Arvada Press 072723

Arvada City Council passes 3.5% trash hauling fee increase; opt-outs included

Meyers Pool project $10 million over budget; still on schedule

Arvada’s city council OK’s a new contract that includes the inflationary funding increase

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As excitement for the new-andimproved Meyers Pool grows, the project has become impacted by a now-commonplace factor in the construction industry: in ation. To adjust for rising costs, the Arvada City Council approved an agreement with builder Saunders Construction to increase the city’s funding for the project by $10.5 million.

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI AND RYLEE DUNN LFUGLEI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM AND RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arvada City Council has voted to increase trash hauling fees by 3.5%. is increase applies to all fees, including the minimum service fee, and is e ective Aug. 1.  e increase passed 5-1 at the July 17 meeting, with John Marriott voting no and Marc Williams absent.

ough the increase passed, discussion before the vote focused on the negative impacts of the price change, especially the minimum service fee, which is charged to residents who opt out of the city’s program in favor of coordinating with their own trash hauler.

Prior to the vote, Marriott explained that he chose to vote no because he believes those who do not utilize the city’s service should

“What gets me into my no vote is the fee that people are paying to not do business with Republic Services,” Marriott said during the meeting. “To have that go up as a cost for in ation, there’s certainly no in ation in not doing business with somebody.”

e City’s contract with Republic Services requires that anytime trash hauling prices increase, all fees increase by 3.5%, meaning that the minimum service fee must increase along with other service fees. e

At the July 10 business meeting, in a unanimous 6-0 vote — Mayor Marc Williams was absent —council nalized a contract with Saunders for an amount not to exceed $39 million for Phase 2 of the Meyers Pool project.

e project aims to replace the aging Meyers Pool with a new Olympic-size natatorium that will be operated by the Je erson County School District and Apex Parks and Recreation. Arvada has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the other two organizations, and the city is providing primary funding for the project.

On June 20, construction crews broke ground on the new facility, which will be constructed at the

A Republic Services truck out for a pickup in Arvada.

COURTESY CITY OF ARVADA

Arvada residents to pay more for trash hauling, including those who don’t use city’s service

Ride with pride

Westernaires unveil fun routines at annual Western Heritage Day shows

price increases are to be triggered by market conditions including comparisons to other local trash haulers

and in ation.

“At the end of years 2-6 of this Agreement, Contractor (Republic) shall have the ability to increase the charges for residential collection service,” the contract states. “During the option periods, the City will consider an adjustment to the pricing

structure…Any price adjustments shall not exceed the amount being passed on and shall also not exceed 3.5% annually… subject to approval by City Council Resolution.”

Because of the language of the contract, Councilmember David Jones decided to vote yes, he said.

“I think that if we could go back and renegotiate, then my vote would be di erent,” Jones said before the vote. “But because I don’t believe we can go back and renegotiate at this point, I don’t want to hamper the team and their ability to move forward.”

Fifer echoed Jones’ sentiment, but added that he would like to renegotiate the contract before next year to exclude the minimum service fee from future increases.

“We do have an obligation and it’s not for us to debate the existing contract,” Fifer said after the meeting. “I want to stress to city sta the importance of the minimum service fee and let them know there are still people on council who want to see that fee not be included on increases.

“Before next year, I would like to renegotiate the contract,” Fifer continued. “I agree with where John (Marriott) was coming from; we can’t renegotiate on the dias but we need to make a best e ort to get that removed out of the increases.”

Lauren Simpson also voted yes, and explained that she did so primarily because of in ation. Simpson stated that the 3.5% increase cap kept the price hike from being a greater burden on residents since in ation has outpaced 3.5% recently.

“ is vote was quite simply a part of the contract to account for in ation,” Simpson said. “ e city team negotiated the rates back in 2019, and those were locked in for the rst two years of the program (July 2021- July 2023.)

e contract stipulated that after two

years, rates could be raised to account for in ation, but we thankfully included a cap of 3.5% to any raise.

“We couldn’t have known it back in 2019, but including that cap now seems a brilliant foresight… is capped raise is far below what actual in ation has been,” Simpson continued. “I’m thrilled Arvadans will continue to save money because of the thoughtful negotiations led by our city team.”

In June 2020, Council approved a single-hauler trash service contract with Republic Services by a tightly contested 4-3 vote; current councilmembers Lauren Simpson and Bob Fifer voted yes, along with former city councilmembers Nancy Ford and Dot Miller. Councilmembers David Jones, John Marriott and Marc Williams voted against the contract at the time.

Following the vote, a recall attempt was made to remove the assenting majority from o ce; the recall attempt failed due to the organizer’s inability to secure enough signatures by the ling deadline.

Simpson and Marriott are both vying for a chance to be mayor in November’s election as Williams is term-limited. Fifer is seeking re-election to city council as well. Lisa Feret and Randy Moorman have two more years on their terms, and Jones is not seeking re-election.

A Westernaire prepares to perform in the 2023 Western Heritage Day shows July 19 at Fort Westernaire.

PHOTOS BY CORINNE WESTEMAN

Quinn Owen, 15, and horse Tony prepare to perform in the Westernaires’ 2023 Western Heritage Day shows July 19 at Fort Westernaire. One of the routines Owen was riding in was Easter Bunny-themed.

SCHEDULE

FROM PAGE 1

same site as the original Meyers Pool, at 7900 Carr Street in Arvada. e new pool is slated to be completed at the end of 2024.

Arvada’s Chief Financial O cer Brian Archer outlined the in ationary conditions that led to the funding increase.

“Unfortunately, costs have increased signi cantly since the start of this project back in January 2021,” Archer said. “We’re currently about 10.5 million over the original plan. In ationary increase in 2021 was 19%, in 2022 was 5%, and so far this year 2%.”

Council did not deliberate on the issue before voting, with Councilmember Randy Moorman making the motion.

The National Heat Crisis Is Keeping Climate Change & Its Mitigation Top of Mind

Most Americans are conscious of the need to reduce carbon emissions which lead to global warming such as we are experiencing to a limited extent here in the metro area but to a much greater extent elsewhere in the country, Europe and the rest of the world.

Because of the increased attention to this topic, we’ll all be hearing more about “embedded” carbon, not just greenhouse gas emissions.

I’ve written in the past about the outsized contribution of cement and steel manufacturing to our climate change crisis. It is estimated that the manufacture of cement and steel are responsible for 5% and 7% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions respectively, so a lot of attention is being fxocused on the “greening” of these two industries.

Both the Biden administration and the State of Colorado have enacted measures under “buy clean” terminology to accom-

plish a reduction of embedded GHG emissions in these two products in the bidding and construction of federal and state facilities — both buildings and highways/bridges.

Colorado is leading the nation with the passage of HB21-1303, the Buy Clean Colorado Act, which requires the Office of State Architect and CDOT to make sure that new projects are built with reduced embedded carbon emissions.

Because the state and federal governments are such major buyers of new construction, cement (and concrete) and steel producers are being forced to focus on reducing GHG emissions, the benefits of which will likely also affect private construction projects.

With the posting of this article at www.GoldenREblog.com I’ll include links to how Colorado is tackling the implementation of this law on all projects that are bid on starting Jan. 1, 2024.

Bidders will have to provide “Envi-

Arapahoe Acres Ranch Listed by Chuck Brown

ronmental Product Declarations” (EPDs) on the following “eligible materials” used in the construction of state projects: asphalt & asphalt mixtures; cement and concrete mixtures; glass; post-tension steel; reinforcing steel; structural steel; and wood structural elements.

HB21-1301 even wants to reduce the GHG emissions involved in the transportation of building materials from their place of the manufacture to the build site. The

state will want a report on any materials transported over 100 miles, including the weight, method of transportation and total distance traveled to compute the “global warming potential” of their transport, for

Buffalo Bill Days Is This Weekend!

Golden Real Estate is proud once again to participate in this annual event in downtown Golden. Look for our free moving truck in Saturday’s parade.

Here’s Why I’m Not a Fan of Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters have been promoted as an energy-saving appliance. The reasoning is simple. A traditional water heater is tasked with keeping a large tank of water hot — typically at 120ºF. A tankless water heater only heats water when you turn on a faucet.

The development of heat pump water heaters has changed that calculation. And they are the only water heaters that can earn you a 30% federal tax credit in addition to the $600 to $800 rebate earned by Xcel Energy customers. Xcel says heat pump water heaters are 65% more efficient than standard electric water heaters and can save you $900 in energy costs over 12 years.

on the second floor. You might draw a gallon or more of cold water before hot water reaches your faucet. And that’s water that had been heated but cooled off sitting in your pipes. By running a return line from your sink to the bottom of the water heater, your faucet becomes the “top” of your water heater, and hot water rises to the top of the tank, so no pump is needed. Voila! Instant hot water on tap. (You are saving water, too, by not running the tap until hot water arrives.)

$1,300,000

This 1955 mid-century modern home at 1430 E. Cornell Pl. was designed in the Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian style and is located in Arapahoe Acres, the first postWWII subdivision on the National Register of Historic Places. The home features 1,837 square feet of impeccable architecture, with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a 1-car attached garage. Perfectly situated on a quiet street in the interior of the neighborhood, it is close to Denver University, shops on South Broadway and the stores at Riverpoint. You’ll love the stained and exposed beams and beveled tongue and groove wood ceiling throughout the house and the completely restored kitchen with mahogany cabinets and modern appliances. The primary bedroom has a large jetted tub, birds-eye maple cabinets and heated terrazzo floor. The large TV/office room showcases a Tennessee blue stone floor, a window wall with mahogany framing and a built-in mahogany desk and bookshelves. Completing this special home is the custom designed landscaping in the front and back yards. The entire property is the end result of a 24-year restoration endeavor by the current owners. Own a piece of Colorado history! Take a video tour and see more pictures at www.ArapahoeAcresHome.info. It has a 7.5kW Solar array, too! Call Chuck Brown at 303-885-7855 to set a private showing.

Just Listed: Ranch Home in Downtown Golden

There’s a secondary reason that I don’t like tankless water heaters. With a tank water heater (whether heat pump or conventional), you can install a recirculation line, allowing you to have instant hot water at even the farthest faucet from your water heater.

