1-Color
January 30, 2014
50 cents Adams County, Colorado | Volume 50, Issue 25 A publication of
northglenn-thorntonsentinel.com
Bond reduction results in savings Adams 12 households to enjoy lower taxes By Ashley Reimers
areimers@coloradocommunitynedia.com Residents living in the Adams 12 Five Star School District will see a decrease in their taxes after a reduction in the district’s bond mill levy rate. The 1.1 mill reduction will save homeowners about $9 for every $100,00 in home value. According to the district website, the reduction only applies to the district’s bond mill levy rate, and does not apply to the property taxes generated through the General Fund for day-to-day operations in the district. “The district was able to refinance existing debt at lower interest rates resulting in savings to the tax payers,” Shelley Becker, district chief financial officer said. “There was also growth in property values in the district, which also helped.” Becker said the district is dedicated to being good stewards of the district’s financial obligations, which have been entrusted to the district by the tax payers. She said administration is always looking at making sure the district has the best possible rates on all purchases, including smaller things like paper roles all the way up to the mill levy rate, which is used to pay off bonds for capital construction. “The mill levy rate is certified every December, but we can look at options to reduce the rate at any time during the year,” Becker said. “We work closely with our financial advisors to ensure we are getting the lowest rate possible.” Becker added that the mill levy reduction will not delay the district’s repayment of debt. The last bond initiative passed was in 2004, which allowed for construction of new schools as well as school additions to address enrollment growth and continued demand in new programming.
Tyler Edmondson with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory talks with Northglenn Heights resident Betty Urbach about birds that are common to feeders in the area on Jan. 14. Northglenn Heights Assisted Living & Memory Care Community and RMBO have teamed up to present Bird Tales to its residents who have dementia. Photo courtesy of Northglenn Heights
Nature’s
CALLING
Patients with dementia participate in ‘Bird Tales’ By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com
R
obins, finches, sparrows — these are among some of the birds common to feeders in the Denver area. Residents at the Northglenn Heights Assisted Living & Memory Care Community are learning what those birds look, sound and feel like during “Bird Tales,” presented by the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. “The idea is to bring in the natural outdoor world inside for those with dementia,” said Athena Bertollt, the home’s activities director. “This gives them a chance to express themselves without any judgment
— there is no right or wrong.” Since November, Tyler Edmondson with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory has been visiting the residents with dementia twice a month. He brings in stuffed birds that mimic the sounds they real ones make. “The main birds that residents are learning about are birds that are common to feeders in the Denver Metro area,” he said. “One of the reasons for this is because an aspect of the Bird Tales program is the introduction of feeders near windows of the facilities, so that residents can enjoy viewing live birds that they are learning about during the programs and draw connections between what they are learning through their sensorial interactions with bird models and what they’re seeing outside.” Bird Tales is a program created by the
Audubon and RMBO was given a $4,684 grant from Toyota TogetherGreen to bring the program into three facilities. Inglenook at Brighton and St. Andrew’s Village in Aurora are the other facilities hosting the program. Edmondson said that RMBO was already doing programs at assisted living homes and when it was presented with the possibility of bringing Bird Tales to our organization by partnering with Ken Elkins and Audubon through this Innovation Grant provided by Toyota TogetherGreen, it as a natural fit. “We believe that there are inherently therapeutic qualities in nature and interactions with the natural world, so we strive to provide more opportunities for this to happen through all of our education proBird continues on Page 5
Man sentenced for 2012 shooting death Demetrius Trujillo receives life, no parole for crime Staff Report Demetrius Santiago Trujillo, 36,was sentenced to life in prison without parole Jan. 22 after he was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2012 shooting death of Christopher Garduno. An Adams County District Court jury deliberated less than two hours before reach-
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ing its verdict. The case went to immediate sentencing before Adams County District Judge Jill Ellyn Straus. “This was an execution by a cold-blooded killer,” District Attorney Dave Young said. “I hope that the family can take some comfort from this verdict. Our prosecution team, David Goddard and David Blackett, did an excellent job trying this case. I also want to thank the jury for its hard work in this case and rendering such a swift verdict. The community is safer now that the defendant will spend his life behind bars.”
Garduno, 38, was found dead in a locked vehicle on Sept. 3, 2012, in the parking lot of the Village by the Park apartment complex at 10701 Pecos St. in Northglenn. He had been shot in the back of the head with a .22 revolver. According to evidence presented during the trial, both men were members of the GKI (Gallant Knights Insane) gang and a group leader had put a “hit” on Garduno. Several witnesses testified that Trujillo had been making threats that he was going to kill Garduno.
NORTHGLENN-THORNTON SENTINEL (ISSN 1044-4254) (USPS 854-980)
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On Sept 2, 2012, Trujillo, Garduno and Trujillo’s girlfriend, Chelsee Smith, left together in Garduno’s vehicle, with Smith driving. Smith testified that Garduno was sitting in the front passenger seat with Trujillo sitting behind him in the back seat when suddenly she heard a gunshot and saw that Garduno had been shot. Trujillo also faces charges of solicitation of first-degree murder, victim retaliation and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder relating to Chelsee Smith. A trial date will be set for those charges on Jan. 29.
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