Parker Chronicle

July 31, 2020

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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

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INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12

VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 37

SPECIAL REPORT

Colorado’s public health officials are under attack Workers face threats, vandalism, job loss amid COVID-19 crisis

Douglas County district chooses ‘hybrid’ model of in-person, online learning

BY JESSICA GIBBS | COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA AND JESSE PAUL | THE COLORADO SUN

Joni Reynolds, the head of Gunnison County’s public health department, entered kind of a routine as the coronavirus crisis descended on Colorado earlier this year: Long hours. Sleepless nights. A police escort home.

A wave of threats over her efforts to keep her community safe amid the pandemic made her fear for her safety. There were also suspicious packages left outside her house and sent to her office, both of which were unsettling but weren’t dangerous.

“References to Nazism. Calling me Mrs. Hitler,” Reynolds said, recounting the contents of the hate mail she received. “Calling me vile names — curse words. Threatening harm to me, my family, my home. Assuring they would remove me from my job and take ‘all my worldly possessions.’”

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BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Jared Polis July 16, a week after the Tri-County order, still applies to everyone within the state.

That order states every person in Colorado of age 10 or older must wear a mask indoors in places open to the public, unless he or she has a medical condition. The order lasts at least 30 days.

The Parker Town Council voted to opt out of the Tri-County Health

The Douglas County School District’s board voted unanimously July 25 to reopen its schools on a “hybrid” learning model, with the option for students to attend school completely online if they feel unsafe attending in-person amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The action came at a marathon weekend board meeting.

Superintendent Thomas Tucker cautioned that the district could still pivot to full “e-learning” after the school year begins, depending on how COVID-19 data shapes up in coming weeks.

“This has been a really tough decision,” Tucker said.

Until the board’s special meeting, the district planned to reopen schools with 100% in-person learning, five days a week.

Local COVID-19 data trends played heavily in the decision to shift toward hybrid learning, Tucker said.

Dr. John Douglas, director of the Tri-County Health Department, which sets public-health policy for Douglas County, made a presentation to the board July 25, noting that COVID-19 rates in the county had risen from roughly 2% to 3% a couple weeks ago to roughly 6% now.

Board directors pointed to the worsening COVID-19 data trends before voting and said a hybrid model allows the district to more easily pivot to

SEE MASKS, P8

SEE SCHOOLS, P23

Health workers collect patient information from people waiting to be tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, outside the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s lab in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood on March 11.

PHOTO BY JOHN INGOLD/THE COLORADO SUN

Parker council opts out of Tri-County mask order Less-strict state mask order still applies

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Parker Town Council has unanimously passed a resolution to opt out of the Tri-County Health Department’s order requiring the wearing of face masks in public.

Schools offer reopening choice

With the July 21 council vote, Parker became the second municipality in Douglas County to exercise the option. Douglas County commissioners opted out of the order July 9 for unincorporated parts of the county, including Highlands Ranch.

Castle Rock Town Council voted to opt out of the order July 14.

The order does not mean Parker residents are exempt from wearing a mask at all. The mask order issued by the state of Colorado and Gov.

FIREFIGHTERS ADJUST TO COVID

There’s added stress and new procedures, but their vital work goes on P12

WHO’S THE BEST? Here’s our annual look at the region’s best businesses, services, attractions and more, as chosen by our readers.

INSIDE THIS EDITION

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STEM shooter sentenced to life in prison with possible parole McKinney: ‘I do not deserve leniency or forgiveness’

BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Sitting in her literature class on May 7, 2019, Nui Giasolli noticed her friend Alec McKinney standing just behind her.

McKinney was not enrolled in that class and was supposed to be in the classroom next door. But because she considered McKinney one of her best friends, his presence did not raise alarms for her.

She learned later through court hearings and statements McKinney made to investigators that McKinney targeted her that day, she said, as he helped carry out a shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch.

“He had a gun aimed at the back of my head and he was ready to shoot me knowing full well that I didn’t consider him a threat,” she said.

Giasolli was one of numerous students, teachers and community members who gave tear-stricken victim impact statements during a July 24 sentencing hearing for McKinney at a Castle Rock courtroom.

McKinney was accused of planning the shooting that left one dead and eight students injured.

18th Judicial District Judge Jeffrey Holmes on July 24 sentenced him to life in prison plus 38 years, with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

McKinney pleaded guilty in February to numerous felony charges, including first-degree murder for the

John Castillo, father of STEM victim Kendrick Castillo, delivers his statement during the July 24 sentencing of Alec McKinney, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and 16 other counts in the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting. McKinney was sentenced in Douglas County District Court in Castle Rock.

POOL PHOTOS BY ERIC LUTZENS/THE DENVER POST death of Kendrick Castillo, 18. Six students were shot by the defendants in the case and two were injured by gunfire from an armed guard responding to the incident.

McKinney was 16 at the time of the attack, so under law he was not eligible for a death penalty, but he was

charged as an adult. He is now 17.

A co-defendant Devon Erickson, 18 at the time of the shooting, will face trial in September. Erickson has argued he was an unwilling participant in the attack, forced to cooperate on the threat of death from McKinney.

Prosecutors have sharply scrutinized that narrative and McKinney also alleged July 24 he acted under pressure from Erickson.

Judge Holmes noted in his closing remark’s McKinney’s age, his history with mental illness and major depressive disorder, and his drug use leading up to the attack. Holmes also said McKinney took responsibility for his actions in the case by pleading guilty.

“He has not tried to excuse his behavior today and I sincerely hope, based on the statements that he made, that he has come to a recognition of the harm his wrong decision has caused,” Holmes said.

‘Biggest crime in the history of Douglas County’ Eighteenth Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said a juvenile offender program available to McKinney could significantly shorten the time McKinney ends up serving.

Brauchler was critical of a juvenile offender system that might allow someone who attempted mass murder to be free in roughly 20 years.

Like victims, Brauchler called on Holmes to issue the maximum sentence of life in prison plus 407-1/2 years. McKinney and Erickson had planned to kill as many people as possible on May 7, he said, and might have succeeded had teachers and students not stopped the attack.

Kendrick died while rushing Erickson with two other students. A teacher and a student also confronted McKinney.

The maximum would send a clear message “about what happens when you do this here in our community,” Brauchler said.

“This is the biggest crime in the history of Douglas County. What will we say about it?” Brauchler said.

Public defender Ara Ohanian said McKinney requested he not recommend a sentence, which he agreed to

Student Nui Giasolli wipes away tears as she delivers her statement during the sentencing of Alec McKinney on July 24. honor despite it going “against everything I have been taught.”

Ohanian said the Alec McKinney he knows is nothing like the person who carried out the attacks and refuted Brauchler’s stance that the maximum sentence would send the right message.

“School shootings are not going to go away by sending messages.

We must deal with the root of these problems which is mental illness and access to these kinds of weapons,” Ohanian said.

The hearing was an hours-long outpouring of anger, pain and grief, as victims recounted how the shooting affected them. The ramifications of McKinney’s actions for most those involved will be life-long, victims said.

Accounts from victims culminated with gut-wrenching testimony from John and Maria Castillo, Kendrick’s parents.

John and Maria said they will never forgive McKinney for their son’s death and vowed to remain life-long activists in the fight to end school shootings.

The Castillos also lambasted McKinney for not attending the hearing in-person, but rather remotely.

The court proceeding was conducted both remotely and in-person amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A limited number of victims were allowed to SEE STEM, P3

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Now in its 102nd year, please join us for the annual celebration of Douglas County’s 4-H Program and our County’s agricultural and Western heritage.

ONLINE AUCTION The 61st Annual Douglas County Junior Livestock Sale Friday, July 31 at 6:30 p.m.

TICKETED EVENTS – MUST PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE Xtreme Bulls - Thursday, July 30 at 7 p.m.

Bull Riding in the Outdoor Arena Some of Kendrick Castillo’s favorite items, along with an assortment of photos, sat on a table outside of the sanctuary at Cherry Hills Community Church during a celebration of his life on May 15, 2019. Castillo was killed in the school shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch.

ALEX DEWIND

STEM FROM PAGE 2

sit in the courtroom. Two additional rooms were set up with chairs spaced 6 feet apart and court proceedings displayed on screens.

Everyone was required to wear masks except for victims when they gave their impact statements. The podium was wiped down in-between every speaker.

McKinney participated remotely from the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center in Centennial where he is detained. One of his public defenders was in the courtroom in Castle Rock while another and his guardian ad litem participated from the Foote center with McKinney.

John Castillo recounted having breakfast with his “perfect family” the morning of the shooting. As Kendrick drove away, John took video of his Jeep because it needed new tires, he said. He didn’t know that would be the last time he saw his son alive.

Castillo heard through a friend later that day there was an active shooter at his son’s school. He went to the recreation center where students were reunited with family. He saw other parents picking up their children and began searching for his son, he said.

Then Castillo got a text telling him Kendrick rushed a shooter and sped to the hospital with Maria, thinking Kendrick was injured but not yet realizing his son was dead.

He remembers people staring at them as they arrived. He remembers the officer who whispered in a nurse’s ear, and then being pulled aside and asked if they could identify Kendrick’s body.

Castillo called McKinney’s display of emotion in court rehearsed and fake. Castillo’s last words to McKinney in the hearing were telling him to “wipe that smirk off your face. Those crocodile tears. You disgust me.”

Maria Castillo said he took away her chance to have grandchildren, and her only child. Kendrick was her best friend and her purpose in life, she said.

As Kendrick sat in class, three days from graduation and planning for his future, “this domestic terrorist was using drugs and planning a shooting.

Why? Why,” she yelled.

“Coward. You can’t even face us,” she said.

Maria Castillo closed her remarks by vowing to do everything in her power to hold McKinney accountable.

“I will never forgive you. Evil killer,” she said.

Betraying those who cared Several victims said McKinney showed a total disregard for human life on May 7, noting he told authorities he wanted to make people know trauma.

Some grew fraught with anger and grief while others said there is still hope McKinney could use the remainder of his life for good.

Most urged the judge to hand down the maximum sentence possible.

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said he spoke July 24 on behalf of the community and the 1,000 officers and EMS professionals who responded to the shooting. He called on the judge to keep McKinney in the Department of Corrections “for that individual’s natural life.”

The impact of the shooting affected the entire county, Spurlock said, but also the state and country.

“The eyes of the nation were on STEM School,” Spurlock said.

Teachers said McKinney was well cared for by school staff and had a support system in place. They recounted helping him with his mental health struggles and schoolwork.

Previous court hearings revealed McKinney grew up amid abuse and neglect.

Lauren Harper was the teacher in classroom 107, where the shooting unfolded.

“The images of violence, the screams, the blood of my students, are etched into every inch of my being,” she said.

Harper said the shooters refused to see people in their life cared for them and instead chose to deceive those SEE STEM, P15

PRCA RODEO – Saturday, Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 2 at 1 p.m.

Outdoor Arena paired with Indoor Arena livestream spectator-viewing To purchase tickets or participate in the online auction visit FairandRodeoFun.com or call 720-733-6941.

School Zone safety is a shared responsibility Drivers please follow traffic laws - such as school zone speed limits. Pedestrians - please observe street-crossing safety procedures at all times. For additional street-crossing tips and associated traffic information please visit douglas.co.us and search for School Zones.

FREE electronics recycling event and added drop-off location Douglas County residents are invited to recycle unwanted electronics for FREE on Aug. 8, from 9 a.m. 1 p.m. at EchoPark Stadium in Parker. Stay in your vehicle and staff will unload. No paper shredding services will be available. NEW: Douglas County residents can also drop off accepted electronic items for free Aug. 5 – 12, during business hours, at Techno Rescue, 3251 Lewiston St., Suite 10 in Aurora.. Proof of residency will be required. For more information visit douglas.co.us/community-recycling-event

COVID-19 testing locations Wondering where to obtain COVID-19 diagnostic testing? For links and information about providers near you please visit douglas.co.us/covid19-testing-locations

Slash-mulch site open The County’s main slash-mulch site, at 1400 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock, is open from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturdays only through Oct. 26. For more information, directions and a list of acceptable items visit douglas. co.us and search for Slash Mulch.

