Arvada Press December, 7 2023

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 23

WEEK OF DECEMBER 7, 2023

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December 7, 2023De

Arvada celebrates holiday season with Olde Town tree lighting

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

A fresh coat of snow in Olde Town was quickly filled with footprints during the annual tree lighting.

On Nov. 25, nearly 3,000 Arvadans gathered to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season.

Festivities began with the first day of the Holiday Pop-Up Market in Olde Town Square. The opening of the market — which was scheduled to begin on Nov. 24 — was delayed due to inclement weather.

Festivities continued with the annual Olde Town Tree Lighting, as Olde Town was illuminated with holiday lights. The evening was soundtracked by Guerrilla

Fanfare and The Flatirons.

“The tree lighting really is the official start of the holiday season in Olde Town,” said Olde Town Arvada Business Improvement District Director Joe Hengstler.

“It was amazing to see how many people braved the cold to be a part of this community tradition,” Hengsltler continued. “It is our hope that they continue to visit Olde Town and support the small business community throughout the holiday season.”

This year, the tree was lit by Arvada’s new mayor, Lauren Simpson. Simpson was joined onstage by council members Sharon Davis, Shawna Ambrose and Bob Fifer.

Arvadans had the opportunity to bring home some holiday cheer with the Olde Town Tree Farm.

SEE LIGHTING, P16

A skating rink filled Olde Town Square, giving Arvadans the chance to enjoy seasonal skating.

The Arvada Jefferson Kiwanis served up hot chocolate and other drinks during the tree lighting.

PHOTOS BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

December 7, 2023

Arvada Press 3

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December 7, 2023De

Grading work begins on Arvada In-N-Out Burger Preliminary phase expected to take four to six weeks; five months of work to follow

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arvadans are only about six months away from feasting at InN-Out, a popular Californian latenight dining export.

Grading work began on the site — located at the intersection of 52nd Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, at approximately 7370 W. 52nd Ave. — the week of Nov. 20.

SEE IN-N-OUT, P20

Construction of the restaurant is anticipated to take about six months, according to the developer’s timeline.

PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN

Arvada Press 5

December 7, 2023

Ring in the holiday season

Saturdays with Santa return with something sweet this year — a complimentary PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN cookie from Rheinlander Bakery.

Your guide to festive events in Arvada

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Snow’s started to fall and the leaves have perished.It’s time for the holidays in Arvada, and luckily for all the local merrymakers, Olde Town has a full slate of holiday events for folks of all ages to bring a little festivity to the winter months.

Olde Town Arvada Pop Up Holiday Market

When: Dec. 1-3, Dec. 8-10, Dec. 1517, Dec. 22 and 23. 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fridays; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays Where: Olde Town Square About: Arvada’s annual Germanstyle holiday market returns with a host of local vendors selling festive holiday goods in the square. Vendors rotate on a weekly basis, so visitors can find something new each week.

Skating in the Square

When: Nov. 22 to Jan. 29. 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday ; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays ; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sundays Where: Olde Town Square About: Ice skating is back in Olde Town Arvada, with the skating rink returning for the third year after a break for COVID. Skate rentals are available for folks who don’t have

their own skates. The rink is a synthetic ice surface, not actual ice.

Arvada Winter Farmer’s Market

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 2, 9 and 16 Where: Olde Town Square About: Dozens of local artisans will be hawking handmade goods at the Winter Farmer’s Market, which will also have food offerings available.

Perfect for finding ingredients to elevate classic holiday dishes.

Saturdays with Santa

When: Noon to 3 p.m. Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23 Where: Olde Town Square About: Santa will stop by Olde Town to make sure he’s prepared with all of the right toys for Arvadan youngsters. Getting a photo with Santa is free and every child who visits Mr. Claus will receive a complimentary cookie from Rheinlander Bakery (excluding Dec. 23).

Breakfast with Santa

When: 11 a.m. to noon Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23 Where: School House Kitchen and Libations, 5660 Olde Wadsworth Blvd.

About: Need to go a little more indepth with Santa on your Christmas list? School House is hosting Breakfast with Santa all month to allow kids to some extra time to spend with Santa this year. Reservations can be made by calling School House at 720-639-4213.

Letters to Santa

Ho, ho, ho! ‘Tis the season to let Santa know if you have been naughty or nice.

Send in your lettter to be published through the holidays!

Mail by December 15th!

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December 7, 2023De

Jury trial begins for man accused of murdering Arvada police officer Trial set to continue through Dec. 12

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The trial of the man suspected of the murder of Arvada Police Officer Dillon Vakoff began on Nov. 28 and is scheduled to continue until Dec. 12 in the Jefferson County Courthouse.

The suspect, Sonny Almanza, pleaded not guilty to a number of charges, including three counts of Murder in the First Degree (of a Peace Officer, After Deliberation/ With Intent, Extreme Indifference) and two counts of Attempt to Commit Murder in the First Degree against Mercedes Lopez, who was has been identified as a “female victim.”

Vakoff was killed in the early hours of Sept. 11, 2022 while responding to a large family disturbance that

The memorial for APD Officer Dillon Vakoff was displayed outside of Arvada City Hall for weeks after his death.

PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN

involved two children on the 6700 block of West 51st Avenue. Lopez was transported to a local hospital and survived her injuries.

Almanza has been held without bail since his arrest shortly after the murder took place.

Judge Russel B. Klein is presiding over the case.

Timeline of the events of Sept. 11, 2022

At around 1:45 a.m., Officers D. Garibay and Vakoff were dispatched to an apartment on 51st Avenue on a report of a disturbance over the custody disagreement, according to an affidavit filed by Arvada police Detective Julie Glynn.

Sonny Almanza’s sister — Destiny Medlock — contacted APD for assistance because the mother of the children, Lexie Lopez — Mercedes’ sister — was on her way to the location to take the children back and Medlock suspected that Lopez was intoxicated.

Officers Vakoff and Garibay arrived on scene and contacted Lopez, who was giving her statement when another vehicle arrived.

Shortly after, a fight broke out in the apartment’s parking lot.

Almanza retrieved a rifle and came out to the parking lot, fired a round from the rifle which struck

The trial of slain Arvada Police Officer Dillon Vakoff (pictured) began last week, with suspect Sonny Almanza COURTESY ARVADA POLICE pleading not guilty.

Mercedes Lopez — Lexie Lopez’s sister — in the leg. During the gunfire, Vakoff was fatally shot, according to the arrest affidavit.

At the time of his arrest, Almanza was charged with two counts of child abuse, neither of which appear on the finalized complaint.

Arvada Press 7

December 7, 2023

Paving is complete on Ralston Road after years of work

A publication of

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All lanes of traffic open in time for holidays; landscaping and concrete work to run into spring

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BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

After years of work, paving and striping on Ralston Road is finally complete.

The roadway portion of the Ralston Road widening project was completed just before Thanksgiving, giving Arvadans an early holiday gift to kick off the season.

The roadway of one of Arvada’s busiest thoroughfares was completed on Nov. 22, according to Arvada’s Infrastructure Communications Manager Katie Patterson. Many sections of sidewalk that were previously closed are now open, Patterson added.

“There are some ongoing segmented closures for both roadway and sidewalks throughout the corridor,” Patterson said. “These will continue to move around as work is completed, particularly for the concrete work on sidewalks, curb ramps, landscaping and medians.”

The work that is scheduled to take place over the next few months includes: • Yukon Street closure for storm drainage pipe connection work (now through approximately December 15) • Grading and paving in parking lots • Pedestrian signal poles and lighting • Placing irrigation conduit and planter soil • Installing bus benches Patterson added that weather permitting, landscaping and concrete work will continue through the winter months into spring. Nevertheless, the main portion of work is finally done.

