have something for everyone here.”

His venue tries to get exposure for local talent by letting them open for national touring acts. For the audience, the typical admission cost for a national artist’s show at Wild Goose sits around $25 to $30, but local artists’ ticketed shows can cost as low as $10, and most of the local artists’ shows are free.

Dellinger and his wife have

“snuck in” a performance or two at Wild Goose, he said — they were set to play there in late April with the Texas Hippie Coalition, an American heavy metal band. Keeping classics alive

You might also see Jacobsen, a guitarist himself, playing with a band at Jake’s Roadhouse in the north metro area every now and then.

His bar started o ering live music “right away” after opening near the end of 2003. Sitting in east Arvada close to Denver and Westminster, the venue o ers mostly cover bands and blues, and on Wednesday nights, bluegrass is on tap. Sometimes, artists play original songs, but it’s rare, Jacobsen said.

“Our people come in to hang out, and most original bands don’t have four hours’ worth of original music,” Jacobsen said.

But playing covers at Jake’s Roadhouse is one way to get a new artist’s foot in the door in the local music scene.

“We have bands that come to us all the time that can’t get these other bars to give them a chance to play because they haven’t played anywhere before,” Jacobsen said. He added: “We’re not like that. I know a lot of musicians around town, and we will give a band a chance to play just on the word of a friend.”

He feels that live music is im-

Local suburban bars a place for up-and-coming music talent in Denver metro area

MUSIC

portant to promote — “especially nowadays.”

“I’m 68 years old, so I grew up with really a lot of good rock and roll from the `60s and `70s, and I think it’s important to keep that alive,” he said.

And there’s no ticket cost to watch the live music at Jake’s Roadhouse.

New talent in Littleton Music is always free to watch, too, at e Alley in Littleton on the southwest side of the Denver

suburbs.

e bar had its grand opening near the start of 2017 and has always featured live music, said Riecks, the bar manager.

“ ere were not that many places on Main Street here in downtown Littleton that featured live music other than karaoke or a DJ on the weekends, at least not regularly,” Riecks said. “If you did catch a live band, it was maybe one day a week.”

e Alley came in and established a consistent place for live music, leaning toward classic rock but offering a variety of genres including blues, jazz, folk and bluegrass. Most of the acts that Riecks books are

local. And among the original artists, performances typically include about 25% original songs and 75% covers, she said — catering to the crowds.

e small main-street outlet is still an ideal place where you can catch new talent: Some nights of the week are centered around new artists.

“If you come play my open mic night and the open mic host thinks you have some serious potential, they’ll send them to me,” and then the artist may be featured in “new talent ursday,” Riecks said. After that, Riecks may o er an artist a weekend spot — a paid opportunity to play from 8 to 11 p.m.

“So there’s kind of a ladder,” Riecks said.

Some well-known artists have played at e Alley, including Sean Kelly of e Samples, “which was a huge band in the `90s,” said Riecks, who added that she receives at least 40 to 50 emails a month from local artists and national touring acts.

A large part of e Alley’s crowd on any given night comes for the live music, Riecks said.

People can get a typical bar experience at many other places, she noted.

“But if they want to have a great craft-made cocktail and see some local talent,” Riecks said, “this is the place to do it in Littleton.”

James Steinbach, lead guitarist of Float Like a Bu alo, performs at The Alley in downtown Littleton. Josh Blackburn, a local musician, performs at The Alley in downtown Littleton.

A band plays at The Alley, a bar that features live music in downtown Littleton.

Depressed? Could be Front Range pollution

nature we become extra resilient,” said Kristen Greenwald, an environmental social worker and adjunct professor at the University of Denver. “A lot of folks do that outside. at’s their coping mechanism; it’s soothing to the nervous system.”

BY JIM ROBBINS KFF HEALTH NEWS

In the 1990s, residents of Mexico City noticed their dogs acting strangely — some didn’t recognize their owners, and the animals’ sleep patterns had changed.

At the time, the sprawling, mountain-ringed city of more than 15 million people was known as the most polluted in the world, with a thick, constant haze of fossil fuel pollution trapped by thermal inversions.

In 2002, toxicologist and neuropathologist Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, who is a liated with both Universidad del Valle de México in Mexico City and the University of Montana, examined brain tissue from 40 dogs that had lived in the city and 40 others from a nearby rural area with cleaner air. She discovered the brains of the city dogs showed signs of neurodegeneration while the rural dogs had far healthier brains.

Calderón-Garcidueñas went on to study the brains of 203 human residents of Mexico City, only one of which did not show signs of neurodegeneration. at led to the conclusion that chronic exposure to air pollution can negatively a ect people’s olfactory systems at a young age and may make them more susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Particulate matter really matters e pollutant that plays the “big role” is particulate matter, said

Calderón-Garcidueñas. “Not the big ones, but the tiny ones that can cross barriers. We can detect nanoparticles inside neurons, inside glial cells, inside epithelial cells. We also see things that shouldn’t be there at all — titanium, iron, and copper.” e work the Mexican scientist is doing is feeding a burgeoning body of evidence that shows breathing polluted air not only causes heart and lung damage but also neurodegeneration and mental health problems.

