Arvada Press 060123

Here’s what’s new, and what to expect when Casa Bonita Denver reopens

Bonita’s much-anticipated grand reopening is still under wraps, a sneak peek of the facility in Lakewood reveals that, much like its high divers, you’re in for a deep plunge into nostalgia.

May 26 that while Casa Bonita is in a beta-test mode, it will open with limited dinner hours, and rst guests will be pulled exclusively from the email list, with no walk-ins. (Sign up at this link.)

peek of the pink palace to media, so we can now con rm: it’s still the same kitschy place you may recall fondly. In fact, the owners worked very hard to preserve and restore the original 1975 look. e exception is the much cleaner look of the restaurant, especially the kitchen.

tour was security. is visit and every piece of information on it was under an embargo until today.

At the site, several Allied Universal Security personnel maintained lines. e only people allowed through the security rope were those lucky enough to nd themselves on a strict list of names.

forward as well. Two metal detectors stood idle by the front doors. e press was allowed to bypass them. e public may not have that option.  Despite all the secrecy, there are a few things we can share now from our peek inside Casa Bonita.

Arvada 7th grader wins Colorado Civics Bee

Sriram Yalavarthy outpaces 15

finalists to claim $1,000 prize

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Local 7th grader Sriram Yalavarthy had an impressive showing at the rst-ever Colorado Civics Bee, besting 15 nalists to win rst place and win the $1,000 prize at the May 19 Civics Bee nals.

District 20 Representative Don Wilson and Metropolitan State University Professor Robert Preuhs were among the judges for the competition, which featured a live quiz-show style format. e Civics Bee was put on by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce.

Yalavarthy, who attends Drake Middle School, said his love for social studies began by watching “ e Nightly News with Lester Holt” with his family every night.

“Watching real-life events unfold has prompted me to gain an interest in civics,” Yalavarthy said.

Yalavarthy said that he reviewed United States history and the Constitution to prepare for the nals of the competition. He also credited teachers from Drake and West Woods Elementary School with helping him prepare.

(left to Right) Casa Bonita’s Matt Stone, Executive Chef Dana Rodrigues and Trey Parker share the excitement as Denver’s iconic Casa Bonita prepares to re-open in May.

COURTESY OF CASA BONITA SEE CASA BONITA, P2

SEE BEE, P4

CASA BONITA

Here’s what’s new:

• e intake. While you’ll still be hit with a line that snakes around the entrance, the planners have improved the experience with the addition of a “ticket plaza” (styled to look like a Oaxaca, Mexico, courtyard) that will process folks through the line faster. Initially at least, there will not be walk-in tra c but a ticketing system to coordinate the crowds.

• e kitchen. at area was torn down to the studs, according to the tour guides, and dug farther down to create a place that was to James Beard Award-nominated chef Dana Rodriguez’ liking. She was on a mission, as with her other restaurants, Work & Class and Super Mega Bien, that the food be handmade and made to order. e “food slot” where you received your meals is gone, replaced with a cafeteria-style system similar to what you nd at fast-casual restaurants, to satisfy that “eat with your eyes” experience.

• ADA access. Lifts have been added to areas of the multi-level restaurant to create more access for people using wheelchairs.

Here’s what hasn’t changed:

• e scent. While you’re still

struck with a faint chlorinated aroma when you walk in the door, it is MUCH fainter than the chemical smell you may recall from previous visits.

• e ambience. e faux adobe/ exposed brick interior and dim lighting still has that same “big facility made to handle big crowds.”

• e waterfall and lagoon. While modi ed and improved for safety reasons, divers will still be taking the 15-foot plunge into the depths at the middle of the restaurant. e 30-foot-high waterfall was designed to emulate the cli s of Acapulco. And yes, there are still sopapilla ags.

Here’s what we still don’t know:

• e Prices. e $5.99 all-youcan-eat is probably gone, but what’s in its place?

• Black Bart’s Hideout. Our tour guide did not know the fate of the cave that wound through darkened passageways to a game room/carnival area, but chances are it still exists in some form.

• e fate of murals. e tour was restrictive, so we did not get to see inside the arcade, Black Bart’s cave and other areas. However, the focus on restoration may mean a hint of hope that some of the murals in those rooms and other areas are still there.

Cli divers, sopaipillas--it’s all back, just the way you remember it. Denver’s iconic Casa Bonita will re-open this much to a very enthusiastic--and hungry--audience.

Lighting work continues as Casa Bonita puts the finishing touches on things prior to their highly-anticipated grand re-opening in Denver. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CASA BONITA

Traditional favorites return to the Casa Bonita menu, including the Red Enchiladas entree.

SEE CASA BONITA, P8

Gov. Polis apologizes for death of Christian Glass

May 24 called Christian Glass Day

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis apologized to the parents of Christian Glass, the 22-year-old killed by a Clear Creek deputy in Silver Plume

last year. He then declared May 24 Christian Glass Day and displayed Glass’ artwork that will be hung in the Capitol.

“What happened to Christian should not have happened,” Polis told Glass’ parents, Simon and Sally, in a live-steamed announcement on Facebook on May 24. “We are going to do the best we can to avoid any parents going through what you have gone through.”

e announcement came a day after the family agreed to a $19-million settlement in the death. e state, Clear Creek County and two other agencies agreed to the settlement. O cers from multiple agencies were at the scene the night Glass was killed.

Clear Creek County is responsible for $10 million; Georgetown $5 million; the state $3 million; and Idaho Springs $1 million. It is the largest

known single payout for police violence in the state’s history.

Glass died on the night of June 1011, 2022, after he called 911 for help because he was stranded in his car.

O cers asked Glass to leave his car, but he refused in what turned into an extended stando and mental health crisis that ended when

Innovative Startup to Sell ‘Carbon Negative’ Building Materials Made From Grass

One of the most common lumber products used by home builders is OSB, which stands for Oriented Strand Board. It is not to be confused with particle board, which is basically sawdust and resin. With its limited structural strength, particle board is used primarily in furniture, cabinetry and countertops, typically under Formica.

OSB is a structural replacement for plywood, and is used extensively by builders for roof, wall and floor sheathing. It is also used in manufactured floor joists and is the skin material for structural insulated panels (SIPs).

Naturallywood.com explains that OSB “is made from wood strands 8 to 15 centimeters long. It uses the whole tree and makes use of crooked, knotty and deformed trees that would otherwise go unused.” Although that’s an economical use of waste timber, OSB is not as sustainable as the product invented by Plantd, an Oxford, NC, startup which won the “Most Innovative Startup” award from the National Association of Home Builders at this year’s International Builders Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. What the company invented was an OSB substitute made from a proprietary grass that grows to 20 feet tall in a single season, drawing CO2 out of the atmosphere far quicker than trees do. The company claims that 14,000 acres of grass plantations can produce as much material as 400,000 acres of managed timber lands. These qualities make Plantd’s grass a superior crop for addressing climate change, which was the original objective of the company’s founders.

“At Plantd,” says the company’s press

release, “we are leading a shift to materials made from renewable grass and building the factory of the future to ensure atmospheric carbon captured in the field is locked away inside the walls and floors of new homes.”

With $10 million in venture capital, the company will manufacture its “carbon negative building materials” in a former cigarette factory. Moreover, the farmers who previously grew tobacco will now be growing the grass needed by the factory, helping the local economy recover from the closing of the cigarette factory.

The company has been getting lots of national press, which you can read at its website, www.PlantdMaterials.com

Plantd is now constructing the first of its automated, modular, all-electric production lines at its new facility, with a target to open within the next 12 months, according to the May 3rd press release.

Here’s an excerpt from the website’s home page: “Throughout history, civilizations have advanced at the speed of material innovation. Timber, steel, and concrete enabled remarkable progress, but today they are the problem, not the solution. Continuing to build with these materials accelerates climate change and promises to impede progress by threatening our future on this planet. We see a world built from grass. A world where buildings no longer cause climate change but are central to the solution. Where they are stronger, more durable, and more affordable.”

The website claims that their product will be stronger, lighter, more moisture resistant, carbon negative, and will cost the same as regular OSB.

The panel has just two ingredients: the

What Agents Don’t Know About Legal Descriptions

Every piece of real estate has both a mailing address and a legal description. The latter needs to be cited in MLS listings and on the deeds recorded with each County Clerk & Recorder.

Most listing agents copy the full legal description which they find on Realist, the property records section of the MLS. However, in the case of property located in a subdivision, that information contains way more than the legal description. Here is an example from Realist: SECTION 28 TOWNSHIP 03 RANGE

SUBDIVISION CD 108795

SUBDIVISION NAME CANYON POINT VILLAS FLG NO 2 BLOCK LOT 0001

SIZE: 1379 TRACT VALUE: .032

Because this property is in a subdivision which is itself recorded with the County, the true legal description is simply the name of the subdivision plus the block and lot number. In the above example, there is no block number, so the legal description is simply the following CANYON POINT VILLAS FLG NO 2, LOT 1. That’s what would appear on the deed prepared by the title company and recorded by the Jeffco Clerk & Recorder.

perennial grass and a small amount of resin (with the formaldehyde reacted out before reaches Plantd’s factory). This

creates a low-VOC product with fewer chemical additives compared to other products, according to the company.