“The roadway itself is largely complete and we are excited to continue to see these improvements — including the smoother, wider roadway and sidewalks — become available to the public,” Patterson said.

Mayor Lauren Simpson called the roadway’s completion a “Thanksgiving miracle” on Facebook and said that although the project hit some un-

michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

KRISTEN FIORE West Metro Editor kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com

RYLEE DUNN Community Editor rdunn@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Street view of Ralston Road from the intersection at Olde Wadsworth Boulevard.

PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN FRANKS Production Manager efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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Columnists & Guest Commentaries Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Press.

We welcome letters to the editor.

Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to lkfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com Deadline Tues. for the following week’s paper.

Arial view of Ralston Road following the completion of the roadway the week of Nov. 22.

COURTESY CITY OF ARVADA

expected snags, she feels the widened and improved roadway will be a boon to all Arvadans.

“The Ralston Road project did meet with some unexpected surprises along the way that caused unfortunate delays,” Simpson said. “However, the unseasonably warm weather this fall allowed us to make up some of that time and I know residents are as relieved and grateful as I am that the bulk of the work is finally finished!

“It’s important for residents to understand that the key reason for the long timeline of this project is that we didn’t simply widen the road,” Simpson continued. “We also replaced all of the infrastructure underneath it so that there wouldn’t be a need to come back and cut into this new road in the coming years. I’m so grateful that Arvadans will be able to enjoy a significantly improved Ralston corridor for decades to come.”

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December 7, 2023De

Why a Colorado restaurant is thinking of buying a $10,000 rice dispenser

BY TAMARA CHUANG THE COLORADO SUN

Mas Torito never thought he’d care so much about a few grams of rice.

And yet, there he was, engaging rather than ignoring a vendor of a machine that dispenses a precisely measured amount of piping-hot, steamed rice. At nearly $10,000, the cost may seem steep considering that a few morsels of rice is just cents at the grocery store.

But Torito runs Kokoro, the homegrown Japanese restaurant that his parents started in 1986.

There are two locations, in Denver and in Arvada. They serve about 1,500 bowls of rice a day.

“It dispenses rice to within, I think, two or three grams or whatever amount you specify, and it drops it into your bowl,” Torito said. “It’s the exact amount of rice every single time.”

Restaurants have been operating in one of the more challenging

Seeking Applicants for 2024 Boards and Commissions Vacancies Applications are being accepted for the following citizen boards and commissions in 2024. You can now apply online: Arts and Culture Commission Festivals Commission Human Services Advisory Liquor Authority Park Advisory Sustainability Advisory Information about each board, as well as application details, can be found at ArvadaCO.gov/2024boards. Applications can be completed online using an electronically submitted form. If you would like a printed application, please contact the Clerk’s office at the number below. You may also include a short resume, although it is not required.

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economic eras in years, thanks to a mix of low unemployment rates, labor shortages and rapidly rising food costs. But those who serve rice may have additional headaches as the global rice industry struggles for stability, leaving restaurants like Kokoro figuring out how to save money on mere morsels.

The new fangled machine would not cook the rice. Restaurantsized rice cookers would still do that. And then Kokoro employees must scoop rice into the new machine. But employees could push a button on the machine to automatically fill a bowl. No more measuring by hand. No overages, or deficits leading to customer complaints. If time and cost savings add up to 10% to 20%, he estimates it could take two years to pay off — an appealing investment.

“Who thought that we would get to the point where grams of rice would be so essential to your operation that we’d be willing to spend $10,000 more or less on a machine that gives you that accuracy,” Torito said. “But that’s where we are.”

Rice has been having a chaotic couple of years. Besides all sorts of supply shortages that cropped up in the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted trade routes. In California, where some of the U.S.-supply of mediumgrain rice used for sushi rice is grown, drought and water shortages limited planting. Last year, U.S. rice production was cut in half.

In July, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative that provided safe passage for cargo ships carrying grain. That led to India, which produces 40% of the world’s rice, to ban the export of all nonbasmati rice to conserve its supply for its own citizens.

“Food prices have been increasing steadily over the past year and that’s because of a combination of the war in Ukraine, negative weather and countries imposing policies,” said Amanda Countryman, an associate professor at Colorado State University’s Dept. of Agricultural Resource and Economics in Fort Collins. “India im-

posing export bans is a big deal.

It has a dramatic effect on global markets because they’re the largest rice exporter.”

What that means for consumers — and food businesses — is a pound of white, long grain rice is up 46.2% since 2018, according to the U.S. Consumer Price Index.

Globally, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said that the rice price index was near a 12-year high in July.

The domino effect of export policies meant to insulate a country’s prices can be devastating for the rest of the world, especially for consumers who eat a lot of rice, Countryman said.

“Rice is a critically important food source around the world so when you have high rice prices, that really has a negative impact on low-income households,” Countryman said. “It’s an important source of calories.”

At least this year in the U.S., a wet season in rice-growing states like California and the south helped boost production. Prices should fall, said Tanner Ehmke, lead economist for grains and oilseeds for the Knowledge Exchange research division of CoBank in Greenwood Village.

However, prices of actual food can only drop so much, he said.

“There’s a lot of points between the farmer and the consumer,” Ehmke said. “And so even though rice prices are going to be coming down because of the bigger crops that we had this year, you still have a lot of cost in the system with labor and the supply chain. Grocery stores are struggling with labor shortages and so the consumer is going to see higher food prices at the grocery store as a result.”

Wheat, for example, has also had a productive growing season this year, he said. But he estimated that actual wheat makes up just 5 to 10 cents of the price of a loaf of bread.

It’s all the other inflated costs that keep food prices high — labor, electricity, fuel, the cost of insurance, interest on loans, etc.

SEE COST OF RICE, P10

Arvada Press 9

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Kokoro employee José Olivas prepares an entree at Kokoro Sept. 26 in southeast Denver. The Japanese restaurant has been in business since 1986 and specializes in teriyaki dishes and sushi. It serves about 1,500 bowls of rice a day.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN THE COLORADO SUN VIA REPORT FOR AMERICA

COST OF RICE FROM PAGE 8

Chipotle Mexican Grill has regularly raised menu prices due to higher food costs — notably, guacamole.

In the second quarter, the fast-casual chain that got its start in Colorado saw improved margins, partly thanks to lower avocado prices. However, it was offset by “inflation across several food costs, primarily beef, tortillas, dairy, salsa, beans and rice.” Last month, it announced it would raise prices again, due to inflation.

“So even though wheat and rice prices may be going up and down, you also have rising transportation

costs, rising warehousing costs, rising labor costs, rising electricity costs, rising fuel costs. You have rising insurance costs, insurance is ridiculous, rising cost of funds to borrow, interest rate expenses are going up,” Ehmke said. “All the other factors are going up.”

At Kokoro, rice by itself is barely on the menu. A bowl of steamed white rice is $2.75, about 31% higher than in 2018, according to an old menu captured by the Internet Archive.

Rice plays a supporting role for the menu’s stars, like the spicy tuna roll, chicken curry bowl or inari, the seasoned tofu-wrapped sweet rice shaped like a log.

SEE COST OF RICE, P10

Arvada Press 11

December 7, 2023

It’s expensive to go to concerts in Colorado. Let’s dig into why.

BY PARKER YAMASAKI THE COLORADO SUN

The first concert Jonathan Kahn ever attended at Red Rocks Amphitheatre was Loggins & Messina in July 1976. Nearly 50 years later, Kahn is parked in the lower south lot of the iconic outdoor venue, sitting in the doorway of his Sprinter van with a Snarf’s sandwich, waiting for a storm to blow through before he heads inside to hear Hiatus Kaiyote and Masego.

Kahn said he had been to five Red Rocks shows this year, shaking his head slightly — that number used to be a lot higher.