It’s well established that air pollution takes a serious toll on the human body, a ecting almost every organ. Asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, premature death, and stroke are among a long list of problems that can be caused by exposure to air pollution, which, according to the World Health Organization, sits atop the list of health threats glob-

ally, causing 7 million deaths a year. Children and infants are especially susceptible.

Sussing out the impact of air pollution on the brain has been more di cult than for other organs because of its inaccessibility, so it has not been researched as thoroughly, according to researchers. Whether air pollution may cause or contribute to Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s is not settled science. But CalderónGarcidueñas’ work is at the leading edge of showing that air pollution goes directly into the brain through the air we breathe, and has serious impacts.

Some psychotherapists report seeing patients with symptoms stemming from air pollution. Not only does the pollution appear to cause symptoms or make them worse; it also takes away forms of relief.

“If we exercise and spend time in

On polluted days a lot of her clients “can’t go outside without feeling they are making themselves more sick or distressed.”

Megan Herting, who researches air pollution’s impact on the brain at the University of Southern California, said environmental factors should be incorporated in doctors’ assessments these days, especially in places like Southern California and Colorado’s Front Range, where high levels of air pollution are a chronic problem.

“When I go into a medical clinic, they rarely ask me where I live and what is my home environment like,” she said. “Where are we living, what we are exposed to, is important in thinking about prevention and treatment.”

In the last two decades, with new technologies, research on air pollution and its impact on the human nervous system has grown by leaps and bounds.

Research shows tiny particles bypass the body’s ltering systems as they are breathed in through the nose and mouth and travel directly into the brain. Fine and ultra ne particles, which come from diesel exhaust, soot, dust, and wild re smoke, among other sources, often contain metals that hitchhike a ride, worsening their impact.

A changing climate is likely to exacerbate the e ects of air pollution on the brain and mental health. Warmer temperatures react

Feeling blue? Studies show depressive tendencies could be linked to Front Range pollution. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Studies, observations indicate possible link to mental well-being

SEE POLLUTION, P18

Fri 5/12

The Inablers: Matt Hynes Acoustic - Red Rocks Beer Garden @ 5pm Red Rocks Beer Garden, 116 Stone St, Morrison

Jenny Shawhan @ 5pm Grand Hyatt Denver, 1750 Welton St, Den‐ver

Karyn Ann Music @ 6pm Roxy Broadway, 554 S Broadway, Denver

Aubrey Wollett @ 6pm The Living Room, 1055 Broadway, Denver

Hayley Lynn and Karyn Ann at The Roxy on Broadway @ 6pm Roxy Broadway, 554 S Broadway, Denver

Coastless Creatives Presents:

Fun Machine and Friends

@ 7pm The Lodge at Woods Boss, 675 22nd St, Denver

Halfway to Halloween at 13th Floor Denver @ 8pm / $27.99$69.99

May 12th - May 13th

13th Floor Haunted House Denver, 3400 East 52nd Avenue, Denver. help@13th�oorhauntedhouse.com

Softest Hard @ 9pm Ogden Theatre, 935 E Colfax Ave, Denver

Sun 5/14

Featured Featured Featured

Tenia Nelson @ 10am Dazzle Denver, 1512 Curtis St, Denver

Featured Featured

Green Velvet @ 5pm Red Rocks Amphithe‐atre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morri‐son

Indigo De Souza @ 8pm Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St,, Denver

Mon 5/15

Yves Tumor @ 7pm Ogden Theatre, 935 E Colfax Ave, Denver

156/Silence @ 7pm HQ, 60 S Broadway, Denver

Yves Tumor – To Spite or Not to Spite @ 8pm Ogden Theatre, 935 East Colfax, Denver Nation @ 8pm Ogden Theatre, 935 E Colfax Ave, Denver

Yves Tumor @ 8pm Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver

Free Range @ 7pm Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St,, Denver

Claire Rosinkranz @ 7:30pm Red Rocks Amphithe‐atre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morri‐son

Tue 5/16

Kayla Marque @ 7:30pm Sofar Sounds, Denver

Featured Featured Featured

Peter Cat Recording Co. @ 8pm Cervantes Other Side, 2637 Welton Street, Denver

Colorado o cials seek comments on Xcel Energy rate hike proposal

BY ERIC GALATAS PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE

Coloradans can now submit comments on Xcel Energy’s proposal to increase base rates for electricity.

Bill Levis, an AARP Colorado volunteer and former director of the Colorado O ce of Consumer Counsel, charged with protecting consumers, said Xcel has maintained robust pro ts while hiking utility bills year after year, a practice he calls “pancaking,” which stacks costs onto customers.

He argued many Coloradans trying to get by on Social Security cannot a ord additional rate increases.

“And this is a huge impact on them,” Levis pointed out. “We have found that utilities can take up between 10% and 30% of the income of seniors. And that’s really hard to take.”