A plumber has installed such a line in every house I’ve owned for 20 years. Here’s how it works. Let’s say your water heater is in the basement and your primary bedroom is

Installing a recirculation line can involve a lot of drywall opening and repair if you have a finished basement and need to snake the line through ceilings and walls to a higher floor. If you have a ranch home with an unfinished basement (no drywall on the ceiling), you're spared much of that expense. To save on heat loss and energy, install insulation on the copper pipes going from the water heater to your distant faucet, assuming those pipes are accessible. The return line should be PEX, which is plastic and does not need insulating.

Installing a hot water recirculation line is a job that any plumber can do.

Views!

a

on the slope of North Table Mountain, it is close to trails leading into downtown Golden as well as into the table mountain's open space park. You'll appreciate the numerous skylights and the vaulted ceilings throughout the main floor. Mountain views from the wood deck, too! There is a small self-managed HOA with annual dues of $57. See the video tour at www.NorthGoldenHome.com.

This 2-bedroom, 2½-bath home at 710 Elm Circle is within walking distance of downtown Golden and literally across the street from the Golden Rec Center! The seller bought it 18 years ago and is only selling because she's in her 80s and ready to be in a senior facility. You'll love the shaded front porch and the main-floor living. The two-car attached garage is an amenity not found in most townhomes. Watch the narrated video tour at www. GoldenTownhome.info, then come to our open house on Sunday, July 30th, 11 to 1. Or call Kathy Jonke at 303-990-7428 or me at 303-525-1851 to arrange a private showing.

$698,000

GREG KRAFT, 720-353-1922

AUSTIN POTTORFF, 970-281-9071

KATHY JONKE, 303-990-7428

This 3-bedroom, 2½-bath home is at 421 Choke Cherry Court, in an enclave called Fox Haven at Mesa Meadows. Nestled in

cul-de-sac

Mesa Meadows Ranch With Mountain

$1,250,000

Interior of the old Meyers Pool which is set to be replaced by a new facility in 2024.

COURTESY APEX PARKS AND RECREATION DISTRICT

Parry’s Pizza, CAVA open in Olde Town Station; Snooze and Smashburger to follow

restaurant operator in the Mediterranean category in the U.S. as of 2020.

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Two popular dining chains opened their doors for the rst time in Arvada last week, with Parry’s Pizza and CAVA — both located in Olde Town Station; at the Southwest corner of Wadsworth Bypass and 56th Place — welcoming customers in for the rst time.

Parry’s and CAVA are the rst of four dining chains that will comprise the commercial area, with the restaurants Snooze and Smashburger set to open alongside them in the coming months.

CAVA is a nationwide Mediterranean fast-casual chain with 133 locations as of 2021, according to Forbes. Its locations are corporately owned; none are franchised. Reuters estimated that CAVA was the largest

Parry’s is a smaller, Coloradofounded chain with 19 locations that serves New York style pizza, wings and Stromboli. Justin Syrett, an Arvada local, is the managing partner for this franchise; Parry’s rst in Arvada.

John Madrick, Parry’s regional partner, said the growing chain jumped at the opportunity to join a growing Olde Town Arvada restaurant scene.

“We love the community; it’s very family based, I believe there’s just a really great vibe that’s happening with the Olde Town growth,” Madrick said. “Anything that’s happening o Wadsworth with all the tra c is not a bad move. But there’s a community feel here that we feel like we t into.”

Parry’s has 68 local beers on tap, including Arvada selections from favorites Odyssey Brewing and New Image Brewing. e restaurant also features 15 TVs which primarily play live sports.

Madrick said that although Parry’s is a chain, its Colorado roots distin-

guish it from more corporate neighbors. e franchise also has locations in Nevada, Texas and Arizona as well.

“We’re Colorado based; we have partners that buy into the concept, and mostly, we’ve very local,” Madrick said. “We’re small enough to be considered local; we’re growing

enough to maybe be considered a chain. But I think we’re a Colorado chain, honestly.”

CAVA is open seven days a week from 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. Parry’s Pizza is open Sunday through ursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday’s and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The interior, “Chipotle-style” dining room at CAVA.

PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN

CAVA’s new Arvada location.

PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN

String of chain restaurants comprises the commercial portion of Olde Town Station

Arvada Vacuum celebrates 50 years

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI LFUGLEI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

While ribbon cuttings are often held to celebrate a new business, Arvada Vacuum’s ribbon cutting on July 17 celebrated something else: the store’s 50-year anniversary.

Arvada Vacuum was started in 1973, but was bought by the Barhite family in 1991 and has been owned by them ever since. Originally purchased by Pat and Dave Barhite, the store was then passed down to their children when they retired. Paul, Liz and Dave Jr. now own the store, meaning it was passed from one generation of Barhites to the next.

“We know what a unique opportunity is to not only be a small business but to be a family-owned small business,” Liz said. “And where we actually still

like each other.”

As kids, the siblings would go with their dad to the vacuum store, Liz added.

“ ere are six kids, ve of us are still

involved in the vacuum business, one retired, but you know, it’s a unique thing,” Liz said.

ough much of retail has moved online in recent years, the Barhites be-

lieve that Arvada Vacuum’s customer service and personal touch help them succeed.

“I know it may sound silly, but I love talking with customers. Like, we pray with customers, we talk with customers, we laugh with customers, we cry with customers,” Liz said. “It’s been cool building those relationships over the years.”

Arvada’s Chamber of Commerce helped the business celebrate, organizing a ribbon cutting for them on July 17. Several representatives from the Chamber and the City came out to help the Barhite family celebrate 50 years of Arvada Vacuum.

e family has other celebrations planned, with events on July 21 at their Broom eld location and July 22 at their Arvada location. Each event will have games, prizes, snacks and drinks.

DIVERSIFY RETIREMENT STRATEGIES

Liz Barhite cuts a ribbon to celebrate 50 years of Arvada Vacuum.

PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

Arvada Chamber of Commerce celebrates women in business

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI LFUGLEI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Though women have come a long way, they still face unique challenges and experiences within the business world. This was the main topic of discussion at Arvada’s “Women to Watch” luncheon on July 19.

The luncheon was hosted by Arvada Chamber of Commerce and featured several speakers with a wide variety of backgrounds in business.

“We’re here to celebrate, inspire and really lift up women in our community,” Kami Welch, the Chamber’s president and CEO, said during the event.

Lunch started with a keynote speaker, Denise Caleb, the first vice president and director of the Human Capital Consulting Practice. Caleb spoke about the impact of positive representation of women in media, as well as the influence of positive role models in a woman’s life.

“Today’s focus is on women, but us showing up for each other and celebrating each other does not deplete the celebration of men,” Caleb said. “Let’s keep showing up for each other. We’re all on the same team.”

Lunch then moved into a panel discussion about the experience of women in business. The panel featured Caleb, as well as Aurora Elicerio, a senior manager at Comcast, Raven Faber, owner of EngErotics, Alison Wisneski, co-owner of Lady Justice Brewing and Ally Skiba, owner of Electric Cherry Shop + Studios.

Faber spoke about her experience getting into a higher-level position at her company, emphasizing that although there was room for her in said positions, they may not have been welcoming.

“They didn’t tell me that even though there was plenty of room at the table, they were going to give me the most uncomfortable chair if they gave me a chair at all,” Faber said. “So you get to the point where you’re like, ‘Well, I’m an

engineer, I got two degrees in engineering, I’ll build my own mother effing table.’”

Wisneski added that once she was succeeding in business, she hoped to be good representations for people in the communities she belonged to.

“I want people who have been ostracized from the industry who might fit into one of those (identities) to hear it and say, ‘okay, maybe I see a little bit of myself in

her.’” Wisneski said.

Skiba spoke about her experiences running a business, especially the ways she was able to create community.

“That is what will eventually drive business, opening doors and helping you to get to know other incredible women and all different types of people and know their stories,” Skiba said. “ This has been amazing so far. I love hearing your stories.”

A continuum of care

Homes courtesy of CASA and Foothills Regional Housing Authority for young adults exiting the foster care system

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Two local agencies are partnering to bring a ordable housing to young adults exiting the foster care system.

e Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of Je erson and Gilpin Counties, recently won an award for an innovative housing program called YA at Avi alongside program partners Foothills Regional Housing.

e base of the program is the a ordable housing unit AVi at Olde Town, which both agencies describe

as an a ordable housing complex for veterans and families. Among them are emancipated foster youth who also needed a ordable housing.

According to Leah Varnell, executive director of CASA of Je erson and Gilpin counties, the project started about 10 years ago. At that time, Varnell said the county’s juvenile justice focus shifted from younger foster children to the needs of foster teens.

“We started realizing that older youth involved in the system, the

Panelists spoke about their wide variety of experiences as women in business.

PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

Arvada Chamber CEO and president named Outstanding Woman in Business

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI LFUGLEI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arvada Chamber of Commerce’s CEO and president Kami Welch has been named an Outstanding Woman in Business by Denver Business Journal.

Each year, Denver Business Journal chooses 34 women from across the Denver metro. e area’s top executives, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and in uencers who are women are honored at an awards dinner on Aug. 3, and in a special issue of Denver Business Journal on Aug. 4.

For Welch, the award is a result of her work in Arvada’s Chamber of Commerce. Welch has worked in the Chamber industry for 14 years, 10 of those at Arvada’s Chamber.

“What I love about working in the chamber sector is the ability to help a community thrive,” Welch said. “And to ensure that all the various components (of a community) are working as they should together. So that’s been a really rewarding experience.”

For Welch, being a woman in business has often been an opportunity to support the women around her.

“I have felt very lucky throughout my career because I have been able to surround myself with people that are supportive,” Welch said. “I think that one of the things that I value is continuing to spread that spirit and making sure women across our community on my team are feeling that same level of support because it can be hard.”

Being named an Outstanding Woman in Business represents not only an acknowledgment of Welch’s work but the work of those around her as well.

“I truly have the best team here that I get to work with the Chamber sta , my board and members of the community,” Welch added. “So it is wonderful to be recognized. But I would not be recognized if it weren’t for the amazing people that I’ve had in my life through my whole career and certainly today that have made the accomplishments possible.”

Kami Welch is Arvada Chamber of Commerce’s CEO and President.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIELLE DASCALOS

ones emancipating and going out into the real world had horrible outcomes,” Varnell explained. “Many were finding themselves on the street or without a place to live. No job. Lots were pregnant. Lots of those youth were involved getting involved with criminal activity and finding themselves incarcerated.”

