September 25, 2020
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 45
Parker councilor resigns Renee Williams: ‘My aging parents are across the street. I do not want to leave them.’ BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Commissioners Roger Partridge, Abe Laydon and Lora Thomas sign their names in a storm drain in the newly opened Sandstone Ranch Sept. 18. PHOTOS BY ELLIOTT WENZLER
‘This is the gem of the county’ Sandstone Ranch paths can be used for hiking, cycling, horseback riding
IF YOU GO
BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A more than 2,000-acre property in southern Douglas County that was once destined for residential development is now open to the public with 12 miles of trails for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding. Sandstone Ranch, which was purchased by the county in January 2018, sits in the foothills between Denver and Colorado Springs. The property, adjacent to Pike National Forest, SEE SANDSTONE, P11
An informational board sits at a viewpoint in Sandstone Ranch.
QUITE THE SITES
The metro area offers interesting, sometimes overlooked, attractions P14
To get to the trailhead at Sandstone Ranch, drivers coming from Castle Rock can get off I-25 at exit 182, turn west on Wolfensberger Road, then continue until it dead ends at Highway 105. After turning left, drivers will eventually see the trailhead — about 0.6 mile from the intersection with Perry Park Avenue. The open space property will be open from an hour before sunrise until an hour after sunset.
Parker Town Councilmember Renee Williams announced her resignation Sept. 17 in an email to town staff and council. Williams, elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018, has been staying in Arizona since March to take care of her mother, she said. “My aging parents are across the street,” she Williams wrote. “I do not want to leave them.” Williams’ resignation was effective Sept. 18. “It has been a pleasure to serve and I hope I have left Parker a better place for the people who have made Parker their home and for the business community,” Williams said. “I urge you to choose your next leaders carefully as they will impact your lives more than you know. Your leaders should be in it for the best interests of all, not for themselves.” The town council has 30 days to appoint an eligible person as defined in the municipal code or call a special election. The decision to appoint, if applicable, must receive four “yea” votes from the remaining five councilmembers. Williams said she “feels bad for Parker” now that she is no longer a SEE WILLIAMS, P6
JAGUARS TAKE LEAGUE TOURNEY
Rock Canyon High School outpaces the pack on the links P16