International Rescue Committee Honors Judy Denison

Judy Denison, 86, was honored last month by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for her indefatigable work obtaining free furniture and housewares for virtually every refugee resettled in Colorado by the IRC since 2020.

From her arrival in Golden 35 years ago, Judy volunteered in countless ways to serve Golden and ultimately to serve refugees, reaching out to involve the rest of us in every possible way.

Her first civic involvement took the form of co-founding Save the Mesas (from being developed by Nike) and joining the fight against ramming a beltway through Golden. She created the “Golden Newsletter” to keep over 1,000 email subscribers informed of that and other campaign/issues as well as the activities of virtually every Golden organization.

Judy’s first local refugee effort was the creation of the Golden Relief Group, which

helped seven families who survived Hurricane Katrina. For the IRC, she used her 2-car garage to store furniture donations for refugees from Afghanistan and a dozen other countries. Golden Real Estate was proud to make our moving truck available for transferring those items to IRC’s warehouse until Judy’s greatest collaboration, which is with CK & Done, an estate sale company. That company donates the unsold furniture and furnishings from estate sales and delivers them to IRC’s warehouse.

The IRC was not the first organization to recognize Judy for her voluntarism and civic mindedness. In 2012 the Golden Landmarks Association honored her as a “living landmark.”

Space does not allow for a sufficient listing of Judy’s contribution to Golden and our planet, so look for links to both those honors at www.GoldenREblog.com

Plantd's founders, left to right: Josh Dorfman, CEO; Nathan Silvernail, Chief Operations Officer; and Huade Tan, Chief Technology Officer at Plantd. Photos courtesy Plantd

SEE GLASS, P4

He said his favorite question of the competition was correctly identifying Marbury v. Madison as the landmark Supreme Court case that defined the high court’s role in the U.S. government, which Yalavarthy said was his favorite prompt because it

validated Yalavarthy’s studies of landmark Supreme Court cases.

“I was really surprised when they announced that I was the 2023 Colorado State Civics Bee champion because all the finalists were so talented,” Yalavarthy said.

The wise-beyond-his-years middle schooler said his ambition changes frequently, but he currently wants to be a news reporter when he grows up.

FROM

o cers broke a car window and used a Taser on Glass. Clear Creek Sheri ’s Deputy Andrew Buen shot Glass, killing him. Buen and another o cer, Kyle Gould, were later red and are facing charges, including second-degree murder.

Mom Sally Glass thanked Polis, saying the family didn’t want Christian to be forgotten.

“If he’s oating around, he would be so proud and happy to have his art displayed in the state Capitol,” she said. “His memory will live on in our hearts and minds.”

Dad Simon Glass added that what happened to Christian was a terrible crime.

“We hope it never happens again in Colorado or ideally the country,” he said.

Polis ended the short announcement by saying, “ ank you for sharing some of Christian with Colorado. is is a reminder of how we can do better, so these tragedies don’t happen again.”

More about Christian

According to a statement about Christian on the website of RathodMohamedbhai, the attorneys for the Glass family, “Christian was a young man of many talents with kindness that knew no bounds. Christian

was loved beyond measure by his parents, sisters, extended family, friends, and community.

“Christian was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, by his mother, Sally Glass, who is of British decent, and his father, Simon Glass, who is from New Zealand. e Glass family relocated to California when Christian was 10 and eventually moved to Boulder, Colorado.

“Christian had an array of specialties and interests. He was an avid tennis fan and player, a trained chef who loved to cook, and also a self-taught artist with an innate gift.

Christian used many mediums to make his art, but the majority of his pieces involved oil painting and oil pencil.”

More about the settlement

A statement from Clear Creek

Sheri Rick Albers acknowledged “that his o cers failed to meet expectations in their response to Christian Glass when he called for assistance,” calling events on the night of Glass’ death “disturbing.”

“ e sheri has undertaken measures intended to prevent a future failure,” a statement in the wake of the settlement announcement read. “He has been working with partners to establish a program of countywide crisis response. “

Albers also acknowledged that

Yalavarthy at the civics bee.

COURTESY OF COLORADO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SEE GLASS, P5

GLASS

the “initial press release” describing events surrounding Glass’ death “did not give an accurate description of what occurred.”

“Rather, as stated in the conclusion of the investigative report subsequently issued by the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce after an independent review requested by Sheri Albers, the deputy who killed Christian Glass used lethal force that ‘was not consistent with that of a reasonable o cer,’” the statement read.

e Clear Creek Sheri ’s O ce also has agreed to train and certify all its patrol o cers in crisis intervention.

“ ese agreements recognize the critical importance that law enforcement respond to emergencies, including situations involving mental health crises, with professionalism, empathy and an emphasis on deescalation,” a statement from the the Rathod-Mohamedbhai law rm stated.

e rm added that the Colorado State Patrol will develop a virtual reality training based on Glass’ death, with “a focus on de-escalation in a high-stress situation.”

In addition to the millions of dollars, Clear Creek County has agreed to dedicate a public park to Glass,

which will be selected in consultation with his parents.

e Town of Georgetown released a statement calling Glass’ death “avoidable.”

“Georgetown will devote the resources necessary to developing new and better ways for identifying and providing assistance to those, like Christian, who need it most,” the statement read.

Georgetown added that o cers have been attending courses in intensive crisis intervention responses and are participating in a “countywide co-responder program that allows for the presence of a mental health professional and paramedic tandem to assist law enforcement in future settings.”

Idaho Springs Mayor Chuck Harmon, in a statement on behalf of the city council, said: “We hope that settlement of this matter can provide closure to the many people involved. City leadership remains committed to the constant self-evaluation and betterment of the (Idaho Springs Police Department) in all ways.”

Idaho Springs, the statement added, “continues to work collaboratively with the Je erson Center for Mental Health, which has a licensed clinician ride with an o cer/deputy each week for community outreach.”

e statement also said that “ISPD also continues to develop a mental health co-responder program within Clear Creek County.”

Christian Glass, left, with his parents Simon and Sally Glass.

COURTESY PHOTO

Campbell Elementary School hosts End of an Era event to commemorate 60 years

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With Campbell Elementary School in Arvada set to close at the end of the school year, the community gave the building a heartfelt sendo to commemorate the End of an Era, as the Campbell PTA called it. Dozens of former and current students, faculty and families came to bid Campbell adieu on May 19.

Campbell opened its doors in 1963. It is included in the 16 Jefferson County elementary schools slated for closure at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Five past principals attended the End of an Era event, which was organized by the Campbell Parent Teacher Association.

PTA President Nicole Rodela called the event a “smashing success.”

“Our End of an Era community party at Campbell Elementary was a smashing success,” Rodela said. “Smiles all around, it helped

Current Campbell students at the school’s going away party. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAMPBELL PTA

Indoor games were provided for folks at the celebration. SEE CAMPBELL, P7

to hide the tears of losing our beloved urban gem.”

e Arvada West High School jazz band came to provide some tunes, while Discover Dance gave a performance.

Fanwitch Food Truck provided food while Scrumptious provided ice cream.

e fabled Dr. Seuss quote “Don’t cry because it’s over,

smile because it happened” seemed to be the guiding philosophy at the bittersweet gathering. Longtime Campbell teacher Deb Stier read a poem she wrote to commemorate the 60 years of Campbell, called “A Forever Family.”

e poem read, in part:

“And though our school is closing, / e Cougar family will live on/ Our legacy is not brick and mortar/ But the love this school’s built on.”

Campbell’s graduation ceremonies took place on May 23.

Former Campbell teachers reunite at the school at the End of an Era celebration.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAMPBELL PTA

The scene at Campbell Elementary School at the End of an Era celebration.

Host city Lakewood will face its own challenges when Casa Bonita nally opens. While part of a big parking lot, capacity to handle the crowds is an open question.

Host city Lakewood will face its own challenges when Casa Bonita nally opens. While part of a big parking lot, capacity to handle the crowds is an open question.

According to Mayor Adam Paul, the city is ready for the challenge.

“We’re probably as prepared as we can be,” he said before going on to acknowledge the crowds, “but there’s going to be a lot of interest, a lot of people moving in and out of there.”

He went on to mention other concerns in addition to parking and security, including the Colfax city project and inclement weather.

“I think that we’ll nd unique ways to make sure that we can accommodate not only some but all the businesses in that area,” he said. “ en it’s just going to have to be a partnership (with Casa Bonita) moving forward, knowing that the future of West Colfax is super bright. And that all these projects together are going to make a big di erence.”

e restaurant originally opened on west Colfax Avenue in March of 1974 as part of a franchise by Bill Waugh, according to an obituary from his death in 2015. With the ability to seat more than 1,000 patrons, the 52,000-squarefoot, multilevel facility served as a cultural landmark, event center and curiosity long before the animated show “South Park” prominently featured it in an episode in 2003. (With the additions that the current owners have made, the size of Casa Bonita is now 56,000 square feet.)