Varnell said that Jefferson and Gilpin counties were not the only jurisdictions where this was happening. Other CASA offices across the country were experiencing this.

“It became evident to me and us here at CASA that that wasn’t right,” Varnell said. “We put so many resources into helping these kids from zero to 18.”

They worked on this issue for years before determining that CASA and the juvenile justice system needed to provide what Varnell described as a “continuum of care.” She and others in the system struggled to find a way to bridge the teens’ transition from foster care to independent living as young adults.

Varnell and others in her field decided that housing would be the focus of their work with the teens.

“I think we realized early on that we couldn’t just provide the housing,” she explained.  “We had to deal with the other part of this.”

The other part was sustaining the youth and giving them the tools to survive adulthood.

CASA soon partnered with Foothills Regional Housing to provide housing for 30 young adults who aged out of the foster care system. This came after a false start where Varnell said she tried to envision purchasing property to build a space for the youth. That process was long and complex.

Somewhere amid her struggle to bring a housing program together, Varnell found out that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development had green-lit funding for programs similar to the one she wanted to start. She connected with them and things accelerated from there.

She initially wanted to build a program for 10 young adults. The HUD funding called for 30.

“So fast forward, we get to the beautiful place of having a collaboration with Foothills Regional Housing Authority,” she said. The housing authority provided “project-based vouchers” designed to support projects furthering affordable and accessible housing initiatives. That was in 2019.

In 2023, the YA (Youth Alliance)

at AVi program started at the development AVi at Old Towne. “In February, we moved 30 of our older youth into a brandnew beautiful development in Arvada,” Varnell said. “And, those 30 youth will have about three years to finish our program, which will include housing provided by the housing authority. And then they’ll have the wraparound services that CASA will be providing.”

According to Varnell, the CASA services include a volunteer coach, which is a court-appointed advocate. However, they will not assume the advocate role for the youth in the new program.

“There is no court case for these youth,” Varnell said. “They have exited the court system, so we are calling those volunteer coaches there.”

The coaches are there to be like the advocates — a constant in the lives of the young adults. However, their role shifts from a court focus to a life skills focus.

According to Varnell, those skills include, “job and job training, education, financial literacy, budgeting, life skills, mental, physical and emotional health.” She said things like dental care and “social connectedness” are also important duties of the volunteer coach.

That social connection is vital, Varnell believes, to help the youth transition to living alone as well.

“These youth, you know, a lot of them have been in many foster homes, group homes, they’ve had a lot of people around them,” she said. “And so to move out on your own, it’s pretty isolating, right?”

The 30 youths thus live in a complex that also houses veterans and

families in the other 70 units.

“Ten units that were set aside for vets, veterans, and then the other 60 are families and single people,” she explained. “We wanted this to

Varnell said that CASA remains an advocate, not a surrogate parent or supervisor for the youth.

“We aren’t the landlord,” she said. “Foothills Regional Housing is providing that service. They get the young adults all qualified. The housing authority does all the stuff related to the leasing, and who can qualify for the lease. And that’s first and foremost. Because if you can’t qualify for the lease, then you can’t live there. And then you couldn’t be a part of our program. So we do we let them do

CASA does form a partnership of sorts and the youth have addition-

“We come along with our Youth Alliance program commitments,” Varnell said. “They have to agree to certain expectations and certain things in the contract. They have to agree that they will work with a volunteer coach, and then they will make progress toward goals and that they will complete an independent service plan that has short-term and long-term objectives and goals.”

Arming the former foster kids to thrive in adulthood is the focus of the program. Varnell described other services that they provide, which include for example parenting classes for the teen moms in the group. “The goal is stopping the cycle and making sure that those young adults can provide what they need for their children. So those children don’t end up back in the system, which many do, Varnell said.”

The program recently received an award for its work—an award from the housing sector. With the combined efforts of CASA Jeffco/ Gilpin and Foothills Regional Housing, AVi at Old Towne won the Eagle Award. It’s known in the housing sector as one of the highest achievements for the Colorado housing community. The Eagle Awards are presented to Colorado organizations that exhibit extraordinary accomplishments and leadership in housing and support services.

“We are honored to win this recognition for our work with Foothills Regional Housing to provide critical housing and support to youth aging out of foster care,” said Leah Varnell, executive director of CASA of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties. “We hope to provide a better, safer start to their future and we look forward to this program making a difference in people’s lives.”

Find more information about YA at AVi on the CASA webpage for AVi at Old Towne.

An aerial view of AVi at Old Towne. The building is home to the 30 former foster kids who are now participating in the YA at AVi program. PHOTO COURTESY CASA OF JEFFERSON/GILPIN COUNTIES

Je erson County kicks o two-year update of five plans and regulations

BY TEDDY JACOBSEN TJACOBSEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Jefferson County officials are looking to shake things up over the next two years.

A long list of county plans will be reevaluated and potentially updated. Everything from wildfire evacuation to transportation policies are on the table in what’s dubbed “Together Jeffco.”

The county’s Comprehensive Master Plan, Community Wildfire Protection Plan, Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan’s Evacuation Annex, Transportation Master Plans and Land Use Code are among the plans that could be updated.

The goal of this project, announced in July, is to redesign land use, plan for evacuations and to align transportation policies with goals, according to the county’s website. County representatives said the process should provide a cohesive vision for the future of the county and identify priorities for addressing growth, regulations and services.

“One of our goals is to help streamline our process and become more efficient as we work

together to help articulate our community vision for Jefferson County,” Jefferson County Development and Transportation Director Abel Montoya said in a recent press release.

The county is currently evaluating plans, reviewing existing conditions and developing a process to include the public in its decision-making. This phase is anticipated to conclude in August of this year, according to the county’s website.

The following phases involve multiple stages of drafting the plans and regulations. The county anticipates this process to be completed by July 2024. Public review of the land use code is expected for December of 2024 and public hearings in early 2025.

The county anticipates the project to take 18 to 24 months with adoption of the other four plans planned for October of 2024.

Residents can get involved with the drafting process through public workshops, surveys and open houses over the next two years by visiting the Together Jeffco website (https://togetherjeffco. com/).

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Je erson County plans to be reevaluated in what is dubbed Together Je co. IMAGE COURTESY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.

co’s new “I Voted” sticker

a reminder to prepare for election season

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Je erson County has a new sticker to show that you’ve done your civic duty. e new “I Voted” sticker design is out, and it re ects Je co’s beautiful sunsets over the foothills and features the classic “I Voted” slogan in both English and Spanish.

Everyone will have access to the sticker, even those who voted by mail. e sticker will be included inside each ballot mailed in Je co in October for the Nov. 7 elections.

According to Je co Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez, the sticker holds a few di erent symbols of the county’s progress.

“ e ‘I Voted’ sticker has always been a symbol of hope and excitement about using our voice to e ect political change,” Gonzalez said. “I’m excited to have some Je cospeci c air in this year’s sticker and to feature both English and Spanish text, which is more inclusive — just like Je co aims to be.”

e sticker design release is a sign that voting season is approaching. Here’s some information from Gonzalez and the clerk’s o ce that you should know.

Ballot box and voting locations are live. Je erson County’s website now has an updated map of the places where you can cast your ballot. Je co has 40 drop boxes available throughout the county and they open Oct. 16. e boxes are open 24 hours a day through 7 p.m. election night.

ere are six voter service and

“I’m excited to have some Je co-specific flair in this year’s sticker and to feature both English and Spanish text, which is more inclusive—just like Je co aims to be,” said Amanda Gonzalez, Je co Clerk and Recorder, about the new sticker.

polling center locations in Jeffco. Five of them open Oct. 30 and the one at the Colorado School of Mines opens on November 6. In addition to casting a vote, you can drop o a ballot, replace a ballot, register to vote, update your registration and even nd an ADA-

accessible voting machine. Find more information, a service and polling location or your ballot box online.

Je co still needs election judges.

e Clerk and Recorder’s O ce is still seeking election judges for the November elections. ey encour-

age every Je co resident age 16 and over who is also registered to vote to apply. It’s a paid job that would make an interesting resume builder for young people.

You can nd more information about the position and the application on the Je erson County Elections webpage.

Sign up for Ballot Trax now.

You can sign up for BallotTrax, the mail ballot locator and noti cation system now for the November election. e system will send messages by email, phone or text about your ballot —when it’s mailed and when you should receive it.

BallotTrax does not update your voter registration. You must do that at GoVoteColorado.gov.  Sign up to track your ballot now, before the bustle of the voting season (and for parents, back-to-school season). Sign up for BallotTrax on the Je co Elections webpage.

Read up on voting security and more. Je erson County o ers a look at the security and safeguards taken to ensure that your ballot is protected. ere are infographics, videos, and more.

e county also created a list of key dates for election season. For example, the military and overseas ballots will be mailed on September 23. ey update the information regularly, so check back if you are interested in pre-election equipment testing dates, or postelection audit dates.

Stay connected to the Je co elections processes, dates and more by checking out the county Elections webpage.

Transportation o cials get stricter about express lane penalties

BY CHRIS KOEBERL CKOEBERL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Colorado Department of Transportation is getting serious about enforcing penalties for Interstate 70 mountain express lanes, and Idaho Springs is the early focus.

Enforcement will focus on the interstate’s Mountain Express Lanes between Idaho Springs and U.S. 40. Soon, though, serious penalties will be a reality everywhere, according to state officials.

“Starting Friday, July 21, motorists who drive unsafely in the Express Lanes on the I-70 Moun-

tain Corridor will be issued fines known as civil assessment penalties,” a press release stated.

For the past month, drivers have received mailed warnings for violations such as using the Express Lanes when they’re closed, weaving across the solid yellow lines and driving in lanes with oversized vehicles.

As of July 21, the warnings will cease, and drivers will be mailed fines starting at $75 and increasing to $150 if not paid within 20 days of issuance, the statement said.

More than 5,000 warnings have already been issued to drivers, according to CDOT.

PHOTO COURTESY JEFFCO CLERK AND RECORDER

New program o ers free community college for prospective early childhood teachers

BY ANN SCHIMKE CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Colorado residents interested in early childhood and ve other high-demand careers can get training for free starting this fall at more than a dozen community colleges around the state.