Xcel has reported the cost of electricity increased by just under 5% from the last quarter of 2022,

POLLUTION

with tailpipe emissions from cars to create more ozone than is generated

and their new proposal before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission would raise base rates by 8.2%. People can comment on the proposal by calling 303-869-3490, online at puc.colorado.gov, and at public hearings scheduled for May 31 and July 11.

Xcel is also asking the Public

when it’s cooler. And more and larger forest res are expected to mean more days of smoky skies.

Ozone linked to neurodegeneration

Ozone has been linked to neurodegeneration, decline in cerebral

Utilities Commission to bump up its authorized pro ts to just over 10%.

Last year Xcel posted more than $8.3 billion in gross pro ts. Public Service, the regulated utility with a mission to provide energy to consumers at the lowest cost possible, is a subsidiary of Xcel, a forpro t company. Levis contended it

plasticity, the death of neurons, and learning and memory impairment. Ozone levels are extremely high in Los Angeles and the mountain valleys of the West, including the Front Range of Colorado, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Air pollution also causes damage from chronic in ammation. As air pollution particles enter the brain, they are mistaken for germs and attacked by microglia, a component of the brain’s immune system, and they stay activated.

“Your body doesn’t like to be exposed to air pollution and it produces an in ammatory response,” said Patrick Ryan, a researcher at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, in an email. “Your brain doesn’t like it either. ere’s more than 10 years of toxicological science and epidemiologic studies that show air pollution causes neuroin ammation.”

Much of the current research focuses on how pollution causes mental health problems.

Damage to the brain is especially pernicious because it is the master control panel for the body, and pollution damage can cause a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. A primary focus of research these days is how pollution-caused damage a ects areas of the brain that regulate emotions — such as the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. e amygdala, for example, governs the processing of fearful experiences, and its impairment can cause anxiety and depression. In one recent review, 95% of studies looking at both physical and functional changes to areas of the brain that regulate emotion showed an impact from air pollution.

A very large study published in February in JAMA Psychiatry, by researchers from the universities of Oxford and Peking and Imperial College London, tracked the incidence of anxiety and

is where the con ict comes in.

“Because the goal of for-pro t companies is to maximize shareholder value,” Levis explained. “But there are times when even for-pro t companies have to bite the bullet and absorb some of the costs.”

Xcel has argued rate increases are necessary to transition to clean energy. But Levis countered the company is passing costs along to consumers and refuses to put any skin in the game.

He noted when telephone utilities upgraded their copper networks to ber optics, they took on part of the costs. e Public Utilities Commission will conduct public and evidentiary hearings before deciding whether Xcel should be granted a fth rate increase in as many years. A decision is expected in September.

e Public News Service story via e Associated Press’ Storyshare, of which Colorado Community Media participates.

depression in nearly 400,000 adults in the United Kingdom over a median length of 11 years and found that longterm exposure even to low levels of a combination of air pollutants — particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and nitric oxide — increased the occurrence of depression and anxiety.

Another recent study, by Erika Manczak at the University of Denver, found adolescents exposed to ozone predicted “for steeper increases in depressive symptoms across adolescent development.”

But the epidemiological research has shortcomings because of confounding factors that are di cult to account for. Some people may be genetically predisposed to susceptibility and others not. Some may experience chronic stress or be very young or very old, which can increase their susceptibility. People who reside near a lot of green space, which reduces anxiety, may be less susceptible.

“Folks living in areas where there is greater exposure to pollutants tend to be areas under-resourced in many ways and grappling with a lot of systemic problems. ere are bigger reports of stress and depression and anxiety,” said Manczak. “Given that those areas have been marginalized for a lot of reasons, it’s a little hard to say this is due to air pollution exposure.”

e best way to tell for sure would be to conduct clinical trials, but that comes with ethical problems. “We can’t randomly expose kids to air pollution,” Ryan said.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more at KFF.org.

Excel Energy provides services across the region, including local Habitat for Humanity projects.

PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

FROM

PAGE

Guided By Humanity Fashion Show and Fundraiser at 6 p.m. on ursday, May 11

International and Local Boutiques at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 13

Of note is the Sustainable show, an issue which Hodapp said has become increasingly important in the fashion world in recent years.

“How sustainable is it to buy a $20 shirt every other month? How does that impact our world?’ she said. “We’re seeing the industry become more purposeful in its use of materials and more designers taking something old and nding ways to make it new again.”

While many people may not think of Denver as a major fashion hub, its reputation has been growing and one of the joys of Denver Fashion Week is the way it celebrates local creatives and matches them with talents from all over the country and world. at’s what makes the Fashion Industry

Workshop and International and Local Boutiques important — they’re a bridge to a wider community.

“I hope people who attend this year are inspired and have their eyes opened to the creative industries,” Hodapp said. “It’d be great if more people understand and appreciate what goes into the clothes they wear. Because the inspiration can come from anywhere and people take that for granted. Designers put so much time and care into every stich.”

For full details and tickets, visit www.denverfashionweek.com.