For those who have never been inside, Casa Bonita is designed to mimic a Mexican resort village. But after years of being touched by thousands

of young hands and lax upkeep, the landmark developed a feel that could only be described as “gritty,” much like how Lakewood o cials like to tout West Colfax in general.

Previous tours of Casa Bonita also highlighted a 150-seat theater in a lower level, where the Denver Broncos held their 2011 draft. ( e venue was good luck — they selected linebacker Von Miller, a defensive powerhouse who was the Super Bowl 50 MVP.)

e pink palace shut its doors during the COVID-19 lockdowns in March 2020. At that time, expectations of its demise were rampant, with employees reporting that their March 2020 paychecks had bounced. en-owners Star Bu et Inc. declared bankruptcy in April 2021.

e facility, though still not operational as a restaurant, o ered free tours to the curious. In August 2021, Gov. Jared Polis appeared with “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to announce they had reached an agreement to purchase the facility.

“We’re excited to work with everybody to make it the place we all want to make it,” Parker said at the time.

ways to prepare for flood season in Je erson County

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

May to October is the annual ood season in Colorado. And, like most of the natural happenings around the state, the swollen rivers and creeks are naturally beautiful, but they are also powerful and very dangerous.

In fact, 2023 marks 10 years since Je erson County’s last major ood event. e photos capture the damage done to roads, trees and trails by the powerful ood water.

Christine Billings, of Je co Public Health, said that the best thing anyone can do before a natural event is to plan and practice. She o ered 10 things you can do now to stay ready during this year’s ood season. Some are measures that are well-known in the community. However, this is your reminder to check, practice and plan for oods, res and other weather disasters.

1. Keep your pets’ immunizations (and yours) up to date.

“Sometimes shelters won’t take (the pets) unless there’s documentation of full vaccinations,” Billings said. “So, make sure that you’re up to date on vaccines for your pets. In addition, make sure that you are up to date on your vaccines.”

Billings said that ooding brings a

high risk of tetanus exposure.

“ e recommended (booster) is every 10 years, so it’s not often. But in a ooding event, there is a lot of debris and a lot of unexpected injuries that can occur when you are cleaning up,” she said.

Getting caught in ood waters also brings the danger of tetanus exposure as well.

2. Keep those documents dry, safe and easy to reach.

Billings advises placing the pet’s immunization records and those of the family in a safe place with other vital information. Put these documents in a place that everyone knows and that’s easy to access in the event of a ood or natural disaster.

Add the pet’s license, as a shelter may require that information before allowing your pet into the facility.

3. Take pictures of your property inside and out on a regular day.

Pictures aid in insurance documentation and help emergency agencies in the area after a disaster. Billings urges everyone to “take a video of your property and your house to document what it looked like before the disaster happened.”

Add these to a USB drive and stash it with the vital records. You

Flooding in 2013 damaged or destroyed nearly 485 miles of roads and 50 bridges across Colorado.

PHOTO BY JCPH

Statewide, according to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, eight people died, 19,000 homes and commercial buildings were damaged and more than 1,500 were destroyed in a September 2013 flood.

PHOTO BY JCPH

A few weeks prior to the flooding, Clear Creek seemed to trickle across this shallow space in the rocks.

PHOTO BY JO DAVIS

SEE FLOODING, P11

FLOODING

can also store the le on a cloud drive or on your phone.

4. Map and drill on evacuation plans and routes.

Billings said that the best way to know what to do during a disaster is to practice it beforehand until it is routine.

“Practice your driving route. So, when you’re in that emergency, and the ‘ ght or ight’ brain takes over, it’s kind of second nature, to know which way you’re going to drive,” she said.

Billings added that practice also makes it easier when the main route is unusable.

“What are my alternate ways out of my space?” she said. “If something happens, what are two or three additional ways to get out of where I am?”

Figure those out and then practice.

5. Select an emergency contact person to check in with when disaster hits.

According to Billings, an important piece to a communication plan is having an out-of-state contact.

“If something happens, we’re all going to call grandma in Utah, or we’re all going to call Uncle Eddie down in Alabama. Just get an out-of-state contact, who is likely not impacted by the local disaster, and everyone’s touch base with that person as well,” she said. “ at’s a good key component of that communication plan.”

6. Be your own hero

Billings o ered up a slogan created in 2022 to promote emergency preparedness in Je co: Be Your Own Hero.

“We want people to be their own heroes,” she said. “To take that empowerment step, to take the information into their own hands, to be informed and to know what their plan is should something happen in their area.”

7. Remember to accommodate people with disabilities in the plan.

ere are a few questions that Billings suggests for families who have disabled members: Do you have an extra stash of medication? Is there a way out of the house for those who need assistance to walk? Do we have individuals with disabilities who may need extra assistance extra time moving? Do people in my house need a little bit more time to evacuate from their space?

Ask yourself these questions when making your plan and when practicing escape/evacuation routes.

8. Add your pet’s food to the emergency food stash, along with a dish for food and water. Don’t forget about pets. Billings said to consider animal meds, special diets

and toys for soothing them if you have to evacuate to a shelter. ink about the things you would need to be well away from home and apply that to your pet.

9. ink of the mosquitoes and rodents after the ood.

“After the ood events, it warms up quickly,” Billings said. “You will have a risk of increased mosquitoes and with mosquitoes in Colorado comes West Nile virus.”

She said that rodents and animals take shelter during ooding, and that may mean in and around your house. Stay vigilant when returning home, and pack bug spray in the emergency kit while you are planning.

10. Know how to get your well tested after a ood or disaster.

“ inking about the integrity of those systems after a ooding event is really important,” Billings said.

“ inking about water and wastewater quality, those are messages that we as health departments send out to the community to remind individuals to think about water and wastewater safety when returning to their space after a ood event.”

Figure out where to go to get testing done before the ood event.

is way you won’t forget it later when bigger issues are taking your attention. You can nd information about well testing here to get started.

Billings urges everyone in the county to sign up for the natural disaster alerts as well. Do that now, before the disaster hits. She said communication is key and being connected to information about the event is what the community needs. It’s a lesson that Billings says the department learned in 2013.

“We just assumed that electronic

communication would be the way to go,” she said. “But it was quite literally printing out hard copies of information, taking them to the community and meeting the community where they were at.”

So, get informed, prepare, prac-

tice and stay alert. We can’t avoid these beautiful weather disasters, but we can be prepared to weather them when they hit.

For more information, check out the Je erson County Public Health Emergency preparedness website.

Flexible

The sun peeks out through the clouds, a signal that the rain was over. However, during flood season, we must stay vigilant until the water recedes.

PHOTO BY JO DAVIS

VOICES

Love, recognition and appreciation

Many years ago, I remember hearing this question posed to a group of people going through some training, “How often should you tell your spouse that you love them?” Take a moment to consider what your response might be, and I will share the answer a little later in this column.

In speaking with a friend of mine who is a salesperson, he shared with me that he recently lost one of his best accounts. When I asked him what happened, he didn’t blame his company, the competition, the economy or anything else. He took full responsibility for not paying enough attention to them once the agreement was signed, he took the relationship for granted, never showing the customer how grateful he was that they trusted him with their business.

ere is another story that I will share that came from a woman I know that I think we can all relate to. As she re ected on her relationship with her daughter, she said that she thought she was doing everything right when it came to raising her daughter, but like most of us parents

who are far less than perfect, we miss things along the way. Her daughter grew distant and started making bad choices relative to the friends she was hanging around with. e woman said the one thing she could have done better is letting her daughter know just how much she loved her and appreciated her. Even though she did say those things, she felt like maybe it wasn’t enough. Do you have your answers ready to the question of how often we should tell our spouses that we love them? e answer is this, before someone else does.

How often should we tell or show our customers how much we love and appreciate them? How often should we tell our children how much we love them and cherish them? How often should we let our friends know how much they mean to us? How often should we tell the people who

report to us how grateful we are for all that they do? e answer of course to each one of these questions is, before someone else does.

A spouse who feels unloved will eventually turn to someone else for love. A customer who isn’t feeling the love from a company will bring their business elsewhere. A child who isn’t receiving love, recognition or time from us will be left to their own to decide where they can feel like they are wanted or where they belong. Even our closest friends will start to drift away if they feel ignored or feel like it is a one-sided friendship. And we know how hard it is to nd great people to join our team, and how hard it is to retain top talent, we know that people usually don’t leave the company, they leave their leader or manager. Money isn’t the reason they leave either, it’s usually because they feel under appreciated.

