February 19, 2015 VOLU M E 31 | I SS UE 34 | 5 0 ¢
WheatRidgeTranscript.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Housing could replace golf course March 3 meeting will focus on Applewood plan By Amy Woodward and Clarke Reader
awoodward@colorado communitymedia.com creader@coloradoc ommunitymedia.com Residents of Applewood were informed on Friday, Feb. 6 about a housing development proposed by Molson-Coors on the Applewood Golf Course. A full application for the mixed-use development, which would include 454 homes and duplexes, has not been filed with Jefferson County, said Alan Tiefenbach, planner with Jefferson County Planning and Zoning.
James Padilla, 12, talks about his day with Bryan Smock, right, at Megan’s Place on Friday, Feb. 13. Photo by Amy Woodward Housing continues on Page 12
Megan’s Place going strong POSTAL ADDRESS
WHEAT RIDGE TRANSCRIPT (ISSN 1089-9197)
OFFICE: 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Wheat Ridge Transcript is published weekly on Thursday by Mile High Newspapers, 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210, Golden, CO 80401. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT GOLDEN, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Wheat Ridge Transcript 722 Washington Ave., Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. GE T SOCIAL WITH US
Respite care center for children with disabilities advances By Amy Woodward
awoodward@colorad communitymedia.com It’s been seven months since Megan’s Place first opened. The respite care center for children with physical disabilities is growing remarkably. Owners Bryan and Kristin Smock announced at the end of January that the center now accepts the Children’s Extensive Support waiver that provides Medicaidfunded services at Megan’s Place. “We’ve had several families that are interested now that we have CES waivers,” Bryan Smock said. Through the CES waiver, families that are eligible will not have to pay out-of-pocket costs for the program, which provides temporary care for after school, evenings and weekends, as well as a summer
program. In addition to the 10 children Megan’s Place assists, the center has accepted six more children. “It was a little bit of a slow start,” Kristin Smock said. “But then as people heard about us, it’s picked up quite a bit and now that we have the waiver, we’re kind of at this point where it’s starting to really pick up.” Currently the center cares for children ages 6-16 years old, but in June, Megan’s Place will be able to take in children as young as 3 and up to 18. In March, the center will open its afternoon and evening care as early as noon, with earlier times during the summer, starting at 8 a.m. Feedback received from parents has been emotional. “I make a lot of moms cry, in a good way. Lots of hugs,” Kristin Smock said. “Parents who haven’t had anything quite like this have been thrilled.” Kat Vontungeln, of Wheat Ridge, is one parent who brings her child to Megan’s Place.
interested now that we have CES waivers.’ Bryan Smock A single mother of four children, her oldest daughter, Rachel, has a rare disease known as juvenile Batten disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that begins in childhood. Without a doubt, she said, she trusts Bryan and Kristin to take good care of her daughter. “You don’t have to worry about it, and I think that’s the big thing with any respite place or child care,” Vontungeln said. “I can just not worry about her for a while.” Bryan and Kristin, former Jeffco school teachers, left the public school system behind to open a special place for children with physical disabilities. The center is named after Megan Rogers, a little
girl whom Bryan met while working at a respite care facility in Fort Collins. Born with Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological disorder, Rogers passed away in 2006 at the age of 10 and has continued to be Bryan’s muse for the center’s mission. “I created just this bond with her that I didn’t create with the other kids,” Bryan told Colorado Community Media last July. “She’s always had a special place in my heart.” A framed photo of Rogers hangs above the fireplace mantel in the center. For more information about Megan’s Place visit megansplacellc. org.
Golden Backpack program flourishes Community-based food distributor going strong By Amy Woodward
awoodward@colorado communitymedia.com
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
‘We’ve had several families that are
Thanks to the support of the community and the dedication of volunteers, the Golden Backpack program is continuing to be a valuable asset for the city. Based on numbers received from the program’s February update, more than 350,000 kids in the Golden area have benefited from the
program’s mission to give a healthy sack lunch to a child from a low-income home. “Because of our caring Golden community, we feel so supported with time and donations of money and food,” said Peggy Halderman, executive director of the Golden Backpack Program. “Needless to say, we couldn’t do it without our volunteers.” In July 2014, more families and individuals volunteered for the summer lunch program under Golden Backpack called the Snack-nWagon, which delivers weekend sacks of food. There were 898 people who took part. The total hours contributed added up to 3,201, which the program calculated to have a value
of nearly $72,000. Generous donations from the Golden Civic Foundation and the Colorado Gives Day added $3,374 to the program’s available balance of $46,050. There are many ideas under development, Halderman said, including exploring a possible expansion of the Backpack’s summer lunch program, and growing from a six-week program to a 10-week program from June to mid-August. Further goals on the horizon include community partnerships, which would help the Golden Backpack program grow. Volunteers are always encouraged. For more information, go to www.goldenbackpack.org.