It’s part of a new $40 million state program called Career Advance Colorado that’s intended to mint thousands of workers in shortage areas. Besides early childhood education, the program will cover tuition, course materials, and fees for up to two years of training for students studying education, construction, law enforcement, nursing, and re and forestry.

“All these elds are in need of great folks to ll jobs that are open today and that are critical for our state’s success,” said Gov. Jared Polis in a recorded announcement about Career Advance.

e program is open to new students and those currently enrolled in one of the six target areas. For those already enrolled, the state will pay for their remaining coursework.

e o er of free training for prospective early childhood employees comes amid an ongoing shortage of child care and preschool teachers that’s led to shuttered classrooms at some centers. e need for qualied sta has become even more pressing as Colorado prepares to launch a major expansion of tuition-free preschool in August. More than 31,000 4-year-olds are expected to participate.

Career Advance is the latest e ort

by state policymakers to beef up the anemic pipeline of early childhood teachers. In recent years, the state used COVID stimulus money to pay for two introductory early childhood classes for hundreds of college students. It also o ered scholarship and apprenticeship programs for students seeking early childhood credentials.

In Colorado, where the median preschool teacher wage is around $15.25 an hour, it’s hard to make a living in the early childhood eld.

e cost of college classes or student loan debt makes the barrier to entry even higher.

State o cials and advocates recently have taken tentative steps towards addressing the eld’s abysmal pay. As part of an e ort to pay preschool teachers a living wage, the state pays a higher per-student rate in the new universal preschool program than it pays public schools for each K-12 student. In addition, the state recently unveiled a report recommending a series of statewide early childhood salary scales that would signi cantly boost pay. For example, the suggested rate would be at least $22 an hour for

early childhood teachers in metro Denver and some mountain communities. e salary scales are not binding for preschool and child care providers, but show what workers in di erent regions would need to earn to make a living wage.

Chalkbeat is a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.

A new Colorado program will cover the cost of community college for students seeking early childhood credentials.

PHOTO BY ANDREA MORALES FOR CHALKBEAT

VOICES

Money doesn’t grow on trees

Government cannot do everything. at sentence is a popular truism on the political right. It is correct for a very practical reason. e government does not have an endless supply of money. Money for government projects does eventually dry up once those funds are exhausted. Budgets have limits. Of course, there are some who would like for the government to do more with more money from the public. But if taxes are raised to sky-high levels, then some will feel disincentivized to earn money. at ultimately serves no end because tax revenues would then dry up. Tax money does not grow on trees, it is generated by the work and sweat that citizens toil under to provide for themselves.

When I started to write this series of opinion pieces on the budget I did it with the intention of sharing something that Je erson County and

NICHOLAS DWORK, ARVADA

As much as many of us worry about the possibility of future extreme global warming, we are currently permitting our food, water and air to be damaged without consequence. We are permitting ourselves and our children to be poisoned with hardly any notice at all. Consider our air. You may have thought that leaded gasoline, which poisons our air and leads to brain damage in children, was made illegal long ago. But you’d be wrong. It was made illegal for land vehicles but remains legal for airplanes. For example, Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson county sells leaded gasoline; it is the 63rd worst lead-emitting airport in the country! After a 2021 study found a signi cant correlation between the amount of lead in children in surrounding neighborhoods and distance to a lead-emitting airport , over 35 healthcare professionals wrote a letter to Je erson County commissioners asking them to address this issue. In response, Paul Anslow — director of RMMA — complained that only sell-

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JOE WEBB Columnist

Colorado does that has a large impact on your lives as citizens. I could have written much more than I have. Zerobased budgeting is a particular pet peeve of mine because it forces unnecessary and unwarranted governmental expenditures to occur because revenues and expenditures must always be equal. I wanted to share how unfunded mandates from both the federal and state government crowd out the budgetary choices that should only belong to our elected o cials here in Je erson County and Colorado.

I am on the political right. I think the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) is a good thing. I believe that government

should restrain its spending and think about what it spends seriously and with deliberation. I am not someone who thinks that those on the lower rungs of America’s economic ladder should be left in benign neglect. Government does indeed take care of the less fortunate in our society but they cannot do a perfect job of it. Private charity then steps up to augment where government assistance leaves o . ose who contribute towards the many wonderful and varied private charities within our state contribute their money in the hopes of assisting Colorado’s less fortunate. ose charities and donors deserve a hearty thank you from all of us because they make the lives of the less fortunate in Colorado better. In fact, what they do is keep budgets from becoming larger than they already currently are. May it always be so that generosity is extended by good individuals that desire to

COMMUNITY VOICES

Our air, water and food

ing unleaded gasoline would reduce airport operations by 40%. e county, enjoying the tax revenue that the airport generates, continues to permit the sale.

I wrote my state representative, Briana Titone, about this issue. I asked Titone to take this up at the state level. Instead of receiving a form letter, like I expected, I actually received an intentional response: Titone would intentionally do nothing about it. Titone let me know that, perhaps, the EPA would address this issue someday. Until then, our children would continue to be poisoned without Titone’s involvement. We are allowing more than our air to be poisoned for pro t; let’s consider our water. Suncor re nery regularly emits forever chemicals into the Colorado River. ese chemicals are not broken down by our bodies or by nature, and so they are thought to last inde nitely. Our pollution with these chemicals is so severe that increasing amounts are now being found in Antarctica. Even very small amounts of forever chemicals in our bodies cause cancer and reproductive problems. And even though there is no known

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amount that is completely safe, Suncor is permitted to use forever chemicals to control a re that predictably results from its re ning process. e waste is emitted the South Creek and Sand Platte rivers, which are sourced for drinking water and crop irrigation. Even so, Suncor repeatedly pollutes the river far beyond the amount they are permitted. Importantly, this is a predictable  re! ey need not use forever chemicals, but it would be more expensive to re ne without them. And so they pollute and reap additional pro ts; the government that we rely on to protect us from this pollution reaps additional tax revenues.

So we poison our air and water; what about our food? It is normal to see “natural avors” on food items. Consider, though, that many natural items would be terrible to consume. And indeed, many of the so-called natural avors are terrible for us. Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) is used to make food products appear brighter [8]. is is an oxidized metal, the same metal is commonly used for joint replacements largely because it cannot be metabolized! It is commonly found in

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reach areas and serve needs that the government cannot.

Budgets are ultimately a series of choices made by the government of a locale as to how to spend tax revenue. e inputs into how a budget is crafted are ultimately more complex than many realize. Writing about the state budget matters in the further education of the general public and how both they and elected o cials handle the budgetary choices made in both the state and county level. I encourage you to question your state legislators about how they vote on the long bill. You should attend hearings about budget concerns that a ect you and those whom you know personally. Most importantly, take the time to tell others in Je erson County and Colorado about what you have learned.

Joe Webb is the former chairman of the Je co Republican party.

candy, co ee creamers, salad dressing and other foods. How exible is the “natural avors” designation? e FDA has approved cellulose — i.e., virgin wood pulp — as a food additive, which our bodies cannot digest. Vanilla and raspberry ice cream can be avored with castoreum, a combination of anal and urine beaver secretions. It’s FDAapproved.

We are poisoning ourselves. We are trading our environment and our health for cheap goods and corporate pro ts. ese actions are ubiquitous in our society, and they go on without hardly a peep from the public. is must change. We must immediately elect representatives who are willing to make corporate pollution and its consequences a main issue. (A good start would be voting Titone out of the state assembly and lling the position with someone who is willing to address the lead emitted by RMMA.) And if we cannot nd politicians who will do so, then we must become engaged and elect ourselves to save our health and our environment: not the hypothetical future environment, but the present one.

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A legal newspaper of general circulation in Je erson County, Colorado, the Arvada Press is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 27972 Meadow Dr. Suite 320, Evergreen CO, 80439.

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Lessons from the masters

During a conversation with a couple of friends and colleagues in the personal and professional development industry, we found our way into the topic of how we got started in the business and who some the early heroes were who inspired and motivated us to be better.

As we thought about those legendary speakers and authors, we also talked about how their teachings have withstood the test of time. Although they all began their own journey many decades ago, the principles that each one built their body of work upon are all still relevant today. e greatest compliment paid to them is that we can nd iterations of their work in the published books, blogs and columns of today’s thought leaders.

WINNING

Although we agreed on a few names, each of us had our top three or four. For me, the authors and experts who had a signi cant impact on my success included Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Denis Waitley and David Sandler. Looking at Zig Ziglar’s career, many will refer to him as the master motivator, or remember him as the salesman’s salesman. With more than 30 books to his name, Zig taught us all so much about life, not just sales, leadership, or business, his teachings went far beyond those topics. Zig was all about building up the person as his mission was to help

OBITUARIES

In loving memory of John Edward Anderson who peacefully passed, with family surrounding him, on July 3, 2023 in Wheat Ridge, CO at the age of 87.

John was born in Denver, CO on October 21, 1935. He was the only child of John C. Anderson and L. Loreen (Priest) Anderson. He was a proud Colorado native who lived in Arvada, CO.

John graduated in 1954 from Wheat Ridge High School. He met his high school sweetheart, the love of his life, Yvonne Hammond, and they were married in June of 1954. He and Yvonne started their family and had three children, Kim, John and Jim. John, a hardworking and honest man in the construction eld, started in lath and plaster of commercial buildings. Andy’s Custom Homes began in 1961. He built over 100 custom homes, even built the rst $100K home sold in Arvada. In 1973 Arvada Home Improvement Center showroom was opened and he continued his home building and began remodeling. John’s outgoing friendly personality was well suited for buying and selling antiques with Yvonne and working at the Disney Store as a cast member.

John, a Godly man, was an extraordinary artist and creator. He built a new stage at Sloan’s Lake Church, which lead to him and

Yvonne being baptized. e church transitioned to Altitude Church where he enjoyed his weekly Bible study with his many friends. He loved wood carving and is especially known for his walking canes with characters on them. He generously gave away many carved bears. He enjoyed sketching, painting, gardening and collecting all things Disney.

John, Yvonne and family spent most summers at Disneyland and also started the Colorado Mouse Club for collectors. John’s kindness and love will be truly missed.