Kahn isn’t the only one who has slimmed down his annual concert intake. Overall attendance at cultural institutions across the state is down, according to the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts.

In a survey of 285 cultural institutions, attendance between 2019 and 2022 decreased by 15% in metro Denver and 22% in Colorado outside of metro Denver.

Some of that dip is due to the fact that some people still don’t — and may never — feel comfortable attending events with large crowds after the pandemic. But more of that dip is attributed to the fact that entertainment is “a want not a need,” said Brian Kitts, Denver Arts and Venues spokesman. People adjust their spending according to what they feel they can afford. And when the cost of living is up in every other aspect of life, the amount that people are willing to spend on tickets to concerts, plays and museums goes down.

In 2018, the share of a person’s overall expenditures on arts and entertainment was 6.1% in metro Denver, significantly higher than the national average of 5.1%. In 2022, that percentage was 4.9%, lower than the national average of 5%. In dollars, this equates to roughly $500 per person per year less in spending.

Some experts anticipated a postCOVID price jump that artists and promoters would use to offset lost revenue from the pandemic. That was true in 2021, when ticket prices increased about 15% at Red Rocks and nearly 45% at the Denver Coli-

A concert at Red Rocks.

COURTESY OF RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE

seum. But this year the average price decreased from 2022’s averages, indicating a leveling-off of ticket prices.

Still, the increase in the average ticket price over the past five years is significantly higher than year-overyear inflation rates. For instance, the average price of a ticket to a Red Rocks concert has grown 31% since 2018, while inflation for metro Denver is about 24% over that same period.

The most dramatic change to ticket prices comes from the introduction of service fees. Prior to the 1980s, when Ticketmaster launched, venues paid the ticketing servicer. But Ticketmaster flipped that model, paying venues in exchange for being hired to handle ticketing and then passed the costs on to customers in the form of service fees.

Since these fees are somewhat arbitrary — hashed out in negotiations between the ticketing service, the concert promoter and the venue — service fees as a whole have generated a new rising cost for concertgoers independent of inflation or post-pandemic economics. The opaque charges add to the frustration of spectators upset that outside forces are gouging their entertainment budgets.

This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver that covers the state. This story is also part of the Sun’s ongoing series talking to Coloradans about their challenges, their fears and their solutions to the rising costs of living. More at www.

ColoradoSun.com

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12 Arvada Press

LOCAL

December 7, 2023D

VOICES

Miners Alley triples down on holiday theater for 2023

T

he holidays have always been a special time at Golden’s Miners Alley Playhouse.

Typically, an offering for children and one that adults can enjoy means the theater has made a name for itself as one of the go-to places to get a healthy dose of seasonal cheer.

And now with the opening of Miners’ new location, the company is taking the special opportunity to offer three shows this year.

“A Christmas Story” — 1224 Washington Ave. This show, based on the hilarious 1983 film, will be the final show hosted in Miners’ Washington Avenue space. If you’re (somehow) not familiar, the story follows young Ralphie’s efforts to secure himself an “Official Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle” for Christmas. Audiences can laugh along with the story while enjoying a hot cocoa and apple cider.

Performances will be Dec. 6-9, 1316, 20-23 and 27-30 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 10, 17 and 31 at 2 p.m.

“The Story of The Nutcracker” — 1224 Washington Ave. An interactive, hour-long long

holiday show for

COMING young audiences, ATTRACTIONS this take on the

classic Nutcracker story provides viewers with the story behind the classic ballet. It’s the perfect way to introduce young people to the theater and create some warm holiClarke Reader day memories.

Performances will be at 11 a.m. on Saturdays through Dec. 30.

“The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical” — 1103 Arapahoe St. This adults-only musical will be the company’s first show in its brandnew space on Arapahoe Street. The hilarious show shines a spotlight on the residents of Armadillo Acres, who were last seen on stage in January in “The Great American Trailer Park.” The sequel brings audiences back to the Florida trailer park community for laughs, Keg Nog and much more. “’The Great American Trailer Park

Christmas Musical’ is the perfect show to open the new Miners Alley Performing Arts Center,” said Len Matheo, Miners Alley Producing Artistic Director, in a provided statement. “It’s an incredibly fun and festive time as we revisit the quirky residents of Armadillo Acres with just as much crazy as the original musical.”

Performances will be Dec. 2-31 at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

No matter how you want to celebrate the season, Miners Alley has something for you.

Information and tickets for all shows can be found at https://minersalley.com/.

No ‘FoMo’ this holiday season at the Benchmark Theatre

One of the best things about Lakewood’s Benchmark Theatre is the sheer joy it takes in offering audiences theatrical experiences they may not expect. Which makes their holiday show, Frankie Lee’s “FoMo: Formerly Mormon,” perfectly in line with their mission.

Featuring guest direction by Re-

becca Gholson, the show runs from Friday, Dec. 8 through Saturday, Dec. 23 at the theater, 1560 Teller St. in Lakewood. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Written by and starring Lee, the show is the story of a young man discovering his queer identity while finding a role in the Mormon church. The result is at times heartbreaking, hilarious and always achingly human.

Get tickets and information at www.benchmarktheatre.com.

Ballet Ariel takes audiences on a dance through a magical wardrobe

It’s always nice when a cultural institution shakes things up for the holiday season, which makes Ballet Ariel’s production of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” such a fun development. Based on C.S. Lewis’ classic story, the show follows four siblings who escape the war in London only to find themselves in something even grander in the mystical kingdom of Narnia.

SEE READER, P16

University program helps older adults navigate transitions in work and life

W

hen his company restructured him out of a job in his 60s, my dad retired badly. After a successful 35-year career, his world shrunk, he lost his purpose, and he began to decline — mentally and physically.

When I began nearing the age he was when he retired, I started reading about how much longer my generation is likely to live. Sociologists are defining a whole new life stage – an average of an extra 30 years after the family-raising, career-building years. Traditionally, choices at this stage have been full-time work or full-time leisure (of the kind my dad fell into), but many people now want something in between.

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A new program at the University of Colorado-Denver is designed to address this need.

Back to campus, ready for change

Created for experienced professionals who are nearing or at the end of their primaAnne Button ry careers and are navigating transitions in work and life, CU Denver’s Change Makers program offers older adults the opportunity to come to CU Denver for a semester to explore possibilities,

reset and renew their purpose.

This fall, 23 Change Makers fellows who had honed a range of skills and talents — from urban planning to engineering and teaching — came to campus ready for a change, to use that hard-earned expertise in new ways, for new jobs or meaningful volunteering.

Drawing on readings, group discussions and guest-speaker presentations in twice-per-week meetings, they’re now looking at what’s worked and hasn’t in their lives, what’s made the encore years meaningful for others, and the pathways, obstacles, and opportunities they face in designing a meaningful next chapter. Many say

that part of the power of the program is the collective connections that participants offer each other.

Fellows engage with guest speakers on topics such as change and transition at this life stage, discerning and pursuing purpose in the next chapter, thinking differently about work possibilities, and making an impact in their community.

Those who are also auditing academic classes – from modernist art to human-centered design – are inspired by interesting professors and the diversity of thought that comes from learning with a mixed-age group.

SEE BUTTON, P16

Arvada Press 13

December 7, 2023

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Land use

There is no doubt that Colorado has grown substantially in the last 10 years. It is also no lie that the housing crisis in Colorado is at one of the worst points it’s ever been in. Many citizens of Colorado even consider the housing crisis the number one issue within the state. The current approach to how we handle this crisis is also taking its toll on the use of land, energy, and water, intensifying the climate crisis and public health issues. Our decision-makers must make policies to ensure more sustainable and affordable living options.

Colorado policies currently promote unrestricted development of single-family homes, which is known as urban sprawl, and restrict the development of more affordable options like duplexes and townhomes.