Get lost in Benchmark’s ‘Great Wilderness’ Samuel D. Hunter’s “A Great Wilderness” is the kind of story that shines on stages — it brings audiences in close as the characters tackle extremely complex and challenging questions about religion, identity and personal conviction.

Directed by Marc Stith, the show runs at Benchmark eatre, 1560 Teller St. in Lakewood, through Saturday, May 13. Performances are at 8 p.m. ursday through Saturday and

TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE

The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself. In this way, The Sun contributes to a more

vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and non-partisan journalism. It covers everything from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and

2 p.m. on Sunday. According to provided information, the show is about Walt, the leader of a Christian retreat that tries to “cure” gay teens. But just as he’s about to retire, a nal client causes him to question the work he’s been doing.

Get tickets for this moving show at https://www.benchmarktheatre. com/tickets-a-great-wilderness.

Be BBQ ready this summer with Backyard Pitmasters

We’re entering prime BBQ season, but many people (myself included) don’t know much about the delicious, delicious art of barbecuing. For the uninitiated, Backyard Pitmasters Colorado is here to provide all you need to become a legendary chef.

e “Barbecue University” events are three-hour classes that teach “the art of smoking great meat in a non-competitive and fun environment at local breweries, distilleries, and other community-driven venues.” You can attend one at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 6 at Mad Rabbit Distillery, 10860 N. Dover St., No. 2000, in Westminster, or at 1 p.m. on

Saturday, May 13 at Mother Tucker Brewery, 2360 E. 120th Ave. in ornton.

Find all the details at https://colorado.brisketu.com/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Lil Wayne at Fillmore Auditorium

I don’t really have to tell you who Lil Wayne is, do I? He’s the Young Money millionaire with criteria that can’t be compared to your career because it just isn’t fair. His run as the best rapper alive in the late 2000’s was absolutely incredible and he’s still capable of e ortless bars whenever he feels like it.

Rap doesn’t have a lot of elder statesmen gures still out on the road, so the fact that Weezy is coming to the Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St. in Denver, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, means you should de nitely take notice. Get tickets at www.livenation.com.

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Special ed gets long-awaited funding boost

Help comes from state budget and related bill

BY ERICA MELTZER CHALKBEAT

Tammy Johnson oversees special education services in ve rural school districts in southwest Colorado as the executive director of the Uncompahgre Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

And she also puts in time as a preschool special education teacher — doing assessments, writing student education plans, supervising classroom aides — because there’s no one else to do the job.

Administrators in the districts she serves “know that I’m not available in my o ce to put out res now that I have to leave my o ce to work in Norwood with preschool kids,” she said.

A long overdue boost to Colorado special education funding is buying Johnson some relief soon. By pooling their share of new state funding, the UnBOCES and the ve school districts plan to hire an experienced preschool special education teacher at $56,000 a year.

“And oh my gosh, we might be able to pay our folks a little salary increase, enough for them to stay,” Johnson said.

e additional funding comes from the 2023-24 state budget and a related special education funding bill and enables Colorado to meet funding commitments it made in 2006 but never honored.

e formula developed back then proposed that school districts get $1,250 for every student with an individualized education plan and another $6,000 for students whose needs cost more to meet, such as students with autism or speci c learning disabilities, students who are deaf or blind, those with traumatic brain injuries or who have

signi cant emotional disabilities.

But instead of meeting that obligation, Colorado lawmakers essentially funded special education out of budgetary leftovers. As recently as 2018, Colorado was paying school districts less than a third of what lawmakers had promised for special education students.

State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger has pushed to steadily increase special education funding each of the last ve years. In 2019, she argued that increasing special education funding was even more important than paying for full-day kindergarten. Kindergarten, a top priority for Gov. Jared Polis, won out.

Last year, Zenzinger and state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Weld County Republican, secured the rst inationary increase since 2006 for all special education students, for

whom districts were reimbursed $1,750 this budget year, a 40% increase.

is year’s budget pledges $6,000 for each higher-needs student, the amount set in 2006 but never met. All told, special education funding is increasing about 13.4% to $340 million.

Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat and the chair of the Joint Budget Committee, said securing funding was a matter of political will.

“Once we exposed this problem, it was really hard to not x it,” she said. “Our children are entitled to this, and in order to be successful, we need to provide them resources.”

Colorado also has a lot more money to work with thanks to a strong economy, one-time federal dollars, and rising local property values that have taken pressure o the state education budget.

e special education funding bill passed the House and Senate with broad bipartisan support and awaits Polis’ signature. It’s sponsored by Zenzinger, Kirkmeyer, state Rep. Cathy Kipp, a Fort Collins Democrat, and state Rep. Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican.

e extra funding still leaves school districts on the hook for about two-thirds of more than $1 billion in total costs to educate students with disabilities. e federal government promised back in the 1970s to pick up 40% of the cost but only reimburses school districts about 14% of their real costs, with the state picking up about 20%.

Lucinda Hundley, who heads the Consortium of Directors of Special Education, said school districts are grateful for the additional money, but they also need lawmakers to understand it’s a fraction of the cost. School districts are legally required to provide special education services, so unreimbursed costs come out of the general education budget.