John is predeceased by his wife, Yvonne, and granddaughter, Amber. He is survived by his son Jim Anderson, son John C. Anderson and his wife, Janet, and daughter Kim Pipkin and her husband Don. Also survived by his grandkids, Jami, Keith, Ryan, and John M., 14 great grandchildren, and 4 great-great grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Olinger Crown Hill pavilion in Wheat Ridge at 10 AM on August 5th. John and Yvonne will both be laid to rest together at the internment after the service. In lieu of owers the family is raising money for their headstone. (Checks payable to: John Edward Anderson Estate, 5585 Dudley Ct. Arvada, CO 80002). Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.CrownHillFuneral.com for the Anderson family.

as many people as possible with their personal, professional and spiritual lives so that he could have a positive impact on the world. I thank Zig for all that he taught me and for being an incredible role model of consistency, guiding me to being a “meaningful speci c,” instead of a “wandering generality.” If you haven’t read “See You at the Top” I highly recommend it.

As a student of Tom Hopkins and having read every book he has written and having attended dozens of his seminars, I credit Tom with helping me become a top performer throughout my career. Even in leadership roles, his teachings were so impactful. In sales, we hear the word “no” a whole lot more often than we hear “yes.” Tom Hopkin’s Champion Creed instilled in me the speci c

mindset I needed to push through the losses and bad days and work towards the overwhelmingly successful days. e Champion Creed says this, “I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed. And the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep trying.” If you are in sales, Tom’s book “How to Master the Art of Selling” is a must-read.

Back in 1999 I had the opportunity to meet Denis Waitley in person. From that day on we enjoyed both a personal and professional relationship. Denis taught me so much about the attitude of winning and de ning success. He was a terri c encourager, and I would leave every conversation

SEE NORTON, P31

February 17, 1945 - July 19, 2023

William “Bill” Austin passed away on July 19, 2023 at the age of 78 after a short, but tough battle with cancer. He was born on February 17, 1945, and was the son of Roxie and Bill Austin. He spent his early childhood in Hot Springs, Arkansas with his two younger sisters Pat and Barb. Later, the family of ve settled in Arvada in 1956. Bill’s life was full of accomplishments. He was a talented wrestler. He was a League and District champion and wrestled in the nals for the State Championship for the Arvada Redskins. At Northeastern Junior College, he was named Junior College All American wrestler and was part of the 1964 National Championship team. He earned an Associates from NJC and a Bachelor’s degree from Colorado State College. His careers included driving buses, National Guardsman, and Master Plumber. He retired from the city of Arvada after having been a Building Inspector for 23 years. Bill was a proud member of the Arvada community since 1956 with deep roots and friendships that lasted his lifetime. His life-long love of shing earned him the

Austin family record with a 42-inch, 26-pound muskie.

No other accomplishment could compare to the love and devotion he had for his family. Bill met the love of his life, Kathy, in high school and they were married for 57 years. ey literally built a home and life together with their two children, Heath and Kaylynn. e family expanded with in-laws Brad, and Sandy who he treated as his own. His pride and joy became his grandchildren, Annabeth, Case, Briar, and Bray.

Bill is survived by his wife Kathy, children Heath Austin (Sandy), Kaylynn Johnson (Brad), sister Barb Roark (Tim), brother-inlaw Russ Mayer, sister-in-law Barb Stolte, and countless nieces and nephews. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Bill & Roxie Austin and his sister Pat Mayer, and his beloved dog Enders.

A funeral service in honor of Bill’s life will be held on July 26, 2023 @ 1:00 p.m. at Horan and McConaty @ 7577 W. 80th Ave., Arvada 80003 followed by a reception at the house that Bill, family, and friends built.

August J “Gus” Spano

January 8, 1953 - July 12, 2023

August John “Gus” Spano, 70, of Arvada, Colorado passed away on July 12,2023 at home.

Gus was born to AJ “Mick” and Marguerite Spano in Denver on January 23, 1953. He graduated from Arvada High School in 1971. He also attended the University of Northern Colorado, as well as obtaining his Masters degree and Type D certi cate from Colorado State University.

He worked as a teacher and administrator at Arvada High School, Je erson High School and Moore Middle School. He retired from Je erson County Schools 15 years ago.

Gus particularly enjoyed his son, family,

friends, and students. He was involved in many extracurricular activities with the schools.

Gus is survived by his son, Adam, of Arvada, and many friends and re!atives.

Funeral services will be held on ursday, July 27, at the Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary Chapel with burial and a reception to follow.

In lieu of owers please consider memorial donations to:

Carin’ Clinic, 5150 Allison St., Arvada, CO 80002 or PKD Foundation, PO Box 871847, Kansas City, MO 64186.

AUSTIN

William “Bill” Austin

ANDERSON

John Edward Anderson October 21, 1935 - July 3, 2023

SPANO

selection. ese moments never fail to make her smile.

“It brings me just a ton of joy to see people enjoying it and enjoying the space,” Monson said. “I think it’s also enriched my kids’ love and appreciation for literature because they get so excited about nishing a book and passing it on.”

Monson built her library in 2017 and registered it with Little Free Library, a Minnesota-based nonpro t that aims to increase access to literature by providing blueprints and guides to build community libraries, as well as mapping registered libraries across the country.

Hundreds of little free libraries have popped up across the Denver metro area as their popularity proliferates. Monson said she was inspired to build her library after visiting others with her 11-year-old twins Tommy and Luci, who are avid readers.

“I really believe in the importance of building community and connection for wellness, so I thought it was a great way to build community shortly after we moved to Golden,” she said. “So it was their love of reading and my want to build community that made it happen.”

Since the library is on a bike and walking path, it’s not accessible by car, so Monson took advantage of the unique environment by adding a bench, a slide and fairy gardens around the library to make it an inviting spot for visitors.

BUILDING BOOKISH COMMUNITIES

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

One of the more recent little free libraries in the metro area is the one at Castle View High School, which was built as a memorial to student Brooke Adams, who died in April. Adams loved to read, so her school book club worked with others to build the library in her honor.

Golden resident Sam Monson poses with her little free library on the Tucker Gulch Trail. Monson said the library has brought joy to her and those who visit.

COURTESY SAM MONSON

SEE FREE LIBRARY, P15

FROM TOP PHOTO:

FREE LIBRARY

“We wanted to create a space for people to pause and enjoy the green belt that we’re on and the bike path is on,” she said. “Especially through covid, it was a way that I felt like we could put wellness out in the world with something as healthy as reading that creates a mindful, peaceful experience, but also gets them outside and active.”

Monson said the library quickly became self-sustaining once it opened and has since become a xture in the community.

“People often comment to thank us or leave notes,” she said. “It’s like an identity of our family, which we love.”

On top of being a way to build community, little free libraries improve access to literature. Unite for Literacy, a publishing company that tracks book deserts, estimates only a third of Colorado homes have more than 100 books.

Amber DeBerry, Director of Community Engagement for Douglas County Libraries, said improving access to reading materials, whether that’s books, magazines, journals or comics, is important because reading bene ts everyone.

“If you have access to books prior to the age of ve, your success rates in school drastically increase,” DeBerry said. “For people who don’t have the opportunity or ability to purchase books, libraries are an incredible community asset.”

In Dianne Shantz’s neighborhood in Adams County, she noticed there weren’t nearly as many little free libraries as more a uent areas of Denver, so Shantz built one in 2021.

Shantz used a thrifted co ee table and an old kitchen counter with a repurposed replace door to create a weatherproof library and food pantry near her community’s shared mailbox, which provides steady foot tra c.

“I’m proud to say (the library) is self-sustaining because it shows that there was a need there, and that’s true of the pantry too,” she said.

Shantz said she enjoys having opportunities to share her love of reading and tries to stock the library with books she knows her visitors will read.

“Being new to the neighborhood, it’s given me a chance to meet my neighbors,” she said. “A lot of Hispanic people live in the area, so I try to include Spanish books. One lady likes Danielle Steel, so I put those in when I can.”

For Kate Garland, a graduate of Castle View High School in Castle Rock, building a little free library was a way to memorialize her friend and fellow student Brooke Adams, who died in April.

Garland met Adams through the school book club she started and they bonded over reading.

“Brooke and I both loved the ‘ e Summer I Turned Pretty’ series by Jenny Han and somebody donated the entire set so we made sure that those were in there,” Garland said. “Some of Brooke’s other friends also picked booked they thought she would like.”

When Adams died, Garland worked with Adams’ family, school o cials, the school’s Technology Students Association and book club members to build the library and host a book drive to ll it. Materials for the library were donated by the local Ace Hardware and community members donated more than 1,000 books during the drive.

“ e community support around it and the continuing book donations have been really rewarding for me and the book club and the TSA members who helped,” she said.

As Garland heads to Arapahoe Community College, the stewardship of the library will pass on to other students in the book club.

“We wanted to make sure it would keep going, even after I’m gone,” she said.

To nd these little free libraries and more, go to littlefreelibrary.org.

At Dianne Schantz’s library in Adams County, she added a free pantry to help serve her community’s needs. Schantz said both the library and pantry are self-sustaining.

COURTESY DIANNE SCHANTZ

How Coloradans can save water at home

BY SHANNON MULLANE THE COLORADO SUN

OK, Coloradans, let’s clear the shampoo out of our eyes: Your shower water is likely connected to the Colorado River water supply crisis. But can you really help by conserving water at home?

In recent years, two decades of drought and prolonged overuse have brought the Colorado River Basin’s largest storage reservoirs to the brink of collapse. e crisis is reaching Coloradans’ lives in the form of summer lawn watering restrictions, higher utility bills and even a shortage of Sriracha. Some cities have bought agricultural water rights for more municipal water, and people with junior water rights often have their water supply cut in dry years.  Water experts say Colorado residents can help with the crisis, and they have plenty of tips to help the conservation-minded Coloradan start saving water at home. One drawback: In many cases, there’s no guarantee that in-home savings help re ll the system’s struggling reservoirs.

“It’s like, OK great, our city is now saving 10% of what it was using,” said Gregor MacGregor, a water law expert at the University of Colorado. “ e question is, what is your city going to do with that 10%? Are they going to leave it in the Colorado River Basin? Are they going to leave it in a reservoir for drought conditions? Or are they simply going to divide that savings out to build more and then use that savings on new development?”

e average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day at home, and about 70% of that use is indoors. In the arid West, states have some of the highest per capita residential water use because of landscape irrigation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

In Colorado, water users run through 5.43 million acre-feet of water per year. One acre-foot supports two families of four to ve people for

one year.

