Chronicle Parker 6-14-13
Parker
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 33
June 14, 2013 A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourparkernews.com
County targets transit funds Federal grant would help seniors, disabled By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
Molly Duffy, safety and emergency preparedness specialist at Parker Adventist Hospital, listens to an update on a full-scale disaster drill June 5. Photos by Chris Michlewicz
Disaster drill helps hospital prepare Parker Adventist takes part in large-scale exercise By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com Preparing for a mass-casualty disaster can be something of a science. Parker Adventist Hospital was among 20 organizations that took part in a large-scale drill in which 150 mock patients were transported to metro-area medical centers June 5. The Federal Coordinating Center Denver Reception exercise was meant to test 11 hospitals on their ability to handle multiple patients at one time. The drill brought together some of the local, regional and federal authorities and Drill continues on Page 9
Three-year-old Lyndy Duffy, a volunteer patient for a disaster drill at Parker Adventist Hospital, is assessed by emergency room manager Kathy Whitus.
Transportation for seniors and those with disabilities in Douglas County may be getting a much-needed boost in the near future. With unanimous support from the county commissioners, the county is applying for a grant that would increase transportation funding in non-RTD areas by $622,464 for a two-year period covering 2014 and 2015. The county would provide a 26 percent match of $162,120, while the federal grant share would be $460,344. “Transit in Douglas County is a challenge and a lot of it has to do with the fact that we are on the edge of the Denver metro area and our communities are so spread out,” said District 3 Commissioner Jill Repella. “We are working on it. We are continuing to work on it and this is part of that challenge.” Perhaps the biggest challenge the county faces is that it has one of the fastest growing senior populations in the country, and between 2009 and 2011 it saw its transportation funding cut dramatically due to the recession. In 2009, according to county documents, approximately 150,000 one-way trips were provided in non-RTD service areas to seniors and those with disabilities. That number dropped to 23,000 in 2011 due to a loss of funding. With some help from a Federal Transit Administration grant, it increased to 40,000 in 2012. “Part of the challenge is we are playing catch-up, trying to get ourselves back to the level of transit services that we were providing previously,” said Jennifer Eby, the county’s community and resource services manager. “We are working with all the different partners and certainly everybody has been really stepping up and collaborating well to increase the number of rides this year.” Funds continues on Page 9
Veterans monument comes together Bronze eagle lands after years of planning By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews. com It took more than six years of planning, thousands of donations and volunteer hours, and the use of a local crane, but the eagle has landed in downtown Castle Rock. Weighing in at 900 pounds, a bronze eagle, sculpted by Bill Hueg of Westminster, hoists an American flag above a globe. On
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June 4, with the guidance of three men, it was placed carefully on a granite-coated steel and concrete base to complete the $170,000 Douglas County Veterans Monument. “Six years, I’ve been waiting for this day,” said World War II veteran Lou Zoghby, a longtime member of the monument foundation’s board of directors. “This is for all the veterans past, present and future in the entire county. … What better symbol to depict all of our different branches of service than the eagle.” The six-sided monument, at the southwest corner of Wilcox and Fourth streets, is embossed with six seals recognizing the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Merchant Marine and Navy. There are also two plaques
on the monument. One of them honors those killed in action and reads, “In honor and respect for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. You will always be remembered.” “When we picked this design out of the 14 designs that were submitted, we picked it from a sketch, and little did I realize what it would look like in its full 3D form,” said Henry Bohne, a Korean War veteran and chairman of the foundation board. “There are so many feelings. I just can’t put it into words.” Bohne estimates there are between 28,000 and 30,000 veterans living in Douglas County today, about 10,000 more veterans than there were citizens in the county when he moved to Parker in 1978. Veterans continues on Page 9
World War II veteran Lou Zoghby points with excitement to the Douglas County Veterans Monument moments after it was pieced together June 4 at the corner of Wilcox and Fourth streets in Castle Rock. Zoghby served on the monument foundation’s board of directors for six years and was ecstatic to see it all come together. Photo by Ryan Boldrey