While urban sprawl causes many issues, the worst is housing injustice. Urban sprawl in Front Range will continue to exacerbate the housing shortage and affordability crisis in Colorado because it reduces affordable housing options and leads to gentrification, an issue many of our BIPOC communities face along the Front Range. It is a human right for one to have a roof over their head and with rising costs it seems as if no one can afford to rent or buy anywhere anymore. This leads our essential workers, the ones who were our heroes during COVID 19, to live further distances away from where they work.

This is why urban sprawl is a racial justice issue. Due to systemic racism and inequalities, people of color are more likely to be pushed out of their homes due to lack of affordability. This is very apparent in areas such as Rino in Den-

ver. People of color are also more likely to live closer to sources of pollution and this puts them at higher risks of health impacts due to Colorado’s ozone pollution.

There are ways to fix this so that people such as myself can afford to live in the state they love and grew up in. Colorado urgently needs state-level land use reform to effectively address the interconnected issues of climate change, housing affordability, and public health, as these issues are more connected than we think.

Emily Chhay, Arvada Principles for public service

Outgoing Arvada Mayor Mark Williams in the Nov. 23 paper offered ten principles for people working in public service. It is a good list, consistent with libertarian ideals. Given our recent election, however, I propose that most Arvadans are not libertarian, and therefore want local government to strengthen more than “roads, utilities and public safety.” Our ancestors would argue that cities should make sure no resident goes without food and shelter.

Our descendants would assert that we should be doing more to reduce our carbon emissions and act responsibly on the climate change that will intensify suffering throughout their lives. Many of us advocate more steps toward equality of races, genders and sexual identities. Large numbers want Arvada to work for universal health care, more opportunities for young people, and cleaner air.

Congratulations to Mayor Simpson and Councilmembers Davis and Ambrose; now let’s make Arvada better for everyone in addition to maintaining roads and public safety.

Jim Crider, Arvada

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14 Arvada Press

December 7, 2023De

LOCAL

LIFE

Board games are rising in popularity, and local shop owners say the games mean a lot to people

BY JANE REUTER JREUTER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

W

hen game shop owners throughout the metro area talk about the reasons they got into the business, they all use the same word: Community.

Games stores are more than just a center for play or a place to buy games. They serve as social hubs, something shop owners say is increasingly hard to find and ever more valued in today’s society.

While church attendance continues to plummet, politics becomes ever more divisive, and tech devices are a growing part of our daily lives, the human need for physical connection remains. Sitting across a table from others and playing games, while temporarily setting aside worries that today often range from personal to global, is one way to fill that void.

“It really fosters an alternative for people who are not interested in religion or some other types of traditional community. And ours is a lot more welcoming in ways, too,” said Shannon Mills, who co-owns Littleton’s Mythic Games with her husband Mike Agnew. “We know everybody here, and we’re all here for the same kinds of reasons.”

In fact, a recently opened Thornton game shop took its name from that philosophy.

“We were kicking around what to call it, and a friend said, ‘Call yourself what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to build a community, to do good,’” said Jessica Willman, co-owner of Thornton’s Do Gooder Games.

“Gaming is almost entirely about the community aspect,” said Jeff Kokx, co-owner of Enchanted Grounds, which has stores in both Highlands Ranch and Littleton. “I don’t think any game store owner is actually in it to make a mint. I think we do it because we enjoy it. We like the people that come in. We like community.”

Whatever the reason, board gaming is hot. In fact, the Washington Post recently described now as the golden age of board games, and there are no signs of its slowing. The global board games market is expected

The Golden Game Guild’s chalkboard calendar, on display in the shop, is packed with events. Most game shops host regular events, often dedicated to specific PHOTO BY JANE REUTER board games.

to double in the next several years, growing from about $13 billion in 2023 to $26 billion by 2030.

Board games promote sportsmanship, family, teamwork and competitiveness, and studies show they increase self-confidence. For kids who today spend hours each day interacting with technology, playing board games gives them time away from the screen, directly interacting with others.

“I think the value of in-person communication and collaboration is very

important,” said Gabby Mann, who co-owns the Golden Game Guild with her husband Ryun Valdez.

“Hopefully that doesn’t get lost in this wild world we live in now. I’m glad we have opportunities for that here, especially for kids.”

“Our society is losing places to meet in person,” Valdez said. “There needs to be places besides just bars, especially for families, where people can go.”

SEE BOARD GAMES, P15

Arvada Press 15

December 7, 2023

BOARD GAMES FROM PAGE 14

Having a sense of community is also key to a successful game store’s business model.

“Building community is building value,” Do Gooder Games’ partner Dan William said. “Once you’ve built the community, then revenue follows.”

Mythic Games’ Agnew agrees.

With ever-growing competition from other game shops and online shopping, brick-and-mortar stores have to distinguish themselves.

“We never want to win customers on having the lowest prices,” he said.

“That generates a very cheap and temporary loyalty. They’re not loyal to you; they’re loyal to the price.

“There’s no competing with Amazon,” his wife Shannon said. “So we have to provide interest in different ways. We keep our space super clean, fun and open, and are always adding different events. It’s all about bringing people together.”

Pandemic and game innovation fuels growth

The game shop formula is a winning one, particularly in recent years — a fact business analysts attribute to increased innovation in board game creation and the rise of game shops.

The pandemic likely helped fuel that growth, as many people not only rediscovered board games while in lockdown but emerged from months of isolation craving social interaction and mental stimulation.

“In the end, I think COVID(-19) was good for business,” Shannon Mills said. “People were so starved for human interaction. You can only play so many video games before you want to see somebody face-to-face.”

Much of the industry’s growth is fueled by Gen Z. About 40% of game

Husband and wife Ryun Valdez and Gabby Mann co-own the Golden Game Guild in downtown Golden, which draws students from the Colorado Schools of Mines, kids PHOTO BY JANE REUTER and families.

board players were born between 1997 and 2012, and forecasts suggest they’ll continue to be the industry’s most significant consumers. But it’s kids who dominate the industry.

Players aged 5 to 12 are the global market’s biggest consumers.

To meet all that demand, the industry produces more than 3,000 new games each year. And for those who haven’t played in a while, they’ve come a long way from Battleship and Aggravation. On today’s board game menu, there is literally something for everyone.

“People will come in and say, ‘I don’t like games,’” said Mann, of Golden Game Guild. And we say, ‘You haven’t played the right game yet.’”

Consider games like Wingspan, a card-based game about birds. Using hand-painted cards, players control a piece of land, on which they’re tasked with populating a bird preserve. Many describe playing Wingspan as a soothing, Zen-like experience. It’s clearly struck a chord. Since its 2019 release, Wingspan has sold 1.7 million copies and won numerous awards.

Or Pandemic, a game in which plays are disease-fighting specialists battling the spread of several global plagues. Each player has a unique role, and must strategize, racing the clock with their fellow players to con-

quer the diseases. This highly rated, award-winning game is not simple, but players love it for both its complexity and emphasis on teamwork.

The tabletop role playing game Dungeons & Dragons, once a niche and secretive pastime played in basements and private rooms, is a feature act at almost any modern game shop. Almost all set aside one night for D&D, which often draws complete strangers together to craft their own fictional characters, worlds, and adventures. Created in the 1970s, the game is today at an all-time popularity peak.

Fans also flock to game shops to play “Magic: The Gathering,” the oldest known trading card game. It casts players as wizards who get their powers from a universe of cards that are bought, sold and traded.

And among the younger set, Pokémon trading cards remain a strong seller.

Boosting the industry, celebrities are onboard with D&D and other games.

“The stigma that once surrounded D&D has been removed,” Kokx said. “There are people who are very much in the limelight that play this D&D publicly — Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Joe Manganiello, Wil Wheaton … many have created podcasts and YouTube channels to promote the game.

