April 29, 2016
TREASURE HUNTING
VO LUM E 1 4 | IS S U E 26 | FREE
Learn from the experts on how to set up a successful garage sale. PAGE 12
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Residents share concerns over rezoning Town shares revised proposal for property on east side of downtown By Tom Skelley tskelley@coloradocommunitymedia.com Residents expressed concerns over safety, lack of a voice and the potential loss of downtown’s character during a recent meeting on the proposed rezoning of the Pine Curve property. The Town of Parker held an open house April 19 to unveil its revised proposal for rezoning
the Pine Curve property. Town planners were on hand to receive public input on a revised proposal for the property at the eastern edge of downtown — and they got an earful. Approximately 50 people attended the meeting at the PACE Center, some staying well after it was scheduled to end at 7 p.m. Residents saw designs for proposed developments, discussed changes to the original proposal and voiced concerns, sometimes emotionally, over the impact the development could have on Parker. “I just think we’re asking for
trouble,” said Casey Biggers, a 10-year resident of the Canterbury Crossing subdivision. “I realize that land needs to be sold or it needs to be developed… but I think we could come up with better uses.” “I think the main issue for me as a mom in Parker is safety,” Biggers said. In the decade she’s lived in Parker, Biggers said she has seen road traffic and accidents increase. She worries adding more cars to the mix will increase the risk to children. “To have a pedestrian walkway Rezoning continues on Page 16
Kim Rodell, left, and Fred Couch discuss the revised rezoning proposal for the Pine Curve property at the PACE Center in Parker on April 19. Photo by Tom Skelley
Voucher program faces new challenge Families sue for right to use program for religious schools Staff report Local families represented by the Institute for Justice, a Virginia-based nonprofit law group, have filed a legal challenge to the Douglas County School District’s voucher program. On March 15, the school board voted 4-3 to approve a revision to the Choice Scholarship Program that removes religiously affiliated schools as an option. Voucher continues on Page 16
Instructor Kelly Hickler leads a class through stretching exercises at iThrive Yoga in Parker on April 15. Hickler says teaching yoga classes drives her to improve her own technique. Photos by Tom Skelley
Yoga mats and magic markers Local yoga studio adds a twist to meditation methods By Tom Skelley tskelley@coloradocommunitymedia.com The west wall of floor-to-ceiling windows reveals a glowing purple sunset. As students spread their mats on the floor, the sun drops behind the mountains and dim ambient lighting just keeps the room from becoming completely dark.
The instructor welcomes students and describes the exercises they will practice during class. The room becomes still. Then everyone begins to inhale and exhale, unevenly at first, but soon in unison, audibly enough to make the room seem to breathe with them. Students at iThrive Yoga’s Friday night class are a diverse group of ages and backgrounds, but they are here in Parker for the same purpose: to get away from the world, relax their bod-
UP TO THE TASK
ies and find peace, if only for an hour. And tonight’s class will add a unique twist to the routine of breathing and stretching exercises — coloring. One of Kelly Hickler’s homework assignments during yoga instructor training was to create a mandala, and tonight she shares the assignment with her students. The intricate, repetitive designs are said to represent the entire universe, or as Hickler says, an entire person, in one image.
Lutheran was among dozens of teams competing at the Liberty Bell Invitational as the season winds down. PAGE 20
Yoga continues on Page 17
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