Visit douglas.co.us

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OFFICIALS

the pandemic.

“I’ve tried to relate it back, as a nurse and as someone who has been in public health for a number of years, to just really the trauma that people have experienced — an unprecedented level of trauma where the world literally shifted overnight,” said Reynolds, the Gunnison County public health chief. “And the fear.

And the not knowing — the uncertainty of the future — I think has really caused the reactions that we’ve seen.”

The unknowns might be chalked up to a communication issue.

“I don’t think we have done a great job in this country teaching people how science works,” Johnson said.

FROM PAGE 1

Public health officials in every corner of Colorado have become the target of threats, vandalism and even attack ads in newspapers and on the radio as a result of their handling of the pandemic.

They are unelected government workers who typically do important, but seldom acknowledged, work preventing disease outbreaks and inspecting restaurants. But during the coronavirus crisis, the harsh spotlight of a politicized pandemic has shined upon them.

Some have faced blowback from their bosses — often county commissioners — and have been forced out of their jobs. Others have resigned because the stress and pressure just aren’t worth it.

“It just adds additional stress and strain on a workforce that has been responding even before the very first case was registered in the state of Colorado and the first death was registered in the state of Colorado,” said Theresa Anselmo, executive director of the Colorado Association of Local Public Health officials, which represents the state’s local public health departments. “They’ve been working nonstop, essentially, since the beginning of February, some of them earlier.”

With no end to the pandemic in sight, officials worry whether Colorado’s network of local public health departments can tamp down the vitriol while trying to keep on top of the worst pandemic the world has experienced in 100 years. At some point, they fear, the combined pressure could become too heavy.

“We’re in this for the next 12 to 24 months. Even with a vaccine, this isn’t going to go away in Colorado,” Anselmo said. “So public health will be on the front lines of this for months, if not years, to come.”

Anselmo even has a folder in her email inbox dedicated to all of the threats her members have received: twicevandalized cars, a photograph with comments about “bodies swinging from trees,” the arrest of a man who said health officials “deserve to pay.”

‘I’ve never experienced anything to this level’ Dr. Mark Johnson, who leads Jefferson County Public Health, says he’s been involved in contentious battles with the state legislature and over the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, the former nuclear weapons trigger factory near Golden that now is open for public recreation.

But coronavirus is a different beast. “I’ve never experienced anything to this level,” he said.

Johnson said his agency has received a number of threats, which have been turned over to the Jefferson County Sheriff ’s Office for investigation.

Police have increased their

A worker at a coronavirus drive-up testing site in Montrose.

COURTESY PHOTO

EDITOR’S NOTE This story is the result of a reporting collaboration by Colorado Community Media and The Colorado Sun.

Jefferson County Public Health Executive Director Dr. Mark Johnson (left) receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from Public Health in the Rockies in 2019. He’s held his position for decades.

COURTESY OF ASHLEY SEVER

patrols around the health department building.

Johnson even said a police car has been parked near his home to keep things calm. But his department continues to be at the center of tensions surrounding the coronavirus crisis.

Recently, Johnson was locked in a court battle with the owners of Bandimere Speedway over a packed July 4 event. The controversy drew supporters and detractors to the Jefferson County courthouse where there were dueling demonstrations. The speedway argued that public health limitations placed on them would end their business.

A judge ruled July 21 that Bandimere must abide by countywide health orders.

“This is the most politicized or partisan pandemic that the world has ever seen,” Johnson said.

Jordan Kemp, deputy director for public health in Alamosa County, said after a photo of the health department director was posted online with crude and threatening comments, the agency shut down its offices — “just to be safe and just to kind

of give everybody a day to breathe a little bit.”

In Las Animas and Huerfano counties, a group called “Colorado Counties for Freedom” ran an ad seeking to diminish the authority of health department director Kim Gonzales. Gonzales is the official whose car has been vandalized twice since the coronavirus crisis began, according to Anselmo.

“It is time we bring life back into our communities and protect the American dream by opening up all of main street,” the ad says. “Protect our communities in Walsenburg and Trinidad and the American dream like other counties in Colorado have done. … We need to unite and diminish the authority of the health department director, Kim Gonzales.”

A person who gave their name as J.R. Rags and said they were behind Colorado Counties for Freedom said in an email that “these health department directors are generally not qualified to make decisions for everyone” “There are many concerns about kids not attending school, business closures and government overreach,”

Rags said. “And as you can imagine our group has found that true, unbiased media and journalism is almost dead in America.”

In Gunnison County, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a battle with local leaders and public health officials over an order requiring second home owners to stay away. It was issued out of concerns that the county’s limited medical resources could be overrun, but drew intense blowback, including a federal lawsuit from an Arvada couple.

“The banishment of nonresident Texas homeowners is entirely unconstitutional and unacceptable,” Paxton said in a written statement.

In the wake of the debacle, a group of second homeowners has formed a political group to try to oust the Democratic majority on the Gunnison County commission. “I think the county commissioners are using a sledgehammer when a screwdriver is probably more appropriate,” said Trudy Vader, who is vying for a seat on the board.

A Republican state lawmaker from Douglas County -- State Rep. Mark Baisley, R-Roxborough Park -- even called for criminal charges to be filed against Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the head of Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment, for her agency’s handling of death certificates of people who had COVID-19 and then died.

Prosecutors said there was no evidence a law had been broken.

The public health officials who spoke to The Colorado Sun and Colorado Community Media say they can understand people’s reaction.

In fact, they have a diagnosis: the vitriol is a symptom of

One county has gone through two public health chiefs Some local public health leaders have simply thrown in the towel or have been pushed out of their positions. The Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials counts at least six resignations and one firing in Colorado since the pandemic began.

Emily Brown says she was terminated as Rio Grande County’s public health director after clashing with county commissioners in late May. She wanted to keep restrictions in place while the elected leaders were pushing for them to be relaxed.

Brown told The Associated Press and Kaiser Health News that the commissioners “were tired of me not going along the line they wanted me to go along.”

The replacement Rio Grande County hired to fill Brown’s shoes, Paul Wertz, has since resigned. “I have concluded that I do not have the board’s support,” he wrote in an email, according to The Monte Vista Journal.

In Weld County, Dr. Mark Wallace’s 20-year run as the head of the local health department ended when he left his job after clashing with county commissioners over how to begin loosening coronavirus restrictions.

“I have serious heartburn looking at our data in Weld County,” Wallace wrote to the commissioners in an internal email obtained by The NoCo Optimist through an open records request.

Wallace announced his retirement in May, about a week after the correspondence was made public. He did not respond to Colorado Sun messages seeking an interview.

The Local Public Health Officials association said the other retirements happened in Clear Creek, Saguache, Fremont and Custer counties.

The Tri-County Health Department, which serves Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, saw an exit of an even larger magnitude.

As a result of the health department’s handling of the pandemic, a long-simmering debate about whether Douglas County should create its own health department boiled over.

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OFFICIALS FROM PAGE 4

When Tri-County moved to initiate a mask-wearing mandate earlier this month, Douglas County’s conservative commissioners announced they’d had enough and ordered their staff to initiate a breakup.

Dr. John Douglas, who leads TriCounty, called the decision “extraordinarily disruptive to our staff and planning in the middle of a pandemic.”

Now, there are also fears of job cuts among his staff.

“I think it’s deeply — and I want to underscore deeply — disappointing, in the time of a pandemic, the divisiveness in this country,” Douglas said.

“The people on the frontlines responding to the pandemic are getting attacked. It’s clearly a minority, but a vocal minority.”

The situation has even drawn the attention of the governor.

“Now more than ever the work of our local public health directors is crucial to successfully fighting this virus and protecting Coloradans,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a written statement. “We need to do everything within our power to support our local heroes and use their expertise and knowledge to win.”

Tri-County’s big troubles You could call Tri-County the epicenter of Colorado’s epidemic of rage being directed at public health officials. Nowhere else in the state has the combination of frustrations, threats, vandalism and political fallout played out more clearly, altogether and all at once.

Tri-County’s Deputy Director Jennifer Ludwig said the department started taking heat early on in the health crisis, after issuing a stay-athome order in March ahead of Colorado’s statewide mandate.

At first, backlash fixated on department executives. Then it spilled over into vandalism at Tri-County’s buildings. The department’s Aurora South location was targeted six times.

“We closed that office after, I believe, the third window got broken,” she said.

Police arrested 36-year-old Dan Pesch in connection with the vandalism. He told a detective that Tri-County officials “deserve to pay.”

“They’re just not getting the message,” Pesch said, according to arrest documents. “So, I just have to keep increasing the intensity.”

When Tri-County’s board was poised to adopt a mask mandate earlier this month, the department’s phones started ringing with complaints. Once the order passed, the hate mail started, Ludwig said.

This time, critics aimed their frustrations at the board of health, calling directors “tyrants” and “Nazis.” On July 8, Tri-County closed its Greenwood Village location for two days while police investigated a threat against the agency.

Ludwig said her employees are battling burnout. Doing their jobs amid threats, vandalism and backlash has been “very distressing, and I think it’s disheartening,” she said.

Some of those same workers are now bracing for unemployment because of the breakup with Douglas County, which is expected to happen in a year. If it ultimately happens, it will be the end of a five-decade-plus partnership.

Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon, who helped make the decision to sever ties with Tri-County, defended the move. He said commissioners grew frustrated when Tri-County’s

Emily Brown was director of the Rio Grande County Public Health Department in Colorado until May 22, when the county commissioners fired her after battling with her over coronavirus restrictions. “They finally were tired of me not going along the line they wanted me to go along,” she says.

PHOTO BY THERESA ANSELMO

The Douglas County Board of County Commissioners (from left) includes Roger Partridge, Lora Thomas and Abe Laydon.

COURTESY PHOTO board voted to implement the maskwearing mandate in Douglas County, even though the health department’s staff had recommended that the county be given a choice whether to opt into the mandate.

Laydon also pointed to Douglas County’s explosive growth as another reason for the split.

“This isn’t a divorce,” he said. “I think this is really more of an emptynest scenario, where the kids have grown up a bit and you love them on to bigger and better things.”

(Gov. Polis has since implemented a statewide mask-wearing mandate, which applies to Douglas County.)

Leaving Tri-County and opting out of the agency’s mask order quickly emerged as hot button issues in the races for Douglas County commissioner. Two of the county’s three seeks are contested in November.

Commissioner Lora Thomas, a Republican, is seeking re-election in November and running against Democratic challenger Darien Wilson.

Commissioner Roger Partridge is term-limited. He will be replaced by whomever wins the contest between Republican George Teal, now a Castle Rock councilmember, and Democrat Lisa Neal-Graves. Victoria Reynolds, a Libertarian, is also running for Partridge’s seat.

Wilson and Neal-Graves have been critical of the commissioners’ handling of the pandemic and the relationship with Tri-County.

Laydon said he has “the highest level of respect” for public health workers and Douglas, the Tri-County chief. He urged community members to stop spreading hate and to “try to assume the best” of people responding

to the pandemic.

Asked if Douglas County’s departure could stoke the anger directed at Tri-County, Laydon said he believes the decision will have “just the opposite” effect.

“I think it was a move to protect the public health professionals, because I think in many ways it’s a safety valve,” he said. “I think there was a lot less vitriol (after), so I think there’s a sense of relief among our citizens, at least the majority of our citizens.”

How to make it in the long run The stressors placed on local public health agencies across Colorado have prompted them to develop coping strategies.

In southwest Colorado, officials have created a support group.

The Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials says it has solicited the help of a social worker to help out local public health directors who need an outlet. It’s also working to tap the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s crisis counseling team, which normally responds to tragedies like a mass shooting, to offer aid to overwhelmed public health workers.

“They can’t even lift their heads up out of the trenches to stop the work enough to take care of themselves,” Anselmo said. “I will often close a conversation that I’m having with a director by saying ‘i hope you get some peace’ or ‘I hope you have some time this weekend to rejuvenate and take care of yourself. Often the response I will get is ‘nope, not this weekend. I have x, y, z to do.’”

Ludwig said Tri-County employs a health and wellness nurse coordinator

who sends newsletters to staff twice a week. Tips cover mindfulness and links to mental health resources, and the newsletter also includes bits of humor.

