Parker Chronicle 0926

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September 26, 2014 VOLU M E 1 2 | I SS UE 47

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Confidence grows through language lessons English practice sessions among programs offered by Douglas County Libraries By Christy Steadman

csteadman @coloradocommunitymedia.com Ivette Bartra’s husband is Canadian and speaks five languages. His job requires them to move quite often, so Bartra, of Peru, likes learning about new cultures and meeting new friends through Practice Your English sessions. Monica Ceja was a history teacher in the Mexican state of Michoacán. Now a Highlands Ranch resident, Ceja attends Practice Your English because she wants to return to Mexico someday to teach English there. Tatiana and Taisiyia Lushnikova, mother and daughter from Siberia, come to Practice Your English simply because they enjoy using the English language in a relaxed, social atmosphere. “Basically, it’s a public speaking opportunity,” said Shana Rubio, Practice Your English volunteer facilitator. “The point is

to get you talking.” Practice Your English is for adults whose second language is English and want to improve their English-language speaking skills. “I like my hobbies, but I don’t practice my English enough,” said Tatiana Lushnikova, who makes jewelry in her home. The free sessions are drop-in and do not follow a strict curriculum. The only requirement is that one person does not dominate the conversation so everyone has a chance to have the floor, said Tiffany Curtin, adult literacy specialist with Douglas County Libraries. “The volunteers treat it like having a group of friends over who don’t speak English 100 percent fluently,” Curtin said. Practice Your English sessions take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the James H. LaRue/Highlands Ranch Library and the Parker Library. All skill levels are welcome, Curtin said, but most participants are generally at the intermediate level. Those with high-beginning or intermediate abilities get the most out of it, she said. English continues on Page 20

Shana Rubio, top left, listens while Practice Your English participants play a game where they answer a question which is assigned by the card they draw at random. The participants were given a choice to answer the question or pass it on to another participant to answer. Photo by Christy Steadman

Dog park, disc golf planned

People walk with their dogs at the Dumb Friends League Wag N’ Trail event Sept. 20 at the Glendale Farm Open Space.

Town adds 24 acres in deal with developer By Chris Michlewicz

cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com

Hike helps homeless pups Dogs and people from all over the metro area came out for the Dumb Friends League Wag N’ Trail event Sept. 20 at the Glendale Farm Open Space in Douglas County. Money raised from the 1.6-mile hike will go to support the Castle Rock Buddy Center, a shelter for homeless animals. The trail featured stops along the way for family photos, water and snacks.

PHOTOS BY MIKE DIFERDINANDO

ABOVE: George, a 9-year old Akita, poses for a picture at the Dumb Friends League Wag N’Trail event. LEFT: Free toys and treats were given out at the Dumb Friends League Wag N’Trail event at the Glendale Farm Open Space.

Parker’s dogs and disc golfers have much to look forward to. The town is following through on a long-standing plan to build a dog park and an 18-hole disc golf course on Pine Lane, between Jordan Road and South Parker Road. Council unanimously approved an agreement with the Spanos Corp. Sept. 15 that allows the town to waive up to $1.8 million in development fees and taxes in exchange for 24 acres of land. Spanos is planning to build a 285-unit apartment complex known as the Enclave at Cherry Creek on 37 acres northeast of Pine Lane and Wintergreen Parkway, and didn’t need the entire lot. The newly acquired parcel adjoins 16 acres of land along the Cherry Creek Regional Trail that’s already owned by the town. The land is within the creek’s floodplain and cannot be developed, but it is ideal for a “passive use” like disc golf, said Jim Cleveland, director of the town’s parks and recreation department. Roughly 6 to 7 acres will be dedicated for a dog park and 20 to 25 acres will be used for the disc golf course and accompanying open space. The remainder of the land will be occupied by a parking lot, restrooms, shade shelters and a short stretch of trail. The town’s floodplain property is not accessible, and the dog park and disc golf project will provide access and make good use of the land, Cleveland said. The naturally hilly terrain is perfect for disc golf, adding a challenging element. The 24 additional acres makes for “a nice chunk of open space, which we’re always looking to acquire whenever possible,” Cleveland said. Parker is hoping to simultaneously develop the separate park areas beginning Dog park continues on Page 20


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