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September 18, 2014 VO LUME 1 26 | IS S UE 8 | 7 5 ¢
LittletonIndependent.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
Early data shows drop in student enrollment Littleton Public Schools’ final count starts Sept. 25 By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
The Monday afternoon group at A Knitted Peace in downtown Littleton gets together to spin yarns while they knit yarn. Photo by Jennifer Smith
A yarn that’s easy to believe A Knitted Peace offers classes, fellowship in Littleton
South-metro yarn stores in “Yarn Along the Rockies”:
By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
POSTAL ADDRESS
LITTLETON INDEPENDENT
A TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY
Marsha Asheim and Jane Dickinson really know how to spin a good yarn. They know a bunch of different kinds, too — cotton, wool, alpaca, rayon, mohair, mink, bamboo, milk protein and any other kind of yarn you could throw at them. “Yarns have come a long way,” said Asheim. “They’re wonderful colors and textures.” Asheim and Dickinson have owned A Knitted Peace, a block north of Main Street on Prince Street, for eight years. They bought it from their boss at the time, Peggy Anderson, who had opened it five years before that. They both come from a world of words. Asheim taught English and business at Heritage High School, and Dickinson was a journalist at the Rocky Mountain News. They met working at the store, and when Anderson announced she wanted to sell, they knew right away they wanted in.
A Knitted Peace, 5654 S. Prince St., Littleton Blazing Star Ranch, 3424 S. Broadway, Englewood Colorful Yarns, 2001 E. Easter Ave., Centennial Everything Alpaca, 350 Third St., Castle Rock Stash, 301 Jerry St., Castle Rock Wooden Spools, 2805 S. Broadway, Englewood For more stores and information, visit yarnalongtherockies.com. “We took the ball of yarn and ran with it,” said Dickinson. Today, they employ five women from all different walks of life. Together, they offer a friendly and welcoming environment for knitters to learn new techniques, trade tips or just find fellowship. “They’re very friendly,” said Dickinson. “People who drop by get sucked in pretty fast.” “Knitters are pretty social,” agreed Asheim. And knitting is no longer just for sweaters and afghans. Better fabrics make for more fashionYarn continues on Page 31
Preliminary figures show that enrollment in Littleton Public Schools declined about 1 percent from last year and failed to meet projections in all but four grade levels. “There were some areas we were concerned about, but until we get good numbers, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time worrying about it,” Diane Doney, LPS chief operations officer, told the school board on Sept. 11. The official count window is Sept. 25 through Oct. 7, and Doney expects the final numbers to look better. The biggest hit is at the high school level, which dropped 62 students. Fiftytwo of those are from Arapahoe alone. Littleton lost 27, and Heritage gained seven. The alternative high schools’ enrollment increased by 10 students. The elementary schools lost 28 students overall, with the majority from Highland (24), Field (23), and East (21). Lenski gained 22, and Moody added 21. The middle schools are down 29 students, mostly at Euclid (34). Powell helped make up the difference by gaining 37. The district expected to gain at least a few students at the elementary and middle school levels, and projected it would lose only about 19 high-schoolers. The projections were too high across the board — by 42 at the elementary level, 45 at the middle level and 43 at the high schools. Enrollment in Littleton Public Schools had been on a steady downward trend since a recent high of 16,284 in 2001; in 2011, there were 15,040 students. At the time, analysts thought the district had bottomed out and would remain fairly steady from there on out. LPS continues on Page 31
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P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
Wilder Lanes plan clears hurdle Columbine Valley board urges trustees’ approval By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com When Columbine Valley resident Don Slack said he wanted to buy one of the homes planned for the new Wilder Lanes subdivision on the north side of town, the developer told him to put his money where his mouth was to help get them built. So now he’s a partner in Platte Canyon Partners and the new face of the project. “Our goal all along was to do a project that was good for Columbine Valley and not controversial,” said Jay Neese, an original partner, during a hearing in front of the town’s planning commission on Sept. 9. But that was not to be, even with the addition of Slack. The boardroom was packed to overflowing with members of homeowners’ associations neighboring the site just south of the Wilder continues on Page 31
This small farm in Columbine Valley, owned by the Jurgelonis family, will be developed as patio homes if the town approves a plan put forth by Platte Canyon Partners. Photo by Jennifer Smith