A study group last year decided against making major changes to how Colorado funds special education, but Hundley said she hopes the state takes another look at how much it invests in special education and considers what a fair share would be between the state and districts.

Rob Gould, a Denver special education teacher and president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, said low funding has exacerbated a shortage of special education teachers and special service providers such as speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, and school psychologists.

“We do not have enough teachers or support sta to serve our students the way they deserve. At every turn, special education educators rise to the occasion, but the state’s lack of investment has exacerbated the educator shortage,” he told lawmakers this month.

Gould described one teacher who quit after her caseload rose to 40 students because she was the only special education teacher in her building.

“She left the profession entirely so she could spend time with her kids on the weekend,” he said.

Sta ng shortages and high workloads sometimes mean students don’t get the services they’re owed. In just one recent example, the Colorado Department of Education found that Denver violated federal requirements by failing to provide

Funding is set to go up for the state’s special education programs.

SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

Polis signs 4 gun bills into law

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER THE COLORADO SUN

Gov. Jared Polis signed four gun measures into law Friday in what’s likely the most consequential tightening of gun regulations in Colorado history.

e bills expand the state’s red ag law, raise the minimum age to purchase all guns to 21, impose a three-day waiting period on rearm purchases and make it easier for people to sue the gun industry.

“Coloradans deserve to be safe in our communities, in our schools, our grocery stores, night clubs and everywhere in between,” Polis said before signing the bills.

Still pending in the legislature, and expected to pass soon, is a fth bill that would ban the creation and sale of unserialized rearms, also known as “ghost guns.”

Here’s what each of the bills signed into law Friday would do: Red flag law expansion Colorado’s red ag law, which allows judges to order the temporary seizure of guns from people deemed a signi cant risk to themselves or others, was created in 2019. But only family members and law enforcement have been able to petition a judge to issue a seizure order.

Under Senate Bill 170, one of the four bills signed by Polis on Friday, the list of people who can petition a

views of the San Juan Mountains, services would look a little di erent.

said.

judge to order a gun seizure now includes health care providers, mental health providers, district attorneys and teachers. e bill also requires the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to create an education campaign around the

“If I hear one more time, ‘It’s not the gun, it’s the person’ but then you don’t support this law, then maybe you don’t really mean it,” said Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, a prime sponsor of the bill. “Because that’s

Finally, the bill creates a hotline run by the Colorado Department of Public Safety to help the public get information about how to request gun seizures and to connect people e measure is aimed at increasing use of the red ag law, which hasn’t been used much in its rst few years compared to other states with similar laws, according to a Colorado Public Radio analysis. e bill’s other prime sponsors were all Democrats, including Sen. Tom Sullivan, Senate President Steve Fenberg and Rep. Mike Weiss-

speech therapy to more than 1,000 young students.

Colorado’s educator shortage survey found that 17% of open special service provider positions went un lled last school year, compared to just 8% of classroom teacher openings. Year after year, special education teachers are among the hardest to hire.

Johnson, the BOCES director, cobbles together services uses independent contractors and virtual appointments. If money were no object and she could o er competitive salaries to go with sweeping

“I would have a psychologist in every building,” she said. “I would have a social worker in every building. I would have a speech pathologist in person. I would have release time for my teams to plan. If we could meet some of our students’ needs proactively rather than reactively, it would make a di erence.”

In voting to move the bill out of the House Education Committee, state Rep. Mary Young, a Greeley Democrat, said she started working as a special education teacher before there was even a federal law requiring that schools serve students with disabilities. In all those decades, special education had never been adequately funded, she

for power outages

“ e people who do special ed do it because their heart is in it,” Johnson said. “Growing up, my brother couldn’t come to school with us because they didn’t have a program for him. at’s why I’m doing this.

“But I’m in my 27th year and

funding hasn’t come close to catching up, and it’s a travesty that we have to do it on the backs of general education students who are also struggling.”

is story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters

Senate Bill 169 raises the minimum age to purchase any rearm

Gov. Jared Polis signed four gun bills into law on April 28.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

SEE GUN BILLS, P23

Five Points Jazz Festival returns for 20th year

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When saxophone player Rico Jones was just 14 years old, he got to jam alongside drummer Tom Tilton and jazz pianist Joe Bonner at Brother Je ’s Cultural Center in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.

“Joe had performed with artists like Woody Shaw and Pharaoh Sanders,” Jones said. “It was one of the rst times I was so close to the authentic lineage of the music. I was beyond inspired.”

at was 2012. Today, Jones — a Latin-Indigenous artist who was born and raised in Denver — has been recognized with more than 10 national awards. He is one of about 40 musical artists slated to perform at this year’s Five Points Jazz Festival.

e event runs from noon to 8 p.m. on June 10. It will feature 10 indoor and outdoor stages along Welton Street between 25th and 29th streets.

e day kicks o with a parade led by the Guerilla Fanfare Brass Band. Attendees will also nd food vendors, a kid’s zone and artisan booths.

