1-Color
April 18, 2014 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 12, Issue 25 A publication of
parkerchronicle.net
Coyote sightings concern residents Increase in activity reported along Jordan Road corridor By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com
A GRAND TIME
Davis Clark (21) is greeted by the entire Chaparral dugout after his grand slam home run in the 16-1 Wolverines’ victory over Highlands Ranch. Chaparral scored 10 runs in the fourth inning en route to the Continental League win on April 11. Keenan Eaton went 3-for-3 with four RBIs as the Wolverines collected 14 hits in the five-inning affair. Chaparral starting pitcher Brad Brown allowed one hit and struck out nine batters in four innings of work to help the Wolverines improve to 2-1 in league play and 7-4 overall. Highlands Ranch fell to 0-3 and 4-7. For more sports coverage, turn to page 22. Photo by Paul DiSalvo
Major project on Lincoln to last months Roadwork, lane closures expected to start June 16 By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com Motorists are being asked to find alternatives to Lincoln Avenue near Parker during a major reconstruction project that will convert the road from concrete to asphalt. The roadwork will commence June 16 and is estimated to take six months to complete. Crews plan to completely remove the existing concrete pavement between Chambers Road and Keystone Boulevard and replace it with asphalt, a material with more elasticity. The new surface will preclude the need for seasonal repairs caused by unstable soils beneath Lincoln Avenue. The stretch of road was originally built 30 years ago by Mobil — an oil and gas company that once had a housing division and developed Stonegate — said Sean Owens, road engineer for Douglas County. Even the subsurface of the road will be removed to get a fresh start. “That section of Lincoln has seen a lot of movement over 30 years,” Owens said. The reason why might surprise a few people, even longtime residents of Parker. It turns out that 20 feet below the surface is a “lens” of palm trees that were destroyed when Mount Princeton erupted millions of years ago, Owens said. The intense blast flattened everything in its path, but the half-charred remains are still there and often uncovered when foundations are constructed in northern Douglas County. “It’s an old forest that used to be there,” Owens said. “With all of that organic ma-
A dramatic rise in coyote sightings on the northern edge of Parker has pet owners and parents on edge. Homeowners in the Southcreek, Cottonwood and Dove Ridge subdivisions have reported an increased presence of coyotes, and not just on vacant land. The wild canines have been found on porches and patios — one was even spotted sunning itself on someone’s lawn. Almost every resident living along undeveloped greenbelts near the Jordan Road corridor between E-470 and Broncos Parkway has a story, with more seemingly coming by the week. Much of the attention has focused on the brazen behavior recently displayed by the coyotes. Patty Kent, a resident of Dove Ridge and owner of two dogs, saw a coyote less than a month ago on the other side of a three-foot-high split rail fence separating her yard from open land. It “made a motion like it was going to leap the fence” while Kent screamed and threw anything she could get her hands on in the coyote’s direction. It was undeterred. “I almost lost my little dog,” she said. “That coyote was not afraid of anything.” With Kent’s 90-pound Labrador watching every move, the predator decided it wasn’t worth the risk and sauntered off. Jessica Drake, another resident of Dove Ridge, told a similar story. Winter was quiet, but coyotes have noticeably become more active with the warmer weather, she said. They are encroaching further than ever into populated neighborhoods off Chambers Road. Coyotes continues on Page 24
Evening commuters make their way toward Chambers Road along eastbound Lincoln Avenue April 14. The major arterial road will be bogged down with construction between Keystone Boulevard and Chambers Road starting June 16. Photo by Chris Michlewicz terial 20 feet deep, we can’t fix the fact that the area is going to move over time. Asphalt is more flexible and it’s easier to fill in little areas and grind off areas that move up to keep a flatter surface.” Moving soils, changing water tables and 300 days of sunshine are also factors, not to mention the 34,000 vehicles that use the road daily. The project has been talked about for 10 years and the timing has finally worked out, Owens said. “It’s a balancing act between (ongoing)
maintenance and ripping the Band-Aid off,” he said. “We get six month’s worth of a lot of phone calls, but after it’s done we get 20 year’s worth of `that’s why you did it.’” With design included, the project will cost $4.3 million but save millions on repairs that would have been performed in the coming years if the work was not completed, Owens said. The money is coming from the road maintenance fund, which is Roadwork continues on Page 24
Coyotes, like this one photographed recently in Douglas County, are increasingly seen by residents this time of year. Courtesy photo
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