Executives have also increased communication with employees, holding town halls every Friday to address hard topics, she said, “such as the decision of Douglas County to withdraw.”

Jefferson County Public Health has even assigned several staffers to a unit dedicated to respond to the mental health needs of its roughly 180 employees so they can get care if they have to deal with a particularly traumatic coronavirus case or if the workload is simply getting to them.

Great demand prompted the team to grow after it was initially formed.

“Over time I think a lot of the staff are absorbing the stress and the trauma,” said Jennifer Anton, who is heading up behavioral health messaging for Jefferson County’s health department.

Jim Austin, who leads the local public health department in Montrose, said he’s found success in allaying community concerns about coronavirus-induced restrictions. Yes, he says, there are still frustrations and “people who are upset and need to be talked through the issue.”

But he has found that taking the time to explain why rules are being put in place has helped prevent some of the backlash seen elsewhere.

“It requires patience. It requires hanging in there with people and making sure to answer their questions,” Austin said. “But that’s our job. We understand people’s frustrations. It’s summer time. It’s events season.”

Back in Gunnison County, Reynolds said she is frustrated by how much more difficult the attacks have made it for her to accomplish the already difficult job. At the time the hate was streaming in, the county was one of the areas hardest hit by the pandemic.

“At a time when we’re really in a crisis in our community and nationally, it’s a limited capacity as far as your emotional reserve,” Reynolds said. “I think what frustrated me the most is I had to expend some of my time when I needed to rest or some of my emotional energy really in an area that didn’t benefit the community.

And that’s really where I wanted to be focusing my energy.”

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Douglas County outlines new ways to fight virus The plan comes after a recent surge in cases

30 with 34 new cases. However, testing data is often delayed, sometimes by up to 14 days.

It’s important to look at all statistical indicators when considering where a community stands in the pandemic, said Callie Preheim, a population health epidemiologist with Tri-County.

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Douglas County has submitted a plan outlining new ways to curb the COVID-19 virus after the state’s public-health department informed them they were in danger of losing their exemptions -- known as “variances” -- from certain rules restricting activity in the county due to a recent surge in cases.

Douglas County’s variances allow for large gatherings and the operation of libraries, movie theaters, concert halls, restaurants, gyms, churches and Park Meadows mall.

In a letter to Douglas County, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment requested that the county either submit a mitigation plan for containing the surge or no longer use any of their variances.

“We are seeing an uptick in cases in Colorado in general and (Douglas County) in particular,” according to the letter.

In the mitigation plan, submitted July 21, the county asks for clarification from CDPHE about their “change in direction,” in relation to variance approvals, according to a copy of the plan. The county also said they have not surpassed certain agreed-upon levels of infection.

CDPHE sent these letters to all counties with approved variances that had a two-week cumulative disease

Wade and Abby Lancaster at Great Divide Brewery and Roadhouse in Castle Rock on June 3. Douglas County’s variances from COVID-19 rules allow for the operation of restaurants as well as other exemptions.

JESSICA GIBBS incidence rate greater than 50 people per 100,000, according to a CDPHE spokesperson.

“Douglas County had exceeded the incidence rate at the time we sent them a letter,” the spokesperson said.

The day they were notified by CDPHE, Douglas County’s two-week incidence rate, which measures how many new cases were reported per 100,000 people, was 90.13.

From July 10 until July 24, the county’s incidence rate was 98.88 per 100,000 people. Over the same period, Arapahoe County had a 121.3 incidence rate and Adams County had a rate of 149.2.

July 24, Douglas County was reclassified from having a “high incidence rate” to a “moderately-high incidence

rate,” according to CDPHE’s site.

In the mitigation plan, Douglas County pointed to its hospitalization data and 14-day average positive testing percentage to demonstrate that community virus transmissions are low. The county also noted that CDPHE may be using an outdated population figure to calculate their incidence rate, which could be skewing the figure.

When asked about this point, a spokesperson for CDPHE did not immediately have an answer but said their staff is “actively looking into” it.

While hospitalizations remain low, Douglas County had its highest days yet of positive tests returned July 9 and July 15 with 43 new cases both days. The next highest day was April

Steps to mitigate the surge In an effort to tamp down the recent rise in cases, the county has outlined three new measures in their mitigation plan: an increase in testing capacity, improved contact tracing and continued public education and engagement.

According to the document, TriCounty Health Department has recommended that Douglas County have at least 515 tests taken every day. In order to meet this standard, the county is working with STRIDE Community Health Center. Pending a contract approval from the county commissioners, STRIDE will administer mobile testing for the county from Sept. 1 through Dec. 30.

There will also be three free drivethrough testing events throughout the county in August: August 4 in Castle Rock; August 13 in Lone Tree; and August 25 in Parker.

In the plan, the county also emphasizes the contact tracing efforts provided by Tri-County.

“TCHD is working on a major priority of deploying an expanded workforce for disease investigation and contact tracing,” according to the plan.

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SEE VIRUS, P9

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July 31, 2020J

MASKS FROM PAGE 1

order, which varies from the state order in some respects. That order states everyone must wear a mask, indoors and outdoors, for at least 90 days. The order takes effect July 24.

Municipalities that wanted to opt out of the Tri-County oreder had until July 23 to do so.

Mayor Mike Waid provided data at the virtual town council meeting to put the pandemic in local perspective. Waid said the number of people who are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Colorado make up about half the capacity of the PACE Center’s 500-seat theater.

Tri-County Health reports eight people in Douglas County have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 since July 1. No one in the three counties has died of the disease since July 15.

Council members and the public shared their thoughts on the option at the meeting.

“This probably sounds like an ‘Abbott and Costello’ routine to some people out there,” Councilmember John Diak said. “But we’re trying to do the best we can with the information that’s changing, and we’re trying to get it out to the public.”

The state order added a layer of complexity to the vote. Local health departments, like Tri-County, can issue orders that are more restrictive than the state’s, but cannot issue orders that are less restrictive. Parker residents must still abide by the state’s mask order.

Tri-County could also still rescind or amend its original mask order. Jefferson County Public Health rescinded its mask mandate following Polis’ announcement.

Councilmember Jeff Toborg reiterated the town could not opt out of the state mandate, but Toborg said he would if he could.

Toborg said Douglas County achieved its goal of lessening the burden on its health care system following the March shutdowns. He referenced data from Tri-County that 80% of Douglas County residents voluntarily wore a mask the week of July 12-17.

“We are a healthy community. I understand the argument completely that we’re not in a bubble,” he said.

“People travel from Adams and Arapahoe and Douglas and back. I get the argument, but there has to be a bigger, bigger issue in order for me to require my neighbors, my community and my businesses to wear a mask when the data doesn’t show it.”

Councilmember Cheryl Poage said

Parker Town Council listens to public comment regarding a resolution to opt out of the Tri-County Health Department mask order July 20. From left, councilmembers Joshua Rivero, Cheryl Poage and Jeff Toborg, Mayor Mike Waid, and councilmembers Debbie Lewis and John Diak. Councilmember Renee Williams participated virtually.

VIDEO SCREENSHOTS the communications she has received from residents is about split down the middle with regards to the Tri-County mandate.

“The bottom line is, looking at the data we have to look at, and, frankly, in Douglas County, I do not believe we should be forced to wear a mask out on the trail, forced to wear a mask outside. I get wearing a mask inside, which is what the governor is recommending,” Poage said.

Councilmember Joshua Rivero made clear he is in favor of wearing a mask indoors.

“In my personal opinion, Tri-County’s policy was a bad policy,” Rivero said. “I did not agree with it. I did not agree with where it put our citizens and, most importantly, I did not agree with where it put our businesses. It is a policy written by the health department, and I understand ‘No shirts, no service.’ Trust me, I’ve read every single one of your emails and I truly appreciate the testimony. What we have in front of us is an order by the highest elected official in this state that we must abide by, and I find that sufficient.”

The Tri-County Health board, which is made up of three health professionals from Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties appointed by those counties’ commissioners, approved the opt-out format for the order July 8.

Executive Director Dr. John Douglas

You have a right to breathe smoke-free and vape-free air The Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution (GASP of Colorado) is a 501-C-3 nonprofit group that works to eliminate the public’s exposure to secondhand tobacco, marijuana, and vape smoke in work places, public places and in multiunit housing.

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Mayor Mike Waid speaks at the Parker Town Council dais July 20. suggested Douglas County did not need an order like Adams or parts of Arapahoe counties did and recommended an opt-in format instead.

The three Douglas County commissioners, Roger Partridge, Lora Thomas and Abe Laydon, announced July 9 the county notified the health department of its intent to opt out. Two days later, the county sent an official notice to TriCounty notifying it of its intention to withdraw from the district.

The state mask order also freezes new requests from local jurisdictions for “variances,” or exemptions, from state COVID-related rules for two weeks. Douglas County Commissioners obtained more than a dozen variance approvals to the state’s stay-

at-home order since May to reopen things like rec centers, libraries and parks. Places like these that are currently open through a variance will remain open under the variance freeze.

Waid addressed the public after public comment regarding internal communications with the state’s office.

“I’m on a weekly call with mayors in the area—and I don’t mean this to sound negative or flippant or cavaliar or anything like that—but for the last four months, we, as mayors, have been trying to get more guidance and explanation from the governor on just about everything that has come down,” Waid said. “We’ve been exceedingly unsuccessful of getting clarification on pretty much everything.”

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Parker Chronicle 9

0July 31, 2020

VIRUS

Colorado Renaissance Festival out, Douglas County Rodeo in

FROM PAGE 7

The rodeo has limited tickets available

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

While the Colorado Renaissance Festival has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Douglas County residents still have the option of attending another popular summer event: the county fair and rodeo.

The annual Renaissance Festival, held in Larkspur, was canceled July 15 after already being postponed earlier in the summer.

“We have been hopeful that circumstances would improve so that we could operate safely,” according to the release announcing the cancellation. “However, due to guidelines and restrictions... and for the safety of all involved and the community, we feel this is in the best interest of everyone.”

The festival plans to return in 2021 with an event date of June 12 through August 1.

The Douglas County Fair and Rodeo, however, is still scheduled to take place July 30 through Aug. 2, as of press time.

While many of the fair’s traditional public events are canceled, there will still be a Junior Livestock Sale. That part of the event

The Colorado Renaissance Festival, pictured here in 2019, is located near Larkspur in a permanent village built for the event.

JESSICA GIBBS will be limited to 175 people and will have an option to participate online.

Limited tickets and online viewing options are also available for the rodeo events, such as bull riding and a show from the

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

The event was authorized under Douglas County’s variance for large gatherings and event venues, approved June 26, according to a release from the county.

“Anyone who has come in contact with an individual who has been tested positive will be screened for symptoms.”

Tri-County is also hiring more than 400 people to work as contact tracers in their jurisdiction, according to the plan.

The contact tracing provided through TriCounty and testing through STRIDE will both be funded by the federal CARES Act, said a spokesperson with the county. Both are set to be approved during the July 28 county commissioners meeting.

In addition to supporting contact tracing and increased testing, the county plans to continue working on educating the public on healthy behaviors including “personal responsibility associated with mask-wearing, hand-washing, social distancing, getting tested, staying home and isolating when sick and cooperating with public health investigations,” according to the document.

The expected outcome listed from this measure is “personal responsibility and positive choices by our communities leading to a decrease in new cases.”

Other efforts outlined in the document include collaboration with hospitals, supporting businesses that establish social distancing protocols, developing a county-wide website for COVID-19 information and creating multiple task forces to deal with issues like economic recovery and human needs.

Fourteen other counties, all with approved variances, also received the letter, according to a CDPHE spokesperson.

The county has until Aug. 3 to reverse the trend of increasing infections.

“We will re-evaluate your case count and percent testing positivity at that time and may modify or remove the county’s variance depending on the outcome,” according to the CDPHE letter.

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LOCAL

VOICES

Seven surprising library perks

E

veryone knows you can check out books for free at your Douglas County Libraries branch, but did you know your local library offers so much more?

Your free library card offers access to a wide variety of entertainment, learning tools and resources, adventures and experiences, and much more. Visit your library in person or online to discover something unexpected, like these seven things.