“A lot of that is because our generation grew up with these games in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Now we’re older with disposable income, and introducing our kids to it. And it’s significantly more accepted.”

In an effort to accommodate the growing interest in in-person gaming and the vast library of available games, shops are growing. Enchanted Grounds opened a second location. Mythic recently expanded to a whopping 6,300 square feet, giving them more space for games but more pockets within the store in which groups can play specific games together.

And while many game shops cater specifically to the gaming community, offering sandwiches, snacks, soda, tea, and even limited alcohol sales, they’ve also broadened their focus to draw more customers.

Do Gooder Games and Enchanted Grounds specialize in high-end, local coffee, and Do Gooder Games sells sandwiches, even drawing employees from local businesses for lunch.

That’s not just good for the customer base, it’s almost vital for gamers.

“Some of these games take 4-6 hours to play,” said Do Gooder’s Jessica Willman. “Sitting down and playing a six-hour game without any food or breaks is hard.”

With its emphasis on quality coffee, Enchanted Grounds draws a broad range of customers. A Navy veterans group regularly meets there to talk and drink coffee. Women’s groups gather for mahjong and canasta. Remote workers in neighboring homes and apartments stop by to work for a few hours. All are part of the game shop community.

Do Gooder Games includes a room that can be used to record podcasts, space for community meetings and an employee who teaches newcomers to the business how to play games.

“Success to me will be defined by who successful the community is a the end of the day,” Dan Willman said. “We are thinking how to work with our community, and also how to help but also disrupt the industry.

To break down the barriers and the stereotypes of (game shop customers) being white and male-dominated, you need to cater to new people.”

And just maybe, those new customers will find a game they love.

“There’s a game for everybody, and it’s almost never Monopoly,” Mythic Games’ Shannon Mills said. “Gaming is like a walk-in closet; it’s way bigger than you thought it would be.”

16 Arvada Press

December 7, 2023De

READER

1 East Memorial Parkway.

Get tickets and all the details at balletariel.org.

FROM PAGE 12

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — The Menzingers at Mission Ballroom

The ballet runs at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 2 p.m. on the 9th and Sunday, Dec. 10, and at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 22 and Saturday, Dec. 23 and 7 p.m. on the 22 at the Parsons Theatre in Northglenn,

The Menzingers make punk rock that has more in common with legendary groups like Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band than it does with the Sex Pistols, and to my mind, that’s all to the good.

Over their more than 15-year ca-

BUTTON

you have to find in order to correct a course you’ve messed up has been really valuable to me.”

FROM PAGE 10

The program, which is accepting applications for the spring semester through Dec. 1, is helping the older students spark ideas and new ways of thinking about their next chapter.

Says one, “The consistent messaging that wanting a career change is not a crisis but an opportunity, and that there’s no ‘right answer’ that

LIGHTING FROM PAGE 7

“It’s my favorite event of the year, every year,” said Simpson.

“As long as I’m mayor, I have no intention of ever missing it. I get

Part of growing trend

Change Makers is one among a handful of university programs in the country designed explicitly for this life stage, sometimes called the encore years. “Forbes” describes a national (global, even) trend of university programs “designed with change at their core, and a recognition that change at midlife requires

to be the person who lights the tree, which is just, it’s a personal joy, and it’s an extreme honor.”

Though the tree lighting is over, Olde Town will continue to keep the holiday spirit—with the Holiday Pop-Up Market open every weekend until Dec. 23.

reer, the group’s sound has evolved to be as anthemic as the biggest arena rock band while sacrificing none of its working-man ethos.

Their latest album, “Some of It Was True,” continues in this vein, offering some of their sharpest songwriting paired with some truly rocking tunes.

In celebration of the album, the group is joining with a top-notch group of indie rock stalwarts for a special performance at the Mis-

sion Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13. They’ll be joined by Microwave, Cloud Nothings and Rodeo Boys for anything but a quiet night.

Get tickets at www.ticketmaster. com.

the time, space and resources to explore new selves and life options.”

In an August 2023 “Atlantic” article titled “The New Old Age,” David Brooks writes, “The human hunger for meaning and fulfillment is strong. And yet America today is too awash in workism and too short on purpose. We shouldn’t have to wait until we’re 65 to learn how to transform our lives. Maybe the people reinventing themselves now in these Encore programs can show the rest of us the way.”

This new life stage is uncharted territory. But one thing we do know: it offers more than the leisure-driven retirement that my dad’s generation experienced. It might offer more work. But it definitely offers more from work (or from volunteering, or from life): more flexibility, more opportunity, and more chances to make an impact.

Anne Button is the founding director of the CU Denver Change Makers program. Learn more at ucdenver. edu/change-makers.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@ hotmail.com.

“Arvada is all about community,” Simpson said. “It’s all about just good spirit, good people. Absolutely nothing comes close to this event in terms of reflecting that. Everyone says that we’re like a Hallmark movie. With this event, we kind of are.”

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Nearly 3,000 Arvadans filled Olde Town on Nov. 25 to celebrate the holiday tree lighting.

PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

Arvada Press 17

December 7, 2023

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@ 7:30pm Boettcher Hall, 1000 14th Street, Denver

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Justin Hawkes: The Church Denver, CO @ 10pm The Church Denver, 1720 S Alcott St, Denver

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Macy Gray @ 8pm Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, 1215 20th St, Denver The Gamits

A100 Christmas Party! @ 8pm / $15 The Black Buzzard at Oskar Blues, 1624 Market St, Denver

Fiamoré, Libelula @ 8pm / $15 The Black Buzzard at Oskar Blues, 1624 Market St, Denver

Ternion Sound @ 9pm The Black Box, 314 E 13th Ave, Denver

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18 Arvada Press

December 7, 2023De

Many school board candidates backed by teachers unions won races this year

BY SANDRA FISH AND ERICA BREUNLIN THE COLORADO SUN

Conservative interests mostly failed in their efforts to take over school boards in Colorado this month, echoing a trend across the nation.

A Colorado Sun analysis of candidates supported by the Colorado Education Association versus those responding to a conservative voter guide indicates the candidates backed by teachers prevailed more often than those supporting conservative issues. Union-backed candidates scored victories in 72% of their contests.

Conservative candidates fared best in smaller districts and heavily Republican areas, including Colorado Springs 11 and Academy 20 in El Paso County and Woodland Park. But candidates backed by the CEA and local unions won in districts from Gunnison to Greeley 6 to Cherry Creek and Douglas County.

Voters clearly want school boards to turn their attention back to “the more central” issues in education, including student safety and student achievement, since they rebuffed many candidates backed by conservative groups that have played into culture wars and harped on parent rights, said Jonathan Collins, assistant professor of political science, public policy and education at Brown University.

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Centennial Elementary School second graders Rayeah Scott, left, and Paetyn Godfrey work on a bridge building project during Ann Merwede’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) class Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. PHOTO BY MARK REIS

tion of candidates backed by those groups in different states says that, OK, well we want to get back to the basics when it comes to education,” Collins said.

The CEA backed candidates in 30 districts, while Transform Colorado issued voter guides for 29 districts.

They didn’t necessarily overlap.

Transform Colorado is affiliated with Truth and Liberty Coalition, a nonprofit created by wealthy Woodland Park-based televangelist Andrew Wommack. The group’s voter guides, distributed online and at churches, didn’t endorse candidates. But they published responses to questions on hot-button issues including gender, race and sex education — all issues couched in a conservative parent rights movement across the country in which parents insist they should have the ultimate say over what students learn in school.

Because the voter guides didn’t suggest voting for or against candidates, Transform Colorado didn’t have to report its spending.

The biggest super PAC spend-

er was Better Leaders, Stronger Schools, funded primarily by nonprofit Denver Families Action and former DaVita CEO Kent Thiry.