“People love a great music festival,” said Sonia Rae, the cultural a airs program manager for Denver Arts & Venues, which puts on the festival. “ ere’s a powerful and rich jazz community here in Denver – some of the nest local musicians are playing the festival.”

e festival is free and will feature a variety of jazz genres: Latin jazz, smooth jazz, soul, avant-garde, jazz roots, blues and more.

Tenia Nelson, a pianist with the Denver-based Tenia Nelson Trio — or TNT for short — served on this year’s Five Points Jazz Festival selection committee.

Nelson is looking forward to seeing all of the di erent kinds of bands performing this year, she said, “and

Getting jazzy

just being around beautiful people enjoying themselves.”

“People enjoy watching live music because they get to see the bands in real time interacting with each other,” Nelson said. “When they see the bands having a great time and playing amazing music, then of course, they will also have a great time.”

Now in its 20th year, the festival draws a crowd of roughly 60,000 attendees. But its beginnings were humble. It started out with three bands on one stage in the parking lot of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library on Welton Street. However, Denver’s Five Points is no stranger to jazz. Known as the Harlem of the West, the neighborhood has drawn jazz greats for the better part of a century.

Historically, Black jazz musicians would come to Denver to perform in White venues. However, they were not allowed to stay in those parts of town because they were Black. So, they would stay in Five Points.

“ ey would stay, and play, and jam all night long,” Rae said.

She added it’s important to honor the history of jazz in Denver because it tells a story of who Denver is.

“ e history of Denver is alive and well in Five Points,” Rae said. “And jazz is alive and well in Five Points.”

Music is something that can bring people of many backgrounds together, Rae said. ose who already love jazz music will certainly enjoy the festival, but it’s also a good way to introduce people to the local jazz scene.

“Jazz is a music that is for the people by the people … People appreciate what is real, genuine and heartfelt,” Jones said. e “Five Points Jazz Festival brings that to the people. And best of all, they do it in a historical place where many of the greats of jazz music performed in the early days of the art form.”

To learn more about the Five Points Jazz Festival, visit ArtsandVenues. com/FivePointsJazz. For a 2023 band lineup, visit ArtsandVenues.com/FivePointsLineup.

A 14-year-old Rico Jones plays the saxophone during a 2012 jazz jam session at Brother Je ’s Cultural Center in Denver’s Five Points. COURTESY OF RICO JONES

Arturo Gomez, music director at KUVO Jazz, appears in a previous year’s Five Points Jazz Festival parade. The festival this year takes place on June 10.

PHOTO BY STEVE HOSTETLER

GUN BILLS

in Colorado to 21. The new law also makes it illegal to sell any gun to someone younger than 21.

“It’s just the truth that young people are far more likely to commit gun violence than their older counterparts,” said Sen. Jessie Danielson, a Wheat Ridge Democrat and prime sponsor of the bill.

It was already illegal for people under 21 to purchase handguns.

The new law makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor to buy a gun if you are younger than 21 or for a private dealer to sell a firearm to someone who is younger than 21. Licensed dealers who sell to someone younger than 21 could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The law has exceptions for members of the military and law enforcement.

The measure originally also would have banned possession of firearms for those under 21. That provision was removed in March. The bill also originally would have allowed people under 21 with a hunting license to purchase some firearms, but that element was also dropped.

The bill’s other prime sponsors

were all Democrats: Sen. Kyle Mullica, Rep. Monica Duran and Rep. Eliza Hamrick.

Three-day waiting period

House Bill 1219 requires that people wait three days after purchasing a gun before they can take possession of the weapon. The measure is aimed at preventing heat-of-the-moment suicides and homicides.

If a background check takes longer than three days, purchasers would have to continue waiting to access their weapon until the check is complete. Violations are punishable by a fine of $500 for the first offense and increase to $5,000 for subsequent offenses.

The legislation also allows local governments to impose longer waiting periods for gun purchases.

Nine states and the District of Columbia already have waiting periods for gun purchases, according to Giffords, a group that pushes for tougher firearm regulations, though the policies differ from state to state.

Republicans in the legislature attempted to amend the bill to exempt victims of assault and attempted homicide from the waiting period, but those proposed changes were rejected. There are exceptions for antique firearms

and for military members soon being deployed who are selling a firearm to a family member.

The bill’s prime sponsors were Democrats Rep. Meg Froelich, Rep. Judy Amabile, Sen. Tom Sullivan and Sen. Chris Hansen.

“Our waiting periods bill puts distance between emotional distress and access to a firearm,” Froelich said during the bill signing event.

Making it easier to sue the gun industry

Senate Bill 168 rolled back the state’s extra protections for gun and ammunition manufacturers and sellers against lawsuits.

A 2000 Colorado law — passed about a year after the Columbine High School massacre — granted the firearm industry some of the toughest civil legal protections in the nation. It required plaintiffs to pay defendants’ attorneys’ fees in all dismissed cases, and only allowed people to bring product liability lawsuits against gun makers, sellers and importers.