1. Entertaining at-home experiences Your local library delivers backyard experiences to Douglas County residents through no-cost or low-cost kits that can be checked out with a library card. The library’s Backyard BBQ package includes a full-size smoker, charcoal or wood chips, an assortment of cookbooks, yard games and disposable dinnerware. For a small fee, the Backyard Celebrations package is a self-contained party kit with all the trimmings for celebrating a child’s or grandchild’s birthday. And with the staffed delivery option, library staff will deliver the kit, as well as an entertaining storytime. Both packages are still available this summer.

2. State parks passes The outdoors might just be the

GUEST COLUMNS

most popular place to be this summer.

Your library allows you to check out a backpack containing a pass good for admission to any of Colorado’s more than 40 state parks.

Backpacks are available on a first-come, first-served basis Julianne Griffin and may not be put on hold. The pass is good for seven days, and with several state parks in and around Douglas County (and beyond), that’s seven days of free exploring!

3. Laptops, musical instruments, binoculars, and other fun items The library checks out nontraditional items that give you a chance to try something different without any financial commitment. Ukuleles, laptops, Nintendo game systems, sewing machines, hotspots, binoculars (handy with your Check Out Colorado backpack and parks pass), and telescopes are just a few of the items available to you. Visit your library’s website to find a complete list of nontraditional items available for checkout.

4. Free online learning If you’ve already got a library card, you can use it to learn a new language, software skills, or crafting techniques. Mango Languages offers step-by-step lessons for learning your choice of more than 70 languages. Looking to build tech or creative skills? Lynda.com offers thousands of video courses taught by industry experts. And Creativebug gives you more than 1,000 DIY crafting classes from renowned artists. All are free with your library card.

5. State-of-the-art recording studio The library’s recording studio is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment for creating videos, musical compositions, e-books and more. The studio can be reserved with a library card and is the perfect place to create your own oral history or family video, or other digital product.

6. Free music, video/film streaming, and e-books You don’t even have to leave home to pick up a good book, audiobook or new music, and you can stream blockbuster movies, indie films, and documentaries from platforms such as Kanopy and Hoopla. You guessed

For those in the middle, America is like dodgeball

O

ne of Steve Allen’s regular comedy routines was reading letters to the editor the way he imagined the writers wrote them: angry. He’d sit QUIET at his desk wearing an DESPERATION upturned fedora with a press card in the band.

Allen, the original host of “The Tonight Show,” would end the bit with a punch line.

A few readers have disagreed with me over the past eight years, but not many Craig Marshall have written angry.

A recent one, Smith however, pointed out that I wasn’t a “real man,” that I’m a “whiner” and a “Communist.”

Based on my comments about civility and mutual respect when it came to Fourth of July fireworks, he also assumed my political affiliation.

What goes with having an opinion these days about anything except peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is a rebuttal.

A publication of

Call first: 9233 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree, CO 80124 Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: ParkerChronicle.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100

Those of you who are planning to major in journalism, you need to know you can be as right as right can be and someone will think you’re wrong.

The temptation is to rebut the rebuttal. And that brings out the worst in many of us, including me.

Shut up and write?

It’s impossible to do both, unless, as I said, it’s about peanut butter and jelly.

However, it’s likely that’s not even a safe topic.

I’d hear, “No, peanut butter and jam.”

“No, peanut butter and cream cheese.”

Or, “You need to be more sensitive.

Some of us are allergic to peanuts.”

True or false? There was a hit record about peanut butter? True, and it’s good.

“Peanut Butter” was released by the Marathons in 1964. The history of the Marathons is “shrouded in mystery and confusion,” according to Oldies.com.

The name Marathons was a pseudonym for the Vibrations, who had a 1961 hit with “The Watusi.”

(Not to be confused with the “Wah-WaSEE SMITH, P11

it: All you need is a library card and a connected device to access these digital materials.

7. Archives and local history resources If you’re interested in local history, the library’s Archives & Local History (ALH) department offers a wide-ranging collection that represents communities across Douglas County. The archivists, technicians and volunteers who staff ALH can provide research assistance and access to resources at their on-site reference desk, in addition to educational programming and events for schools and community groups.

Visit your local library or the library’s website at www.dcl.org to explore these and many other free perks of being a cardholder.

Julianne Griffin is the Director of Customer Experience with Douglas County Libraries. For additional information, questions, or resources needed, please email jgriffin@dclibraries.org. This column is hosted by the Seniors’ Council of Douglas County. For more information, please visit www.MyDougCoSeniorLife.com, email DCSeniorLife@douglas.co.us or call 303-663-7681.

Transforming the way we live, work and play

I

f you have been venturing out into public to run errands, to shop, or to dine in or take out, you have probably become very familiar with these words: welcome; WINNING wait; watch; and WORDS thank you. Many times, these are posted on signs and placards on the building, in the entryway, or inside the store or restaurant.

Going to the doctor, dentist and Michael Norton veterinarian we experience the same thing. Our appointments are confirmed, we are welcomed into the office only after calling first to let them know we are in the parking lot, and we are asked to wait until they call us back letting us know they are ready for us to enter. We are greeted by a member of the staff who welcomes us again, and we watch as we comply with and maintain six-foot physical distancing. And we also

watch to make sure others are wearing their masks. The staff expresses their gratitude for our compliance, and we say “thank you” when we leave.

Walking, jogging, riding our bicycle and any outdoor activity we may be participating in comes with the same expectations. We welcome the opportunity just to be outside. While walking our dogs we wait to make sure no one else is close or coming in our direction. We watch for other dog walkers, neighbors, joggers and cyclists heading in our direction. And then we look for a way to make sure that as we pass, we are at a safe distance apart, stepping into someone’s driveway or onto their lawn, while the others move into the street or at least the curb. Maybe we are wearing a mask, maybe not.

Maybe they are wearing a mask, and maybe not. Yet as we pass each other we usually wave and say thank you to one another for making the effort to be safe.

We never saw this coming, but

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SEE NORTON, P11 Parker Chronicle A legal newspaper of general circulation in Parker, Colorado, the Chronicle is published weekly on Friday by Colorado Community Media, 9233 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree, CO 80124..

Send address change to: Parker Chronicle, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

Parker Chronicle 11

0July 31, 2020

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Commissioner should be ashamed “We cannot allow the critical decisions that affect the liberties and freedoms and livelihoods of Douglas County

citizens to be left in the hands of unelected appointees,” said Commissioner Lora Thomas.

What an ignorant thing to say.

NORTON FROM PAGE 10

the transformation is coming and we should welcome it, wait before we react to it, watch for how others are coping and maybe even thriving, and be grateful for those trying to find a cure, working to protect us and risking their own lives to keep us healthy.

Many people have already gotten comfortable with the transformation that is changing the way we live, work, and play. Others are getting there, and slowly adapting to this “next normal,”

SMITH FROM PAGE 10

tusi” by the Orlons, unless, of course, you don’t mind a little confusion.)

Some think Mr. Ed, a palomino, was fed peanut butter and his attempts to chew were meant to look like he was talking to Wilbur.

Allan “Rocky” Lane provided Mr. Ed’s voice. Lane starred in cowboy Bmovies in the 1940s and 1950s, including the “Red Ryder” series.

A column about a talking horse is a lot safer than ones about the First and Second Amendments or whether masks should be mandatory.

Do you go to a doctor for cancer or an elected official?

Do you call a plumber or an elected official?

Do you take your pet to a vet

or an elected official?

You pulled a very obvious political move with total disregard for human life.

You should be ashamed of

yourself.

Tod Gilmore Parker SEE LETTERS, P24

understanding that it will be here for a while. And still others are resisting, holding fast to their rights and beliefs, while being defiant to rules they view as controlling and news they perceive as fear-mongering.

What a crazy time we are all living through right now. Transformation is coming. What it will look like next month or next year, no one really knows. But we can all agree, the world will be different, and things will have changed. Will the change and transition be easy? Probably not, it may get worse before it gets better. But I do believe that it will eventually get better.

And it will get better faster when we

can all come together as a community.

Kudos to those of us who have already transformed the way we live, work and play in a positive way, that is awesome. For those of us trying to adapt and adjust, let’s continue to stay the course, recognizing that change can be uncomfortable. And for those of us resisting, without compromising our beliefs, my ask is that while resisting we try and welcome new ideas, wait and watch what is happening in the world, and live with an attitude of gratitude for those who are attempting to make our communities a healthier, safer, and happier place to live, work, and play.

How about you? Are you already going through the transformation?

Are you somewhere in between? Or are you still resisting the coming change? I would love to hear all of your stories at mnorton@tramazing.com and when we can welcome the change, wait before we react, watch how others are finding their way, and live with gratitude, it really will be a better than good week.

But now that you know how they were able to get Mr. Ed to talk, some might argue animal abuse.

“Did they test Ed for peanut tolerance?”

“Mr. Ed” tested my tolerance: for inanity. There wasn’t a good joke in a carload.

Where was I? If you think I’m wrong about expressing an opinion in 2020, give it a try. Almost anything will do.

Keep the statues or get rid of them?

Allow the flags? Change mascots?

A reader informed me that her high school mascot was a Hunter, and decals depict a Hunter aiming a rifle. It’s a little reminiscent of Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis man who pointed his

weapon at protesters outside his home.

McCloskey and his wife Patricia either stood their ground or overreacted. Take your pick.

Their weapons were taken away from them; sympathizers replaced them.

See? As Bob Dylan said, “You’re right from your side, I’m right from mine.”

Johnny Cash said, “The one on the left is on the right.”

And Plato said, “Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.”

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.

Craig Marshall Smith is an artist, educator and Highlands Ranch resident.

He can be reached at craigmarshallsmith@comcast.net.

PARKER AND ELIZABETH FUNERAL HOMES

& CREMATORY

Parker and Elizabeth Funeral Home was honored to serve these families John Baker Mc Broome, 32, of Englewood, CO passed away at home on June 18, 2020. He was born in Aurora, CO on August 8, 1987 to Gregoray and Connie (Detwiler) McBroome. No services were held at this time, however, please visit www.pfh-co.com to leave condolences to the family and to read the full obituary.

Mihai Cuth, 65, of Parker, CO passed away on June 18, 2020. He was born in Romania to Mihai and Ana Cuth on March 21, 1955. There were no services at that time.

Tyler Drew Jackson, 49, of Denver, CO passed away on June 19, 2020. He was born in Denver, CO as well to James and Debra (Koberstein) Jackson on November 26, 1970. Please visit www. pfh-co.com to leave condolences to the family and to read the full obituary.

Geoffrey Sean Gomerdinger, 55, of Denver, CO passed away on June 19, 2020. He was born on September 22, 1964 in Kansas to William and Shirley (Stewart) Gomerdinger. A memorial service was held at the Phillip Miller Activity Complex in Castle Rock at the Amphitheather, and burial followed at Cedar Hill Cemetery also in Castle Rock.

Please see www.pfh-co.com to read the

full obituary and to leave condolences for the family.

Marilyn Faye Moore, 86, of Highlands Ranch, passed away on June 21, 2020 in Centennial, Colorado. She was born on March 23, 1934, to Jesse and Martha (Gutekunst) Barger in Huntsville, Missouri. Please visit our website at www.pfh-co.com to read the full obituary and to leave condolences for the family.

Ana Espellegar Jones, 89, of Parker, CO passed away on June 26, 2020. She was born in Molo, Phillipines on February 14, 1931 to Jose and Timotea (Espellegar) Arema. No services were planned at that time. You may visit www.pfh-co. com to leave condolences to the family.

Carole Hennessey Singer, 86, of Parker, CO passed away on June 29, 2020. She was born in Boston, MA to Jonathan and Anne (Bratt) Hennessey on November 9, 1933. Carole served proudly in the Women’s Army Corp. Carole was laid to rest near her late husband at Fort Logan National Cemetery. By visiting www,pfh-co.com., you may leave condolences for the family and read the full obituary.

Please visit us online at www.pfh-co.com for full obituaries and more.

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12 Parker Chronicle

LOCAL

LIFE

July 31, 2020J

New procedures, added stress, and work goes on

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A

ll was quiet at West Metro Fire Rescue’s Station 1 on July 23. That is, until a recording of a woman’s voice rang through the bay, announcing an emergent medical alert.

