1
February 13, 2015 VOLU M E 1 3 | I SS UE 1 5
ParkerChronicle.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Breaking down Parker’s 2015 budget By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com With so many revenue sources and annual expenses, making sense of the figures presented in a municipal budget can be daunting. With explanation from the Town of Parker’s finance director, Don Warn, the following provides a small snapshot of the 2015 budget, which was approved by town council Dec. 1. The 312-page document is available for viewing online at www.parkeronline.org.
Revenue
• Projected sales-tax revenue for 2015: $33.1 million Sales tax, the town’s largest revenue source, increased 6.8 percent in 2013 compared to 2012, which in turn was 10.2 percent greater
than 2011. When the budget was put together last September, the sales-tax forecast anticipated an increase of 4 percent for 2014 and 4 percent growth in 2015, accounting for the $33.1 million budgeted. Actual sales tax for 2014 is coming in at 7 percent or $32.9 million. The revenue is generated by Parker’s 3 percent sales-tax rate and accounts for more than one-third of the $96.8 million in estimated revenue for 2015. • Lottery funds: $431,000 Lottery proceeds are collected from retail merchants selling lottery products by the State of Colorado. Municipal lottery proceeds are distributed to municipalities based on current population estimates prepared by the State Division of Local Governments. As participation in the lottery fluctuates, the revenues that filter down to the municipalities vary as Budget continues on Page 9
The $16 million expansion of the Parker Recreation Center is part of the town’s 2015 budget. Total expenditures are expected to top $115 millon, a record for the Town of Parker. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
LAZY LIKE A FOX
Seizures, surgeries and a story Parker resident Noah Korth to be featured during Radiothon Feb. 12-13 By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com
A fox enjoys a mid-winter stretch in the backyard of a home in Parker last week. Photographer Derek Scott snapped several images when the fox showed up on consecutive days. A spate of warm weather brought out all kinds of animals. Photo by Derek Scott
First neighborhood coffee shop to open Second Fika Coffee House to open in Idyllwilde By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com The first neighborhood coffee shop in Parker will be based in a former home sales office in Idyllwilde. Josh and Anna Rivero, the owners of Fika Coffee House in downtown Parker, have had their eyes on the charming, cabinlike structure since moving to the eastern Parker subdivision eight years ago. Village Homes, which developed Idyllwilde over the last decade, always planned to turn the sales office into a business that would be useful to nearby homeowners. A general store was considered, but in today’s on-the-go society, a coffee shop seemed like a logical choice. “This is the first time a commercial aspect has been outside of the commercial core. Village Homes thought ahead and they looked at the Denver model with urban cores in the center of neighborhoods,” said Josh Rivero, who cited the South Gaylord and Pearl Street districts as successful examples. The Riveros repeatedly inquired about the availability of the 1,350-square-foot building, and once the neighborhood was built out, Village Homes decided to sell. The new owners closed Fika continues on Page 9
Idyllwilde residents Josh and Anna Rivero are preparing to turn the subdivision’s original sales center into a coffee shop, the first of its kind in a Parker neighborhood. The second Fika Coffeehouse in town will serve ice cream in the summer. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
Shannon Korth knows firsthand the “helpless” feeling that comes from having a child with a life-threatening illness. There were no warning signs before her son Noah, then 2, had a seizure while playing with his toys in 2007. “I wasn’t sure what had happened. I thought he had fallen and hit his head,” the Parker mom said. “I picked him up and he was lifeless.” Doctors initially chalked up the seizure as a normal childhood occurrence, but when Noah had another seizure three days later, tests were ordered. During the 20-minute period that Noah was under observation at the hospital, he had eight Noah Korth seizures. They would end up being the first of hundreds, perhaps thousands, over the next few years. Most happened without any noticeable symptoms. Noah was diagnosed with epilepsy and put on medication. One year later, doctors discovered a heart defect completely unrelated to the epilepsy. Several small holes were found on an echocardiogram and Noah underwent heart surgery. The trauma to his body, however, triggered a series of violent seizures. Within one month, Noah had brain surgery at The Children’s Hospital and was put into a weeks-long coma to calm his brainwaves. It was the only option to help him. The surgeons removed the top of Noah’s skull and placed about 150 electrodes on the left side of his brain to pinpoint the epicenter of the seizures. They removed a portion of his brain the size of a baseball. “They told us that he may not be able to walk, or he would walk with a limp, or not be able to throw a ball again,” Korth said. Noah’s resilience in the face of adversity has shined through on numerous occasions, and he has gone through occupational, speech and physical therapy, relearning how to walk, talk and eat. Now almost 10 years old, he has not had a seizure in more than five years, much to the delight of his family. Noah continues on Page 9