I have asked the same question to many groups over the years when I was conducting sales training or leadership training, so I have heard many of the responses that may have been running through your mind as you

considered your response, every day, three times a day, all the time, every time you part company and every time you see each other again, morning noon and night, and many others. And these are all great answers, and when we can internalize the thought around, “Before someone else does,” we will more than likely increase our frequency for showing love and appreciation for those that matter most to us.

Are you making sure that the people around you are feeling loved and appreciated? Or was this a good reminder that even if we think we are saying it enough, we might be able to show it and say it a little bit more often? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we can let others know how much we love them before anyone else does, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Drone soccer players from Westminster compete in South Korea

U.S. National Team shines

on international stage

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In Incheon, South Korea, ying orbs whistle, buzz and clash in the air in an e ort to glide through hoops for points. If you’ve ever seen Harry Potter, it’s a lot like a remotecontrolled, electric version of Quidditch.

e increasingly popular sport is drone soccer. Students representing Westminster High School traveled for an international battle of aerospace skill in the FIDA World Drone Soccer Championships, which hosted more than a dozen international teams between May 17-20. Four students from WHS paired

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lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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up with four Sky-Blazers from Cherry Creek —who nished second nationally in 2023. ey make up the U.S. National Team. e hybrid team ofColoradans nished thirdin Incheon in what is essentially the World Cup of drone soccer.

Recently, the team hosted South Korean players for a friendly competition at the Colorado Convention Center. But when the championships kicked o in South Korea, the friendliness faded and things got real.

“As you’re preparing for the matches, it’s kind of friendly because everyone is trying to help each other out, especially if you don’t have the right supplies at the right time,” said Helen Tran, a WHS junior and keeper for the U.S. National Team. “But once you’re on that oor, and about

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Students from Westminster pose during some time o at the international drone soccer championships in Incheon, South Korea. COURTESY OF WESTMINSTER HIGH SCHOOL

What are the health impacts of high-potency THC?

Researchers have answers

BY JOHN INGOLD THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado public health experts have unveiled a rst-of-its-kind interactive research database containing hundreds of studies on the impacts of high-potency cannabis products — looking at the e ects on everything from mental health to cancer to pregnancy.

at is one of the most signi cant things to come out of a two-year research review by the Colorado School of Public Health.

e review was ordered up by the legislature in 2021 in response to the increasing number of high-concentration THC products dominating the state’s legal cannabis market. With the rise of those products came concerns over how they may be impacting health, especially among young people. (THC is, of course, the most famous psychoactive chemical in cannabis.)

Researchers termed the report a “scoping review” and described the research database as an “evidence map.”

“With funding from the state of Colorado, a valuable, public resource has been developed for public health and scienti c purposes,”

Dr. Jonathan Samet, the school’s dean, said in a statement. “ e scoping review and evidence map are unique; it is the rst and most complete systematic assessment of the entire body of literature related to high-concentration cannabis.”

But what do those studies say? Eh, that’s a little less clear.

“Limited evidence” for most e ects e School of Public Health researchers found limited to no evidence in published studies for most commonly claimed e ects.

Are adolescents and young adults especially vulnerable to adverse physical and mental health outcomes from using high-potency cannabis? ere’s a limited amount of evidence that they are.

Do high-potency cannabis products help with pain? ere’s a limited amount of evidence that they do.

What about sleep? ere’s a limited amount of evidence that the products can both help and hurt sleep.

e review found moderate evidence — meaning slightly more robust but still not conclusive evidence — of only two impacts.

“ ere was a moderate amount of evidence that high-concentration THC can have adverse e ects on those with pre-existing conditions such as psychosis,” Greg Tung, an associate professor of health systems, management and policy at the School of Public Health, said in a

statement. “But there are also studies that show bene cial outcomes from the use of high-concentration cannabis on other mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression.”

“It’s not an easy scientific question.”

In an interview, Samet said he wasn’t exactly surprised that the review didn’t come up with more conclusive answers.

One of the problems was the studies they had to work with. e research team at the Colorado School of Public Health screened roughly 66,000 studies and found 452 that were relevant to their questions about high-potency THC.

But what the team really wanted to examine was the e ects of the kind of high-THC products sold today in the cannabis marketplace. e studies looking at the e ects of THC spanned some ve decades, meaning the products in those studies varied greatly and were often quite di erent from what is sold today.

Another problem: Studies funded by the National Institutes of Health were constrained to using cannabis from the government’s o cial research pot farm at the University of Mississippi. Cannabis from that facility is notoriously low quality.

“We learned there was a vast number of studies, potentially,” Samet said. “But that in fact there were not that many that directly addressed the policy questions we were interested in.”

It’s also not particularly easy to study e ects when there are so many other elements that can go into the equation besides potency.

For instance, Samet said the method of consumption could have an impact, as could the amount consumed and the tolerance of the consumer.

Samet, who is both a pulmonary physician and an epidemiologist, compared the task of studying potent marijuana to another research topic he knows well, tobacco smoking. Before the proliferation of tobacco vaping, studying smoking was pretty easy. ere were only a handful of di erent consumption

methods and a cigarette generally provided a tidy, standardized dose.

By contrast, trying to study cannabis today introduces a dizzying number of variables.

“It’s not an easy scienti c question,” Samet said. “It’s not easy to generate the data you would like.”

Getting to the underlying answer

To Samet, getting better answers to questions about the health impacts of high-potency THC will require more uniform studies.

In other words, researchers across the country and the globe need to come up with consistent standards to use and consistent ways of measuring data. Having those standards in place would allow studies to be better compared and synthesized.

But, in the meantime, he says the

Colorado School of Public Health review should come with a caution. While it may be tempting to look at the limited evidence on e ects and conclude it means high-potency THC isn’t harmful, Samet said it’s better for consumers to err on the safe side. After all, as the old scientific saying goes, absence of evidence is not absence of harm.

“We’ve certainly highlighted the complexities,” Samet said. “I wish we had found more de nitive evidence.”

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

New research database contains hundreds of studies on the impacts of highpotency cannabis products. SHUTTERSTOCK

Private dog park site gaining pup-ularity

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Since Elle Ritt started renting her Wheat Ridge yard to fellow dog owners in November, she’s hosted birthday parties for pups, pooch photoshoots and doggie play groups almost every weekend.

Ritt is one of dozens of renters in the Denver metro area on a website called Sni Spot, which links people interested in sharing their yard with local dog owners who want a private fenced area to let their pups o -leash. rough Sni Spot, renters set an hourly rate per dog and time slot availability for users to book.

With two older dogs who need less exercise, Ritt said she wanted to let other dogs take advantage of her large yard and, so far, there has been no shortage of demand.

“It’s just mindblowing how frequently it’s used,” she said.

Ritt said a majority of her visitors don’t have their own yards and prefer to avoid public dog parks because of reactive or sensitive pups. e site allows users to tailor their search to t needs like a taller fence height or not having other dogs or animals visible.

Dr. Rebecca Ruch-Gallie, a 23-year veterinarian at Colorado State University’s Community Practice clinic, said the uncontrolled nature of dog parks leads to risks like ghts and disease transmission, which is why she typically recommends other ways to exercise dogs, such as daycare or private yard time.

In addition to walks and playtime, RuchGallie said some dogs need to run and all dogs bene t from exploring new routes and places.

Ruch-Gallie said she will sometimes take her pups on what she calls a “sni -ari.”

“ ey take in the world much di erently than we do, so give them those di erent scents to pick up and opportunities to see and smell di erent things,” she said. “Sometimes they just want to go, go, go and get their energy out and other times they just want to meander and take the sni s in.”

Mike Rieber, who has been renting his fenced pasture in Parker since October, said one of the best perks of sharing his yard is seeing how excited pups get to check out new scents and release their energy.

“ ey call it a Sni Spot and I never really understood how important that was to a dog, but that’s the rst thing they all do when they get here is smell everything,” Rieber said. “Especially with the repeat dogs, as soon as their paws hit the ground, boy, they’re o .”

Ritt’s experience has been similar, she said, adding that Sni Spot has been mutually bene cial, not just for the dogs, but also the humans. She’s received multiple thank you notes from visitors and attests that catching glimpses of visitors always makes her smile.

“It’s so cute to peek in the backyard and see grown men laying on their stomachs taking pictures of their puppies,” Ritt said.

Another Sni Spot user, Lyndsey Leach, who

rents her Lakewood backyard, agreed. Leach lost her own pooch three years ago but remains an avid dog-lover.

“It’s so nice when they’re comfortable and running around,” she said. “I’m always happy when they’re happy.” None of the three renters report issues with destroyed yards, rude users, neighbor complaints or unruly animals.

In addition to the positive mental health benefits, Leach said renting her yard is a convenient passive income and gives her the flexibility to be away from home if needed. Leach estimates that since she started in January, she’s had about 50 visitors and made around $400.

“I don’t really have any expenses associated with it, other than eaten tennis balls,” she joked.

Rieber said he didn’t originally think he would make much money from the app but has been happy with the extra cash. He noted the demand is only picking up in the warmer months, though he got a fair share of visitors during the winter as well.