Within seconds, the station’s firefighters, paramedics and the on-duty officer burst through a set of swinging doors.

“We’ve got a woman in labor,” announced Lt. Brian Worth as he charged toward the ambulance.

In less than a minute, the ambulance has pulled out of the large garage and headed in the direction of the emergency. The protocol for these emergency workers once they hear an alert is the same as always: change shoes, grab any needed equipment, hop in the ambulance or fire truck.

Only now, they’re also pulling on personal protective equipment such as masks, eyewear and gowns and preparing for the chance that the person in need of their help could also infect them with COVID-19, the potentially deadly virus sweeping the globe.

Fire departments and emergency responders across the Denver metro area have been forced to adjust their procedures in an attempt to help contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We just had to respond very, very quickly to the changing environment ... the landscape changed overnight,” said Jeremy Metz, West Metro Fire Rescue’s EMS chief. “Almost daily we were getting new updates or new guidance. Sometimes several times a day things would change.”

For Metz, some of the biggest changes have been in how his staff responds to 911 calls, he said. In March, the department began responding to any medical calls in a full coverall, including gloves, eyewear and a mask.

“It takes them a lot longer to put the ensemble on to respond to the call than traditionally it would be,” Metz said.

Then, once the emergency responders arrive on the scene of the 911 call, they face another new challenge: communication barriers. With their voices muffled by masks, getting basic patient information can be a challenge.

And as the summer heats up, wearing personal protective equipment, or PPE, has become an issue, causing fatigue and discomfort, Metz said.

As the pandemic has stretched on, dispatchers have improved their questions for 911 callers and now can better predict if the caller presents a risk of spreading COVID-19 to first responders. As a result, responders are able to gauge how much PPE is necessary, sometimes opting for less intense protection.

“If we didn’t implement these PPE procedures, we could have had way more providers infected than we do,” Metz said.

Between March and mid-July, 12 of the 424 employees of WMFR tested positive for the virus, he said.

Another way that 911 procedures changed during the height of the first wave of the pandemic is in the ways they treated patients. From April through May, certain breathing treat-

Firefighters and paramedics Chris Marvin, left, and Tyler Finley prepare to climb into a West Metro Fire Rescue ambulance to respond to an emergency call on July 23.

PHOTOS BY ELLIOTT WENZLER

Firefighter and paramedic Nick Bourne pulls on his gown in preparation of an emergency call July 23 at West Metro Fire Rescue’s Station 1. ments for respiratory patients were limited.

“We were really watching our numbers. We were responding to approximately 10 suspected COVID patients per day,” Metz said.

Dispatchers also began encouraging patients with non-life-threatening medical symptoms to remain at home in isolation.

“We were still able to deliver appropriate care and do procedures but it certainly did interfere with normal day-to-day operations,” Metz said.

South Metro Fire Rescue also changed the way they handle 911 calls, said Lt. Lindsey Miller. Normally, dispatchers would immediately send three to six people to respond to a call but as the pandemic began to ramp up, SEE FIREFIGHTERS, P14

The inside of a locker on a West Metro Fire Rescue fire engine. Extra gear and personal protective equipment is kept inside.

Parker Chronicle 13

0July 31, 2020

Don Peitzman, Parker journalist of 30 years, dies at 63 Original Chronicle editor remembered as newsman, father

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A journalist and photographer who documented life in Parker and Douglas County for three decades died July 20.

Don Peitzman, the original editor of the Parker Chronicle and a staple of Douglas County journalism since the early 1990s, suffered a severe lung infection and died at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree. He was 63.

Peitzman is succeeded by his daughter Taryn, 24, and son Logan, 21. His wife, Pamela, was a meteorologist for Denver7, the local ABC affiliate. Pam died after a long battle with breast cancer in 2004 at age 40. Taryn and Logan take comfort in the belief that their parents are reunited.

“I hope they’re together,” Taryn said.

“I’m sad, and I miss him, and I wish he was still here, but I’m glad he’s with my mom.”

Taryn and Logan have support from relatives who live out-of-state and have lives of their own. Logan resides in their family home in Stonegate. Taryn lives with her boyfriend in Breckenridge. Both remain in strong spirits, though they have not had much time to come to grips with their father’s sudden death.

“There’s bad times where you sit down and cry and grieve, and then you pick back up,” Logan said. “The passing of my father is very sad and unexpected, but at the same time, it gives me an opportunity to start my life … His life is not something that will crumble me and break me down, but something to launch me forward and get my life started.”

Don Peitzman was an influential member of the Parker and Douglas County community. Peitzman was a photographer and journalist for his entire time in Parker, which spanned 30 years. He most recently ran a photography business, “WOW! Photoz and Video.” Peitzman was the first editor of what is now known as the Parker Chronicle newspaper, when the NewsPress purchased the Weekly Chronicle, which began in 1992. He retired from the paper in 2008.

Peitzman is remembered as an oldfashioned journalist who was unshakable, efficient and thorough.

Peitzman was mentor Chris Michlewicz, a Chronicle reporter and photographer for 10 years, says Don was his mentor. Michlewicz spent five years working alongside Don as the two put together the Chronicle every week. From 2003-06, Don was Michlewicz’s managing editor. Michlewicz said he was 22 when he first started working with Don at the paper.

“You’re kind of thrown into the fire, a little bit. You are learning new stuff every day, you have to develop thick skin really quickly. He was instrumental in helping me develop that thick skin,” Michlewicz said. “He was a holdyour-ground kind of a guy. Stick to your guns. Chase the story if you know what’s right.”

Former colleagues say Don would attend as many public meetings as he could and tried to jam as much news as he could in every weekly paper. Before starting at the Chronicle, Don reported for the Douglas County News-Press and Castle Rock News-Press at the paper’s

previous headquarters in downtown Castle Rock. All three papers, and 15 other weekly community papers, are currently owned by Colorado Community Media, headquartered in Englewood, and published weekly.

“No matter what it took, he would chase the story, even if that meant upsetting a few people along the way,” Michlewicz said. “What mattered most was getting news to the people. That’s something he ingrained in me early on.”

Don had a passion for photography, particularly. He loved nature photography. Terri Moon Cronk, a former News-Press reporter and friend of Don’s for 28 years, remembered Don always kept up with the latest trends in photography.

“He was very determined, and he was very serious, and it might have been off-putting to some people, but once you got to know him, he was different,” Moon Cronk said. “He was regimented. He had a job to do, and no matter what the circumstances were, that was his priority: getting that paper out.”

Don is credited with having taken the first-ever color photo printed in the News-Press, a photo of a woman playing with her child at the indoor pool at the Parker Rec Center around 1992, according to Moon Cronk. The archived paper could not be obtained by time of print.

Moon Cronk remembers the day fondly. A pressman, or page designer, joked to the newsroom he tried to get the “mustache” off the woman in the photo—meaning the crease appearing across the woman’s face in the photo, which was caused by the fold in the paper. Sitting around the conference room on Perry Street, Editor Richard Bangs joked that now that the paper had color, it could never go back.

“It was almost like a party,” Moon Cronk said. “It was that big of a deal.”

Photographer expanded skills Moon Cronk said Don was a natural photographer who taught himself to write. He was the kind of man who would do anything to get the paper out on time, Moon Cronk said. In the 1990s, the News-Press was published out of a building on Perry Street in Castle Rock with about 25 people working in it, including the newsroom, designers, ad salespeople and the presses. The building had tacky carpet, various duct-taped repairs and two old Macintosh computers that look like they had fallen off the back of a truck, Moon Cronk recalled.

“We just had one hell of a family atmosphere,” Moon Cronk said. “Sports guys, copy editors, reporters — everybody pitched in and everybody got the paper out.”

Don was one of the first reporters to have a digital camera when they became commercialized in the 1990s.

Life after news career After his time at the Chronicle ended in 2008, Don dabbled in various photo projects. He had an interest in photographing roadside memorials, cemeteries, crosses and other memorials in different mediums. He encouraged Taryn to continue her passion for videography. Taryn remembers going to the Georgetown cemetery to take photos with her dad. Taryn is currently a videographer.

“He maybe didn’t instill it in me, but he really encouraged me to keep doing it and following it,” Taryn said.

Taryn — who goes by “Scottie” — lives in Breckenridge. Logan worked in

Don Peitzman, a former editor of the Parker Chronicle and journalist of 30 years, died July 20 at 63.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Don Peitzman as a young man. Date not known.

Don Peitzman poses with his wife, Pam, who died in 2004.

town and stayed with his father at the Stonegate home in which he grew up.

Logan knew his father suffered anxiety attacks occasionally since his mom passed. Don, being the classic, tough-spirited cowboy type, never got sick — or at least showed he was sick, according to former colleagues.

Logan spent time driving around with his father the day before and said afterward his father felt dehydrated.

That evening, Don let Logan know paramedics were coming because he was having another anxiety attack.

Logan was sure he and his father would be shooting the breeze again by that afternoon and he cooked some eggs for lunch for his dad.

“His last words to me were `You are a good son. Thank you,’” Logan said.

Don was hospitalized for 11 hours at Sky Ridge before succumbing to what is still an unknown cause. Don was cared for an in an isolated ICU bed due to the hospital’s precautionary protocol to keep potential COVID patients separate from non-COVID patients.

Don took a rapid-result test for

COVID-19 upon his admittance late July 19 and tested negative, according to Taryn. The nurse who cared for him told Taryn that, based on her experience, she believed Don had COVID-19.

Logan, who lived with Don up to his passing, tested negative for the disease as well.

Taryn and Logan are still figuring out what to do next. They remember their father being immensely caring and a good listener. He loved his cats, he could help just about anybody solve any problem they had and got along with everybody.

Taryn wishes she could have held her father’s hand in his final moments.

She takes comfort in knowing the Sky Ridge nurse made sure he was not alone.

“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet — when someone is only in the hospital for 11 hours, and you have less than 11 hours’ notice before they die,” Taryn said. “I feel like this is going to come a lot later, but I’ve been exhausted and inundated with support … but it happened really, really fast.”

14 Parker Chronicle

July 31, 2020J

FIREFIGHTERS FROM PAGE 12

they began asking more questions to determine how much of a response is needed.

“Now, if possible, we scale back our interactions with patients,” Miller said.

As of July 10, SMFR had 10 members of their staff test positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesperson.

EMS services weren’t the only aspect of emergency response affected by the virus. The Douglas County Emergency Management Center also experienced difficulties.

“From our perspective, it definitely adds a challenge to us in terms of our response,” said Tim Johnson, director of the Douglas County Emergency Management Center.

When responding to events like wildfires, it’s important for EMC personnel to enter the physical center and then work together with a variety of agencies to contain the situation.

With social distancing being one of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus, only a limited number of people can enter the facility now.

“We eventually went to a virtual EOC (Emergency Operation Center) and you lose something when you go virtual,” Johnson said. “It’s that spontaneity.”

For the most part, though, confronting structure and brush fires is one of the only things still familiar to firefighters, Miller said.

“If we respond to a structure fire, I know what I’m going to put on and I’m going to execute that 911 call just like I’ve done for the entirety of my career,” Miller said. “It’s great to be

Firefighter and paramedic Nick Bourne holds a medical oxygen tank while wearing personal protective equipment in the back of a West Metro Fire Rescue fire engine moments before the truck departed from Station 1 on July 23.

ELLIOTT WENZLER able to help people and feel like that hasn’t changed.”

Because there isn’t usually interaction with the public during these events, PPE isn’t required, he said.

Even just hanging out in the fire station has changed. In the beginning of the pandemic, firefighters tried to only interact with the staff from their station, Miller said.

“Initially for two to three months, we operated in extreme silos,” he said.

“We did our best to maintain social distancing within our fire stations.”

With that being said, this wasn’t always easy.

“It can be very difficult for five to eight people to live and work together for 48 hours without being in close contact with each other,” he said.

Survey: Metro Denver homelessness was rising even before COVID-19 ‘Point in time’ tally shows 6,104 people unhoused in metro area

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Adding stress to a stressful job While many firefighters already define their job as stressful, riskintensive and busy, the addition of a pandemic worsened those conditions.

Now, instead of just worrying about themselves getting injured, firefighters have the added concern of bringing an illness home to their family members, Metz said.