Of that, 90%, or about 4.8 million acre-feet, is used by the agriculture industry. About 380,000 acre-feet is used in cities and towns, and of that, only about 46% goes to indoor water uses like toilets, faucets, laundry machines and showers.

at means that the impact of inhome water conservation is going to be limited in the grand scheme of water use in the Colorado River Basin, where the amount of water stored in reservoirs like Lake Powell and Lake Mead has declined dramatically.

“While the bulk of that water to help prevent Lake Powell from collapsing will come from agriculture, cities need to do their part,” said John Berggren, senior regional water policy analyst for Western Resource Advocates. “Municipalities’ water use matters. It’s small … but it matters.”

Home water use falls primarily into two categories: indoor and outdoor.

In Colorado, residents tend to use more water outdoors watering their lawns and gardens. at’s led to the rise of water-wise landscaping e orts, like those currently being showcased at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Indoors, Colorado residents use about 60 gallons per capita each day. at leaves them with plenty of op-

portunities for conservation — and accidental waste.

In 2016, toilets were the main culprits of water use in homes nationwide, using 24% of household water, followed by showers, 20%; faucets, 19%; and washing machines, 17%, according to the EPA.

Americans use more than 1 trillion gallons of water each year just for showering. e average shower is eight minutes, which means it uses more than 16 gallons of water at 2.1 gallons per minute.

Letting your faucet run for ve minutes while washing dishes can waste 10 gallons of water. Each year, household leaks waste nearly 900 billion gallons of water nationwide, which is enough to supply water to 11 million homes. And about 50% of the water used outside is lost because of wind, evaporation and runo from ine cient irrigation systems, according to the EPA.

“We’re now in a world where feet matter in Lake Powell. Drops of water matter because we’re on a knife’s edge. When you’re in that tight of a spot, every single water use matters. No matter how small,” Berggren said. ere are a few simple ways to cut back on water use at home, including some Colorado-speci c programs.

Yes, taking shorter showers can decrease water use and cut back on your water bill. e EPA says that,

if all 300 million people in the U.S. reduced their shower time by one minute each time, the country could save 170 billion gallons each year. Turning o the tap while brushing your teeth can save 8 gallons of water per day, and only running the dishwasher when it’s full can save the average family about 320 gallons of water per year, according to the EPA.

But Berggren says rather than changing habits — which we all know can have a hit-or-miss success rate — he’d start with making purchases, like a more e cient shower xture.

e EPA says households can boost their water e ciency by 20% when residents switch to products with WaterSense labels. And a shower that lasts for ve minutes using a low- ow showerhead uses 12 gallons of water, according to a 2014 Colorado State University water use fact sheet.

Similar savings are possible with toilets: ose made before 1993 use 3.5 to 8 gallons per ush, while high e ciency toilets made after 1993 use 1.6 gallons per ush or less. at means a family of four can save 14,000 to 25,000 gallons per year by switching to more e cient toilets. ( e date of manufacture of most toilets is on the underside of the tank lid.)

Updating your washing machine can also make a big di erence. Conventional, top-loading washing machines use 35 to 50 gallons per load. Newer front-loading machines use 18 to 20 gallons per load, according to CSU.

For those who have updated their appliances and are careful about water use around the house, there’s a way to take at-home e ciency a step further: grey water reuse. ese systems capture grey water — the runo from showers, bathroom sinks and laundry machines — and then use it for other purposes, like watering ornamental plants outside or ushing toilets, at the same location. is water can contain dirt, oil, greases, lint and possibly human pathogens, so don’t use it to drink or water your vegetables, experts say.

Laundry-to-landscape

systems

When it comes to water e ciency at home, the temperature, duration and appliances in a shower can all impact water savings.

PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY, THE COLORADO SUN

Experts share tips, insight into water-saving strategies

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installed by homeowners, which capture washing machine water for outdoor irrigation, can cost as little as $350, said Jon Novick, the environmental administrator for the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.

Whole house systems pipe water from showers and bathroom sinks through a treatment process and then send it to toilets to provide water for ushing. e system alone can cost $6,000 to $8,000, not including installation costs, so they’re more feasible for new houses or developments with multiple units, Novick said. ey’re often cost prohibitive for existing homes.

ese systems also come with a catch: Local governments need water rights that allow for reuse, which limits the adoption of grey water programs, and new installations are only legal if the local government has o cially approved grey water reuse. People with preexisting systems should check with their local programs to see if their system can be grandfathered in.

As of July, six local governments have approved grey water reuse, including the city and county of

Denver, Pitkin County, Fort Collins, Grand Junction and Golden.

ose who draw water from wells will need to check their permits. Exempt well permits, for example, do not allow reuse of indoor water for outdoor irrigation.

If a grey water system saves 25 gallons per day and is installed in 500,000 homes, it could save 14,000 acre-feet per year. at’s enough water to supply 28,000 homes, Novick said.

But the counties that have approved grey water ordinances have seen little uptake. As of June, Denver had approved 30 systems; Castle Rock, 29 systems; and Pitkin County, zero, according to each county’s program manager.

Whether water e ciency measures translate into conservation in the Colorado River Basin depends on factors ranging from where a resident lives to local water management decisions.

Water pulled from the Colorado River Basin on the Western Slope never returns to the basin. Front Range residents could use less water in the hope that more water could stay on the Western Slope, but there are no incentives for Front Range water providers to give up such a valuable resource because of water savings, said MacGregor, the water law expert at CU.

“Anyone who pockets (water)

savings can make a ton of money by selling those savings to another water user,” he said. “ e question is, what is the mechanism for leaving water on the Western Slope through conservation?”

Even if a water e ciency program is enormously successful, cities and towns can still choose to use their water savings toward building new developments, rather than leaving them in reservoirs.

“ is is the really frustrating part of what’s happened in a lot of areas. It’s like, you look at it, and e ciency has increased per capita, use has decreased over time, but we’re still susceptible to drought,” MacGregor said. “It’s because we’re not actually banking those savings.”

If at-home water e ciency measures are adopted widely, and the unused water is conserved for the future, those savings can help storage at local reservoirs and even help meet environmental and ecological needs by keeping more water in streams. It could even be used by downstream water rights holders who might have their supply cut o earlier in a dry year.

But there’s no guarantee that the water will reach the Colorado River’s main storage reservoirs, like Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border. at would require complicated, interstate legal and admin-

istrative procedures — an option being explored by Colorado.

Experts are adamant: Residents should still try to use water eciently at home.

If Colorado residents are more e cient in their water use, then cities and towns could pull less water from rivers and streams on the front end, which leaves water in the stream for others. Landscapes could be better able to withstand wet and dry years with the addition of native plants. Treatment plants spend less money on treating water before releasing it, which could help with water bills, experts say.

“ is isn’t a situation that there’s going to be one thing that’s going to solve the problem. It’s more of a case of incremental change, so every little bit helps,” Novick said. “If you’re saving a gallon of water by taking a shorter shower, or two gallons of water — if everyone were to do that … all of that would add up. We have to think of this more holistically.”

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.

Stimulants and survival: Unhoused Coloradans turn to methamphetamine as a form of protection

after police take their belongings. Copeland also has Crohn’s disease, a digestive disease that makes eating di cult and often painful. He described the disease are-ups as “you’re starving but you can’t eat because you’ll get sick.”

Denim shorts that stop just above his kneecaps reveal sores up and down Copeland’s legs. ey are symptoms of the disease. He doesn’t wear a shirt, exposing more sores and bones on the upper half of his body covered by thin layers

On an April morning, he smokes a cigarette next to a group of other unhoused folks on a torn-up couch at the corner of Uintah and 19th Streets, just outside a shopping plaza with a grocery store, car wash and thrift store. e group discusses a path forward after police took an acquaintance’s sleeping bag, tent and clothing. Copeland’s belongings survived the raid. He’s not sure how, but he’s grateful. e day is standard for Copeland: try and force himself to eat some of what he bought with his monthly $60 in food stamps, cross his ngers that the police don’t target his belongings and smoke enough meth to make life a little more bearable.

For Copeland, life without meth sounds far worse than one with it.

“I got more respect in prison than I did out here, by far,” Copeland said. “I knew all the fellows in the joint and they all knew me.”

Copeland was introduced to white supremacy as a teenager in Colorado Springs, where he grew up. He said the Aryan Brotherhood and its beliefs aren’t uncommon in Colorado’s second-largest city. On its surface, Colorado Springs is known for its proximity to Pikes Peak, military presence and its

evangelical base. But the city has a dark underbelly, Copeland said. One of white supremacy, violence and heavy drug usage.

Around the same time he was introduced to violent racism, Copeland also found methamphetamine. He snorted and ingested

the drug for decades, then began smoking it after his most recent exit from prison, six years ago.

Copeland is part of a growing number of people experiencing homelessness who use methamphetimine to stay awake longer and protect their belongings. While opioids used to be responsible for the majority of overdose deaths, El Paso County data show meth is now to blame for the majority share of overdoses in the Colorado Springs area.

In the early years of his usage, sobriety was a nice idea, Copeland said. ough it may never have been a real possibility, it was always a goal in the distant background.

“Right now, reality sucks and meth is an escape from reality,” Copeland said. “I used to have pretty good control over my use, but now I don’t care anymore.”

Steven Copeland holds up his pipe to show his primary method of using meth. Copeland says he uses more meth now than ever before, calling it an e ective painkiller for chronic health issues and also an escape from the challenges of homelessness.

“Meth: you can’t get away from it”

ough Copeland has few people he considers “friends,” he says he knows most unhoused people in Colorado Springs, at least those within two miles of him.

“Pretty much all of them do meth,” Copeland said of others living outside. “ is is probably the meth capital of the United States. It’s everywhere. You can’t get away from it.”

Daily

At 65, all of Copeland’s family members are dead, he has no close friends, and his days revolve around evading police and staying awake long enough to guard his belongings from other unhoused people who are seeking replacements

Copeland said he has a few friends with indoor housing, and he occasionally exchanges drugs for a few-night’s stay. A gram of meth and an eighth of weed can buy him three nights, a few home-

Steven Copeland has used meth for most of his life. He is part of a growing number of people experiencing homelessness in Colorado Springs who use methamphetimine to stay awake longer and protect their belongings.