“We’re not trying to maximize our revenue, we’re doing this more as a service for young people that have dogs and need a place that’s private,” he said.

For Ritt, her most recent month was her most successful, cashing in over $1,000, and before that, she averaged a few hundred dollars monthly.

“One of our dogs has had a ton of health issues, so it’s like SniffSpot funds her care,” Ritt said. “It truly has been a notable supplemental income.”

To learn more, visit sniffspot.com.

DOG PARK PHOTOS

Furry friends Finn and Mellie enjoy a sunny afternoon at a Sni Spot in Aurora. Dog owners can rent yards by the hour to let their canines release their energy in a safe and controlled environment.

Bailey, an Australian Cattle Dog, runs around Mike Rieber’s pasture in Parker. Rieber joined Sni Spot to provide a service to dog owners who don’t have yards or want to avoid dog parks.

A doggie play group poses in Elle Ritt’s Lakewood yard, which she rents to other dog owners through a website and app called Sni Spot. Ritt said sharing her yard benefits everyone involved.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SNIFFSPOT

Colorado’s smaller cities and towns saw the greatest growth from 2020 to 2022, new U.S. Census Bureau estimates show, while the

northeast of Denver, logged the most growth with a 65% population explosion over two years. at town grew to 2,080 in 2022 from 1,258 in 2020.

on survey data like the census taken every 10 years or the annual American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

growth between 2020 and 2022 most tially in Weld County, with most of the top-growth towns north or east

Downtown Denver and the surrounding suburbs seen from above.

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Rotating Tap Comedy @ Resolute Brewing Tap & Cellar

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Getter

@ 9pm The Church, 1160 Lincoln St, Denver

Fri 6/09

Johnny Buffalo @ 8pm Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 E Colfax Ave, Denver

Sat 6/10

Downtown Denver Public Art

Walking Tour @ 10am Denver Arts and Venues, Varies Locations for Public Art Tours, Denver

Korey Foss: Rock Candy @ 6pm Dirty Dogs Road‐house, 17999 W Col‐fax Ave, Golden

Sun 6/11

Drowse @ 8pm Hi-Dive, 7 S Broad‐way, Denver

Del Amitri @ 8pm Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave, Den‐ver

Tue 6/13

Semisonic @ 7pm Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison

Christopher Morse: Sofar Denver @ 8pm Secret Location, Denver

Wed 6/14

Nerv @ 6pm

Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St, Denver

The Market at Belmar June 11thSept 10th 2023

Mojomama with Hazel Miller @ 7pm Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Ave, Golden

A Primitive Evolution @ 7pm Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St, Denver

Ploom

@ 8pm Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St, Denver

Native Station at Olde Town Arvada

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Historic Park: Denver, CO @ 6pm / $150-$300

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Bloody Bananas @ 6pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver

Cinders @ 6pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver

Mon 6/12

14th Street and Denver Performing Arts Complex Campus Public Art Tour @ 6pm Denver Arts and Venues, Varies Locations for Public Art Tours, Denver

crêpe girl @ 7pm Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Denver

Nathan Graham @ 7pm Sofar sounds Denver, Denver

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Honoring the lives of artists and creators

Indigenous comic and arts festival comes to Denver June 9-11

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Marcos Garibay fondly remembers his grandmother’s ofrenda. It was a traditional ofrenda permanently in the home — his grandmother kept it on her bedroom dresser. e ofrenda was covered with pictures of Catholic gures, dozens of candles and countless colorful plastic owers.

An ofrenda is an ornate altar often found in Catholic, Mexican and Indigenous Mesoamerican cultures. It honors loved ones who have died.

Even as a child, Garibay knew he would one day make his own ofrenda. And now an adult, Garibay has put his own, modern twist on the traditional ofrenda — he has an entire wall in his Denver home dedicated to the memorial. Honoring his mother who he lost at a young age, Garibay’s ofrenda has photos of passed loved ones surrounded by vibrant, colorful frames. Silk and plastic owers also dot the wall and bright lights are strung throughout. He also has framed newspaper clippings that have detailed some of his most tragic losses.

As he grew to further embrace his Indigenous cultural traditions, Garibay cultivated a love for art and creativity. He now dedicates his life to art and to making positive changes within his community as the program director for the Denverbased after school lm production company, Tomorrow Maker Studios.

“Celebrating Indigenous art is very important to me and my work because it’s a way to reclaim and honor something that was lost and taken from me,” Garibay said. “I grew up in a very culturally rich environment, but for the most part, most of the aspects of that culture

are things that are a result of Spanish colonization.”

Spanish isn’t the language his ancestors spoke, and Catholicism isn’t the religion they practiced, Garibay said.

“ e architecture people typically associate with Mexico is that of European design, likely constructed out of my ancestors’ demolished buildings,” Garibay said. “Celebrating Indigenous art is one of the few ways that I have left to reclaim this missing piece of my culture.”

is June, the McNichols Civic Center Building will be host to an elaborate ofrenda created by Garibay and his creative partner, Adrianna Baez.

“We are using EVA foam, cardboard, real moss, plastic owers, several di erent lights, paint, a few di erent textiles and PVC piping to construct our ofrenda,” said Baez.

“ e design work took about a week, and we are hoping to construct it in about two weeks. We have already begun constructing some of the components so that assembly will be easier, and we will have a larger crew to help with construction at the

McNichols Civic Center Building.”

e ofrenda will be on display June 9-15 and honor the lives of artists and creators who were lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Garibay and Baez’s ofrenda is in uenced by Mayan architecture and is topped with a skull inspired by Cizin, the Mayan god of death and earthquakes. In conjunction with Garibay and Baez’s ofrenda, the public is invited to bring photos of people they have recently lost and place them on a community altar.

e ofrenda is a part of Denver’s Indigenous comic and art festival called áyA Con, which takes place June 9-11. It is a celebration of indigeneity, hosted by and highlighting North American Indigenous creators. is all-inclusive familyfriendly festival features comic creators, bead artists, musicians, digital illustrators, drag ashion performance, designers, Indigenous dancers and more. áyA Con is a collaborative festival with events taking place at several locations in Denver. e ofrenda, art and select performances will take place at the McNichols Civic Center Building. Panels, art making and community booths with interactive activities will take place at the Denver Art Museum. e Levitt Pavilion will also be hosting Rez Metal night, a free concert with a lineup of ve Indigenous heavy metal bands.

“Come to áyA Con to build connections, celebrate the di erences in all cultures and bond over fandoms,” said Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand, one of the organizers for the áyA Con event. “ ere is something for everyone. Our show is very eclectic. We have a wide range of artistic practices, music and stories, all centered around the things we love.”

Garibay and Baez’s áyA Con Ofrenda is also something not-to-miss, Garibay said, adding it’s important to honor the lives of artists and creators because of their artistic struggle.

“ is is something that all true artists can relate to. It’s what connects us. ey will never have a chance to nish the projects they were in the process of bringing to life,” said Garibay. “My hope is that when people see the altar, they will discover some of these amazing artists and look into their body of work. is will allow the artists and their work to continue inspiring the living and lling their lives with beauty.”

To learn more about the áyA Con Ofrenda at the McNichols Civic Center Building, visit mcnicholsbuilding.com/ exhibitions. For more information and a full schedule of áyA Con events, visit ayacondenver.art.

Marcos Garibay’s home ofrenda dedicated to his mother. COURTESY PHOTO

Grupo Huitzilopochtli performs in 2019. While the schedule is still being finalized, it is expected the dance group will also perform at this year’s áyA Con event, which takes place June 9-11. COURTESY OF VIKI EAGLE

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‘Red Room of Doom’ tales

State Senate put brakes on many progressive bills

BY BENTE BIRKELAND COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

e Red Room of Doom. at’s the nickname one House Democrat gave the state Senate this past session. Others joked that the chamber — with its red wallpaper, carpet and ceiling — was where progressive bills went to die.

While Democrats held a near super majority at the Colorado legislature this session, closely divided committees in the state Senate frequently blocked or watered down some of the progressive priorities.

And that inspired one supporter of some of those policies to wonder why — why didn’t such big Democratic majorities translate into bigger margins on Senate committees in particular?

Coming down to a single vote

Alex Nelson, a public school teacher in Denver, is passionate about affordable housing. He visited the state capitol this spring to back several Democratic housing bills and testify in committee.

Nelson sees the impact that the lack of a ordable housing has on schools, with students and families being priced out and having to move away, and also people choosing to have fewer children.

“Housing costs, costs of living are so high that we see diminishing enrollment every single year, which is leading to closure, consolidation, all sorts of things like that.”

e issue also a ects teachers.

“Friends in the teaching profession have a hard time accessing a ordable housing,” Nelson said. “A couple of my friends have left the state because of housing costs.”

Given how many people are struggling with housing, Nelson said he was surprised when measures like a proposal to allow local communities to enact rent control narrowly died in

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a Senate committee. It failed on a 4-3 vote.