“In our profession there’s always been risks associated with our job,” he said. “We do the best we can to mitigate those risks as much as possible.”

The many uncertainties associated with the virus have also added stress to these first responders’ lives.

“Our morale throughout this has been very high but you can really sense that it’s starting to wear on all the providers,” Metz said.

For Miller, during the period at the beginning of the pandemic, which was filled with anxiety and unknowns, it was harder to sleep at night, he said.

He noticed that same fear in some of his colleagues.

“In a profession that shrugs off fear, those folks on the older and younger end of the spectrum, there was a lot of unknown,” he said. “That brought fear into our fire service that I had never felt before in my 15-year career.”

Miller believes the station has begun to finally adjust to the pandemic and the accompanying anxiety, he said.

“We’ve learned how to do things differently,” he said. “I think we’ve turned a corner and adapted.”

BY ALAYNA ALVAREZ COLORADO POLITICS

The number of people experiencing homelessness in the Denver metro area continues to rise.

At least 6,104 people were experiencing homelessness between dusk on Jan. 27 to dusk on Jan. 28 in the seven counties surveyed in the 2020 Point-inTime census, a one-day count across the nation of people experiencing homelessness.

The data reflects a 6% increase since 2019 and a nearly 15% rise from two years ago.

“These data demonstrate homelessness was a crisis before COVID,” said Matt Meyer, executive director at the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, which coordinates the PIT each year and reports the data to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“With eviction moratoriums and other protective measures ending, we fully expect to see dramatic increases as a result of the economic impact of the pandemic,” he said. “Reinstating these moratoriums on a local or state level would significantly decrease the impact for those households on the edge that now face homelessness.”

Denver represents the largest share of homelessness compared to neighboring counties surveyed in the region — Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas and Jefferson — with a count of at least 4,171.

The survey identified:

444 unhoused persons in Jefferson County, up from 434 in 2019.

476 unhoused persons in Adams County, down from 483 in 2019.

245 unhoused persons in Arapahoe County, up from 228 in 2019.

53 unhoused persons in Douglas County, up from 14 in 2019.

Of the more than 6,000 people living unhoused in the entire metro area, 51% were living in shelters within the region. A quarter of those surveyed said they were staying outdoors.

Of the populations identified, 759 people were actively fleeing domestic violence, 627 were veterans, 278 were unaccompanied youth and there were at least 420 families.

The survey also examined race and found that minority populations are disproportionately affected by homelessness.

African Americans made up more than 20% of people experiencing homelessness, but they represent less than 10% of the general population. Indigenous populations make up about 2% of the general population but comprise about 5% of those unhoused.

“The overrepresentation of people of color, specifically (B)lack and Native Americans, among those experiencing homelessness is critical to the response,” Meyer said in a statement.

“Homelessness is an issue of race and must be approached through this lens.”

Hundreds of volunteers and partner agencies work together to complete the count every year.

For more survey data, visit mdhi. org/2020_pit_reports.

This story is from Colorado Politics, a statewide political and public policy news journal. Used by permission. For more, visit coloradopolitics.com.

Parker Chronicle 15

0July 31, 2020

STEM FROM PAGE 3

same individuals “in order to kill.”

She struggles with fear and betrayal, she said.

She asked McKinney to study the life of Kendrick, who is hailed as a hero, and to “choose a path of healing instead of terror.”

“They still have an opportunity and a chance to live their life for good,” she said as McKinney nodded his head.

‘Alec was one of my favorite students’ Gabriela Leddy was teaching in the classroom next door when the shooting broke out.

“I distinctly remember the split second of stillness before I heard scuffling next door,” she said.

Then bullets flew through the walls. The smell of drywall still makes her vomit almost instantly, she said.

As bullets narrowly whizzed past her, Leddy screamed for her students to get down. She remembers them scared, and holding each other, but also their bravery, she said.

She texted her husband a goodbye and wondered if her young daughter would remember her if she died that day.

After police entered the room and told everyone to run, she passed by classroom 107.

What she saw, she said, was an image she’ll never forget — tables overturned, blood on the walls and pooled on the ground.

The morning after the shooting, Leddy read McKinney’s name in the news, shocked to find he was a sus-

18th District Attorney George Brauchler makes his argument to the judge during the sentencing of Alec McKinney on July 24.

POOL PHOTOS BY ERIC LUTZENS/THE DENVER POST

Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock delivers his statement during the sentencing of Alec McKinney.

Her mind raced through every interaction she had with McKinney, remembering how they talked about music and funny things on the internet. She searched for ways he might have manipulated her, but that soon felt fruitless, she said.

“Alec was one of my favorite students. I found him funny, charming, witty and always friendly toward me. He would cheekily call me ‘Doc’ when he came into class,” she said.

The attack felt personal, she said.

Alec knew she was in the next room and could have been shot in the attack.

“I cared for Alec and showed it in

pect. She hadn’t known her student was in the room next door, let alone that he was one of the perpetrators, she said.

McKinney was a student she had cared for diligently and deeply, she said, and worked to protect as he transitioned from female to male.

She advocated for school policy changed to make sure transgender students did not need to use their “dead name,” she said.

Her husband told her she looked as though she left her body as she processed that news, she said, recalling feeling as though she were adrift at sea.

so many ways that year,” she said.

Pleading for leniency Morgan McKinney, Alec’s mother, pleaded with the judge to show leniency in his sentencing. Her son had showed remorse, she said, and worked hard in the past 14 months to take his mental health treatment seriously.

She asked Holmes to consider Alec’s age in the sentencing, adding she knew it was not an excuse for his actions.

Morgan McKinney apologized to the Castillos, who left the courtroom when SEE STEM, P16

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16 Parker Chronicle

July 31, 2020J

STEM FROM PAGE 15

both Morgan and Alec spoke.

“I want to say how deeply sorry my family and I are for your loss. I can only imagine, of course, what you and your loved ones have been going through. I never thought in a million years this would ever happen,” she said. “I know my apologies might not mean much to you.”

Kendrick would always be a hero, Morgan McKinney said, along with every shooting victim. She admired them, she said, and prays one day they find forgiveness in their hearts, citing the Bible verse Matthew 6:14 about forgiving those who sin against you.

Speaking to Alec, Morgan said she did not understand how the family “ended up where we are at.” She still saw her “sweet, funny, loving and kind son.” She promised to be by his side so long as continued taking steps to right his wrongs.

“I love you always. I love you more,” she said.

Holmes gave McKinney time to address the court before issuing his sentence.

McKinney spoke to each student shot in the tragedy individually, promising he would never commit such a crime again. He “ripped away” the innocence of children at the school, he said, and hadn’t considered how deeply his actions would impact the community.

“I don’t know how to describe the sorrow I feel when I think of the victims,” he said. “I do not deserve leniency or forgiveness. I don’t want a lighter sentence.”

McKinney also said he was angry about having received “fan mail”

Judge Jeffrey K. Holmes delivers his sentencing to Alec McKinney on July 24. and called anyone who idolizes him “stupid.” He spoke directly to anyone thinking of carrying out a school shooting.

“Get help now. The amount of pain it causes to everyone,” he said, “outweighs anything you are going through right now. Don’t be a coward and hide behind a gun. Be brave and learn how to get help. Face what you are feeling.”

‘The violence has to stop’ Before issuing the sentence, Holmes said he had reviewed 500 pages of victim impact statements in addition to reports and court statements. He’d

seen much good in how the community responded, both on the day of the shooting and after, he said.

He was struck by teachers who comforted their students as armed officers marched them from the building, by a first responder who wrote about seeing children care for one another on May 7, and by another young person who wrote about division among students at STEM as students returned to school.

“And all I can think is it was because of the pain,” the young person wrote to Holmes.

The judge said the entire community must be involved in addressing

POOL PHOTO BY ERIC LUTZENS/THE DENVER POST

the root problems behind mass shootings. He commended the community for doing many acts of good in the shooting’s wake and said that sort of response will help prevent similar crises.

He pointed to comments Harper made, where she said the shooting made her love her students more and strive to be an “instrument of healing” in her community.

“We as a country have a very sad history now of school shootings and mass shootings in public places.

Colorado has had more than its fair share,” Holmes said. “The violence has to stop.”

Parker Chronicle 17

0July 31, 2020

Ducky Derby rescheduled for August in Castle Rock

C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E

Event is local Rotary clubs’ largest annual fundraiser STAFF REPORT

The biggest annual fundraiser for Castle Rock area Rotary clubs has been rescheduled for August after organizers called off the event — first scheduled for June — amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 24th Annual Rotary Ducky Derby will take place Aug. 23 alongside the farmers market in Festival Park, 300 Second St. The event will kick off at 8 a.m. as the farmers market opens booths for business and Rotary Club members run activities for children.

Those activities will include face painting, a bouncy house and carnival games. Club members will also sell tickets to the Ducky Derby.

At 1 p.m., Rotary members will launch roughly 10,000 rubber ducks into East Plum Creek, sending the ducks off on a race toward the finish line. The first few ducks to the finish win cash prizes for ticketholders whose ticket number matches numbers on the ducks.

The Ducky Derby is an annual fundraiser for local rotary clubs and popular family event in Castle Rock.

JESSICA GIBBS The Rotary clubs hold the event each year as a fundraiser for local charities.

This year proceeds will be primarily be distributed to local nonprofit Wellspring Communities, which serves adults with special needs.

Tickets are available for purchase and more information can be found at rotaryclubofcastlerock.org.

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Parker Chronicle 19

0July 31, 2020

www.ColoradoServiceDirectory.com

To Advertise call Karen 303.566.4091 kearhart@coloradocommunitymedia.com TO ADVERTISE CALL 303-566-4100 Fireplaces

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20 Parker Chronicle

July 31, 2020J Roofing/Gutters

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Parker Chronicle 21

0July 31, 2020 P L A C E A D S O N L I N E 2 4 / 7 AT

Transportation

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Autos for Sale

To Advertise call Karen 303.566.4091

kearhart@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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FOR SALE

1998 Stewart and Stevenson M1079 vehicle.

6109 miles, recently serviced with all lubrication points checked and/ or changed. All systems work, as they should. The batteries are brand new (4-6 volt heavy-duty Mil Spec batteries) 4x4, Caterpillar 6 Cylinder 3116 Turbo Diesel Engine, Allison Automatic 7 speed Transmission, Central Tire Inflation System, 395/85R20 Tires, Hard Top, Heater, 24,000 lb. GVWR. The interior is what you would expect from the military, the drive cabin has 3 comfortable seats and plenty of cargo room. All the gauges operate as they should. The windows open easily and the swing open doors allow plenty of access. The CTIS is operational and does not need any servicing. The exterior is painted in tan and has no structural damages, tires have 90 percent tread on them. All the lights operate as they should.

This beast is powered by a 3116 Caterpillar motor producing 225hp and lots of torque! The driveline is tight.

Runs and drives great. Zero Oil Leaks (engine, transmission and cooling system), Air Ride and Air-Tilt Cab, the original sale price to the U.S. Government was $125,000.

The reserve price for this vehicle is $12,500. Elbert County is accepting sealed bids for this vehicle. Elbert County makes no representations, expressed or implied, there is no warranty; this vehicle is sold “as is”, and this vehicle is being sold to the highest bidder meeting the reserve. This vehicle will be available for inspection Any questions can be sent to chad.church@elbertcounty-co.gov or dave.fisher@elbertcounty-co. gov by 5pm on 7-31-2020. If you would like pictures and a video, please contact chad.church@ elbertcounty-co.gov.

Please submit your written bid attn. Director of Finance, Elbert County Colorado, 215 Comanche, Kiowa, CO 80117 by August 3rd, 2020. Bids will be opened the following morning and the winning bid will be awarded by the County Manager. Payment of certified funds or other arrangement approved through the Finance Director.

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Pets Wanted

Transportation Wanted

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! 2002 and Newer! Any Condition. Running or Not. Competitive Offer! Free Towing! We’re Nationwide! Call Now: 1-888-416-2330.

Cash for all Vehicles!