COURTESY ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

cooked meals and a shower. While living on the streets and forcing himself to eat dry noodles, a meal and shower are luxurious for Copeland.

e 2022 Point-in-Time Count, a survey administered annually in El Paso County measuring the county’s houseless population and factors contributing to homelessness, found 14% of unhoused people in Colorado Springs cite Substance use disorder as a reason for their homelessness.

PJ Higgins, the opioid prevention project manager for the Community Health Partnership, a Colorado Springs nonpro t that works on health equity issues, said that number doesn’t represent everyone who has substance use disorder. Most who have the disorder are not homeless, and many who are experiencing homelessness use substances but don’t cite their usage as a reason for their circumstances.

“Certainly, there’s a strong interaction between people who are homeless and substance use disorder,” Higgins said. “Substance Use Disorder does become a signi cant barrier to exiting homelessness.”

Homeless shelters do not aland many pathways to long-term housing require sobriety as a prerequisite. ose who are ready to get sober immediately can choose rehabilitation facilities, but those are often expensive. And for many, the harsh realities of living outside

“When people don’t have access to care, often what happens is they help navigate or self-medicate the

result of a need to manage trauma and its impacts on mental health life in a way that’s healthy is a key tion services manager at Southern Colorado Health Network, where she oversees the safe needle and services manager at the Southern Colorado Health Network, said of the unhoused folks she works with, more than half use methamphetamine.

“Meth, because it’s a stimulant,

Steven Copeland holds up his pipe to show his primary method of using meth. Copeland says he uses more meth now than ever before, calling it an e ective painkiller for chronic health issues and also an escape from the challenges of homelessness.

is going to keep people awake,” Chizmar said. “I think that’s important when you think about how cold winter nights can be and the thefts you see during that time because of exposure, which can certainly be a reason why some people might use meth, to ensure they survive the night.”

Meth and heroin are the most used substances reported among the unhoused community, Chizmar said. Meth is the most common.

Many unhoused people, Chizmar explained, turn to meth and other substances to cope with trauma – either pre-existing trauma or trauma made worse by surviving harsh winters, encampment sweeps, and general hostility, realities that come alongside homelessness.

“We definitely see here in Colorado Springs that addiction and homelessness often overlap,” Chizmar said. “Addiction doesn’t occur in a vacuum. It’s often a result of the environment.”

Death in small doses

Until about five years ago, opioids accounted for the majority of drug overdoses, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

But according to data from the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, methamphetamine accounted for 48 of the county’s 216 drug overdoses in 2022. A combination of meth and fentanyl came just behind with 42 deaths. Fentanyl alone accounted for 36 deaths.

Data provided by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office

Drug-related accidental deaths also jumped by 55% between 2021 and 2022, according to the coroner’s data.

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid used in hospitals as a pain reliever. But the drug – which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine – is found in much of the drug supply on the streets, often unbeknownst to the people buying and using illicit drugs. Because fentanyl is so potent, two milligrams is considered a lethal dose, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

Chizmar said many who died via fentanyl overdose often had no idea they were using the potent opioid to begin with. Many thought they were using meth alone without knowing their stimulant was laced with fentanyl. Chizmar described this scenario as extremely common.

“We know that so much supply is contaminated with fentanyl that it’s essentially turning people into poly-substance users, even if

that isn’t something they wanted,” Chizmar said.

Though Chizmar and Higgins said fentanyl is difficult to avoid if a person is using illicit drugs, some unhoused folks said the powerful, often lethal opioid is banned from their communities.

“If anybody caught you with it over here, you could get beat up on sight,” said Skittles, a houseless man living on the west side of Colorado Springs. “There’s a certain look with heroin and a certain look with fentanyl. I can tell the difference and fentanyl isn’t allowed.”

Skittles has lived on the streets, off and on, since he was about 12 years old. There aren’t many drugs he hasn’t tried. Though fentanyl and heroin can look similar, Skittles said he can differentiate easily from his decades of personal drug usage. He’s lost friends to fentanyl overdoses and recently revived a friend experiencing an overdose using naloxone, an overdose-reversing nasal spray.

“It was very scary because he didn’t even turn blue for a while. No warning, and by the time he turned blue, I’m sure he would have been dead and there would be no bringing him back if I didn’t know what to do,” Skittles said. “It doesn’t take much of that fentanyl sh— to kill somebody.”

The worst part, Skittles said, was the friend had no idea he was using fentanyl.

“It’s like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets,” Skittles said. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

After the friend was revived, Skittles told his friend that he needs to get fentanyl testing strips — available at most pharmacies and community health centers — as well as start carrying naloxone.

Along with clean supplies for drug use, Southern Colorado Health network provides a variety of health and hygiene products, as well as emergency supplies like naloxone in case of overdoses.

“I was like, look, dude, you’re gonna die if this happens again,” Skittles recalled, clenching a feast and staring straight ahead. “This s– is very, very bad.”

Skittles was an alcoholic for 20 years. He spends most days chasing benzodiazepines with a bottle of Kentucky Deluxe Whiskey. The combination helped him sleep through frosty winter nights and took his mind away from flashbacks of an abusive childhood.

He had enough one day.

“I just got tired of it, honestly,” Skittles said. “Just kind of happened.”

Losing friends to fentanyl and COVID-19 is common for those

outside, added Jimbo, another unhoused person and one of Skittles’ friends.

“Being out here is backward,” Jimbo said. “Right is wrong and wrong is right. All your friends are dying off and you just have to keep going.”

Now, Skittles drinks alcohol on occasion and smokes cannabis to make it through his days.

He keeps a sandwich bag of weed in a jar of peanut butter. A half-ripped-off label reveals the crystalized green nuggets. He points to cannabis as a lifesaver for him and those around him.

“I’ve seen a lot of hard s— and I know what it can do, and it isn’t good,” Skittles said.

“But these days, all I want to do is hurt a cheeseburger,” he adds, cracking a half-smile and nodding his head. “Loving and hurting a cheeseburger. That’s it for me.”

Approaching solutions

Higgins and Chizmar said the war-on-drugs methods of criminalizing addiction are ineffective and often cause more harm than good, as they drive people to use illicit substances without knowing what is actually in their supply.

“We know that recovery, over the long-term, is something that’s oriented around building community and connection and finding some way to feel fulfilled and have direction,” Higgins said. “It’s difficult to do that in prison.”

Higgins said Colorado Springs needs more non-criminalization resources across the spectrum of usage, from sober living facilities, detoxification centers and simple harm reduction methods like naloxone and fentanyl test trip accessibility.

“I think there’s a lot more to treatment in terms of how we meet people where they are at,” Higgins said. “Mandated treatment tends to not be as successful as treatment that participated in on a voluntary basis.”

Though such programs have been criticized as “enabling” illicit drug usage, research does not support this. Chizmar also said clean needle access and places to safely dispose of needles is vital. Such access helps prevent the spread of diseases which can often be terminal.

“This has been an incredibly important intervention because it’s extremely effective and there’s over 30 years of research that demonstrates that,” Chizmar said. “It’s primarily a disease prevention model.”

This Rocky Mountain PBS story via The Associated Press’ Storyshare, of which Colorado Community Media is a member.

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Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament helps autism nonprofit

Philanthropic scramble to include ra es, silent auction and more

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A luxurious day of food and cocktails and even ra es – all while playing 18 holes of golf. at is the plan for July 31 at the Colorado Golf Club in Parker, and it is all meant to help support those with autism.

e event is dubbed the Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament. It is a partnership between Denver’s Lifetime Windows and Siding and Fire y Autism, a nonpro t out of Lakewood that’s dedicated to celebrating the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum through learning, support and solutions.

“ is is Lifetime’s event, but we at Fire y are just extremely grateful to be the bene ciaries of the event,” said Amanda Kelly, president and CEO of Fire y Autism. “ is is incredibly important for us. A great majority of this is not funded by insurance or Medicaid, so we rely heavily on the generosity and support of others. We have a really intensive model, which is primarily a one-on-one model.”

Fire y Autism has existed in Colorado for 20 years, mostly heavily reliant on community support like the upcoming golf event. For a decade Kelly has been involved, and she’s served as the organization’s president and CEO for the past two years.

She said Fire y has a huge variety of programs and solutions with an extremely individualistic model of care for each case. e services include diagnostics programs, early intervention services, schooling and work transition programs, community-based and in-home services, and more.

It’s a lot to fund and requires a great deal of

collaboration and community support, she said. Events like the Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament provide a much-needed boost.

“We have a lot going on, with a roof replacement, we’re building a community garden, our building was built in the 1940s,” Kelly said. “Anything that comes from this is going to have incredibly tangible outcomes, both almost instantly and every single day.”

e event features more than 100 golfers playing in a four-person scramble model for 18 holes.

e golfers registered as four-person teams, duos or singles based on the sponsorship model they signed up for.

Teams and individuals will compete for prizes in multiple contests including closest putt, longest drive, best team score, and more.

With luxury gifts and prizes on the line, as well as both a silent and live auction, golfers can bid on objects or simply donate, with all funds being directed to Fire y Autism.

“I really wanted to look for more impactful opportunities for Lifetime,” said CoCo Criste, director of public relations and community engagement at Lifetime. “As Fire y was moving into their new campus, we found some building solutions we could help them with … so their out-of-pocket cost was far less than it would have been.”

at began a strong partnership between both parties. After Lifetime sponsored Fire y’s annual gala this year, Criste said the company wanted to continue to help the organization.

Criste said she wanted to get a local nonpro t as the bene ciary for the rst Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament, and Fire y was an easy choice.

e event begins at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start (meaning several golfers will begin at once from separate locations on the course). Interested golfers can sign up for the event at www.lifetimegolfclassic.com. Criste said they’re hoping to have 120 by the event day.

All sponsorships, golfer entry fees, and ra e

proceeds will bene t Fire y Autism.

e day begins with a welcome breakfast with mimosa and bloody mary bars, includes oncourse food and beverage stations including premium cocktails, beer, and hand-rolled cigars, and concludes with a post-round reception with dinner and cocktails. Additional donations are welcomed as well.

