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August 14, 2014 VOLU M E 5 0 | I S S UE 52 | 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
Senior center turns 30
Request for dance hall continued
Thornton plans three-day celebration
Former Knights of Columbus facility eyed for event center rental
By Tammy Kranz
By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com
A multi-day celebration is planned for the 30th anniversary of Thornton’s Senior Center. An open house will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, with a buffet and entertainment by Queen City Jazz, an Adult Program Showcase set for 6:30 p.m. Thrusday, Aug. 21, and a dance planned at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, — all at 9471 Dorothy Blvd. The center is the only senior center in the city — serving about 150 and 250 daily, about 2,500 members, according to Lisa Ranalli, senior citizen program manager. “The center is a wonderful place to meet new people who share common interests,” she said. “Important services (there) include our daily meal program and transportation and recreational programs such as fitness, special events, classes, massage and podiatry care.” In time for its anniversary celebration,
More than 40 children visited the Thornton Senior Center Aug. 6 on grandkids’ day and participated in a Lego build, face painting, ate lunch and were serenaded by the Colorado Children’s Chorale. The Senior Center will celebrate its 30th anniversary with multiple events Aug. 20-22. Courtesy photo
POSTAL ADDRESS
the center just completed a $1.1 million renovation at the facility. The work included new carpet, new ceiling tiles, addition of handrails, new paint, improving the front and rear entrances to help with circulation throughout the building, remodeling the front desk and lobby area and creating a new corridor to improve the flow through the building from the west entrance to the front lobby, The Senior Citizen Advisory Board felt it was important to update and modernize the facility because of its anniversary, Ranalli said. Prior to being the Senior Center, the facility housed City Hall from 1956 to 1984. “The flow through the building was congested and disruptive to programming and the board rec-
ommended this improvement,” she said. The daily meal program, lectures, fitness classes and other adult programming take place in the center’s multipurpose space, which had been disrupted previously before the new corridor was created. A majority of the improvements were funded with a $778,000 Adams County Open Space grant. Ranalli predicts the membership of the center will continue to grow with each passing year. “The 60-plus population is expected to more than double in the next 20 years, the center sees new folks every day,” she said. The 11-member advisory board is currently updating its master plan for senior services, which includes goals for expanding facilities in the future.
School tip line now under state control New laws include change for violence reporting system By Vic Vela
NORTHGLENN-THORNTON SENTINEL
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com
The reorganization of a school violence hotline was among a handful of new safety laws that took effect last week. OFFICE: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 The Safe2Tell Act moves an existing anonymous Westminster, CO 80031 tip line from the nonprofit sector to a state-run PHONE: 303-566-4100 program that is operated through the Department of Law. A legal newspaper of general circulation in The program was set to shut down due to a lack Adams County, Colorado, the Northglennof funding before the Legislature unanimously Thornton Sentinel is published weekly passed a bill earlier this year that transfers its conon Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, trol to the state. 8703 Yates DR., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO The hotline was set up after the 1999 Colum80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO. bine High School shootings as a way for students to provide anonymous reports of potential campus POSTMASTER: Send address change to: threats. The state claims that since its implementa8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 tion, the hotline has prevented some school attacks Westminster, CO 80031 and suicides and has led to intervention in more than 2,000 bullying instances. DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified:Newspapers_6x1.75_Layout Mon. 5 p.m. “Students are11:26 often first DRW_Community 1 7/21/14 AMthe Page 1 to hear threats (ISSN 1044-4254) (USPS 854-980)
against a school, or to see bullying or drug use, so they play a critical role in preventing these problems,” state Senate President Morgan Carroll, DAurora, a bill sponsor, said through an emailed statement. “Safe2Tell empowers students to break the silence in an anonymous, proactive way so that kids can focus on learning while at school.” Also taking effect last week was a separate public safety effort that imposes new penalties on businesses that sell designer drugs. The law subjects vendors who sell synthetic marijuana, often called “spice,” to civil liability. Synthetic drugs have been known to be more dangerous than marijuana and have resulted in some deaths. “Despite their growing popularity, synthetic drugs are incredibly dangerous and this new law is a crucial step in taking action against these harmful substances,” state Rep. Lois Landgraf, R-Fountain, a bill sponsor, said through an emailed statement. “I’m comforted knowing this law is now in place to help keep synthetic drugs out of Colorado children’s hands.” Also taking effect last week is a new public safety law that makes operating a vehicle chop shop a Class 4 felony. The law is meant to curb cases of automobile thefts in the state.
Adams County Board of Commissioners continued a request for a new public dance hall license at the former Knights of Columbus facility, 6910 York St. in Denver. The decision came during the board’s Aug. 5 regular board meeting. County staff recommended the board deny the license because the facility was in an agriculture zone and it would have to be rezoned as industrial for that particular use. The applicant, Valerie Beltran, asked the board to approve the license while the owners worked on getting the property rezoned. “The building was built there in 1957 and it has been used as a hall — as a rental hall, which is what we’re planning on using it for — so the use has not changed,” she said. “The only thing that has changed is it went from a nonprofit club license to a private license, a regular business.” Beltran said she understood the zoning needed to be corrected, but pointed out that the facility was bought in March and the owners have been working with the county since before that and it was just recently that the zoning issue came to light. District 3 Commissioner Erik Hansen was unclear why the county could not allow the applicant a conditional use permit like they do other business. “My understanding of the code is that basically anything is allowed in any zone as long as there is a conditional use permit,” he said. Staff reported that the planning department made that determination and no one from that department was present at the meeting. District 1 Commissioner Eva Henry said she supports the new business, that it was needed in the county, but that the county had to follow rules and should not make exceptions. “For a lot of years Adams County government made a lot of exceptions in Adams County and people abused those exceptions,” she said. “I’m sorry, I know you’re not part of that but that is the way the history has been. So I have serious concerns about making exceptions to other people. My concern is the fact that if we go ahead and grant you the license that you won’t follow through the process with getting it rezoned or conditional use. We have a lot of business owners that have actually done that.” Board Chair Charles “Chaz” Tedesco, District 2, said that he did not want to see the hard work of either the applicant or the county staff go to waste and made a motion to continue the request. The board voted unanimously for the continuation of the request, with the direction to staff that it work in an expedite manner to get the zoning issues resolved.
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