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June 12, 2014
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Adams County, Colorado Volume 50, Issue 43 Coming Soon!
northglenn-thorntonsentinel.com
A publication of
Adams 12 to see budget increase By Ashley Reimers
areimers@colorado communitymedia.com
An Adams County Regional Park worker drives a cart near the golf course. The county will use open space grant funding to help purchase 61 acres of farmland north of the Dunes golf course to help buffer the park and protect wildlife habitat. Photo by Tammy Kranz
County awards $5.7 million in grants 23 projects awarded open space grant funding By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com Adams County’s plan to purchase 61 acres of farmland and associated Brantner Ditch Company water shares is now possible thanks to an open space grant to cover half of the costs. Adams County was awarded $1,250,000 to acquire the property at 10365 E. 136th Ave., which is intended to provide a buffer to the Regional Park and protect wildlife habitat. “This project is going to be a continuation of preservation along the South Platte River corridor, which we’ve been doing for 14 years since the sales tax was passed,” said Marc Pedrucci, Adams County natural resource manager. “This property, really we’ve had our eye on it since 2000. I mean it’s directly adjacent to the Regional Park, this is right north of the Dunes golf course so a very important project.” Adams County Board of Commissioners awarded more than $5.7 million in open space grants for 23 projects during its May 19 regular meeting. Funding comes from 2013 revenues of the Adams County Open
Space Sales Tax, which voters passed in 1999. Barr Lake State Park received $165,150 for two projects: the Niedrach Boardwalk Renovation for $163,750 and $1,400 for its annual Barr Lake Appreciation Day. The annual event is when volunteers clean shorelines and eradicate noxious weeds. The grant for the boardwalk renovation will cover 55.1 percent of the project, which includes adding steel structures for support, constructing an observation deck, install erosion control measures, add handrails and improve trails to the boardwalk to make them ADA complaint. “The Niedrach Boardwalk is over 25 years old, and we use that for all our education programs and family and kids that come out to enjoy Barr Lake,” said Michelle Seubert, manager of the park. “It’s really a unique opportunity for them to view the wildlife refuge.” Westminster received $754,600 for the Johnson Open Space Acquisition. This covers 70 percent of the project costs to purchase the 4.09-acre site along the Big Dry Creek corridor. The city also received $428,459 to construct two segments of the I-25 Trail and a portion of the McKay Creek Trail. These trail connections construction will result in
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the connection of the Big Dry Creek and Tanglewood Creek trails near the Orchard Shopping Center. Thornton received $1,187,593 for three projects — $2,365 for volunteer hand tools and supplies to improve parks and open spaces; $387,000 to design and construct restrooms and a concession pad; and $798,228 for trail connections and concrete safety. The grant pays 50 percent of the project to build restrooms at the Thornton Sports Complex and the Northern Lights Ball Fields, and a concession pad at the Thornton Sports Complex. The grant pays 68 percent of the project to add 3,350 linear feet of missing trail connections and adds four new pedestrian crossings. Brighton received $417,300 for its BromleyHishinuma Farm landscape project, which include fencing, trees, shrubs, event space, a formal entertaining garden, tree-lined entry and parking lot. The grant covers 60 percent of the total cost. Brighton also received a grant for $204,000 to purchase a one-acre property and historic schoolhouse adjacent to the 144th Avenue Farmland Preservation site. The grant covers 60 percent of the total cost. Grants continues on Page 20
Adams 12 Five School District is facing zero cuts next school year, a nice change for teachers, staff and students. Instead, the district is investing money into the system due to additional funding from the state. The anticipated general fund revenue for the 2015-2015 school year is $287.6 million, an $11.5 million increase compared to the 2013-2014 school year. Superintendent Chris Gdowski said there are new dollars flowing in to the district from the School Finance Act and the Student Success Act. “This is the first time in four-and-a-half years that I’ve been in this seat where we’ve not been in a mode of either making cuts or being in a completely flat budget scenario,” he said. “So that’s exciting.” There are three main ar-
eas money could be invested in the district, which would not be enacted until adoption of the budget by the school board during the June 18 board meeting. One big area is a compensation increase for teachers who would receive a 2 percent cost of living increase and a mid-year step increase that would go into effect March 1, 2015. Gdowski said classified staff would also see a cost of living increase. “We heard from our District School Improvement Team that compensation was a high priority,” he said. “We were able to honor that request through our interest-based bargaining technique, which was a very healthy process. I think it’s a reasonable settlement after many years of people being frozen or going backwards in terms of compensation.” The proposed budget also includes a $12.5 million investment in technology to enable wireless ca-
pability in every classroom in the district. If approved, the investment will be paid over a five-year period with roughly $2.6 million to be paid next school year. Gdowski said the upgraded system will be accessible no later than January 2015. “The technology investment will allow for more tech-intensive instructional practices with iPads, iPad minis and Chromebooks as well as prepare for online testing which will be mandatory next year,” he added. The third major investment will be in literacy instruction. Gdowski said the district will be investing money in curriculum, teacher support and nonfiction reading materials. He said in the past decade when it comes to reading and writing achievement for students, that aspect hasn’t been as strong gas our math and science Adams continues on Page 20
Governor vetoes road bill Retains parts of measure, signs executive order By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com A bill that sought more scrutiny of the teaming of state and privately-backed road projects has failed to make it any further than Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk. Senate Bill 197 — a bill that would have provided greater oversight and Report transparency for private-public road construction partnerships — was vetoed by Hickenlooper on June 4. However, some of the bill’s intent survived. The bill — a response to grumblings over the US 36 road project process — would have required any public-private partnership “P3” project that exceeds 35 years to be approved by the Legislature. It also would have required a Colorado Department of Transportation board to hold public meetings throughout any road project process and keep the Legislature and other local elected officials informed along the way. The $425 million, 50-year US 36 project, which will widen the lanes of the highway and incorporate toll lanes, received a great deal of criticism by local residents who felt
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as though the P3 contract was too secretive and that they were kept out of the loop on key parts of the project. Hickenlooper supports the part of the bill that sought greater transparency and signed an executive order that requires the state to improve “accountability, transparency and openness” of CDOT P3 projects. But the overall bill, which he said contained “unworkable provisions,” was vetoed. Hickenlooper issued a statement, saying that he took issue with parts of the bill that required legislative go-ahead for projects that exceed 35 years and other features that “inappropriately constrains the business terms of future P3 agreements.” “These constraints on business terms would create a chilling component on future transactions, making investors unlikely or unwilling to bid on Colorado projects due to the increased risks this process would generate,” the governor said. Hickenlooper’s statement was accompanied by a list of 48 persons or local government entities that called on the governor to veto the bill, including many business organizations. Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp, D-Arvada, a bill sponsor, said she was disappointed with the governor’s decision, but that the executive order means that her effort did not go for naught. “I hope we can build on the transparency piece so that we can move toward figuring out a way to figure in oversight,” she said. “We’ll work on this again. I don’t think this is a black and white issue.”
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