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October 9, 2014 VOLU M E 27 | I S S UE 47
HighlandsRanchHerald.net A publication of
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D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
State, district differ on waiver Board of Ed says DCSD must comply with READ Act By Jane Reuter
jreuter @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Highlands Ranch RTD Call-n-Ride driver Leonard Enriquez holds the door for passenger Kavida Bathija, while picking her up at her home in 2012. RTD officials held a meeting Oct. 2 to discuss the possibility of eliminating the service in Highlands Ranch. File photo
Call-n-Ride on chopping block Service struggling with low ridership, but not during peak hours By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com The proposed elimination of RTD’s Calln-Ride service in Highlands Ranch could leave hundreds of residents stranded. The 30 people who attended a meeting at Eastridge Recreation Center Oct. 2 to voice their opposition to the service cut included a wide-ranging representation of those who most need the front-door pick-up transportation: a blind senior; the mother of a woman with special needs; parents of schoolchildren who rely on Calln-Ride to safely get around. The Regional Transportation District is considering discontinuing Call-n-Ride in Highlands Ranch, Parker and Federal Heights in January, and is required to host public meetings to gather feedback before a decision is made. The district’s board of directors is scheduled to consider the proposals Oct. 28. Kent Bagley, who represents RTD’s District H on the board, attended the Oct. 2 meeting to provide an explanation of the proposal. He said ridership has “never been robust” in the eight years since Calln-Ride started in Highlands Ranch, but residents challenged that statement, saying they often can’t be squeezed in during peak travel times. Although the service is popular for commuting, it is failing to meet the threshold of at least three riders per hour, Bagley said; the bus in Highlands Ranch is averaging two riders per hour. RTD has made a concerted effort to promote the service to no avail. “We don’t want to take it away,” he said, “but you can’t do the same thing and expect a different result.” But regular riders — and even a woman who attended the meeting as part of her son’s Boy Scout certification — said they have never seen marketing for Call-n-Ride. Bagley suggested that stakeholders should take “more ownership,” and when pressed for further explanation, Bagley defined “ownership” as active participation and “pocketbook” contributions. RTD’s cost to operate Call-n-Ride in Highlands Ranch is around $180,000. Highlands Ranch resident Nick Arky,
The Douglas County School District and the Colorado Department of Education have a legal “difference of opinion” over the district’s ability to use state legislation to opt out of a K-3 reading assessment. A department of education official said the district can’t use the Innovation School Act to waive its participation in a state test. The DCSD board adopted a resolution Sept. 2 to submit an innovation waiver to the Colorado Board of Education, noting specific concerns with a time-consuming series of state-mandated reading ability tests in the Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act. The resolution said several elementary schools instead will meet the goals of the READ Act “using locally developed and locally approved programs.” The board’s resolution authorized Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen to assist interested elementary schools in filing a waiver Waiver continues on Page 9
Residents rebound after hail hits hard Sept. 29 storm was rough on parts of Highlands Ranch By Christy Steadman Kent Bagley, the RTD representative for District H, talks about the issues facing Call-n-Ride service in Highlands Ranch during a meeting Oct. 2 at Eastridge Recreation Center. More than 30 people protested the proposed elimination of the service. Photo by Chris Michlewicz who had a heated exchange with Bagley, said riders are most upset because the Oct. 2 meeting “should have happened long ago” to determine potential fixes. He said people have taken exception to the threat to cut service before there was any attempt to put together a cohesive plan. “It seems like a foregone conclusion and we don’t think that’s fair,” Arky said. Bagley countered by saying that the proposal could be pulled entirely before the Oct. 28 meeting if stakeholders are willing to fight. He has recently met with representatives from the Highlands Ranch Community Association, Douglas County School District and Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce to explore partnerships, and suggested establishing a coordinating committee to form a sound plan of action. Peggy Cushing, who lives in a seniororiented community near University and Quebec Street, said taking away Calln-Ride would be “tragic” for her elderly neighbors. “It would fundamentally change their way of life,” she said. A woman whose daughter with special
MORE INFORMATION The Highlands Ranch Call-n-Ride maintains service to C-470 on the north, east to South Quebec Street, Highland Heritage Park, and Rock Canyon High School, south to Wildcat Reserve Parkway and East Highlands Ranch Parkway, and west to South Broadway and Highlands Ranch Town Center Park-n-Ride. One-way rides cost $2.25; seniors are $1.10. The service runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. To get involved in the effort to save Call-n-Ride, contact Kent Bagley, RTD director, at 303-333-0636 or kent. bagley@rtd-denver.com.
needs has ridden Call-n-Ride for eight years to go to her job with the school district said her daughter would have no other options for travel. That sentiment was echoed by Erica Erhardt, whose son attends a charter school that doesn’t provide transportation for students. And Ted Ruskin, a blind senior from Highlands Ranch, said Call-nRide serves all of his needs. “This bus is permitting me to stay in my home,” he said. “I need this service.”
csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com The golf ball-sized hail came down hard and fast on Sept. 29, making casualties of trees, windows, vehicles and anything else in the storm’s path. In Highlands Ranch, the south-central area is one that the storm hit hard, Jeff Case, director of public works, said during a presentation at the Highlands Ranch Metro District board meeting on Sept. 30. “It came out of nowhere,” Highlands Ranch resident Lori Hickerson said. “The big hail lasted only a few minutes, but it did a lot of damage.” Hickerson’s husband, Dave, assessed the damage the next day. He said there were leaves everywhere and people in the neighborhood were cleaning up piles of hail the next morning. The Hickersons live in the Firelight subdivision of Highlands Ranch, which is just south of Wildcat Reserve Parkway and about a quarter-mile west of Fairview Parkway. Most of the west-facing homes in this neighborhood sustained some sort of property damage from the storm, Dave Hickerson said. “It sounded like rocks hitting the Weather continues on Page 12