That committee spent nearly $1.3 million supporting three Denver Public Schools board candidates running against union-backed candidates, which accounted for 38% of the $3.3 million in total spending by super PACs on school board races statewide. All three of the candidates supported by Better Leaders, Stronger Schools won.

Small donor committees affiliated with various teachers unions contributed about 25% of the nearly $2.6 million raised by school board candidates across the state through Oct. 25, a Sun analysis shows. Those committees may accept donations of up to $50 per person and donate up to $25,000 to a candidate.

The three super PACs that supported union candidates accounted for 32% of the total super PAC spending on school board contests statewide. Students Deserve Better and Inspiring Excellence were

funded by member dues, local teachers unions and a nonprofit also funded by member dues. Another group, Better Schools for a Stronger Colorado, funded primarily by Oklahoma philanthropist Lynn Schusterman, also supported some union-backed candidates.

“We don’t try to hide our spending at all,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association. “And 100% of our political dollars come from the hard-working educators in our public schools.”

Baca-Oehlert said many candidates opposed by the union “have just real extreme ideologies, values, beliefs.”

The candidates endorsed by CEA were selected by local union affiliates, who looked for candidates who support an “inclusive,” “accurate” and “honest” approach to teaching history, and who promote school environments that are also inclusive and welcoming, BacaOehlert said.

SEE CANDIDATES, P19

Arvada Press 19

December 7, 2023

CANDIDATES FROM PAGE 18

At least two union-backed candidates were quoted in the voters guide giving answers that seemed more in line with candidates the union opposed.

Among them were registered Democrat Melinda Carbajal, who was elected in 27J Schools in Brighton, and registered Republican Bret Meuli, who won a school board seat in Cañon City Schools — both of whom responded to the Transform Colorado voter guide.

Carbajal said she was caught off guard when surveyed over the phone for the voter guide, and said she regretted her answers, saying they do not reflect her actual views.

Nor did the questions highlight issues that drove her campaign.

Carbajal called the questions “incredibly inappropriate” for board candidates and said she regrets participating at all.

“My job is to set direction for a district that meets the needs of every single student within the system, and how we feel independently politically is not what’s best to serve all students,” Carbajal said.

“So putting that aside (is) really important.”

For instance, when asked whether teachers have the right to refer to a student according to the pronoun corresponding to the student’s biological sex at birth, the voter guide noted that Carbajal refused to answer.

She told The Sun that she disagrees with that approach to using students’ pronouns.

“We should respect people,” she said. “That’s the whole answer. We should respect people, so if someone comes to you and they have asked you to call them something, we should respect them.”

Another question captured only part of Carbajal’s perspective.

The voter guide asked candidates whether biological males should be allowed to compete in girls’ sports. The responses showed that Carbajal disagrees with that kind of policy but offers no explanation as to why.

“My answer to this question to them was, we don’t have enough information or knowledge and the world is moving forward very quickly,” she said. “At this exact moment, I don’t have the infor-

mation or knowledge to say, ‘Yes, I agree that that should happen.’

That doesn’t mean that in the future we won’t have the information we need to make that acceptable.”

Meuli said he responded to the voter guide as a way to start to gain exposure for his candidacy, but he said he would respond differently today for at least one of the questions posed.

The guide showed Meuli responded that he agrees that teachers have the right to refer to a student according to the pronoun corresponding to the student’s biological sex at birth.

Meuli, a retired teacher and administrator, told The Sun that he would agree “if the question was worded that a teacher will call a student by the pronoun that the parents agree for that child.”

“We need to have the parents involved in this,” he said. “We can’t just have a kid that has a need and needs additional support deciding that maybe this pronoun doesn’t fit me. After that conversation with hopefully professionals and the parents, then obviously we’ve got to make that kid feel like they belong in school, like they’re comfortable in school and that we recognize them. And sometimes, even though it’s maybe a little harder to accept, we have to accept them for who they are.”

The broad victories of unionbacked candidates were, in part, fueled by the “strong mobilization” efforts that unions have leveraged for more than a century, said Collins, of Brown University.

“Unions are structured in ways where they’re known for having a very strong grounding,” Collins said. “They’re known for knocking on doors. They’re known for connecting with people in communities, having a presence in various outlets within communities. The grounding, the opportunity to be in direct contact with and conversation with everyday voters, is something that has historically given union-backed candidates an advantage.”

“A lot of the culture war conversation is happening on the internet,” he added, “but union politics has always been about door-knocking and meeting people where they are.”

Tyler Sandberg, who described himself as a center-right political consultant and principal at Timor Strategies, said the union has “an

organizing machine” of millions of dollars and thousands of members statewide.

That creates “a very unfair playing field,” Sandberg said.

Collins anticipates that school boards controlled by union-supported candidates will largely focus on how to better support teachers at a time they’re trying to help kids recover from academic setbacks caused by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, conservative boards are likely to continue “the war on diversity, equity and inclusion,” Collins said, with policies that threaten protections for LGBTQ students and restrict classroom discussions on race.

For instance, the Colorado GOP is hosting a luncheon this week with the president of Monument Academy and a lawyer representing the school to discuss its policy against promoting “gender confusion or gender dysphoria” among students.

Sandberg countered that “there’s a difference between restricting and age appropriateness.”

Kindergarteners, for example, should be “learning how to tie their shoes and get along with everybody” — rather than delving into lessons on puberty or gender identity, he said.

He acknowledged that some school boards “take it too far” when crafting policies around instruction on sex and gender identity, but added, “voters don’t want

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that.”

Something else they don’t want: “politics of any kind in the classroom,” Sandberg said.

He is a proponent of teaching kids “how to think, not what to think” and believes students should study race and systemic racism. That includes long-term practices like redlining — discriminating against people of color in housing — which Sandberg said is a prevalent form of racism that affects kids and the schools they attend.

“I do believe that American history needs to be reflective of diversity and a wide variety of views,” Sandberg said.

Collins expects an “ebb and flow” of political infighting among school boards in the near future with the culture wars shaping school boards largely driven by “a spillover of frustration with national politics.”

“Now that we’re seeing momentum shift towards gearing up for a presidential election, then I think the attention has shifted in that direction,” Collins said. “And I think depending on what happens in 2024 in this presidential election, this will dictate whether or not we see the same kind of conservative political mobilization in the education politics area.”

This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver that covers the state.

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20 Arvada Press

December 7, 2023De

IN-N-OUT FROM PAGE 4

Work is expected to take four to six weeks to complete, according to the project timeline submitted to the city.

From there, about four months of building construction will follow.

The building will be a single-story Spanish-Mediterranean-style facility with a maximum height of 23 feet.

The restaurant will include indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a drive-thru. The site will have 53 parking spots.

Following the construction of the restaurant, paving and striping will follow for about three weeks, followed by two weeks of landscaping work.

The developer is in the process of obtaining all of their needed permits to begin vertical construction, Arvada Director of Communications Rachael Kuroiwa said.

The location will be the first In-NOut Burger in Arvada.

The intersection of 52nd and Wadsworth is one of the two busiest in the state, according to Arvada Planning Commission Chair Michael Griffith and CDOT data.

The restaurant will operate 7 days a week, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Site plans for the In-N-Out Burger coming to Arvada in the coming months.

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22 Arvada Press

LOCAL

December 7, 2023D

SPORTS

A nod to behind-the-scenes heroes as fall sports end Meet the women who manage Jeffco’s North Area Athletic Complex by themselves

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The string-pullers you don’t see on game days are often the unsung heroes of high school sporting events, providing countless essentials for consistently safe and successful seasons.

Those crucial tasks, which include everything from using agronomic science to determine the perfect cut on sports fields, to battling prairie dogs who take up residency on the grounds, are often thankless and escape the minds of attendees who take game days for granted.

