February 26, 2015 VO LU M E 51 | I S SUE 28 | 5 0 ¢
Northglenn-ThorntonSentinel.com
A D A M S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O A publication of
Churches serve free meals, fellowship Residents enjoy ‘social hour’ on Thursdays By Ashley Reimers
areimers@colorado communitymedia.com When Rhett Reckling walks in the dining hall at Westminster Presbyterian Church, he knows exactly where he’s headed. His friends always save him a place at the dinner table. “We’ve been eating together for a long time,” he said. “I like everybody. We’re all good friends.” Reckling spends every Thursday night with his pals, enjoying a free community dinner at one of four Westminster churches. On Feb. 19 he enjoyed chicken soup and biscuits for his evening meal. The following week he’ll head to Westminster United Methodist Church for his Thursday dinner. Reckling doesn’t stop at a free meal just on Thursdays. He averages about 17 per month, traveling to other churches in the metro area. On Friday nights he eats at Amazing Grace Community Church in Thornton, and Thrive Church in Federal Heights on Saturdays, to name a couple. “I save about $100 to $200 a month. It’s a considerable savings,” he said. Reckling’s not the only person who takes advantage of free community dinners. Jo Smith, a volunteer at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, said there are many regulars who have been coming every month for almost three years.
From left, Jay Gardner and Dan Long, enjoy a free meal on Feb. 19 at Westminster Presbyterian Church. The two spend Thursday nights with a few other guys enjoying each other’s company while eating dinner. Photo by Ashley Reimers For some it’s the need for food, but for others it’s a social hour. “We have a group of women who meet and the dinners are actually their night out
for the week,” Smith said. “It’s a great fellowship time for many. But it’s also a resource for people who truly need a good meal.” Westminster community dinners are
served from 5:30-7 p.m. every Thursday and are open to the entire community. Meals continues on Page 20
St. Anthony opens its doors New $177 million health campus will open to public March 3 POSTAL ADDRESS
NORTHGLENN-THORNTON SENTINEL (ISSN 1044-4254) (USPS 854-980) OFFICE: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the NorthglennThornton Sentinel is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 8703 Yates DR., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
By Ashley Reimers
areimers@colorado communitymedia.com After almost two years of planning, designing and building, the St. Anthony North Health Campus is opening to the public on March 3. Ground was broken on the 350,000-square-foot facility at 144th Avenue and Interstate 25 in Westminster in early May 2013. The campus is incorporating a new “health neighborhood” approach to wellness care and will offer more than 40 primary and specialty care medical practices in the Orchard Neighborhood Health Center. The medical practitioners and their patients will have direct access to diagnostics, outpatient surgery, pharmacy and wellness classes. The campus will also have a women’s center with labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms, a Level III trauma center and 92 inpatient beds, and it will employ 1,350 people. The $177
A prayer garden is just one of the many amenities at the new St. Anthony North Health Campus in Westminster. On Saturday Feb. 28, the community is invited to check out the new campus. There will be a grand opening celebration on March 3. The event will include a variety of activities, entertainment and tours of the facility. Photo by Ashley Reimers ing service — and that is what we have provided.” To celebrate the Westminster health campus opening, the community is invited to an open house, 10 am. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 28. The event will offer tours of the facility and feature a variety of entertainment, including a live ice sculpting demonstration, an art demonstration from Scott Freeman, performances from the
Eagle View Elementary School and Mountain View Elementary School choirs and The Buff, an all-male a cappella group. The community will also have the opportunity to meet therapy dogs, take pictures in a photo booth and tour the 7,000-squarefoot outdoor healing garden. For more information on the St. Anthony Health Campus, visitstanthonynorthhealthcampus.org.
Oil and gas ordinance hot topic in Brighton By Lou Ellen Bromley
bromleyclan@hotmail.com
P L EA SE RECYC L E T H I S C O PY
million health campus is sponsored by Catholic Health Initiatives and is part of Centura Health. “St. Anthony North Health Campus is the future of health care,” said CEO Carole Peet. “The campus meets the immediate and future needs of our neighbors in north-metro Denver, with a focus on health and wellness. We are bringing care previously unavailable in north Denver to our customers with unparalleled service and convenience.” Peet said the health campus was designed in direct response to community feedback, with a focus on convenience and aiding wellness. Amenities include drop-in child care and private discharge elevators and exits for patients. Patients will also have the opportunity to attend classes on diabetes prevention, goal setting, healthy weight and stress reduction, and can enjoy a walking path and three gardens. “When we began planning, the community told us they wanted a beautiful, relaxing environment with services to keep them healthy as well as to treat them when they are sick,” Peet said. “When they think of health, they focus on wellness, convenience and outstand-
Brighton city council members were host to a large group of people on both sides of proposed new regulations for gas and oil development around the city. Brighton council members have been working with the state, oil companies, Colorado Health
and Environment and others for the past two years to try and develop updated regulations governing the drilling and development of gas and oil within the city limits. The ordinances currently in the city’s municipal code are more than ten years old and require updating because of changes in oil and gas extraction techniques over the last decade.
The ordinance that city council is working toward would amend Brighton’s municipal code governing land use and development to allow for permits for conditional development of gas and oil wells and other related facilities within Brighton city limits. Paramount among the concerns brought up by speakers at last Tuesdays meeting was the protection of Brighton’s
water supply. Brighton’s drinking water is 70 percent supplied by shallow water wells in and around Brighton, unlike most other Colorado communities which depend on water contained in reservoirs to supply their drinking water. The purposed ordinance would state Topic continues on Page 20