Parker Chronicle 0130

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January 30, 2015 VOLU M E 1 3 | I SS UE 1 3

ParkerChronicle.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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OWL IS WELL AND GOOD

Park plan picks up green light Council OKs proposal for 90-acre Salisbury extension By Chris Michlewicz

cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com

A great horned owl takes off after roosting in a tree off the Cherry Creek Regional Trail earlier this month. Photo by Shaun Wilsey

Giving back, building confidence Special needs group marks five years of community service

Salisbury continues on Page 12

Architects show school design

By Chris Michlewicz

cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com A special needs group that has developed an appreciation for getting involved and giving back is celebrating five years of good deeds. The Rotary Community Corps of Parker, a group that has swelled to 45 special needs teens and young adults from the Parker area, marked its fifth anniversary Jan. 20 with a talent show at Parker United Methodist Church. The philanthropic club, which elects its own board of directors, has been busy in recent years helping the community in a variety of ways, while simultaneously helping members gain a confidence they’ve never felt. Kam Breitenbach, a longtime Parker resident who founded the community corps and guides its activities, gave the example of one young man who decided early on that he didn’t want to serve on the board for fear of the limelight. He now serves as the board’s sergeant in arms. A young lady who never liked speaking into a microphone decided to sing a song and play the ukulele during the Jan. 20 talent show. Later on, Paul Triggs and Elizabeth Perkins delivered a duet, belting out “Let It Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen” and providing a heart-warming highlight for one new volunteer. Each spring, the group stages its own prom. It’s an enjoyable way to build self-esteem in a peer environment. “This is the most fun group you’ll ever meet,” Breitenbach said. The Rotary Community Corps of Parker has recently collaborated on service projects with students from Ponderosa and Chapar-

Parker Town Council adopted the final master plan for the northern extension of Salisbury Park. Council unanimously voted Jan. 20 in favor of the plan, the result of considerable study and input from the public. In 2007, the town acquired 90 acres of land adjacent to Salisbury Park, on Motsenbocker Road north of Hess Road, with the intent of expanding upon the existing youth sports fields and equestrian facilities. During the 2014 budgeting process, town council allocated funding to add on to the 150-acre park, which was named for Parker’s first mayor, Dean Salisbury. Wenk and Associates, the landscape architecture firm hired to lead the planning process, had months of meetings with the public to determine the types of park amenities for the expansion. It also identified gaps in existing park offerings. In the final plan for Salisbury Park North is a small performance stage, splash play river, adventure play area, dedicated pickle ball courts, flexible lawn space, wildflower meadow, batting cages, multi-use field, baseball/ softball field, a sledding hill, boulevard parking and a festival/sports promenade. Stakeholder groups — i.e. organizations that most frequently use the parks — lobbied for the sports fields, saying that the number of venues for baseball, football and soccer games is too limited to accommodate the amount of youth athletic leagues around

Funds not available yet for Parker elementary By Jane Reuter

jreuter @coloradocommunitymedia.com

Rotary Community Corps members Elizabeth Perkins and Paul Triggs sing “Let It Go” from the Disney hit movie “Frozen” during the club’s fifth anniversary celebration. The club involves 45 special needs adults and teens in community projects. Courtesy photo

‘This is the most fun group you’ll ever meet.’ Kam Breitenbach, Founder of Rotary Community Corps special needs group ral high schools, as well as Colorado Early Colleges in Parker. Charitable causes are the main focus of the corps: the group frequently pitches in on behalf of nonprofits, including the Parker Task Force and Food Bank. The special needs corps adopted two families of four last Christmas and shopped for each family member. They had to follow a wish list, stay within the $125 budget, and then had the opportunity to wrap the gifts themselves. With grants from surrounding Rotary clubs, including Parker’s, the community corps purchased 75 backpacks and filled them with school supplies for children in need. The assistance is impactful in many

ways, said Diane Roth, spokeswoman for the task force. “Their energy is contagious,” she said. “They have a positive outlook and they enjoy being helpful, and we enjoy having them with us.” The work instills a sense of purpose and provides growth through engaging learning experiences. “It’s important to be part of the community and to feel the pride of being part of that community,” Breitenbach said. To learn more about the Rotary Community Corps of Parker, go to its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/RCCParker.

Architects unveiled plans to the Douglas County School Board Jan. 20 for a future Parker elementary school designed to mirror changes in educational philosophy. The 1,000-student elementary would be built on land the Douglas County School District already owns on Pine Drive east of the Parker Road and Mainstreet intersection. A construction timeline hasn’t been set and funds aren’t yet available for building the structure. Described by DCSD as a 21st-century learning preK-8 magnet school, and a learning environment for the future, the concept design created by Anderson Mason Dale and Alan Ford architects is unlike any other DCSD school. That departure from tradition is very intentional. “All of our growth we’ve done over the last 20 years has been prototype design — the same blueprint with a few variations,” school board president Kevin Larsen said. “There are efficiencies in that; you don’t have to have an architect do it all over again. But we thought, ‘Let’s just have something completely from scratch incorporating our ideals and vision.’” School continues on Page 12


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