Calls for metro district reform mount

BY ROBERT DAVIS YELLOW SCENE MAGAZINE

Andrew Sorensen and his wife Samantha were elated when they bought their home in Broom eld’s Baseline neighborhood in September 2022 after nearly a year of bidding on homes that were overpriced and uninhabitable in some cases. However, Sorensen said that excitement quickly turned to trepidation after the couple learned that their home was controlled by a metropolitan district, a controversial tool that Colorado developers use to build homes.

Sorensen’s home is part of Baseline Metropolitan District 3, one of nine metro districts that are responsible for developing homes and maintaining the necessary infrastructure like roads, water lines, and sewer systems. Colorado law also allows metro districts to issue bonds to nance its work, and those bonds are often paid back through property tax mill levies. So far, the metro district has codied about $764 million in bonds that it can issue to investors. e debt incurred by these bonds would be paid back by Baseline homeowners over the next several decades. ere’s just one catch: e board members that set the Baseline Metropolitan District’s tax levels all work for McWhinney Real Estate Services, the developer building the neighborhood.

SEE DISTRICTS, P10 e event, put on by Westminster Fire, Police and Public Works and Utilities, will give an inside look into all three departments. Some of the events included will be emergency vehicles on display, SWAT and K9 demonstrations, police station tours, a re department kid’s obstacle course, a police training simulator, food trucks and more.

Public safety open house Westminster will be hosting a public safety open house in June 24 at the Public Safety Center.

County hosts mass wedding June 10 Adams County Pride Fest will host a mass wedding ceremony on June 10, penned Marriagepalooza, and will be hosted by drag queens Stella Diver and AllSpyce.

All couples are welcome to participate and, according to Adams County Spokesperson Nikki Kimbleton, a limited-edition marriage license will be available. ose licenses will be printed on special paper and have a special design, though the details aren’t nalized yet.

According to a news release, Stella Diver, one of 2023’s “10 Freshest Faces of Colorado Drag” by Westword magazine, will be o ciating the ceremony and AllSpyce, a nominee for Westword’s 10 Freshest Faces of Colorado Drag, will be the Maid of Honor.

To participate, a marriage or civil union license must be purchased between May 9 and June 9 at the

Adams County Clerk and Recorder’s O ce. For the limited edition marriage license, this application must be completed.

Couples also must be checked in by 1:30 p.m. on the day of the ceremony, which will begin at 2 p.m.

I Voted Sticker contest winners announced e Adams County Elections Department received 36 entries for the contest from both students and residents. e winning designs will be used throughout the 2023 Coordinated, 2024 Presidential Primary, 2024 Primary, and 2024 General Elections. e four winners are Century Middle School student Macy Gauna, Westminster resident Xalen Wigham, Brighton resident Marta Kwiat and STEM Launch student Diana Diaz Terrasaz.

Four student designs for “I Voted” stickers were selected in contest and will be distributed in mail in ballots the next four elections.

A fth sticker was chosen as a sta pick and will be printed as a special edition, available only at Adams County Pride on June 10, and at the Elections team booth.

Adams County voters will receive both an “I Voted” sticker and “Yo voté” sticker in their ballot packet. Residents who want to collect every sticker design can visit any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) open during the 2023 and 2024 elections. VSPC locations will be available at adamsvotes.com/vspcs. e winning designs can be viewed at adamsvotes.com.

Dudes & Brews seeks to boost male court volunteers e info hour is aimed to recruit men since fewer than 15 % of the group’s current volunteers are men. e session will be led male sta members and volunteers explain the CASA advocate role and learn how you can be a part of the change.

CASA of Adams & Broom eld Counties, the Court Appointed Special Advocates for the 17th Judicial District of Colorado will host a Volunteer Info Hour at 5:30 p.m. June 8 at Mother Tucker Brewery in ornton, 2360 E. 120th Ave.

CASA recruits, trains and supervises community volunteers, called Court Appointed Special Advocates, to represent and advocate for child victims of abuse and neglect in the courts.

