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August 8, 2014 VOLU M E 9 4 | I S S UE 24 | 7 5 ¢
EnglewoodHerald.net A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Fracking initiatives dropped Gov. Hickenlooper and Polis reach deal — task force created By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Kids have a blast with Legos during a class at the Englewood Civic Center, with some learning snuck in. Photos by Jennifer Smith
Lego mania gaining steam Toy teaches engineering, creativity, say enthusiasts By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
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ENGLEWOOD HERALD
(ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 176-680) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, the Englewood Herald is published weekly on Friday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT Littleton, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
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Lego love is storming the country in light of the popularity of the recently released “Lego Movie,” but for some, it never left. “It’s all about imagination and dreaming about what you can do,” said Reed Yeager, who spends countless hours helping the Denver Lego Users Group, or DENLUG, build interactive Lego cities that they display publicly whenever they get the chance. On Aug. 2, the group joined with the Colorado and Wyoming Lego Users Group to showcase their work at Bemis Library. It was so popular that library staff had to politely but firmly let visitors, reluctant to leave, know it was closing time. “It’s really cool,” said Ashley Baclawski, 9, as she checked out every detail. “It’s cool how all the different themes are all together.” To be sure, Star Wars heroes were hanging out with Unikitties (half cat, half unicorn). A running train encircled a helicopter that had crashed into a Chik-fil-a, just feet away from a spinning Ferris wheel. Cowboys, robots and the Incredible Hulk had invaded the airport, and knights of old and British sentries alike defended a glowing purple castle. The event was just for the day, but there are other Lego displays in the library that will remain through August. Abby Davis of the Colorado/Wyoming group said collectively hundreds of hours went into building the city, and it would take about three hours to disassemble that evening. “I didn’t get into Legos until my husband introduced them to me about six years ago,” she said. “But he was so into it, and he was building some really neat things, that I found it really fascinating. I like all the possibilities.” The week before, Lucas Brooks spent a week priming some potential future members for the groups. An instructor at Play-Well, he spent three hours each morning teaching a group of 5- to 7-year-olds — all boys, by coincidence — to find the lessons in Legos. “Play-Well is teaching engineering, with the medium being Legos,” he said as he herded the kids, who didn’t want to stop building long enough to get the room at Englewood Civic Center straightened up. “I liked Legos as a kid. I taught in the classroom for the past several years, and I was just ready for a change. I enjoy engaging with the kids, and this is the most effective tool I’ve worked with in education.” Play-Well is actually named after the toy. “Lego is an abbreviation of the two Danish words `leg godt,’ meaning `play well,’” reads the Lego web-
ABOVE: Abby Davis sits surrounded by the Lego land she helped create through her work with the Colorado Lego Users Group. BELOW: This castle stands about 3 feet high and glows light purple, guarded by a flock of Unikitties (half unicorn, half kitty, or course).
site. “It’s our name and it’s our ideal.” Parents looking on said their kids loved the class. “I had so much fun with them as a kid, and he’s got Lego sets, so it seemed like a natural fit,” said Chris Johnson, father of 5-year-old Till. “I hope he’ll take some more building skills away with him.” Back at Bemis, Ashley’s mom Kara said the “Lego Movie” has some other valuable lessons for kids, as well. “It’s about following instructions and then breaking past that and creating something unique,” she said. It’s a lesson voiced by Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius: “Because the only thing anyone needs to be special is to believe that you can be. I know that sounds like a cat poster but it’s true. Look at what you did when you believed you were special. You just need to believe it some more.”
Voters will not be weighing in on hydraulic fracturing this November after all. Gov. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Rep. Jared Polis announced an 11th hour deal on Aug. 4 to create a special task force to address issues surrounding fracking — the very day that signatures to put fracking on the November ballot were due for submission to the Secretary of State’s Office. The task force is part of a deal that the two Democrats reached in the days leading up to the announcement that will also end efforts by Polis to place two antifracking ballot initiatives on the November ballot. Later in the day, pro-fracking groups said they too will drop their own ballot initiative efforts, suddenly ending what was gearing up to be a ballot box fight that was expected to be costly — both in terms of campaign advertising dollars and potentially in political price for other candidates seeking office this fall. The Polis-backed initiatives sought to increase setback requirements for wells and would have also given communities greater control over oil and gas drilling operations. Pro-fracking groups had sought initiatives that could have had economic impacts on communities that ban fracking — the process by which water and chemicals are blasted into the ground to free up trapped oil and gas underneath. Also as part of the agreement, Hickenlooper said that the state would work to end a lawsuit against Longmont over new oil and gas regulations the city adopted two years ago. But the big news is the agreement to pull the ballot measures. Hickenlooper and the oil and gas industry had opposed Polis’ efforts, concerned that the initiatives would be akin to a fracking ban in a state that relies on drilling to feed the economy. And Democrats were concerned that an expensive fracking battle would hurt candidates this November, especially Sen. Mark Udall, who is locked in a tight reelection campaign against U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner. But those fears for Democrats now appear to be over as Polis announced he is backing off of his efforts to continue to pursue the initiatives, measures that he had been helping to finance. Polis said during a hastily-called Capitol press conference that he considers the creation of a task force to be “a victory for the people of Colorado.” “For the first time, with the (oil and gas) commission that the governor mentioned, citizens will be on equal footing with the oil and gas industry and will be able to directly negotiate to protect their property rights, home values, and air quality,” Polis said. The 18-member task force would be charged with helping to “minimize land use conflicts that can occur when siting oil and gas facilities near homes, schools, businesses and recreational areas,” according to the governor’s office. The task force would be made up a diverse group of members from across all Fracking continues on Page 11