“I was thinking just about how many bills in the Colorado Senate came down to a single vote of either passage or failure,” said Nelson. e situation led him to wonder, “why those committees had only a single vote majority when the members on the oor held almost two thirds (of the seats)? … Is that a decision made by leadership?”

On seven out of the state Senate’s ten committees this year, Democrats only had a one-vote advantage. ose narrow margins made it possible for a single moderate member to side with Republicans to vote down a bill, or to demand signi cant changes in order to win passage.

Nelson was on the right track with his question about who decides the committee makeup; that power rests in the hands of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno. He appoints lawmakers to committees and decides on each panel’s size and political split.

“ e committee makeup is dictated by the political makeup of the chamber as a whole,” he said. “ e rule says that the committee makeup has to be in rough proportion to the number of seats you occupy in the Senate chamber.”

But because it’s only a “rough proportion,” Moreno still has leeway on each committee. Moreno acknowledges he could have given Democrats a bigger advantage on some committees, but said he doesn’t have enough members to pad out all of them and that lawmakers’ individual expertise played a signi cant role in his choices.

e situation put a spotlight on several of the Senate’s more moderate members, like Democrat Dylan Roberts. Roberts, who was the key no vote on the rent control bill, was a swing vote on three di erent committees.

“I reminded bill sponsors who were frustrated at my position that I didn’t make the committee assignments,” said Roberts. “I didn’t make the makeup of the committees. I was assigned to those committees, and I’m just doing my job. I got sent here by my district, not by a political party and

not by a political philosophy.”

Roberts lives in Avon and represents a mountain district where Democrats hold a less than seven point advantage, according to redistricting maps. He said he scrutinizes every piece of legislation.

“ e goal is collaboration and trying to make bills better. But there were several policies where I just couldn’t get there.”

Republican lawmakers said they were more than happy the Senate acted as a moderating force.

“We haven’t killed that many bills,” said GOP Sen. Perry Will in the nal weeks of session, “But some of the bills that need to go away, it went away. I think it’s great and I think it’s much needed.”

On the House side, where committees were much more steeply tilted in Democrats’ favor, Republicans said they were grateful that the Senate at times blocked policies they lacked the power to stop.

“ ere were Democrats that destroyed bills that would not be good for Colorado. It’s a teamwork e ort here,” said Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg who passed many bipartisan bills this session.

Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen said even though the GOP is at a disadvantage he thinks they are “still punching above our weight to kill bad policy ideas. We are actually trying to hold the ideals of freedom for individuals to live the lives they want to live and the way they want to live them.”

e narrow committee splits didn’t just result in more moderate Senators voting down progressive bills; in many cases, they were able to get concessions and amendments in exchange for their support.

For progressives, the Senate results were a source of frustration throughout the session. ey argue that Democrats’ surprising success last November — the party picked up legislative seats in a year many analysts expected them to lose some — show that they have a mandate to make big moves.

“Voters are wanting something bigger and bolder. And we tried and that’s

not what’s happening,” said Democratic Representative Lorena Garcia who is in her rst year at the Capitol. Garcia believes voters elected Democrats to do more this year on housing and criminal justice, in particular. But several key bills on those topics were defeated.

However, Moreno defended the committee makeup as a good re ection of the Senate’s general views. He notes that even when progressive bills did get to the Senate oor, they still didn’t have the votes to pass.

For instance, a bill to make it harder for landlords to evict people on month to month leases lingered on the calendar and ultimately ran out of time, in part because it lacked the support to move forward. e Senate also gutted a bill that would have prevented prosecutions of 10 to 12-year-olds, except in homicide cases. And when a proposal to allow local communities to set up supervised sites for safe drug use came up in a Senate committee, three Democrats joined Republicans in voting it down.

All of the policies managed to pass the House before hitting roadblocks in the Senate.

And it wasn’t always progressive policies that struggled in the Senate. e governor’s Land Use bill, which was sponsored by Moreno, also died in that chamber. e Senate watered down the bill signi cantly, setting up a showdown with the House, which passed a more robust version. In the end, the bill was dropped in the nal hours of session for lack of Senate votes.

“Yes, we have a historic majority,” said Moreno. “It doesn’t mean that we have a super majority of progressive members. It means that everyone votes their own conscience in their own district.”

Senate defenders also note that some progressive bills didn’t even gain traction in the House. A proposed statewide assault weapons ban failed in its rst committee after three Democrats joined Republicans to defeat it. e House also handily rejected a measure to mandate more predictable schedules for restaurant and retail workers.

Progressive Democrats say they plan to try again with many of these ideas next session.

And as for Alex Nelson, the teacher who started us looking into this issue — he said he’s glad to learn more about how the legislature works, and is optimistic some of the housing proposals he supports will see more success down the road.

“I tried to remind myself that these things take time and that the rst go isn’t always gonna be the one that gets you exactly what you want,” he said,   is story is from Colorado Public Radio, a nonpro t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr. org.

Democratic state Sens. Chris Hansen, Dylan Roberts and Kyle Mullica, from left, on the last day of the legislative session. May 8, 2023.

PHOTO BY COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

GROWTH

of the Denver metro area.

“ e area is ripe,” Garner said of the growth in so many small towns. “If you go out (I-76) east, you’re going to see the same thing, like in Wiggins. You’re going to see it east and north, because that’s areas where we have the most available land.”

Keenesburg saw signi cant growth after developers constructed hundreds of new homes in the small town in recent years. e project was expected to take about four years to complete. e homes were nished and sold in about 18 months, interim Town Manager Roger Tinklenberg said.

“Obviously there was pent-up demand in the area,” he said.

New residents say they moved to the area to get out of the big cities while still being able to commute to the Denver region for work, Tinklenberg said. Homes are also much more a ordable with a median home price about $100,000 cheaper than in Denver, according to Zillow.

e town is set to develop further with up to 10,000 more homes possible over the next 30 years.

Still, Tinklenberg says there hasn’t been any talk of changing the town’s motto: “Home of 500 happy people and a few soreheads.”

Some of those happy people (and maybe even the soreheads) are welcoming the growth, even if they don’t want to see it become anything close to a metropolitan area.

Brian Anderson, the director of school for a local commercial driver’s license school, said he’s hoping to see the town expand in a sustainable way.

“It’s going to impact infrastructure. … But at the same time, I think it’s going to bring some of the bene ts of growth, which could be more activities for the kids, maybe a rec center,” he said. “If the town doesn’t grow, it’s gonna get swallowed by the surrounding towns.”

e town of Timnath, which is just southeast of Fort Collins along I-25, saw the second highest growth, up 40%. at’s an increase of about 2,600 people.

“Northern Colorado just really is a very desirable place,” Timnath Town Manager Aaron Adams said. “I think that there’s a lot of things that are appealing to folks when they see those options, the options of new construction, new builds, a desirable school district, and then a town that they perceive to be well run and o ering a lot of things to draw them in.”

Adams said the town, which draws shoppers from throughout the region for its retail (including the area’s only Costco), works to maintain a “smalltown feel” by consistently hosting local events.

Over the next 15 to 20 years, Adams expects the town to reach its maximum capacity of about 35,000 residents, he said.

Castle Pines, 10th on the list, is one of the only two municipalities in the top 10 with more than 10,000 residents. Between 2020 and 2022, the city grew about 20% to 13,486 from 11,215.

City Manager Michael Penny told

e Colorado Sun much of that expansion came from development agreements made in the 2010s that just recently came to fruition.

“I’m not surprised. I think it was intentional by the council,” Penny said. “ ere’s probably ex-council members that are thinking, ‘Finally, why’d it take so long?’”

Still, the city sees its growth as having stagnated recently.

“I think that (growth) would have continued except for the economic worldwide issues that are out there and I think it’ll pick up again once that all gets gured out,” Penny said.

Several mountain towns, including Vail and Aspen, were among the biggest population losers between 2020 and 2022.

at’s in part due to Colorado’s aging population.

“What we’re seeing is a lot of net migration out of the older adults,” Garner said.

About 75 municipalities saw less than 1% change in their population, including ornton, Steamboat

Springs, Golden, Crested Butte, Englewood, Lakewood and Pueblo.

And the state’s largest population centers are also seeing slower growth, with the exception of Castle Rock in Douglas County, which grew 8.5% between 2020 and 2022.

Denver, the state’s largest city, saw a slight population dip, while Colorado Springs, the second largest city, saw a 1.2% gain. Boulder saw the largest drop among the largest 15 cities, losing 2.4% of its population.

“Colorado is slowing down in terms of growth,” Garner said. “Colorado is in the middle of a pretty big transition, especially with the aging.”

Rising housing prices and that aging population likely mean more population changes ahead for the state.

“It’s going to be harder for Colorado to attract and retain the best and the brightest and we’ve never had that struggle before,” Garner said. “If a place is going to be ghting for you that has lower housing costs, you’re going to go there.”