For more information, visit CASA online at https://casa17th.org/ or call at (720) 523.2855. To RSVP to the event, email paige@casa17th.com with the subject line “I Want to Attend Dudes & Brews”.

Adams County o ers veterans memorial sign program the state for the 2023-25 term. e Youth Advisory Council is a statewide organization dedicated to youth-led civic service learning. Youth members lead policy committees that analyze issues and policies that impact youth across Colorado. Policy work can include making recommendations about current policies or advocating for new ones. Council members conduct research, write problem/solution statements, meet with subject matter experts, build relationships with legislators, and seek feedback from their peers and communities. e Colorado Legislature created the youth advisory council in 2008 to give Colorado’s youth ages 14-19 a voice in lawmaking. Youth council members work each summer to propose policy ideas to a committee of legislators. Each summer, students present policy proposals to legislators. During the last two years, several policies the youth council identi ed became law, including increased crisis services, higher education programs for fostered youth, educational standards and e orts to prevent eating disorders.

Adams County Public Works Department has started a Veterans Memorial Sign Program intended to allow Adams County residents with family or friends of military veterans killed in the line of duty to dedicate of a street in Adams County in their loved one’s memory.

Nominated veterans will be commemorated through the installation of special memorial signs bearing their name, rank, branch of service emblem, associated military action or war, status, and year of death. Memorial signs will be placed above existing street name signs. Speci c location requests may be made in the application and will be considered by Adams County sta in collaboration with the Adams County Veterans Advisory Commission.

Applications are due June 19. State organizers plan to host an informational session for applicants at 6 p.m. June 14. Find info at www.coyac.org/apply.

Open air theater returns to Westminster

Take a journey through local history by traveling through one of Westminster’s original farm homesteads! Site-speci c, immersive theater returns to Westminster with Pride of the Farm—a month-long production by celebrated theater company e Catamounts that brings to life the rich history of Metzger Farm.

Pride of the Farm Outdoor eater Series runs nightly at 7 p.m. through June 25, Wednesdays-Sundays at the Metzger Farm Open Space, 12080 Lowell Blvd.

Admission is $25/person and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options) will be available for purchase.

‘Taking No Chances’

Ground-level ozone is invisible and the Front Range’s biggest air quality issue. Created from pollutants like car exhaust, ozone is a leading cause of respiratory problems.

Improving our air quality takes all of us, and there are many ways to help. We encourage you to #JustSkipTwo car trips a week, mow your lawn after 5 p.m., don’t idle your car, telework a few days each week, and take the bus, bike, or walk.

Sign up for air quality alerts and learn more about the simple steps you can do to help.

SimpleStepsBetterAir.org

“ e Veterans Memorial Sign Program o ers an opportunity for residents to unite in gratitude and remembrance while fostering a sense of community pride,” said Steve O’Dorisio, Board of County Commissioners Chair. “It also serves as a powerful reminder to future generations of the sacri ces made by those who fought for our freedom.”

Family and friends of seven veterans who served on the USS Colorado were honored with a memorial sign during the grand opening of the new Adams County Veterans Memorial on May 29.

Residents are encouraged to submit applications for veterans they wish to memorialize through the program. Learn more and apply at adcogov.org/ tra c-safety.

State youth council needs members e Colorado legislature’s nonpartisan Colorado Youth Advisory Council has openings for new members across e 17th Judicial District Attorney’s O ce and e Link, a community resource and assessment center in ornton, are o ering free, 10-week programs to families of Adams county teenagers to help develop personal and interpersonal drug-resistance skills.

Sessions are from 5:30 to 6;30 p.m. Wednesdays. Call 720-292-2811.

Legal self-help clinic e Access to Justice Committee hosts a free, legal self-help clinic from 2 to 3:30 p.m. the rst Tuesday of every month. e program is for customers who don’t have legal representation and need help navigating through legal issues.

Volunteer attorneys are available to discuss such topics as family law, civil litigation, property and probate law. Call 303-405-3298 and ask for Legal Self-Help Clinic at least 24 hours in advance.