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January 16, 2015 VOLU M E 1 4 | I SS UE 8
CentennialCitizen.net A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Survey seeks input of city’s seniors Area hit
with flu outbreak
Centennial residents asked to participate in data gathering By Christy Steadman
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com The City of Centennial’s senior commissions coordinator believes seniors provide communities with a wealth of wisdom and experience. Now, it’s their turn to have their voices heard and help the city forecast and plan its needs. A Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults is being sent out this month to a random sampling of about 1,000 of Centennial’s seniors. The survey is “critical in giving us an overview (on) how to better prepare for our aging population,” said youth and seniors commissions coordinator Angela Engel. Engel is hoping for the majority of the surveys to be returned, she said, in order for the results to be valid. Anyone who receives the survey is encouraged to participate because the more surveys returned, the more accurate the conclusions, she added. “Involvement in this process will be instrumental in informing the City of Centennial,” Engel said. The survey is less than 100 questions, and it will cover a variety of topics including housing, transportation, healthcare, retirement, safety, legal and financial resources and volunteer, religious, recreational and social opportunities. There are four main Survey continues on Page 7
Local doctor says this is the worst year in a decade By Christy Steadman
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com
The assessments to better serve the community’s seniors is headed by the Centennial Senior Commission. Pictured is, front row, from left, Linda Haley and Barbara Lawson from District 2; second row, from left, Carol Race from District 3, Bonnie Straight from District 1 and Michelle Collette; third row, from left, Peg Brady and Sharon Hill from District 2, Cal Burley from District 4 and Councilwoman Kathy Turley; fourth row, from left, Steve Nash from District 3, Greg Glischinski from District 4, Mayor Cathy Noon and Tom Cryer from District 2; fifth row, from left, Jim Fleenor from District 2, Greg Young from District 3 and Tim Rogers. Courtesy photo
Colorado is among the more than 40 states that have been hit hard by the flu this fall and winter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The south metro area has not been spared, with area hospitals seeing a rise in cases, said Dr. David Markenson, chief medical officer at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree. People also are “relatively sicker,” he said, as far as symptoms are concerned, which leads to more patients needing to be admitted. “To me, this year is the worst year in a decade,” said Dr. Paul Davidson, an emergency room physician for Castle Rock, Littleton, Parker and Porter Adventist hospitals. “There certainly has been a ton of hospitalizations.” The number of influenza diagnoses has more than doubled over last year at the group of area hospitals. Between Nov. 1 and Jan. 7, there have been 448 cases at Littleton, Parker and Castle Rock Adventist Hospitals combined, compared to these hospitals’ total last year of 208, said Rachel Robinson, director of communications, PR and marketing for Parker Adventist. The most recent data from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment shows that as of Jan. 3, 50 Colorado counties reported a total 1,903 hospitalizations. The Flu continues on Page 10
State senators outline their goals for session Linda Newell, District 26 Staff report State Sen. Linda Newell, D-Littleton — whose District 26 includes Centennial’s western end — took some time to answer the following questions from Colorado Community Media as the legislative session opened: Describe two bills you feel are of particular importance that you plan to sponsor this session and tell us why they are important. I am proud to continue to focus on child protection. My first bill is “Erin’s Law,” which makes training available to school staff, parents, and students to prevent sexual abuse and assault. It would also encourage school districts to develop, with parents, abuse and prevention plans that work for their communities. I have also introduced legislation that focuses on the safety and security of children in the foster care system. Through more rigorous and enforced background checks of adults in the home or facility, this bill would help ensure that all children placed in foster care and kinship care are not placed with anyone or in any home with known abusers. Another bill of mine moves the Child Protection Ombudsman office out from under the Colorado Department of Human Services; thus, allowing it to be more autonomous and accountable in reviewing child welfare complaints against state and county departments. What do you believe should be the top prior-
ity of your chamber of the Legislature this session? Colorado has been fortunate to have the right ingredients for an economic recovery that is being felt by many. Unfortunately, not every Coloradan is feeling that recovery, and the priority of the Legislature should be making that a reality. In recent years, we’ve worked to pass commonsense bipartisan legislation that works for our communities. This isn’t a time for politics, but is a time to keep up the progress we’ve made on issues that matter most to Coloradans: job creation, keeping our promise of Newell a secure retirement, and making sure every child has the opportunity to succeed. With control of the Legislature being split, how can the two major parties best work together to ensure important legislation gets passed this session? Over my tenure in the Senate, bipartisan collaboration has been my top priority; seeking input from all stakeholders on every bill and listening intently to every perspective with an open mind. I’ve had bipartisan support with over 98 percent of my bills every year. When my party was in power last year, the whole Senate was 97 percent! That’s the way I think we should always operate. What matters to constituents isn’t which political party scores a victory, but if government is helping communities. I’m looking forward to continue working with both Democrats and Republicans to do my part.
David Balmer, District 27 Staff report State Sen. David Balmer, R-Centennial — whose District 27 includes most of Centennial — took some time to answer the following questions from Colorado Community Media as the legislative session opened: Describe two bills you feel are of particular importance that you plan to sponsor this session and tell us why they are important. We are sponsoring a bipartisan bill in 2015 to extend our Dog Protection Act, which I authored in 2013. Our Dog Protection Act passed the Legislature unanimously, and now we are working to improve it. After digging into the subject, I discovered over 40 cases where police officers shot non-threatening family dogs. In many of the cases the dog’s owner was attempting to secure the dog, and stray rounds could have killed human bystanders in neighborhood settings. With my background of Army deployments to Afghanistan and Bosnia, we experienced dogs in war zones, and our Army unit never shot any dogs. Endorsed by the Colorado Sheriffs Association, our bill provides police officers with detailed training on proven tactics to deal with dog encounters without resorting to deadly force. Our Dog Protection Act is the nation’s first such law, and other states are now exploring the passage of similar statutes.
What do you believe should be the top priority of your chamber of the Legislature this session? 1.) We must restore education funding that was cut during the recession by allowing local school districts the flexibility to direct more dollars directly to classrooms. 2.) In my oath of office, I swore an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution, which includes Amendment 64 (voter-passed legalization of recreational marijuana). Accordingly, we legislators Balmer have a constitutional duty to continue to develop a robust regulatory system to ensure safe implementation of marijuana legalization. With control of the Legislature being split, how can the two major parties best work together to ensure important legislation gets passed this session? Unlike the gridlock in Washington, the Colorado Legislature already works in a bipartisan fashion to tackle the problems confronting Colorado. More than 80 percent of bills at the State Capitol pass with bipartisan support. We must reduce overly burdensome regulations that are stifling entrepreneurial creativity. Most importantly, we must work to reduce government’s footprint on our lives, so that Colorado families are free to live their lives and grow their small businesses with minimal interference from government.