Senate Bill 168 eliminates the requirement that plaintiffs automatically pay the legal fees of gun-industry defendants when cases are dismissed, and it makes the industry susceptible to lawsuits under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, the catchall policy

governing business in the state.

“We finally, after 23 years of waiting, can open up Colorado courtrooms to gun violence victims and survivors seeking justice,” said Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Boulder County Democrat and a prime sponsor of the bill.

The bill initially included a specific code of conduct for gun manufacturers and sellers.The code would have required the gun making industry to “take reasonable precautions” to ensure its products aren’t sold to a retailer that “fails to establish and implement reasonable controls.” It also would have required that gun makers don’t create or market products that can be easily modified into something illegal or something that is targeted toward minors or people who are barred from purchasing a gun.

The governor’s office asked for that part of the bill to be removed, and it was taken out at their behest.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media

Bear Creek baseball walks it o against Ralston Valley

BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LAKEWOOD — Bear Creek junior Joey Vigil crossed home plate and the celebration was on April 27 at Bear Creek High School.

Senior Jessiah Agunaldo laced the game-winning, walk-o RBI single that drove in Vigil in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Bear Creek a huge 5-4 victory over Ralston Valley.

“ is is a big win,” Agunaldo said. “We needed this. We needed a win like that.”

Bear Creek (6-9-1, 1-2 in Class 5A Je co League) was in danger of falling into a 2-game hole in the league standings, but the win against Ralston Valley (11-6, 1-3) proved just how balanced 5A Je co could being during conference play.

“Our philosophy here is wins are made days prior,” Bear Creek coach Robert Mitchell said. “ e way that you prepare for those games. e mindset you have in practice. at is the biggest thing we are teaching these guys this year. Show up to practice like it is a game.”

e Mustangs took a 2-0 lead scoring a run in the top of the rst and second innings without a hit o Bear Creek ace Sam Co man. Ralston Valley took advantage of six walks in the rst two innings and a throwing error.

However, Co man settled in and gave up just two hits while striking out 10 in ve inning pitched before he went over 100 pitches thrown.

“On the mound he is our horse,” Mitchell said of Co man. “He is the guy that we rely on. We trust him.”

Bear Creek sophomore Aidan Brand knocked in the Bears rst two runs with an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning and sacri ce y in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2.

e Bears extended their lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning with RBI singles by junior Tyler Anderson and senior Tristian Tafoya o Ralston Valley junior Ben Schrag, who took the hill for starter Wyatt Morwood in the sixth inning.

“We didn’t fall over and die. We have had problems with that,’ Agunaldo said. “ is year we keep trying and keep going. Today it worked out.”

Ralston Valley responded by tying the game up against in the top of the seventh inning. Junior Laird Jones muscled a 2-run home run over the right eld fence to tie things up 4-4.

Sophomore Jamin Patterson was able to limit the damage and end the inning by striking out Ralston Valley junior Jace Cattoor to end the top of the seventh inning. e Mustangs

struck out a dozen times in the loss that ended a 6-game winning streak.

Vigil hit a are to right eld that dropped and Patterson walked, putting Vigil in scoring position for Agunaldo.

“My approach is just hit the ball,” Agunaldo said of his game-winning hit. “I was getting down in the count and I swung at a slider that a barely touched. I had to keep ghting. I was able to drive that pitch (outside fastball) to right center.”

Co man was the rst teammate that reached Agunaldo as the Bears celebrated the victory.

“I’m proud of these guys. We are making big, big improvements,” Mitchell said. “I’m proud of this team.”

Ralston Valley su ered a pair of home losses against Chat eld and Valor Christian to nish o playing three games in three days.

Bear Creek lost to Arvada West on April 28, but did grab a pair of victories and a tie at the Fountain-Fort

tournament April

Carson

29.

Dennis Pleuss is the sports information director for Je co Public Schools. For more Je co coverage, go to CHSAANow.com.

Ralston Valley senior Chase Cecil (22) isn’t able to catch the ball on a steal attempt by Bear Creek junior Tyler Anderson during the Class 5A Je co League game April 27 at Bear Creek High School. The Bears grabbed a 5-4 victory over the Mustangs.

Bear Creek sophomore Alonso Garcia, center, leads the charge to first base and senior Jessiah Agunaldo, who had the game-winning, walk-o single to give the Bears a 5-4 victory over Ralston Valley on April 27 at Bear Creek High School.

PHOTOS BY DENNIS PLEUSS/JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Assessors predict sticker shock for homeowners

Metro mortgages, rents, taxes will rise with new property valuations

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

is week, homeowners across the Denver area will be staring at numbers that may come as a shock: eir property values may have jumped by up to 45% — or even higher.

“We do ask property owners to take a good look at the notices they receive,” said Denver Assessor Keith Er meyer, urging homeowners to let their local assessor’s o ces know if they dispute the value they receive.

Driven by a costly real-estate market, home values — as calculated for property tax purposes — have spiked since the last time homeowners received notices of value two years ago. Since then, residential properties in the Denver metro area typically saw value increases between 35% and 45%, a group of assessors from across the Front Range announced April 26.

