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October 2, 2014 VOLU M E 2 | I SS UE 8 | F R E E
CastlePinesNewsPress.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Seniors: Housing, transit lacking Surveys gather data from 68 service providers, 648 residents in Douglas County By Christy Steadman
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com
A tiny tale of growth Amber Isaac bottle-feeds Cody, her seven-week old alpaca, at Silken Suri Alpaca Ranch in Castle Rock. Photo by Mike DiFerdinando
Castle Rock alpaca among the smallest born in state history By Mike DiFerdinando
mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com P O W E R E D
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When Cody was born Aug. 6 she was only sixand-a-half pounds, not even half of the typical weight for an alpaca at birth. According to Amber Isaac, owner of Silken Suri Alpaca Ranch in Castle Rock where Cody was born, most Alpacas weigh between 15 and 20 pounds at birth. “She was so tiny, I didn’t even weigh her the first day,” Isaac said. “I weighed her at about three days
old.” Cody is one of the smallest Alpacas to ever be born in Colorado. According to Isaac, no one she has spoken to, including the state universities, has seen an alpaca so small. Too tiny to stay with her mother or older members of the herd, Cody has her own pen in the house with Isaac who has become a surrogate mother. “She follows me around now,” Isaac said. “That’s not typically what you want an alpaca personality to be. As they get bigger, you want them to respect your boundaries a little bit. As she gets bigger, I’m going to have to watch her personality and be sure I teach her she can’t play rough with me.” Isaac came to Colorado seven years ago to be Alpaca continues on Page 14
Seniors living in Douglas County need better access to housing and affordable transportation, surveys show. Part of the Living Well and Aging Well Project, the Douglas County Senior Initiative conducted two surveys with the purpose “to better understand how county residents are connected to the community and their future interests. Deputy county manager Barbara Drake presented the survey results at a Sept. 24 Highlands Ranch Metro District board study session meeting. The surveys were conducted in two parts, one for providers of services concerning seniors, and one for senior residents. Responses from both surveys reveal affordable and accessible housing and transportation are the services most lacking in Douglas County. According to the provider survey results, 48 percent of the participants believe affordable housing for seniors in Douglas County is the main concern of the low-ranking services. Emergency services, law enforcement, recreation or fitness and libraries ranked high and were among the services that seniors have easy access to, according to both surveys. Seniors continues on Page 13
Patrons get peek at library designs Residents like larger size, themed spaces, other features By Jane Reuter
jreuter@coloradocommunitymedia.com
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Library patrons who got their first look at design plans for three future Douglas County libraries expressed a shared sense of enthusiasm. Douglas County Libraries held a happy hour-style Sept. 23 open house about its trio of projects at Lone Tree’s Seasons 52 restaurant. Library-goers sipped red wine and sampled flatbread as they studied color designs and graphics that were generated based on surveys specific to each of the three branches. The most common concern about proposals for the Castle Pines, Parker and Lone Tree libraries was the ability to provide both quiet and social areas under a single roof. But library users who voiced that worry said they’re cautiously optimistic the design will address it. “My husband and I had some concerns before we got here,” said Parker senior Dorothy Maginsky. “We thought it might be very childcentered, and forget the older people. They’ve reassured children will be catered to, but they’ll be on the main level.” The libraries all will open within about three months of one another, starting in late 2015. All will have two stories and similar designs that inLibrary continues on Page 7
ABOVE: Castle Pines city council member Roger Addlesperger, left, talks with Castle Pines Library program liaison Cherie Ellingson about plans for the community’s new library during a Sept. 23 open house at Lone Tree’s Seasons 52 restaurant. LEFT: Highlands Ranch resident Joe Wilson, whose family frequents the Lone Tree library, studies plans for the future building during the open house. Photos by Jane Reuter