June 26, 2015 VO LUM E 1 3 | IS S U E 34 | FREE
2015 WINNERS
INSIDE! 2015 WINNERS GUIDE ParkerChronicle.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
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Tax hike sought for parks and rec Ballot question could be put to Parker voters in November By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@colorado communitymedia.com
James Willis, a standout football and basketball player at Lutheran High School in Parker, was named the 2015 Freddie Steinmark Award winner. Photo by Jim Benton
Lutheran’s Willis scores major honor He proved excellence in football, basketball, classroom By Jim Benton
jbenton@colorado communitymedia.com A friend’s visit put James Willis’ senior year in perspective. Willis, who was a standout quarterback and the leading scorer on Lutheran’s basketball team, was named the winner of the Freddie Steinmark Award on June 13 at the All-State games in Alamosa. “I had a friend that came over to the school that I had grown up with, and that was the moment that I knew there were five seniors on the basketball team and they were all my closest friends,” recalled Willis. “I said, ‘This is my senior year and I’m going to enjoy myself because I’m going to be
around my closest friends.’” The Steinmark Award is named after the former Wheat Ridge football, basketball and baseball player who went to the University of Texas to play football. He was a starting safety for the Longhorns, but following a 1514 win over Arkansas on Dec. 6, 1969, in a matchup of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation, a cancerous tumor was found in his thighbone and his leg was amputated. Steinmark stood on crutches on the Longhorns’ sideline 20 days later and watched Texas beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl to win the national championship. He died of cancer in 1971 at the age of 22 and has since become a symbol of courage; his story will soon be portrayed in a movie. Willis, who will play basketball next season at Western State, was the 46th male athlete to be honored with the Steinmark Award. The prerequisites to be nominated for the award include that the senior athlete
JAMES WILLIS BY THE NUMBERS 4.3 — Grade point average
17
— Points per game scored for basketball team in senior season
25
— Number of touchdown passes in senior season of football
31
— Combined wins for Lutheran’s football and basketball teams in his senior season
2,182
— Yards from scrimmage accounted for during his senior season of football
Lutheran quarterback James Willis looks for a receiver in a game against Englewood in October. In that contest, Willis completed 10 of 11 passes for 287 yards and five tochdowns as the Lions won, 54-13. File photo
play two sports, be all-state in one and at least all-conference in the other, carry a 3.0 grade point average or above, and be active in school and community efforts. “I was really surprised to win,” said Willis, who was all-state in both football and basketball. “I didn’t think I was going to get it. I was really shocked. My head basketball coach (Ryan Bredow) told me I was nominated, and I started reading into what the award was all about, and I was like, ‘Wow, that was crazy.’ I went to the website and had to do a little research to make sure I knew what this was all about.” Willis, the Lions’ valedictorian with a 4.3 grade point average, passed for 1,927 yards, completed 59.6 percent of his passes, and helped Lutheran’s football team post a 10-1 record last season. He threw 25 touchdown passes and rushed for 255 yards and three TDs. He led the Lions’ 21-6 basketball team with a 17-point average, and he contributed 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. “I like basketball more,” said the 6-foot Willis. “Part of it is to avoid as many injuries as possible. Honestly I’ve just liked basketball more my whole life. Since I had the option and since basketball was an opportunity for me, I’d rather go this route because it’s more fun. I really did enjoy football, but basketball is my favorite sport.” Willis had to grind his way on the football field and basketball court after it was discovered in September of his junior year that he had a herniated disc. He missed the beginning of the 2013-14 basketball campaign. “I went in for three different procedures and had 10 total shots last season,” he explained. “Right now my back is all right. I still have nerve damage. “It’s taken a lot of time to get to where it’s at. It still hurts, but it’s not nearly as bad as when it first happened. I couldn’t sit down or stand up. It’s like an activity recovery. If I weren’t playing sports and I was in my mid30s, the way to recover would be to walk every day, stretch every day and do core exercises. So I do core exercises, stretch and walk every day.” Willis’ best senior moment off the athletic venues was easy to pinpoint. “The best moment was graduation,” he said. “It was a happy time. You are with your friends, you feel like you accomplished something, you know you tried the best you could and the results were good.”
The town of Parker is planning to ask voters this November for a half-percent tax increase for parks and recreation improvements. According to a proposed ordinance, the town wants approval to increase the sales and use tax and “incur debt to fund park and recreation improvements that the town does not have funds to complete.” Council gave initial approval June 15 to the ordinance, which would put the question to voters. Final approval will be considered during a meeting at 7 p.m. July 6 at town hall. The proposed projects include, but are not limited to: the expansion of Salisbury Park North with sports fields, trails, open space, and an outdoor performance stage; expanding O’Brien Park and H2O’Brien Pool; additions to the trail network; and acquisition and development of open space, the ordinance said. The ballot question would ask voters if the debt should be increased by up to $39.9 million, with a maximum repayment cost not to exceed $66.9 million. If approved, town taxes would be increased up to $6.25 million annually, beginning Jan. 1, 2016, to repay the debt incurred by the sale of bonds to fund the improvements. Officials discussed the possibility of a sunset clause as part of the tax increase, but cutting off the funding would present challenges, said Jim Cleveland, director of the Parker Parks and Recreation Department. It “doesn’t make too much sense” to build new amenities without having the financial means to “maintain and keep it at the highest possible quality for our citizens,” he said. The town presently has a 0.5 percent sales and use tax that is dedicated for parks Tax continues on Page 7
H2O’Brien Pool, where dogs get their annual splash during Barker Days, could double in size if a proposed tax increase is approved by voters in November. File photo