As fall sports wrap and winter closes in for Jeffco Athletics, local stadium managers celebrate another successful season. That is, for about five minutes, and then it’s time to get back to work.

Hometown heroes

For Sun Roesslein and Christi Clay, stadium managers at the North Area Athletic Complex (NAAC) in Arvada, it’s a year-round labor of love.

The NAAC property is 14 acres and is the home field to six north-area Jeffco schools: Arvada, Arvada West, Pomona, Ralston Valley, Golden and Standley Lake. Plus, schools like Green Mountain, Wheat Ridge, Evergreen, Conifer and others frequently call it home for soccer matches as needed.

During a football season, the complex will see close to 30 games in just 12 weeks. Between mowing the entire lot, providing tree care, irrigation, staffing events for ticket sales and painting the field for games and more, the dynamic duo has their hands full.

It’s just Roesslein and Clay.

Occasionally they’ll get some summer help, but for the most part, any additional crew positions remain

Christi Clay (left) and Sun Roesslein are the stadium managers for the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. The duo handles everything from turf management to irrigation and tree care, painting, renovations and more. Both are two of about 250 certified sports field managers in the country.

Sun Roesslein and Christi Clay work the bunkers as part of the all-female grounds PHOTOS BY JOHN RENFROW crew for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2022 and 2023

open. Otherwise, the duo has mostly no extra hands.

Just honest work, and a lot of it.

“All the work is done before the gates open,” said a laughing Roesslein, who’s been at the NAAC for 18 years. “So when fans or players walk in for a football game on Friday night, they don’t know that it’s Christi and I who have painted the field that week, or fixed irrigation, or cleaned bathrooms or any of those things. Because it’s all done. It’s kind of like elves show up overnight and it’s magic.”

But the real heavy lifting comes with managing the fields: which height of cut to use for football versus soccer, which drought-resistant, traffic-tolerant type of turfgrass is best for each sport, or how to resurrect the field after a heavy winter season when it’s still “dormant” for on onslaught of spring sports.

“That’s the passion,” Roesslein said.

“That’s what we do every day. I just love coming to work every day. I love what I get to do. I’m super blessed to get to work with Christi. We work really well together. But yeah, (turf and sports field management), that’s the bread and butter.”

Titans of a growing industry

Though they wouldn’t tell you, Roesslein and Clay are two of a handful of pioneers leading a growing wave of women in turf and women in sports management across the country.

Clay began as Roesslein’s assistant, but for 10 years she’s been a peer and co-stadium manager for the NAAC with Roesslein. Roesslein got her start in Lexington, Kentucky more than 20 years ago working for the minor league baseball Lexington Legends (now Lexington Counter Clocks).

Both are members of the Sports Field Management Association, and Roesslein is the current president. In her 20 years as a member and leader, she said the number of women interested has steadily grown. SMFA has about 2,000 members with a 4% female membership rate. Overall, it’s not very common, Roesslein said, but it is growing.

SEE HEROES, P23

Arvada Press 23

December 7, 2023

HEROES

reer-ending injury at any point in his career, think about how that would change the game,” Roesslein said.

Over the years, Clay and Roesslein have seen athletes grow up on their fields, and take an immense amount of pride in playing some part in getting them to the next level. Whether that’s all the way to the big leagues or just getting to another high school season healthy, the satisfaction is the same.

“That’s a super prideful moment,” Roesslein said. “We’ve had some women soccer players play on our field that played in the Women’s World Cup recently. Even if it was a brief thing, they were a visiting team and they were here for one game, that one game I did my job. And she was able to go on and play the next game, and the next, and ultimately make it to the World Cup. That’s pretty stinkin’ cool.”

Though we may often miss the intricacies that go into putting on sporting events, Clay and Roesslein can’t afford to miss a single, meticulous detail. And they’ve been recognized for their consistent performance.

The Sports Field Management Association named NAAC the High School Soccer Field of the Year in 2014, and the High School Football Field of the Year in 2015, honoring both Clay and Roesslein for their management excellence.

Roesslein was also awarded the President’s Award for Leadership from SFMA in 2020 (prior to being the president herself).

FROM PAGE 22

mount. After all, that’s what they do all that work for throughout the year.

Where families, players and fans might take an event for granted, or be disappointed by their side’s result, the real victory for Roesslein and Clay is not just an even playing ground, but the most pristine, safe, reliable playing ground possible, every time.

They know the implications of their hard work and don’t take lightly the subtle differences that could make or break an athlete’s career.

“Think about Patrick Mahomes, right? One of the top players in football right now. Had he suffered a ca-

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Roesslien said when she was growing up, playing softball all around the country, it never occurred to her that sports field management was an option. Then again, it was never really expected of her to enter that space.

That’s something she’s trying to change for future generations.

“We’re hoping that events like the U.S. Women’s Open, the Little League Softball World Series, what we do day-in and day-out here at the NAAC will help us be more visible,” she said.

“And to get the word out that this is a profession and a fantastic career option. We get to stay close to the sports world. We get to use a little bit of science and technology. I say a lot that this is a complete STEM career because it involves all those things.”

There are several paths of entry into the industry, especially at the NAAC level, Roesslein said. But again, because most of the work is done behind the scenes, people don’t see Roesslein and Clay caring for the

property.

As a result, people don’t ever see this (literally) as a career option. If it isn’t visible, it’s hard for it to become contagious. But the tide is shifting.

“As an association and specifically the women in it, we’re working hard to say, ‘This is amazing! I have the coolest job on the planet!’” Roesslein said. “We’re working hard to get some curriculum into high schools.

We have a whole high school turf grass management curriculum built, and we’re still trying to get kids exposed to this being a viable professional option sooner in their lives.

A lot of us discovered it late and just kind of lucked into finding out it was a thing.”

As fall sports end, Roesslein and Clay’s to-do list doesn’t shrink.

They’ll begin catching up on equipment maintenance, building maintenance and painting. They didn’t go home for Thanksgiving because of a potential return to NAAC for the playoffs.

They’ll get started on research for the next year and what the program will look like throughout. From changing products with the seasons to recovering fields in the summer for next fall, plus a laundry list of scientific technicalities about grass and soil and drainage that we can hardly understand from the outside, the work never stops.

The fruit of their labor, the success of good health “To know at the end of the game that every athlete has the opportunity to play next time I think is the biggest thing for me,” Roesslein said.

Safety for student athletes is para-

R

Bucking a male-dominated trend

The stadium managers at the North Area Athletic Complex are responsible for mowing, painting, and manicuring the fields year-round. Here, the football field is FILE PHOTO in pristine condition.

TH

“To see the growth in numbers (of women) at the annual conference in January has been really cool over those 20 years,” Roesslein said.

In 2021, both Roesslein and Clay made history as part of the groundbreaking all-women’s grounds crew at the Olympic Club in San Francisco for the U.S. Women’s Open Golf Championship. In 2022, they returned to work the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

“It’s kind of the first time that a large group of women came together to be the course maintenance team, especially at a major tournament like that,” Roesslein said. “So, that was really what kind of kicked off this larger movement I think. There’s been some events here and there leading up to that, but that was the first time we were visible performing what we do every day.”

Roesslein also organized an all-female volunteer grounds crew for the Little League Softball World Series in 2022.

It was the first time a predominantly female crew (with some male volunteers) managed the event in the then48-year history of the LLSWS. The same crew, with few more members this time, returned in 2023 as well.

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24 Arvada Press

December 7, 2023De

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

Solution

TRIVIA 1. MOVIES: Which Disney animated movie features the song “Whistle While You Work”?