For owners selling their homes these days, the bump in home prices has been good news. But it also means owners are on the hook for higher property tax bills, Er meyer noted.

Public o cials are openly hoping homeowners will get relief from the state legislature, where lawmakers are expected to take action to lower property tax bills this year.

It’s a fraught equation, though, because local governments depend on property tax revenue, and too much adjustment could threaten cuts to

their services.

Property taxes partly fund county governments, but they also fund school districts, re and library districts, and other local entities.

Toby Damisch, who heads Douglas County’s property tax o ce, emphasized the urgent nature of the situation for homeowners and a ordability.

“If the state lawmakers don’t act immediately on this, then it will be a crisis, in my opinion,” Damisch, the Douglas County assessor, told reporters.

Not an isolated problem

Across Colorado, property values have risen signi cantly, Damisch said. In notably a uent Douglas County, residential properties saw increases between 30% and 60%, with a median of 47%.

Other metro-area counties have seen high spikes as well:

• In Denver, the median increase in single-family home property values is 33%, Er meyer said.

• In Je erson County, median single-family residential values increased by 37%, the county said in a news release.

• Arapahoe County’s assessor, PK Kaiser, announced the county will see almost a 42% increase in residential values.

• Broom eld saw a median value increase for single-family residential of 41%, according to Broom eld County’s assessor. How does that all stack up with property value jumps in recent years?

Er meyer recalls talking about median increases that were “largely

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“Douglas County, we had 30% increases in the 1997 reappraisal as well as the 1999 appraisal. at felt monumental at the time,” Damisch said. “What we’re looking at this year is that’s at the low end.”

Apartment renters affected

While property tax discussions often focus on homeowners, the spike in values could also a ect renters in apartments — sometimes called “multifamily” buildings — though it’s unclear by how much.

Asked whether apartment landlords will raise rent because of increases in property tax bills, Damisch said they may try, “but they can only do what the market allows.”

“And taxes is just one of their cost streams,” Damisch said, adding that landlords have seen increased labor and insurance costs as well.

Er meyer noted: “We’ve seen some historic increases in multifamily in the past that haven’t been met with immediate rent spikes.”

e median total property value change for apartment buildings is 20% in Je erson County, according to a news release.

In Douglas County, the median increase in multifamily property values is 25%, Damisch said.

Growing pains

In an expensive real-estate market, it seems like new property developments pop up constantly around metro Denver.

A common concern from existing residents is that new developments will cause their property values to drop. But market forces keeping property values high can also elicit fears of high property tax bills.

Asked about the tension between those two concerns, Damisch ac-

knowledged it’s a di cult question.

“Growth has always been, in Douglas County, one of the hottest topics. We’ve had thousands of people moving in for a few decades,” Damisch said. “Once they get here — myself included — they don’t like the growth.”

Er meyer pointed to the shortage of housing in general around the state.

“I don’t think you could disconnect what we’re talking about today from that particular fact,” Er meyer said. “ at’s one of many, many things that contribute to property (values).”

Lawmakers may step in It’s the job of county assessors’ o ces to establish accurate values of homes and other properties to determine how much property owners will owe government enti-

ties in taxes — a process meant to ensure that the amount of taxes people pay is fair and equitable.

( e assessor doesn’t set the tax rate but determines the value of the property that the tax rate then gets applied to. Local government entities like counties and school districts set the tax rates. Property tax rates are o cially called “mill levies.”)

e law requires the assessors to value properties every two years.

e property valuation homeowners will soon receive is based on June 2022 data, near the recent peak in the real-estate market.

So even though home prices have declined since then, property values re ect last year’s exceptional highs.

Also at play is a number called the “assessment rate,” another factor that helps determine how much

in property taxes a person owes. e state legislature sets the assessment rate.

JoAnn Gro , Colorado property tax administrator, said she “can pretty well guarantee” that the property tax information homeowners receive next week won’t be

“It’s because your legislature isn’t immune to what’s going on right now,” Gro said. “ ere’ve been lots of discussions … about providing some additional property value adjustment.”

“I truly expect to see some adjustments and some relief in 2023,” she

She also advised the public “to watch every one of your taxing jurisdictions that’s going to have conversations about setting their

Colorado ranks lower

Despite the public concerns over property taxes, Gro noted that “we still have one of the lowest obligations of property taxes of any state.”

Nationally, Colorado has relatively low residential property taxes, according to an analysis by the conservative Tax Foundation. Colorado ranked 47th in property taxes paid as a percentage of owner-occupied housing value in 2020, according to the foundation.

And while businesses pay more, their taxes still appear to be lower than the national average, according to the Colorado Sun. Colorado had the 17th best “State Business Tax Climate” for 2020, according to the Tax Foundation. Colorado had the 14th best “property tax rank” for businesses in 2020, according to the foundation.

Editor’s note: As of press time, Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic legislators said they would announce a “transformative plan” on May 1 to reduce property tax bills and “implement long-term protections” to prevent future increases. e plan would require voter approval in November.

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