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Commercial Property for Rent

kearhart@coloradocommunitymedia.com Hampden Center

To Advertise call Karen 303.566.4091

Real Estate Home for Sale Southwest Nebraska Home with 2 garages $35,000 cash, small town living in Fishing, Hunting, Boating community.

Great place to retire. 970-472-5978

SPACE FOR LEASE

730, 750, & 770 W Hampden Ave., Englewood, CO 80110

Home for Sale

2495 SELL YOUR HOME ½ %

$

OR

over 500k

up to 500k

If Buying a home in Denver Metro & I’m Agent

SELLING only?

1%*

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Up to 1% credit of sale base price* *equal to 33% of my commission paid *applied to Buyer closing costs

Full Service Saving THOUSANDS $$$

Charles Paeplow Cornerstone Homes Realty

720-560-1999 • charlespaeplow@yahoo.com

*Commissions subject to change

The Hampden Center is a commercial office/medical complex in the heart of the Englewood Business District situated between Santa Fe and Broadway on Hampden Avenue with easy access to the RTD and Light Rail station. With our competitive market rates starting at $19 psf, full-service gross and class A general contractor our custom tenant buildouts are second to none and offer a truly personal tenant experience. The Hampden Center offers a great value for all tenants with numerous dining and retail options within walking distance, easy free parking and more!

For current suite availability and more leasing information please contact Omni Development: Tristan Sedbrook: tsedbrook@omnidev.net - Mobile: (720) 421-4971 Jared Kelleher: jkelleher@omnidev.net - Mobile: (303) 868-3056

www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

22 Parker Chronicle

July 31, 2020J

Recorded in Douglas County.

PACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST Website.

Public Notices callDOT Sheree 303.566.4088 legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: RELEASE OF FUNDS Legals

Public Trustees PUBLIC NOTICE Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2020-0083 To Whom It May Concern: On 5/18/2020 10:05:00 AM the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in Douglas County.

Original Grantor: TIMOTHY FRANCIS SAVOY AND DONNA MECHE SAVOY Original Beneficiary: NEW CENTURY MORTGAGE CORPORATION Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO WELLS FARGO BANK MINNESOTA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE F/K/A NORWEST BANK MINNESOTA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR MORGAN STANLEY DEAN WITTER CAPITAL I INC. TRUST 2002-NC3 Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 5/30/2002 Recording Date of DOT: 6/3/2002 Reception No. of DOT: 02052403 Book 2339 Page 2256 DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $295,950.00 Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $209,958.78 Pursuant to C.R.S. §38-38-101 (4) (i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Borrower’s failure to make timely payments as required under the Evidence of Debt and Deed of Trust.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 2, BLOCK 4, STONEGATE FILING NO. 15-A, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO. Which has the address of: 16243 Creekview Drive , Parker, CO 80134 NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust described herein, has filed written election and demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 9, 2020, at the Public Trustee’s office, 402 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 7/16/2020 Last Publication: 8/13/2020 Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 5/18/2020 CHRISTINE DUFFY DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: ALISON L. BERRY Colorado Registration #: 34531 9800 S. MERIDIAN BLVD. SUITE 400, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO 80112 Phone #: (303) 706-9990 Fax #: (303) 706-9994 Attorney File #: 20-024676 *YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: http://www. douglas.co.us/publictrustee/ Legal Notice No.: 2020-0083 First Publication: 7/16/2020 Last Publication: 8/13/2020 Publisher: Douglas County News Press

PUBLIC NOTICE Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2020-0084 To Whom It May Concern: On 5/26/2020 9:24:00 AM the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in Douglas County.

Original Grantor: 10530 S. PARKER RD., LLC, a Colorado limited liability company Original Beneficiary: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 1/31/2018 Recording Date of DOT: 2/2/2018 Reception No. of DOT: 2018006818

$2,404,400.00 Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $2,335,269.02 Pursuant to C.R.S. §38-38-101 (4) (i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: failure to pay installments of principal and interest, together with other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations of the terms thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: Parcel A: That part of the South 1/2 of Section 15, Township 6 South, Range 66 West of the 6th P.M., described as: Beginning at a point which bears North 6°51’ West, 1025 feet from the Southeast corner of the Southwest 1/4 of Section 15, Township 6 South, Range 66 West of the 6th P.M.; thence North 6°51’ West, a distance of 213 feet; thence East a distance of 219.487 feet; thence South a distance of 211.319 feet; thence West a distance of 192.78 feet to the Point of Beginning. Excepting therefrom that parcel of land as conveyed to State Department of Highways, Division of Highways, State of Colorado, in Deed recorded June 6, 1989 in Book 857 at Page 629 and in Book 857 at Page 632, County of Douglas, State of Colorado. Parcel B: The Right of Access as reserved unto grantors in Deed to State Department of Highways, Division of Highways, State of Colorado, recorded June 6, 1989 in Book 857 at Page 632.

Which has the address of: 10530 S. Parker Rd., Parker, CO 80134 NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust described herein, has filed written election and demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 16, 2020, at the Public Trustee’s office, 402 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 7/23/2020 Last Publication: 8/20/2020 Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 5/27/2020 CHRISTINE DUFFY DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: DOUGLAS W. BROWN Colorado Registration #: 10429 2000 SOUTH COLORADO BOULEVARD TOWER TWO, SUITE 700, DENVER, COLORADO 80222 Phone #: (303) 329-3363 Fax #: Attorney File #: 3942-046 *YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: http://www. douglas.co.us/publictrustee/ Legal Notice No.: 2020-0084 First Publication: 7/23/2020 Last Publication: 8/20/2020 Publisher: Douglas County News Press

City and County Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS A public hearing will be held before the Planning Commission on August 17th, 2020 at 6:00 pm and before the Board of County Commissioners on August 25th, 2020 at 2:30 pm in the Commissioners Hearing Room, 100 Third St, Castle Rock, CO, for a proposed vacation of Victor St. A portion of Victor Street, being five feet in width, abutting Lot 1, Block 17, between Rio Grande Avenue and the alley north of Douglas Avenue, located one block west of Rio Grande Avenue and Manhart Street. For more information call Douglas County Planning , 303-660-7460 If public meetings are restricted on theses dates, hearings may be held on-line. See the County website or contact the Planning Department for instructions on how to participate virtually.

Project name: Victor Street Road Vacation (Portion of) File # SB2020-037 Legal Notice No. 937725 First Publication: July 30, 2020 Last Publication: July 30, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

#030-20 JUSTICE CENTER LOCKER ROOM REMODEL PROJECT

Date of Publication: July 30, 2020

Colorado Department of Local Affairs 1313 Sherman Street, Room 521, Denver, CO 80203 303-864-7720 Bret.Hillberry@state.co.us These notices shall satisfy two separate but related procedural requirements for activities to be undertaken by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.

REQUEST FOR THE RELEASE OF FUNDS On or about August 18, 2020, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on behalf of Oakwood Senior II, LLC for the release of HOME funds, under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, to undertake the following project: Project Title: Oakwood Senior II Purpose: The Douglas County Housing Partnership (DCHP) propose on behalf of Oakwood Senior II, LLC, to develop 53 new units of affordable senior apartments in Castle Rock, Colorado through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. DCHP currently owns the Oakwood Senior Apartments community located at 599 Oakwood Drive, Castle Rock, CO 80104.

The proposed project will be built on the campus of this community. This development will successfully address some of the pent-up demand for this type of housing both in the Town of Castle Rock and in Douglas County.

Location: 549 Oakwood Drive, Castle Rock, CO 80104 Estimated Cost: Roughly $750,000 in HOME funds, with total project costs of roughly $16,175,000.

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has determined that the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. An Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), therefore, is not required. Additional project information is contained in the Environmental Review Record (ERR). Due to staff working remotely, the ERR will be made available to the public for review electronically via email. Please submit your request by email to bret.hillberry@state.co.us or request by phone weekdays 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. at 303-864-7730.

PUBLIC COMMENTS Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. All comments received by August 17, 2020, will be considered by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds. Comments should specify which Notice they are addressing.

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION The Colorado Department of Local Affairs certifies to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that Bret Hillberry in his capacity as Certifying Officer consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities, and allows the Douglas County Housing Partnership on behalf of Oakwood Senior II, LLC to use Program funds.

OBJECTIONS TO THE RELEASE OF FUNDS The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will accept objections to its release of funds and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs’ certification for a period of 15 days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are made on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs; (b) the Colorado Department of Local Affairs has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations at 24 CFR Part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs, or undertaken activities not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before the approval of a release of funds by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; or (d) another Federal agency, acting pursuant to 40 CFR part 1504, has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality. Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Region VIII Office, 8ADE, 1670 Broadway Street, Denver, Colorado 80202-4801. Potential objectors should contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Region VIII Office, to verify the actual last day of the objection period.

No objections received after 15 days from the date of request for release of funds will be considered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Bret Hillberry, Certifying Officer Legal Notice No. 937724 First Publication: July 30, 2020 Last Publication: July 30, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

Public Notice

Bids and Settlements

NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNFICANT IM-

Public Notice

The Department of Facilities, Fleet, and Emergency Support Services, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office, of Douglas County, Colorado, hereinafter referred to as the County, respectfully requests bids from responsible qualified general contractors for the remodel of the existing locker room at the Robert A. Christensen Justice Center.

PLEASE BRING A MASK/FACE (NOSE & MOUTH) COVERING AND A BUSINESS CARD. SIGN-IN SHEETS WILL NOT BE PASSED AROUND, CARDS WILL BE DROPPED INTO AN ENVELOPE. ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020 @ 10:00 A.M., THERE WILL BE A MANDATORY SITE VISIT RELATED TO THIS PROJECT. THE MANDATORY SITE VISIT WILL ALLOW ALL POTENTIAL BIDDERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW THE WORK SITE AND DISCUSS THE PROJECT DETAILS. THE MANDATORY SITE VISIT WILL BEGIN IN THE LOBBY OF THE ROBERT A. CHRISTENSEN JUSTICE CENTER, 4000 JUSTICE WAY, CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO 80109. ONLY THOSE PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS ATTENDING THE MANDATORY SITE VISIT WILL BE ALLOWED TO SUBMIT A BID ON THIS PROJECT. The IFB documents may be reviewed and/or printed from the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System website at www.rockymountainbidsystem.com. IFB documents are not available for purchase from Douglas County Government and can only be accessed from the above-mentioned website.

While the IFB documents are available electronically, Douglas County cannot accept electronic bid responses.

Three (3) copies of your bid response shall be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked “IFB No. 030-20, Justice Center Locker Room Remodel Project” and mailed or hand-carried to the address shown below prior to the due date and time. Electronic and/or faxed bid responses will not be accepted. Bids will be received until 3:00pm, on Monday, August 24, 2020 by the Douglas County Finance Department, Purchasing Division, 100 Third Street, Suite 130, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104. Bids will not be considered which are received after the time stated, and any bids so received will be returned unopened.

Douglas County Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive formalities, informalities, or irregularities contained in a said bid and furthermore, to award a contract for items herein, either in whole or in part, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the County to do so.

Additionally, we reserve the right to negotiate optional items/services with the successful bidder.

Please direct any questions concerning this IFB to Carolyn Riggs, Purchasing Supervisor, 303-6607434, criggs@douglas.co.us, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Legal Notice No. 937731 First Publication: July 30, 2020 Last Publication: July 30, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press Public Notice PUBLIC INVITATION TO BID

Legal Notice No.: 937732 First Publication: July 30, 2020 Second Publication: August 6, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News Press Account Number: 00012184 Public Notice PUBLIC INVITATION TO BID

Separate sealed bids for Lincoln Avenue Sidewalk, Chambers to Keystone Project; CI 2020-031 will be received by the Owner, Douglas County Government, Department of Public Works Engineering, Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104, until Tuesday, August 18, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. This project consists of installing approximately 2,300 square yards of 6-inch concrete sidewalk, 8 feet wide, along the South side of Lincoln avenue from Chambers Road to Keystone Boulevard.

The Contract Documents will be available after 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 27, 2020, through Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System Website (www.rockymountainbidsystem.com) or they may be obtained at the above address. Electronic versions of the Plans obtained by any other means than as described above may not be complete or accurate, and it is the Bidder’s responsibility to obtain a complete set of the Project Plans and Specifications. Douglas County will not be held responsible for misinformation received from private plan rooms.