“ e Fire y community inspires and reminds us that anything is possible with proper resources and incredible people surrounding us,” Criste said.

For more information about Fire y Autism, visit them online at www. re yautism.org.

People with hypoxia brave high elevations

BY DAN ENGLAND THE COLORADO SUN

Chantelle Shoaee will have a question for you if you decide to visit her: “What kind of car do you drive?”

Unless you’re one of her buds, perhaps one of her Hypoxic Hikers, the reason she’s asking may shock you. Rough mountain roads, the kind that ummox those who don’t drive Subarus — and yes, there are a few — lead to the little base camp where she lives and runs Always Choose Adventures.

Shoaee lives at 10,000 feet in a rural spot above Idaho Springs. She also has hypoxia, a condition de ned by low levels of oxygen in the body.

Doctors tell hypoxic patients to

move out of Colorado. At Denver’s elevation, around 5,280 feet, there’s 20% less oxygen than at sea level. Whenever she’s walking around, Shoaee receives oxygen through a tube in her nose, called a cannula. She punctuates her sentences with pu s from her tank that sound like a gasp.

Oxygen is as much of a treasure to her as the gold from the long-closed mine on her land. And yet, she lives at twice the elevation of Denver, a space so devoid of O2 that most at-landers have trouble sleeping.

It seems like a mismatch, like a penguin wobbling through a desert. And yet, Shoaee climbs 14ers at speeds that would smoke a weekend peakbagger.

She wears a backpack comfortably and even helped design a pack being developed by Osprey, a Cortez-based gear company that specializes in hydration bladder vests and packs for bikers, hikers and ultrarunners.

Shoaee’s pack ts oxygen tanks. e

innovation could be a boon for hikers tethered to a cannula: Most of them are anchored to heavy oxygen tanks or concentrators.

Shoaee loves the mountains, elevation be damned, and her strong body, balanced by a pair of powerful thighs, shakes with good-natured laughter when someone asks why the hell she lives so high.

“Look around,” she answers.

She doesn’t care that she lives in a small trailer, or that the property needs a lot of work, or that the roads that lead to it could overturn a Jeep. She’s immensely proud of where she lives, even though she knows, one day, she will have to leave.

Until then, Shoaee wants to run her organization, Always Choose Adventures, which helps people of all ages, backgrounds and, most importantly, physical abilities, experience the outdoors. She and her Hypoxic Homies, a group of hikers like her, all acknowl-

edge their limitations the condition puts on them, but they don’t want to be limited by any kind of assumptions about their ability, or medical insurance, or misdiagnoses.

ere are more than you might think: Shoaee puts severe limits on the money she makes so she can stay on Medicaid, which pays for her portable oxygen. Her place was a ordable because it was in poor condition, and because she sold her townhome, buoyed by the skyrocketing market. Quite frankly, it looks like a bargain, even if the land around it looks priceless.

“I live in poverty,” she says, “so I can breathe.”

On doctor’s orders, Shoaee’s parents kept her inside when she was a kid. She was born with tracheoesophageal stula, an abnormal connection between the esophagus and the trachea,

The Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament on July 31 will benefit Firefly Autism, a local nonprofit, at the Colorado Golf Club in Parker. COURTESY PHOTO

Thin air risky but worth the views, some say

ELEVATIONS

and low-functioning lungs.

She felt a void that wasn’t lled until she founded Always Choose Adventures and sought treatment with National Jewish Hospital, where doctors told her her birth defects were never addressed properly: Her trachea collapses up to 90% of the time. ey put her on oxygen to use while adventuring and it’s made all the di erence.

She’s still hypoxic, but she believes many other Coloradans are, too, and don’t realize it. We all need oxygen, and without enough of it, we get confused, restless and anxious, and have bluish skin, a rapid heart rate and di culty breathing.

Breathing problems can cause hypoxia, but it isn’t limited to them. Shoaee tells story after story of visitors who come from sea level and don’t feel right. Colorado’s thin air

isn’t kind to those who are accustomed to drawing in gluttonous gulps of oxygen with every breath. Just the other day, she checked the oxygen levels of a visitor by using a nger sensor.

“She was hypoxic as f---,” Shoaee said, using one of her favorite phrases.

Many others with asthma struggle here, Shoaee said, and even those seemingly in good health may wonder why they’re anxious all the time and don’t sleep well. ey’re probably hypoxic, Shoaee said. Colorado is a hard place to live.

e condition is more common now after the pandemic. One of Shoaee’s best friends, one of her Hypoxic Homies, is Audra Lilly, who works as a pediatric nurse practitioner. She was diagnosed with lupus in 2015 when she was living in Dallas. Exercise helped lube her joints: e more she did it, the better she felt. She moved to Littleton to be in

SEE ELEVATIONS, P31

Chantelle Shoaee, director of Always Choose Adventures, right, walks with fellow hypoxic hikers Audra Lilly, center, of Littleton, and Mike Goldblatt, of Evergreen, June 29, 2023, outside Idaho Springs. The hikers are hypoxic requiring supplemental oxygen every day due to medical issues.

PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY, THE COLORADO SUN

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a place where she could do outdoor activities all the time. She took up trail running and felt better than she had in years.

“I needed a place where I could be outdoors all the time and live a healthy lifestyle,” Lilly said. “Dallas wasn’t that.”

But her job left her susceptible to the pandemic, and sure enough, she got COVID-19 in November 2020. It ravaged her body, forcing her into the hospital for weeks. At one point, doctors asked her if life support was OK. She refused, preferring to battle it on her own, as she did with lupus. Lupus can be as mean as COVID: Her joints sti ened in her hospital bed, so she dragged her huge oxygen tank behind her and walked around her room.  She now uses oxygen to hike and run, though not as much as she used to. She met Shoaee in a hypoxia support group on Facebook.

“When I asked for advice on hiking and running, people would tell me not to do it, especially doctors,” Lilly, 41, said, “but Chantelle was like, ‘I’ll go with you!’”

Yes, Lilly sees the irony in moving to a state because of health problems and now may need to leave it one day because of health problems. But she is determined to stay as long as she can.

“Honestly, when I put my oxygen in, it goes away,” Lilly said. “I’m getting

back to where I was before this happened.”

Doctors at rst diagnosed Lilly with anxiety. It’s a common misdiagnosis among those with hypoxia, and an understandable one, given that the two are connected: Not being able to breathe causes anxiety. Anxiety can also cause breathing problems such as hyperventilation.

at’s a problem because doctors have to write a prescription for oxygen, said Mike Goldblatt, 67, of Evergreen. Goldblatt is hypoxic and doctors don’t know why. He was an arborist and guided y- shing trips and hikes. He also coaches and chases around his grandkids and plays golf and music in a band. Evergreen is at 7,400 feet and Goldblatt has no desire to move. Oxygen, which he uses when he’s active, makes his life far more normal than it would be otherwise.

“It feels a lot better,” Goldblatt said.

But it irks him that oxygen is only available with a prescription. Patients also generally must choose between the portable tanks they use to hike and the large tanks that anchor many patients to their homes, Goldblatt said.

“We are staying active,” Goldblatt said, referring to the hypoxic hiking group, “but 90% or more pulling oxygen aren’t. ey don’t realize they can get out.”

Insurance, he said, tends to restrict patients from portable tanks or limit them to a few per month, unless they ght. Medicaid doesn’t do this, at least for Shoaee, which is why she restricts her lifestyle to stay on it.

“Safety is what they call it,” Goldblatt said, “but it comes down to money.”  ese are things that won’t be solved soon. But there are issues Shoaee believes she can address now. Carrying oxygen is a problem. A couple years ago she began talking to Osprey about designing a backpack speci cally for oxygen carriers.

“ e kinking is the most annoying part,” Lilly said. “Chantelle, can you x my tube? I’ve already been kinked up twice today.”

Kinking, of course, restricts oxygen ow, and the tubes get tangled. Lilly has a story about her tubes getting tangled while on a ski lift.She eventually had to be carried down by ski patrol because she needed the oxygen boost at the high elevation.

“I was so embarrassed,” she said. Tanks are heavy, with the mobile tanks weighing up to 15 pounds. e tanks alone make a daypack weigh more than if it were stu ed with overnight gear.

e Osprey backpack, Shoaee said, solves both issues. ere are holes in the pack where hypoxic hikers can thread, and therefore secure, their tubes, and the bottom of the pack has more padding as well as straps to hold the tank in place and distribute the weight evenly. e nal version should be out by the end of the year. e pack is an a rmation that people are paying attention.

“It will be life-changing for people on oxygen,” Shoaee said. “We aren’t saying you have to hike a 14er. You can walk around the block now. is

makes it possible. ere’s so much annoying stu about this illness. A backpack shouldn’t be one of them.”

Shoaee founded Always Choose Adventures because of her experiences, but the organization tries to break down barriers for all kinds of marginalized groups in the outdoors, not just the hypoxic. Gerry Roach, the mountain master and author of many guide books, including iconic versions for the 14ers, the Centennials, Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks, is the board president.

But she hopes to use her talents to raise awareness about hypoxia and maybe one day solve some of the other issues oxygen carriers must face when they venture outdoors.

“Could we do a hypoxic 14ers day?” she asks her group.

First, though, she wants to go on a little hike to a lake near her property. e path is steep — at one point she protests to her friends when they leave some distance between them and her — but eventually they do reach the top. She puts her hands on her knees.

It’s hard to live so high up, but the views are spectacular, and the air is fresh.

She straightens up and breathes it in.

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.

with him having learned so much more each time. His book and program, “ e Psychology of Winning,” and now “ e New Psychology of Winning,” will inspire you and teach you how to create your own blueprint for success.

Last, and certainly not least, David Sandler was so far ahead of his time with his revolutionary sales process. David’s approach is a simple one, disarming honesty. He developed a sales process that favored the buyer and the seller so that the interaction was based on both parties being willing to have an open and honest adultto-adult truth-based conversation. No manipulation, just a conversation where there is no mysti cation about

what is happening or what will happen next. His book, “You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar,” will change the way you sell. ere have been so many others who have shaped my career and the careers of millions of others, and I thank them all for their impact on my personal and professional life. Who are some of your favorite authors and experts? I would love to hear all about them at gotonorton@gmail.com, and

when we can learn and apply the wisdom of those who are willing to teach us, 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.

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