February 19, 2015 VOLU M E 9 1 | I S SUE 27
LakewoodSentinel.com A publication of
J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Construction-defects bill introduced Staff and wire report A simmering dispute over liability in home construction is heating up at the Colorado General Assembly. On Feb. 10, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 177, which addresses the construction-defects law. The law governs how homeowners can sue builders for shoddy construction. “Currently, there is a defect in state law preventing Coloradans from access to affordable housing such as condominiums,” Senate Majority Leader Mark Scheffel, RParker, said in an emailed statement. “Colo-
radans need more affordable housing, and this bipartisan legislation is an important step toward achieving that goal. It’s vital that we reach across the aisle and work together on the issues facing Colorado, and I’m proud to join Sen. Jessie Ulibarri (DWestminster) in sponsoring and advocating for this important legislation.” Developers say Colorado’s law, passed in 2005, has created a litigious environment and makes it expensive to get insurance, chilling development and contributing to a housing shortage. Consumer advocates fear that reform efforts would push the needle too far in favor of developers.
Condos represent just 3 percent of new housing starts in Colorado, compared to 23 percent in 2007, according to the Homeownership Opportunity Alliance, a coalition of Colorado businesses groups and community leaders. That leaves a lack of alternatives to either buying a single-family home or renting an apartment. “We would obviously like to see more diverse housing, having more opportunities for buyers and not having folks forced into the rental market,” said Loren Furman, senior vice president of state and federal affairs for the Colorado Chamber of Com-
From being helped to being a helper
Dancer shares story of healing to assist Children’s Hospital
WHAT’S NEXT Next steps for comprehensive plan Joint planning commission/city council study session - March 2 Planning commission hearing - March 18 City council hearing - April 27 Next steps for sustainability plan Joint planning commission/city council study session - March 2 Planning commission hearing - April 1 City council hearing - May 11
Comprehensive, sustainability plans near finish line
By Clarke Reader
creader@coloradocommunitymedia. com After beating a rare disorder that temporarily left her unable to breathe or walk on her own, Julia Simpkins, 17, refused to consider doctors’ prognosis that it would take her six months to walk again. “I told them I wasn’t going home in a wheelchair,” she remembers. “This is my senior year and I’m not going to miss it.” And she didn’t. Thanks to hours of effort, and the help and dedication of hospital staff, the Lakewood resident and Golden High School senior walked out of Children’s Hospital Colorado six weeks after entering it. Now, Julia has given back to the hospital by participating in the Alice 105.9 Cares for Kids radiothon hosted by the station on Feb. 12 and 13. The event has raised more than $17 million since its inception. Alice 105.9 holds the title of the top radiothon in the nation. All the money goes to Children’s Hospital. The Alice radiothon raised about $1.6 million. Julia contributed by sitting down with DJs Slacker and Steve and sharing her story, live from Children’s Boettcher Atrium. “I try to focus on all positives, and that’s why I became an ambassador for Children’s Hospital,” she said. Hospital staff nominate patients to serve as representatives in the community. These patients and their families share stories of hope and perseverance through interviews, presentations, and events supporting Children’s Colorado. Julia’s road to being an ambassador began early last June after she had knee surgery because of a dance-related injury. As her mother, Lori, remembers, Julia started to get a tingling in her feet — a tingling that eventually ascended up her body, bringing with it extreme illness and weakness. “We took her to St. Anthony’s and she was then transferred to Children’s, and that’s when we found out she had GuillainBarre,” Lori said. “She was put on a ventilator and remained on it for 30 days while doctor tried different treatments.” Guillian-Barre is a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. In some cases it can shut down organs, which makes it a potentially deadly illness. The cause of the disorder is still undetermined. At its worst, Julia wasn’t able to speak and could only communicate with the simplest of gestures.
merce and Industry. Some metro-area cities are tackling the issue on their own. Lakewood passed an ordinance in October. Parker and Lone Tree also have moved toward doing so and Castle Rock is considering it if legislation isn’t passed at the state level. In addition to Scheffel and Ulibarri, SB 177 is sponsored by state Reps. Brian DelGrosso, R-Loveland, and Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont. — Colorado Community Media reporter Amy Woodward and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
City welcomes resident comment with open houses Clarke Reader
creader@colorado communitymedia.com
getting better. A large support system of friends, family and neighbors also greatly helped, Lori said. “We’d never faced anything like this before, and we were fortunate to have good insurance and the community behind us,”
Lakewood’s updated comprehensive plan and first sustainability is nearly done, and the city threw open its doors to give residents a look at the drafts before the approval process begins. On Feb. 10 and 12 city staff and planners were on hand to answer questions about the updated drafts. “I think we’ve come up with a really good draft - one that’s forward thinking and protects the residents,” said Holly Boehm, a planner with the city. “We worked with the community and every city department to address the needs of our residents.” Work on the plans began in 2013 with a series of open houses to get public input and since then several committees with specific focuses were created to dig into the details of the plan. Residents and community members like Julie Byerlein and Patricia Merkel led these small committees and worked with experts in various fields to create the best plan for the city. “I really enjoy the insight you get from working with people with a different perspective,” said Byerlein, who worked on the sustainability section of the sustainability plan. “The themes of jobs we discussed dovetailed really well into the work being done on West Colfax.” One of the crucial areas of focus on the sustainability side is making sure the environmental goals are measurable, so changes can be made if needed. “We need to be able to show progress and have to look at the metrics for these areas,” Merkel said. “All of our groups
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Julia Simpkins during her recovery period at Children’s Hospital. While she used the wheelchair there, she refused to come home in one. Photo courtesy of Lori Simpkins “The whole thing was pretty scary,” Julia said, “but losing control of my legs and the breathing problems were probably the worst.” Eventually Julia underwent tracheotomy surgery, which allowed her to breathe on her own and communicate. Once she moved to rehabilitation, Julia was able to dedicate all her energy to