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October 9, 2014 VOLU M E 6 9 | I S S UE 48 | 5 0 ¢
A D A M S C O U N T Y A N D J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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LOTUS DRAGON TAKES FLIGHT A new sculpture called “Lotus Dragon” by Lyons artist John King is now on display at Torii Square Park, 7596 Lowell Blvd., in Westminster. On Sept. 27, the city hosted a dedication celebration to commemorate the renovations and the new sculpture. The city completed renovations on the park during the summer of 2013, investing $215,136 in the project. Photo by Ashley Reimers
District 3 candidates spar during meet Hansen, Solano forum exchanges get heated POSTAL ADDRESS
WESTMINSTER WINDOW
(ISSN 1072-1576) (USPS 455-250) OFFICE: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the Westminster Window 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.
By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com The exchanges got heated between the candidates for District 3 on the Adams County Board of Commissioners. Republican Erik Hansen and Democrat Manuel Solano faced off Sept. 30 during a County Candidate Meeting hosted by the League of Women Voters of Adams County at Skyview Campus in Thornton. Solano claimed that Hansen, while serving as the mayor of Thornton, did not originally support FasTracks or the Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economy Recover (FASTER) Act. “My opponent was against the RTD rail initially,” he said. “It was RTD people that brought (FasTracks) here. It wasn’t Erik Hansen.” Hansen quickly responded, calling
those claims nonsense. “There’s a reason why they call lawyers liars,” he said, adding he voted for both FASTER and FasTracks. Hansen is serving his first term as commissioner, he was elected in 2010, after serving as a councilman and mayor for Thornton. Solano works as the regional director for a national civil rights firm and has his own law business. Hansen noted the ethics reforms that he helped usher in when he was first elected to the board. Solano criticized Hansen for hiring a law firm in New York to handle ethics complaints. “Because he didn’t trust anyone in the state to do it, and he didn’t trust anyone in the county to do it,” Solano said. Hansen defended the hiring, saying a third-power watchdog was good to ensure the board and employees in the county were behaving ethically. “It was a darn good thing that we did,” he said. Solano said he wanted to be elected Debate continues on Page 6
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Candidates vying for a spot on the Adams County Board of Commissioners shared their views during County Candidate Meeting Sept. 30 hosted by the League of Women Voters of Adams County at Skyview Campus in Thornton. From left, Jan Pawlowski, Wilma Rose, Manuel Solano, Steve O’Dorisio, Joe Domenico and Erik Hansen. Photo by Tammy Kranz
D50 voters faced with two ballot measures By Ashley Reimers
areimers@coloradocommunitymedia.com After a defeated mill levy override last fall, Adams County School District 50 was forced to cut 60 positions. Now the district is hoping to earn the trust and support from the community to pass a different mill levy override, along with a bond question, to keep staff, teachers and programs intact. “What cutting those positions ultimately did was cause our staffing ratio for our class size to increase, which was a hard thing for us to do,” said Superintendent Pam Swanson. “We’re hoping to avoid future cuts. That is our goal — not to have to cut, cut, cut.” Last year the district asked for a $5.25 million mill levy override, which was shot down by 60 percent of the voters. This year the district cut down the number by half, and is asking for a $2.5 million mill levy override, measure 3C. If passed, 3C would cost voters $3 per month for every $100,000 of home value. The money would be used in expanding and upgrading vocational training, expanding STEM education, keeping qualified teachers and staff, funding arts, music and theater and providing enough money to minimize future cuts which could result in increased class size and fees and cuts in staffing and programming. “Our goal with the mill levy is to keep good staff in place so that we can continue to move forward because we are making quite a bit of progress academically, and we don’t want to lost traction,” Swanson said. “We have to rely on our own local backyard and make sure the kids who live in our community are getting the education they need and that we’re continuing to provide great schools and education.” The $20 million bond question, measure 3D, comes after the district spent the remaining dollars of a 2006 bond. The money was used to install heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems at Sherrelwood, Metz, Fairview, Mesa, and Sunset Ridge elementary schools. The total cost was $5.85 million. Last year Tennyson Knolls Elementary School received a new HVAC system funded by the same bond. Stefanie Green’s children were just two of the lucky students who benefited from the new air conditioning system at Mesa Elementary School. With temperatures still in the ‘90s during the first few weeks of school, Green says her students’ learning experience was a bit different this year. “The air conditioning made a huge difference for my kids. They’re not lethargic anymore due to the heat,” she said. But just down the road from Mesa, students at Flynn Elementary School still have to battle the heat. Flynn is one of five remaining elementary schools in the district without air conditioning. If 3D passes, air would be installed in those schools. “Knowing there’s a school just down the road from Mesa that doesn’t have air, you almost feel guilty for those poor kids,” Green said. “That’s just one reason why the bond really needs to pass.” Passage of 3D would also provide safety and security improvements including security cameras, more secure entry ways and fire alarm upgrades. Bond dollars would also be spent on renovating existing schools for more technical career training, repairing and replacing roofs and other maintenance in schools. Cost to voters is $2 per month on a house valued at $100,000. “Besides wanting a quality education, parents and educators want to make sure our kids are safe at school,” Swanson said. “Safety in that learning environment means not only controlled access but it also means having a good facility to learn in.” Green and other community members and parents are informing D50 residents on 3C and 3D by going doorto-door hoping to convince voters to pass the measures. “We’re just trying to tell people that they have the power to enlighten an entire life by giving them the gift of education,” Green said. “These schools are part of the community and these kids are the future.”