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, at the Department of Public Works Engineering, Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104. All questions are due to Karl Lucero, Project Engineer by 12:00p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. The Bid Opening will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, at the same address.

The Project includes the following major items and approximate quantities: · 2,300 SY of 6” Concrete Sidewalk

Prior to submitting a Bid Proposal, Bidders shall have received prequalification status (active status) with the Colorado Department of Transportation to bid on individual projects of the size and kind of work as set forth herein.

Any questions on the bidding process shall be directed to Karl Lucero, Project Engineer at 303.660.7490.

Plan holder information, can be found on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System Website.

Legal Notice No.: 937693 First Publication: July 23, 2020 Second Publication: July 30, 2020 Account Number: 00012184 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

Misc. Private Legals Public Notice NOTICE OF PURCHASE OF REAL ESTATE AT TAX LIEN SALE AND OF APPLICATION FOR ISSUANCE OF TREASURER’S DEED

Separate sealed bids for Peoria Street Widening Project; Douglas County Project Number DV 2018-178 will be received by the Owner, Douglas County Government, Department of Public Works Engineering, Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104, until Tuesday, September 1, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. This project consists of the placement of approximately 3,035 tons of asphalt pavement, 2,430 linear feet of curb and gutter, 7,685 square feet of median cover material, and 39 square yards of curb ramps, at the intersection of Peoria Street and Lincoln Avenue in Douglas County. Bid items also include landscaping, fiber conduit, trench drain, irrigation, landscaping and sod, erosion control, sign panels, construction staking and traffic control.

To Every Person in Actual Possession or Occupancy of the hereinafter Described Land, Lot or Premises, and to the Person in Whose Name the Same was Taxed or Specially Assessed, and to all Persons having an Interest or Title of Record in or to the said Premises and To Whom It May Concern, and more especially to:

The Contract Documents will be available after 10:00 a.m. on Monday, August 3, 2020, through Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System Website (www.rockymountainbidsystem.com) or they may be obtained at the above address. Electronic versions of the Plans obtained by any other means than as described above may not be complete or accurate, and it is the Bidder’s responsibility to obtain a complete set of the Project Plans and Specifications. Douglas County will not be held responsible for misinformation received from private plan rooms.

You and each of you are hereby notified that on the 3rd day of November 2016 the then County Treasurer of the County of Douglas, in the State of Colorado, sold at public tax lien sale to GRACETON LP the following described real estate situate in the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, to wit:

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at the Department of Public Works Engineering, Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104. All questions are due to Daniel Roberts, P.E., Project Engineer by 12:00p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. The Bid Opening will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, at the same address.

The Project includes the following major items and approximate quantities: • • • •

3,035 tons of asphalt pavement 2,430 linear feet of curb and gutter 7,685 square feet of median cover material 39 square yards of curb ramps

Prior to submitting a Bid Proposal, Bidders shall have received prequalification status (active status) with the Colorado Department of Transportation to bid on individual projects of the size and kind of work as set forth herein.

Any questions on the bidding process shall be directed to Daniel Roberts, P.E., Project Engineer/ Manager at 303.660.7490.

OCCUPANT - RICHARD B SUNDQUIST AKA RICHARD BRUEN SUNDQUIST - GRACETON LP - JAMES PIZZINO JR AKA JAMES D PIZZINO & DIANA L PIZZINO AKA DIANA LUISE PIZZINO - LYN CC LEWIS AKA LYN CAROL LEWIS - MARY SUNDQUIST AKA MARY J SUNDQUIST AKA MARY ELLEN SUNDQUIST AKA MARY LYNN SUNDQUIST

1/2 MIN INT IN MOST E1/2NW1/4 29-8-65 TOTAL = 70 AM/L MIN INT = 35 AM/L

and said County Treasurer issued a certificate of purchase therefore to GRACETON LP. That said tax lien sale was made to satisfy the delinquent* taxes assessed against said real estate for the year 2015. That said real estate was taxed or specially assessed in the name(s) of RICHARD B SUNDQUIST for said year 2015

That said GRACETON LP on the 20th day of December 2019 the present holder of said certificate, has made request upon the Treasurer of said County for a deed to said real estate; That a Treasurer’s Deed will be issued for said real estate to the said at 1:00 o’clock P.M., on the 29th day of October 2020 unless the same has been redeemed. Said property may be redeemed from said sale at any time prior to the actual execution of said Treasurer’s Deed. Witness my hand this 16th day of July 2020 /s/ David Gill County Treasurer of Douglas County Legal Notice No. 937650 First Publication: July 16, 2020 Last Publication: July 30, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

###

Plan holder information, can be found on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System

Parker Legals 7.31.20 * 1

Parker Chronicle 23

0July 31, 2020

SCHOOLS

TAKE OUT

FROM PAGE 1

full in-person or full online learning if the pandemic improves or escalates in coming weeks.

As part of the new reentry plan, teachers and staff will return to school on Aug. 4.

Professional development days are planned on Aug. 4, 5 and 6 and outside of those days staff will review curriculum, work with principals and plan for how to operate in both in-person and online Learning models.

Tucker said the district planned additional professional development days focused solely on online learning because he expects the district could need to switch to e-learning “on a moment’s notice.”

Students will return on a staggered schedule and undergo orientation between Aug. 17 to Aug. 21. During that week schools will operate at 20% capacity, each day with different students.

Tucker said he believed it would be impossible to start students on an e-learning program without seeing them, and that the orientation week would also provide time to finalize cohorts.

A cohort system presented July 25 had students breaking up into A and B groups. Cohort A would attend school in-person on Monday and Wednesday and online on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Cohort B students would follow a reverse schedule, also with Friday as an e-learning” day.

Board President David Ray and other directors asked district staff to return with more details still about the hybrid plan in August, including how schools can assign students into cohorts.

Douglas County Schools Superintendent Thomas Tucker, shown in an August 2019 file photo, said the district is planning development days focused on online learning because a switch to e-learning could happen rapidly amid the COVID pandemic. JESSICA GIBBS Directors unanimously approved the recommendation after nearly nine hours of discussion, beginning the meeting at 8 a.m.

District staff, school principals and directors evaluated three possible learning models — all in-person, hybrid and e-learning — before approving the reentry plan.

Principals who spoke at July 25’s meeting said they would make whatever plan board directors approved work for their schools, but several doubted they could implement all the strategies recommended to curb COVID-19’s spread if schools returned to full inperson learning.

“Being able to do all of those factors in a school that has nearly 2,300 students in it is going to be extremely difficult and challenging if not impossible,” Chaparral High School Principal

Greg Gotchey said.

Director Krista Holtzmann noted the virus had spread seriously in communities that opened too early and said she could not ignore rising case positivity rates in Douglas County.

Director Elizabeth Hanson commended principals for voicing their concerns about a return to in-person learning, calling them courageous and urging upset community members to direct their anger toward directors and not school staff.

Director Kevin Leung said he preferred starting the school year remotely although he still voted to approve the hybrid learning model.

“A human life is very sacred and it’s very important and nothing can replace a human life when they are gone,” he said, “so for that I don’t think we are ready for in-person learning.”

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24 Parker Chronicle

July 31, 2020

LETTERS FROM PAGE 11

Commissioners made right call Douglas County is wealthier, healthier, and now smarter than Arapahoe and Adams based on the county commissioners’ decision to be the first to withdraw from the Tri-County Health Department. In response to the article “Douglas County wants divorce from health agency,” what value can the Tri-County department provide that Douglas County cannot provide for itself ? Tri-County has demonstrated that it is too big with non-elected bureaucrats to fairly represent Douglas County and it is probably only a matter of time before Arapahoe and Adams follow suit. How much has the Tri-Counties of Douglas, Arapahoe, and Adams changed in 54 years of affiliation, i.e., since 1966 when Douglas County was all farmland and farmers took turns as county commissioners?

We should appreciate the current three Douglas County commissioners who are not bending with the liberal winds to conform, but who see what is obviously best for the health and well-being of county residents. Creating a Douglas County Health Department isn’t about the mandate to wear face masks, it’s about a TriCounty administration that has demonstrated it’s not accountable to the people it serves.

Who knows, in a future pandemic it could be the Douglas County Health Department that

is first to require face masks, but then it will be a decision made by the people of Douglas County.

Smith Young Parker Commissioners should hit reverse Public health measures proven to combat the spread of COVID-19 are most effective when adopted early, before the virus is rampant, and when they are applicable to as large a geographic area as possible; fragmented, uncoordinated public health measures are doomed to failure and will not control spread of the disease.

I have been particularly disturbed by the decision of the Douglas County commissioners to separate from Tri-County Health. The apparent reason is requiring that masks be worn in public. At a time when we need unity and common purpose, this move is adverse to the health of Douglas County citizens. My background as a medical doctor, professor of medicine, medical epidemiologist at CDC, and former county commissioner leads me to object to this unwise, arrogant “political” move, which will undermine the battle against this powerful viral enemy.

We should not make Douglas County an enclave with a public health agenda different from that of our neighbors.

I will celebrate the wisdom of the commissioners if they abandon this foolish endeavor; if they proceed, I believe that we should replace them with leaders who believe in public health science and who will

work on behalf of the well-being of citizens. My recommendation is that we elect Darien Wilson and Lisa Neal-Graves, two dynamic, well-qualified candidates who understand the gravity of the battle we are engaged in and will make wise decisions regarding our public health.

James Clark Huff, M.D. Parker Commissioners let us down I am extremely disappointed with the Douglas County commissioners’ decision to opt out of the Tri-County Health Department because of the health department’s mandate to wear masks.

My family has benefited from the excellent services provided

by Tri-County Health for over 40 years. The commissioners’ plans for an independent county health department appear to be ill-formed and expensive at best.

Here is yet another instance of politicians ignoring scientific facts, thereby recklessly endangering the public they were elected to look out for. I realize that there are a great many people in our county who don’t think wearing masks is important — I see them every day when walking outdoors, in stores and in other public places!

But caving to people who have made a public health issue into a political issue is not correct decision making. Neither is refusing to act in solidarity with our neighboring counties. And taking such a cavalier attitude towards a dire matter of health

and public safety will ultimately endanger our schools (children), businesses and places of work (families) and elder care facilities (seniors).

It is clearly a time for a change in leadership this November election.

Bill Hamaker Highlands Ranch Split from TCHD is right Hooray for the Douglas County commissioners who have the grown-up intelligence to understand how our government should work. Unelected experts, i.e., Tri-County Health, before whom we are to bow for their great learning, but who also can’t agree with much of anything, should not be making important policy decisions for citizens of Douglas County.

Policy decisions are made by ELECTED officials who can be held accountable for those jobendangering, economy-breaking decisions. Let the voters be guided by the commissioners, not by the extremely emotional, frightened children who are screaming and throwing fear fits “to save lives.” Finally the commissioners are sayin “NO!” I congratulate them for their courage in standing up to a serious tantrum.

Mary Ann McCoy Lone Tree Disappointed in commissioners’ decisions We are residents of Highlands Ranch and parents to two young school-aged children.

We decided to move to Douglas County for several reasons, including low taxes and the focus on health in this community.

We are terribly disappointed in the recent decisions of the DougCo BOCC: to opt out of a mask order and leave the TriCounty Health Department in the next year. They are ignoring health experts’ recommendations with these decisions. We trust leaders to make commonsense decisions using all available resources, especially during this global pandemic.

They did not. This is unacceptable and irresponsible and we have questions: What is the replacement plan?

How much will it cost? Why will it be better for us as Douglas County residents? How can we develop an entirely new agency during the pandemic? What health-care professionals would work for this agency knowing the current board ignores experts? TCHD is one of the most cost-effective health agencies in our region, costing far less than most other Front Range agencies (see www.arapahoegov. com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/ Item/10805?fileID=17662).

Why would we recreate the wheel during a pandemic? For a difficult-to-assemble, more expensive wheel?

The board’s recent decisions risk our community’s health and will likely increase our costs. One person making similar points is Darien Wilson. She is a successful small business owner and understands how to make fiscally responsible decisions without sacrificing quality. We will be voting for Darien for DougCo BOCC in November.

Julie and Matt McMonagle Highlands Ranch

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