2. GEOGRAPHY: Which two oceans are on Russia’s shores?

3. PSYCHOLOGY: What is the fear represented in the condition called euphobia?

4. TELEVISION: What is “The Simpsons” home address?

5. GAMES: How many dimples are on a golf ball?

6. ASTRONOMY: Earth’s place in the solar system is how many planets from the Sun? 7. LANGUAGE: What is the only country in South America whose official language is Dutch?

8. FOOD & DRINK: What is a sweetbread?

9. LITERATURE: In which century was “The Canterbury Tales” written?

10. SCIENCE: Who is considered the father of modern astronomy?

Answers 1. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

2. Arctic and Pacific.

3. Fear of good news.

4. 742 Evergreen Terrace.

5. Generally between 300-500.

6. Third.

7. Suriname.

8. Internal organs of a young animal.

9. Late 14th century.

10. Copernicus. (c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Crossword Solution

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December 7, 2023

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COST OF RICE FROM PAGE 10

The costs for those other ingredients have increased too. Chicken is up 29.8% since 2018, according to the BLS Consumer Price Index.

CPI doesn’t track bluefin tuna or tofu prices.

Meanwhile, the expense of running the restaurant is higher too.

Takeout containers and lids have raised the cost of items up to 15%.

Credit-card transaction fees eat up an average of 2% of the bill and may be going up even more, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Labor, of course, is a big one for many businesses. It’s not just about higher wages, but new laws that require employers to contribute to policies, such as employee

paid leave.

As for wages, those are up, too.

Colorado and the city of Denver have increased the minimum wage annually for more than a decade. Every time that happens, all of Kokoro’s hourly staff get a pay raise. Denver’s minimum wage has increased 70% since 2018, and will increase another $1 per hour in January to $18.29.

“You’re paying all of your employees a dollar more an hour so everyone gets a raise, and that’s the way it should be on so many levels,” he said. “For employers like us, we’re so lucky to have them because I’m able to have this meeting in my home office because I have great long-term employees. (But) that means we have employees making $30 an hour because they’re getting that dollar raise every single year that they’re

working.”

Reluctantly, Torito has raised menu prices — including for a bowl of white rice, which is up 10 cents since November 2022.

He’s tried to limit the increase on “regular” sized items because that’s what the most cost conscious customers purchase. He felt he had more leeway with items like unagi sushi (grilled freshwater eel) or super-sized portions since those are more expensive normally.

“Our number one tool, and this is the part that you hate answering because it never looks good for your business, but it’s to raise prices,” Torito said. “But because it’s all restaurants and it’s even grocery stores, it doesn’t feel like you’re losing market share. … And some customers won’t understand, but plenty of them do on some level.”

That understanding customer includes Terry Coke-Kerr, a regular who comes in at least weekly (“Usually twice,” she said) for her beef bowl fix, the thinly sliced beef and onion mix slow cooked in its own juices and served over a bowl of steamed rice.

Sure, she said during a recent lunch visit, menu prices have gone up. Not just at Kokoro but elsewhere. But the beef bowl still seems fair at $8.65.

“This is probably the best deal” around, she said. “It’s very, very reasonable. But I will pay more if I need to. It’s really because I like the food.”

This story runs via a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver that covers the state.

www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals City and County Public Notice NOTICE OF ANNEXATION PETITION ACCEPTANCE The following resolution can be viewed in its entirety in electronic form by going to www.arvada. org/legal-notices and clicking on Current Legal Notices. The full text version is also available in printed form in the City Clerk’s office. Contact 720.898.7550 if you have questions.

R23-102, A Resolution Accepting an Annexation Petition Concerning Canyon Pines, Debrouillarde Pump Station (Annexation No. 2), a Parcel of Land Generally Located at 52 Canyon Pines Drive, Finding Said Petition Substantially Compliant with C.R.S. 31-12-107(1), and Setting a Public Hearing for January 8, 2024, 6:15 P.M. for City Council to Determine Whether the Area Meets the Requirements of C.R.S. 31-12-104 and 105, and is Considered Eligible for Annexation

Legal Notice No. 417327 First Publication: November 30, 2023 Last Publication: December 21, 2023 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT at the meeting of the Arvada City Council to be held on MONDAY, January 8, 2023 at 6:15 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 8101 Ralston Road, Arvada CO, City Council will hold a public hearing on the following proposed ordinances and thereafter will consider them for final passage and adoption.

For the full text version in electronic form go to www.arvada.org/legal-notices, and click on Current and recent Legal Notices to access legal notices. The full text version is also available in printed form in the City Clerk’s office. Contact 720.898.7550 if you have questions. The full text version is also available in printed form in the City Clerk’s office. Contact 720.898.7550 if you have questions.

CB23-030, An Ordinance Annexing Certain Land into the City of Arvada for Canyon Pines, Triangle Property (Annexation No. 1), A Parcel of Land Approximately Located at 52 Canyon Pines Drive

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

in the County of Jefferson and State of Colorado.

CB23-031, An Ordinance Rezoning Certain Land Within the City of Arvada, From Jefferson County A-1 (Agricultural-One) to City of Arvada PUD (Planned Unit Development) and Amending the Official Zoning Maps of the City of Arvada, Colorado, Approximately Located at 52 Canyon Pines Drive, also Known As Canyon Pines, Triangle Property (Annexation No. 1).

CB23-032, An Ordinance Annexing Certain Land into the City of Arvada for Canyon Pines, Arvada's Debrouillarde Pump Station (Annexation No. 2) Approximately Located at 52 Canyon Pines Drive in the County of Jefferson and State of Colorado CB23-033, An Ordinance Rezoning Certain Land Within the City of Arvada, From Jefferson County A-2 (Agricultural-Two) to City of Arvada PUD (Planned Unit Development) and OS (Open Space) and Amending the Official Zoning Maps of the City of Arvada,Colorado, Approximately Located at 52 Canyon Pines Drive, Also Known as Canyon Pines, Arvada's Debrouillarde Pump Station(Annexation No. 2).

Legal Notice No. 417377 First Publication: December 7, 2023 Last Publication: December 7, 2023 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Public Notice NOTICE OF ANNEXATION PETITION ACCEPTANCE The following resolution can be viewed in its entirety in electronic form by going to www.arvada. org/legal-notices and clicking on Current Legal Notices. The full text version is also available in printed form in the City Clerk’s office. Contact 720.898.7550 if you have questions.

R23-101, A Resolution Accepting an Annexation Petition Concerning Canyon Pines, Triangle Property (Annexation No. 1), a Parcel of Land Generally Located at 52 Canyon Pines Drive, Finding Said Petition Substantially Compliant with C.R.S. 31-12-107(1), and Setting a Public Hearing for January 8, 2024, 6:15 P.M. for City Council to Determine Whether the Area Meets the Requirements of C.R.S. 31-12-104 and 105, and is Considered Eligible for Annexation.

Legal Notice No. 417326 First Publication: November 30, 2023 Last Publication: December 21, 2023 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript Public Notice

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT at the meeting of the Arvada City Council to be held on MONDAY, December 18, 2023, at 6:15 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 8101 Ralston Road, Arvada CO, City Council will hold a public hearing on the following proposed ordinance and thereafter will consider it for final passage and adoption. For the full text version in electronic form go to www.arvada.org/legal-notices, and click on Current and recent Legal Notices to access legal notices. The full text version is also available in printed form in the City Clerk’s office. Contact 720.898.7550 if you have questions. The full text version is also available in printed form in the City Clerk’s office. Contact 720.898.7550 if you have questions.

CB 22-029 An Ordinance Authorizing an Additional Appropriation for Fiscal Year 2023 Legal Notice No. 417375 First Publication: December 7, 2023 Last Publication: December 7, 2023 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript

###

Arvada Legals December 7, 2023 * 1

32 Arvada Press

December 7, 2023De

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