Parker chronicle 0712

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Chronicle Parker

Parker 7.12.13

Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 37

Ready to take theiR shot

July 12, 2013

A Colorado Community Media Publication

ourparkernews.com

County looking strong on jobs Unemployment drops, average wage shows large increase By Ryan Boldrey

rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com

LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam, right, high-fives Dewi Claire Schreefel during a chipping contest July 2 at the Colorado Golf Club in Parker. Sorenstam is co-captain of the Solheim Cup’s European Team, which will take on the American squad next month at the course. Find more coverage on Pages 26 and 27. Photo by Chris Michlewicz

Survey reveals residents’ picks and pans Rec opportunities praised; bus travel, jobs criticized

city suRvey Results • Of the 2,863 households that received the survey, 808 completed it, resulting in a response rate of 28 percent. • Reported responses are for those who had an opinion; “don’t know” responses were removed from the analyses. • Of the respondents, 76 percent own their home. • Eighty-one percent of respondents rated the town’s quality of service as “good” or “excellent.” • The Town of Parker exceeded national and Front Range averages in most categories. • The largest deviations between the 2013 and 2009 surveys appear in the section about town leadership, with double-digit jumps in some categories devoted to delivery of town services. • Survey results were presented to town council June 10.

By Chris Michlewicz

cmichlewicz@ ourcoloradonews.com Results from a recent survey of Parker residents show a continued appreciation for recreational amenities, and concern over a lack of employment opportunities. The 2013 Town of Parker Citizen Survey revealed the attitudes of 808 random residents, roughly one-third of whom have called Parker home for 10 years or more. They weighed in on topics such as quality of life, traffic, sense of community, growth and cost of living. The five-page survey — mailed out in January — was the first since 2009. The normally biannual set of questions was scrapped in 2011 due to budget constraints, said Elise Penington, community affairs coordinator for the town. Among the highest-rated strengths was quality of life, with 91 percent rating it as either “good” or “excellent.” Recreational amenities in the town also were popular, with 90 percent saying they are “good” or “excellent.” The majority of respondents — 55 percent — said they believe population growth in Parker was too fast over the last two years. New housing construction was also a concern, with 24 percent saying it was occurring

A citizen survey reveals Parker residents enjoy the town’s recreational amenities. File photo “much too fast.” They represent larger percentages than the national averages, and concerns about growth have been a common theme in Parker’s citizen survey since it was launched in 1999. However, 43 percent of the survey-takers rated the pace of population growth as the “right amount,” highlighting widely

differing opinions regarding improving economic and housing market conditions. Residents used the survey to criticize areas they believe need improvement. Sixty-nine percent rated job opportunities in Parker as “fair” or “poor,” and 68 percent said the same about the ease of bus travel. The majority of those who answered ques-

tions about bus travel, however, acknowledged that they do not use public transportation, Penington said. Town officials are actively pursuing major employers through tax incentive packages. Bus travel is also on town council’s radar, with ongoing efforts to boost local ridership. Respondents rated the town’s “openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds” differently, with 66 percent saying the town is “excellent” or “good,” and 34 percent rating it as “fair” or “poor.” Residents were asked to list the one thing the town could do to improve the quality of life in Parker. The most common anSurvey continues on Page 11

Douglas County’s unemployment rate has dipped to 5.8 percent, the lowest it has been since the conclusion of the fourth quarter in 2008. The number comes as great news for the county, which just released its 2013 firstquarter data days after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put out its year-to-year statistics that showed Douglas County as having the seventh-largest increase in employment from the end of 2011 to the end of 2012, out of the 328 largest counties in the United States. Douglas County increased its total number of jobs to 98,500, up 5,000 from a year ago, a 5.1 percent increase. The study also showed the county as second in average weekly wage increase of the 328 counties — which account for 71.3 percent of all jobs and 77 percent of all wages in the country. Leading the way in weekly wage increase was California’s San Mateo County, which saw a 107.3 percent bump, vaulting from $1,563 per week per person to $3,240. Douglas County workers saw an average increase of 48 percent, increasing from $1,075 per week in 2011 to $1,591 in 2012. Wages for No. 3, the independent city of Virginia Beach, climbed only 13.3 percent. Yet while the $516 increase appears to be an astounding one, according to Douglas County spokeswoman Wendy Holmes, it is skewed by the fact that wages increased 362 percent for the industry of “management of companies and enterprises.” “When you remove that group, wages in Douglas County are only up 7.9 percent,” Holmes said, pointing to the other 18 industries that were weighed. Still, that is a positive sign for a county that between the fourth quarters in 2010 and 2011 ranked No. 318 with an 8.6 decrease in wages, all industries considered. The county only had three industries that were down, and with the addition of 5,000 new jobs there is a lot to be pleased about, said Douglas County Commissioner Jill Repella. “I would say it is because of two things,” Repella said. “It says that businesses that are already here are doing well enough to start giving people salary increases. It is also Jobs continues on Page 11

what the statistics say Colorado’s highest average weekly wages 2011: 1. Denver County – $1,162 2. Boulder County – $1,114 3. Arapahoe County – $1,108 4. Douglas County – $1,065 5. Jefferson County – $976 Colorado’s highest average weekly wages 2012: 1. Douglas County – $1,591 2. Denver County – $1,222 3. Arapahoe County – $1,159 4. Boulder County – $1,134 5. Jefferson County – $1,010

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