1-Color
March 7, 2014 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 12, Issue 19 A publication of
parkerchronicle.net
CU plans to offer classes in area
A WILD TIME
Expansion to change higher learning in Douglas County By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ coloradocommunitymedia.com
Jordan Usdrowski, 4, of Larkspur, flashes a grin for the camera while hanging out with Ghost, left, and Waya, two wolves who were brought to The Wildlife Experience March 1 by Colorado Wolf Adventures, a rescue based in Woodland Park. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
Man relishes second chance Quick response saves Art Cales after heart attack at fitness center
Classes continues on Page 22
Project to ease school traffic
By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ coloradocommunitymedia.com Art Cales is one of the lucky few. It took a series of fortunate circumstances to revive the 51-year-old when he had a sudden heart attack at Lifetime Fitness near E-470 and South Parker Road in January. “They basically brought me back to life,” Cales said. “I was dead.” “They” refers to the handful of people who rushed to his aid, including personal trainer Kate Jureller, 27, of Denver. It was around 6 a.m. when she was teaching a team weight-loss class and heard people yelling for help. An alert came over the intercom, and Jureller says she was the one who happened to grab the automated external defibrillator off the wall. She and Kate Tillman, a physical therapist at Parker Adventist Hospital, performed CPR after finding that Cales was not breathing. His complexion was ashen and his lips were cold, said Jureller, who placed the AED pads on Cales’s chest. After detecting an abnormal heart rhythm, the machine administered two shocks, bringing Cales back after three minutes. Ten minutes earlier, he was in a room by himself, beginning a first set of exercises designed to help him recover from rotator cuff surgery. He began to feel lightheaded, and, from a standing position, hit the floor with a solid impact. It got the attention of a nearby Lifetime Fitness patron, Mike Staheli, who alerted everyone to the trouble. “The next thing I know, I’m looking up at people,” Cales said. “They were asking
The University of Colorado has announced an expansion plan that will transform The Wildlife Experience and higher education in Douglas County. More than 7,400 square feet of exhibit space on the second floor of The Wildlife Experience, an education-and-conservation-focused museum on Lincoln Avenue east of Interstate 25, will be turned into classroom space. Nearly 4,000 square feet in the basement will house a simulation lab for nursing students. The university, with assistance from its Denver and Anschutz campuses, is planning to offer a broad range of programs in business, addiction counseling, computer forensics, nursing and engineering. Classes are set to begin this fall and, at least in the beginning, will be aimed at professional audiences. There will be a balance of undergraduate and graduatelevel courses. Don Elliman, chancellor of CU-Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus, said museum officials proposed the idea of expansion to the university more than a year ago. Although it had not been considering a move into south metro Denver, university leaders “thought about it pretty seriously” and conducted a market assessment.
Todd Drive extension will cost $1.3 million By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Parker resident Art Cales embraces Kate Tillman, who performed CPR on Cales after he suffered a major heart attack at Lifetime Fitness in January. The survivor thanked those who rushed to his aid during a Feb. 28 reunion. Photo by Julie Miller
‘They basically brought me back to life. I was dead.’ — Art Cales, heart attack survivor me my name, but that was all I could remember.” It turned out that every single one of his arteries was at least 50 percent blocked, some completely so. Blood had stopped flowing through his body. He went into surgery to remove the clots and is recovering well, although he reinjured his shoulder during the fall.
Sudden cardiac arrest struck nearly 360,000 people nationwide in 2013. For each minute defibrillation is delayed, the chance of survival is reduced approximately 10 percent, according to the American Red Cross. The CPR administered prior Life continues on Page 22
Parker and Douglas County are partnering on a road project that will improve traffic flow around American Academy Charter School. The $1.3 million project will extend Todd Drive, connecting Motsenbocker Road with Jordan Road and adding another piece in the street grid to distribute traffic. The Town of Parker has already started design work, and if the necessary right of ways and easements are secured, construction could begin this year. The Town of Parker unanimously approved a cost-sharing intergovernmental agreement Feb. 18 to build the asphalt road. Douglas County appropriated Project continues on Page 22
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