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Snowmelt is swelling Colorado’s rivers

BY SHANNON MULLANE THE COLORADO SUN

Floods, swollen rivers, road closures — Colorado’s spring runo season is in full swing and much of the snow in the state’s mountains hasn’t melted yet.

Colorado saw higher-than-average snowfall build up on the Western Slope this year, a boon for irrigators and other water users who rely on the Colorado River Basin which spans Colorado, tribal lands, six Western states and parts of Mexico. But the snowmelt, with the help of recent weather, is leading to high runo and its adverse impacts are popping up around the state like a game of whack-a-mole.

Beyond monitoring for mudslides and rockfalls loosened by rain and high runo , the Colorado Department of Transportation is also watching bridges and roads for possible closures.

“I’m seeing higher ows in almost every single drainage that we have over here (in western Colorado) than what we’ve seen probably in at least four or ve years, if not longer,” said Julie Constan, a CDOT regional director. “We had such a heavy snowpack across the entire western portion of the state, so that’s causing all of the creeks to de nitely be running higher than what we’re used to seeing.”

On the Front Range and Eastern Plains, 10 days of rain in May helped with the state’s continuing recovery from drought over the past year. e amount of the state experiencing drought conditions has dropped from 93% a year ago to just 11% today.

But the rain has also combined with snowmelt to cause ooding around Colorado. In northeastern and southwestern Colorado, communities in the White-Yampa River Basin and along the Dolores River have built sandbag barriers to slow encroaching ooding. On May 11 in Denver, Cherry Creek leapt to its highest ow rate since 1980 after intense rain supplemented by reservoir releases, according to media reports.

For anyone traveling, camping or oating the river over Memorial Day weekend, checking road and weather conditions will be key for a safe outing.

Statewide, 42 people died in waterrelated accidents in 2022, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. As of May 18, two people died in con rmed water-related incidents this year. e state recommends that boaters wear life jackets regardless of age or experience level.

Campsites could also be temporarily closed. Dinosaur National Monument closed its Pot Creek campsites this month due to the possible failure

land. e dam is structurally sound, but the area has received so much snow this year that, as of mid-May, runo in ows increased the reservoir’s elevation to within a few inches of the dam’s crest, Park Ranger Dan Johnson said.

“ e state o ce was concerned that, should that dam fail in the middle of the night when people are camping there, it could create a hazardous situation,” Johnson said, adding that the campsites could reopen in time for Memorial Day weekend campers.

e high spring runo is also impacting road conditions across the state. In southeastern Colorado, the Arkansas River ooded U.S. 50 near La Junta.

A debris ow at the Hanging Lake exit on Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon blocked access to the trailhead for two weeks before it reopened last week. e Forest Service announced the trail is closed again until at least June 2 because of heavy runo on the trail.

“ e amount of water coming down the trail in many spots is really impressive,” Leanne Veldhuis, EagleHoly Cross district ranger, said in a news release. “ ere is currently no good way around the water, so we have closed the trail until the runo lessens or our trail crew can mitigate it.”

CDOT is also working to repair a gaping sinkhole that appeared on Colorado 133 near Paonia. Rushing spring runo overwhelmed a culvert under the highway and caused enough erosion to collapse a section of the road that is roughly 20 to 30 feet wide — and certainly large enough to t a sedan, she said. A temporary bridge should be installed by early- to mid-June, and permanent repairs should begin this fall.

“Lots of monitoring going on, but so far, the only real major failure

said. “It’s a good thing that there’s only been one major failure and everything else pulled together OK.” is winter, Colorado saw storm after storm add snow to the growing snowpack in the mountains.

By early April, that buildup peaked. e amount of liquid water in the snow, called the snow-water equivalent, across the Western Slope was 130% to 140% of the median between 1991 and 2020, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. e estimate is based on SNOTEL data collected using a network of high-elevation instruments that measure snowpack. On the Front Range, the snow-water equivalent lagged below its median this winter.

In the Upper Colorado River Basin, which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, the amount of water peaked in early April at about 150% to 170% of the historical norm. ese states are situated upstream of Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border, one of the basin’s largest water storage reservoirs. e reservoir’s dam, Glen Canyon Dam, sends water down to Lower Basin states — Arizona, California and Nevada — which also had an exceptionally wet year, said Cody Moser, senior hydrologist at the forecast center.

However in the Upper Basin above Lake Powell, most of the snowpack is still sitting at 150% to 170% of the norm, Moser said, according to SNOTEL data.

“Across the northern part of the Upper Colorado River Basin, there’s been alternating periods of sunny, warm weather that generates the snow melt and the higher ows,” he said. “And then we’ve seen those periods alternating with cooler, cloudier weather that’s brought some additional moisture in both rain and snow. It’s helped the snowmelt rate decrease, so it’s been kind of up and

Southwestern Colorado has seen more continuous warm, sunny weather and thus more snowmelt than other parts of Colorado, like the northwestern region, he said.

Colorado also received higherthan-normal snowpack across elevations lower than 9,500 feet, where snow typically melts more quickly. at thick layer is also frequently downstream of reservoirs which means, depending on the location, the water is going straight into streams and rivers.  at has led to an extended period of high ows, especially in the WhiteYampa River Basin in northwestern Colorado and the Dolores River Basin, Moser said. And when rain falls onto snow, as it has in isolated patches across the state, the liquid water speeds up melting even further.

“We’ve entered into a period of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoons and evenings,” he said. “We’ve had some enhanced melt due to rain-on-snow with some of these storms.”

SNOTEL sites are generally located above 9,000 feet so lower elevation runo isn’t re ected in basinwide snow-water equivalent percentages. ese sites target between 9,000 and 11,500 feet where most of the snowpack typically accumulates. at’s why the snow-water equivalent percentages from SNOTEL data have not changed by much, he said.

“ ere’s still a lot of high-elevation snow up there,” Moser said.

e Colorado Sun co-owns Colorado Community Media as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. It is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at coloradosun.com.

Snowmelt season in Colorado is well underway but government o cials warn that there is still plenty of snow left to melt in the mountains. FILE PHOTO BY ANDREW FRAIELI

Much more snow is still waiting in the high country

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Dakota Ridge shuts out Lutheran to win first state title in 20 years

BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

COMMERCE CITY — Dakota Ridge senior Bailey

Pignatore has been at the right place at the right time all season for the Eagles’ girls soccer team.

In her rst season playing high school soccer due to COVID canceling the 2020 season and then a pair of ACL knee surgeries forcing her to miss her sophomore and junior campaigns, Pignatore made the most of her lone season on the pitch.

It concluded May 23 with the senior having two arms around the Class 4A girls soccer state trophy after the No. 2-seeded Dakota Ridge Eagles shutout top-seeded Lutheran 2-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

“I never thought this would come,” Pignatore said with the state trophy in hand. “I knew we had a chance to go far at state with the team we had, but I never thought we would win a state title.”

Pignatore sealed the victory with a goal in the 47th minute to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Freshman Kaylie Sheehan sent in a corner kick that senior Hannah Arnold redirected to Pignatore,

who used her head to get the ball past Lutheran junior goalie Bissett Bussey and into the back of the net.

“ at was the rst header goal of my entire life,” Pignatore said of her 18th goal of the season. “It was amazing to happen in the state championship. I’m just so excited about everything.”

Lutheran (18-2 record) fell behind early when a back pass to Bussey rolled under her foot and into the goal resulting in an own goal in the 2nd minute of the game.

“It was nice to get the second goal because I didn’t want this win to be gifted,” Dakota Ridge coach John Cassidy said after leading the Eagles to a remarkable 18-1 record. “Lutheran played great. eir play against us was fantastic. Sometimes it just doesn’t go in. It’s that simple.”

Lutheran hadn’t give up a goal during its postseason run. e Lions had four shutout playo victories to go along 10 regular-season shutout wins. Lutheran had only given up six goals in 19 games this season before allowing a pair of goals in the championship game.

Dakota Ridge senior goalie

Dakota Ridge freshman Kaylie Sheehan and senior Hannah Arnold embrace after the Eagles scored on a Lutheran own-goal in the 2nd minute of the Class 4A girls soccer state championship game May 23 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The Eagles won 2-0 to win their first soccer title since 2003.

Dakota Ridge’s girls soccer team pose with the state title with the Eagles’ student section in the background after the Eagles’ 2-0 victory over Lutheran on May 23 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. PHOTOS BY DENNIS PLEUSS/JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Kassidy Jordan defense Lutheran Eagles past for Eagles victory have Ridge soccer state 2003. rival title Mountain up actually record. home team,” it Whiteaker number this got said. wanted them. committed University is school Spring mean game playing victory

Kassidy Spencer and junior sweeper Jordan Whiteaker led the Eagles’ defense that keep the Lions at bay. Lutheran put heavy pressure on the Eagles in the nal 10 minute of the rst half, but couldn’t get anything past Spencer.

“I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game for my team,” Spencer said after the Eagles recored their third shutout victory of the postseason. “ ey have my back and I have their’s.”

It has been awhile since Dakota Ridge was a state contender on the soccer pitch. e Eagles won the 5A state championship 20 years ago in 2003. Dakota Ridge defeated Je co rival Green Mountain 1-0.

e Eagles’ last appearance in a title game was in 2011, a 3-1 loss to Mountain Vista. at state runnerup nish a dozen years ago was actually the last time Dakota Ridge nished the season with a winning record.

“After the rst practice I came home and said this is a special team,” Cassidy said. “ ey provided it every step of the way.”

Cassidy gave a lot of credit to Whiteaker for encouraging a large number of club soccer girls to play this season for Dakota Ridge.

“Jordan Whiteaker is the one that got all the girls out to play,” Cassidy said. “As a freshman she said she wanted to win. I told her to go get them. She brought them out.”

Whiteaker has already verbally committed to Texas Christian University and her plan right now is to graduate a semester early next school year and enroll at TCU for the Spring 2024 semester. at would mean Tuesday would be the nal game for the 4A Je co League MVP playing for Dakota Ridge.

If Tuesday’s state championship victory was the nal high school

game for Whiteaker, she goes out on top.

“ e closeness of our team and the talent that we have,” Whiteaker said of the reasons for the turnaround to a state championship. “We had a bunch of new players that carried our team. We were all so close this year because how much we connected at school and outside of school.”

It Lutheran’s rst trip to the state championship game. e Lions had been a title contender in Class 3A over the past two season. Lutheran made the semi nals in 2022 and quarter nals in 2021 of the 3A state tournament before making the jump up to 4A this season.

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

Dakota Ridge senior goalie Kassidy Spencer recorded a shutout in net against top-seeded Lutheran in the Class 4A girls soccer state championship game May 23 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Spencer had only been playing the keeper position for two seasons.

PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS/JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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to face them, it’s really competitive and it’s like ‘We’re on opposite sides right now. You’re my enemy.’”

Drone soccer is the only educational robotics competition that is also an internationally sanctioned team sport by the World Air Sports Federation.

Here’s how it works: two teams of ve players compete against one another at the same time. Each team has a keeper, a striker, and three defenders. e idea is to protect your own goal and y the striker into the other team’s hoop to score.

But students don’t just y the drones. ey must build, repair, and maintain them. ere are three threeminute sets, two out of three seals a victory. Between sets, there is a threeto- ve-minute period for modifying and repairing any potential damage.

“ ey’re kind of like a Formula 1 team working really well together,”

Kyle Sanders, vice president of development for U.S. Drone Soccer, said. “It’s really the communication and teamwork that you see in professional aviation, working on airplanes or preparing for operations.”

e sport is just now gaining traction outside of South Korea, Sanders said, where it’s been popular since 2015. But slowly, other countries are coming along. e U.S. National Team is only in its rst competitive year on the international stage, and WHS has been growing its program for three years.

“ e goal is to build aerospace pro-

grams and career pathways using this fun sport as an introduction program,” Sanders said.

Lottie Wilson, the career and technical education advisor at WHS, called it the gami cation of aerospace education.“ ey’re building them.

ey’re programming them. ey’re engineering them. ey’re doing it all,” Wilson said. “It’s de nitely getting kids hooked into aerospace education through gami cation.”

It’s been a surreal experience for the students, who can polish their skills and meet new people in a fun, brand new environment that’s loved drone soccer for years.

“I hope I get to keep doing this. It’s really fun,” said senior Luis Lechuga, who is attending Metropolitan State University in the fall to study me-

chanical engineering. “I’m interested in doing aerospace engineering [also]. I never expected to go to South Korea, I just wanted to get involved in ying drones.”

Lechuga and the other seniors in Incheon opted to miss their own graduation to make the trip. Being able to share this experience with like-minded students from all over the world has opened new ways of thinking about aviation and aerospace science, Tran said, and they’ve picked up some tricks from the Korean players along the way.

“I’m able to learn how to communicate, especially with a language barrier. We’re still able to communicate and share ideas with each other, and basically improve together,” Tran said. “It’s a really good and bene cial way

to network. I’ve been able to befriend them through this shared passion, and so it’s just really cool.”

Since the program’s inception at WHS, interest has been through the roof, Robbie Ferguson said. Ferguson is the aerospace teacher and drone soccer coach at WHS.

“My students ask to come to practice. ey ask for extra practices all the time,” Ferguson said. “ ey really enjoy being a part of the team and everything that comes with it.”

Much of the program is graduating this year, Ferguson said, but fortunately the middle school interest is already signi cant, and continues to grow. Orchard Park Academy in Westminster is in its rst year of its drone soccer program.

e Pumas didn’t waste any time. Orchard Park nished rst among middle school programs in nationals this past season, and nished fourth overall, beating even the WHS team. Recently, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis visited Orchard Park for a visit and lesson in aerospace acrobatics.

e future of drone soccer is bright, particularly along the Front Range. Experienced middle school students will be ready to step in and contribute right away at the high school level. e natural interest in the sport sparks a furious work ethic, and the results show it.

“I’m super proud of them. ey work really hard. ey work really well together, so that’s amazing. ey’ve just come a long way in the last couple weeks,” Ferguson said. “ e interest level is just huge. Once you get them in, they’re hooked.”

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REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

The Arvada Housing Authority (AHA) invites developers of property in Arvada, CO to submit applications for participation in the Housing Choice Voucher Project Based Voucher Program (PBV). The objectives of this allocation are to 1) Expand housing options for low-income individuals and families with special needs 2) To preserve affordable housing, for low-income individuals and families with special needs that are at risk of being eliminated due to lack of a funding source 3) To increase the supply of affordable housing for individuals and families who are chronically homeless and 4) To increase the supply of affordable, accessible housing for person with disabilities.

If applicable, all financing of project costs and operating expenses will be the responsibility of the owner. Rents that are established for the project will be commensurate with other comparable rents for similar rental units in the areas in which the project is located. In all cases, however, rents cannot exceed the maximum allowable HUD Fair market Rent published for Jefferson County.

The PBV units will be leased to eligible lowincome households referred by AHA or to eligible tenants in occupancy of the unit at the time of the submission of the application. Rental assistance is available for a total not to exceed 8 units. AHA reserves the right to award less than the maximum vouchers available or requested.

Note: Participation in the PBV Program requires compliance with Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Requirements, and Federal Labor Standards will apply to eligible projects.

Application can be obtained from the Arvada Housing Authority’s website: Website: https://arvada.org/residents/city-neighborhoods/ section-8-housing-choice-voucher-program

All applications should be submitted via email to dkothe@arvada.org. Only applications in response to this invitation will be accepted for consideration. Owners/Developers will be notified by letter of the acceptance or rejection of their applications. AHA will also publish its notice of selection of PBV applications on the Arvada Housing Authority website as well as the Arvada Press. All applications MUST be received no later than 5:00 P.M., Monday, July 3, 2023.

Questions can be directed to Dena Kothe at dkothe@arvada.org or 720-898-7476

Legal Notice No. 416319

First Publication: May 18, 2023

Last Publication: June 1, 2023

Publisher: Jeffco Transcript

PUBLIC NOTICE

A public hearing will be held before the Arvada Planning Commission scheduled for June 20, 2023 at 6:15 p.m., Arvada City Hall, 8101 Ralston Rd., Arvada, when and where you may speak on the matter to consider the Major Modification for Mahone Fencing, generally located 5618 W 64th Ave. Members of the public may attend. To submit written public comment to be considered by the Commission, email comments to cedboardsandcommission@arvada.org by 5 p.m. on 6/19/2023. Additional information can be obtained from https://www.arvadapermits.org/etrakit3/search/ project.aspx?activityno=DA2023-0035. CITY OF

OWS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT (the “District”), will hold a meeting via teleconference on June 5, 2023 at 4:30 p.m., for the purpose of conducting such business as may come before the Board including a public hearing on an amendment to the 2022 budget (the “Amended Budget”). This meeting can be joined using the following teleconference information:

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NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Amended Budget has been submitted to the District. A copy of the Amended Budget is on file in the office of CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP, 8390 E Crescent Pkwy #300, Englewood, CO 80111, where the same are open for public inspection.

Any interested elector of the District may file any objections to the Amended Budget at any time prior to final adoption of the Amended Budget by the Board. This meeting is open to the public and the agenda for any meeting may be obtained by calling (303) 858-1800. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

MOUNTAIN SHADOWS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT, a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Colorado

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TANAKA & WALDRON Attorneys at Law

Legal Notice No. 416366

First Publication: June 1, 2023

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BEYONDHOME UNIT RENOVATIONS 7447 W 61st Ave Arvada, CO 80003

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Flying drones crash and battle to try and score through illuminated hoops. Students from Westminster and Cherry Creek make up the U.S. National Team, who came in third in the FIDA Drone Soccer World Championships in Incheon, South Korea in May.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WESTMINSTER HIGH SCHOOL